108 Summit Avenue Sicklerville, New Jersey 08081
Gentlemen, start your engines! It’s with great pleasure and
pride that I once again am writing an article on my husband
Ed’s newest restored gas engine. As I announced in
February’s Gas Engine Magazine, ‘Just wait ’til you see
Engine No. 4!’ Well, here it is a 1918 Economy 7 HP engine that
was used in a sawmill to cut wood.
This time I wasn’t shocked when I first saw the rusty piece
of junk. I was with Ed at one of the antique shows when he
purchased it, and I knew what he could turn this engine into. As
you can see by this month’s cover, Engine No. 4 is even more
stunning than our Pride & Joy No. 3. I think I’ll name this
one ‘Perfection’ because it’s as perfect as you can get
an engine to look and run. We have been to many shows including
Portland, Indiana, and I appreciated looking at all the engines
knowing the work and love that goes into them, but I honestly have
to say, my husband’s engines and wagons are beautiful!
The same work went into this engine, such as sanding and filling
with Bondo Fiberglass filler to make it smooth. Ed had to buy a new
gas tank, main and rod bearings and wrist bushing. He bought the
four 27′ diameter spoke wheels at one of the shows we attended,
and then went to a scrap iron yard and bought axles and 6′
channel iron to make the frame for the wagon. He shaped and welded
the iron and then covered it with red oak and topped it with bright
diamond plate, and again created a masterpiece wagon to set his
engine on.
As of the time of this writing, I don’t think there will be
an Engine No. 5, as each one seems to be getting bigger and taking
more time and labor to complete, but we still have a few more shows
to go to and Ed can’t resist the challenge of seeing what can
be done to a pile of junk.
