Dreaming In Miniature

The "Coyotee", Jim's first original miniature engine

By Liv Stecker

"Lil' Red", a single cylinder miniature

It’s no small feat to build an engine. Ask the motor buffs and hobbyists worldwide who construct running engines in their backyards and garages and maybe even a living room here or there (you know who you are…). Watching a myriad of complex parts and pieces come together, and then troubleshooting all of the functioning aspects until it’s smooth and operational can be a full time job for many years. Now scale that project down to 1/9^th of its actual size, and see how it goes. That’s exactly what Jim Moyer has been doing since 1964, when he began building his first miniature engine. It took 25 years to complete the project, and another 5 to get it running, but that was a challenge that Jim had been looking for since he was a young boy. The “Coyotee” engine won first place at the Pacific Rim International Model Exposition for internal combustion engines, and has been paced at up to 11,000 revolutions per minute. That’s a lot of power for an engine that’s smaller than your average loaf of bread. Jim says that the Coyotee is modeled after many auto-type engines, but will probably never run in an actual vehicle, unlike the Challenger V-8 engine that Jim rebuilt for a 1/3 scale remote controlled model of a T Bucket Roadster.

custom fabricated spark plug, with a dime for scale

It all started in 1964 when Jim was in the army. Fashioning a make shift lathe out of an old ¼ inch drill motor fastened to the window sill of his army barracks, he spun a beautiful little stainless steel crank shaft in spite of the complaints of his bunk mates. After touring in Vietnam and finishing his time in the armed forces, Jim was able to devote more time to his life long passion once he was discharged and began the civilian world. Jim says that he has always imagined things in miniature, from model airplanes as a young boy to remote control cars later in life. Mechanically inclined, he found an outlet for his attention to detail and his ingenuity in building these tiny engines.

Chevy V-8 327 CU, 1/6th scale

Even after doing some research into Jim’s work through his website, MoyerMade.com, and looking into the international hobby of miniature engine crafting, I was still unprepared for the size of the engines on display in Jim’s shop. His single cylinder Lil’ Red engine is small enough to hold in the palm of your hand while it whirrs away, running on an eyedropper full of gas over a period of hours. With a custom fabricated radiator, the tiny water cooled engine, like all of Jim’s engines, runs on regular gasoline and is lubricated by standard issue 5W synthetic oil.

Jim’s projects include the Challenger V-8, alongside the Coyotee, a 1/6^th scale of a Chevy V-8 327CU engine, and Lil’ Red. Lil’ Red was a concept engine that Jim began work on when he ran into some roadblocks with the Coyotee, and finding success within a year on the simpler engine gave Jim the reassurance he needed to keep chasing victory with the more complex project.

Ford Flathead V-860

Jim has lived outside of Kettle Falls with his wife Bonnie for 24 years. They travel to conventions and shows with the miniature engines, where audiences are captivated by the reality of miniaturized horsepower. In August of 2013 they attended the Good Guys West Coast National Convention in Pleasanton, California, where Jim’s engines stole the show. Jim said the little Chevy engine nearly burned out from running so much as thousands of people came through the show wanting to hear the impossibly small engine rev up. Jim’s Chevy V-8 project has taken him over seven years and more than 5,000 man-hours to complete, that, coupled with the cost of creating every part would make the selling price of these collectibles outrageous. Most of Jim’s engines require specialized fabrication of every tiny piece, down to the minute spark plugs, since manufacturers don’t see a high demand for parts at 1/6^th the traditional operating size. The next project for Jim is a ¼ scale Ford Flathead V-860, an engine only made from 1937-40. An online company called replicaengines.com crafted several of these mini Ford engines but so far, none of them have actually run. Jim is using some of the parts from the Replica Engines project and has set out to make a running version. Lil’ Red and the Coyotee are both original designs, but Jim’s more recent undertakings are modeled after classic hotrod engines, which hearkens to another passion Jim has. His “baby” is a 1929 Ford Roadster pickup, which he had up and running last summer and continues to fine tune when he needs a break from the tiny details of his miniatures.

Always eager to talk about his collection, Jim welcomes calls and visits to his website, he will continue to show his engines at expos in the northwest, and to our best knowledge, he holds the record for the smallest running Chevy engine in the world. For our little corner of the world, he’s a one of a kind artist.