There’s a fairly new Social Media site for Conservatives called Parler. It was created about a year ago. It has some growing pains, but they appear to working them out. All of the known conservative suspects post there. Trump, Sean Hannity, Bongino, Malkin, Tucker Carlson, Newt, Rush, Levine, ….
NO advertising. No heavy handed moderating.
Everyone keeps screaming that they wish there was a Social Media site run by Conservatives – well here it is. Sign up and check it out. It will someday be the Facebook without Community Double Standards.
In 1948, a Houston, Texas car dealer by the name of R. J. ‘Dick’ Jackson was an avid golfer. He was not only a member of River Oaks Country Club (their old golf course is the oldest in Texas), his home was off one of the holes. Dick also had a severe case of Arthritis, and found it difficult to walk the course.
Another Member of the club was Preston Moore, who is the first cousin of former Secretary of State James Baker. Preston rode a Cushman Scooter and that gave Jackson an idea. Jackson asked Moore where he bought the scooter, and he told him Watson Cushman on Louisiana St.
Jackson went to Watson Cushman, bought a 1949 Model 60, took it to his dealership and modified it with a front bench to carry three (some sources say four, but they’d better be skinny) golfers and four sets of clubs behind them. There is also a holder for a patio umbrella to shade the driver and golfers. He named it the “Arthritis Special” and patented the design. River Oaks gave him special permission to use it because of his medical condition. Shortly after he received permission to use the “Motorized Golf Buggy”, a few other members also wanted permission to use one. Jackson sold the patent to Watson, his company made a few for the other members.
In time, River Oaks’ members complained of the engine noise, kick starting noise, engine smoking, the dust kicked up by the motorized golf buggies – and they were banned from the club. It would be a few more years before motorized golf carts would be sold in design more similar to today (albeit two rear drive wheels and one front steering wheel – often steered by a tiller), most using a Cushman motor.
I bought this 1949 “Arthritis Special” as part if a five Cushman vehicle lot, from an 85-year-old collector, who is liquidating due to his declining health. He claims that serial number 1111 is the first made by Watson. I know of only three other survivors. A yellow one in Canada, a green one in a private collection, and a blue one on displayed at a Top Rated golf club.
Mine is 100% complete, but I’ve not yet had a chance to work on restoring it. It will be many months before I can get to it. Until I do start the restoration, I’m offering this rare piece of history for $10,000. I understand that it will take a special golf fan, or another top country club to be interested, but I thought I’d throw it out there in case. If not sold by the time I can get to it, I’ll take off the market until the restoration has been completed. I have no title to the Golf Buggy – the seller claiming it wasn’t titled because it was never Street legal. It is to be sold on a Bill of Sale.
So I’ve been selling my car collection as part if my life downsizing – and taken a liking to smaller toy – Cushman vehicles. I’ve recently acquired 8 of these vehicles. I’ll tell about each of these in time – but first the Rat bike.
I bought this from an 85-year-old man in north central Texas. He had a couple of shelters (and I use that term lightly) where he kept a collection of rough but Restorable Cushmans and other stuff.
While there I bought 5 of 6 best he had.
I arrive home in the evening, and unloaded my trailer.
The next day, Frankenstein the Rat bike, was the first to have its attention drawn to it.
It is an Eagle frame with some type of 4 cylinder military engine, of which I really know little. The old man had some fun trying to make it look like an Eagle trying to catch its prey. He says its stupid fast, claiming could beat his son’s Harley.
After a couple of hours, the motor was made to run, and appears to run well. I haven’t ridden it yet as it needs a couple of chains and brakes. I have a couple of out of state races over the next couple of weeks, so it will be awhile. I plan to keep it as a Rat Bike, and will most likely flip it after its running good and safe.
I’m done with NASCAR. They’d been on Death Watch with me since most drivers became Yankees and West Coasters, The Car of Tomorrow, and Toyota. This was final nail for me. The liberals won NASCAR.
Starting to list 31 cars, trucks, motorcycles and 3+ containers of parts, before I move the rest of the stuff in the old shop next Wednesday. I listed over 100 items today, and figure I’ll have about 10,000 to list before its all done. I’ll try to list a couple 100 a week until done. Check weekly.
Feel free to list anything you’re selling there. Its free because the more stuff listed, the more browsers Google brings – so what’s free to everyone is also good for me.
Its with a heavy heart that I have to report that my best friend Buster went to the great racetrack in the sky. His health was dropping like a lead balloon over the last couple of years, but in the last couple of months he’d lost it all. I just didn’t have the heart to put him down, but he let me know that he just needed to chase squirrels in the Happy Hunting Ground. The vet broke the (Covid-19) rules and let me be with him as I insisted that I owed it to him to be there to the end.
Superbird
I had someone blowing up my dress that he wanted to buy my B5 Blue, V-code, 4-speed Superbird. So I took it out of the bubble, cleaned it up, tuned her up. Turns out the guy was all talk but too scared to pull the trigger.
I figure as long as I had to bust ass to make it ready, I might as well push hard to sell. If you know anyone interested, information and photos can be found at www.OldHippie.com
Red, White & Blue
Gone through about 35 gallons of paint at my Barnominium/Race Shop. The pictures tell the story.
Magnum
If you’ve been following along Ginger, my 78 Magnum XE, you’ll know that so far I’ve
Put a pump gas drag race big block motor in the car
Street Strip 727 transmission
8.75″ rear end from a 74 Charger, with a Suregrip an 3.55:1 gears
March Serpentine Pulley system
Schumacher headers to dual 2.5″ exhaust, with Flowmaster 40s
Gear Vendors Overdrive to Victory Driveshaft
Brand new Polyurethane paint
And most recently a Holley Sniper throttle-body EFI
The newest update was to take the dull bumpers off the GT I have, have them powder-coated gloss black, and put them on the Magnum XE. The bright chromed bumpers will go on the GT.
And finally, I ordered a pair of new leaf springs and hardware from Espo Springs and Things. She should be finished now.
Sharknose, Step through & Eagle
Many years ago, while racing at NHRA’s Hot Rod Reunion at Bowling Green, KY – I saw one of the Racers running around in an early 60s Harley Davidson 3-wheeled tiller steered golf cart. I decided that would be a natural for a Nostalgia Super Stock drag racer like me, who races a 1960 Plymouth wagon, to have instead of my 15 year old Yamaha golf cart. Then I saw the Cushman Sharknose golf carts made between 1962-1964. I knew that was what I needed as a pit cart.
Years prior to that, I dreamed about some day finding a nice 40s or 50s Step through Scooter, like I saw in my Archie comic books in the mid-60s. Jughead rode one.
Well a couple of weeks ago I stumbled onto a lot of Cushmans that included a 1961 Sharknose with the high speed rear axle, three speed transmission. The original 8hp motor had been replaced by a 23hp Vanguard. The step through scooter is mid-50s Model 70 Turtleback. The other bike is a 58 Cushman Eagle.
I ran up to Tulsa last week and bought them back. The scooter is pretty quick, and the golf cart will hit an incredibly unsafe 60 mph. I really haven’t played with the Eagle yet. I have big plans for all, but that’s for another day.
Mailster
I’ve also been looking for a Mailster from the Late 50s and Early 60s. While your standard mailman’s leather bag was limited to 35 pounds when I was a kid, the mailman with a Mailster had 500 pounds of mail on board. They were later replaced by little Jeeps – as they weren’t very durable – and a little snow crippled them. There were mainly two different manufacturers of Mailsters. The Cushman above, and the Westcoaster below.
I just bought a very rough Westcoaster Mailster that I’ll pick up Wednesday. I’d prefer the Cushman, but the price was right so I’ll decide what I’ll do with it when I get it home.
Allante
I have two Allantes. The blue one I bought new in 93. It’s had an AC leak. It was finally fixed by first replacing the evaporator, which required dropping the engine cradle, then it wouldn’t charge – requiring replacement of the compressor. That was an equal pain in the ass to remove and replace. Now its all converted to R134 and I hope will last as long as I last.
I also have a Polo Green 93 that had been in storage. I brought it to the shop to be gone through, so I can sell.
Black Bettie & Billie Sue
As Buster got too old to go racing anymore, a new race dog was going to need to be groomed. Buster was a huge (135 pound) English Lab. My wife doesn’t like male dogs because of their size and independence, English Labs because they shed, or labs in general – because they shed. She wanted me to get a Labordoodle, because they don’t shed – but they’re two time Poodle and one part Lab. I don’t want a freakin homo dog! We finally compromised on a female American lab, as they’re smaller. So January a breeder with litter born on Christmas let us check them out. We did and put a deposit on one, to be picked up in February.
In February we went to pick out a female. Since this was to be my dog, I picked the biggest female – who came right to me. However, my wife had her eye on a different one. The breeder said she could have a second for half price, and that’s how no labs turned into two.
Having two Lab pups is very challenging, but also fun. They’re now 5 months old, have been to a race, hang with me at the shop, and love to swim. They’ll be much like Buster, especially Black Betty, the one I chose. Below are some photos as they’ve grown.
Trailer Work
On the single enclosed trailer I’ve been outfitting, I wired a roof fan,
Mounted a pair of batteries to power all of the DC power, and an inverter
originally 1 battery
mounting a pair of batteries with cut off and management
getting it all wired up, along with a track radioCharging lugs
I still have a little work, like an inverter and a charger for when I run a generator.
Also made some backing plates to mount a very secure puck lock for the door.
