She is Done

That was the subject line of an email I opened from Anna last night. However I will start this tale from Friday night. After a long day at work Friday I rushed home and walked into the house a few minutes past five pm. I fed my dogs and went outside to load the Tessy truck. I left home about 5:50 pm and arrived at Tom & Anna's at 10:00pm > I met adam and his wife and we unloaded my Tessy. We then loaded Anna's Tessy in my truck.



(Photo of Anna riding a Tessy)

We went inside and had a nice evening. We all went to bed shortly before midnight. At 5:00 am my alarm awoke me. I quietly got dressed and hit the road. 2 and a half hours later I was in Worcester Mass at the historic Miss Worcester Diner having breakfast



After breakfast I dropped Anna's Tessy at the painter for some repair, And went home. Saturday evening I got a call from Anna to tell me she had just ridden my Tessy up and down the street!!!! Apparently there was a small air leak, and the Carb float and needle I purchased from Bing (the carb's manufacturer) were the incorrect ones. Any how they still had a few issues to sort out but She was running well.

Sunday night she sent me the email saying she was ready to come back to me to finish up. I still have to finish up the wiring issues. The speedo is apparently not working. The tank needs to be throughly cleaned (lot's of crap in the fuel.)

The Tessy is running and being ridden for the first time in 50 years! Thanks to Adam & Anna, I can honestly say I would have never been able to get her running. By spring I hope to have her 100% and looking as good as she runs.

One step forward, one back

Well this weekend, I installed the new wiring harness I made for the headlight and horn/ light switch. Now I just need a headlight bulb. I did find that the horn button is not working, but I will get to that soon.

Hearing from Anna that another Tessy owner had installed his new repro seat covers without a streching tool, I decided to give it a go. I cut off the old seat rubber, cleaned and painted the seat frame, and attempted to install the new cover. The key word was attempted! I spent several hours and did not get it on. I am dropping the Tessy off at Tom and Anna's this Friday for Adam to work on. I will try to use their streching tool while there to see itf that helps. Wish me luck!

Will post photos later.

Good Rainy Day

Well Yesterday was an awfull rainy day, However I managed to have a lot of fun anyhow. I needed to Drive to Shrewsbury (about an hour and twenty minute drive) To get a box of Odd Scoot parts from my friend Jay H.
While there I got to see some new additions to Jay's very cool odd scoot collection. Despite the rain Jay kindly allowed me to take a test ride on his Lambretta series II with original 1950's sidecar! Well I never drove a sidecar before, and If you never have make sure you have a large area to practice with no traffic in the way. All my Scooter riding instincts were wrong. I kept trying to lean into right turns and way under steering. What a blast to ride!! Next time I will get a bit more practice on it and it may become more natural to me.

Here is a photo of Jay giving his friend Danny a ride.

Tessy update

It's been a long while since I updated this Blog, or worked on any scoots. My knee has finally healed to the point where I can kick start a bike.

Sadly work prevented my from attending this years Bagel Brunch. Apparently this year there were 4 Tessys there. Including this sweet yellow one freshly restored by owner Joe Bednarz ( AWESOME JOB Joe ). This has inspired me to finally get mine done.

Over the next week or so I will tidy the Tessy up, and try to get it running without stalling. Then running or not I will be taking it to Tom and Anna's in New York, for there friend Adam(who is a Tessy master) to tune it up and get it running perfectly. Stay tuned....

Back from Blasters

A bit less than 24 hours after dropping off the PAV 40 at the blasters I got the call it was ready. Well she has a few more issues than I thought, but all in all in very good shape. I forgot to take photos of it without any paint but shot these after a quick coat of primer to prevent flash rusting.

Getting work done

Well, my knee issue is keeping me from trying to start the Tessy. It is also limiting what I can do while home on workman's comp. I really need to stay off my feet as much as possible. So I am working on things that I can do while seated. I finished disassembling the PAV and brought it to the media blaster.





I discussed my concern over possible warping of the lid with him he assured me he could do it without warping it, but due to using a different media and the slow speed he would have to work on the lid, the cost was prohibitive. In the end I left the body with him, and decided to strip the lid by hand. It will be ready to pickup in a few days.

Germany 1957

Well today was sunny and fairly warm, though very windy. I decided to take the Tessy out for another try. Well I have not solved the issue with the carb. I will tear it down one more time and try to fix the issue. If that does not work I will have to send it out to Bing and see if they can figgure it out.

After that frustration I put my 1957 Tessy away, and then decided to wake my other 1957 toy from its long winters nap. I went down to the storage garage where she spent the winter slipped the key in the ignition, advanced the choke, turned the key, bang she fired right up. Out I went for a ride.





this is my unrestored 1957 VW Beetle with factory sunroof. The car was repainted in a non stock color about 30 years ago, and will soon need a repaint. She has 47,000 original miles and I am the third owner. Forgive the fact that I did not clean her before the photos were taken. I drove down to the gas station for some fresh gas. Just as I finished filling her up a little old lady came up to me and said in a suprised tone "You have to fill it from under the hood?" "Yes" I said "that's is how they made them back in '57" "That car is a 1957?" She asked unbeleivingly. "Yes, that is a 52 year old car" I answered. She was flabbergasted "Well it does not look old at all" she replied. I had to laugh I often get comments on the car but this one really put a smile on my face. Hopefully soon both my '57 Tessy will run as well as the '57 Beetle.





Click on photos to enlarge

Temptation

I spotted this beauty a 1963 IWL Berlin for sale on EBAY. I want it so badly!!!! Sadly my budget won't allow me to bid on her.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Tearing in to it

Well my knee injury was not healing, so the Doctor has sent me home from work, giving me lots of spare time, but I must stay off my feet as much as possible.

I have rebuilt the Tessy carb yet again. I will try to start it again when the weather permits.

Yesterday I decided to start in on the PAV 40. I pulled off the wheel and fender. The wheel is in good shape, however the fender has had some welding done to repair damage. Some of the welds look very professional, others were horrible. I ground them down as best I could and rewelded them as best I could. I may eventully have to order a new fender from europe, but will try to make this one work for now.


The aluminum hub caps seem to be polishing up nicley.

No I need to decide what method of paint removal to use, Chem strip or sandblasting... I also need to decide on a paint scheme. I want to be able to tow it behind any scooter so I need something that will go with anything yet still look cool.

Tools

Update: Well work and my knee have been keeping me quite busy the last week or so and nothing has been done with the Tessy. Last weekend I did however make some needed upgrades to my workshop, these will be a big help in scooter restoration. I bought a sandblasting cabinet, a HVLP paint gun and a bigger compressor than I had to power them. Now I can get some work done!!!

So Close

Well a week ago today, I gassed up the Tessy for the first time and started her up (2nd kick) I had to shut her down after only a few seconds as gas was pouring out the top of the carb. I had thought I would ride her that day. Well a 2nd teardown of the carb and I found the float had a small hole in it. I contacted Bing and they sent me a new float. Last night I pulled the carb apart again and replaced the float.


This morning I awoke with this thought on my mind... "Today will be the day". We were meeting friends for brunch about an hour from here so my morning was booked. Upon arriving home the temps were in the low 50's (best in weeks) and the sun was shining! Again the voice in my head... "Today will be the day"

I pulled the Tessy out in to the sun. I put air in the tires, and gas in the tank. Then it was time "Today will be the day" the voice said again "you will ride the Tessy today". A huge smile was on my face. Now to kick start her.




This probibly was a really bad idea, as last week I had a nasty fall on wet stairs and dislocated my right kneecap. I am wearing a brace on it, but I am sure kick starting a scooter is not reccomended. Well one kick and I knew I would have to try to start it with the other foot. It is not easy to operate the throttle and kick with the wrong foot.

Well she did not start on the second kick, or the third, or forth , or tenth. Finally after about thirteen tries she fired up ran a few seconds and died. More tries, several times I started her but she kept pooping out after a few seconds of running. I tried pop starting her as I am on a hill. I was able to get up enough speed just sitting on her and coasting. Again though she would run for at most 20 seconds and then sputter and die

Finally I gave up my knee killing me from the one attempt to kick it over. I will have to pull the carb again and see if I can see whats going on. Stay tuned I will keep you posted.....

Click on photos to enlarge.

The Beast

Off The Scooter Topic

Back in 1998 I was looking for an old Willys jeep, well they were getting a bit hard to find. Driving home one day I spotted a 1953 Dodge M37 US Army 3/4 ton pick up. It was in sad shape but I knew I could bring her back.



Well I struck a deal, and drove her home a few days later, It was not an easy ride as the right rear axel was broken and she would only drive in 4wd. I did all the work on her myself with occasional assistance from a friend. I replaces the axel, replaced a lot of missing pieces, repaired the wiring. replaced the oil pump, and stripped and repainted.

I was the first person to ever register the truck. It went from the US army to a local City for use as a plow truck at the Airport, they owned it for about 40 years then I bought it.

This was a great truck for the years I owned it, it was not fast (limited to 45mph) but could bull ANYTHING!!! and climb over ANYTHING!!! I sold it when gas prices started to get prohibitive, I miss it but I sold it at the right time.

Last part on my list

On my original list of things needed was a complete headlight assembley. The original was lost over time. Well It took a long time to find it, it wound up dribbling in over time . clamshell bottom, new lenz and reflector. Then after a year or so the clamshell top. More time goes by and a bulbholder is located.

The bezel was hard and desperatly needed it is a functional piece as well as a decorative one.
I sent messages to every tessy owner I knew of, I asked a number of odd scoot folks, nothing. Many people knew I was looking, I could think of no stone un-turned. Well after three years an email from Anna put a huge smile on my face. She had a bezel for me!!! Did I want her to mail it? I asked her to hold on to it as I knew I would soon be down that way.

I took delivery on my lovley original bezel while I was there for the cable adjustment. It is in very nice condition. So now it is time to put the headlight back together. The only thing still needed was a gasket, So I decided to make a cork one.

Tessy Runs Again!!!

This weekend I was planning to go visit my Mother who only lives about an Hour from Anna & Tom, So I took the opportunity to stop by work with Anna to make the needed changes to the new cables she made me. I sent her my originals to use as patterns for all future Tessy cables, however over the years my originals had stretched, so my replacements were to long and her patterns were incorrect. So we worked together to find the correct lengths. Now anyone who buys Tessy cables from Anna will be assured there cables will work perfectly out of the box. I also asked Anna to repair my damaged fuel tap while I was there as she has all the parts on hand to do the work. She did an outstanding job of it, and I am indebted to her for staying up till the wee hours of the morning to get it done while I was there.

Although it was very late and we all wanted to sleep, before I loaded the Tessy up we decided to give it its first start up since rebuild. We used starter spray and it ran twice for a few seconds but it ran for the first time in a long while.

Today after returning home I gassed it up and ran it again in hopes of riding it for the first time it has been ridden in a lot of years. However the carb kept overflowing, time and energy prevented me from tearing int the carb again, but I will soon. It may be a stuck float or perhaps the float is leaking. Time will tell.

Can't say no to an OddScoot

As I mentioned before I went down to New York for the 2008 Bagel Brunch and Oddscoot Classic, with My Tessy. For the Brunch volunteers help Tom and Anna pull their extensive collection of oddscoots out onto the lawn and driveway, and give them all a quick clean and shine. Many of the guests bring their Oddscoots. Along with food, the fellowship of great people and lots of cool scooters to look at. Many Scoots are available for rides.


At this event you see scooters you may never see anywhere else unless you are very lucky.





As you can see in the first photo Zundapp Bellas make me smile! and at the '08 BB there were 4 Bellas. 3 of them were in very nice condition, one of them was in need of paint, but otherwise very nice.



So I came home Saturday after the Bagel Brunch, having had a FANTASTIC time. That Monday I logged on to scoot net. To see a photo of the Bella from Saturday in the classifides. MY new (old) Bella R153

And as Bellas go the price was quite reasonable. It belonged to Anna & Tom and they were selling! I immediatly emailed Anna and a deal was struck. So 2 Saturday's in a row I found myself Driving the 200+ miles each way to New York, but this time I was bringing home a scooter I had not left with.

Odd Trailer

From the very beginnings of my knowlege of OddScoots I was aware of a rare Cezch one wheel trailer (PAV 40 or PAV 41). Very rare in the USA and not made since the early '70's. Finding one was extreamly high on my wish list. As I said they are rare in the USA, honestly the are fairly rare everywhere. But most of those I have seen for sale were in Germany. Well as luck would have it Anna went to Germany to visit family around the Christmas holidays and picked up two lovley little Pav 40's. She got them home and offered them up for sale. One of them had to be mine. With the laws of supply and demand these trailers have become quite pricey over the years. But we cut a deal we could both be happy with and the Little 1971 PAV 40 became mine. I have fabricated a hitch for the Vespa VNB but have yet to make one for the Tessy. The PAV is in nice condition, I have uncovered a bit of the original red paint under the terrible blue rattle can paint job, a full restoration is to come for the PAV.

Photo post trouble

Ok well I don't know why I can't get the silver Pigeon photo to work properly but if you click on the photo you can see the whole thing.

Another Odd Scoot

Well I got a chance to pick up another odd scoot, so I jumped at it a 1959 Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon C-76

Tail Light fix

When I got the Tessy one thing that was missing was the tail light lens.

Talking with people I discovered the Super and the Luxus used different tail lights, and the no one was making a replacment lens for the Luxus. My best bet would be to buy one for an old Allstate and "cut it down to fit" . Well that was fine, I would add one to my next order as it would not really be worth the shiping cost for just that one item. Then one day I was at my local auto parts store, and I spotted a package of "stick on reflectors" that looked to be about the right size and at under $2.00 for two of them it was worth a shot. When I got home I removed the backing from one of the reflectors and test fit it in the tail light housing.

It was about 1/4" to long and perfect in height. I filed aout 1/8" off each end and test fit it again...

It fit very well. :-) A bit of clean up on the housing and some paint and it is as good as new. All in all I am very happy with this soloution and for the cost differnce I could have bought about 8 of these lenses.

Trash in the tank

With the original gas cap lost to the ages, I guess a kid must have had some fun dropping odds and ends into the tank. This is what I found...

A local Heinkel Tourist owner hooked me up with a cap that fit's pretty well, but I would still like to find the correct one. The fuel tap was rebuilt.

Over a period of time with a lot of help from Anna all the missing part's have been found. The engine has been out torn down and put back together by Anna, with me assisting and learning. The Tessy has been reassembled, and was back together enough to attend Tom and Anna's 2008 Bagel Brunch & Oddscoot Classic. An event that is a "Must Do" for many Oddscoot enthusasts east of the Mississippi. I loaded the Tessy in my truck and drove down for the event. It was so cool to see 3 Tessys all parked in a row (Jay H. brought his Tessy Super project along).

This week I hope (weather permitting) to take the Tessy back to Anna to help me solve a problem I am having with shifting, I hope it is just an issue with the cables. With a bit of Luck I hope to be able to fire it up and ride it very soon.

Tessy Clean Up

Well as you can see the Tessy was grimey and before I could do much else a good cleaning was in order.

Tessy Comes Home

When I got my Tessy home I started giving it a good look over. All in all in excelent original condition. As I said I knew parts were missing, but the sheet metal was quite good. As I started to clean it up I began to put together a list of what I needed.

At some point the headlight was removed, the carb was missing, throttle slide and cable were missing, tail light lens was gone, rear floor boards and seat. 2 new tires, hand grips and seat rubber. That was it! On a scoot this rare it would be challenging to find these bits (little did I know it would take 3 years!) A very fixable dent in the front fender and a lot of grime. the scoot had 436 original miles on the odometer. I thought I would have it rideable in a few weeks. well I was wrong about that... But it is a scoot that is worth the wait. More to come...

Getting Started

Well after buying a Vespa VNB that had some mods to it and riding that around for a bit, I was surfing ebay one day and happened on a Polish OSA in NJ up for auction. A very cool oddscoot, but it was a BIG project. In the process of some research on it, I came across a very nice lady named Anna who with her husband Tom collect and restore vintage Oddscoots. Well as it turned out I decided this scoot was no project for a newbie to the hobby. Tom and Anna wound up buying it themselves, and I can think of no better home for it. If they can't get it running again no one can. About that time I also bought a Vespa VNA restoration project. For the VNA I bought a rebuilt engine from Tom & Anna. One nice Saturday Morning my wife and I got up and made the 4 hour drive to tom and Anna's place to get the engine. Finally meeting Anna and Tom in person was a true treat! What wonderfull people they are. Tom gave us the grand tour of their extensive collection of vintage scooters. Well that tour was an eye opener for me I never knew of all the different scooters that had been built. The one scooter in the collection that really stood out in my mind above all the others was Anna's TWN Tessy Super , wow what a beauty!!!






About a year later on ebay I spotted a TWN Tessy Luxus for a reasonable price about a four and a half hour drive from me. I knew it was missing some parts, so I consulted with Tom and decided to put in a bid. A few days later found me getting up at 3:00am to go get my new 1957 Tessy Luxus!!! I was now the proud owner of an Oddscoot!