Sandmans omnipresence in defence of classics

[gofastsandman]

Well, I brought what was left of the chain and my thoughts to Philbrick`s.

Philbrick`s was a lawn and garden shop that sold Ford tractors, Fisher plows,
Lawn mowers, and anything else you might need for your property.

I visited them on a regular schedule. I bought master links by the half dozen.
Chain links. Chains, recoil springs and even a centrifugal clutch in anticipation of my abuse.

Can you imagine a shop that would open an account for a twelve year old menace
with no ID in today`s world?
They offered and I agreed to pay at the end of the month.
No papers.
Nothing.
Not even a hand shake.



In back of the shop, they had a wonderful graveyard of tractors, riding lawn mowers,
snow blowers, tillers, chainsaws, and on and on. It was almost as big as the parking lot.

They also had catalogs. Big, huge, thick catalogs. I loved these. A Mercury 2 speed clutch? Hmmm.

I had thought of channeling the 2x4s with a chisel to accept the axles, but my skill
level with chisels was horrible.

[Vezo, Part II]

Menace, you say?

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by Vezo, Part II

Menace, you say?

Menace in training.

[gofastsandman]

Well the smart money would have been learning about dado blades.

I had many more nails and the skill to bend them over an axle.

12 sets would be much stronger right?

The ramp came out again.

PeeWee brought Bobby over.
Bobby`s older brother had a Trail 90.

I would learn this later.

We wanted to get up on two wheels like Joey.
We talked about how to hit the ramp.

I went first.
Up and down.
Fail.

Peewee.
Same.

Bobby.
Same.

We talked some more.
Nobody wanted to hit it full speed on the light/right side.

We all jumped it a few times and nothing broke.

I kept thinking of Peewee turning her up.

[cdavisdb]

This is hilarious. Please keep it up.

I'm juset beginning to understand Sandys world view.

[DonV]

"I'm juset beginning to understand Sandys world view"

Dang Conner I'm impressed!! Most of the time still way above my head.

[gofastsandman]

Originally Posted by cdavisdb

This is hilarious. Please keep it up.

I'm juset beginning to understand Sandys world view.

Thanks Conner.

My initial thought while derailing the thread was to tell a few stories.

As I started writing, a giant flood of memories washed over my little head.

I hadn`t thought of these times, places, and many of the people involved for decades.

I`ll have to go back and edit some of the stories as I remember more details.

The number of stories is growing like those plants in my little shop of horrors.

[gofastsandman]

I could not stop thinking about PeeWee`s foray in the field.

I wasn't riding much in the field any more as I had focused my attention on
the fire roads. We had 20 acres and many crossed our land. More on this later.

I gassed up for the afternoon and hit the field.

I knew that the handling was a bit tricky with engine mounted just in front
the drive tire but that was what was so fascinating.

A throttle cable just didn't work because you had to grip the plywood and 2x2
with your right hand and also hang on whilst leaning as hard as you could.

The circle started.
Tighter we went.
Lightness was felt.
Liftoff.
The perfect circle on two wheels.

I`m not sure how much longer I spent smiling, but it was a good afternoon indeed.

Before dinner I asked mom if Joey Chitwood called.

She said no, is he a friend of PeeWee`s?

[gofastsandman]

When we first started all of this wonderful nonsense, it was just a few.
I used to glimpse Mrs. Kelly at a window now and then.

She was watching the fun.

[strick]

Wonderful reading Sandy. You remind me of my little brother (9 years younger) 10 times smarter then me he could MacGyver just about anything. Whenever I get into a technical dilemma I still give him a call. Often he will come over and help me out. When he was a kid I could not tell you how many tools I lost because of him lol. Back then I would get mad at him all the time for taking my stuff...now I realize it was sort of an investment...one he has paid back many times over.....Looking forward to more of your childhood stories.

strick