Smoke Rings

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GLENN BURROUGHS, 75 Hunting Lane, Goode, Virginia 24556 writes:
‘I have a problem in restoring my 2 HP Economy engine and need
some advice from your readers. The cylinder on my Economy is badly
pitted and needs to be rebored. In order to get rid of the pits the
cylinder would have to be bored .10 inches oversize. My problem is
what to do about the piston. I haven’t seen any ads in
GEM for pistons that are oversized. How do your
readers solve this problem? (By writing to us like you are and we
put it in the Column perhaps someone will be able to help.) The
standard size piston is 3 by 4′ and somehow I need to increase
its diameter by about 1/10′. Thanks for any help. All letters
will be answered.’

‘Just a few lines to say I really enjoy GEM
and have every copy, except the one I loaned to a fellow to read
and his house was caught in the big flood of Rapid City, South
Dakota. Keep up the good work,’ says HARRY BONNEMA, RFD4, Box
226, LeMars, Iowa 51031. 712-546-7489.

‘We have some things we would like to ask the readers.
First, I am restoring a David Bradley (Sears) garden tractor. What
was the color green on the wheels? I had written one fellow whose
picture was in the GEM, but got no answer. I wrote
Sears and all I got was the red color they had, but I need to know
the green color.

‘Second, we are restoring a Plymouth tractor, on steel The
Fate Root Heath Company, Plymouth, Ohio B166 Pat D91855, Model 1XA,
3×4, Engine 403477. We would like to know the year built, how many
etc. What color is the main frame, looks like silver color. Were
the wheels any different color? Was there any trim on the cast iron
radiator grill? I go to many steam shows but have never seen one as
yet. All information would help.’ (According to Wendel’s
‘Encyclopedia of American Tractors’, F-R-H brought out the
Plymouth 10-20 in 1933 with a Hercules 1xA 4’cylinder, 3×4
motor. By 1935 the Plymouth was renamed ‘Silver King’, so
your tractor probably was made between 1933 and 1935. Hopefully,
another reader can provide more details. ed.)

‘Thanks to you and GEM readers, I received
several letters about my PFAU air compressor and now it is working
fine,’ writes LOU SHAFER, 7125 Clinton Hwy., Knoxville,
Tennessee 37921. 615-947-6465.

He continues: ‘I am having a problem with an engine and I
need help. It is a Fairbanks Morse Style C, self-oiling, 7 HP at
600 RPM, 8 HP at 700 RPM. It has a date cast on the block of
6-7-48.

‘My problem is keeping it running without holding my fingers
over the air intake at the carburetor, which has a 1′ close
nipple at the intake and I don’t know what goes onto the
nipple? I have written the factory and everyone I know and cannot
find a book or manual on the engine. I would appreciate any
information from the readers.’

JACK GHERE, Route 1, Odin, Illinois 62870 has a Stickney engine
5 HP, S/N 7389, bore 6′, stroke 7′. He needs to know when
this was manufactured, color and was there any striping? He also
would like to hear from other collectors who have the same type
engine.

‘I have a little tip to pass along to GEM
readers. When pouring babbitt bearings, most instructions say to
use cardboard for shims and around the ends of the shaft. I have
found aluminum sheet to work much better. It will not burn and the
babbitt will not adhere to the aluminum. Restoringly yours, JOHN R.
HEATH, Rt.#l, Box 57-C School Street, Sullivan, Ohio
44880.’

An informative letter comes from PERCY GOESCH, 17177th Street,
Hughson, California 95326 and I’m sure it will be appreciated
by some collectors: ‘In the May-June 1984 Smoke Rings column,
Armin Helgeson, Genoa, Wisconsin asks if there are any old tool
clubs Yes there are! I am a tool collector myself. I asked The Tool
Collector Magazine and these are names of clubs they sent me: Eaia
West, Roger B. Phillips, 8476 West Way Drive, Lajolla, California
92038. Mid-West Tool Collectors, Kenneth Runkle, 1918 Charles
Street, Lafayette, Indiana 47901. Southwest Tool Collectors Assn.,
Orland C. Jajicek, 707 West-wood Drive, Richardson, Texas 75080.
Early American Industries Assn. John S. Watson, Treasurer, Box
2128, Empire State Plaza Station, Albany, New York 12220.
(Thanks Percy, I’m sure the folks interested in tools will
be glad you went to the trouble to do this for them.)

JIM GREENAWALT, 11621 N. Victoria Drive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
73120 needs all information he can get on an Emerson-Brantingham.
It has a diamond pattern cast in the water jacket. It looks to be
about 1-2 HP and has no mixer or carburetor. Pictures of the mixer
would be appreciated. All responses answered.

‘I would appreciate any help I could get from you readers
out there in Engine Land. I am looking for anyone who might have
news about the Blewett Tractor Company of Tacoma, Washington. The
tractor looks very much like a Holt 75 and was made from 1920-1922.
Write ROBERT J. FIELDS, 36 O’Neil Road, Elma, Washington
98541.’

CLEDUS STITES, RR1, Odon, Indiana 47562 sends a photo of a
tractor he recently acquired. It has a Continental F124 engine, no
other markings. Can anyone advise what make it is? Does anyone have
one and would it be possible to get photos for the hood, etc. What
is the paint color and year made?

A lengthy letter giving instructions comes from MICHAEL BOND,
3599 Jest Road, Richmond, Indiana 47374: ‘Here is an idea that
I hope will help many people who own engines with gas tanks mounted
in the base, and have problems with gasoline overflows, when
filling. This causes a mess and dictates a slow pouring rate to
prevent overflow. The problem may be due to the lack of a breather.
This lack of a breather doesn’t allow the air to escape,
causing the overflow. The simplest way to do this is to drill a
hole in same, but I wouldn’t recommend it, because my Dad did
it to his 1 HP Economy and it caused a worse problem! If you filled
the tank past a certain point the engine vibration would cause the
gas to seep out the breather hole and get in the board supporting
the rear of the engine, flooding the board, and I think it limited
the capacity of the fuel tank. Dad plugged up the hole after awhile
and I dreamed up ways to solve the overflow problem, but in the end
it came down to this: It has been in use on the engine possibly
several years and works pretty well.

‘ 1. Get a copper tube that will take up little room in
filler, like in the drawing, but will allow enough air to escape to
allow for a fairly fast pouring rate. 2. You bend the tube until it
will slip into filler and extend out the side. 3. If necessary,
place a punch into the tube end in the top of the filler, bend it
up until roughly like in the drawing. Be sure the top of the tube
is roughly equal to top of the filler as in the sketch. After
you’ve bent it up, check to be certain the tube hasn’t
gotten closed off by blowing through it. 4. Bend end of tube
sticking out of the side of the filler until it is like the
drawing. When the gasoline reaches the tube end in the tank, the
other end might bubble, unless you get gasoline in it. As you
continue to pour, the gasoline will suddenly seem to almost stop
and the filler will seem to fill up almost instantly and might even
overflow a little. If you pour the gasoline in at a slow rate, you
can get some more into it. Good luck!

Four pictures from the files of HERBERT REESE, SR., Greenbush,
Minnesota 56726 for you to enjoy. 1. A very rare 40-75 Gaar-Scott
at Rollag. 2. Herbert Reese, Sr. driving and his grandson, Phillip
Reese standing with George E. Logue’s newly restored Cat
Twenty-Two at Montoursville, Pennsylvania in October 1977. 3. A
35-70 Nichols & Shepard at Rollag. 4. Left to right Norman
Pross and his 35-70 Gaar-Scott, Art Bayless and his 30-60 Huber
Grant, and Danny Roen and his 30-60 Mogul at Rollag Show taken
September 1,1978 by Herbert Reese, Sr.

Do hope you all have enjoyed the hot summer and I guess
September is still really summer and I know you have more shows to
attend so live it up and have a good time and create us some
stories to relish. And a few words of wisdom Let us be the first to
show a friendly sign, to nod first, smile first, speak first, and
if such a thing is necessary to forgive first. It takes about 1500
nuts to hold an auto together, but it takes only one nut to scatter
it all over the road. It is not how much we have but how much we
enjoy what we have that makes happiness and here’s a humorous
riddle If you have 50 female pigs and 50 male deers what do you
have? ANSWER A hundred sows and bucks! Bye Bye Love Ya!


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  • Published on Sep 1, 1984
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