Engines bought, engines sold and pedal power...

It's only Saturday morning here at the Flats but so far things are going well. I have completed the sale of one of my very desirable Buick nailhead V8 engines to CA where it will be used in vintage racing competition on the West coast as well as the Goodwood series races in England where the car is right now. I am very excited about this because the car has some great history behind it being built in 1959 and still racing today after being restored by present owner Ernie who has been a very nice guy to deal with. Famous drivers such as Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney, Bob Bondurant, and many others have driven this car over the years. I was lucky enough to buy this engine in the first place with the help of my pal Bob Cattelino from WI. It is a 425 cubic inch engine that has been rebuilt but will undergo many upgrades and dyno testing now and possibly another rebuild if they deem it necessary. So that has been fun for me to be a part of. You can read more info on the car here: http://oldyeller2.com/

Otherwise, my day off yesterday (Friday) was a good one as my trusty sidekick Cuzzin Deke and I drove about an hour or so north and west to Beloit where my friend Mike sold me a very nice Pontiac straight eight engine and tranny. It came from a 1953 Pontiac and I was happy to get it. Plans are to reassemble it and get it running on the test stand and see how it performs. My helper Blake will begin that process this weekend I hope. Always fun to see these things roar back to life after sitting around someone's shop for a few years. Here is a photo from yesterday after we loaded it up at Mike's shop.

Upon leaving there we headed south on the back roads and stopped in scenic Lincoln, KS to eat lunch at the Hungry Hunter cafe downtown. We had huge hamburgers and fries and iced tea. This is Deke's (Dick) home county where he grew up and he reminisced some while we were there and told me some cool stories. It was not a big day but a good one.
My Saturday so far this morning included a bike ride down the gravel street a few blocks to get what's left of my hair cut off. It was cold but not terrible and in fact should climb into the 40's today. On my ride back home I took Maple street (the highway) which is our main street and our only paved road in this town. It was a slow ride against the wind and took a look around. Our bank is no longer open on Saturdays, our gas station is never open since the owner started getting his retirement check in the mail, our liquor store is closing this month after one year of business, and our hardware store may also close this month. Only the gun store, the BBQ place (only open on Saturday nights), the cafe (only open for breakfast and lunch), the bank, and the grain elevator remain. A sign of the times perhaps.......
Anyway, it felt good to ride my trusty vintage Worksman pedal bike again-----

And that is the latest news from small town America USA. Hope you all have a good weekend too!