416 Green Acres Drive Huntsville, Alabama 35805
There are two projects I have had, which may be of interest to
you.
Project (A): In 1946 I needed transportation, and not having
money for a new or used car, I bought some scrap steel tubing,
three wheelbarrow wheels, a gear box from an old Crosley automobile
and a new Model B Briggs and Stratton engine. By 1948 I had built a
nice little metal yard chair on wheels. I licensed it as a motor
scooter. It would seat two people side by side, run forty miles per
hour on a level stretch of highway, and give me sixty miles per
gallon of low octane gasoline. This scooter was built at my
parents’ home in Opelika, Alabama. When finished, I had
acquired a job in Atlanta, Georgia, which was one hundred twenty
miles away. One clear morning I gave the rope starter a pull and
five hours later, I gave out on the second gallon of gasoline
within sight of my new apartment in Atlanta. What a trip! I had the
feeling of accomplishment that Charles Lindbergh must have had on
arrival in France. Well, I used this vehicle for transportation in
Atlanta until traffic became so heavy that I felt unsafe. I
scrapped the scooter, but kept the power package: a frame with
engine, gear box and rear wheel. I still like to take the engine
out and hear it run. I must have done something right on that
project, for the girl that I was dating for scooter picnic trips
married me.
Project (B): My next scooter project was something to do in
retirement. In 1994 I bought a frame, with no engine, of a
mini-scooter. The wheels were completely rusted off their hubs. An
old Tecumseh engine model H 35-452600, serial number 948 02265, and
new wheels were obtained at the Portland Show the following summer.
Luck would have it, this engine had three power leads coming out of
the magneto. When the flywheel was removed I found it had magnets
all the way around it and the magneto had three coils. The large
coil held the spark plug lead. The other two coils fed the
remaining two leads which I hooked to the head light and tail light
respectively. With the lights and engine grounded to the frame, my
scooter had light each time the engine was accelerated. This must
have been the right engine for my mini-scooter. Question: Did all
the Tecumseh model H-35s have that flywheel and three coils on the
magneto, or was this engine built with the special purpose to
provide both torque and electrical output?
If any of you scooter builders care to share your experiences
with me, I’d be happy to correspond.
