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)