OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Idle Chatter Single cylinder GM Detroit Diesels in Australia

Has anyone come across the single cylinder 1-71 two stroke GM Detroit diesel engine? I haven't seen anything smaller than the 3-71 and was wondering if they were ever sold in Australia? It seems most of the single cylinder diesel engines of that era have usually been Listers. This picture is taken from the following website: http://www.dieselduck.info/historical/01%20diesel%20engine/detroit%20diesel/#.WYmUIOsmKrU

Hi LRT,
I too am fascinated by this model. A Roots blower supercharged two-stroke single!

Even in the US, they are very much in the rare and collectable category these days.

There's a recent article available at https://www.pressreader.com/usa/diesel-world/20170601/281517931006940 which says that the most reliable sources put total production at less than 1000 of this model, and the production run may have been as short as 1938-1940.

The favoured webforum for the 1-71 community is www.smokstak.com , and the Oz equivalent is probably https://forums.tomm.com.au/

I'd be very doubtful that any would have been commercially imported into Oz.

Keep in mind that there were established local manufacturers of small stationary diesel engines at the start of WW2, who had been producing engines since the 1920's or earlier. Southern Cross, McDonald Imperial, Ronaldson Tippett, Kelly & Lewis, are a few that come to mind.
And there was import tariff protection for British Empire and local makers.

As well as Lister, Blackstone and Crossley small diesels were popular here, as were Blackstone, Crossley and Ruston Hornsby for larger multi-cylinder diesels.

Cylinder head view of a 1920's ~200hp Ruston Hornsby twin cylinder diesel, in its original location [at an abandoned VIC gold mine]

BTW, that's a 200L drum, to give you an idea of scale...

That pic was taken late 2000's, when the engine was looking pretty sad after the 2003 bushfires; however it has now been restored to running condition, and has its own website!

Run video; [video][/video]

Website http://ruston12h.com/

Hi Gadge,

I seem to have missed your reply - sorry!

Yes I'm sure that the import tariff protection for British Empire and local makers was the reason they didn't sell here.

We don't have any mains electricity on the farm here as the SEC want $70,000 just to bring a line in to connect so we rely on Lister diesels and hopefully add solar & wind to charge the inverter in the near future.

We use a now worn out TR1 for our main power but we have a near new Lister TR3 generator to replace it soon.

I also have a Lister SL1 Startomatic that is waiting its turn for restoration after the oil that had leaked into the generator caught fire.

This Youtube video shows one in action. Pretty impressive back in the day thats for sure!

Lister SL1 Startomatic

I have also just picked up a Lister HB6 6 cylinder with a suspected thrown con rod for $100 that used to run an irrigation pump.

I'll post a better photo when I get it off the Land Rover later.

I happen to be a British bus nut. I grew up catching Bedfords, AECs and Leylands, so I have quite the diesel bug. Also got a 1979 Domino 2 axle coach every day from primary schooI in 1984 with Detroit Diesel and Jake brake! I was the envy of my playground buddies (because of the luxury interior!).

Yes MF those big torquey British diesels are great. Wow a Detroit with Jake brake - what a sound that would make!

I love the sound of the EMD diesels in the older locomotives such as the Victorian B/A Class streamliner & the butter box cab G class. The Alco powered locomotives have a different sound to the EMD but produce an impressive amount of black smoke when working under load.

Excellent clips showing what they do best. Alcos are my favourite sound. I love the turbo hiss you can hear.
Here is an AEC recovery truck you might like, dating from the early 70s going through the gears in NZ. It s powered by an AEC 760 with roadranger gearbox. I used to ridebuses with a rear mounted horizontally mounted version of this engine. I'm sure you will be impressed.



Here are two 30 sec clips of it from outside.

Ah the AEC - what a great motor! Thanks for the link MF.

I've found an abandoned AEC Militant MK3 recovery truck but unfortunately the truck had been converted to a tray so lost everything except the winch. I tried to buy it but the owner wants $15,000 for it and I would have to spend that much to restore it and I simply don't have the money sadly.

It looks identical to this:

Here's a Dodge AT4-760 with a Detroit 6V53 & 10 speed RR

You were wise to give that a miss I think. Imagine the cost of those tyres alone. I hope the chassis was up to that treatment!

I just found this Bedford "bug eye" with Detroit.

Ok, I'll leave you with two more trucks with their own two stroke diesel engines.

Commer with "knocker" 3 cylinder (6 opposing pistons -two sharing the same cylinder) engine.


1967 Foden truck with their own 2 stroke diesel. Has to be heard to be believed.



Amazing all the other truck videos that come up!!

Yes there's a wealth of truck videos out there!

Its sad the EPA regulations have made engine manufacture so difficult. There's nothing like a big capacity motor for lugging down in my opinion. Now we have to make do with a highly stressed 2L turbo engine producing 200HP.

The local engine rebuilder says the small Yanmars people have replaced the big old Listers with just don't last like a bigger under-stressed engine.

We have a Dodge AT4-575 tray truck on the farm that I'm doing a rolling restoration as funds permit and it has the Chrysler 318 V8 engine fitted with a New Process 4 speed gearbox. Its amazing how much low down torque it has compared to a modern engine.

The other old style V8 I'm partial to is the Rover V8, which was originally a GM design before Rover bought it out.

Here's a few clips of the 3.5L Rover V8 in a Triumph TR7V8 rally car: