We thank the PEOPLE PACER Magazine, house organ of the Western
Farmers Association, for permission to reprint this article. It
originally appeared in their September/October 1979 issue.
Engines that cough a little, wheeze, sputter and then patter on
their way make beautiful music to Don Stanley’s ears. And be
they large or small, short or tall, he loves them all.
Don, who lives in Junction City, Oregon, has over 60 small gas
engines and five antique trucks which he hoards in a building
purchased specifically for that purpose. And his tinkering is
reproducing history.
‘Both Shirley, my wife, and I love old things. We started
collecting antique trucks and gas engines during the gas crisis
five or six years ago when we had a little extra time from our
trailer sales business which we lease out now,’ reflects
Don.
‘We figured collecting and restoring antique trucks would be
a good investment. But soon the hobby became a family project,’
he says.
And chasing antique shows, swap meets and engine, car and truck
shows to find old parts has kept the family social life swinging
between tours, parades and displays in Oregon and Washington over
three or four years. For the hobby is something the Stanleys’
children also relish.
‘My two sons, Ron, 20, and Gary, 16, help me clean the
engines and get them running for shows. They each have two to three
engines of their own, and Gary is restoring a 1950 Chevrolet now
because it is so valuable. Ron is taking a body/fender and paint
class at Lane Community College nearby,’ Don says while
‘steering’ the conversation toward his most prized
relics.
‘My favorite trucks are a 1929 Model A and a 1920 Samson. I
found the Model A in Longview, Washington, after it had been
retired to a storage shed for 20 years. It is made with redwood,
and has a chickenwire supported roof. After three years and $8,000
it looks like new,’ he states while hopping aboard the glossy
tight-looking rig.
‘I found the Samson in Eugene, and after 1? years and $6,000
had restored its bird’s-eye maple. There are probably only six
Samson truck owners in the western states, and I have often been
asked to have it photographed for publications. In the old days it
sold for around $750,’ he says.
TOOK IT SLOW
Both trucks were used on farms to haul loads of dairy products,
livestock, grain and hay. Don painstakingly disassembled each one
piece by piece, replaced parts, steam cleaned them, restored and
painted the engines and frames, and reupholstered the
interiors.
‘Shirley made the seats for the Samson, but I had the Model
A’s upholstery done professionally. The parts I couldn’t
buy I had made, like two wooden spoked wheels which had rotted on
the Samson.
‘It took hours just to load the old Model A on a trailer
when I bought it. After 20 years of storage it just wanted to fall
apart. We moved it a few feet at a time to keep it all in place.
Then we just learned as we went,’ he reflects.
He also owns two Moreland trucks (1927 and 1928) and a 1924
Federal truck.
‘I enjoy going to look at trucks I hear about, and finding
different kinds. I’d like to have the finest antique trucks I
can get eventually. And there are over 200 makes of gas engines to
hunt for,’ he says.
Don also collects the booklets and engine manuals on the
antiques which he finds by digging through swap meets, antique
shows and shops. But his best deals, he says, come from private
parties. He has compiled a complete record and history of each
engine he owns, and has assembled a scrapbook of newspaper stories
and pictures about old trucks and engines.
‘To begin with, almost every truck company made one-cylinder
engines and horse-drawn wagons and tractors. Then some started
building trucks,’ Don explains, gesturing toward his roomful of
small gas engines. He owns about 60 of the ruddy little
‘chuggers,’ and belongs to Engine Backfire, a nationwide
organization. His rarest engines are a 2? horsepower Eclipse model,
a Fairbanks brand, and a one horsepower Stover.
My 1915 Olds 4? horsepower was probably used to grind feeds,
pump water or run a small feed mill or cleaning plant. These small
engines were the early power for the 1900s, after horsepower,’
he explains. ‘They are getting so hard to find you can only
acquire them by trading. You can’t buy them anymore.
Occasionally an engine turns up in odd places on farms, etc. (under
hay) and you hope the people who have them kicking around will sell
them. If you show too much interest, however, they won’t,’
he says strategically. ‘I have been offered five engines for my
Eclipse model.’
Don also belongs to the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club of
Portland, the Gas Engines Club of Salem and was vice president of
the Oregon Steam Association last year. He is treasurer of the
Horseless Carriage Club and goes on tours once a month; the Model A
club often tours over 100 miles. He is also a member of the Early
Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association.
‘We dress up in our antique old-fashioned clothes (he wears
bibs and a white hat) and have a lot of fun as a family. Last year
we even went to Bend. I’d like to start a little museum, set up
more displays in banks and antique stores, and take my trucks to
three or four shows a summer,’ says the memorabilia buff.
So someday, readers visiting Junction City may get a historical
guided tour through his private museum!
