Bassackwards

Unicyclist · 05-04-2012, 10:29 PM

So here's the story, I was talking to my grandfather the other day, and he told me a about an interesting mechanical mistake he and his brother made about 60 years ago in Australia. They had gotten a very old car from a friend and apparently reassembled something wrong because when they got it running they had 3 speeds in reverse and only one forward! They figured it out and fixed it eventually, he said he thought it had to do with the differential or something in it being in backwards. Maybe the whole rear axle was upside down. Would it be possible for a very old engine to run backwards if cranked backwards with the way the old cams are set up? If anyone has heard of something like this or knows how it might have happened I'd be interested to hear. At any rate, it's an interesting story. I would love to have seen their expressions when they realized they could go as fast as they wanted backwards, but only slowly forward!

*safn1949* · 05-05-2012, 04:01 PM

I would say they put the rearend in flipped so the gears ran backwards,how is beyond me as the mounting pads would be on the other side but who knows. Or they had the wrong rear with the gears cut the opposite way.

Other question...no the engine will not run backwards but can backfire and spin backward for an instant, not really explaining that well,kinda retarded today.

*buckwill* · 05-05-2012, 06:25 PM

some auto diffs could be put in upside down so axle rotatipon would be reversed, some gas marine engines could be cammed to run reversed but off the shelf engines would not run backwards for any length of time and never very well int hat state,, some early two stroke motorcycles seemed to run backwards as easy as forwards if they were rocked backwars,, bacl long time ago, wen i was about 17 and things were less officialistic and people were less worried about lawsuits,, i agreed to put a small detroit diesel in our towns austin western road grader,, 3 cylinder detroit diesel two stroke,, i found an engine and my dad and i put it in, and like our friend here it wud run really fast,, backwards,, the detroit was a left hand engine,, but fix was easy,, pull the master diff and roll it in the housing

Unicyclist · 05-08-2012, 03:20 PM

Thanks for your interesting replies.
~Unicyclist

kustomiser · 05-08-2012, 06:18 PM

back in the 80s i worked for a company building boat engines from 350 chevy and 302 ford engines. on the boats with twin engines we would change the cam and distributor and make the engine run in reverse rotation. it was amazing the first time i built one of them.

Unicyclist · 05-09-2012, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kustomiser

back in the 80s i worked for a company building boat engines from 350 chevy and 302 ford engines. on the boats with twin engines we would change the cam and distributor and make the engine run in reverse rotation. it was amazing the first time i built one of them.

Were you reversing them because the boats had two propellers that spun opposite directions to keep the boat from pulling to one side?

crazymind · 05-09-2012, 04:37 PM

Back when I was in school I was able to get a john dear to run backwards but it was a little 4 cylinder diesel.

*buckwill* · 05-09-2012, 05:18 PM

when u have two or more propellors thrusting against a hull turning same directiom, when u back down the boat wants to walk sideways at the stern, when goin forward it wants to push more to one side more than the other,, sometimes bad enough to be called dogwalking,, uneven and unexpected thrusts while maneuvering with engines made it much better to have counter rotating engines buck

kustomiser · 05-09-2012, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckwill

when u have two or more propellors thrusting against a hull turning same directiom, when u back down the boat wants to walk sideways at the stern, when goin forward it wants to push more to one side more than the other,, sometimes bad enough to be called dogwalking,, uneven and unexpected thrusts while maneuvering with engines made it much better to have counter rotating engines buck

this is exactly the reason we did it. we would use then in Sunkist ski boats. the company that i was working for was ind-mar products . we built a 460 ford in reverse rotation but had trouble with the oiling system keeping everything lubed properly. we tested the reverse rotation Chevy on a jet boat with Berkley jet drives, as i recall there was no real benefit with the jet drives.

*buckwill* · 05-09-2012, 08:19 PM

, i think the walking is has more to do with the way the water comes off the blades to the sides of the unshrouded props, i dont think a jetboat walks,i dont recall ever seein a reverse rotation berkely or jacuzzi, not saying they werent made,, just never seen one,

05-04-2012, 10:29 PM	#1
Unicyclist Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 11 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Bassackwards So here's the story, I was talking to my grandfather the other day, and he told me a about an interesting mechanical mistake he and his brother made about 60 years ago in Australia. They had gotten a very old car from a friend and apparently reassembled something wrong because when they got it running they had 3 speeds in reverse and only one forward! They figured it out and fixed it eventually, he said he thought it had to do with the differential or something in it being in backwards. Maybe the whole rear axle was upside down. Would it be possible for a very old engine to run backwards if cranked backwards with the way the old cams are set up? If anyone has heard of something like this or knows how it might have happened I'd be interested to hear. At any rate, it's an interesting story. I would love to have seen their expressions when they realized they could go as fast as they wanted backwards, but only slowly forward!

05-05-2012, 04:01 PM	#2
safn1949 Elite Explorer Mankato, Minnesota M60A1 my first offroader Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 925 Vehicle Specs	I would say they put the rearend in flipped so the gears ran backwards,how is beyond me as the mounting pads would be on the other side but who knows. Or they had the wrong rear with the gears cut the opposite way. Other question...no the engine will not run backwards but can backfire and spin backward for an instant, not really explaining that well,kinda retarded today. __________________ 1994 XLT,4.0,3.73 LS 149,000 miles. Need a Panasonic Toughbook? I have them,email me for details.

05-05-2012, 06:25 PM	#3
buckwill Elite Explorer trona calif 1998 sport Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 241 Vehicle Specs	some auto diffs could be put in upside down so axle rotatipon would be reversed, some gas marine engines could be cammed to run reversed but off the shelf engines would not run backwards for any length of time and never very well int hat state,, some early two stroke motorcycles seemed to run backwards as easy as forwards if they were rocked backwars,, bacl long time ago, wen i was about 17 and things were less officialistic and people were less worried about lawsuits,, i agreed to put a small detroit diesel in our towns austin western road grader,, 3 cylinder detroit diesel two stroke,, i found an engine and my dad and i put it in, and like our friend here it wud run really fast,, backwards,, the detroit was a left hand engine,, but fix was easy,, pull the master diff and roll it in the housing __________________ if my memory was getting shorter would i know???,, disabled viet vet, retired navy,, 98 exploder sport sohc 4.0,, retired macinist,gas and steam turbine millwright,, ive arrested, stroked twice and i mispell lots,

05-08-2012, 06:18 PM	#5
kustomiser Wannabe Elite Explorer se georgia 2001 explorer sport 4x4 Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 44 Vehicle Specs	back in the 80s i worked for a company building boat engines from 350 chevy and 302 ford engines. on the boats with twin engines we would change the cam and distributor and make the engine run in reverse rotation. it was amazing the first time i built one of them. __________________ 2001 explorer sport 4x4 zapv # 1212 professional up fitter for public safety vehicles. two way communication technician

05-09-2012, 05:18 PM	#8
buckwill Elite Explorer trona calif 1998 sport Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 241 Vehicle Specs	when u have two or more propellors thrusting against a hull turning same directiom, when u back down the boat wants to walk sideways at the stern, when goin forward it wants to push more to one side more than the other,, sometimes bad enough to be called dogwalking,, uneven and unexpected thrusts while maneuvering with engines made it much better to have counter rotating engines buck __________________ if my memory was getting shorter would i know???,, disabled viet vet, retired navy,, 98 exploder sport sohc 4.0,, retired macinist,gas and steam turbine millwright,, ive arrested, stroked twice and i mispell lots,

05-08-2012, 03:20 PM	#4
Unicyclist Wannabe Elite Explorer Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 11 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Thanks for your interesting replies. ~Unicyclist

05-09-2012, 04:37 PM	#7
crazymind Wannabe Elite Explorer 99 mountaieer 4.0 Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 191 Vehicle Specs	Back when I was in school I was able to get a john dear to run backwards but it was a little 4 cylinder diesel.

05-09-2012, 08:19 PM	#10
buckwill Elite Explorer trona calif 1998 sport Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 241 Vehicle Specs	, i think the walking is has more to do with the way the water comes off the blades to the sides of the unshrouded props, i dont think a jetboat walks,i dont recall ever seein a reverse rotation berkely or jacuzzi, not saying they werent made,, just never seen one, __________________ if my memory was getting shorter would i know???,, disabled viet vet, retired navy,, 98 exploder sport sohc 4.0,, retired macinist,gas and steam turbine millwright,, ive arrested, stroked twice and i mispell lots,

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