[SEL] Maytag steals the show !!

[Jerry Evans]

Hi Guys,
         We had our annual show this last weekend and my camera broke !! 
I'm trying to get pics from other guys and will put them up as soon as I can.

         We, in South Africa, do not have as many engines as you guys 
overseas and our shows are much smaller but we managed to get over 300 
engines this time which makes it the biggest show in South Africa - ( What 
the hell - make that "Africa" :-)).

         The first show that I attended at this club ( I was not a member 
yet - this is when I got afflicted with this old iron sickness) was in mid 
2004. They had about 40 engines on display so the news is good. The hobby 
is alive and thriving in South Africa. 3 years later - over 300 engines!

         I can only imagine what your overseas shows are like with so many 
more engines running.

         The great news is that my Maytag stole the show !! (Sorry Dave). 
It ran beautifully and the temporary (which may become permanent) muffler I 
made for it blew smoke (and "smoke rings" when the breeze was still) all 
day (for 2 days). It started first time every time (much to my amazement) 
and really did itself proud. I ran it on a 20:1 mix with modern 2 stroke 
oil but  will later experiment with other ratios until I get the smoke 
"just right".

         It was great - there was this little Maytag, nestled amongst many 
more illustrious machines but the smoke and noise he generated assured him 
of much attention. Spectators "Ooohed and Aaaghed" over him. Questions 
abounded and ranged from "What the F--- is that?" to "It's beautiful, where 
did you get it?" and (this one is just for Dave Rotigel) "Why is it belted 
to that electric motor ?" (Just joking).

         A few problems I encountered (input welcome):
         1) He runs for about 1 1/2 hours on a litre of fuel. Is this 
normal ? I think it is quite heavy considering that he is not pulling a load
         2) It was a hot day (30 deg. Centigrade) and he was standing in 
the full sun. After he ran out of fuel I did battle a bit to start him. ( 
This does not happen at lower ambient temperatures). The problem was solved 
by putting him in a shady spot for about 1/2 an hour to cool down and then 
he started 1st kick and ran fine again.
         3) The little brute is so small and close to the ground that he 
got dirty very quickly - all those other jealous big engines blew dust and 
dirt all over him. Of course the oily smoke cloud that he generated around 
himself caused this all to stick to him. (I do not need answers to this one 
:-))

         I've added a few pictures to my Maytag page showing his new skids, 
decals and muffler. Look here if you're interested:

         <http://www.oldengine.org/members/evans/maytag/index.htm>

         The new pics are at the bottom of the page.

         I'll be looking for a Maytag Twin to display with him in the near 
future so if anyone has one for sale at a reasonable price please contact 
me off list. The brief is simple:
         a) It has to be complete and restorable. I don't want to get an 
engine and then spend a fortune on getting spares from the States.
         b) The price has to be affordable to me considering that postage 
to South Africa almost doubles my cost.
         Thanks for reading.


Keep the revs up (or down)
Jerry Evans
Near Johannesburg in Sunny South Africa.
Etched Brass Engine Plates made to order:
See:
www.oldengine.org/members/evans/plates/index.htm
or learn how to finish off your plates
www.oldengine.org/members/evans/plates/finish.htm