Found: Piece of Americana, and Inception of a Dream

Found: Piece of Americana, and Inception of a Dream


Wikipedia defines “Americana” as it usually indicates a concern with the marginal aspects of historic American culture: carnivals, popular amusements such as side-shows, vernacular typography and signage, old horror movies in the 'haunted house' genre, the old West, and the backwoods cultures.

In the mid-1970’s, TJ Bevin’s a self-employed entrepreneur from Wellsville, Kansas got the grand idea to assemble a traveling collections of engines of the “HEY DAY” of the American Industrial Age. His plan was to assemble the collection in an 18-wheeler trailer as a rolling show, and tour the country with his wife. They planned to stop and showcase their collection at county and state fairs, carnivals and conventions. Paying for their travels with the proceeds earned from charging admission to tour the collection and cover their cost of travel and living.

TJ setout and built out a trailer with a living quarters in the front section, and fifteen engines. Thirteen of which were antique “Hit and Miss”, and two jewels of the collection a Rolls Royce Merlin, and an AJ Foyt “Coyote”.

When TJ would setup the display he had would open up the rear of the trailer, and put the stairs in place. The trailer was setup with a center cabinet that ran nearly the length of the trailer with the “Hit and Miss” engines mounted to it, and the Merlin and Foyt at the front of the display area. Traffic flow would be to walk up the stairs at the rear of the trailer and down one side of the cabinet, and back down the other side to exit at the back. TJ being the “Pitchmen”, and his wife working as the “Ducat Grabber”. The trailer had the rear most engine in the trailer on a sliding stand, that would be pulled out and would “run” to catch peoples attention and give TJ a chance to make his sales pitch to tour the collection.

TJ and his wife toured for several years before parking the display at their home in Wellsville.

In the mid-1980’s, their estate was up for auction. The winning bidder of the tractor-trailer, and Display failed to pay and the auctioneer Otto’s Auctions ends up with the Display. It sat on Otto’s farm in Edgerton, Kansas for the past twenty years.

Flash forward to eighteen months ago. My father and I have been plotting, planning, discussing, and dreaming of racing at Bonneville. When looking through the rulebook we started identifying Open, or Out of Date records that look to be easier to attain than others. Somewhere in that time period dad recalls the engine display and the Foyt motor. After a few weeks of running down leads dad tracks the display to Otto’s. Miraculously the Display is completely intact and untouched since the doors were closed sometime around 1979.



After nearly 18 months of back and forth negotiations to acquire the collection, we were able to take possession several weeks ago. We had a mechanic friend from Spring Hill, KS go over and get the old diesel running. Then my brother-in-law and one of his friends from Parker, Kansas each took their tractors, and one low-boy to recover the Display. My brother-in-law hooked up to the trailer that hadn’t been moved in 20 years, while the tractor was loaded onto the low-boy they brought along.

Unfortunately to make this deal happen the Display had to be separated. To cover the cost of everything, we sold the Merlin to a private collector, and the trailer and “Hit and Miss’s” to another collector. Keeping the Foyt motor, and the tractor which I think we have a buyer for at this point.

Pictorial breakdown, and a little about the engines.

The row of “Hit and Miss” engines looking toward the rear of the trailer. Check out that shag carpet on the walls!!!


The row of “Hit and Miss” engines looking toward the front of the trailer.


Stover


1915 Dairy Maid


Single Cycle Maytag


1/2hp Maytag


Twin Cylinder Maytag


Nice little John Deere




Silent Dis-Pro


Ideal








The gems at the front of the trailer.

Merlin


Foyt



The supposed history on the Merlin is it is out of a P-51 that crash landed at Gardner Field in the late ‘40s. I have searched, queried and what not for hours and haven’t come up with fact to back that up. Not saying its not true, just as will anything old like this they always come with “stories” I’d like to know for sure the story on this one.

 

Now the Foyt has a bit better of a history for it.
900hp turbocharged Ford Dual Overhead Cam “Coyote”

We've talked to AJ's head machanic. One of the benefits of being in Houston, and gotten some more details, and help.

The plan is to race this motor. Not sure the plans of what, and when, but we have ideas, a plan, and now a motor. Obviously the place is ON THE SALT!!!!

This thing is incredible, the workmanship on the exhaust, the safety wire on nearly all fasteners.

















Exhaust tip!!!!


Filter


Wastegate



They are out there fellas. This was all sitting in a trailer off a major highway for close to 20 years. And the side of the trailer was painted in HUGE letters “LOOK”, “Unique Engine Display”, “ANTIQUE”, “AJ FOYT INDY 500”, “P-51 AIRCRAFT”

Talk about no one paying attention to the writing on the wall, errrr trailer.

 

That's some cool stuff!

 

that is definatly a cool collection. to bad it had to be split up.

my dad has a couple "extra" of those maytag singles i want to get off him(as if i havent got enough projects already).
what would i do w/ one?? probably something stupid.

 

Very Cool, too bad it has to be broken up, but understandable.

Good luck with that Foyt engine, that is a truly cool motor.

 

and Segway to a Dream?

oh yeah..here we go......

 

Wow, what an awesome story. Good luck with the Foyt motor and congrats on the find.

 

True Trademanship - WOW!!

 

I'm sure it was worth it for the Foyt engine alone. Too cool.

And thanks for the magazine you sent. I still haven't learned how to read french yet.

 

Thats neat stuff!
A barn find, without the barn!

 

Yeah it was worth all of the effort, I gave up multiple times on the deal. Then somehow life would be breathed back into it. Dad perservered through it though. I truely gave the deal a 1 in 100 chance of getting done after 6 months.

Glad you got the mag. Yeah I dont read French either, but the pics of your Bonneville look good in there.

 

WOW!

Doc.

 

It's amazing how well it all has held up. Cool find.

 

I'll second that WOAH..............

 

WOW, that's too cool.

Those Pony Engins are big at the Steam Equipment shows.

Sometimes they start them all up and have their own version of a Cackle Fest.

My Uncle had one of the John Deres power a corn shredder, he called it the Pop and Fart.

 

That Foyt engine is awesome. I would love to hear it run!

 

Wutta story, that's great. Good Luck on your project!

Be sure to line the cockpit with some of that sweet hi/lo orange shag!

 

Too bad the collection of engines and trailer had to be broken up. But I guess if it hadn't happened by now that it would happen sooner or later.

 

I would LOVE to see that mustang motor in a highboy setup.... that'd just be sick!

 

Amazing that your Dad remembered it, then you were able to track it down.

Great story and congrats on the purchase.

 

A car needs to be built for the Merlin. It's probably worth a fortune.

While I think the display is cool as hell, I can't imagine todays kids paying to go see that at a carnival. Seems like it was an idea with a pretty limited audiance.

 

The picture with the Foyt in front and the T Bucket in back gives me an idea. And that Model A peeking out from under the tarp is another candidate. But in my mind's eye I see the Foyt in the back of a 27 turtle deck T roadster pointed nose on the black line and a full snarl coming out of that basket of snakes. Ya gotta do it!

 

power yoiur washing machine of course ! In the days before rural electricity, the little gas engines powered washing machines, water wells and just about anything that could be mehcanized.

 

Damn.

How about Coyote meets T Bucket, resulting in ruined shorts?

 

I would shit my pants if i came across this

 

$58,000,000,000.00 for "Homeland Security" and the Smithsonian couldn't scrape up enough to keep that collection together? God bless the Republicans.

 

i've already done that...sorta...i helped my dad restore a maytag washing machine that was my great-grandmothers.
the 2 extra engines we picked(pretty cheap) in case we needed parts; we didnt.
so 2 complete engines sitting in his garage w/ no plans.
i think he told me i could have one or both if i come get 'em.
i might, but i want the 327 in the garage.

 

Nice job.. I know my grandpa had a Allison V-1710 Engine tucked away for awhile before he sold it off. Was it a Rolls Royce Merlin 1650-9. I know there was 12v arients of the motor based on the series or platform of A/C, the V-1650-11 was the first to have the density pump replace the carberator was used on the P-51L and the P-82B.

Packard made the motors that where intially used in the P-51. Also produced a higher quality product than what R/R was producing.

 

Ykes!!!!!