Spring is starting…

Spring is starting…

Just a quick post. I planted this years batch of trees in the ground, and blueberries/tayberries in pots the second weekend in Feburary. We have had more rain this year than usual and the springs are running still at the end of March. The first tree to wake up was a Medlar from Trees of Antiquity. It was a stick when we put dirt around it and now a few weeks later its leafed.In fact, I think it already has flower buds on it....I haven't grown one of these trees before, so I…Read more …
New oven for the property

New oven for the property

Its been a while since I posted any updates on the property/shed. Actually, there wont be much about either one of those in this post, but it kinda ties in since the oven is in the shed.... Yeah, its a stretch but it will have to do. So I've been enjoying the shed almost every weekend this winter since I have a 2 burner coleman stove and a teeny tiny wood stove. The coleman is great to make my coffee with, and the stove always has a pot of water warming on top…Read more …
Adding another machine to the shop…..

Adding another machine to the shop…..

I do a lot of work on antiques and custom projects, so a lot of times I need to either produce or reproduce parts made of plastic. My go to technique has always been casting resins, but many times they don't have the 'feel' of plastic parts even if they look the part. Sometimes there just is nothing like an injected plastic part. I started work on a David Gingery style home made plastic injector a couple years ago, but I was never happy with the way the ram was designed. I purchased…Read more …
As if I didn’t have enough projects…..

As if I didn’t have enough projects…..

Actually, can you ever have enough projects? I'm leaning toward 'no'. If there was a smiley emoticon in this editor I would put one here..   ;) Soooo, yeah... I'm working on a Pietenpol Air Camper. A simple, open cockpit, 2 seat, Model A Powered, airplane. Did I mention the original Piet is dated 1929? There's a thing for 1929 in my life for some reason. Both my Dodge and my Ford are '29's, and my plane was designed in that year. Kinda cool. Here's the general layout for the Pietenpol Air Camper.... I'm starting with…Read more …
How did it ever run?….

How did it ever run?….

Time for an update on the Model A project. I drove it around for a bit, now it's time to start getting the body squared away. I started by moving the cowl back and lowering the steering column to fit. All of this is mock up and may change as I see fit, but for now this is pretty much where I want the pieces. This is what it look like with the cowl and steering in the stock position.... The seat is in the same place, only the cowl and steering column…Read more …
Went for a short drive on the property….

Went for a short drive on the property….

I wasn't supposed to receive the parts for the carburetor until after the weekend, so I hadn't planned on working on the Model A until next week. Since I had a weekend 'off' I took my Mom and Grandma over to the coast on Saturday. When I got home I found my carb parts in the mail, and being me, I couldn't just let them sit there. I was up rebuilding and double checking that carb until 1am, on top of about 6 hours driving earlier in the day. Sunday morning I was…Read more …
Inspecting the starter….

Inspecting the starter….

After seeing that the starter decided to no longer work on Saturday I removed it, the carburetor, and the battery. I brought all three home since the starter and carb need some love, and the battery could use a charge. I decided to check the starter first because I could have a perfect carb and full battery but neither would do me any good if I can't turn the engine over. First order of business is to take the bendix off of the starter. The bendix is what engages the engine to make…Read more …
Water Pump is Installed…

Water Pump is Installed…

Friday night I got everything ready. The water pump was in a box in front of the front door, new seat next to the box, bolts for the seat, pump to head gasket, GoPro camera charged, everything I could think of. Saturday  I was up bright and early and headed to the property thinking to myself 'Today I will drive it". I admit, I was in a really good mood. I got up to the property, unloaded everything and got to work. Everything was just as I left it last weekend, even the…Read more …
More parts for the Model A Project….

More parts for the Model A Project….

I got the radiator shell in the mail yesterday. I bought the smooth version without the crank hole or the emblem spot.   I also ordered a really cheap seat, $40. I figure I'm gonna need something to sit on when I'm testing out the running gear before I build the body. I have some plywood to put on the frame, but a bucket or a plastic lawn chair aren't going to cut it. Piled in the seat are small parts like the new radiator hose clamps, lower tube drain petcock, ect. Can't…Read more …
Rebuilding the Ford Model B water pump…

Rebuilding the Ford Model B water pump…

The original plan was to buy a rolling chassis with ALL original Model A parts. That way things would be easy... open catalogs and order replacement parts as necessary then bolt them on. Easy Peasy, right? . Of course that didn't happen, I have a Model A motor with a Model B head and water pump that was frozen when I got it. Dad and I managed to get the pump to turn freely and run the engine for a few minutes, but I knew I needed to tear the pump apart and…Read more …
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