1973 Corvette custom chop top. Frame off rotiserrie build.

1978 Arctic Cat Jag 340

1973 Arctic Cat El Tigre 400

1976 Arctic Cat Pantera

Sno-Cruiser

I picked up this 1970's CAREFREE Sno-Cruiser made by an obscure company some time ago for the princely sum of $50. I have since completely disassembled it, stripped it, straightened, braced, welded and painted the chassis, sanded and repaired the body, and painted the underside of the body, and made a new windshield from scratch. I haven't had a warm enough day to paint the topside of the body so it still looks like hell and haven't pulled all of the protective paper off the windsheild but took pictures today because the snow is going to be gone soon....

Yes, I did this in my infinite spare time. I have three full-time jobs:
Daddy, Engineer, and Ancient House full-time repairman. I am the mouse eating the elephant, one bite at a time. I just never stop trying and do things 15 minutes at a time if I have to....
It tows great so lots of fun sleigh rides to come in the years ahead.... It is shown being towed by my awesome 1970 Arctic Cat Panther with its equally awesome JLO 340cc single...

It will get finish painted, decaled, and detailed as soon as possible. Then lots of fun rides for Sammie and the children of everyone I know. They don't call me Mister Fun for nothing!

Cheers!
Sam

Burton Frontier 185 "customized by Oakes"

This is my Preshussssssss snowboard. It was a plain-Jane Burton 185 Frontier, only special in the fact that is is the largest production uni-directional board ever made by Burton when I got it. I added the Gollum graphics and the best automotive clearcoat with flex adder that money can buy ($200 a QUART). I love this board, it's as big as a surfboard and rides like a Cadillac and is never choppy or pitchy in any way. You find out how brave you are on this big boy as you can go straight down the mountain on this one! I'm the only idiot in the world who would ride this monster on hardpack and man-made!!

Burton Custom 164

This is my sweet 1997 vintage Burton Custom 164. Love the graphics!~ Sorry the pictures are all sideways..... I am eeeediot.

Kitty Kat

This is not my toy, it is my daughter Samantha's toy. It is a 1978 Arctic Cat Kitty Cat snowmobile. It is powered by a 60cc Kawasaki single-cylinder two-stroke engine that produces around 5 horsepower. This machine is really tiny, it is hard to tell from the pictures. It is sized for 3-7 year olds of average size. It has a governor so you can limit the speed based on the ability of the rider. This one runs very well and is in good shape. I will be restoring it to perfect condition over the next couple of years for her first ride.

Cheers!
Sam

Sparky

Sparky is a 1962 Lincoln SA-200-F "Pipeliner" portable DC welder. It is powered by a Continental F-162 four-cylinder water-cooled in-line flathead gasoline engine producing around 35 horsepower. The machine puts out 200 amps of pure DC power at 60 volts or 12,000 watts of power. It also has a 110 volt DC outlet for running AC/DC "universal" power tools. Virtually the same machine has been made for almost 60 years and the older ones are considered to be the best machines ever made for welding. A new one costs $11,000!!! The machine weighs right around 1,000 pounds so I am searching for a trailer for it right now.

I bought this locally this Saturday for $550! There is $1,000 worth of copper in this machine! It starts, runs, and welds like brand new. It needs NOTHING! SWEET!

Cheers!

Sam

Too many?

A good friend teased me today about having "too many" machines/toys. Is that possible? My Dad had a T-shirt when I was a kid that had printed on it "The one who dies with the most toys wins". Well Dad, I'm winning...

Playing with old machines keeps me out of the bars and from chasing women and thus is encouraged by my lovely wife. A man without hobbies or interests is sure to cheat. For almost 19 years (almost 16 of them married) I have been 100% faithful to my wife. She knows when my head turns it's not to look at another female but some rusty old machine and she is the most secure woman on earth. I personally think that is worth a lot.

I enjoy tinkering with machines and always have. I can remember working on cars with my Dad when I was 5 years old. I would sit on a milkcrate and clean brake parts in a bucket of gasoline while he did the rest. Maybe that is where my brain got messed up? I tell people that if I am cut, I don't bleed blood, but 10 weight motor oil. With only a few exceptions, I've never met a machine that I didn't like. I've met lots of people that I don't like.

I come from a long line of gearheads. Legend says that Oakes Garage was the first automotive garage in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine and that my great grandmother was the first licensed female driver in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine.

I will be selling off a whole bunch of my machines in the next few months to raise money for the hanger. 'Ol Blue being the most visible, but at least a dozen chainsaws, my lawn tractor, two push mowers, an old snowblower, and possibly my most prized toy (my hotrod, Zoom-Zoom) will go too. Machines are assets that I liquidate when I need money but I buy replacements when I have money. I parted with two beloved antique motorcycles to start building Little Bird. I parted with another beloved motorcycle and my famous big F-250 to buy the Big Bird and I parted with another motorcycle and about 30 antique saws to help ease the pain of buying the old house at the airport.

But I will never stop tinkering with machines and wanting one of everything. Eventually I get bored with them and sell them and buy a different machine but there will never be a day when I am not "hankering" for some type of machine. And I don't think that is a bad thing.

I have my eye on an old Cat D7 dozer that is the size of my barn right now.....

Cheers!

Sam

Dora

This is a 1/32 scale model of a future homebuilt airplane which will be called Dora. It is a Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 Interceptor, arguably the greatest German fighter plane of WWII. The original was powered by a 1,776 horsepower Junkers Jumo 213A-1 V-12 (12-cylinder) watercooled four-stroke engine turning a massive 3-bladed aluminum constant speed propeller. Wingspan of the original was 34.5 feet, and it weighed a whopping 6,650 pounds dead empty! Maximum level speed was 408 mph and had a service ceiling of 33,790 feet. Designed by Dipl-Ing Kurt Tank the early versions were radial-engine powered but the later models had in-line engines and long noses and the military designation for these new models was "Dora", hence the name.

I've had a boner for this airplane all my life. This is the third or fourth model I have had. I think it is beautiful in every way. It is both handsome and sinister, both graceful and muscular. It's one gorgeous bad-ass machine.

The replica will not likely be built anytime soon. I have one other homebuilt to build with Don Mei once he decides what he wants to build. Then I will be looking for a Pitts biplane to restore so it could be a long time....

The replica would be very nearly full-scale and powered by a twin-turbocharged 502 cubic inch Chevrolet V-8 (water-cooled four-stroke) with a Gershweinder PSRU turning a modified DC-3 propeller. I will trim it down some to maximize the performance on the 750 or so horsepower that I will have up front. My goal for empty weight will be under 3,000 pounds and with any luck under 2,500 pounds. Performance at this weight and power should equal or exceed the original in every category though I would expect a top speed of "only" about 330 mph (it's very hard to make up for 1,000 lost horsepower). I will have the next few years to collect parts and pieces on the cheap that I will need for the replica. I am hoping to find a pair of wings and some landing gear that I can "assimilate" into the replica to save some time. I will also be on the lookout for an aluminum big block for cheap and a pair of big turbo-chargers and lots of other bits and pieces. Maybe I will get lucky and find a PSRU (Propeller Speed Reduction Unit) for cheap too off of some wreck (what happened to that S-51 that crashed in the Texas desert Joe?). I will need truckloads of crap so I will be combing the airplane boneyards and swap-meets for the many pieces I will need. It is great to not be in a hurry, that's how you find the real bargains. If I cant find a fuselage that I can "bash" into the right shape, I will build a tubular steel superstructure and "mold" the shell using moldless composite techniques (that I will have to learn, lol, I need Jim Ouellette, Mr. Wizard of composite structures!).

Cheers!

Sam

Popper

Popper is a 1938 Neptune 1-1/2 horsepower outboard motor. Then engine is a watercooled two-stroke It is made out of brass and aluminum and so beautifully made it is like a work of art. I need to find some time to polish it all up but if you look on the web there are several places that sell these old "skeletal" outboards all polished up for THOUSANDS of dollars.

I bought Popper at a tag sale for $20. No missing parts, great compression and spark, in excellent un-restored condition. I invested $5 to make it run.

The name Popper refers to the sound that this tiny engine makes when it runs. It goes Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop......

(picture soon)

Cheers!

Sam

The Alien

update, September 2006: Photo added, but sadly machine has been sold. It went very cheaply and I regret selling it.

The Alien is a 1946 David Bradley two-wheeled tractor with the sickle-bar mowing attachment. It is powered by a Briggs & Stratton 1.5 horsepower Model 5 s single-cylinder four-stroke engine. It has ONE forward speed (slow) and NO REVERSE.

This tractor is capable of driving a dizzying list of attachments including plows, a snowblower, a rake, and many other things. It was designed to be a "homeowner" tractor or a "garden" tractor and was inexpensive enough for the average person to purchase it.

This was a rusty pile of parts when I got it, for FREE. It hadn't run in decades. I have a picture of one that looks much better than mine did that I will post for reference.

Cheers!

Sam

Cubby

Cubby is a 1975 International Cub Lo-Boy tractor with a 60 inch Woods mowing deck. Cubby it powered by the sweetest running 60 cubic-inch water-cooled flat-head in-line four cylinder engine you've ever heard run. The engine is rated for 15 horsepower at the drawbar wich would equate to about 20 at the crankshaft. These are big horses though, and tractors were rated differently in the old days. Don't think your 20 horsepower Crapsman lawn tractor could ever measure up! It has three forward speeds and one reverse. Believe it or not, this tractor weighs 2,200 pounds!

As you can see, it needs a lot of love. The basic machine is solid and mechanically decent, but it needs paint and a few parts. I have located and/or purchased most of the parts that I need and I will get Cubby looking like the brochure picture at the top in time.

I bought this bad boy on eBay, very cheap. I had to go all the way to New Jersey to get it (thanks for going with me Dad). It is worth a small fortune restored and I feel lucky to have gotten it so cheaply.

(the name is pretty obvious.... I hope)

Cheers!

Sam

Big Daddy

update 8-10-2006: sold on eBay for $500. I paid $200 for it, and used it many times!

Big Daddy is an early 1990's Stihl 076 chainsaw with a 36" bar and .404 (professional) chain. It is powered by a 111cc air-cooled two-stroke engine that makes a whopping EIGHT horsepower. This is not a saw for the timid. It has so much power it is almost scary and runs like brand new.

I bought this saw very cheap from a guy who was a moron. I run into a lot of morons....

(the name refers to this saw being sooo big. Duh, lol)

Pushy Galore

*update, 04-16-06, picture posted. note: Canopy top is made of wood, from the factory and needs a total rebuild. Tractor is running in the photo, note open rain cap.

Pushy Galore is a 1956 Caterpillar D4 tractor with a dozer blade. It is powered by a 501 cubic inch four-cylinder Caterpillar D4 (hence the name) diesel engine rated at only 52 horsepower. It should be noted that though the horsepower is low, it produces 421 foot-pounds of torque at only 1,000 RPMs! Wow! It has three forward speeds and one reverse. It weighs about 10,000 pounds and is rated to pull 33,000 pounds. WOW!

It actually has two engines, along with the big diesel is a small gasoline powered engine that starts the big diesel. This engine is called a "starting engine" by Caterpillar, but in the industry it is known as a "pony motor". This engine is a small flathead opposed twin four stroke engine that is noisy and can be quite cranky. You start the pony with either the electric starter or a rope (for real men) and then the diesel. Starting old Pushy is quite an adventure!

The term "bulldozer" only applies to this machine when the dozer blade installed. This machine can also pull plows and do the work of any rubber-tired tractor, though it tears up the turf something awful while turning so I wouldn't mow the lawn with it.

There is no stopping the old Cat. Put the blade down, pull the flywheel clutch lever, and the earth moves. I pushed a rock as big as the machine on Sunday, and it pushed it like it was made of styrofoam. It weighed about 12,000 pounds....

I actually co-own Pushy. The Infallible Frenchman Jim Ouelette and I are partners in the machine. Poor Jim had no idea that I really just wanted to have a 50 year-old bulldozer to play with and that it didn't matter to me if it was really useful! But seriously, I need it to sculpt the property - especially the airplane ramp area. No worries Jim, one day you will look at me and say "I sure am glad we bought that magnificent old hunk of iron."

You would all be shocked at how cheaply we were able to pick this gorgeous old beast up. Most people spend more money on their lawn tractor. It needed and still does need some love, but is in working order now that the pony motor is operational. Next we fix the brakes....

(the name is a play on a female character in a James Bond flick combined with the one thing that the old Cat does best as it is configured- push)

from the movie: Bond - "What's your name?"
Hot chick - "My name is Pussy Galore."
Bond - "I must be dreaming."

Panter

The Panter is a 1970 Arctic Cat Panther snowmobile. It is powered by a very rare 340cc JLO two-stroke air-cooled single cylinder engine. Just like the Chee-toe, it has a an infinitely-variable transmission, also called a Continuously Variable Transmission or CVT. That means instead of having a five-speed transmission, it has a billion-speed transmission. In spite of being a small-displacement single cylinder machine, it goes along quite nicely and can probably top 30mph but it has no speedometer (I'll have to tape my GPS to the bars). It is a joy to ride and very friendly unlike the explosive Chee-toe.

I got the Panter for FREE. It had not run in TWENTY years. I had it running in an hour. It is all original and in near mint-showroom condition. It has no odometer, but I would guess it has under 200 miles on it since new. It is 36 years old!!!

(the name is a word play on Panther. Since it is a small single, it does work pretty hard to haul itself and a human around. It works so hard you can almost hear it panting...)

Cheers!

Sam

Zeke

I picked up Zeke very recently. I found Zeke in the Home Depot parking lot with the price written in white shoe polish on the windshield. I called the dude who owned it, and made the entire deal including delivery in about an hour. I was on my lunch hour from work!!!

Zeke is a 1987 Chevy C30 conversion by American Cargo. They built the rack body and the thing is built like a battleship. It is powered by the venerable 350 V-8 and has fuel injection and the "bulletproof" turbo 400 transmission. I runs and drives fairly well but just like any old machine it has a few "issues" that I need to attend to. Nothing that keeps it out of service, but things that will need fixing.

Zeke will be the replacement for 'Ol Blue. Not that 'Ol Blue could ever be replaced, but Zeke has modern tires and brakes and HEAT and can carry a sh*tload of cargo in that big box on the back. I will eventually make it into a dumper which will be very useful!

I paid $1,000 for the truck as you see it. It is very solid, has 101,000 miles, and has a 10,000 pound GVWR. I feel like I stole it!

Sorry about the crappy cell phone pic. One of these days I will take a real picture, though Zeke is not something I would normally photograph.... lol.

(the name of Zeke comes from the man I purchased the truck from. His real name was Dave, but to me he was more of a Zeke. He is a filthty, smelly, chain-smoking short fat sawed-off little man who looks like he has been dragged for miles behind a manure wagon. The inside of the truck smelled so bad that I left it wide open for nearly a week to air out. You might say that the inside of the truck smelled like a mixture of ass, mustard gas, and rotting flesh.)


Cheers!

Sam

P.A.K.

Introducing my P.A.K. or Portable Adventure Kit. It consists of several items that I can easily transport in my airplane for land and aquatic adventures. It consists of these items:

The A.I.K. or Air Inflatable Kayak is just that, a kayak that you blow up with air. I picked this up very cheap (I think it was $50) at a going out of business sale. It weighs about 20 pounds and can be rolled and folded into about a 16" cube.

The B.U.T. is a Bicycle Utility Trailer. This is used to carry all of my gear around (did you think Sam was going to carry it all???). I built and designed my B.U.T. from scratch. It is made of PVC pipe and other lightweight materials. It is ultralight (8 pounds) for easy towing and for air travel in Big Bird. It has a large plastic tote that I can load the A.I.K. and all of the other gear in. Total cost, about $20.

The P.F.B. or Portable Folding Bicycle tows the trailer and all the gear and gives me reasonably comfortale and speedy transportation. This tiny folding bicycle is small and super lightweight at 18 pounds. It has three speeds and will fold down to about 18"x18"x10" thick. It is actually made by Z-bike but has been modified by Oakes-bike. I bought it on eBay for $50. They cost $200 everywhere else.

The B.P.U. is a homemade Bicycle Power Unit. The B.P.U. is a homemade gasoline power unit consisting of a weedwhacker engine and a drive wheel that bolts onto the P.F.B. providing power assist. It can propel the empty P.F.B. to the dizzying speed of 20mph on level ground with no pedaling! Believe me, on those tiny tires 20mph feels like at least 80mph. I got the weedwhacker at the dump, free, and the rest of it was made from junk too. Total cost, about $10.

The K.P.U. or Kayak Power Unit is currently in development. It will consist of dual trolling motors and a battery to help propel the A.I.K. so I have to paddle less. This will enable me to cover a lot more ground and not get all tired out. Remember, I have to fly home at the end of the day... Total investment goal for this feature is under $70. I will let you know how I do.

I hope to have pictures of all of this soon. Right now, you just get a picture of the A.I.K. This project was begun right before I found Castle Oakes and then had a baby so it has been on hold. But just like anything else, what I start, I finish, so one day I will go off adventuring with my P.A.K.

(if anyone out there really thinks my B.U.T. is nice, I might let you touch it if you buy me dinner...)

Cheers!

Sam

Chee-toe

The Chee-toe is a 1977 Arctic Cat Cheetah snowmobile. It is powered by a 500cc two-stroke parallel twin engine made by Suzuki, also called the "Spirit" engine. The engine makes around 50 horsepower and is very, very strong! Like all snowmobiles, the Chee-toe has an infinitely-variable transmission, also called a Continuously Variable Transmission or CVT. That means instead of having a five-speed transmission, it has a billion-speed transmission. It weighs just under 400 pounds, so it is a rocket. It will go at least 75 mph....

When on security patrol at the airport, the Chee-toe wears the same signs as Captain America. I can't wait to chase some punk-ass kids with this thing....

I got it for FREE. It had not run in over 10 years; I had it running in under two hours. It runs great now and starts in three pulls or less. Bring on the snow!

(the name is simply a play on the real name of Cheetah. To me, it is more fun to tell people I was out riding the Chee-toe than the Chee-tah. If you don't have fun with life, you might as well go jump off a bridge because without fun life totally sucks ass.)

Cheers!

Sam

Mary Ann

Mary Ann is a 1982 Case 880 excavator. It is powered by a 115 Horsepower turbocharged in-line four-cylinder diesel engine made by Case. It weighs 33,000 pounds and is in very good shape for its age. My friend Jim Ouellette and I bought this beast late in 2004 and we have a 50/50 partnership. We bought it so we can both do our sitework. We bought it cheap so it needs a little love but we figure we can sell it for a lot more than we paid for it AND get our sitework done for "free".

(the name Mary Ann comes from the children's book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. In the book, the name of his Steam Shovel is Mary Ann. It is a wonderful book as I am sure all of the moms out there know.)

Cheers!

Sam

Mr. Massey

update photo added 12/2007. Bodywork stripped, straightened, and primed. Seat restored. Top of chassis primed and painted. Long, long way to go....

Mr. Massey is a 1958 Massey Ferguson TO35 Deluxe tractor. It is powered by a 134 cubic inch Continental in-line four cylinder gasoline engine, and has a 6 forward and two reverse speed manual gearbox (of course!!) . It has live hydraulics and a live PTO. It weighs 3,000 pounds dead empty! It is rated for 35 horsepower, but those are really big horses, like Clydesdales.

This tractor was given to me by the Duke of N41, Ken Kilcourse. FREE. It had only 826 hours since new on it when I drove it home. Cosmetically the tractor was horrible when I got it as you can see, but mechanically it wasn't bad and runs great after a tune-up and carburetor rebuild at the Oakes Garage. I have been working on it and using it since October of 2004 and I have the body pretty well cleaned up now and ready for paint. I will post a new picture soon.

On the back of the tractor is the free mower that came with the tractor. It is a 5 foot "bush hog" type of mower meant for mowing bushes and brush, and not really for grass. It needs more work than the tractor does!

(the name might seem obvious, but there is more. My highschool shop teacher was Mr. Massey and he was an odd sort of funny little man who I have never forgotten.)

Cheers!

Sam

Lucky

Lucky is a 2005 Honda Civic "Value Package" Coupe. That just means it's the "stripper" model with only A/C as an option. It has a 1.5 liter 125 Horsepower in-line four engine and a 5 speed manual gearbox. It is a wonderful machine, peppy, sporty, and economical (30-40mpg). Plus its a Honda, so it will last a long time and always be worth money.

Three words of advice for anyone buying a car: BUY A HONDA. You will never regret it.

(the name "Lucky" comes from the fact that my whole life changed within a week of buying it. nothing was going right, then suddenly everything went right. I have had good luck ever since the day I met Lucky. Wouldn't you name it Lucky too??)

Cheers!

Sam

'Ol Blue

sad update, 10-20-2006. 'Ol Blue is gone. Sold for peanuts to a jerk through eBay. I will never forgive myself..... top photo is from the auction listing.

When I first saw this truck I simply “had to have it”. It was so big, old, odd, and cool I just couldn’t believe it. I had every intention of restoring it and begun by replacing the taillight and parking lenses with NOS items (try to find them!). I did a little bit of rust touch-up (paint, to slow the rust) and some light mechanical work but have been driving the truck regularly for years. I realize now that I will never have the time to restore this woderful old machine. I will be selling it very soon. If I don’t get a decent price, I will keep it. It is more important that it go to a good home than I get lots of money for it though…

'Ol Blue is a 1961 Ford F350 pickup truck. It is completely stock and unmolested and remarkably solid. It has 57,000 ORIGINAL miles which is why it still exists. I am POSITIVE the mileage is correct. It helps that it sat in a barn for 25 years prior to my ownership and had only 51,000 miles on the clock when I drove it home. I bought it from the grandson of the original owner, as it was passed from generation to generation as the old men died. I have the paperwork including the original warranty card signed by the original owner and a 1970 Connecticut title from when the truck came to Connecticut from New York state.

The truck has the original 292 cu in V-8, the old Y-block truck engine. It is VERY strong. It has never been rebuilt or had any major work done to it. It has the original oil-bath air cleaner! Oil has been changed religiously as has the coolant. It makes power like a diesel, max horsepower and torque below 2,200 RPM. Redline is something like 2,700 RPM but there is no sense revving it since there is no power up there! The engine is coupled to a super heavy-duty 4 speed manual trans with that famous granny low gear (top speed in first is about 3-4 MPH). At the rear is the original, massive and extremely rare Timken full-floating rear axel with I believe a 5.13 ratio. This aint no speed demon! It will go 65 pretty comfortably on the highway thanks to those tall, tall tires, but that’s about it!

This truck has HUGE drum brakes. They look like they belong on a dump truck. The pedal is high and firm, but no power assist so they are true Legstrong Brakes. The brakes themselves work super, but you will lock the rears up and make lots of smoke and noise if you hit ‘em hard even on dry pavement. Those old bias ply tires are awful for braking and traction, and if you drive this truck in the rain you truly take your life in your hands as unless you have at least 1,000 pounds in the bed you cannot stop! No such thing as antilock brakes in 1961…

This truck has a 9,800 pound gross vehicle weight rating with 8-ply tires. When empty it rides like an empty dump truck on 4-ply tires, so I can imagine it on 8-ply! I don’t think you could stay in the seat at all! It has massive leaf springs in the rear and I have had 3,000 pounds in the bed and it still sits nice and high and drives wonderfully when weighted (Cadillac!!). Put 1,000 pounds in the bed, and the truck sits down less than 1/8”. Its quite amazing….

It runs and drives wonderfully. It is a HOOT to drive! If it had better tires, I would jump in it and drive to California tomorrow and have no worries. The engine starts right up and the only complaint is it can be a little cold blooded and could use an accelerator pump adjustment to cure an off-idle flatspot. The manual choke works beautifully, and it will start right up in very cold weather. The clutch is strong and smooth, and the transmission shifts properly and frankly incredibly well for such an old and heavy-duty unit. The throws are about 18” so it helps to have long arms!

Steering is remarkably light considering there is no power assist and those huge tires out there. It helps to have a 20” steering wheel and it is about 10 turns lock-to-lock so you have a big mechanical advantage. Still, if you aren’t moving you had better have had your Wheaties because it isn’t Armstrong Steering for nothing! The tires are 17” x 7” Goodyear tube-type bias ply and two are weather checked very badly, two are decent. I have two or three more un-mounted that go with the truck but they are just as old. Honestly, the older ones are not at all safe for the road because of the severe cracking but I have (stupidly) driven on them for years and years and miles and miles. They have probably 5K miles on them but age has killed them.

Someone out there is going to claim that the bed is the wrong one so I will stop it right here. In 1961 Ford re-tooled the light-duty trucks to the famous Uni-body design. The heavy-duty models could not be this way or they would break in half, so from 1961-1963 all heavy-duty trucks had bed sheet metal from the 1960 trucks. SO, the bed-lines don’t match the cab-lines and that is the way it is SUPPOSED to be. This truck has the high-option NINE foot fleetside bed which is INCREDIBILY rare.

The body is straight and solid in most areas. It was repainted long ago by an amateur but it was painted the original color! It has ZERO gloss and a few small runs and in general the paint looks like doo-doo. The bed has some rust up in the front corners. The rest of the bed floor is wavy since this truck has been “hauling the mail” all its life. The frame is solid but there is some rust in the lower body and floor areas have been patched. Body mounts are holding, but will need attention as will a lot of the “under” areas of the truck. Passenger door closes easily, drivers door sticks a bit. Under the seat cover is the ORIGINAL vinyl but it is in terrible shape. The seat is definitely rebuildable though. The original radio in the dash turns on, but plays no music. Everything else works, heater, wipers, lights, horn (very cool sound). Only the cigarette lighter doesn’t work. It also has the original manual-pump-on-the-floor windshield washer and bladder style reservoir! How neat!! I have never tried it so I don’t know if it works. Factory chrome grille and front bumper are good but need re-chrome, and rear bumper is fairly straight but has been painted white.

This is a WONDERFUL old machine, in need of a loving owner (like me) who has time to restore it (unlike me). A new house and a new baby on the way mean I wont have time for restoration for years and that is not acceptable to me. I just can’t bear to see this lovely old machine wasting away in my driveway (getting choked up now). 'Ol Blue will be passed to a new owner this spring.

(nickname of this is obvious. It is Old, and it is Blue.)

Cheers!

Sam

Big Bird

Big Bird is a 1952 Cessna 170B. It is powered by a Continental O-300A six-cylinder air cooled opposed engine that makes 145 horsepower. It has a 38 foot wingspan and weighs around 1325 pounds empty. Maximum gross takeoff weight is 2,200 pounds, so it has a decent useful load. It can seat 4 people, but I usually fly it without the backseat to save weight and to have more cargo room. You can really load this old airplane with crap if you only have two people in it.

I bought it in October of 2002. I flew out to Chicago on American Airlines and flew home on Oakes Airlines. Over 1,000 miles, the longest distance I have flown an airplane in my "tenure" as a pilot. I had my friend Joe Gauthier (I call him Joeda) with me to keep this low-time pilot from getting lost or bending the airplane.

It needed some work when I first got it so I spent 300-400 hours fixing what was wrong in an unheated hanger during the coldest winter on record! There were days when I worked 12 hours in a hanger that never got warmer than 18°F.

I followed that by hand-polishing the entire airplane. I would equate that to polishing 4-5 average automobiles! Keep in mind that you have to clean and polish the underside of an aircraft too! The wing is HUGE!!! I also stripped and polished the propeller. It is gorgeous!!!

It is a wonderful airplane. It will cruise at 120 mph burning 7.3 gph of 100LL aviation gas-o-line. Solo short field takeoff over a 50 foot obstacle is under 700 feet with just my skinny ass aboard which is pretty amazing considering the power to weight ratio and the fact that it is a four-seater (wide body). It is wonderfully docile in the air and an absolute tiger on the ground so it requires a skilled pilot from 50 feet above the ground on down and any time it is on the ground. In the air, anyone could fly it.

I have done all of the maintenance on it with the oversight of my friend Joe (Joeda) Gauthier, Ace Repairman and Pilot. Without Joe's help, I could not afford to own* this wonderful old machine! I consider myself to be very lucky to own and fly such a wonderful antique.

* Julie is the 50% owner. Without her financial backing, owning this machine would not be possible.

(the origin of the name should be obvious. This is one Big Bird - in the eyes of a light aircraft pilot)

Cheers!

Sam

Little Bird

Little Bird could easily have a blog all its own! I built Little Bird from scratch in my basement. It took five and a half years and 2,550 hours to build it. I made everything but the instruments, engine, propeller, and wheels from tubing, sheet metal, rivets, bolts, etc. I have over 500 photos of the construction but I will not attempt to put them here.

The plane is a 3/4 scale replica of a 1918 Fokker D-VIII fighter from WWI. Those are WWI German (NOT nazi to be clear for the morons out there) markings on the plane, it seems obvious to me but it seems most people have no idea. The plane is powered by a 60 horsepower flat twin air and oil cooled engine made by HKS of Japan. It swings a 72" mahoghany propeller, which was custom-made in Oregon and weighs just under 4 pounds! Little Bird will get off the ground in 100 feet, and climb like the Space Shuttle. Unfortunately, when the power is pulled back it sinks like the Space Shuttle (can you say b-r-i-c-k). It is very, very challenging to fly to say the least. It's not my fault, it's the fault of the design.

Little Bird is disassembled now and waiting for the hanger to be built at my house. I can't wait to put it all back together again!

(the origin of the name should be self-explanatory. It wasn't called Little Bird until Big Bird flew home)

Cheers!

Sam

Intro

I have started this blog to show my friends all of the great toys that I have. As you will see, I love machines. I believe that I am a machine, but that's another story!

I name most of my machines as you will see. I prefer the company of machines to most human beings 99% of the time. Machines never lie to you, never cheat on you, never hurt you on purpose, never criticize you, and they always give you everything they've got without complaining. Every machine has its own "personailty" and I enjoy the sound that just about any engine makes when it is running. From the old 501 cubic inch diesel in Pushy Galore to the tiny 60 cubic inch gasoline flathead four in Cubby, it makes me happy to hear them sing!

It used to give me great joy to start about 10 of my chainsaws (I have owned as many as 100 at one time) all at once and hear the symphony in my yard. No wonder the neighbors hated me...

I write all of my blog posts at night on "baby duty". I write them all in under 15 minutes and I do not proof-read or spell check much. So please don't think that I am retarded if there are errors in spelling or grammar. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an excellent speller and writer and I am arguably better at both than I am at anything else. Errors are not due to ignorance, but a lack of time.

Cheers!

Sam