1937 Standard Twin, Will it run?

Comments · 75

• MO

  @Moparben3713 · 1 month ago

  Hey Ben, I had one of those as a kid. The neighbor gave it to me. Mine was stretched right between the clutch and the trans axle(?) and someone put front wheels on it and a seat so you could ride on it. I have heard where that was a very popular thing to do and that Standard Motor Co. actually sold them that way or offered a kit. But anyway, I cut my teeth on it as a very young teen and it was quite a learning experience. One thing, with both pistons going up and down in the same direction and at the same time, everyone I EVER told about it didn't believe me. I had two cousins from a farming area. One stayed around the farm and became a truck driver the other went to college and became an engineer. They both came out to my Dad's for a graduation party and I showed them my Standard Twin. When I told them the pistons went up and down in the same direction and at the same time they both said no way. So, I pulled the heads off and showed them. They both grew up with John Deere's and just couldn't believe it. John Deere engines all had the pistons going in opposite directions, not like the Standard Twin. So they naturally thought it would vibrate and just be junk. Nope I put the heads back on and started it up so they could see it didn't sound like a Johnny Popper (or a Harley Davidson) and it ran smooth as silk. I revved it up and showed them how well it ran and it went way way way more rpm than their old John Deere's too. They were astonished. Even the engineer couldn't believe it.  I learned from the guy who gave me mine that if the mag quits sparking to put it on top of the hot water heater and let it sit there for a week to dry out. And it worked. Also, the guy who gave it to me was a plumber and he had a giant electric drill motor that he let me use to crank mine. He put a wood bit  in the drill motor chuck that fit the crank slot and the drill motor was a big old 1/2" chuck with 500 rpm (on or off, no variable speed in the early 1960's) I wish I could remember the size, something like 1" or 1 1/4" flat wood "spade" bit or my Dad called it a high speed wood bit. Whatever you call it you can imagine with one guy spinning the engine at 500 rpm and another monkeying around with the choke, it started easily. Something strange: While it was cranking on the drill motor the whole tractor would jump up and down. But the instant it fired it ran smooth as silk. But I'm repeating myself. OK Ben, Fine Business  73's to ya and thanks for the trip down memory lane to my childhood. ben/ michigan

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• AL

  @alfredguitton8893 · 1 month ago

  Un petit bonjour de la France, bravo pour votre courage.

  8

• RO

  @RonaldDaub-v9y · 5 days ago (edited)

  I bought one of those one time and I had to pull it with my truck about 5 blocks <br>In the city in those Wheels were tearing up the concrete

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• WI

  @WilliamMartin-x8u · 1 month ago

  You finally got it running - congratulations! Back in the day, &nbsp;most things were built to last......

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• AM

  @Amboman4 · 1 month ago

  My late father built two Standard Twins into conventional four-wheeled riding tractors. Engine up front, transaxle at the rear with a Ford Model A transmission in between. Three point hitch with hydraulic lift. The first one had too short of a wheelbase and rolled over on top of Dad once (didn&apos;t hurt him), the second was approx. a foot longer. Sold at auction after he passed. 😞

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• DO

  @douro20 · 1 month ago

  On engines like this which have a dual-mode magneto you&apos;re supposed to just turn the engine until it clicks over and not spin it like you were doing. &nbsp;That&apos;s a good way to lose an arm.

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• PH

  @phoschnizzle826 · 1 month ago

  Sounded great after it finally decided to run. Seemed to me like the float was a little stuck at first, but that&apos;s just a guess. Looks like a fun toy to play around with!

  2

• MI

  @michaelmiller9452 · 2 weeks ago (edited)

  Some things you should have done: Remove and clean the easily removed glass sediment bowl on the fuel shut off. Lube the cylinders while the spark plugs were out. Clean the spark plugs before reinserting them. Drain the old fuel from the carbuetor float bowl before trying to start it so you aren&apos;t trying to pull all the old, bad gas out of the carb first. Clean the carb to make sure the carb jets are clear. Clean the air filter.

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• FA

  @farmallpaul4518 · 1 month ago

  Great video. &nbsp;I would have cleaned the carb a lot earlier. You&apos;re lucky you didn&apos;t get that crank in your face!

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• DE

  @dennispperry3207 · 1 month ago

  I got an original owner/service manual for that little puppy. They run like a top, once you get good spark out of the mag.

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• RO

  @RonaldDaub-v9y · 5 days ago

  I had to put a carb off a 8 HP Briggs <br>Fit and worked perfectly

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• ВА

  @ВасилийДударов · 1 month ago

  Вещь надежная,на века❤

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