Seeking Displacement of 1904 Engine

Volume of a Cylinder

Thanks for the answer. I did do the math and came up with a car with an 11 Liter-plus motor. Not the Peerless Motor Car Co.'s biggest motor, but probably their biggest 4-cylinder.

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Hi bob c,

Erm, yes you could say they are big for sure! No one can argue otherwise!

Hi Frank,

GA to you Sir.

I missed your post, sorry. It does seem just about spot on though!

I believe the formula is Bore X Stroke X No.of cylinders = Displacement

The formula I have always used is Bore x Bore x Stroke X 1/4 pi x number of Cylinders.

That's correct, just another way of putting the formula I used. Pi r² = Pi d²/4.

When I was about 12 years old, my daddy taught to find the volume of a cylinder, square the radiaus of the circle, multiply that times PI. Then multiply that by the stroke, multiply that times the number of the cylinders.

Since that time, lots of things have changed, but the formula still stands.

Hi BMEWS,

Like the name BTW!

The formulae I used: V=πr²h. V=πr²h. πr² the bore area x h cylinder height

I assume the 'swept' area/stroke in 6"/15.24cm.

I converted your inches to mm/cm/inches as defined.

Figured the area² x your bore =

76.2 cm x 76.2 cm x 3.142 π =

182.43834 mm² x 15.24cm = 2780.3603 cc / per cylinder

2780.3603 x 4 x [ 11121.441 cm³ (cc) ] [ 11.121 Litre's ] / [ 678.6719 inch³ ]

Please note, this is as accurate as I can make it.

May I suggest if you are measuring the thickness or 'depth' of the cast iron block as 6"/15.24 cm, you will need to measure the depth again minus the top edge and rings on the piston if it has them and, work this out using the formulae I list and, deduct it from the total 'cc'. If you would prefer to send me the newer details, if they are different, I will tell you the correct 'swept' area.

However if the 'swept' area is indeed equal to the 6", you have the correct answer below.

Hope you find it of use.

Thanks for the precise calculations.

Name comes from the place I got my first paycheck. The car, by the way, was one of the ones Barney Oldfield raced over a hundred years ago: the Peerless "Green Dragon".

Hey folks you are allright however remember of combustion chamber! If the cylinder head was flat then it is part of the cylinder itself, if not then it must be taken into account in order to know proper displacement. Its volume determines the compression ratio so it is important.

Combustion chamber dimentions are not relavent for calculating displacement.

Hi bob c,

After the effort I put into this!..................

I would be interested to hear the explanation of your statement?

Are you saying 'displacement' is not the answer. It is swept volume perhaps?

Please get in touch.

NO MATH PLEASE!

The formula for displacement does not need to take into consideration the quench area of the cylinder head.

Weather the head is a flat design as used on the Chevy 348 and 409, or an open design as used in the Chrysler hemis, the formula for displacement remains the same.

Compression ratio and compression pressure would need quench area, piston dome area, or piston dish area, piston hight relative to deck hight,and gasket thickness and what ever else I forgot. Agree?

Hi bob c,

I think you have just about covered all corners there!

I have worked on 4 pot engines of very small size, compared to the ~2.75L per cylinder on this monster! The valves must be huge. I did not include any area above the top of the piston, as it does count towards the size, but it would be pretty small, and would also vary with the hemmi or standard flat tops.

But do you agree that the bore volume with, the pistons just entered into the bottom of each, is the given size in CC or Inches? When I first read your reply I thought that you were inferring the volume was not important. Sorry.

The reason I asked the OP if he had included the total depth of the head by just measuring it, or whether he had allowed for the top of the piston to be in the bottom of the bore? On such a large engine it could have reduced the effective swept area by a Litre or so?

I was also thinking he may have had the bores skimmed which would also make some difference

I have worked on 4 pot engines of very small size,

I am not convinced that an engine can make additional power on HHO, now you are going to tell me you have an engine running on pot.

Does the carb inhale? Does it consume additional fuel after it has been running for a while? Has it affected the decision making of the ECM? Is it paranoid of other engines?

Hi bob c,

In answer to your question/s, well one of them...................

The engine was probably about as paranoid as you! LOL

I worked on 4 cylinder naturally aspirated engines. The ones I rebuilt were at most 4 cylinder 2L engines.

An engine running on POT? Now theres an idea, you could get to where you are going, and get high!

Good luck!

I have never measured or seen the engine. The Peerless race car was destroyed in a wreck in August, '04 in St. Louis, after going off the track during a race.

Hi BMEWS,

Thanks for the reply post.

I think I may be getting a little confused between the peerless car engine and another old race car engine which may have come from a fighter plane, and not having hardly any mufflers, and with the car having little by way of suspension, when the engine started, it was loud and the car bounced around! Oh, I also forgot to mention it was either a 12 or 16 cylinder!

I am still trying to find it and will let you know when I do.

Hi BMEWS,

With ref' to the Peerless race car................. Well kind of.

I said I thought have gotten a little confused about the car. I just knew it was a brute and here you can view it. I believe it is 47L / 2868 Cubic Inches.

I think it is a fascinating Video and to think that all that power transfers through a wheel 3" or 4" wide! Frightening.