[jasonking7674]

Ihave what I was told to be a 1942 western auto wizard I want to learn more about it but no one seems to know much about it

[cdad]

Is this an engine? Made by western auto and branded wizard ?

Mercury Marine: Information from Answers.com




A blessing came in May 1942, when Kiekhaefer Corporation received a desperately needed order for 3,300 chainsaw engines. In 1943 Kiekhaefer Corporation shipped more than 10,000 engines to the military, in a total of six different configurations. That October, the company was recognized with the Army-Navy "E" Award for excellence in defense production. Military contracts totaled $4 million in 1944 and $5 million in 1945. In addition to chainsaws, the company produced engines for water pumps, generators, compressors, and target aircraft.


As the war neared its end, Kiekhaefer received an order for 15,000 outboard motors from Western Auto, to be labeled under the "Wizard" brand name. When government restrictions on the use of aluminum ceased, Western Auto upped its order to 33,000 engines. These were needed no later than January 1946. However, Kiekhaefer Corporation was still engaged in defense production and was in dire need of more production space.