Bring On the Snow

by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 03/31/2017 at 14:29

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STARS: 2

The guy who’s working on my tailgate has a number of interesting projects in his shop. And yard. And barn(s). This is just one of the things he’s working on right now, a 1923 (ish) Model T snowmobile kit setup. This chassis runs and drives, but lacks any modern amenities, you might say. The body sits in front of it, and needs... a lot of work. He’s got a pickup bed for the rear that needs a full restoration, too. You can sit on the fuel tank though, and go for a ride. Since I was last in the shop, he fitted the tracks on it - they have been run suspended on jack stands, but it hasn’t gone an inch yet on solid ground - or snow.

I asked him if he’d take it out tomorrow in the snow and he laughed out loud, as he often does. It’s not quite ready for a snow test, I guess. I’d be too eager to try it, but he is infinitely patient. He’s also thorough, and one of the nicest, most easygoing individuals I have ever met. He has a fantastic thick New England accent and a dry sense of humor. He laughs at himself, he laughs at everything. He works only on what he wants, works at his own pace, and does things right.

This machine was sharing his shop with a loader attachment he was working on for a friend, and his own 1934 Ford dump truck with a flathead V8. He got it many years ago and fully restored it in his retirement. He uses that for hauling firewood and other, you know, truck things. I especially like him because he’s not building show cars, he uses his toys.

The headboard on the dump truck wasn’t an original piece of the truck; he told me how he made it though: “One day a guy come ovah with a mod’n pickup with a nice dump body on it. And I see this headboard design so I just had ta’ copy it real quick. So while he’s talkin I run back to the shop and run back out with a buncha cahdboahd and staht makin up a tem-plate, you know? Then I cut it all outa’ steel and welded it up, I think it came out real good!” Looks great, don’t it?

I’ll get some more pictures next time I’m over there, or if he’s got something else interesting in the shop. Just figured I’d share this in anticipation of a mostly unwelcome late-season snowstorm. April Fools! Spring’s not coming. (fast forward one week it’ll be 70)

Replies (2)

"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
03/31/2017 at 14:32, STARS: 3

That’s a dead on dictation of a New England accent, too.

"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
03/31/2017 at 15:03, STARS: 1

“ cahdboahd ”

LOL

Too bad he didn’t talk about having chowder for lunch...

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