Route 3 Peru, IN 46970.
We acquired the first engine about three years ago. It is an
Olds, 3 HP, type 2A made in 1912 by Seager Engine Works, Lansing,
Michigan. This was the only year of this model’s production
which featured a bolt-on water hopper. When we got it, it had a
lawn mower carburetor and gas tank wired on, as well as a set of
tractor points on the side. We had it running like that, but it
looked terrible. About a year later we were very lucky to find an
original carburetor. We completely disassembled the engine and made
a fuel jet, contact points, and cart.
The second engine is an Olds, 6 HP, type 4A, made in 1907 by
Olds Gas Power Company of Lansing, Michigan. We bought it at an
auction in Illinois during the summer of 1990. We had to leave at 4
a.m. and drive 330 miles to the sale. The engine was taken apart.
The needle valve was broken off and so were two screw extractors
that I tried. I finally drilled it out and made a new one. I also
made a cam follower, two push rods, contact points, water tank, and
cart. We worked every evening for three weeks restoring it. After
it was back together it only ran about five minutes on the night
before we took it to its first show at Winimac, Indiana this past
summer. Both Olds engines now run very well.