My father purchased the 3 wheeled Silver King in 1952 from the Allis Chalmers dealer in Albemarle, NC for about 450. I was six years old when it was delivered. While climbing all over it I discovered it had a horn. How neat I thought, a tractor with a horn, so I proceeded to blow and blow it the rest of the day. The horn soon broke and for some strange reason, my father never tried to fix it. The tractor was in constant use on the farm, until 1964 when my father quit farming full time and went to work for the Department of Agriculture inspecting poultry. It was always well maintained and was repainted once. It was then used sparingly after that and was finally parked in a shed to gather dust. My brother Herman told me he would restore it for me if I could get my mother to let me have ''Silver''. I kept hinting and asking her to sell it to me for about a year. Finally she agreed to let me have it for 250. . . . . . . cents. It didn't take me long to count out and present her with 250 pennies. She even made me a title for it. I now owned ''Silver''. The restoration began about Easter, 1989. Silver was towed out of the shed to the back yard where a battery was installed. it then needed some ignition work. My other brother, Brown supplied points, condenser and some other parts he bought for his tractor but had not used yet. We got the engine running with little trouble. Next, decals were ordered and silver and red paint was purchased. Silver was then taken to Herman's house nearby so he could work out of his basement. The sanding and painting was done and in a few weeks Silver was back home. The final part of the job was then completed, the decals were put on. She really looked great, and still does. I bought a bedspread at a yardsale for a dollar to cover the hood to keep the dust off and the decals looking fresh. In September of 1989 near disaster struck, a storm called Hugo came roaring through and blew the 3 car garage down on Silver and her 2 companions, a 1952 Studebaker and a Dodge van. She got a few scratches from a ladder that fell on her hood but otherwise was unharmed. The garage has been put back together and Silver resides in her corner under her bedspread. Silver Kings were made in Plymouth, Ohio and were called Plymouths. A dispute with Chrysler prompted the name change. According to the serial number book, 8717 were assembled between 1934 and 1954. My Silver King, number 7163 is a 3 wheeler with a 4 cylinder Continental red seal engine. It's the standard color, silver with red wheels, deck and decals. I also have a 1948 Silver King parts tractor, serial number 7482 that is maybe 60 per cent complete. Gilmer Jackson Bost, NC, entered 2000-02-21
My Email Address: Not Displayed | 
