Mechanical Restoration
Birdy’s International Harvester 6 cylinder - BD264 gasoline engine was removed from its engine bay, and brought to Topeka, Kansas where the engine was restored by Master Machinist - Tim Hulsopple and his assistant Brian Ames.
Rare replacement parts for her engine were sourced from a local Lawrence vintage vehicle enthusiast, Tom Underwood (Parts of the Past), and from Charlie Horton (Charlie’s IH in Chillicothe, Missouri).
While the engine was being restored, her International Harvester chassis was cleaned and rust stabilized.
The ability to stop is as important as a running engine. All the rusted brake lines were removed and re-fabricated and the brake cylinders, Hydrovac brake booster, replaced.
Clutch parts, cooling system, fuel tank and fuel system components, all needed to be inspected, restored and in many cases replaced. Local radiator specialist Brett Mullenix (B&D Radiator, McClouth, Kansas) refurbished both the radiator and fuel tank.
Parts for all of this work - and more importantly- guidance from a local network of older experienced vintage automotive enthusiasts was essential.
Ed Rockhold, Keith Finlay, and Nate McFadden, (Napa Auto - Lawrence) supplied both their contacts and insights in abundance with care and wisdom. Richie Backus, Marcos Markoulatos, and Joe Patrick (Slimmer’s Automotive Service) were also generously helpful with their knowledge.
With the last of the school bus yellow in the engine bay masked and repainted, Birdy’s rebuilt engine was brought back to Lawrence.
Dan Rockhill, Nils Gore, (Univeristy of Kansas Architecture faculty) and Juniper Tangpuz (Kansas artist), were instrumental in getting Birdy’s engine reinstalled in her engine bay.
With further mechanical reinstallation help from Ben Brown and Ed Rockhold, on July 19, 2018, forty some years after sitting silent. Birdy took her first new breaths.