I didnt want to glom onto the post about wanting some early 9N parts (and these aint for sale), so I'll post this here:
I went to an rain-soaked auction yesterday near Lansing, Mi. because I was interested in a rough 641 if it went cheap (it didnt-2550.oo!). But all was not lost. I found an amazing stash of EARLY Ford 9N parts (and a few later ones) scattered amongst the collective debris of over 100 years of family farming:
A 9N-1000-A generator
The correct pulley for the generator (found a few rows away, in a lard tin full of saved pulleys!)
The bronze/brass sediment bulb/ fuel shut off (again, in a box of used sediment bulbs and fuel filters.)
A very nice pair of C.H. Hall lights, and a pair of later Tract-o-lites.
A hand crank. I dont know if its a Ford issued piece, but it fits my 2N and clears the bumper.
I spotted that generator, sans pulley as soon as I got to the auction, sitting on a card table full of, among other things, drill indexes and engine drip oilers. I couldnt believe it! I kept coming back to that table, ''looking'' at everything else BUT that generator so as not to tip anyone off as to its rarity and value. While I was hovering there, an auction and tractor buddy of mine came up and we started talking. We looked at the oilers, looked at the drill bits and every other thing on that table but he didnt even notice the generator, much to my relief. As we wandered off our separate ways, I found a large lard tin packed with pulleys of every size and dumped it out. Right at the bottom was the generator pulley for that generator, drowned in a few inches of collected rainwater. I reunited it with the generator and kept looking in the rows of boxes upon boxes and piles for more Ford stuff. I found the headlights in a pile of car parts from the 1920's to the mid 1970's. The early gas shut off was in a box of other fuel related bits and bobs. You can bet I scattered the scrap metal piles and combed the barn lofts looking looking for an aluminum hood and doglegs!
Once the auction commenced, I got that box with the shut off in it for 5 dollars, the same price the Tract-o-lites cost me. The C.M. Halls, due to their auctioneer-touted ''Rat-Rod'' desirability, took me a whole 20 bucks to get. The crank was in a bundle of other scrap round stock and that cost me a total of 8 dollars.
Finally, hundreds of lots and hours later, the auctioneer got to that card table with the generator on it. He sold off the oilers, one at a time, choice out, to a bunch of slow moving, indecisive gas engine collectors then spent an incredible amount of time selling 2 dollar drill indexes. I think he coulda sold them faster one drill bit at a time! Finally, FINALLY he got to that generator, but had no idea what it was. ''How much for this, this... sewing machine motor?'' he said, ''2 bucks?'' ''Sure.'', I said, then he started his banter-''I got 2, hows about 3?, alright, I got 3, gimme 4!'' I nodded, and kept nodding as the generator kept climbing, one dollar at a time, until it was now past an astronomical 20 bucks. I looked around to see who was bidding against me, and it was my friend who hadnt even noticed (I thought- the sandbagger!) the generator earlier! As the generator got passed 50 bucks the 30 or so folks gathered around became curious as to why. A pile of generators, alternators and starters had sold earlier for under 30 bucks, and a pair of Singer sewing machines didnt even get a bid. Whats the deal with this tiny ''sewing machine motor''?
75.oo and still climbing. My friend, who was totally focused on bidding finally looked across the table and saw me glaring at him, holding the high bid that was just under 100.oo. We both laughed. He said, ''Oh, is it you?'' and I said ''Yeah, and youre the only other person here that knows what that is!'' He stopped bidding and I got the generator- which, along with that brass fuel shut off, was the last major piece I need for my long-delayed 1939 N project.
A few minutes later we met up had a laugh over it. He parts out tractors and had sold one like it a few years ago for 500.oo and said I would make some good money off of it, but I told him it was for a tractor of mine and wouldnt be sold. He said ''Aw, man, if I'd known that, I wouldnt have bid against you.''
Now THATS a friend! I owe him a solid at the next auction.
Once the generator was in my sweaty hands, I gathered up the rest of my rusty swag, paid my bill and headed home. Like T.D. says in the Early 9N Parts Wanted post below, they're still out there, you just gotta keep looking. If I hadnt of went to this auction, I woulda never found these, or even knew what I had missed out on.
On the way home, going past Lansing I got caught in traffic on I-69 eastbound from a bunch of people leaving some sports game. As I crawled along at idle speed through miles of construction zones, surrounded by crazed U of M and Michigan State fans, I dismissively thought. ''What kind of idiot gets up early on a Saturday morning, drives 80 miles in stop-and-go traffic (I had hit this traffic that morning as well...) just to stand around in miserable weather for hours, with like-minded dim-wits hoping to see a big score?''
I guess I'll never understand that mindset...
I went to an rain-soaked auction yesterday near Lansing, Mi. because I was interested in a rough 641 if it went cheap (it didnt-2550.oo!). But all was not lost. I found an amazing stash of EARLY Ford 9N parts (and a few later ones) scattered amongst the collective debris of over 100 years of family farming:
A 9N-1000-A generator
The correct pulley for the generator (found a few rows away, in a lard tin full of saved pulleys!)
The bronze/brass sediment bulb/ fuel shut off (again, in a box of used sediment bulbs and fuel filters.)
A very nice pair of C.H. Hall lights, and a pair of later Tract-o-lites.
A hand crank. I dont know if its a Ford issued piece, but it fits my 2N and clears the bumper.
I spotted that generator, sans pulley as soon as I got to the auction, sitting on a card table full of, among other things, drill indexes and engine drip oilers. I couldnt believe it! I kept coming back to that table, ''looking'' at everything else BUT that generator so as not to tip anyone off as to its rarity and value. While I was hovering there, an auction and tractor buddy of mine came up and we started talking. We looked at the oilers, looked at the drill bits and every other thing on that table but he didnt even notice the generator, much to my relief. As we wandered off our separate ways, I found a large lard tin packed with pulleys of every size and dumped it out. Right at the bottom was the generator pulley for that generator, drowned in a few inches of collected rainwater. I reunited it with the generator and kept looking in the rows of boxes upon boxes and piles for more Ford stuff. I found the headlights in a pile of car parts from the 1920's to the mid 1970's. The early gas shut off was in a box of other fuel related bits and bobs. You can bet I scattered the scrap metal piles and combed the barn lofts looking looking for an aluminum hood and doglegs!
Once the auction commenced, I got that box with the shut off in it for 5 dollars, the same price the Tract-o-lites cost me. The C.M. Halls, due to their auctioneer-touted ''Rat-Rod'' desirability, took me a whole 20 bucks to get. The crank was in a bundle of other scrap round stock and that cost me a total of 8 dollars.
Finally, hundreds of lots and hours later, the auctioneer got to that card table with the generator on it. He sold off the oilers, one at a time, choice out, to a bunch of slow moving, indecisive gas engine collectors then spent an incredible amount of time selling 2 dollar drill indexes. I think he coulda sold them faster one drill bit at a time! Finally, FINALLY he got to that generator, but had no idea what it was. ''How much for this, this... sewing machine motor?'' he said, ''2 bucks?'' ''Sure.'', I said, then he started his banter-''I got 2, hows about 3?, alright, I got 3, gimme 4!'' I nodded, and kept nodding as the generator kept climbing, one dollar at a time, until it was now past an astronomical 20 bucks. I looked around to see who was bidding against me, and it was my friend who hadnt even noticed (I thought- the sandbagger!) the generator earlier! As the generator got passed 50 bucks the 30 or so folks gathered around became curious as to why. A pile of generators, alternators and starters had sold earlier for under 30 bucks, and a pair of Singer sewing machines didnt even get a bid. Whats the deal with this tiny ''sewing machine motor''?
75.oo and still climbing. My friend, who was totally focused on bidding finally looked across the table and saw me glaring at him, holding the high bid that was just under 100.oo. We both laughed. He said, ''Oh, is it you?'' and I said ''Yeah, and youre the only other person here that knows what that is!'' He stopped bidding and I got the generator- which, along with that brass fuel shut off, was the last major piece I need for my long-delayed 1939 N project.
A few minutes later we met up had a laugh over it. He parts out tractors and had sold one like it a few years ago for 500.oo and said I would make some good money off of it, but I told him it was for a tractor of mine and wouldnt be sold. He said ''Aw, man, if I'd known that, I wouldnt have bid against you.''
Now THATS a friend! I owe him a solid at the next auction.
Once the generator was in my sweaty hands, I gathered up the rest of my rusty swag, paid my bill and headed home. Like T.D. says in the Early 9N Parts Wanted post below, they're still out there, you just gotta keep looking. If I hadnt of went to this auction, I woulda never found these, or even knew what I had missed out on.
On the way home, going past Lansing I got caught in traffic on I-69 eastbound from a bunch of people leaving some sports game. As I crawled along at idle speed through miles of construction zones, surrounded by crazed U of M and Michigan State fans, I dismissively thought. ''What kind of idiot gets up early on a Saturday morning, drives 80 miles in stop-and-go traffic (I had hit this traffic that morning as well...) just to stand around in miserable weather for hours, with like-minded dim-wits hoping to see a big score?''
I guess I'll never understand that mindset...
