Well, I've been working for a while changing engines in my favorite scooter. It has not been an easy project, because the scooter is so old. Well, younger than me, I suppose, but old for a scooter.

Somewhere in the process, I dropped a small quarter inch lock washer. It went down behind the air shroud, and I assumed it wound up on the floor. No such luck. It stopped on the bottom of the magneto which of course is magnetic.

I finally got everything in place, adjusted it all up as best I could, installed the air cleaner, the sprocket chain, and the gas tank. Then I hooked up the gas line and slid the body assembly down over it all. The body includes a tiny little trunk area in the back and a seat in the front over the engine. It is made of sheet metal and its distinctive shape is what identifies the scooter as a Cushman.

Next I poured a quart of oil into the engine and a gallon of gas into the tank. It started up nicely and with a few minor carburetor adjustments it was running smoothly.

Since the piston rings, and a lot of other parts were new, I did not run the engine very fast, preferring to break it in gently. But after a while I felt like it was ready for a test ride.

After leaving the driveway, I started gaining speed. Centrifical force soon overcame magnetic attraction, and that little lost washer came off. It hit the gas line, knocking a small hole in it and continued on to get caught between the chain and the rear wheel sprocket. Since the chain had just been adjusted, it was nice and tight and the little washer was just enough to cause one link to snap. This all happened in the blink of an eye. With the chain no longer connecting he engine to the rear wheel, it over reved and broke the connecting rod in the engine and it knocked a hole in the oil pan and blew a hole through the piston.

To make matters worse, the chain stayed around the sprocket long enough to make bumps all over the metal of the body and litterly ripped the floor of the trunk out. It also broke the tail light.

There was quite a bit of smoke by the time I got stopped, and that was when I realized the gasoline was spraying all over everything.

I thought the explosion had killed me but I woke up, not in the hospital, but in my own bed. It was one of the worst nightmares I have ever had. I certainly hope it doesn't come true when I finally take the Cushman out for a ride.

I really did drop a small lock washer. Maybe I better go out to the shop and look for it, just in case.
Howard