This is the first TAG Minute – a mini-episode that is off topic or an expansion of something going on in the show that shows more detail. This minute is about organizing and prioritizing car repairs.
Posts from 2017-08-29
TAG Minute- Struts. This minute describes a little about strut removal and replacement. Use caution when removing from your car, and make sure you know what parts are connected to which bolts. Remember, safety first.
I am nearing completion on the David Bradley project, and it is looking good. I’ve put a little spoiler image in this article, and I will get the episodes finished as soon as I can. In the mean time, I wanted to give a shout out to the Garden Tractor Talk community online. These guys know every detail about the tractor we are working on, and have been a great resource and help. If you would like to view some of the online conversations with them, go to http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/9025-david-bradley-project/ and see how they have helped guide the project. If this project has stirred some interest in you, and you want to build a tractor of any kind, this is the place to learn from guys and gals that have been at it a long time, and know all the details.
Engine installation with carburetor modification
I also found a guy on Ebay that makes the decals for the lettering on the side of the tractor. The other solution would have been to have a sign painter hand paint them at a cost of $70. The decals costed $12. But here is the interesting and noteworthy thing- he does not make these decals to make money, but for the pleasure of knowing that he is helping people put their tractors together right, and have them looking authentic. I asked him about a decal for an attachment I have, and he didn’t make that particular sticker ‘because someone else already makes it and he was not there to compete’. He told me where to look to get it. Now, in our capitalist society, no one would expect that kind of generosity of spirit in the marketplace. Some people go into the market to make money- we do as well- and some, like this rare instance, go into the market to have the pleasure of helping people and being generous. This is an American trait we do not see much these days- thank you John.
We took a little break from our project to see what other people were doing, and locally there is a swap meeting and motor show. This is a rather informal get together- one member sponsors the event at his personal shop, and members and enthusiasts come to swap, sell, work on their motors together, and run them- and just plain show off a little. I own a 1928 Lockwood Ace, which is how I came to learn about AOMCI. As I learned about the Ace, they gave me resources to get parts for it. The care, creativity, and ingenuity that went into these very early motors is incredible. These are from a time when the best quality was being sought, and how to make engines more reliable and longer lasting. It is fun to look at our history through the machines we have built, and see what we have learned.