Peter Woyen is selling is H8-90 Speedster project. This is a car with history that Peter got from Mark Young. I saw the car in person when visiting Mark and it has great potential. If I have to I will buy it for the engine as spare, but it really needs someone to finish as a speedster.
Here is a video of the engine running. Peter recently had Ed Minnie put the distributor on a machine and set it up. It should run even better.
That is really cool. In a world of predictable speedsters......this would always stand out. I can see why you'd want a spare engine. I hope it lands somewhere special and will be appreciated.
That looks really nice! It looks like a great family, multi-generational project. Too bad my kids are off doing other things.
Mark always felt there was real history behind the car. It came from the Boston area but it wasn't anything that I had ever seen or heard about. A period picture would be really cool. @Peter is a member and has another Stearns that he was restoring along with Mark's car. Hopefully Peter can come in and comment.
Would be great to hear what history there is with this cool little speedster.
Hi, I replied with a comment on the Marketplace ad. Maybe that can be linked back here. I'll look.
I'm glad I don't have the funds to throw at this thing.
It's very cool.
Wow! What a cool project. The running engine is major plus. Would love to see this finished.
I do have a title for this vehicle.
The history of this car is interesting but its an oral history. I have no documented proof. The story is that this car was a roadster that was shortened and made into a race car in the 1930's. It raced on Eastern tracks at that time. What level of racing it was involved in is unknown to me. The story goes that when the original 385 cid S-K 8 failed a Duesenberg engine was installed followed by a flathead Ford. There is a bump in the top of the aluminum hood that indicates a downdraft carb at some point. When the car came to us there was no motor or transmission in it. Mark found an old ad listing for a 385 cid Stearns-Knight 8 engine on a sawmill in Montreal Canada. He contacted them, bought it and had it shipped to Moorhead. That is the engine and transmission that is now in the car. It dropped right into place like it belonged there. The frame and mounts where the engine sits don't seem to be altered from original. That makes me question the validity of the other engines. The radiator shell is an early 1928 I believe. The White line bead is a separate piece soldered in place rather than the shell being stamped with a bead like most of the production was. Someone did a masterful job of building the hood. I think that is part of the original build. There are traces of nickel or chrome plating on the pitman arm and draglink. The frame was shortened and what appears to be a mid 20's Stearns rear spring setup was added. The original wheelbase was likely 137" and was reduced to 112". The oldest picture in a google search online seems to be from the early 1970's. Its pictured with fenders and a round gas tank. A little boy is sitting in the car. When we got it the hood, radiator shell , fenders and tank were with the chassis. There was no body. In about 2010 we had an Indy style body built for it. Its aluminum over oak or ash framing. The engine runs as you can see in the video.
Its a worthy project and would be a neat car done. However if there isn't much interest I'll keep it for sake of the engine and transmission and offer some parts and the aluminum body for sale. I'm restoring a 1929 S-K five passenger sedan.
Thank you, Peter Woyen
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