Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration, L.L.C.
caer@rcn.com
Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration
is a limited liability company dedicated to the restoration and preservation of antique machinery from America’s industrial age. We restore automotive, marine, and stationary engines powered by steam, gasoline, or naphtha. Additionally, we have restored other antique machinery including a water powered up-and-down sawmill, narrow gauge steam locomotives, steam rollers and tractors, and a wide variety of line shaft powered machine tools.
We offer restoration services for those who wish to run their engines and museum preservation services for those who wish to maintain in their original condition for generations to come.
Two Missions . . . Two Mission Statements
Restoration:
• To apply the professional skills expected of a restoration machinist to each engine we restore.
• To restore antique machinery through the application of the highest professional standards in quality and precision.
• To use quality parts and fit them to precise tolerances to ensure the best possible results.
Preservation:
• To apply the professional skills expected of a conservator to each engine we preserve.
• To apply responsible museum standards of treatment using reversible techniques and materials in a preservation setting to insure proper conservation of original fabric and cultural evidence.
Babbitt Bearings (a specialty)
Exact Formula
Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration uses the exact same babbitt alloy that Henry Ford used in the 1920’s. This material contains less than one tenth of one percent of lead and no nickel. We believe that we are the only shop in the country that can certify that our babbitt is the same as that used originally in Model T Fords.
We Know what is in our babbitt . . . do you know what is in yours?
Precision Align Boring
After pouring new babbitt, your engine is align bored (not reamed) to exact dimensions. When completed, your crankshaft will be stiff, but it will turn by hand. You do not have to tow your car to get it started. Towing is a sure sign that the engine has been set up too tight. Damage to bearings and drive train components can occur in the first minutes of running an engine that is too tight.
Don’t force it and don’t get a bigger hammer . . . do
it correctly, do it precisely
A Variety of Engines and Machines
George King III is the owner of Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration. He has had a long and varied engine restoration career. He got his first Model T in 1963. George says, “My goal is to own three Model T’s. I am really doing well . . . I’m down to six now.” George has restored marine engines, steam tractors and rollers, Model T’s, Model A’s, one lungers and even an up-and-down sawmill.
If man made it run
once . . . man can make it run again.
More Than Babbitt
Complete Engine and Transmission Restoration
For Model T Fords and most other pre-1930 vehicles, we offer complete engine and transmission restoration services. We can replicate damaged and missing parts in our on site machine shop. We have done a lot of work on antique steam engines where the only replacement parts are the ones we make. The oldest engine we have restored pre-dates the Civil War.
Not just parts replacement . . . complete, precision restoration services
Modifications to Grand Old Engines
Many customers like to add modern improvements to their cars. External oil lines, Kevlar transmission bands, and transmission oil screens are some of the most popular and worthwhile additions for a Model T. Owners with a bent for speed or long distance travel have asked us to install oil pumps, water pumps, modified ignition systems and even modern bearing caps to improve the reliability and strength of their 70-year-old engines. We can meet the needs of your special application.
New materials for old engines can improve safety and performance.
Getting the Job Done
When do we start?
We start when you contact me and we make arrangements to meet. I encourage you to spend a half day with me taking your engine apart. This way, you get to see the result of 70+ years of operation. You and I will evaluate your engine and decide what courses of action are available to you. You make the decisions based on the level of restoration you desire. I will provide you with a catalog from a major engine restoration supply house. The prices in the catalog are what you pay with no additional markup by me. I can also show you how to save money on the restoration by doing much of the work yourself. I will keep you informed of the progress on your engine as we go through the restoration process.
You are informed . . . you make the decisions.
When can I get it back?
It usually takes three months to complete a full engine and transmission restoration. Short blocks take about two and a simple “babbitt the mains and fit the crank job” takes one month. You will know what is going on each step of the way. Parts shipments have been running on time so routine jobs get out on time. However, you should know that I will not simply bolt parts up to your engine to hurry a job. Each part is fit for precision and accuracy. Sometimes this takes a little longer but it is the correct way to do the job and that is what we will do.
We shall ship no engine before its time.
Can I bring you my whole car?
I am afraid not. The engine must arrive at our shop without the car attached. We are registered in Connecticut as a restoration machine shop. If we bring cars here, our designation changes to a repair facility. As a repair facility, we would come under a completely new category of licensing and permitting that would benefit neither of us. We like being a machine shop . . . that is what we do best.
Restoration machinist at work.
Museum Preservation Services
Preservation vs. Restoration
Museum professionals know that there is a world of difference between restoration and preservation. The goal of most automotive restorations is to return an antique vehicle to the appearance and drivability it had when it left the factory. Museum preservationists have a goal of retaining as much original material as possible. A preservation treatment keeps the original fabric intact by applying reversible materials and processes that maintain the object and hold it in a stable condition. The result may not be as shiny and fast as a restoration but the genuine, original article remains unmodified. At Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration, we take pride in our engine preservation efforts to exact museum standards.
Preserving America’s engineering past for America’s engineering future
Who Does the Work?
Meet George King III
Connecticut Antique Engine Restoration is owned by George King III. George's background includes a 22 year career in the United States Coast Guard where he (among other things) ran a school for entry level marine engineers (firemen apprentices) in Alameda, California. He currently holds U. S. Merchant Marine licenses as master (captain) of steam, motor, auxiliary sail and commercial assistance towing vessels and as chief engineer of steam for engines to 1,000 horsepower. George worked at Mystic Seaport Museum for twenty years, where he served as Chief Engineer on the 1908 steamboat Sabino. He was also the Seaport's engine collection manager for ten years. He restored Sabino’s engine in 1992. The boat has carried more than 400,000 passengers since then without a breakdown.
Another noteworthy steamboat to George’s credit is the African Queen of movie fame. He rebuilt the Queen’s engine just in time for second millennium celebrations. Additionally George has restored, rebuilt, and repaired the engines for commercial and recreational steamboats from around the country.
Another passion of George’s is antique cars. George has owned Model T’s for 40 years. When asked how many Model T’s he has restored, George points to a stack of head gaskets hanging from nails in the garage. Like trophies from a lifetime of achievement, he displays the worn gaskets removed from engines he has worked on. Although these do not represent all the engines to his credit, it does make an impressive display. You are welcome to count them if you want to keep a tally.
In addition to working on engines himself, George King likes to share his knowledge with those who are interested in doing the job right. He lectures regularly at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. This unique school offers degree programs in automobile restoration technology. George has also been a guest lecturer on babbitting Model T engines at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan in March 2003.
In addition to technical presentations, George often lectures on the history of transportation in New England. His history of the steamboat Sabino was published in 1999 and he is currently compiling information on William Baxter for another book. He is currently the president of the Four Season Model T Association, a chapter of the Model T Ford Club of America. He is also a member of the Model T Ford Club International, the Model A Restorers Club, the Horseless Carriage Club of America, and the Steamship Historical Society of America.
To insure that quality restoration work continues, George has taught the trade to his son David. Dave began building a Model T open canopy express (with Dad’s help) when he was eleven years old. Two years later, he was the first student at Franklin Elementary School to own his own car. Dave’s truck was featured on the cover of Vintage Ford for the September – October issue in 2002.
What is best for the machine?
A standard of excellence.
As the owner of an antique machine, you can choose from a variety of restoration shops. The care and accuracy of the restoration is of paramount importance to the success of your project and the longevity of your engine. We take pride in meeting the most demanding standards of excellence in all aspects of our work.
We welcome the opportunity to have you as a satisfied customer.
Contact Information
E-mail address
On The Web
Office phone
860-642-7103