Duck Pond Redneckery
- Thread starter Duck
- Start date
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
I ain't rich. But my dad is.
We went halves on that thing.
I'm gonna make him buy two tires and I'll buy the other two.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
The guy we got it from is about 7 feet tall, big belly, said he's 62 years old but my dad thought he was in his 70's.
His garage is a 4-car with an upstairs. This guy was proud of his little minibike from 1969. He insisted we go upstairs to see it. It's just a plain Jane one like mine but smaller, with an ancient Briggs engine. He was proud of its drum brake too.
Going up the stairs, he was on all fours using his hands too.
Said he ain't got no kids but he started building this buggy type of thing 38 years ago for his nephew who is in his 40's now.
Seemed sad and depressed because he can't finish it.
He said it's got Model T wheels and axle but he built the frame & wood cab himself.
So I've been thinking...
His place is out in the country, approximately 12 miles from here, and if I use my winch to move the concrete blocks a little bit on a bridge that's closed so I can squeeze through with the minibike, it'll be the same number of miles but I won't have to go on any busy roads...
I think that wooden buggy thing would be really cool to see completed, and that lonely old childless giant would like to finish it before he dies, so imma thinkin next summer I oughta help him finish it.
It would give me an actual destination on the minibike instead of just wandering around aimlessly, and that old man will have a cool toy to drive like 3 miles up to this bar/grill in Beecher that always has car shows.
Or he can finally give it to his nephew, nearly 40 years after he started on it.
His garage is a 4-car with an upstairs. This guy was proud of his little minibike from 1969. He insisted we go upstairs to see it. It's just a plain Jane one like mine but smaller, with an ancient Briggs engine. He was proud of its drum brake too.
Going up the stairs, he was on all fours using his hands too.
Said he ain't got no kids but he started building this buggy type of thing 38 years ago for his nephew who is in his 40's now.
Seemed sad and depressed because he can't finish it.
He said it's got Model T wheels and axle but he built the frame & wood cab himself.
So I've been thinking...
His place is out in the country, approximately 12 miles from here, and if I use my winch to move the concrete blocks a little bit on a bridge that's closed so I can squeeze through with the minibike, it'll be the same number of miles but I won't have to go on any busy roads...
I think that wooden buggy thing would be really cool to see completed, and that lonely old childless giant would like to finish it before he dies, so imma thinkin next summer I oughta help him finish it.
It would give me an actual destination on the minibike instead of just wandering around aimlessly, and that old man will have a cool toy to drive like 3 miles up to this bar/grill in Beecher that always has car shows.
Or he can finally give it to his nephew, nearly 40 years after he started on it.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
I got new rims and tires today from Menards.
12" utility trailer wheels, they bolt right on.
But I need shorter lug bolts for the rear. Some dumb-shit welded oversize nuts on the insides of the rear wheels & used longer bolts.
I had to put stacks of washers on it so the bolts won't hit the stuff inside the brake drums. This is just temporary for in the shop. Ain't gonna drive it like that.
12" utility trailer wheels, they bolt right on.
But I need shorter lug bolts for the rear. Some dumb-shit welded oversize nuts on the insides of the rear wheels & used longer bolts.
I had to put stacks of washers on it so the bolts won't hit the stuff inside the brake drums. This is just temporary for in the shop. Ain't gonna drive it like that.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
Motorcycle turn signals.
That green shit is lichen or moss. It comes off easily with a stiff brush.
The wiring is total ametuer hour.
Mostly lamp cord, stripped, twisted & taped. I'm going to completely rewire it. Every inch.
There are no fuses. Not even inline fuses. I'm gonna put an actual fuse panel on it somewhere.
The steering forgot-what-they're-calleds, the vertical pivots at the axle ends, those bearings are sloppy loose on both sides.
But the steering is tight as fuck even with the wheels off the ground.
I gotta get a new grease gun. Mine pissed me off & was punished with death.
Above: right side of the engine. The generator (which I'm hoping is 12 volts) has a pass-thru armature shaft that runs the water pump, and I'm pretty sure that green thing serving as the water pump drive shaft is a piece of garden hose. And those are bent nails.
That green shit is lichen or moss. It comes off easily with a stiff brush.
The wiring is total ametuer hour.
Mostly lamp cord, stripped, twisted & taped. I'm going to completely rewire it. Every inch.
There are no fuses. Not even inline fuses. I'm gonna put an actual fuse panel on it somewhere.
The steering forgot-what-they're-calleds, the vertical pivots at the axle ends, those bearings are sloppy loose on both sides.
But the steering is tight as fuck even with the wheels off the ground.
I gotta get a new grease gun. Mine pissed me off & was punished with death.
Above: right side of the engine. The generator (which I'm hoping is 12 volts) has a pass-thru armature shaft that runs the water pump, and I'm pretty sure that green thing serving as the water pump drive shaft is a piece of garden hose. And those are bent nails.
Hillbilly Canuck
Well-Known Member
Long as he's bitching he hasn't kicked the bucketYou have your work cut out for you, that's for sure.
If nothing else, it will give @GAnthony something to bitch about, as I'm sure there are going to be plenty of pictures.
Electric Chicken
Well-Known Member
Paint them silver along with the bolt head. They almost look like lug nut covers.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
He's just having trouble adapting to modern technology.You have your work cut out for you, that's for sure.
If nothing else, it will give @GAnthony something to bitch about, as I'm sure there are going to be plenty of pictures.
When he was my age, the closest thing to a photograph was a painting on a cave wall.
Electric Chicken
Well-Known Member
I wonder if raviolis were carved out of stone back then.
BlackBart
Well-Known Member
Wild boar skin probably...
BlackBart
Well-Known Member
He’ll get over itYou have your work cut out for you, that's for sure.
If nothing else, it will give @GAnthony something to bitch about, as I'm sure there are going to be plenty of pictures.
The wheels and turn signals were definitely an improvement. Lil go kart looks better already
389 Hood
Well-Known Member
Things like that are a blast to 'rebuild'. The problem lies, where if there isn't anything really important that needs to be done, something like that could become an obsession.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
I didn't do the turn signals. They were already on it. All I've done so far besides the wheels has been just studying it.
There's a lot of clever stuff, but more stupidity than ingenuity.
The guy who built it was really good with a sheet metal bending brake but that's about it.
Welding skills = beginner/mediocre
Structural engineering - mediocre
Electrical wiring - beginner
General automotive knowledge - beginner
There's only two inches of space between the bottom of the hood and the top of the carburetor, which indicates he never had any intention of putting an air filter on it.
The dashboard is wood on one side, sheet metal on the other.... more specifically the wood is on the outside, and is rotted because he was stupid.
He was either short like @Electric Chicken or he was terrible at measuring himself for the cab.
The steering wheel is up against my stomach, but my left knee is up against the dash, so if I were to shorten the steering column, there would be no room for my knee.
I cannot ever make a plexiglass window for the drivers door because I can't fit in it at all unless my left arm is sticking out the door window.
The dipshit put the headlight switch on the dash right where my left knee hits it.
There are no wires attached to the DC generator, so I won't even know if it's 6v or 12, or even if it's negative ground until I start the engine & spin it.
The seller started the engine & ran it a little bit. It starts right up. But I don't know what the oil looks like, so I'm gonna change it first.
It's a positive ground system, but I determined that I can correct it to negative ground just by switching the battery terminals, assuming the generator can be used. All I gotta do at the ignition coil is switch the two side wires.
There are no fuses anywhere on it. Everything is direct wired.
Using the 6 Amp 12 volt power supply from my mom's CPAP machine, I determined that the headlights work, but nothing else.
There's a horn & wires connected to it, but there's no switch or button for it anywhere.
But I have an "AhOOOOga" horn to put on it. I've had it for years.
Electric Chicken
Well-Known Member
Maybe he intended it for kids.I didn't do the turn signals. They were already on it. All I've done so far besides the wheels has been just studying it.
There's a lot of clever stuff, but more stupidity than ingenuity.
The guy who built it was really good with a sheet metal bending brake but that's about it.
Welding skills = beginner/mediocre
Structural engineering - mediocre
Electrical wiring - beginner
General automotive knowledge - beginner
There's only two inches of space between the bottom of the hood and the top of the carburetor, which indicates he never had any intention of putting an air filter on it.
The dashboard is wood on one side, sheet metal on the other.... more specifically the wood is on the outside, and is rotted because he was stupid.
He was either short like @Electric Chicken or he was terrible at measuring himself for the cab.
The steering wheel is up against my stomach, but my left knee is up against the dash, so if I were to shorten the steering column, there would be no room for my knee.
I cannot ever make a plexiglass window for the drivers door because I can't fit in it at all unless my left arm is sticking out the door window.
The dipshit put the headlight switch on the dash right where my left knee hits it.
There are no wires attached to the DC generator, so I won't even know if it's 6v or 12, or even if it's negative ground until I start the engine & spin it.
The seller started the engine & ran it a little bit. It starts right up. But I don't know what the oil looks like, so I'm gonna change it first.
It's a positive ground system, but I determined that I can correct it to negative ground just by switching the battery terminals, assuming the generator can be used. All I gotta do at the ignition coil is switch the two side wires.
There are no fuses anywhere on it. Everything is direct wired.
Using the 6 Amp 12 volt power supply from my mom's CPAP machine, I determined that the headlights work, but nothing else.
There's a horn & wires connected to it, but there's no switch or button for it anywhere.
But I have an "AhOOOOga" horn to put on it. I've had it for years.
Duck
Sarcastic remark goes here
Well I was reading that the Crosley car it's built on was capable of 65-70 mph.
The brakes are cable operated, it's stick-shift, and there's no seat belts.
I wouldn't turn a kid loose in it.
Electric Chicken
Well-Known Member
The Crosley isn't this thing though. But then I dunno. Maybe he really was short.
I mean I like my wagon partly for how small it is.
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