Spent 20 minutes at a county fair watching an old V8 engine display run on a test stand

I was at the Douglas County Fair last weekend with my grandkids. There's this older guy, probably in his 70s, who brings a flathead Ford V8 every year. It's not even in a car, just sitting on a homemade wooden stand with belts and a radiator. He fired it up and it ran smooth as glass. No computers, no sensors, just mechanical timing. Reminded me why I got into this trade in the first place. Has anyone else found something simple like that that got you back to basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_white9925d ago

I actually read an article in Hemmings last month about these old stationary engine displays. The writer was saying how guys will rebuild these old industrial engines just to run them at shows, not even to put in anything. There's something about hearing that mechanical rhythm, watching the fan belt spin and the oil pressure hold steady. My neighbor has a 1950s Briggs and Stratton he pulls out for our block party every year. He just runs it for an hour and people stand around watching like it's a magic trick. Makes you realize how far we've come but also what we've lost in the process.

miles82524d ago

Check the oil before you start it, old engines sit dry and the rings can seize up quick.