[SEL] FENCES! now Funny Engine Tales

[Jeff Allen]

OK, my turn. Not an antique engine, but I think it should qualify.

I was about 13 or so, and trying to get a Cushman scooter to run. I don't 
know why I thought the piston might not be going up and down, but I figured 
out a great way to check it. Stick my finger in the exhaust port while my 
buddy kicked it over. Long port, short finger, and just the slightest bit of 
finger tip in the cylinder. White as a sheet and shaking all over. What the 
hell was I thinking came to my mind. Lesson learned with little damage, and 
my "buddy" rolling on the floor laughing.

Regards,

Jeff Allen
Arvada, Colorado USA

http://oldengine.org/members/allen/
http://frapa.us/

PS These stories are so much alike I kept them together.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Jacobs" <Carrowor at comcast.net>
To: <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: [SEL] FENCES! now Funny Engine Tales




-------Original Message-------

From: The SEL email discussion list
Date: 10/13/04 15:34:32
To: The SEL email discussion list
Subject: [SEL] FENCES! now Funny Engine Tales

Bob Jacobs wrote:

>That's the worst incident I've seen other than the stupid stunt I pulled.
>
>

>>OK Bob I'll bite....tell us all about it.

Ok, sure, why not.  Nobody here knows me anyhow so I won't have to hide at
the shows yet!!!!

My father and I were asked to take dad's Steamer and our gas engines to a
little show just nine miles from home.

At that time we had around 40 engines, most ran, a few looked like they
could and several for "spare parts".  The week before the show we pulled
everything out of the barn and washed them up.  Now dad and I always liked
to run them "as is".   Not the glitzy, glamour show pieces  but more of
life at the farm" exhibit.

The first day of the show was marvelous, hundreds of "hands on" people
helping out, lots of old friends of dad's sitting and swapping stories etc.
Everything a show should be.

The second morning one of dad's old friends pulled up to our area in his old 
pickup and yelled for me to help him unload an engine dad had bought 
sometime before but never picked up.  There in the truck was a near perfect 
1 1/2 hp jumbo engine.  This engine was clean, complete and perfect.  We set 
it in the shade and I started checking it over.  Good hot spark, timing 
seemed right, ignitor appeared to be good and nothing on the engine showed 
much wear at all, but she just wouldn't bark.  After several hours of 
fussing around her we pulled the ignitor for the umpteenth time and someone 
suggested that maybe fuel wasn't getting into the cylinder at all.  I, in my 
then youthfull enthusiasim, stuck my right index finger into the ignitor 
hole and (need I say anymore)?????
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