Restorations of a Cushman Engine, Witte Engine and Line Shaft Display

Keeping Busy! One Collector's Trio of Gas Engine Restoration Projects

By Larry Shulda
February/March 2011
Cushman engine
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The restored 8 HP 2-cylinder Cushman engine.
Larry Shulda
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It has been quite some time since I last wrote in Gas Engine Magazine about some of my projects, so here is some information about three projects I recently completed. 

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Cushman Engine 
The first project was the restoration of an 8 HP 2-cylinder Cushman engine. This gas engine was for sale at a show I went to several years ago. The missing parts convinced me to pass on buying it, but a friend of mine, Alex Chunn, did buy it. Over the next few years, he did a lot of the machine work and rounded up most of the missing parts needed to complete the engine.

One day, Alex asked me if I would be interested in buying it from him since I already own a 4 HP Cushman. He offered it to me for a price much less than he had invested in it. I brought it home in boxes and cans as it was completely disassembled.

To see what I had and what I needed to complete the project, I laid out all of the parts. There was no sub-base so this was the first thing I built. I also noticed that it didn’t have the long crankshaft and clutch assembly like I thought it should. I’m not sure if it came from the factory that way or if someone cut it down. If someone did cut it down they did a very good job. There are no saw marks and there is a centering hole in the end of the crankshaft for mounting in a lathe.

I loosely assembled the crankcase to see where everything went and in what order since I did not take it apart. Then I made all new gaskets and painted the parts.

Next, I built a cart for it and the tank-type radiator, and refinished an old wooden box to house the battery and buzz coils. It runs pretty well but still has a few gremlins that need to be worked out.

Witte Engine 
The next project I worked on was the refurbishment of a 6 HP Witte that I purchased from a friend, George Farquhar. When I first saw the engine I knew I had to have it, but it took about five years before George agreed to sell it to me.

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