Project Panther: now the engine can be yours
It stood for decades in a barn, and the piston had seized in the cylinder. Over fifteen episodes of Classic Motor, Jim Lundberg has worked his way through a 1955 Panther engine, piece by piece. Now the engine has been serviced and is being sold on Bidders Highway with no reserve. The entire amount goes to Trafikskadefonden.
An engine no one knew anything about
The engine came from the estate of an elderly man and had been standing in a barn for decades. Under a roof, but hardly damp-free. The exhaust port was full of cobwebs, the magneto was missing, and the engine couldn't be turned over. No one knew what awaited inside, not even Jim.
"This could get quite exciting – even for me!"
– Jim Lundberg in the first episode
A hockey puck and a propane heater
When the cylinder head was lifted off, the first surprise appeared. There was no rust, just a black, syrup-like sludge of old engine oil that had protected the engine through all the years. The piston, however, was stuck fast. Jim tapped it downward using a junior hockey puck as a buffer and lifted the cylinder a millimeter at a time with pieces of sheet metal. Finally: ta-da! The piston slipped out, and the bore underneath looked almost new.
Further in sat a sleeve that was stuck solid. With the help of a parts catalogue he found online, a puller, and a propane heater at 150 degrees, Jim finally got it loose. It let go with a bang, but his hands and the rest of the garage came through unscathed.
The find in Gothenburg
At Classic Motor Marknad in Gothenburg, it suddenly lay there on a table: a Lucas K1F magneto. The seller had fitted a spark plug to it so you could see the spark with your own eyes. Back home, testing showed the wire was broken inside the winding, and yet the magneto still produced a spark. The current simply jumped across the break.
Finally done – almost
After fifteen episodes, the engine was back together. No one at the editorial office, however, had a frame to put it in. That's why Classic Motor decided the engine should be sold at auction and the entire amount donated to charity.
Brief facts about the engine
- Panther 75 engine, 348 cc, approx. 18 hp, engine number in the 55 series (1955). The same engine was also fitted in the Svalan MC 75
- New piston rings, new rollers in the connecting-rod bearing, new gudgeon pin bushing, and new drive-side oil seal
The engine has been serviced, not restored. The magneto (a Lucas K1F from Classic Motor Marknad) produces a spark but has a break in the secondary winding and needs rewinding. No generator is included.
Serviced Panther 348 cc engine
No reserve · In aid of Trafikskadefonden
Knivsta · Auction closes Friday October 16 at 18:00
Reserve price: None
Every krona goes to Trafikskadefonden
Classic Motor is donating the full purchase sum and Bidders Highway is waiving its fee. The fund is administered by Personskadeförbundet RTP and provides grants for recreation, rehabilitation, and leisure activities for members injured in traffic. Read more at RTP