Many years ago, as a boy of 7 or 8, I saw a motorized “thing” on Whetstone Road in Manlius, New York. One of the young men next door had built it. He and his brother would take turns driving it down the street, turn around and come back to their house.
A light came on in my head while reading about doodlebugs in your very interesting periodical. The youngest brother shops in the retail hardware store where I work, so I asked Alan if he had any pictures of his brother Bob’s doodlebug. Alan was surprised that I remembered something about that.
Lo and behold, Alan came into the store with this picture and description of his brother Bob’s creation. Bob Lincoln was 21 or 22 in about 1961 when he built this doodlebug from scratch. It is powered by a Wisconsin air-cooled engine from a hay baler, possibly 4hp. It has a truck rear end, two transmissions (one with two-speed high/low gears), and a Crosley front end and wheels. The frame was built with steel purchased from the company their dad worked for, Brace-Mueller-Huntley Steel, Aluminum and Brass.
Jeffrey W. Loope,
Manlius, New York
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