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The Mite finally made it's debut a couple of weeks ago at a local car show. It drew a lot of attention and discussion. Only one person knew what it was! From others I got everything from "I drove these in the Army back in 19**, but somehow I think they were different", to "Is this a kit car...

The stars finally aligned sufficiently to get a gap in Jason/DrJay's schedule to work on the Mite in his shop again. Since there is a yellow Camaro sitting in the spot formerly occupied for so long by the Mite, it couldn't just sit and wait for an opportune moment to be worked on between...

Parts of the fuel tank that show through the hatches when open were primed, then painted 34052. I really should have thought to do this before installing the tank in the Mite, it was a pain to paint in situ! At least I wasn't doing a readily visible finish, it will only be visible through the...

In the immortal words of MacArthur - "I have returned!" Or, in my best squeaky psycho voice - "I'm baaaaack..." The ashes of my lifelong friend Peter have been consigned to the rocks and sea of the island of Inishbofin (off the Irish west coast), where we spent holidays since we were children...

During the week, I got the holes drilled and the locks installed in the fuel tank cover and put a second coat of primer on it. Note my custom coon-trap paint stand. I managed to get all the locks oriented the same way, key goes in the same way (teeth to the back) on all, and all turn clockwise...

Mr. Bensinger did have the brake parts I needed, bless his soul (he has lot of Mite stuff), so now I'm waiting for them to be delivered. In the meantime, rather than just twiddling my thumbs, some busy work... There are two bolts that go through the windshield which appear to be for mounting...

It is entirely possible that I said or did something to cause said crying! Cheers

We really should post a master list of situationally appropriate phrases, under select categories. But probably with a password or Parental Guidance button to prevent inadvertent access by the wee folk or those tender of emotion. Examples of some possible chapter titles - Things to say about...

I suppose because I was busy Wednesday trying to get everything finished so we could test drive the Mite and possibly get it home before the predicted monsoon arrived Thursday morning, I neglected to take my usual "in progress" photographs. Some folks chuckle because I take so many pictures...

A brief setback today while installing one of the front turn signal lights with the newly arrived LED bulbs - the insulation inside the light gave up the ghost, caused a dead short, and this let the magic smoke out of my new flasher. That meant having to take the light apart to rewire it, which...

I'd be very pleased if any of this can help anyone with their project in the future. As regards new words, those might have to go through less visible messaging, lest women, children, or timid men be alarmed. (Though I doubt there are any timid men on this site...) I must add though, that I...

Well, that came back to haunt me! After quite a bit of frustration and time wasted in trying to repair the rear wiring harness, it was decided that it was in bad enough shape that it just needed to be entirely replaced. Picture 4 below gives a good idea of the nasty crumbling wiring and plugs...

And on to the "more".... Mites didn't come from the factory with turn signals, though I have seen some in-service pictures of them modified to have them later. They also came with one tiny tail-light/brake-light on the driver's side, with just a blackout light on the right. I intend to drive...

Progress slowed down a bit over the last week, waiting for parts. During that time, I have been cleaning up light fixtures and cleaning/repairing a lot of the wiring harness. The wiring looks to be original from 1961, some of the insulation was in sad shape, as were some of the Packard...

Thanks! Work done over a couple of weeks, but it's taking up real estate in Jason's (DrJay) shop that could be used for real revenue generating customers, so I need to get it out of there as soon as feasible. I don't want to impose too much on his generosity. ;) Cheers

Next on the list was the stuck clutch, engaged all the time. Getting at the clutch entails removing the entire power egg of engine, transmission, and front differential. Of course, this can't be done without removing all the front body sections too. :cautious: The manner in which the body...

Ah, the Coot! Such a strange and interesting vehicle. I knew of them, but had not seen one in person until this one. I just couldn't leave it behind! I didn't realize until afterwards that the factory was in Cedar Park until it closed down - that is only a few miles from me. Cheers

In kicking around ideas on what to do as a temporary solution for a fuel tank, one idea was a plastic boat tank up underneath the back where the regular tank goes. But plumbing/filling that would pose an issue since the filler and connections tend to be in the center of the top and, as it turns...

All three vehicles were in good shape, but all have their issues, and none had been run for several years. The Mite had it's rear wheel drive shafts disconnected because it wouldn't roll otherwise, unknown problem. The M715 had a bad 350 engine (I'll do a separate thread on that truck). The Coot...

For some time I had been 'sorta looking' for an M151A2, as I wanted to add a small vehicle to the herd and I drove those in the Marines way back in the last century. Back in November Roboskid sent me a link to an ad for several vehicles, and said "I know you want an M151, but look at the...