Dyke, RR #1, Box 5840, Farmingdale, ME 04344.
Every family must have an ‘Uncle Maynard’ who is fondly
remembered or loved. At my home, ‘Let’s take Uncle
Maynard!’ means a moody 3 HP gasoline engine. Yes, it is loved
and yet is not above a good argument now and then. Maynard
certainly can have a mind of his own and quite often chooses a time
when there are people around for one of his ‘moods.’ But
Maynard certainly has come a long way and is actually becoming less
of an embarrassment all the time.
Four years ago I found the engine in an old chicken coop that
looked as though it at one time housed all the hens in the state of
Maine. The engine must have been the favorite roost, and the task
of cleaning up the Maynard was a real experience. Surprisingly it
showed very little wear with some original paint remaining and
enough pinstriping to make patterns. After completely disassembling
the engine I painted it maroon which very closely matched the
original color. A local automotive supply store had paint chips
from old Dupont colors. I found Dupont Dulux #143 DH (National
Fleet Color) to be very near the color used by Charles William
Stores Company for the Maynard. My friend Elwin ‘Doc’
Cunningham did some tinkering and the Maynard came to life after
who knows how many years.
The engine has made its rounds throughout Maine at various shows
and events with the Maine Antique Power Association. Little did
‘Uncle Maynard’ realize when he was first used in
‘nineteen whatever’ that he would again sport a shiny new
coat and go to work.
