VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Radios, Tools, Accessories Engine Hand Crank Starter

Anybody know where to aquire a 1947 Chev 216 hand crank, besides chev of the 40's? They don't seem to have a very good shipping setup there.


Thanks

The 1947 passenger car did not have a crank in the factory furnished tools.Hand cranking that engine could be considered dangerous. :(

There is a round hole in the grill and under the radiator they align strait through to the crank. And the balancer/pulley, has weird "ramp" hooks on it? I guess I just assumed thats what it was for.

Thats what it was for but no one ever cranked them

Just an idle question, Gene: Why would hand cranking the '47 engine be any more dangerous that an earlier 6 cyl? Not that much difference in horsepower or compression, as I recall.

Just wondering.
-Bob

It was already dangerous in 1937 due to the kick-back danger.
Also by 1947 cranking an engine was a lost art and supplying a crank meant the car was not "modern".
The 1948 center T bar made the crank impossible to use on a car..
The crank did come with a truck at least thru 1942 and one could be purchased thru parts into the'50's if the owner wanted one.Eleminating the crank saved Chevrolet a million dollars a year.
Did I get out of that one OK??? :/

The hand crank comes in real handy when timing, setting valves and other adjustment operations. I have only started and engine a few times but it can be handy if the battery is weak, you are alone on flat land and need to drive the vehicle. Guess now with cell phones and AAA towing even that scenario is not too likely.

"Did I get out of that one OK??? :/ "

Makes a lot of sense, Gene, thanks. Although I've owned a lot of antique cars with both electric starters & hand cranks, I've never actually tried to start one with the hand crank. I have read that there were a LOT of busted thumbs back 'in the day', if the thumb was wrapped around the handle!

Safety issues aside, my bet is that the PRIME motavating factor for not including the hand crank was the million dollars saved!!

My whole reason for wanting one, is because I have been doing a lot of work on mine, and I don't like cranking the motor by the fan blades, and I don't want to put all that stress on the waterpump bearing either, not to mention the "just in case" scenario...

Stylemaster47, I have a '50, 3604 PU and although it did not ship with a hand crank new it also was still equipped to use one. On the farm or in a rural setting I’m sure there were more than a few that had a crank under the seat or in he trunk. I bought a 36” length of 3/4” round stock at Farm & Fleet, drilled a 1/4” hole in the end and pressed a 1.5” long dowel pin through 1” from the end and heated and bent the other end for the crank. A strip of 3/16” with the key hole drilled through and mounted to the bumper for the front support and it is as farmer Jones would have had it in the good old days. Total cost was less than $10, compared to what the vendors are getting, a real bargain.

I can't see any reason hand cranking a '50 would be any different than hand cranking a '47 or '40 or '36 etc. No argument that hand cranking any engine is dangerous but it was a standard practice back in the 20's, 30's and 40's. Many tractors, stationary engines, etc., were started this way. Motorcycles were kick started throughout the whole world till the rice grinders changed that in the 60’s. Now days you are hard pressed to find a bike that is equipped with a kick starter. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be started that way, just a lot easier to push a button.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Thats not a bad idea, thank you.

stylemaster47, If you know what one looks like (including lengths, etc.) you should be able to find one on ebay if you are not in a big hurry. If took me a while to find one for my '32 on ebay but it finally showed up. Hope everyone agrees what the '37 crank looks like (unlike the '32)lol.

If you don't know how it looks and the measurements (how long it has to be) maybe someone here with one can post a pic of it for you here.

Good luck.

ps. keep the search term very general when searching on ebay for a crank, some sellers don't know what they have, use different terms also. I think I finally found mine using the term 'car hand crank or tractor hand crank'...???

Here is an example:

crank

Thank you very much

According to truck crank dimensions and the dimensions listed in Lemasters & Miner Chevrolet tool book the crank is the same from 37-48 and is approximately 33.125 inches long (Overall length). The handle part is 5 inches long and the offset is 7.750 inches. The crank diameter is 11/16 in. Hope this helps.

Thanks 35 pickup man, this is the kind of help (hard to find anywhere) that Chatter is known for; I will keep an eye out for a crank that matches your information for him.

Have a good week.

I have one that came with my '46. If you would like I can take some pics of it and take some dimensions and email it to you. It does come in handy to turn the engine.

46aero,
I can't figure out the "EMAIL" thing here or the "NOTIFY" blocks, none seem to be a way to get to you off the forum so!
I'd appreciate it if I could get those
pics and dimensions for the crank you mentioned.
Thanks
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
my email; dgraham@indianvalley.com

Thanks pickup guy for the dims. What is a "Lemasters & Miner Chevrolet toolbook"? I did a Google search and came up empty? If that is avalable in a reprint I'd like to get a copy, I haven't seen it in any of the vendors catalogs.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

They are the Tool Tech Advisors for the VCCA (Look in the G&D for their address). Contact them to see if they have any more of the booklets