Zenith Cylinder Head

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old_charley
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Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by old_charley » Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:10 pm

I came across these ads today in "Ford Dealer and Service Field". The first one is from the March 1927 issue. Sorry about the quality of that one. The other two are from April and June of '27. No ads for Zenith appear in any issues prior to March. By November of '27 they weren't advertised. I've never seen one of these heads or remember seeing anything about them on the forum. I wonder if they actually ever reached production. Have any of you seen one of these or have any knowledge of them? It's hard to see, but the first ad makes a claim of 120 miles per hour!

Zenith enlarged.jpg
Zenith 3 1 copy.jpg
Zenith 2.jpg


TXGOAT2
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by TXGOAT2 » Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:26 pm

120 MPH might well be do-able if you had the whole kit and caboodle... head, cam, crankshaft, transmission, gearing , and all, and had a very well designed speedster type chassis.

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Henry K. Lee
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Henry K. Lee » Mon Jan 24, 2022 9:36 pm

I believe years back hearing a story about why they were short-lived, no real proof but from my understanding, they got in trouble over using Chevrolet rocker arms, shafts, etc, without permission. They look a lot like them in the photos. Also something about a modified head casting.

Hank


Les Schubert
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Les Schubert » Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:18 pm

Looks a lot like a Roof 8 / Laurel model 40!!
I have one on a engine.


Dropacent
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Dropacent » Mon Jan 24, 2022 11:04 pm

I believe Les is correct, private labeled ROOF stuff.


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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Dan McEachern » Mon Jan 24, 2022 11:42 pm

I agree on the Roof head, except on that particular model head the single intake port flange on the opposite side projects slightly above the top surface of the head casting, and I don't see that feature in the picture? Any ideas on that???


Les Schubert
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Les Schubert » Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:28 am

I acquired this one in the ‘70’s and had it on a 4 door in the 80’s
6F1AB033-0779-437F-A316-A0181F06C746.jpeg
49920F3C-0FBE-4183-A9BF-1CF335B7FB68.jpeg
E2E88E5F-9A25-43E6-95C0-C99180AF7E0D.jpeg
It came with a adapter to install a stock T carb.
I got lucky and found this carb.


Dropacent
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Dropacent » Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:46 am

Probably eliminated in the printing process. Those rag books were printed with type blocks and all up to the printer. JMHO , though. Good catch, Dan.
Matco ( magneto corporation of America) cross drive front plates were private labeled with other names on them, too. So many different water pumps were made in the Richmond , Indiana area, and I’ve seen identical ones with different names, too.


Dropacent
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Dropacent » Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:10 pm

Thread drift, but T related. I grew up nearby an old time printing shop. The couple still used Linotype machines and wood print blocks. They printed anything that you could possibly think of, and did it well. They were in business long past being obsolete, and they had high hopes of selling the business for decades. I treasure the fact that I visited and used them enough to know and understand the technology. If you never saw a Linotype machine in operation, I feel sorry for you. American ingenuity at its best!
All of the old books we treasure for T history were printed on this type of machinery, and somewhere are drawers and drawers full of wooden blocks with these reverse lead Images on them. Every printed picture you see in these old books required an actual object to make the print, and not numbers floating in the air. More than likely, the lead has been melted and the wood burned by now.
I still have a row of type with my name on it in my workbench. I saw it spit out of the Linotype machine. Google Linotype sometime, you will be amazed at almost forgotten history.


Dan McEachern
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by Dan McEachern » Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:27 pm

As long as we are adrift here. Way back when in college, we were required to take a graphics class and part of that course was learning how to set and lock up type, mount it in a letter press and crank out some printed material. That experience was a ton of fun, and something that I never regretted. If ya think Model T's are neat, watching an old letter press operate with your hands and fingers going into the press to feed and remove sheets is an order of magnitude worse than cranking a T with the spark advanced too far.


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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:48 pm

When I was a kid, the local paper had 2 Linotype machines and a huge black mechanical press the size of 2 pickup trucks. It was driven by a big electric motor and a huge v-belt drive with about 7 belts. There was a pit in the floor to accomodate the huge pulley on the press. I figure the electric motor and drive was a latter-day replacement for a gas engine. I have a few pieces of lead type and a small lead plate with a short article or advertisement on it from that press. The headline-size type had a word or two in a single bar or piece and some kind of lugs on the back. That press was probably junked or shipped to Mexico. If the latter, I'd guess it is still operating. Photos reproduced in the paper consisted of a bunch of little dots. I'm sure they had a teletype and a means of getting AP wirephotos.


Topic author
old_charley
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Re: Zenith Cylinder Head

Post by old_charley » Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:48 pm

It certainly is a rebadged Laurel. Thank you everyone for your answers.

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