1006 Knox Highway 17, Gilson, Illinois 61436
I am sixteen years old and have been interested in iron all of
my life. I have been a subscriber of your magazine for several
years, and I enjoy it very much. Your magazine has been helpful to
me when I have been in search of information on a certain piece. I
wanted to send you the story of one of my full size
‘toys.’
I have been a fan of old pickup trucks and tractors as long as I
can remember. The Minneapolis-Moline line has been a favorite of
mine, but I collect all brands. I had always wanted an M & M
garden tractor because they looked fun, interesting, and would fit
in the bed of my 58 Chevy ton.
One day Grandpa, Dad and I were custom harvesting for a neighbor
and I spotted an old M &. M 108 in a corn crib. The owner said
I could buy it as it was not running and he didn’t want it. I
brought it home, cleaned it up, got it running, and started
dreaming of restoring it. Since I am in FFA and 4-H, the
restoration would be a good project. I tore down the motor, honed
the cylinder, ground the valves, cut new seats, and put in new
rings, piston, rod and a complete tune-up kit.
The 108 now ran good, but the rest of the tractor was showing
its age. I pressure cleaned the tractor, disassembled, and
sandblasted it. I buffed the metal, primed, and painted it. I put
on custom made decals that are very close to the originals. I had
the seat recovered and put on a few new parts. When I exhibited the
finished project, it was selected for the State Fair 4-H Show. I
received a Superior Ribbon in Springfield. Since then I have shown
it at several tractor shows. I love this hobby and the people I
meet!
