1917 Denver Quadruplex siren restoration thread

[LukeH]

With a little help from my wife, the Denver Quadruplex siren I had shipped to my employer in Michigan was loaded on a trailer and brought home this past weekend. And so begins the long awaited restoration of an ancient patriarch.

Denver Siren
Builder: Dillon-Box Iron Works
Model: 5HP Quadruplex
Serial No: 13854B
Year of Manufacture: 1917
Year of Installation: 1917
Original Location: Charleston, SC
Purchased Location: Albertson, NC
Overall condition: 2/5

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I've been spraying everything down with penetrating oil on a daily basis and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. The siren is currently locked up, so the first priority is complete disassembly. The rearward rotor pair is damaged at the hub, and will need to be sent to a machine shop for repair. I expect this to take time, and I know this repair will be costly, however well worth the end result. I will try to keep this thread updated periodically so you all can see this process first hand.

Loading up with a little help from my amazing wife!

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Beginning stages, penetrant bath!

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Till next time!

[LukeH]

Update, got the bearing caps off, what do ya know, sleeve bearings like a small block chevy . Everything appears to be in good shape with the exception of the rear rotor. I was actually able to get it spinning, though with the damage to the rear rotor hub it definitely rubs. Next step will be removing the supports, shaft and rotors from the assembly and then locating the best machine shop to make the necessary repairs.

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[matthewwatson]

This is a super exciting project!
Make sure to keep us updated
I can’t wait to hear that thing run

[HDN]

Nice find! That should be a fun project. Any motor in mind for it?

[LukeH]

Nice find! That should be a fun project. Any motor in mind for it?

A period correct 3 ph 5hp motor was donated by a fellow enthusiast who does not use the internet.

[LukeH]

Progress Update. Got the siren torn down yesterday. Rotor assembly will be sent off to the machine shop in the coming weeks. Overall it wasn't terrible to get apart. All but one bolt came out came out with some motivation from an impact. The final bolt refuesed to move, so I put a breaker bar on it and it snapped off. Once the siren was completely disassembled, a little heat was applied to the base area around the bolt, and a quick zap with an extraxtor and an impact brought the remainder right out. All bolts on the siren were spreayed repeatedly with kano Kroil penetrant over the last year. I highly recommend this stuff, it is a little pricey but it blows PB blaster and WD40 out of the water.

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[Fanman]

This thing is cool! I can't wait to see the finished product!

[Eclipse DDS]

After months of silence, it’s great to see more progress on this restoration! There’s something really nice about the shape of siren rotors and choppers, and these ones are no exceptions! It’s also nice to see the information plate in such good condition

[TheSirenFan]

Progress Update. Got the siren torn down yesterday. Rotor assembly will be sent off to the machine shop in the coming weeks. Overall it wasn't terrible to get apart. All but one bolt came out came out with some motivation from an impact. The final bolt refuesed to move, so I put a breaker bar on it and it snapped off. Once the siren was completely disassembled, a little heat was applied to the base area around the bolt, and a quick zap with an extraxtor and an impact brought the remainder right out. All bolts on the siren were spreayed repeatedly with kano Kroil penetrant over the last year. I highly recommend this stuff, it is a little pricey but it blows PB blaster and WD40 out of the water.

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Already looking pretty good so far! What color do you plan on painting it? The original red I assume or the CD yellow that is present on the siren?

[HDN]

Thanks for sharing your progress! That bolt in the last pic looks pretty gnarly!

For heating up frozen fasteners, a tool I'd like to get is an electric induction coil that wraps around a nut or bolt hex. I read about it in a Hagerty news article. It would beat burning up everything else around the fastener with a torch!