I was so aggravated at the bike when it wouldn't run at Portland, I brought it home & didn't touch it till last night.....nothing like waiting till the last minute huh....

I finally got the Kubelwagen project finished & been having fun with it.  I"ve still got a studebaker in the shop that needs a lot of attention, but just didn't want to miss out on portland.  I'm sweating right now that the new battery for the little blue honda will show up tomorrow....we plan to leave tomorrow night.
Mike & Sonya

Hello....if any of you remember who I am....sorry I've been away for so long.  Sonya & I will arrive sometime Thursday.

Remember how my bike wouldn't stay running when I brought it last time?  It was a stupid mistake inside the flywheel (I'll post a pic in the motor section later).

Will be glad to see you again at Portland.
Mike & Sonya

Sonya & I drove home last night after the banquet, just under 300 miles.  Went thru a pretty strong rain in Indianapolis & took a 2 hour nap at a rest area.  Got home right at 3am.

Sorry to have missed so many of you.  Next year won't have a reunion to interfere so will be able to come sooner.....we'll be like the old timers....come early, leave early.....

They had separate cash door prizes for kids under 12...that was a nice idea....

Reese won the long distance award!  I came up goose egg for any door prizes....
Mike Sal

Although it may have appeared that I fell off the face of the earth, Sonya & I are still kicking.  We have a high school reunion this weekend, so won't arrive till Sunday afternoon unfortunately.  Save a few bargains for us!

Sorry I've not been active with the group for a while, but I've had too many things going on all at the same time....just not enough hours in the day!!!  I actually pulled up the roster today at lunch & will be working on updating it.  I know several guys have written  to me with updates.
seeya
Mike Sal

I want to call it quits in 4 years if Sonya will let me......

Quite the deal about that delta flight going off the runway today.
Mike S

Yes, I've been busy getting the repro Kubelwagen ready for the upcoming reenacting season.  I've discovered that using metal from old washing machines works pretty good for small forming jobs.  I've been using my HF throatless shear a lot over the last couple weeks.  Ya, the casting was pretty rough & needed to be reworked when I got it about 5 years ago.  The mounting surface was so bad that I still have to put a shim under one corner when I clamp it down to the work table.

For punching holes, if you can find the fake whitney punch tools that come from Taiwan instead of china, the quality is much better.

Yes, the aluminum fenders are a lot faster to fab than steel.  Don't be afraid to use a rose bud torch to anneal the steel inbetween workings. 

Regarding the dimples for the fork tubes, you might make the female portion by making a cast of that area from an original that you can use to shove the dowels against in a press.
Mike Sal

The Studebaker I see buried in there is a '56 Hawk (can't tell which one....they made 4 versions that year).  Tell your buddy, if he hasn't already, to get it registered with the studebaker drivers club.  They have a registry for all surviving '56 Hawks (that was the first year for the Golden Hawk models).

What an estate sale this is going to be......
Mike Sal

"......an you can get anything you want, at Alice's restaurant....."