UNC207

I got into diesel engines in the 60s because their efficiency fascinated me. Clessie Cummins had the closest idea to "regenerative braking" in that period without energy recapture & storage. His engine brake released pressure at the top of the compression stroke by instantly raising the exhaust valve, making the popping noise like an air compressor. But unfortunately, his woke kids running the Cummins Engine Company thought the idea was worthless. So Clessie teamed up with Jacobs Chuck Company, creating the lucrative Jacobs Brake patent.

I deal mostly with diesels as a mechanic and contractor since the 1960's. My dad had an open 4-wheel race car in the 1920s and spent most of his 82 years working on cars and motors, starting with a speed shop in Los Angeles. He was supportive of synthetic motor oils in the 1960's, along with other big-name racers, while the big oil companies did their best to get synthetic oils off the market. I met many of the big names in the hot rod industry, but I was too young to appreciate who I was talking to.