MTFCA Forum

The older I get, the less spry I am becoming and sometimes, (many times when I am by myself, with no co-pilot) and I hand crank my 1915, (it usually starts suddenly with no warning) and I try to run over to advance the timing before it quits, if I don't make it in time, it dies. If it is dead cold, I have to go through the choke it, turn it over 2 or 3 cranks, turn the key on and try again which gets old and exhausting.
After staring at it and thinking, I came up with this simple, Rube Goldberg solution.

I made a slip on arm, out of 1/8 " brass plate, that fit on my horn bracket, and a cheap small pulley from the hardware store.

Using nylon twine, I tied a loop in the end, and slipped the twine through the loop, and tightened it on the shaft of the advance lever. I slid the bracket with the pulley onto the horn bracket, as shown

I then fed the string forward between the running light and windshield frame, and cut a short piece of dowel rod for a handle, ( I cut a V notch in the middle of the dowel, and tied the string tight) And I drape it over the side of the Boyce Motometer. As you can see.
It works like a charm! As soon as it starts, I grab the dowel rod and pull, and it advances the timing, and she keeps running. I then remove the whole thing in just a few seconds, and stash it in the car floor.
And drive away with a grin on my face, ready for the next time I'm driving solo!

Kind of surprising that was not an accessory made back in the 20's.
Very cool.

We should award you a "Steamboat Bill Jr" trophy for that!
"Steamboat Bill Jr" was a Buster Keaton movie from 1928 with Buster Keaton as the young man son of a steamboat captain, meeting his father for the first time in many years. Having been raised by mom, Buster's character is clueless and inept, a complete disappointment to the tough and capable captain. Classic Keaton comedy, and one of Buster's best films. Near the end, the captain is in jail, and a hurricane and flood threaten to drown him. It is Buster to the rescue, he lashes ropes all around the steamboat so he can single-handedly operate it, runs up the river to near the jail, ties another rope from the steamboat to the jail window's bars and yanks them out freeing his father.

Great stuff! And one of my all-time favorite silent comedies.

Craig, that’s ingenious !! I think I’ll rig one myself ! Thanks for sharing a neat idea.

Wayne, practically everyone knows Mickey Mouse was introduced to the world in a 1928 animated short titled “Steamboat Willie”. I never had the advantage of seeing the Buster Keaton film, so until now, I’ve been ignorant of the gag Disney pulled by spoofing Keaton’s film.

Marvelous!! Necessity IS the mother of invention.