Qunicy Loopers FC64 FG52 FC62
Well i went and did it last weekend. I've always wanted a Quincy Looper and ended up with 3 C's. I purchased 2 from Tim Burden and the third will be arriving soon from another party.
Now the real fun begins. The plan is to restore these beauties, they have been silenced too long. I want them to be heard again. I would be interested to know when these engines were made and and specs anyone has would be helpful. I have an idea as to how i want to display them and some history would be great. Also i will hopefuly be running these in a local race next summer. I will be posting pictures soon.
Frank Novotny
52-E (back in the 70's)
A little more about Jimmy Nichols
Jimmy died several years ago. maybe 5-7 seems like. He was a little older than I am, I believe, so if he was still living he would be late 70's or so, maybe even a little more. We were not real close friends, just lived in the same town and raced for a few years in the same time frame, late 60's and early to mid 70's. I believe he retired from driving himself in the mid to late 70's but I also seem to remember that some younger folks that went with him to help drove some of his equipment after he quit driving but still owned equipment. Rex Hall drove for him in the mid to late 60's when he was just a young squirt. Rex is now the Rossi dealer for the US and could surely tell you about some of the engines Jimmy had and he drove. Another source is a guy named Don Dando who is I believe now retired from TWA and may still live in the KC area. Might check the members list on BRF, he might even belong. I remember him as being a real nice person, and a good boat racer.
Sorry I don't know more.
FC64, FG52 & FC62 Loopers
Hi Frank & other Looper fans,
Frank wanted some info on the 3 Loopers he recently purchased. Jeff Lytle was so kind to pass on to Frank the info I had given him for FC64.
As to the other 2 Loopers --
FC (not FG) 52: the original owner on record was Phil Crown. The original bore was 2.127,
piston dimensions were as follows: 900 -20 over 15 degrees L Ring P.I.B.
It was manufactured in the fall of 1965.
FC62: the original owner on record was .......hang on, because this is a big find.......the great Bruce Nicholson. Yes, that Bruce Nicholson of championship alky runabout fame.
The original bore was 2.140,
piston dimensions were as follows: 905 -20 over 15 degrees L Ring P.I.B.
It was probably manufactured late 1965 or early 1966.
This information comes directly from the original Quincy Welding serial number shop book that my father, O. F. Christner, handed off to me when we closed the doors of Quincy Welding/ Precision Machine.
Richard Ollhoff is a big Looper collector and fan that also happens to recreate a running 6 cylinder Looper for sale and many of the parts for Quincy Looper engines. He can be reached at 715-453-0741 or cell 715-218-1615.
Good luck with your restorations and welcome to the Looper Club.
thanks,
Paul A Christner
PS: To those looking for Looper treasures, there is still the potential to find some extremely valuable Loopers out there. Names like Marshall Grant, Billy Seebold, John Woods, Ray Nydahl, Jerry Simison, Pete Voss, Dick Odea, Jim Schoch & Gerry Waldman. To keep the treasure hunt fair for everyone, I will not give out the serial numbers of these famous engines here & now, but will confirm your numbers if you purchase one of them. Happy treasure hunting to all!
By the way, the Waldman A Looper that someone mentioned as being for sale earlier today was featured in a thread right here on the Quincy Looper section of BRF - you can check out the pictures and history on that thread. It's on page 2 of the Quincy threads under the title "Waldman A."
Quincy Loopers FC64 FC52 FC62
Frank,
When you get to the point of cleaning the blocks, give Richard Ollhoff a call. As I said previously, he is a Looper restorer & not only that, he restores $100,000 board track racing motorcycles from the frame up and has extensive experience in refinishing the surfaces of extremely valuable racing engines that are made of aluminum. I've seen his work and I am impressed.
I've also seen some engine restorations where the people have ruined the aluminum casting's original patina by improperly glass beading or sand blasting the surface of the aluminum with the wrong grit and air pressure.
As I stated previously, Richard's phone is 715-453-0741 and his cell is 715-218-1615.
You asked how many C Loopers were produced by Quincy Welding. According to my shop records & first hand knowledge of how we maintained records (and sometimes didn't), my best guestimate would be somewhere between 113 - 133 in total. I am finding out as time goes on that not every Quincy R&D engine was entered into the permanent record book. You have to remember that Quincy Welding was a small business that sometimes became completely overwhelmed by the racing portion of our business. Looking back, we all know there were times in our past that we should have written down things pertaining to racing that we didn't.
Keep us updated as you do the restoration by posting more pictures here.
thanks,
Paul A Christner
PS to Wayne Baldwin: Would you please repost that picture you think you have of Phil Crown racing that Looper of Frank's here? Thanks for the nice words.
Frank's Looper Restoration
Frank,
I would most definitely say no to jet hot coating the engine block. The water system in your C Looper is marginal by today's standards, although it was contemporary for the 1960's time period in which it was designed.
I think that jet coating is primarily designed for exhaust systems and performance uses where insulating the heat of the exhaust advances the horsepower. With the Looper, I don't think the aluminum should even be painted. It's possible that Quincy Welding painted a few Loopers, but I am certain that the vast majority were left natural cast aluminum to better dissipate the heat.
Frank, we sold engines in kit form, assembled power heads and complete engine packages with lower unit and drivehousing. That being said, people can be and were creative in assembling their Loopers. It is possible yours was painted by the original owner. To my knowledge, I don't ever recall us painting a Looper block. We did paint the head gaskets and when looking at your pictures of the disassembled block, it appears your head gaskets were painted.
Now back to the surface cleaning of the block. I've seen some very poor looking finishes due to improper media blasting the block. I think, at the current state of auto, cycle and outboard restorations, that unpainted aluminum block surface/finish restoration is an ongoing science. I would cautiously proceed in determining how and what you use to clean the block. The original new-like patina is the goal to recreate but I don't know of any "one method fits all" considering there are so many degrees of aged aluminum surfaces to deal with in the restoration process.
I am myself experimenting with a chemical process that is highly temperamental and too complex to try to explain effectively here at this time. It's still an experiment in progress right now, although the results so far have been spectacular in terms of luster and original looking patina. I'll get back to you once I've worked on this some more.
Richard Ollhoff has his restoration finishes on unpainted aluminum surfaces down pat and if his procedures and finishes satisfies your needs and requirements, then go with his system. I posted his phone numbers to this thread previously.
There is another gentleman that restores old outboards and race engines by the name of Bob Dunlap. His restorations are meticulous and spot on original. He is a member at BRF and he would be a good one to consult too.
R C Hawie is another expert restorer, although he is not hooked up to any computers at this time. I have personally witnessed his assemblies and restorations and he is one of the few people I would trust with my priceless collectable engines.
Frank, I hope this helps you with your restoration. I will be watching your progress as I am sure others will too.
thanks,
Paul A Christner