Hi everyone,
Just checking in here. My name is Chris and I am located in Virginia. I am a retired USN CPO and I worked on A-6s, RH-53Ds, and F-14s for 20 years. Over the years I picked up this old piston. I have no idea what it is from. It might not even be aviation. I got it in 1986 from some guys working at the Rich Airlines maintenance Hangar in Miami/Fort Lauderdale airport. They had some old DC-3s, DC-6s, and some old C-46s. This piston measures 5″ in diameter and has been cut and used as an ashtray. Here are some pictures. I hope you guys can help me out with an ID on this piston. Thanks for looking.
Chris
By: Creaking Door - 5th April 2012 at 22:27
While there were a fair few applications for the Liberty engine the vast majority would have been used in aircraft in the US.
The only tank that used them in the US was the WW1 era Mark VIII ‘Liberty’ tank; only one hundred of these were built in the US with liberty engines. These weren’t used much and, after years in storage, were eventually exported to Canada in 1940 for training.
The British used derivatives of the Liberty engine in some tanks during WW2 but I believe these Nuffield-built engines used a different design of piston. The major British tank application being the Crusader (Cruiser, Mark VI or A15) built between 1940 and 1943 and mainly used in the deserts of North Africa; I believe the desert sand and dust played havoc with the piston ring grooves (despite the air filters) requiring a more resilient design of piston.
By: hink441 - 4th April 2012 at 16:53
Yes I agree there could be many different applications for this particular piston/engine, and I will never know exactly what platform utilized this particular piston. Thanks for pointing that out. 😀 Still I am very pleased to learn which type engine it is from.
Chris
By: Bager1968 - 4th April 2012 at 12:40
Note that in that link there is mention of over 20,000 Liberty engines being produced by 1919 (some of which were still flying in 1941 in privately-owned surplus aircraft), and of an inverted Liberty being in production to 1926… and of the production of a version of the Liberty to power tanks in WW2.
So there could be many possible different sources for that piston.
By: hink441 - 3rd April 2012 at 20:39
I wouldn’t say they’re common at all; not compared to WW2 US aero-engine pistons.
I’m glad you found us; I nearly joined your US Militaria forum last night when I stumbled across the photographs you posted.
Thanks again for the info, and we would love to have you on the US militaria forum.
Chris
By: Creaking Door - 3rd April 2012 at 12:00
I wouldn’t say they’re common at all; not compared to WW2 US aero-engine pistons.
I’m glad you found us; I nearly joined your US Militaria forum last night when I stumbled across the photographs you posted.
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April 3, 2012 at 2:28 am