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This document (NSA history of the SIGABA) suggests that the tactical encryption hardware would probably have been some variant of the Hagelin M-209, which is a mechanical rotor system similar to the more-famous Enigma machine. It also had similar weaknesses, which is why it was replaced by the...

Another agreeing data point. I've run mine with the load meter pegged for 15 minutes or so until I decided it was time to dial it back to rated power. That was all resistive load, so 7500-8000 Watts sounds completely reasonable. I'm at about 800 ft elevation, and on that day the temperature...

Just for the record, Toyota has always said exactly one word about towing in relation to a Prius: Don't. The reasoning is pretty simple - it has something like 60 HP available in the engine and all the surge capacity (acceleration) is in the battery. Pretty easy to run the battery completely...

Short answer: no. Long answer: it's a direct drive synchronous generator set. If you slow the engine down, you also slow the generator head down. The generator head makes 60 Hz because it is spinning 3600 RPM. If you slow the engine and gen head down to 2800 RPM, you now have a 46.6 Hz...

I've never heard of a 6.2 wet stacking before. Maybe an MP truck that idled a lot and had a bad thermostat? Yes, the water heaters make a pretty good load sink, except that they tend to turn off too quick. I've generally resorted to boiling four pots of water on the stove during load tests.

This is one reason I always tell people to get the smallest generator they think they can get by with, instead of one you're 'sure' is big enough. This is especially true of military gensets, which are hugely underrated. Another way to think about it is to size the genset to your largest...

What were the engines attached to? Is there some possibility that they could have been bogged to stalling? That's usually how you get the 'running backward' problem.

If it's like everything else I've ever seen, it's a sign that somebody ran the engine backward. Some diesels will do that. Biggest concern is that they didn't shut it down before the bearings starved for oil because the pump (if any) was running backward.

The COE is a funky/cool/ugly truck as it is. Add on that almost rococo brush guard and you elevate the thing to high art. I look forward to seeing it get its most distinguishing characteristic back.

Recip engine vibration is a complex topic. There have been quite a few long books written about it. With an inline two cylinder, your choices are to have both pistons bobbing up and down on the same stroke, or to have them on opposite strokes. If you put both on the same stroke, you are...

Apparently 2-71 gen sets were used for electric power on a lot of smaller marine vessels, and used by AT&T for backup power as well. For whatever reason, 60 Hz 12.5 and 20 KW sets are not rare. A little research is showing that the 1200 RPM sets were 12.5 KW and the 20 KW sets are the more...

I have experience with different vintage diesels, but yeah - you should do whatever is necessary to avoid running one out of fuel. In many cases, you have to take the injection pump partially apart to get the thing cleared of bubbles enough that it will pump fuel at all.

Not sure about fuel efficiency - after all, in the 20 KW size range you're competing with things like MEP-004As. This website says: That's not that bad - the no load fuel consumption is about the same as an MEP-003A,which only makes about 12 KW in overload. Fuel consumption on an MEP-004...

If that's a 2-71 Detroit Diesel, there were a bazillion of those (with civilian gen heads) used to run refrigeration sets on refrigerated box cars back in the day. 20KW is about the right size for one of those. Your gen head has that Army Signal Corps look about it. Those reefer gen sets are...

One thing I'd considered was putting the MEP-003A tank on an MEP-002A. It would offer extended runtime, but would have the disadvantage of much lower fuel turnover during the year, which would make fuel preservation a bigger problem.

Given that it's a slow engine, the logical ignition upgrade would not necessarily be a hotter coil (higher voltage spark), but either multiple spark plugs per chamber (very hard to do), or an MSD box (very easy to do). You don't really get any value out of a hotter coil (presuming the old one...

I got a good deal on some heavy food grade plastic barrels that originally held pickled olives on their journey from Spain to the US. I plan on burying one in a hole beside the gen set (for fire management, visibility and temperature control) and using that as the extended storage fuel tank...

Ha! I recognize that engine. Anyway, yes, the whole sleeve/deck height/gasket crush thing is standard wet-sleeve engine stuff, even my Listeroid has the same arrangement, although the deck height adjustment is rather more casual than on a modern Cat. Are there in-the-frame counterbore cleanup...

I'd be all over that thing like gravy on potatoes. It looks great, especially for its age.