Evening star., 1939-01-29
Washing Machine Motor and Old Furnace Jacket to Build Auto
Heater Cover
Makes Hood
For Car
Homemade Sport
Roadster Needs
License Plates

mOtOr PROVIDES ROBERT Preston with
economical transportation-or will,
as soon as he spends 16 cents for
1899 automobile license plates.
The motor powers sport road
ster" which the 16-year r-old Bladens-
burg (Md) High School senior made
from a few pieces of lumber, four
toy wagon wheels, the steering
wheel Of a junked car and q few
miscellaneous pieces Of discarded
metal, including an old advertising
sign and the jacket of a neighbor's
furnace.
Robert. who lives at So Central
avenue, Cottage City, Md, began
work on the automobile last Sep
tember, after his parents decided
that he was "too young to have a
real car"
I'D learned to drive my fathers
car and had my drivers permit"
Robert explained, "but the folks said
I couldn't have a real Ger until
was 18. Well, you know how it is-a
fellow wants something to ride
around in, SO decided to make my
self a car"
Robert had been working during
the summer months as an assistant
to surveyor in Mount Rainier, Md,
and had saved little money"
THE car has cost me about $50
altogether" he said. Il paid SIS
for the washing machine motor, So
for the wheels, and-weI, the rest
of the money went for lumber, for
some welding I had to have done
and for odds and ends. The weld
ing was the only work wasn't able
to do myself. I had to have that
done in an automobile repair shop"
Robert built the frame or
Chassis his automobile of lum-
ber, the seat Of heavy tin cut from
an old sign and the hood from SINH
lar metal ripped from an old fur
mace.
The seat and the hood didn't
cost me anything" he said. II
found the sign and neighbor gave
me the furnace jacket when he in
stalled new heating system. The
work of cutting and shaping the
tin I did myself-and it was easy.
"As for the engine" he con-
tinued, 'it's q horsepower affair
of one cylinder, and I installed it
without any trouble. I rigged up
clutch-a simple arrangement that
looks something like the. hand
brake on real car. This clutch is
attached to leather belt on the fly
wheel of the motor When I pull it,
the belt tightens and puts the car
in gear; and when push it, the
belt loosens and lets it out of gear.
The brakes work the same way,
except that there's block of wood
on each of the back wheels to pro-
vide the braking action"
The wheels are small, but, accord
ing to Robert, their pneumatic
tires make them ride easy enough to
suit anybody"
THE only trouble with the car is
that it won't carry any passengers"
Robert declared. tits cheap to op-
crate: it only holds a gallon of fuel
gasoline and oil mixed together
and I can go about Is miles of of
that. But I couldn't take anybody
for a ride unless he sat on the hood
and then I wouldn't be able to
see"
Roberts machine starts without
difficulty, even on the coldest morn
ings. "All I have to do is step on
the starting pedal of the motor
and she pops right off" he said.
"She has only one speed-about 20
miles an hour-but I regulate it
with the clutch and the brake"
At present, Roberts automobile IS
more or less out of use, pending
purchase of those license plates.
"I was having a lot of fun with
my car until few weeks ago." Rob-
ert explained. Then I drove
around on the Baltimore boule-
ward to go to the store for my
mother and a policeman got after
me. I was ordered to stay of the
pike-to stick to the quiet streets
right here in Cottage City-or else
to get tags.
so now. I'm not doing any driv-
ing, except right here in my own
neighborhood. But tags will cost
me only Is cents for half a year
it's 80, cents per horsepower, you
know-and I'm going to send to
Baltimore for them next week, If
I get a chance. And then I'll be
able to drive wherever I want.
"Of course. though" he added,
"even when I get the tags, won't
| 60 in real heavy traffic. My doodle
bug jallopy is so little, and so close
| to the ground-the other motorists