4653 E. Michigan Fresno, California 93703
I am one of those guys who did not have to go engine hunting. My
dad bought a 1920, 5 HP Sattley at an auction in Oregon. He kept
trying to get me interested in old iron and he gave me the Sattley
to get started.
I was lucky the engine was all complete, but it also came with
an inch of dried grease and the usual rust. The engine was not
stuck.
I have seen my dad’s engines and been to many shows. I
decided I wanted something different. Being from a younger
generation (23) and liking to be different, I decided to give my
engine a custom touch.
I completely stripped and sandblasted the engine. I bondoed the
base, flywheels and water hopper. Boy! I didn’t know what I was
getting into. It took me over 100 hours to bondo and refinish these
parts.
Every nut, bolt, spring and everything you can think of was
chromed, including the pulley. I left the oiler, magneto and grease
cups brass.
The engine was painted with three coats of custom, light blue,
acrylic enamel with metallic and yellow pin-stripping and three
final coats of clear coat. After I built the cart, it too was
painted in a darker blue, and I diamond-plated the top.
I also did the usual maintenance, including honing the cylinder,
adding new rings, grounding the valves and charging the Wico mag. I
reconditioned a couple parts because of wear. Now my Sattley runs
as good as it looks.
I joined a newly formed club called ‘The San Joaquin Valley
Antique Flywheelers’ from Fresno, California. I’ve shown my
Sattley at a few shows and have even been asked to display it at a
custom car show.
This engine gets a lot of attention and is appreciated by young
and old. The Sattley is my pride and joy, but I will never do
another like it however, ‘never say never.’
