Last car of the trip, a 1910 Sears Model L Runabout.
I have a long history with this one.
New wheels were made by Stutzman.
I rebuilt the engine a few years ago and made a few modifications. Chevy 454 pistons were a perfect fit and much lighter. Torrington needle bearings replaced bronze thrust washers.
The new pistons increased the comprsssion so Harley Davidson compression releases were added to make cranking easier.
A Holley NH carburetor was installed to replace the not-original bronze Kingston carburetor which didn't run well at all.
New fan blades were made because the originals were cracked.
The original sprockets and chains were very worn so I made new, larger driven sprockets to slow the thing down a little and give more power for climbing hills. New chains were also installed.
This car has an air cooled flat twin, friction drive and is probably the only hot-rod Sears on the planet.
The new sprockets cut the top speed down from terrifying to mildly frightening. #sgmechanicalservice #ifixstuffyoucant #sears #prewarcars #mobilemechanic
Love it. Looks 10 years earlier than it is. What is the driving experience?
@alsancle
It drives much better than the REO. 20-25mph if i had to guess, good brakes. Sharp steering.
It's tiller steering and I have a bit of a success belly so it turns left better than right.
@ShawnG 😂
@ShawnG Ha! Have never been in a tiller car.
Sears made these until 1912 and then was out of the auto business until the Allstate in the 1950s. They also sold around 70k mail order houses in the first have of the 20th century.
@BuickGuy68
I live in the prairies, Sears and Eaton's houses are everywhere.
@ShawnG Many of the houses still exist. You could get quite a nice house through the catalog, not just smaller inexpensive houses.
That tiller steering must be a hoot at 20 mph.
@tom1980
It's not that bad once you get used to it.
This car is a lot of fun and gets a lot of attention.