Pierce or Seagrave

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

I recently purchased what was supposed to be a Seagrave 12 cyl. engine that had been in storage for over 25 years. It had Seagrave parts (manifolds, valve covers, heads,pan etc.)loosely attached to it, but in tearing it down, the block and crankcase assembly looks as though it may actually be Pierce. It has a ’34 engine number (4000XX)stamped on the rt. rear of the crankcase and the numbers are spaced about a number width apart. The cylinder blocks have old black paint on them and the crankcase has some silver paint left. It has babbited rods, and Nelson Bohnalite pistons with full floating pins. The bosses and fittings on the right side of the crankcase match the engine pictured in “The Engine That Won’t Retire” in Volume 6, No. 3 of Automobile Quarterly. All these items could have been possibly used on early Seagrave 66E engines and/or done by a former owner. Is there any positive way to tell the difference between a Pierce and a Seagrave cylinder and crank assy. or do I have a ’34 Pierce engine?

Thanks

Terry Wenger

[Author]

Posts