General Information

Serial #

190353

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

ZINC ALLOY & BRASS CASING & PARTS/ METAL PARTS/ SYNTHETIC KNOBS & PARTS

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

25.0 cm

Width

11.5 cm

Height

17.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Motorized Ground Transportation

Category

Automotive engineering

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Simms

Country

England

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

C. 1915

Canada

FROM COLLECTION OF AUTOMOBILE PTS & SERVICING EQ ACQUIRED BY MR. T.H. OLIVER, FATHER OF DONOR, DURING CAREER IN AUTOMOTIVE SERVICING. AFTER WORKING AT WILLYS-OVERLAND & FAIRBANKS-MORSE IN TORONTO, & IN AUTO GARAGE IN AURORA, IN 1931 HE BEGAN HIS OWN BUSINESS, ONE PART OF WHICH INVOLVED AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL SERVICING.

Function

PART OF IGNITION SYSTEM OF INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. IT USES MAGNETIC FIELD TO PRODUCE ELECTRIC SPARK WHICH EXPLODES GASOLINE VAPOUR IN CYLINDER OF ENGINE, ENABLING IT TO FUNCTION.

Technical

SIMMS PRODUCTS WERE WIDELY EMPLOYED BY AUTO INDUSTRY UNDER NAME SIMMS-HUFF. THEY PROVIDED AUTO-ELECTRIC SYSTEMS FOR MANY EARLY AUTOMOBILES, INCLUDING "MAXWELL". UNUSUALLY HEAVY CONSTRUCTION OF THIS MAGNETO SUGGESTS SIGNIFICANT OVERDESIGN, GIVEN RELATIVELY CRUDE MATERIALS AVAILABLE AT TIME (REF. 1).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

INCISED LETTERING ON BASE READS "SIMMS SR 4L" IN ONE SIDE OF BASE & "SIMMS/ MADE IN/ ENGLAND/ No 190353" ON OTHER SIDE"/ INCISED LETTERING ON PART READS "190353/ OIL EVERY/ 500 MILES/ SIMMS"/ CW TAG READING "Simms/ Magneto/ Trade in on/ Bosch MJB4/ Geo. Thompson/ Kettleby"

Missing

APPEARS COMPLETE

Finish

REMNANTS OF BLACK PAINT ON BODY/ BRASS COLOURED PARTS/ BLACK PAINTED MAGNET/ BLACK & BROWN SYNTHETIC

Decoration

N/A