VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 "The Thing"!!

Went on a Junkyard Dog Adventure on Sunday past and we brought home "The Thing", which now resides at the Junkyard Dog's dog house in Eagle Point, Oregon. "The Thing" is used as a yard ornament (aka "YO") .....and what a dandy yard ornament this goofy looking contraption makes!

This three-wheeled Chevrolet is very unique and probably the only one like it on the planet. "The Thing" features a 1925 Chevrolet four-cylinder engine with an old Pontiac rear axle assembly converted to front wheel drive. The two front wheels are also Pontiac with military rims welded to the stock Pontiac rims. Both hubcaps are Pontiac as well. The third wheel in the back handles all of the steering requirements through a Chevrolet drag link and third arm. Note the raised cross member so that the third wheel can clear the frame. The frame is Model "T" Ford. Three transmissions are used in combination for driving the vehicle and for shifting the winch into various gears. With the three transmissions a multitude of different gear ratios is possible.

The winch drive in the rear is an early Chevrolet rear axle and differential assembly with the left rear axle housing cut off. A plate to cover the end of the differential has been welded into place. The steering box assembly has been moved to the right side of the vehicle and turned upside down. This was done for easier shifting of all three transmissions which are at convenient locations. The front wheel drive has hydraulic brakes with a Chevrolet brake pedal attached to the master cylinder on the right side and a Ford clutch pedal is on the left. The Chevrolet three-speed transmission, which drives the front axle, is installed backwards making the shift pattern reversed from normal, and it is connected to the main three-speed Chevrolet transmission via a chain and sprocket assembly. So that the front wheel drive will have three speeds forward, the Pontiac axle assembly is installed upside down! The winch drum on the back consists of two Model T Ford drums turned towards against each other. The front winch drum is free wheeling and it is used to guide the winch line.

This way cool "Thing" was obviously the brain-child of either some farmer or a shade tree mechanic. This contraption is ingenious to say the least! Now, how many of you guys out there on Chevy Chatter II know what this "Thing" was used for?









Also found on site near "The Thing" are rows of neatly stacked sheet metal from the 1920's through the 1950's fitting all brands of vehicles.....but the bulk of the stock is mainly Chevrolet and other General Motors products. The stash consists of doors, hoods, fenders (both front and rear), running boards, and etc. This is definitely an exciting place to visit!

I would say that is was to drive large flat belts on something like a saw mill, and they used to move it around as the timber milling moved around. It probably replaced a worn out steam boiler .

Looks like it is missing a fuel tank.

Nope, that is not what it is.....but that was a good guess though. This machine actually drove a winch cable if that helps.

Yep, it is missing the fuel tank along with the radiator shell and radiator and a few other goodies. This poor old thing sat out in a field for decades and over the years some of the parts were robbed from the machine. I would like to find another valve cover like the one featured in the photos though since one of the valve covers is missing.

For about the last 20 years "The Thing" sat next to a shop out in the boonies in Hugo, Oregon waiting for the old dog to come along and rescue it for a yard ornament.

fantastic!

a work of genius!

There are some on this forum that may frown on the unoriginality of this machine - it probably has an incorrect tail light lens but I say god bless 'the thing'!! It deserves to be preserved as is. Everything has its place in the history of motoring.

The kume

Well I am guessing that the winch may have pulled an endless cable since there isn't a lot of capacity for a lot of cable, Maybe a ferris wheel or other carnival ride but that driveline wouldn't be needed for that operation, maybe a thrashing machine or a saw mill? or snakeing logs across a river or a ferry? Or lifting hay into a barn loft?

Come on Skipper, Tell us!... Tell us! .... pretty

BOPNZ: Thanks for your comments and I couldn't agree with you more! "The Thing" is definitely a piece of history and, as you said, it needs to be preserved as is. Whoever designed and built this piece of Chevrolet equipment was an absolute genius....especially since it worked as intended! The old dog is really lucky to have stumbled upon a piece of machinery of this caliber, and the fact that it is made with mostly early Chevrolet parts is a bonus!

MrMack: One of your guesses as to what this machine does is very, very close......but which one?

Junkyard,

My guess is that it is from down under (hence the right hand drive) and it was used to drege the rivers and bays for saltwater crocs and runaways. What looks like rust (Grant is involved somehow) is in reality the very first Realtree experiment for camo, which in later years was made into clothing for hunters and escapees. It was also the first prototype for a three-wheeler with a racing slick on the back. The pulley isn't really a pulley, it was a counter weight for oval racetrack racing and it didn't have a gas tank because the driver simply paddled with his feet like Fred Flintstone. BTW, I can't spell either!!!

Where do I collect my prize for getting the answer correct?
Ha, ha.

Jerry

Wow Jerry.....you put a lot of thought into that one! However, you listed everything that "The thing" is not......but, I suppose it could be all of those things that you mentioned. "The Thing" is not from down under since it was originally made in Oregon. The only reason that the steering is on the right-hand side is because the 1925 Chevrolet engine is on the left and it is in the way of the steering box.

I think with your in depth description of what "The Thing" could have been you deserve to win a prize anyway. Hum.....let's see.....if you can come to Eagle Point, Oregon I will take you on a Junkyard Dog adventure, and I will also introduce you to some way cool female-type Junkyard Puppies. And, I also know a place that serves the biggest pitcher of beer that you have ever seen! How's that?

Anyone else have a clue as to what "The Thing" is?

Hey Jerry,

If that did indeed come from down under

1. It would still be on the road
2, It would have mag wheels
3. There would be indicators (private joke)
4. And there would be a tow bar for hitching the caravan.

Rust and Grant, yes they do have a connection, dont know why though???

Cheers

Ray

OK, I've got to put my guess in. How about the power supply to an old hay bailer? My father reported on many such mysterious and bizarre homemade contraptions used on their ranch in Northern Idaho in the 1930's-40's. At the time they made what they needed out of what they had. I gather there were not a lot of safety features on their inventions as is apparent on this mystery device.

JYD.....I don't know what it is, but I love it. It makes me think how innovative folks were years ago. They could make things out of just old things they had laying around.
There are folks out there now who would starve to death locked all night in a grocery store.
Man that junk yard sure looks like a place I would like to spend some time in....Do they book tourist???....ED

My idea of good clues is that the winch lines probably were parallel with the ground or river,or the load wasn't really heavy, didn't see any anchor points or place to set a set of skid shoes, so it could have been used several ways, and another clue is that it is self propelled and made with attention to being very mobile. I doubt that it was a stationary winch. I worked some as a part time extra pay job for a cable splicer, he had been a carney before he married and settled down. We worked on replaceing a lot of cables on ferris wheels, tilty whirls and other rides. Most of their power units were stationary with just skids and usually staked down in use. I haver never seen anything like it
and
I appreciate all the thought and work that went into it!

Dansker: Good guess but that ain't it. "The Thing" wasn't used to power other farming equipment. Actually, nothing was powered with this unit.

ED1938: The "junkyard" is actually in a dude's backyard and there is a lot more stuff on site to see other that what was shown in the two photos of the sheet metal and etc. He also has buildings full of stuff, including cars. He is a neat guy and he would be glad to have you stop by for a visit with the Junkyard Dog. And, like you, I love "The Thing" too!

MrMack: Yes, the winch lines were parallel with the ground and there are no anchor points. However, the load was both light and heavy. You are right...."The Thing" was very mobile.

There was a lot of work that went into this machine and I think that anyone would appreciate the thought and the engineering that went into making "The Thing". And, the best part is that its maker used anything that was laying around or that was available in his shop. I doubt seriously if he purchased anything to make this contraption.

I will have another geuss,

Would it be for pulling trolleys or some sort of skips or bins from between the orchard trees or vines to a central point , maybe full of Cherries or grapes.

Gidday fellas,

Now my uneducated guess of "The Thing's" existence is this.

Many years ago some poor ole bugger, lets call him "chuck" for the story shall we, slaved away and worked his [bleeped] off day in day out on his farmland, rising his family and not bothering anyone in anyway, Chuck was extremely proud of his achievements and he also had a very clear vision of what he wanted out of life but more importantly Chuck could see what was to come in the years that lay ahead for his fellow country men and also the country that he loved.

So one wintery night after a big hearty feed of grizzly bear steaks and fries Chuck reached for and slipped his muddy boots back onto his 12 toed feet and made the slow, wind blow stagger across the slippery yard which he had done 1000's of time before to his beloved barn/workshop, but this night he was on a mission and once inside Chuck lit up the lanterns, put on his thick aged leather apron and was soon working on what you now see in front you fellas "The thing"..

Chucks vision was crystal clear, he knew and had know for quite sometime, would try and tell and talk to his neighbors about this vision but no one would believe him, they shrugged him off so Chuck gave up and decide to build a machine that might help the government of the day when it would be needed if at all..

You see "The Thing" made out of old Chevy parts, was and is capable if used correctly and in the right hands of pulling the massive load of 13 trillion dollars worth of debt, but unfortunately this time has now quickly passed much to Chucks disappointment as the required amount of 14 trillion dollars and climbing is just way to much for "the Thing" to handle so Chuck being somewhat disappointed only just recently sold it to the local metal scrappy for the going rate only to be rescued shortly after by a bloke know to his peers as "Junkyard Dog" who is now going to intrigue and tease his fellow Chev crazies for many more years to come about "the Things" existence and purpose on this planet.


Well that just my take on "the Thing" fellas.

Oh and just another thing I heard the other week

If you lay US $1.00 notes flat on top of each other, you need a pile that reaches from earth to the moon and back then again to the moon and back to earth to equal 14 Trillion dollars... Now thats a pile of swap meet play money!!

Nope, that ain't it either.

Montythechev: That is a great story and well thought out. However, "The Thing" has nothing to do with politics even though it was probably capable of pulling a few politicans around in the mud. But, they do a good job of rolling around in the mud on their own!

Yes, our friend "Chuck" did have a specific purpose in mind when he built "The Thing" and it was used for that purpose until modern technology took over and "The Thing" was replaced. At which time "The Thing" was retired to a hay field to rest for the next three or four decades.

My guess is that it was used to string telegraph, telephone or power lines. Possibly a spool of wire would fit on the "winch" or the "winch" was used to tighten a section of wire after it was attached to the poles.

Nope...."The Thing" didn't do that either.

Hey Guys,

You want my guess, well I have two

1. Grant was legless when he made his guess

or

2. He had already started spraying Monty, with no ventilation, no respirator and too much thinners

In other words he was off his face.

Disclaimer' The views expressed by Grant do not neccassarily represent the opinion of the average sain, sound minded Aussie. Yes there are some of us out there.

The rantings of this poor individual prove that vintage car restoration can affect normally sain people, lets just hope the damage is reversable. The only other signs I have seen of such a rare mental condition is a team of 26 +2 Truck restorers in the USA that go by the name of Jerry and Sadie.

Regards

Mr Dean (of no fixed address)

Just let me respond with

1/ NO
2/ Not quite
3/ No
4/ Yes it does, No there ain't
5/ Yes, I bloody hope so, those 2 silly buggers
6/ Bull [bleeped] I know where you live

Junkyard,

Your "The Thing" reminds me of the very first "thing" I ever drove, other than the farm tractor. We called it "the whoopee" except with our whoopee you didn't have to excuse yourself afterwards, and people didn't fall out of their chairs, gasping for breath. Our "whoopee" consisted of a model A frame, no hood but cowl body with a small V8 engine, completely open, 4-speed tranny and large tractor tires on the back. I kind of adopted the "whoopee" as my own and used to drive it up and down the country roads of Pennsylvania near my farm. One of the unusual (think scary) things it did, as you are driving 30-40 mph, it would suddenly take a notion and without warning do a sharp turn to the left! I was crazy back then and just took it in stride (and kept the pedal to the medal as they say).

When I first saw "The Thing" it took me back 45 years to a simplier time. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Are you sure it isn't for dredging lakes and ponds in OZ land for guppies, puppies or Ray's. I will Grant you this, it is an odd contraption and it does remind me of the "Whoopee". Maybe you could rename it "The Whoopee Thing!" Go ahead, I've got your back. Junkyard, where did you say that 'largest pitcher of beer' is?

Nice find,
Jerry

Hey Jerry,

I reckon "The Thing" might run better than ya 26+2. At least until Sadie tunes the damn thing properly.

I am pleased to hear you can still remember back 45 years. Who are you again?

Tell me more about Doddlebugs that are on Ebay from time to time.

They look like cut down chassis with a massive rear end. No not yours, the Doddle Bugs.

Now what developments have you achieved on your beast in the last 24 hours. No, the truck I am talking about.

Regards

Ray

Well there are lots of things that I don't know, and the original purpose of "the thing" is one of them.

But there is one thing I do know... the Dog who hails from the yard of junk is sure having fun with this right now!

Hi Andrew,

Your right, the dog could be pulling our chain.

By the way, what did you think of Monty. A little birdie, well actually a big birdie told me you were seen driving around Trafalgar today.

Cheers

Ray

LOL... Grant ain't such a big birdie, in fact he's only a little slip of a bloke! You'll probably get that sarcasm when we eventually meet.

Certainly was great to Meet Grant and I got a buzz out of seeing Monty in the flesh. You definitely do get a better appreciation for these cars when you see them stripped down like that. I'll look forward to regularly popping in and saying G'day as I go past. I usually go up that way a few times a month.


Now, to keep this post on topic...

Have I missed something here? I don't see any means of the motive power from the engine being transferred to any of the wheels. So does this mean that "the thing" is designed to be driven along a fixed wire?

Although for the life of me I can't image why you would build something that did that.

[edit]
OK so now I've looked closer I can see the transfer case and front diff. But I can't make out any steering, I'm assuming it steers through the rear centre wheel.

Mr Dog, is there any steering arms going back to that rear wheel?