The second batch of pictures.

I'm going to get back to motorscooters after I post these. I don't call this site "Scooterplace" for nothing.

However, these were all taken on day two.

Possum's eye view

I trained my pet 'possum to take digital pictures and here is one he took of our car.

One of the strange things about this blog is that everything comes out backwards. For example, the "first" pictures are all down below this post and the ones I just took are going to be above. I suppose you could start at the bottom and work up, but why bother? The pictures will still look the same.

Our new / old car is here.

It looks good finally parked in our garage. It took a long time, but you can't change a basket case into a show piece over night. This is not just your average bug. When you get in there, you see a speedometer and little else. There is no digital clock, no gas gauge, no tach, no cruise control. The gas pedal is a roller, and there are three knobs; a manual choke, headlights, and windshield wiper. The location of the front turn signals, the roller gas pedal and the small rear window make this bug different from most others on the road. Those features all changed after 1957.

In order to get into reverse, you push down on the shift lever, then pull it to the left and come straight back. When you shift out of reverse, you are in neutral of a normal H shift pattern with 1st gear forward and 4th to the right and back. There is no 5th gear.

As you can see in the picture of the back, it has tail lights and a rear window that are miniture versions of those on later model Volkswagens. Visibility to the rear is limited by the small oval window, and a tiny left side mirrow doesn't help much. There is no mirror on the right.

The car even has a few options. There is a sunroof, an AM radio, and some little chrome dodads on the front of the rear fenders to protect them from flying gravel.

This model only had one support for the trunk lid, so there is a prop rod in the trunk painted the same color as the body. Did I mention that the trunk is up front like an elephant?

The engine is in the rear. It is a horizonally opposed, four-cylinder, air cooled, and much like those used in Piper cubs and other light aircraft. It even has an airplane sound. It goes much faster than you would expect with only 36 horsepower. Economy is good. The gas tank holds just over 10 gallons, and that is good for more than 300 miles. There is no antifreeze to buy for air cooled engines, and an oil change requires only 2.5 quarts of oil. The whole thing weighs about 1500 pounds.

Some film pictures

These two pictures and the next four were on film and I had to scan them into the computer. The little motorcycle is a 1966 Benelli that was built in Italy. Montgomery Ward sold it as a "Wards Riverside." It has four speeds and a 50 cc engine. It runs very well, but it's noisy an hard to shift. The red Allstate is a 1953 model that was made by Cushman, and sold by Sears.

Maxine on a Vespa

My sister, Maxine, on a 1972 Vespa Rally 180. This scooter is equipt to run with modern traffic.

Barn fresh

Typical of "barn fresh" Cushmans, this 1946 beauty needs a little work. It has a lot of incorrect parts, but very little rust. It was actually found in a basement, but the "barn fresh" label can be flexable. I have already completely disassembled this scooter. Many of the parts are ready for painting. I am now waiting for the engine to come back from the restorer. Except for some welding, and the engine, I expect to do most of this one myself.

1961 Cushman Highlander model 721

Charcoal gray and butter yellow. This Highlander has a 5 hp Husky engine that came from a 1957 Cushman Pacemaker.

My first Cushman

This is my model 52 Cushman. It was new in 1947, restored in 1995. Four horsepower, single speed, very easy to ride.

The land of unfinished projects.

There they sit. Two Vespas with fuel system problems. If you don't run them from time to time they gum up.

Over there is the Honda C70 Passport that I wanted so badly. It is going to have to have a new carburetor.

And that old '46 Cushman is completly disassembled and most of the parts are cleaned up. The holdup is mostly sand blasting and welding, but until the engine is ready, I suppose there is no hurry. I sent the engine off to Lloyd, and he is more than likely backed up with several others ahead of mine. I have new tires sitting here in the den. With the box closed, they make a nice coffee table.

I got the Cushman 711 Highlander running pretty good. It needs a tire and a little fine tuning by someone who knows carburetors better than me. I really don't trust that back tire over 35 mph, but I don't know if it would go that fast anyway. A blown tire will dump you at very low speed.

The old '53 Cushman Pacemaker is sitting there ready to go, but it looks bad. At least it has new tires. Someday I'm going to take that engine to Lloyd. It still runs good, and has plenty of power, but it smokes a little. It's a square block engine which means that I can have Lloyd put in a better cam, and it should run with the cast iron Eagles.

The Benelli still runs. It's noisy and shifting is a guessing game. I'd rather ride a Cushman.

The Eagle still looks like a 43 year-old unrestored Cushman, mainly because that's what it is. It is running better and better as I continue to learn about the carburetor. I have the Carter model N on there now with a Bendix Zenith waiting in the wings. The Bendix probably needs a little magic.

My old '47 Cushman, the one that started it all, needs some stuff like fuel lines and wires hooked up. It still looks good, but almost everything I have will get up a hill better.

That charcoal and yellow Highlander is a sharp looking Cushman, but it needs an air cleaner, and I'm sure the carb is gunked up again.

There are still those two Honda NC 50's sitting there next to the green Vespa. One doesn't have a carburetor and the other won't run either. They have that oil injection system that is a complete mystery to me. They are fun when they run and as easy to ride as a bicycle.

The Allstate still leaks oil, but it is a classy looking scooter when you get it away from it's puddle. Runs good too.

There are some other non-scooter projects lying around unfinished. I think I need to have myself cloned. If I was twins or triplets, I might get some of this stuff finished.
Howard