Engine collector gives son a head start in hobby

By Staff
Published on June 8, 2009
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Andrew Culy with the model Rumely OilPull he and his father, Brian, worked on together this spring. It runs on an International LB engine.
Andrew Culy with the model Rumely OilPull he and his father, Brian, worked on together this spring. It runs on an International LB engine.
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Four-year-old Andrew loves old iron and loves to help his dad.
Four-year-old Andrew loves old iron and loves to help his dad.
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Brian made the model with safety in mind and fabricated a dummy valve cover to serve as a guard.
Brian made the model with safety in mind and fabricated a dummy valve cover to serve as a guard.

My son Andrew will be 4 years old in June and already has a good start in the engine hobby.

When he was 2 years old, he would spend hours in the shop with me and just play with some old wrenches I let him have. Every time we went into the shop, he would want me to start my 7 HP Sattley saw rig, and to his delight, I would oblige.

Last year, while on vacation, we stopped at a small engine show in Steam Corner, Ind., and a gentleman we were talking to gave Andrew an engine to get him started in the hobby. I lost his name and hope he is reading this – Andrew and I say thanks! Well, one engine led to another, and now he has an early Craftsman engine, two Maytags, a Farmall H pedal tractor and several old cast iron toys.

Last September, we restored one of the Maytags and I let Andrew do quite a bit of it with help. I loosened up bolts and let him finish by taking them out, and turned him loose with a small wire brush to clean parts. I even let him spray some primer on a few items (primer-colored hands are fun to clean off enough to keep Mom content). I made a spot on the trailer for his items, and we went to a show in Paulding, Ohio, in late September. Andrew was sure proud of his display and made some new friends.

Being laid off last December, I’ve had plenty of “daddy-time” with him in the shop. Our winter project consisted of building a larger atmospheric engine and I let him help in different ways. Upon finishing, I started to build a model of a Rumely OilPull and decided to build it for him, starting on March 10 and finishing it April 29. We had a great time working together, and he learned a lot about how things work. Most of the machining and welding took place when he was inside the house with Mom. When I finished a part, he would come out to the shop all excited, asking where this part went, what it did, how it worked and, “Can I help?”

I had to keep safety in mind  with the OilPull, so a lot of guards had to be fabricated while still keeping ease of operation in mind. One of the guards was a dummy valve cover for the old International LB that operates the OilPull. The one I fabricated looks like the head of an OilPull with two spark plugs, a fake mixer and air cone. This really set it off and made the both of us happy.

On April 29, the model was finished and I turned the keys over to Andrew (so to speak). I think he’s got a permanent grin now. I know I would, too, if I were 4 years old. If you see Andrew at a show sometime, stop by and say hi.

For my son, Andrew:
This tractor is built with
a loving heart,
strong hands,
and a creative mind.
May you always enjoy
this wonderful hobby.
Love, Dad

Contact Brian Culy at 5008W 700S, Geneva, IN 46740 • culys98@adamswells.com

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