1947 Cushman

[chandlergti]

Hey guys, this isn't really a "build thread as much as a documentation for me if what has happened.

Little backstory; my wife's grandfather bought this in 1949 to travel from his farm at Mexican border to school in a tiny San Diego (pretty well solid city out there now).

He bought it from a man who thought it was to fast for him (haha). Rode it to school and after graduation stuck it in the barn on the dairy and didn't touch it until the early 90's.


Over ten years or so he did an amateur restoration in it making it a decent rider.



As he got older he started selling some of his accumulation off to simplify, he asked me if I would like
To have it which I couldn't say no to. I like mechanical stuff but don't really get attached to stuff; using one vehicle as a way to move on to some other derelict mechanical abomination that I think I should have. At this point I have owned his old scooter for longer than anything else I've owned or been attached to.

[chandlergti]

One issue originally was that they still lived in the San Diego area and I live in a small town in NW Ohio, not exactly a jaunt across town. My father in law was given an old Alis Chalmer and a Honda 90 so he drove out; bought a trailer and brought the scooter back as well. I rode it some, two speed trans and a tiny engine mean that I would be run over on main roads so I've never plated or insured it. Then it has really sat around most of the ten years it's been with me.

Making other projects look prettier!

[chandlergti]

Four years ago I moved to this house (the one with half a dodge truck out front) and quickly ran out of room so the cushman went in the barn.

It has remained there since and since the day I drove it to this house I have not ridden it. I've moved it from here to there never doing more.

My oldest daughter turns eleven this fall so I thought I would get it running and teach her how to ride on it, it is heavy but not fast enough to get hurt on and our two acres is a great place to test it out. I have an engine swap on a Chevy 2500hd that I'm finishing up so I will have room inside to tinker with it; hopefully that will be soon.

[chandlergti]

Eh, 15 years of pictures don't transfer to some other host so well.

My daughter rode with me when she was three or so and loved it; she is looking forward to this as well.

[westernstar]

I like. A childhood friend (mechanical genius) had a 3 wheeled cushman mail cart that he got running and drove all over the hills, lots of good times as 12-13 year olds with pellet guns and wheels. They lived down a two mile driveway with no neighbors so we roamed probably 4-5 miles. Should get some pics it's sitting in the weeds next to its replacement, a land cruiser with a 350 Chevy

[gavs1]

That's so awesome

[grizz]

Great pics.

Nice story.

Really pleased for your daughter.

[Stigian]

Cool pic.
Cool story.
Cool machine

Having just started a Cushman Truckster project with me mate Nigel, I most most surprised to see another Cushman on RR.

[chandlergti]

It won't move along so quickly as yours do haha.

I pulled it out yesternight; I had a cover from my John Deere lawn tractor over it and when I pulled it off the hip joint of a deer fell out. Not sure what had been munching it's breakfast in the cover but it must be big! I'll post some pics here after noon. Found a joint that makes parts for these so may be having a sit down with their catalog, or just make my own.

Hoping a fellow from Pennsylvania comes along next weekend to buy my SnoWay MKI VW snow plow to free up some cash for this project. Hate to see it go but not much into the Rabbit scene anymore.

[jpr1977]

Now that is a great bit of kit every mk1 owner should have... 

[chandlergti]

That's the prototype, the production version is a bit different. The owner of SnoWay said he doubts they made more than thirty of them.




It was bought by and used for the local VW dealer in 1980 through its closure in 1996. I heard of it and chased it down for three years before closing the deal on the truck and plow.

[chandlergti]

Pulled it out,

Washed it off a bit


Pulled the body

And got down to it

[chandlergti]

Oil was full, I've never changed it so I am certain it is from when the engine was built in 96. These engines are very sturdy and I doubt it has seen more than thirty hours of use since so I left that for now.

Fuel was not reaching the carb so I cleaned the tank and the pressure bowl. The bowl was full of gasket material as someone had used a cork gasket to seal it rather than a rubber seal. I happened to have a seal from the thermostat on a 500ci caddy motor (very common size for everything) so I put that in and blew the line. It was open so I removed the carb.

This is a Titilson ML series carb, they were made in Toledo Ohio not 45 miles from where I am sitting so it has come full circle in 69 years. I found that the choke had actually wallowed out the bore that it rides in which is why I have to keep a folgers can under it when it is running. The float also sticks either open or closed and is not readily repairable. Luckily Carpenter Ford is also running a sideline as Dennis Carpenter Cushman where they remake a few items for cushman. I ordered a new carb.

While waiting for it to deliver I reinstalled the old carb

and test fired it to make sure everything else is ok.

[chandlergti]

Not entirely sure how to embed that video but it runs pretty well. The clanking is from the clutch linkage since it was converted to suicide shift but all the linkages were left in place. I will zip tie that up so that it doesn't interfere with the generator.

Runs pretty well but. It leaks fuel pretty badly (worse since I disassembled it) and adjustment it shot. It also won't start sometimes and floods sometimes probably due to the internal float level plunger.

I have a play set, two picnic tables and a porch to stain yet today so probably won't work on it much more this weekend. Vacation (holiday) begins this Friday for ten days so hopefully I can accomplish much then.

[chandlergti]

Fellow drove seven hours in his slammed caddy to get the plow.


Caddy's hurt my knees, to small in the cab.

[jpr1977]

He must of really wanted the plough...

The Cushmann is looking good and hope you got what you wanted from the plough to help its rejuvenation.

[chandlergti]

I dropped this when something else came along, it went back in the barn while I figured this little machine out.


It was in the junkyard, so I bought it and the fellow said "there's another around the corner". So I grabbed it also, paid the marked up /lb price and went home.

I'll get a video of it working here tonight but between the two machines I got one working perfect. It it a tire machine for semi truck tires, it walks the tire on and off the wheel and is a real backsaver! I used to use one when I was working on trucks and knew it was useful when I saw it. Whomever had previously worked had shimmed the rotating assembly out to far which was causing the start capacitor to burn up. I removed a shim, oiled everything, took the control switch out of the extra machine apart and cleaned and put it back together and it is sweet as a peach! Score!

Now to find a buyer lol