Here's some pics. from the Doodlebug club in Franklin N.Y. Be patient my daughter is trying to show me how to post these. I thought I'd better give you guys some background first before I start posting my latest build. The club was very helpful with parts when I built the Model A in my avatar and asked me to join even though I don't have a doodlebug, at least not one that fits the requirements of the club. Most are Model A based and banger powered although there are a few exceptions. So here we go, first the sign for the club. Here's a shot from inside the clubhouse, the guy on the right is Mel and the club is run out of his place. Here's the outside view of the clubhouse / Mels' garage. Mel has quite a collection, doodlebugs, hot rods, stockcars, almost anything that has wheels. Here's a shot of some of the bugs, wish it had been a better day for pics. but what can I say the Northeast weather sucks most of the time. Here's Lannys' bug he's the acting pres. of the club. A lot of the guys in the club also have hot rods. There are two clubs in the Franklin area and one that I know of in N.H. The N.H. club is more involved in pulling, while the Franklin clubs do more trail riding and parades. In recent years the Franklin club has reached out to the Mohawk Valley Model A Club with a pretty positive reaction, even though seeing Model A s cut up isn't something you would normally expect the A club to appreciate they do seem to be interested in the creative building techniques used in days gone by. For those unfamiliar with the doolebugs they originated during the war years when farmers cut down thier old Model A s and put a second tranny in and a big truck rear and used them to plow and drag with among other duties around the farm because tractors were hard to come by with most of the manufacturing efforts going into tanks etc.
Here's the frame rails I got from a young HAMBer in southern N.Y sorry don't remember the name. They were under an old Model A coupe and the tails sat in the mud at one time. Spent a lot of time cutting out and replacing sections of the tails. After the repairs they were boxed too. http: //img12.imageshack.us/img12/7377/pc300010.jpg The first roll out, skipped a few steps here like the homemade K member and putting in the Model A crosses.
This is as close as I got to a doodlebug it's a Worthington tractor that had a B engine and comm. grille. I had to fight the urge to hot rod it which would have been a shame to do because it was very complete and original. That's when I decided to some day build my own hot rod doodlebug, or doodlrod as I like to refer to it.
This is the engine I got to power the new doodlrod, Cyclone heads and Harmon Collins dual coil dist. Should be a classy doodlrod.
The first parts of my parts collection came from doodle bug leftovers in the junk yard. I knew a guy who had one in the late 60's and he loved it. He used it to drag stuff around in the woods etc.
Found a set of Safety racing mags for the rear and a pair of nos Racemasters, goes pretty well with the old Halibrand/National mag. quick change, I know it's not a Culver City but it's good enough for a doodlrod.
I picked up a '32 cowl a couple years ago at the Fitchburg swap meet, yeah I've been planning this thing for a while. I've started it a couple different times and chickened out but finally said to hell with it I'm gonna do it. I figure once I get it out of my system I can always use the cool stuff in a real hot rod.
When I first moved to Northern Mi. 10 years ago,... I herd about this old guy that used the front half of a 1933 Cad. LaSalle to run his Sawmill,.... I asked if he still had it but nobody knew,.... but another guy told me where the old guy lived, so off I go. I pull up in front of a run down old farm house, and see a older guy walking around in the barn,.... I approach him slowly with a smile and ask him if he is the gentleman that has the 1933 LaSalle engine running a saw mill,.... he looks at me with steel gray eyes and says,..... "nnnnnoope",.... I apologies and turn to leave when he says,... "that would be my Dad",..... then yells into the barn,.... "Hey Dad !, someone's here to see you !" Out of the shadows comes a really old guy,..... he gives me the evil eye and says,... "Whadd'a ya' want !",.... I asked him about the LaSalle,..... He smiles, his mood changed drastically and he goes on about all the years they used that LaSalle to run the Saw Mill and how good it ran,..... but about 15 years prior they just shut the mill down, then he went on to story after story. So I finally ask him what ever happened to the old LaSalle,....... He gets another grin and said,... well the old 9N broke down a few years after we shut down the mill,... so I found the back half of a old Chevy truck and built a tractor out of her!,... well more like a tractor/ hay wagon and general purpose farm machine,..... I asked if he still had it,........ he never said a word, just turned on his heels and I followed him back under some pine trees,.. and there it was,..... He offered to sell it to me for $300.00,.... I thought, the dash, hood and grill should be worth that,.... so I said sure ! I had given him a $50.00 deposit and came back the next day with the truck and trailer,... tow strap, come-along, air tank,.... etc. when I pulled into his yard the LaSalle was sitting in the driveway waiting for me with all the tires pumped up,.. wow what a break,... now all I had to do was load it!,.... I back the trailer up to it and let down the ramps,... get the come-along and a chain out,..... And the old guy says,.... what are you doing ?,..... As I am working away I said I am getting it ready to winch it up on the trailer,..... He said why don't we just drive it up ?,..... he jumps in it and fires it up and drives it onto the trailer ! I messed around with it for a few years, then one day a friend told me of a guy that needed a engine and trans for his 1933 Cadillac, as well as some other parts,..... we talked a few times on the phone, he made me a offer,.... and it was off to fill another need,..... no mater how you slice it, this old LaSalle lead a colorful life. Thanks for indulging me on my rambling.
Mike, looks good so what else do you have laying around out there?..............keep the post coming and I need to get out that way again someday.
there's a 36/37 terraplane out in the scrub in New South Wales somewhere that has a welding plant attached to the front of the chassis rails and poking out through the grille. they dont do things like they used to thats for sure
Doodlrodz, nice project, look forward to more progress photos. Doodle Bugs used to be all over, I bet there is a whole generation that hasn't seen one, some were real engineering masterpieces.
I always thought a Doodlebug was a V1 flying bomb, thats what my Grandparents called them, they used to fly across the channel heading for London. Back to the plot - I guess they were just cut down cars & trucks, hot rodding in a different guise I guess.
I had one. Crosley engine, three transmissions, narrowed rear and a home built snow plow. Wish I had pictures of it.
I'm going to say Henry himself started the Doodle Bug thing in 1906 with Model K parts. It's still out in the Henry Ford Collection.
Had an old firewall that was heavily pitted and previously butchered so it was just right for this project, in true doodlebug style everything is " Grinder Finish" I thought at some time I may put a windshield on it so I roughed in some mounts just in case. Mock ups are so much fun.
I had some hood sides that were on a little Dodge modified I started building and gave up on so thought I'd see if I could alter them enough to fit the doodlrod. I had a crazy idea while doing the hood sides, bought a set of cable operated cut outs and was going to re route the exhaust to the hood sides but now I don't think I'm going to have the room to make it work because of pedals etc. there won't be enough room to get back to the hood sides we'll see. Still not sold on the look, like everything else I'll change my mind a dozen times before I decide on something but it sure is good practice, maybe some day I'll know what I'm doing, for now I'm just having a ball.
I love the imagination and ingenuity these things show. Echoes of tougher times when you really had to make do with what you had. Re the LaSalle sawmill/ tractor: Think anything being built these days will still be running 76 years from now?...
Fella down the road from me has acquired an impressive collection of doodlebugs, every one made from an AA. The ingenuity behind them all is impressive and sometimes a bit scary... no two are alike. Although they are just wasting away, he says he saved nearly every one of them from the scrapper when metal prices were so high and spent a lot of time chasing down scrappers and buying them right off the truck on the way to the crusher. Good guy.
Found this early Ford in a junkyard today while dropping off a 73 Mustang. It came from my father-inlaws hunting camp property. I remember it from 25 years ago.....
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