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92-559: The Datsun DB was introduced in March 1948 as the first postwar Japanese vehicle with modern styling. After a trial production period, series production commenced in August 1948. The DB (based on the same pre-war chassis as used on the Datsun 2124 truck and most other Datsuns since the early 1930s) resembled the 1947 Crosley , with some minor differences: the front end was longer, windshield shape

184-426: A 4-to-1 low reduction. The base price was $ 795, or $ 939 with a hydraulic system including a hydraulically operated drawbar. Options included dual rear wheels, a detachable pickup bed which could come with a hydraulic dump, power take-offs on both front and rear, a rear seat, a soft-top, and side window curtains. An extensive range of farm-implement attachments was available, including a 10-inch single bottom plow,

276-597: A 5.38:1 ratio Spicer 23 in the rear. The little 1950 vehicle was also compared with the 1959/1960 M422 Mighty Mite , the U.S. military's smallest jeep, originally with a 65 in (1.65 m) wheelbase. The original engine is the Waukesha Model 150 Cub Twin, a 35.1 cu in (575 cc) or 38.9 cu in (637 cc) air-cooled L-head opposed twin-cylinder engine, putting out 14 HP at 3,200 rpm, built by Waukesha Engines of Waukesha , Wisconsin , and used from 1939 through 1942. The engine

368-456: A DOHC configuration gradually increased after World War II, beginning with sports cars. Iconic DOHC engines of this period include the 1948–1959 Lagonda straight-six engine , the 1949–1992 Jaguar XK straight-six engine and the 1954–1994 Alfa Romeo Twin Cam inline-four engine. The 1966-2000 Fiat Twin Cam inline-four engine was one of the first DOHC engines to use a toothed timing belt instead of

460-418: A banshee with the hot-foot" and driving felt quite uncomfortable. Also, the inside door handles were placed too far back, and the two-piece, sliding door windows made it impossible to comfortably drive with one arm out of the window. On the other hand the tester deemed that 'the chassis rides exceptionally well", ".. undoubtedly the best of the miniature type ever made in this country". In 1948 Crosley replaced

552-520: A cycle car model, Crosley found success in manufacturing automobile accessories as cofounder with Ira J. Cooper of the American Automobile Accessory Company in 1916, and bought out Cooper’s interest in the company. By 1919, Crosley and his younger brother and business partner, Lewis M. Crosley , had sold more than $ 1 million in parts and were diversifying into other consumer products. Crosley increased his fortune in

644-463: A double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design used in the Bandini 750 sport internazionale as well as Nardi 750LM and Siata Amica. Overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft ( OHC ) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber . This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below

736-557: A flat engine. A V engine or flat engine requires four camshafts to function as a DOHC engine, since having two camshafts in total would result in only a single camshaft per cylinder bank for these engine layouts. Some V engines with four camshafts have been marketed as "quad-cam" engines, however technically "quad-cam" would require four camshafts per cylinder bank (i.e. eight camshafts in total), therefore these engines are merely dual overhead camshaft engines. Many DOHC engines have four valves per cylinder. The camshaft usually operates

828-608: A fully enclosed-drivetrain), the American Liberty L-12 V12 engine, which closely followed the later Mercedes D.IIIa design's partly-exposed SOHC valvetrain design; and the Max Friz -designed; German BMW IIIa straight-six engine. The DOHC Napier Lion W12 engine was built in Great Britain beginning in 1918. Most of these engines used a shaft to transfer drive from the crankshaft up to the camshaft at

920-468: A moldboard plow, snow plow, a cutter-bar mower, sickle-bar mower, three-gang reel-type mower, a rolling coulter, disc harrow, cultivator, hay rake, row crop seeders, fertilizer unit, row guide, velocity governor, hand throttle, radiator chaff screen, post-hole digger, and spring blocks. Crosley even offered steel front snow skis that could be strapped to the front tires to convert the Farm-O-Road into

1012-429: A new, water-cooled, straight-four CoBra engine , carried over from military production. Although not much larger in displacement than its predecessor, power output was doubled to 26.5 HP, improving the car's performance, with a claimed cruising speed of 50 mph (80 km/h), while fuel economy remained excellent at 35–50 mpg ‑US (6.7–4.7 L/100 km; 42–60 mpg ‑imp ). Additionally,

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1104-456: A pick-up – initially with a pickup-box with the same rounded rear-side panels as the sedan (roundside pickup). In late 1947 a station wagon was added, as a 1948 model, as well as a panel van – a derivative of the wagon, but with a different floorpan to yield a flatter floor. The panel delivery also had a side opening rear door, as opposed to the Station wagon's above/below split tailgate , while

1196-404: A self-propelled gun, and continuous track vehicles, some of which were amphibious models. All of these military prototypes were powered by the 2-cylinder boxer engine that powered the original Crosley automobiles. Crosley had nearly 5,000 of the engines on hand when auto production ceased in 1942, and hoped to put them to use in war-time production of miniature vehicles. One vehicle prototype

1288-506: A snowmobile. For the rest, equipment was spartan. Most Farm-O-Roads had only one windshield wiper – a right wiper was optional; and a heater or radio were not offered. Exact production numbers aren’t known, but historians with the Crosley Automobile Club estimate less than 600 Farm-O-Roads were built. Later, Crofton Marine Engineering bought the rights and tooling for the rig and put it back into production from ’59-’63 as

1380-541: A sports car, and even a tiny jeep-like vehicle. For export, the cars were badged Crosmobile . Crosley introduced several "firsts" in American automotive history, including the first affordable, mass-market car with an overhead camshaft engine in 1946; the first use of the term ' Sport(s-) Utility ' in 1947, for a 1948 model year convertible wagon; and the first American cars to be fitted with 4-wheel caliper type disc brakes , as well as America's first post-war sports car,

1472-490: A timing chain in modern engines) is more complex in an OHC engine, such as the 4-chain valvetrain of the Audi 3.2 or the 2 meter chain on Ford cammers. Another disadvantage of OHC engines is that during engine repairs where the removal of the cylinder head is required, the camshaft engine timing needs to be reset. In addition, an OHC engine has a large cylinder head to accommodate the camshaft or an extra set of valves to increase

1564-415: A unique design. Instead of a removable cylinder head, the combustion chambers, valve seats, cam supports, ports and cylinders are one casting, and the crankcase is another. In both the early and later cast-iron engines, the crankcase is aluminum. The 44.2 cu in (724 cc) engine produced 26.5 HP at 5,400 rpm and 32.5 lb⋅ft (44 N⋅m) at 3,000 rpm. When Crosley Motors, Inc.

1656-531: Is possible. The first known automotive application of timing belts to drive overhead camshafts was the 1953 Devin-Panhard racing specials built for the SCCA H-modified racing series in the United States. These engines were based on Panhard OHV flat-twin engines, which were converted to SOHC engines using components from Norton motorcycle engines. The first production car to use a timing belt

1748-551: The Duesenberg Model J , which was powered by a DOHC straight-eight engine. The 1931–1935 Stutz DV32 was another early American luxury car to use a DOHC engine. Also in the United States, the DOHC Offenhauser racing engine was introduced in 1933. This inline-four engine dominated North American open-wheel racing from 1934 until the 1970s. Other early SOHC automotive engines were the 1920–1923 Wolseley Ten ,

1840-526: The Hotshot , in the 1949 model year. All of Crosley's models were lightweight (1,100 to 1,400 pounds (500 to 640 kilograms)) body-on-frame cars with rigid axles front and rear, and engines with less than 1 litre (61 cubic inches) displacement. With exception of the late introduced Hotshot and Farm-O-Road models, the vast majority of all Crosleys were built on an 80-inch (2.03-meter) wheelbase, and with leaf-springs . Powel Crosley Jr. made his fortune in

1932-616: The Sam Collier Memorial Endurance Grand Prix , (averaging 52 mph), as well as the "index of performance" — an award which took speed and engine size into account — at the 1950 Six Hours of Sebring; and a Siata 300 fitted with Crosley power won the SCCA's 12 hour Vero Beach race. Throughout the 1950s, Crosley engines dominated 750 cc sports car racing, winning 10 out of 12 SCCA west-coast races alone. Crosley had produced different products for

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2024-451: The flywheel ) weighing only 133 pounds (60 kg). The engine displaced 44 cu in (724 cc) and produced 26.5 hp (20 kW) at 5,400 rpm and 33 lb⋅ft (45 N⋅m) at 1,200 rpm. Because of its remarkable power to weight ratio, and super efficiency for its time, the CoBra engine has been compared to Ford's 1.0 litre inline-3 EcoBoost engine. Longevity

2116-459: The volumetric efficiency , so that with the same displacement as an OHV engine, the OHC engine will end up being the physically larger of the two mostly due to the enlarged cylinder head. The other main advantage of OHC engines is that there is greater flexibility to optimise the size, location and shape of the intake and exhaust ports, since there are no pushrods that need to be avoided. This improves

2208-503: The " Sports Utility ." The vehicle was advertised with a quarter-ton payload capacity for utility use, and its rear seat was optional. The entire range of CC models were based on the same two-door car and frame. The 1948 Station Wagon became the most popular model Crosley built, with 23,489 units made. A 1947 test of the Crosley sedan and convertible determined that "There is leg room for a man as tall as six feet two or three but due to

2300-406: The "Crofton Bug", resulting in another ~250 units. The Farm-O-Road measured 91.5 in (2.32 m) long (without the optional, detachable bed) by 48 in (1.22 m) wide (excluding the side-mounted spare wheel), and 56.5 in (1.44 m) high (with the windshield and top up), and offered 500 lb (230 kg) payload. Axles were rigid front and rear – as on all other Crosleys – with

2392-416: The "Parkway Delivery" had no front cabin roof), and a pick-up truck and "Covered Wagon" model that could convert into a truck by means of a removable back seat and detachable soft-top over the rear section. Crosley built nearly 2,300 cars in 1941. When the company introduced its first metal-topped model, the "Liberty Sedan," for 1942, pricing across the model range was $ 299 to $ 450. During World War II ,

2484-537: The 1903 Marr Auto Car SOHC engine built in the United States. The first DOHC engine was a Peugeot inline-four racing engine which powered the car that won the 1912 French Grand Prix . Another Peugeot with a DOHC engine won the 1913 French Grand Prix , followed by the Mercedes-Benz 18/100 GP with an SOHC engine winning the 1914 French Grand Prix . The Isotta Fraschini Tipo KM — built in Italy from 1910–1914—

2576-586: The 1920s and 1930s by developing, manufacturing, and selling inexpensive radios, such as the "Harko", the Crosley "Pup" and the "Roamio" models. The Crosley Radio Corporation became the world's largest radio manufacturer in 1925. It expanded operations at Camp Washington , a Cincinnati neighborhood, and began commercial radio broadcasting with WLW radio, considered "the Nation's Station." Crosley's company also introduced new consumer products and home appliances in

2668-427: The 1925-1948 Velocette K series , the 1931-1957 Norton International and the 1947-1962 Norton Manx . In more recent times, the 1950-1974 Ducati Single , 1973-1980 Ducati L-twin engine , 1999-2007 Kawasaki W650 and 2011-2016 Kawasaki W800 motorcycle engines have used bevel shafts. The Crosley four cylinder was the last automotive engine to use the shaft tower design to drive the camshaft, from 1946 to 1952;

2760-417: The 1928-1931 MG 18/80 , the 1926–1935 Singer Junior and the 1928–1929 Alfa Romeo 6C Sport . Early overhead camshaft motorcycles included the 1925–1949 Velocette K Series and the 1927–1939 Norton CS1 . The 1946–1948 Crosley CC Four was arguably the first American mass-produced car to use an SOHC engine. This small mass-production engine powered the winner of the 1950 12 Hours of Sebring . Use of

2852-404: The 1930s, including the "Shelvador," a refrigerator that had shelves in the doors, and other product innovations. The wealth that Crosley amassed from sales of these products provided the funds to diversify into other areas, including automobile manufacturing. Beginning in the late 1930s Crosley developed low-priced compact cars and other pint-size vehicles. The first experimental prototype of

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2944-561: The CC with the 1949 model year CD. Front and rear bodywork were redesigned on the sedan / coupe and convertible, though rear bodywork on the station wagon and pickup remained largely unaltered. A significant change was fitting the cast-iron block CIBA engine instead of the stamped-steel CoBra engines, that were lighter, but required more maintenance, or else would yield reliability problems. For 1949 and 50 there were standard and Deluxe models. The '49 model year still had sliding glass side windows in

3036-485: The CoBra (for Copper Brazed ) was America's first affordable mass-production overhead camshaft car engine, built in five-figure numbers after Duesenberg built some 650 OHC Straight Eights from 1921–1926. Introduced as a steel roof, two-door, two-box fastback sedan and a fixed profile convertible (with fixed side windows and frames, like the Citroën 2CV and the 2007 Fiat 500 ), the car also became available as

3128-611: The Crosley "Hotshot" sports model and the "Farm-O-Road" model, a combination farm-tractor and all-wheel-drive vehicle in 1950, could not stop the decline. More trouble came after the Big Three automakers introduced bigger, more lavish cars, and began manufacturing them in higher volumes and priced, in some cases, only a little higher than a new Crosley car. Crosley sales dwindled to 4,839 units in 1951; only 1,522 Crosley vehicles were sold in 1952. Production ended on July 3, 1952. Crosley sold about 84,000 cars in total before closing down

3220-405: The Crosley car became attractive due to gasoline rationing and the car's fuel efficiency, an estimated 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ) at speeds of up to fifty miles per hour. Crosley was the last company to cease production of civilian vehicles in 1942, after building another 1,000 units that year. When the onset of war ended all automobile production in

3312-488: The Crosley car was the 1937 CRAD (for Crosley Radio Auto Division) that had an 18 inches (46 cm) rear track. With the assistance of his brother, Lewis, a graduate engineer, Crosley also designed assembly plants for his manufacturing operations at Richmond and Marion, Indiana . On April 28, 1939, the first Crosley production car debuted at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to mixed reviews. It

3404-747: The Crosmobile marque for overseas export. Crosmobiles were simply badge-engineered Crosleys, and were identical to standard Crosley models except for having Crosmobile -lettered hood and rear badges and hubcaps and instrument-cluster demarcations. The purpose of differentiating the exported Crosleys was to avoid confusion or conflict with Great Britain's non-related Crossley marque. Crosmobiles not only made it to Europe, but also elsewhere, including Cuba . Post-war production began with 4,999 vehicles in 1946, and increased to five-figure numbers, producing more than 22,500 cars in 1947. Crosley sales peaked in 1948, with 24,871 or 27,707 cars sold, depending on

3496-663: The DB-2. Like the DB-2, a station wagon version (called DW-4) was available, but this one did not have wooden panels. A three-door van called the DV-4 (with or without side windows) was also available. The DB-4 was in production until January 1953, when it was replaced by the Datsun DB-5. The Datsun DB-5 was introduced in February 1953. The DB-5's body remained the same except for intakes added (with two chrome horizontal bars) between

3588-697: The Hotshot was capable of more than 80 mph (130 km/h). A Super version of the HotShot was added in 1950, featuring solid hinged doors and a fold-down top that didn't have to be stowed, and "full red plastic leather upholstery and lining". For 1951 and 1952 the Super Hotshot was simply renamed the Super Sports . Regardless of its short life and small size, the Hotshot is remembered as an impressive sports car within its class. A Hotshot won

3680-490: The Jeep and the wartime Pup. It had a boxy, minimalist body, riding on a 63 in (1.60 m) wheelbase, and it weighed 1,100 lb (500 kg). The Farm-O-Road was powered by the same 26.5 HP 44.2 cu in (724 cc) CIBA engine as the other Crosley models at the time, mated to a three-speed Warner T-92 transmission with a two-ratio, PTO-capable range box mounted behind it. In addition to normal gearing, it offered

3772-541: The United States in 1942, Crosley had produced a total of 5,757 cars. During the pre-war years the Crosley company operated manufacturing plants in Camp Washington, Ohio ; Richmond, Indiana ; and Marion, Indiana . The Crosley factories were converted to wartime production during the war. The Crosley Corporation was involved in war production planning before December 1941, and like the rest of American industry, it focused on manufacturing war-related products during

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3864-585: The age of twelve, and in 1907, at the age of twenty-one, formed Marathon Six Automotive in Connersville, Indiana . Crosley built a prototype of the "Marathon Six," a six-cylinder automobile priced at US$ 1,700, which was at the low end of the luxury car market, but failed to fund its production. After working for several auto manufacturers in Indianapolis and Muncie, Indiana , and several more failed attempts to manufacture his own cars, including

3956-417: The automotive parts and accessories business, before diversifying into manufacturing other consumer products and Crosley automobiles in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925 his company became the largest manufacturer of radios in the world. The financial success of his manufacturing and radio broadcasting businesses provided the funds for Crosley to pursue his lifelong interest in manufacturing automobiles. He introduced

4048-416: The basic sedan had no outside trunk lid – access to the luggage space was only from inside the car. From the arrival of the station wagon, the pickups were built with the wagon's straight rear panels, giving a wider, more square rear box. In 1948 Crosley added bolt-on grille-bars and a chromed bull-nose to the front for the '48½ model year, and introduced a new convertible wagon variant without doors, dubbed

4140-519: The block, and were known as "tower shafts". An early American overhead camshaft production engine was the SOHC straight-eight engine used in the 1921–1926 Duesenberg Model A luxury car. In 1926, the Sunbeam 3 litre Super Sports became the first production car to use a DOHC engine. In the United States, Duesenberg added DOHC engines (alongside their existing SOHC engines) with the 1928 release of

4232-403: The camshaft is located at the top of the engine, above the combustion chamber . This contrasts the earlier overhead valve engine (OHV) and flathead engine configurations, where the camshaft is located down in the engine block . The valves in both OHC and OHV engines are located above the combustion chamber; however an OHV engine requires pushrods and rocker arms to transfer the motion from

4324-409: The camshaft is usually transferred to the valves either directly (using a tappet) or indirectly via a rocker arm . A dual overhead cam , double overhead cam , or twin-cam engine has two camshafts over each bank of the cylinder head, one for the intake valves and another for the exhaust valves. Therefore there are two camshafts for a straight engine and a total of four camshafts for a V engine or

4416-413: The camshaft up to the valves, whereas an OHC engine has the valves directly actuated by the camshaft. Compared with OHV engines with the same number of valves, there are fewer reciprocating components and less valvetrain inertia in an OHC engine. This reduced inertia in OHC engines results in less valve float at higher engine speeds (RPM). A downside is that the system used to drive the camshaft (usually

4508-415: The camshaft. Timing belts are inexpensive, produce minimal noise and have no need for lubrication. A disadvantage of timing belts is the need for regular replacement of the belt; recommended belt life typically varies between approximately 50,000–100,000 km (31,000–62,000 mi). If the timing belt is not replaced in time and fails and the engine is an interference engine , major engine damage

4600-434: The combustion chamber in the engine block . Single overhead camshaft (SOHC) engines have one camshaft per bank of cylinders . Dual overhead camshaft (DOHC, also known as "twin-cam" ) engines have two camshafts per bank. The first production car to use a DOHC engine was built in 1910. Use of DOHC engines slowly increased from the 1940s, leading to many automobiles by the early 2000s using DOHC engines. In an OHC engine,

4692-466: The crankshaft and the camshaft is commonly used in diesel overhead camshaft engines used in heavy trucks. Gear trains are not commonly used in engines for light trucks or automobiles. Several OHC engines up until the 1950s used a shaft with bevel gears to drive the camshaft. Examples include the 1908–1911 Maudslay 25/30 , the Bentley 3 Litre , the 1917-? Liberty L-12 , the 1929-1932 MG Midget ,

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4784-649: The doors, but from the 1950 model year, roll-down windows and electric wipers were offered. For 1951 and 1952 the front was again redone; the Deluxe model replaced the standard model as the bottom of the range, and 'Super' models were introduced as the new top of the line. The CD models started with the same 6" mechanical brakes as previous Crosleys on the 1949 model, but switched to 4-wheel Goodyear–Hawley aircraft-type disc brakes in May 1949, However, they were short-lived, and only continued through mid 1950. The alloy disc material

4876-399: The farm, but which could also take them into town. According to Crosley, the Farm-O-Road was designed: “To do big jobs on small farms, and smaller jobs on big farms.” Although it could be viewed as a precursor to today’s Side by Side UTV's , the Farm-O-Road was fully street-legal , with a top speed estimated at 40 mph (64 km/h) on the highway. The Farm-O-Road took its cues from

4968-475: The first Crosley compact car in 1939. During World War II the Crosley company discontinued civilian automobile manufacturing and began production of war-time materials, including development of experimental vehicles. In 1946 Crosley resumed production of compact and subcompact vehicles at its facility in Marion, Indiana , in addition to introducing new models and innovations to its offerings. After gas rationing

5060-553: The first time with a wheelbase that diverged from all the previous Crosley models' 80 in (2.03 m) wheelbase by 5 inches (12.7 centimetres) extra. The rear suspension used a combination of coil springs, assisted by single leaf quarter-elliptical leaf-springs that doubled as torque-rods , and the car had disc brakes on all four wheels. The engine was placed behind the front axle, for a front mid-engined layout . The 137 in (3.48 m) long Hotshot, introduced for $ 849, weighed just 1,095 lb (497 kg). But to go racing,

5152-490: The gas flow through the engine, increasing power output and fuel efficiency . The oldest configuration of overhead camshaft engine is the single overhead camshaft (SOHC) design. A SOHC engine has one camshaft per bank of cylinders, therefore a straight engine has a total of one camshaft and a V engine or flat engine has a total of two camshafts (one for each cylinder bank). Most SOHC engines have two valves per cylinder, one intake valve and one exhaust valve. Motion of

5244-451: The headlights. The engine was the new 860 cc Datsun D10 side valve four-cylinder (essentially a stroked version of the Type 7 engine), producing 25 horsepower. The DB-5 was slightly redesigned in late 1953; the side indicators were changed and it now had a larger, wrap-around rear window with the glass cast in three pieces. The DV-5 Light Van (a commercial vehicle with side windows) received

5336-529: The largely new model CC, designed by the firm of Sundberg & Ferar of Royal Oak, Michigan. The slightly larger and more aerodynamic model CC featured an all new body and engine. The chassis, suspension, brakes, and the rest of the drive-train were carried over from the pre-war models. Together with the Frazer / Kaiser of the same year, the 1946 Crosley CC was the first American mass-produced slab-sided / ponton-style bodied car. The post-war Crosleys also had

5428-671: The operation in 1952. Crosley continued building engines for a short while to fulfill a government contract, but eventually the rights to the engine were sold. The Crosley plant in Marion, Indiana, was sold to the General Tire and Rubber Company . Pre-war production with Waukesha Model 150 air-cooled opposed twin engine : Post-war production with 1946–1949 CoBra water-cooled straight-four engine Post-war production with 1949–1952 CIBA water-cooled four-cylinder inline engine Crosley resumed civilian car production in 1946 with

5520-449: The over-curve of the top and the window design, he may have to duck to see left or right", and unless he is narrow-shouldered "he will have to ride these things side saddle or not at all". Further, the tester felt that the engine lacked bottom-end power, and that the true cruising speed was between 35 and 40 mph — the car will do 50 mph, and he drove one faster than that, but at these speeds "the little 4-cylinder engine screams like

5612-466: The post-war period, Crosley introduced several "firsts" in the American automobile industry, including: In 1950 Crosley brought the Farm-O-Road model, a 63-inch (1.60 m) wheelbase utility vehicle, decades ahead of the John Deere Gator and other small Utility vehicles . From 1950 onwards, Crosley's main models gained roll-down instead of sliding side windows. Crosleys were built under

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5704-413: The rear axle, eliminating the need for joints . This arrangement was judged unreliable, and conventional universal joints were fitted starting in 1941. Production for 1939 was 2,017 units; however, only 422 cars were built in 1940. For 1941 a range of new, body-style variations of the 48-inch (1.22 m) wide car were introduced to expand the line-up: a station wagon , two panel vans (one called

5796-470: The rear). Under the hood, a four-gallon, gravity-fed gas-tank mounted above the motor made it possible for the car to operate without a fuel pump. The engine was a small, air-cooled Waukesha two-cylinder boxer , much like that of the Citroen 2CV , and had a fan as an integral part of the flywheel . The engine was connected to a three-speed transmission that provided power directly via a torque tube to

5888-399: The rights to the Crosley engine format were bought by a few different companies, including General Tire in 1952, followed by Fageol in 1955, Crofton in 1959, Homelite in 1961, and Fisher Pierce in 1966, after Crosley closed the automotive factory doors, and they continued to produce the same engine for several more years. A camshaft drive using three sets of cranks and rods in parallel

5980-591: The same updates in 1954 as did the DB-5, with the layout of the side windows changed rather than getting a new rear wind screen. On the original design there were two equally spaced rear side windows, while on the facelift model the C-pillar migrated backwards so as to not obstruct the view from the (folding) rear seat. The DB-5 was produced until June 1954, when it was replaced by the Datsun DB-6. The Datsun DB-6

6072-419: The source; however, the CoBra copper and stamped steel "tin block" engine proved a major misstep. Although it had proven reliable in military use, it fared poorly under less diligent civilian maintenance. The CoBra was replaced with a redesigned and more reliable conventional cast-iron engine in 1949, but the company's reputation suffered. Sales fell to 8,939 units in 1949, and to 7,612 in 1950. The addition of

6164-730: The starting point for both Mercedes' and Rolls-Royce's aircraft engines. Mercedes created a series of six-cylinder engines which culminated in the Mercedes D.III . Rolls-Royce reversed-engineered the Mercedes cylinder head design based on a racing car left in England at the beginning of the war, leading to the Rolls-Royce Eagle V12 engine. Other SOHC designs included the Spanish Hispano-Suiza 8 V8 engine (with

6256-447: The timing between each camshaft and the crankshaft. This affords better fuel economy by allowing a broader torque curve. Although each major manufacturer has their own trade name for their specific system of variable cam phasing systems, overall they are all classified as variable valve timing . The rotation of a camshaft is driven by a crankshaft . Many 21st century engines use a toothed timing belt made from rubber and kevlar to drive

6348-437: The top of the engine. Large aircraft engines— particularly air-cooled engines— experienced considerable thermal expansion, causing the height of the cylinder block to vary during operating conditions. This expansion caused difficulties for pushrod engines, so an overhead camshaft engine using a shaft drive with sliding spline was the easiest way to allow for this expansion. These bevel shafts were usually in an external tube outside

6440-414: The valves directly via a bucket tappet . A DOHC design permits a wider angle between intake and exhaust valves than in SOHC engines, which improves the air-fuel mixture's flow through the engine. A further benefit is that the spark plug can be placed at the optimum location, which in turn improves combustion efficiency . Another newer benefit of DOHC engine design is the ability to independently change/phase

6532-475: The war effort, including the 'Pup' 4x4 prototype, a tiny air-portable 4WD. In 1950, to broaden its line-up into the commercial and agricultural market, the Farm-O-Road was introduced – an ATV sized utility vehicle that looked like a small Jeep. It was a combination of a light tractor, a small pickup and a passenger vehicle, and was intended for rural customers who wanted a vehicle for doing chores around

6624-609: The war years. The company made a variety of products, ranging from proximity fuzes , radio transceivers , field kitchens, and quarter-ton trailers, to gun turrets , among other items. Powered gun turrets for PT boats and B-24 and B-29 bombers were the company's largest contract. Crosley also produced a number of experimental vehicles during the war for the U.S. government. Crosley's auto manufacturing division, CRAD, in Richmond, Indiana, produced experimental motorcycles , tricycles , four-wheel-drive military light utility vehicles ,

6716-408: The weight was further reducible to 991 lb (450 kg), by temporarily discarding such things as the detachable windscreen, and the non-folding (stowed) soft-top and side-curtains. There was no trunk lid — the spare wheel was mounted on the down-sloping rear deck, above the rear bumper, and access to the rear stowage room was by folding the seat-backs forward. Powered by a 26.5 HP CIBA engine,

6808-527: Was a small, independent American manufacturer of economy cars or subcompact cars , bordering on microcars . At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati , Ohio , firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production. Their station wagons were the most popular model, but also offered were sedans, pickups, convertibles,

6900-450: Was a small, lightweight engine with single overhead camshaft driven by two sets of bevel gears and a vertical shaft at the front of the block. It was America's first overhead camshaft automobile engine to be produced in five-figure numbers, after Duesenberg built some 650 overhead cam Straight Eights from 1921–1926. The unitary block and cylinder head weighed only 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg) dry; complete with all accessories (including

6992-572: Was a two-door convertible that weighed under 1,000 pounds (454 kg). Initially offered at US$ 325 for a two-passenger coupe or $ 350 for a four-passenger sedan , the Crosley cars were cheaper than the nearest competition, the American Austin Car Company 's American Bantam , which sold for $ 449 to $ 565. The Crosley car's chassis had an 80-inch (203.20 cm) wheelbase and used beam axles with leaf-springs (half-elliptic springs in front, and quarter-elliptic springs in

7084-447: Was all new. The windshield now had curved edges instead of the straight edged class on the DB-2. The front end was changed; the chrome-plated grille was replaced with a pressed steel unit that was painted the same color as rest of the car; it also featured a pair of turn signals. Above the grille was a wide red and chrome badge with the Datsun name in the middle; above this was a round badge. The engine and transmission were carried over from

7176-600: Was discontinued and the Big Three car makers began producing larger cars, consumer interest in Crosley's compact cars declined. The last Crosley car rolled off the assembly line on July 3, 1952, and the company focused on its other, more successful business ventures. Industrialist Powel Crosley Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio , owner of Crosley Broadcasting Corporation and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, among other business interests, had ambitious plans to build subcompact cars . Crosley had built his first automobile at

7268-427: Was done to get a thin, uniform wall thickness and thus avoid the creation of hot spots around the combustion chamber that could ignite the fuel, causing pre-ignition (knocks), which in turn limited the compression ratio. These engines were used mainly to power generators, refrigeration compressors, etc., and were widely praised for their successes in the war effort. The engine was adopted for automobile use in 1946. It

7360-432: Was found to rust, and had freeze-up problems in parts of the country where salt was used on the roads. So 9" hydraulic brakes were phased back in, and these remained til the end of production. After building only bottom-end of the market economy cars since its inception, Crosley introduced a little sports car in 1949, the doorless Hotshot roadster. It also featured a largely new, dropped frame – both more low slung, and for

7452-780: Was introduced in July 1954 as the final model in the DB series. The DB-6's body was carried over from the DB-5, as well as the D10 engine. The only change to the DB-6 was a 4-speed manual transmission. There was no direct replacement for the DB series; Nissan marketed the Nissan-built Austin A40 Somerset and A50 Cambridge as their upmarket cars until 1960, when the Nissan Cedric was released. Crosley Crosley

7544-414: Was measured in hours and was strictly controlled by equipment maintenance schedules for the wartime duties, but corrosion became a problem for these engines in civilian service. This problem with these automotive powerplants had tarnished Crosley's reputation by 1948. The Crosley CIBA (Cast Iron Block Assembly) was a more traditional and more reliable engine utilizing a cast-iron block. Nevertheless it had

7636-520: Was one of the first production cars to use an SOHC engine. During World War I, both the Allied and Central Powers ; specifically those of the German Empire 's Luftstreitkräfte air forces, sought to quickly apply the overhead camshaft technology of motor racing engines to military aircraft engines. The SOHC engine from the Mercedes 18/100 GP car (which won the 1914 French Grand Prix) became

7728-470: Was originally designed to power orchard sprayers. However, many of the over 12,000 built between 1938–44, were used in the pre-war (1939–42) Crosley mini-cars and the military during WWII, some of which were also used for Auxiliary Power Units (APU). It was replaced in 1946 with the CoBra (for "Copper Brazed"), a 44.2 cu in (724 cc) overhead-cam four with a 2.5 in (63.5 mm) bore and 2.25 in (57.2 mm) stroke. That engine in turn

7820-464: Was rectangular, grille design was different. The engine was the pre-war 722 cc Type 7 sidevalve four-cylinder (rated at 15 horsepower) with a floor-shift 3-speed manual. The DB was in production until 1949, when it was replaced by the Datsun DB-2. The Datsun DB-2 was introduced in 1949 and was redesigned to look less like the 1947 Crosley; the dorsal fin that ran down the hood and front end

7912-459: Was removed and replaced by a crease and the front end was almost completely flat. The grille became a single piece (it was changed in 1950), above the grille was where the license plate attached. The engine and transmission were carried over from the DB. A station wagon version called the DW-2 was also available; it was Nissan's first and only "woody" wagon. The DB-2 was in production until 1951, when it

8004-466: Was replaced by the four door Datsun DB-4. In 1951, the four-door Datsun DB-4 was introduced (the DB-3 designation was skipped, but this designation may or may not have anything to do with the number of doors, as the later DB-5 and DB-6 also have four doors). The DB-4 was based on a lengthened DB-2 chassis to allow room for the new body. The front end remained the same, but everything from the firewall back

8096-497: Was replaced in 1949 by the new and more reliable CIBA (Crosley Cast Iron Block Assembly) engine utilizing five main bearings. The CoBra (Copper Brazed, also known as "The Mighty Tin") was originally developed by Lloyd Taylor , of Taylor Engines in California, for military use aboard PT boats and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. The engine was made from sheet metal rather than cast iron like most other engines. This

8188-671: Was sold, the engine was renamed "AeroJet" and production continued. Production of the AeroJet ended in 1955 and the engine rights were sold to Fageol and later to a series of different companies ending in 1972 with the Fisher-Pierce Bearcat 55. Maritime modifications mostly included increasing displacement and converting the engine to operate with a vertical axis. In Europe the Crosley CIBA would be used to great advantage in 750cc sports car class, eventually maturing to

8280-405: Was the 1942–1943 Crosley CT-3 "Pup," a lightweight, single-passenger, four-wheel-drive vehicle that was transportable and air-droppable from a C-47 Skytrain . Six of the 1,125-pound (510 kg), 2-cylinder Pups were deployed overseas after undergoing tests at Fort Benning, Georgia , but the project was discontinued due to several weak components. Seven of 36 Pups built are known to survive. In

8372-472: Was the 1962 Glas 1004 compact coupe. Another camshaft drive method commonly used on modern engines is a timing chain , constructed from one or two rows of metal roller chains . By the early 1960s most production automobile overhead camshaft designs used chains to drive the camshaft(s). Timing chains do not usually require replacement at regular intervals, however the disadvantage is that they are noisier than timing belts. A gear train system between

8464-474: Was used in the 1920–1923 Leyland Eight luxury car built in the United Kingdom. A similar system was used in the 1926-1930 Bentley Speed Six and the 1930-1932 Bentley 8 Litre . A two-rod system with counterweights at both ends was used by many models of the 1958-1973 NSU Prinz . Among the first overhead camshaft engines were the 1902 Maudslay SOHC engine built in the United Kingdom and

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