3012 S. Catherine, Lansing, Michigan 48910
I bought an air compressor at the Portland, Indiana swap meet
with the thought that I would use it to make a gas engine. When I
got it home and took it apart I found it had a 2′ bore and a
3′ stroke and a brass rod. I put it aside until I could find
some flywheels for it. At the end of June I went to the Ford Museum
and saw an engine made in England that had one flywheel and a
sideshaft. That gave me the idea to make a sideshaft.
At the Mason, Michigan show I bought a hand drill that had a
curved spoke round 14′ flywheel. My gears came from a lawn
mower. I made a new head from 1′ steel plate. The valves are
from an old Briggs, the gas tank from a piece of brass pipe. The
gas tank cap is from the bottom of a blow torch. The muffler is
made from a hames knob, the carburetor from a brass valve. Battery
box is an old shoe shine box. I took the foot rest off and put on a
brass handle. The governor was on an old four blade fan. I made a
brass adapter on the bottom and a dress up cover on the top from a
brass candle holder. The wheels I bought at a show; the cart is
made from scrap steel!
This engine took ten weeks of spare time to complete. I took it
to the Mt. Morris, Michigan show and it ran very nice. I had a lot
of compliments on it and a lot of pleasure making it.
