Hello Gang!
Go to any model engine show and you will find numerous examples of Bob Shores
designed engines. The first IC engine I built was the Peewee designed by Bob. It
is one of the nicest running engines and never fails to start. That is why when this
project came about I jumped at the chance to contribute.
I have been working on a bit of a special project. I have been doing the CAD
work to complete the last engine Bob Shores was working on before He passed
away. Most people believe that the V4 Peewee was the last project Bob had
worked on. It is however the last engine He built. Bob was actually working on
the big brother of the Peewee with a ¾ bore and stroke.
Here is the story that was related to me by Dirk Tolanaar. Dirk was given the
rights to the Peewee and the bigger Pacifier by the Shores family.
Dirk's wife's Mother lived in Gainesville Florida. They made a lot of trips by
car to visit her for Vacations, Holidays, and the usual family things.
Almost every time they went, they would continue on to his Mother and Fathers
grave site in Cocoa Florida. While there he would make it a point to visit Bob and
Margaret, (Peewee as Bob called her) every time they were down that way.
Bob and Dirk were friends for several years before he passed away. Dirk always
marveled at Bob's machine work and beautiful engines. He only had a small
Lathe, and a little horizontal Barker Mill, and also a Drill Press. That
was the extent of his machine tools. Everything else he did by hand.
Over several trips to Bob's, Bob said that he would like to build a small
V-4, something like the one that Jerry Howell made. Bob being the type to
never waste an extra part from an engine he had built previously, made the
plans for the V-4 with the Hercules in mind, 5/8" bore and stroke. He
made the match plates and had the castings poured in a foundry up in Tampa.
He built the engine during 2003, and Dirk first saw it during Thanksgiving that
year. It was almost finished, but not quite. Dirk told Bob that he would
really like to build one, and to please keep me in mind when he was ready to
release the "Kit".
Dirk returned to Dallas, and waited to hear from him. Around March of 2004, Dirk
got a phone call from Bob. He said that he had finished the V-4, but it was
not quite running at that time, just a few Pops, and still had some bugs to
work out. Then he told Dirk that he was sick, and had refused to go forward
with treatment because there was no guarantee from the doctors, as to what
his life style would be down the road. Needless to say, they talked for quite
a while. Then he said that being a how Dirk was the first to see the
unfinished V-4, and had shown quite a great interest in it, did he want to
continue his work, and make it available to the MICE community. Dirk said that
would be an honor to help keep his work alive. He promised that he would keep
Bob's name on everything to do with this engine. All he would do is market
it.
The name that Bob had decided at first for the little V-4 was Pacifier. They
talked about that, and then he said that the engine was a little hard to
build the parts for, and was really not a Pacifier in the work shop, and
felt that a slightly larger version would be somewhat easier. During this
phone call, Bob and Dirk decided to change the name from Pacifier to Peewee ,
in honor to his wife. The Pacifier name would go to the larger design,
the 3/4" Bore and Stroke. He told Dirk that he had started the match plates
for the Pacifier, but no castings were made. Then he said that being as how
he was a member of BAEM Club, that he had talked to Ken Hurst, and agreed to
send Ken the match plates for the Pacifier and Little Devil, to use as a
fund raiser for the club.
They concluded the conversation with an agreement, that the next time Dirk came
to Florida, He should pick up the Peewee tooling, Radiator Tooling, and a
something else that he wanted him to have. Well several weeks passed, and
on May 18, 2004, Dirk had a bad feeling come over him. The next day, he found
out that Bob had passed away. A few weeks later, Dirk and his Wife were heading
to Florida for there summer Vacation. They made the trip to see Peewee, and pick
up what Bob had set aside for him. Match Plates, some castings, the Press to
build the Radiator, and all the plan cad files that bob had for most all of
his engines. When he had loaded it all in the car, Peewee and Dirk were standing
in the kitchen area talking and reminiscing about Bob, when she
said that Bob had something else that he wanted him to have. She gave him the
one and only Little Devil engine that Bob had made. Wow, what a gift. He
truly believes that he is the only person to have a Bob Shores built engine
beside Bobs wife and children.
He returned to Dallas and set about bringing the Peewee to life. There was a
lot to do, as the plans for it were not really complete. Several months
passed, and the Plans were finally completed. During this process, he had
been in touch with Ken Hurst. Ken did get the Pacifier and Little Devil
match plates, but no plans for either engine. Dirk told Ken that he had Bob's
Little Devil engine, and most all of the plan sets on Floppies. All of the
files for the engines were done in " ProEngineer", and had to be converted
to Auto Cad and PDF's. Ken and Dirk made a deal that he would complete the Plan
Set for the Little Devil, and send them to Ken and he would get the Pacifier
Match Plates, to be able to complete the plans for that unfinished engine in
return. During this process, over several months, actually a couple of
years, he received the match plates, and sent the plans for the Little
Devil, only to find out that the Foundry where the castings were to be
poured had had a fire, and a lot of stuff was damaged or destroyed including
the Little Devil. Thank God, Ken had picked up the Pacifier Match Plates
and had them at his home before the fire.
Well more than a few years have passed, and now we are finally going to
complete the Pacifier. I am sure that Bob Shores would be happy that this
is close to a finish. Dirk has sent the match plate out and had the castings
made. On my computer desk sit a set consisting of the block, oil pan, and bell
housing that were poured from Bob's original match plate. I have been over the
last few months designing the engine in what I believe would be the way Bob
would have built it. I have finished a set of working drawings and now it's time
to build it. When the build is complete a final set of plans will be sent to dirk to
sell with the Pacifier castings. I will put the prototype Pacifier in my personal
collection as my reward for the design work.
Here is the beginning
Here is the end
All I have to do is fill in the middle. This is going to be another long one and good god I have to make another CRANKSHAFT!!!
