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As of today February 23 2024 I'm the proud owner of a C595. It's a 1984 complete with a 3 point hitch and a pto. Took some work and determination but it's sweet and well worth the effort.

Eshelman Garden Tractors and so much more. The Cheston Eshelman Company manufactured several garden tractor models with one, two, three or four wheels to fit the needs of any gardener. One of the unique features of Eshelman tractors was the use of cast iron and cast aluminum body parts rather than sheet metal. They also built mowers, tillers micro-cars, scooters, postal delivery vehicles, motor scooters, pleasure boats, aircraft, golf carts, snowplows, trailers, and more. Eshelman also built dreams of the future. When Mike Vance popularized the phrase "thinking out of the box" he must have had Cheston Eshelman as a template for that expression. His moto seemed to be if everyone’s going that way, I will go this other way. Yeah, I’m gonna stumble but I’m also gonna stumble upon an idea no one else came up with. To say that he was unorthodox is an understatement. According to a July 19, 1942 article in the Kansas City Star newspaper (article below), Eshelman had been rescued from a 1939 crash into the Atlantic Ocean 173 miles east of Boston. He told the fisherman who saved him that he had been on his way to Mars in his rented airplane. His pilot’s license was revoked. A couple of years later Eshelman designed and built a successful prototype flying wing aircraft. He boasted that his design would make all existing aircraft prehistoric and obsolete. A newspaper article called it a “Flying Flounder.” Eshelman contacted President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942 urging him to allow Eshelman to build these planes for the military. Roosevelt wasn’t interested which may have saved the lives of an untold number of pilots. Since the skis seemed a bit unfriendly Eshelman had the brainstorm to buy surplus steel airplane fuel tanks from the military, and repurpose them as a “Rocket Boat,” capitalizing on the space craze of the day. Eshelman didn’t stop there. He next set his sights back on the open waters with a concept for a combination boat/car, patented in 1961. One of the more interesting features of the amphibious car is a sliding canopy, so the vehicle could be used for all-weather boating, not just on sunny days. Unfortunately, this idea never materialized, even in prototype form. In the 1953 Eshelman’s ventured into small mail-order cars advertised in magazines. Small ads appeared in the back of Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Science, Better Homes and Garden, and other magazines offering "cars" for just a few hundred dollars. The "Sport Car", a basic $295 15 MPH "Child's Sport Car" for two children powered by a 2 HP Briggs & Stratton engine, and the $395 25 MPH "Adult Sport Car" for one adult which featured the three-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine, battery-operated head and tail lamps, but no charging system for the battery, seat-cushion upholstery, and trademark chrome "rocket" emblems on its sides. A factory brochure advertised 70 MPG fuel consumption and claimed the car was Ideal for short trips. When it's too far to walk—to the shopping center, to the beach, to work—this little car is the perfect 'runabout'. Even the children can use it about your property. It's so easy to operate and sturdily built. Add an Eshelman trailer cart and it's perfect for hauling and light delivery. Early models had belt drive to a simple lever-operated forward/reverse friction transmission between the rear wheels. This transmission was under the bench seat, and drove power to serrated, cast iron "gears" which drove the wheels through friction to the 2.25x10 semi-pneumatic tire treads. Braking was done by reversing the transmission. This system resulted in heavy tire wear and was soon replaced by a drive belt from an engine-mounted centrifugal clutch to a jackshaft under the seat, and chain drive to sprockets on one rear wheel. The new brake system used paddles to the rear tire treads to stop. Even vice president Richard M. Nixon had an Eshelman connection in 1955 when he was photographed at a gasoline pump "fueling" a Child's Sport Car in a March of Dimes "Fill 'Er Up for Polio" publicity campaign while holding the pump nozzle at the car's rear (most Eshelman cars were fueled under the hood). Though he was a dreamer. he realized the majority of his income came from selling lawn tractors and gardening apparatus so he got his head out of the sky and his feet back on dry land thinking of more practical vehicles like garden trucks and service carts. 1958 he landed a sizable contract to build three-wheeled delivery vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service. In 1965 Eshelman began selling "real" cars, 2,400-pound, six-cylinder engine cars named the Golden Eagle. Regrettably these cars already had another name: Corvair! He bought them in large quantities and changed the badging and trim including a gold-colored Eshelman insignia. General Motors promptly obtained a Cease-and-Desist order against Eshelman. He continued to market the appearance package for those who wished to apply them to their personal cars. Corvair connoisseurs consider the Golden Eagle to be the most collectable models ever produced. His last hurrah was the marketing of his patented "crash absorber," a pioneering 15 mph energy-absorbing front bumper fashioned from a vehicle's spare tire. He often demonstrated the bumper by ramming his own car into retaining walls. In 1967, Eshelman produced the final Eshelman Golden Eagle Safety Cars based on new 1967 Chevrolet Novas, all equipped with front "crash absorbers" sold through used-car dealerships. Cheston L. Eshelman was one-of-a-kind. No one before or since built such colorful and unorthodox machines for the air, land and water. He died in 2004 at age 87, definitely having brought plenty of smiles to people’s faces with his creations.

312-8 and 316-8

Refreshed some front rims using a card board trim. (we don't have playing cards). lol just cut an oval out overlap the pieces, of course got to push the bead down some.

Who on earth would do such a thing? I mean come on! 😜

hi pullstart, it is a C195 with a forward swept axle from a 520. i agree...looks good!

Way back when, I used to have a 71 Maverick Grabber. 302 V8, 2 barrel carb, 4 speed, duel point ignition, headers, aluminum slot racing wheels, Hurst Competition Plus shifter, Hayes Street Stip clutch. Might say a little too much car for a young teenager to be behind the wheel of. Then again some of my other friends were driving a 66 GTO, 67 Firebird, 70 Trans AM. Grace of God none of us ever wrecked because back then you could also legally drink when you were 18. I have a lot of memories with that car. Was the second car I ever owned. First car was a 70 VW Karmann Ghia. My parents were very strick about me paying for my own car, paying my own insurance, paying for any maintenance and repairs. So naturally I got a speeding ticket in that car and had my licence suspended. So then Im 17 yrs old trying to get auto insurance with a speeding ticket and suspended licence. High risk... Cha Ching cha ching cha ching learned my lesson. To this day the only speeding ticket I ever got. Like I said earlier.... a lot of memories.

Good eye, I would assume that's why it sat all those years unwanted...no one wants a 4 door Maverick, except me, I saved it from the crusher. I'm not a Ford guy but this car has grown on me.

Out with the inline 6 and C4 automatic, going in a fresh 289 and 4 speed toploader manual transmission.

Well, I Got it. Thank you for your cost insights. Let me get it all home and figured out what is what!! It sorta makes glad that I am cleaning them all up finding a new home for one or two of the WH’s.

Yes, it can be used for a Wheel Horse engine. The part is not necessarily WH it's Lauson/Tecumseh engine part. The 2 vertical fuses on that board should be diodes, not glass fuses. The diodes are used so it works as a rectifier to charge the battery. The fuses on it won't allow it to work the same as it should. It's a 3 amp unregulated charge system. Common on the early H55 and H60 engines. Probably others a s well

Like the ‘57 I have waiting in the barn for me, it being a 4 door had no real big collector value. It’s perfect for the family to hop in and take a cruise though!

Hello everybody, it's been awhile since I've posted, but I've just sanded down the hood on the 1969 charger 12 to look like patina, don't know how good of a job I did, but the idler pulley also went, so I replaced that as well. Got some chains put on it for the remaining months of winter too.

If you want a family cruiser..... nothing beats a 5 door !!! My 91 Caprice

Looks an awful lot like the '84 I had. It had a KT19 in in that was somewhat of a smoker. Buyer put a P220 in it and brought it to Portage Show. Is a beast. Don't remember the swept axle tho. Had a beast of a tiller with it too. A niece having fun on it @Pullstart

Made our first trout stocking this morning.

I went to a woodworking show this afternoon and, as you’d expect, there were dealers there selling old tools. One gentleman had a nice assortment of planes, braces, spokeshaves, clamps, and other things that he’d cleaned up and oiled for presentation. Most things are ready to use. Among the expected assortment of Braces and Eggbeater hand crank drills (I don’t know what the real name for these things is) he had this Millers Falls unit that was a combination Brace and eggbeater. Neither I nor dad had ever seen one before. I did a quick search online this evening and they don’t seem to be super rare or unusual. It doesn’t strike me as easy to use, but it is interesting. Thought I’d share. I’m tempted to go back tomorrow and buy it as a wall hanger. Steve @formariz

While we got your ear Cas @formariz would you be interested in these. I'll never use them but would like to see them go to a sliver wizard that would. Basement bargain price of $1.00 Cas don’t want them lemme know Steve.

The vinyl top was shot, I'm not a fan of it as it retains moisture and could rot out the metal underneath, especially around the window seal. Also replacement vinyl is very expensive. I opted instead to do something a little different. It is a material called Rock guard, similar to bedliner but not as thick, still gives a textured look. It is marketed for lower rocker panels on vehicles but can be used as an alternative to replacing a vinyl top. You can get it mixed in pretty much any color you want.

My first car was a '70 Maverick. It was orange, 6 cylinder, three on tree. No air conditioning. I drove it to trade school that I attended half day my senior year of high school. I believe Mavericks were advertised at selling for $1,999. I think mine cost a little over $2,200 If I remember, one advertisement for the Maverick showed some women changing the front fender and it was sold as a vehicle you could repair yourself. For Christmas present from my folks, I got a set of recapped snow tires. I didn't keep it very long because I traded it in for a new 1971 El Camino. I picked it up on the day my senior class practiced walking the aisle for my graduation ceremony. I depended upon the girl walking with me to tell me what to do. I still have the El Camino and drove it yesterday. I'm pretty sure the El Camino cost $3,688.00. I have the window sticker somewhere.

I got the shelf's and tool storage installed today. Now to build the tool holders.

Here is a Then and Now photo. Glad Ford brought the name back but not excited about it being a truck.

Fender installed along with seal gas lift bracket Seat installed. Seat gas lift seems weak so I installed a new one. New one uses ball mounts instead of the eyelet style so balls had to be installed. Seat stays up better with the new gas lift. Turned on the lights and the taillights both work.

Here's the same car, in 2020, the day we brought it home from the bone yard.

15 Amp circuit Sure it was either a bad connection or worn out recep. I installed this about 30 yrs. ago. Old house. When the front load washer has an unbalanced load it shakes the floor pretty good and of course the wall. All of that bouncing around takes it's toll. I don't remember what grade recep I used way back then but I used to top level HD grade on the repair. Funny story about the word Receptacle. Years ago at work our electrician was looking at paper work from a Grainger order we just got. He says " This invoice says 10 black receptacles came in. I didn't order any. Where are they? " I pointed behind him to the stack of 10 black trash cans the grounds crew ordered!

Back then I didn't hold on to my cars very long. My father was in the car business and would come up with deals for me. However I did hang on to that Maverick until I was into my twenties. I finally traded it to some guy for a 71 El Camino and some cash. I had some nice cars. Wish I had a few of them now. I would settle for even some pictures of them. Back then everyone didn't have a camera in their pocket like we do now.

Yup. Spring is getting close. We got a green milkshake from the golden arches the other day.

I have been fairly happy with this setup. Use loading ramps to get tractor on them. I have a set of arched ramps I use and they lock into a channel on the back of the stands. Actually really stable and not sketchy

Just picked up a vintage Clark-Feather valve spring compressor #CF-19. This was the original design and they sold them to Mac tools, Snap on etc. Saw many new ones on e-bay and amazon that had a lot of complaints. This thing for $15 worked like a charm. I buy vintage tools when ever possible. So much better than the china junk out there now.

Never had a truck of my own. I always borrowed dad's or my father in laws for my horse wrangling adventures. Today I changed that. I hope to get years and years of service out of this rig! 2024 Ram 2500 Big Horn.

They are relatively scarce. I own that particular model. “ egg beater” section comes off so brace is used as a plain one. I see also three auger extensions on table. Good to have. Curious what they are asking for it. Anything under $150.00 is a good buy.

That's an interesting alternative 🤔

I usually just keep a notepad on top but I had to use the top to keep stuff out of my way. I have to have a stool to see in the top so I don't keep much in there. I have to open the lid every so often to remind myself what is up there.

@dmac You should lower it some and put Moon caps on it. Somebody campaigned a 4 door Maverick in the 70's sucessfully. I think it was in the one of the stock classes. Called it the Tijuana Taxi. The rules gave the four door some sort of weight break.

Checked the outlet and plug with it not running with a laser thermometer 71° After 10 minutes of run time 73°

C-595 or C-525 ? Either way, it's a beast.

What's the long term plan for it? Keeping or selling?

@D_Mac thank you for sharing your story. I love hearing of days past. What a nice ride, what became of your Maverick? Ive had a few vehicles that ive been sorry that i either traded or sold, never again, im holding on to what I got.

Found a couple more. I wonder how many lost tools I really have.

Back in the 80's and 90's I used to go to auctions several times a week. I've accumulated lots of my tools there. I bought a lot of old Ridgid pipe wrenches at these auctions and I still use them today. I have all sizes from 6 inch up to about 36 inches and I got them cheap.

Sounds like you have a plane. Just take your time with it and most of all ENJOY THE RIDE. I did this a few years ago because the p/o only did the out side it basically had three shades of red. Did not want to do this but it looks better than three shades of red.

OK so maybe it's a liiiiiiiittle unconventional....

Second verse just for @Pullstart, I once was lost but now am found, was hidden but now can be seen.

I got the tool rack and shelf frames tacked together and temporarily installed to get some measurements to complete the frame for the tool holders then I will finish installing the insulation and plywood around the window before final install. I will have my cordless tools, battery's, charger, and some misc. hand tools (wrenches, crescent wrenches, screwdrivers, and a couple of hammers) hanging on this rack.

72. Raider 12.

68 Charger 12

I'm ready for warm weather so I can dig the collection out of hibernation. This is a picture of my 12 automatic from last summer

Dug up a couple of side shots with no snow in them & SUNSHINE, (which here we've not seen in a month).