Help to ID this inline 4

[autopilot]

I've been viewing threads for several days but this is my 1st post. This picture is on my laptop but I can't for the life of me remember the source. Can anyone identify this engine or provide additional details?

Thanks in advance.

jim

 

[stevehuckss396]

Looks like the crankcase castings are from the panther pup. The cylinder section looks to be cast buy whom ever built the engine. The head could be cast or machined from bar stock. One of a kind without a doubt. It's also possible that the builder made the crankcase castings also to resemble the panther. OR! the engine predated the panther.

 

[autopilot]

I did a google 'search for this image' and found this information at the Craftsmanship Museum in California:

4-Cylinder Engine, designed and built in, San Diego, California, 1927. L=10", W=7", H=8", Weight=12 lb 4 0z
An instructor (Mr. Gay) and his class at the Naval Machinist School produced this 4-cycle air-cooled overhead-valve engine from aluminum castings, bronze and iron. The crankcase is cast in bronze, making the engine somewhat heavy, but eliminating the need to fabricate and insert crankshaft bearings. The crankcase is the oil reservoir for lubricating the internal parts. The crankshaft slings the oil as it spins. The external overhead rocker assembly is manually lubricated before running the engine. The spark plugs were originally located on the side of the cylinder block, common for lower-compression engines. Perhaps to improve starting the engine or to improve its performance the plugs were relocated to the top of the head. An aluminum extension (slug) was bolted to the top of each piston to increase compression. The original spark-plug holes were then filled with brass plugs.