Hi guys,
Here's an interesting story: when i first joined this site 4 years ago, i was contacted by an old guy who responded to my advertisement thinking i was looking for some Fluid Drive spare parts, where in fact i was looking to purchase the complete machine. After i met him, i asked other members of this site what would they be prepared to pay for this machine (the first link below is my original thread).
As i ended up finding one of these machines myself 6 months later(but not in as good condition) i didn't end up going back to purchase anything from Keith, but always felt i would pop in one day and buy some parts off him.
When i was checking out our local paper for deceased estate sales last week, i noticed an address which looked familiar...and guess what? It was Keith's. Unfortunately, he passed away some 8 weeks before and i felt sad. When i turned up at the residence, the 1963 Simpson Fluid Drive in immaculate condition was still there....and i ended up getting it for AU$50.00 as well as the spare parts that were under the house.
I told his daughters i met their dad some 4 years ago and when i told them i was a collector....one of them advised she had heard me on our local radio and ended up taking pictures of me next to the machine! I also gave them a copy of the video of the machine in action with their dad talking in the background, even though it's only 12 seconds long. They appreciated it when i picked up the machine yesterday.
So, what a small world it can be! The machine is now residing underneath the house of some great friends until the time i can display it properly.
Cheers
Leon
Here's an interesting story: when i first joined this site 4 years ago, i was contacted by an old guy who responded to my advertisement thinking i was looking for some Fluid Drive spare parts, where in fact i was looking to purchase the complete machine. After i met him, i asked other members of this site what would they be prepared to pay for this machine (the first link below is my original thread).
As i ended up finding one of these machines myself 6 months later(but not in as good condition) i didn't end up going back to purchase anything from Keith, but always felt i would pop in one day and buy some parts off him.
When i was checking out our local paper for deceased estate sales last week, i noticed an address which looked familiar...and guess what? It was Keith's. Unfortunately, he passed away some 8 weeks before and i felt sad. When i turned up at the residence, the 1963 Simpson Fluid Drive in immaculate condition was still there....and i ended up getting it for AU$50.00 as well as the spare parts that were under the house.
I told his daughters i met their dad some 4 years ago and when i told them i was a collector....one of them advised she had heard me on our local radio and ended up taking pictures of me next to the machine! I also gave them a copy of the video of the machine in action with their dad talking in the background, even though it's only 12 seconds long. They appreciated it when i picked up the machine yesterday.
So, what a small world it can be! The machine is now residing underneath the house of some great friends until the time i can display it properly.
Cheers
Leon
