Originally posted by THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER
Come to think of it, when I was a lad I took apart a Reo lawnmower engine that was of the flathead crossflow design. It had one cam lobe that operated both the intake and exhaust valves. Even as a kid I remember thinking' "Wow, this is something different from other engines I have disassembled. What a neat design!"
Yes, it was a part of the R.E.Olds / REO Truck / Oldsmobile dynasty.
From their history brief:
"That engine was introduced in 1949 and became a great success. It was a well-built cast iron engine, with its head slanted at 45 degrees. It ran "backwards", that is, the flywheel rotated counter-clockwise, which was opposite from most other engines. However, the power was taken from the camshaft, which meant that the drive pulley turned in the same direction as other engines, at 1/2 the speed of the crankshaft. The intake and exhaust valves were both operated by a single cam lobe on the camshaft.'
Any chance of some diagrams or pics of this one? Sounds interesting...
When I read that I was drawn to recall a friend's little project/job he showed me a couple of months ago. I don't remember what it was, but a very early (turn of the century stuff) engine with either one or two cylinders, the cam profile had a hollow in it for very quick closing of the valve. And there was something strange about how the cam was mounted, but I can't remember the details at all now!
