Hand Cranking over a 1919 Mitchell

[desoto1939]

This past sunday my wife and I went out with our local AACA Club, Valley Forge region of the AACA.

The leader of the ride drove his 1957 Desoto and I attended with my 1939 Desoto. I was the oldest car that attended.

We went to the leaders fathers garage in which he has an extensive collection of older Lincolns from the 20-30's. One of his cars in the collection belonged to Admiral Bird that went to the Artic to discover the North Pole.

This gentleman collection was very extensive and he had a lot of parts to support the collection.

One of his early cars was a 1919 Mitchell. This was a 4 cylinder car that had the exterior valve rods and springs. It was a convertible that had exposed interior.

During our tour I found out that this car originally had a leather cone clutch and not the typical flat clutch that we have in our cars. This lead to a more in depth talk with the ownere and I told him that I first learned to drive on a 1915 Willys Overland that had the same type of clutch and that when we parked the car at night and for storage we put a rod to disengage the clutch so that the pressure of the clutch would not indent the leather because then the clutch would slip when you stated it after sitting several days. He told me that he now has a Kevlar clutch that will prevent this issue.

So as we were by the car he looked directly at me and asked if I would like to start the car via the crank handle and I replied yes. I then reached down to grab the crank handle and then I did not do what most people do and that is wrap your thumb over the top of the handle. I cupped the handle and handle my thumb also cupped. He looked at me and said that you must have done this before and I think it took him by surprise.

We did two priming cracnk to get the pressure and prime the car. Then he sat at the control and turned on the magneto. I engaged the crank again. Set the handle at approximately 5 o-clock rotted in a clockwise manner and the car fired over when I hit the 11 o-clock position.

It was great to do this again because you do not get these opportunites that often.

My wife assured me that she had just paid up my life insurance just in case if the car would learch forward and knock me down but that never happened.

Attached is some factory information. This is the exact car that I cranked over on Sunday. Interesting note is that when the Mitchell company folded they were bought out by Nash. So this car does have some connection to MOPAr because NASH and American Motors merged and then became part of big MoPar.

A great day was had my me.

Rich HArtung

Edited November 23, 2015 by desoto1939

[busycoupe]

Sounds like great fun. I have never started a car that old, but when I was in high school my first car was a 1960 Hillman Husky. It came with an electric starter, but mine did not work because the ring gear on the flywheel was stripped. Starter problems must have been common on those cars because it also came with a crank. I started that car with the crank for the 6 or 8 months I owned it, and remember being careful to position my thumb as you described. With a displacement around 1300 cc's and low compression it was easy to turn over.

Thanks for the memories,

Dave

[Todd B]

I inherited my dads wood splitter he build with a front clip of a International tractor frame and motor.  Before he passed he taught me how to start it with the crank and also taught me about the thumb deal.  I use the splitter a few times a year and it can sit for 6 months and within 180 degrees she fires almost every time.   I showed my boys how to start it but they all stand back and watch me start it.   

 

Off top of the off topic! I don't want to be shunned by everyone, but,  What does Mo Par stand for???

[T120]

 

Off top of the off topic! I don't want to be shunned by everyone, but,  What does Mo Par stand for???

Mo Par, I believe it is an acronym for Motor Parts... and on the lighter side, could be -"My Old Plymouth Aways Runs"