Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1547091
A team effort PENFIELD, Ill. — For years, Keith Clem's dad's 1962 Allis- Chalmers D19 sat in a shed, untouched and unmoving. "It was a rust bucket. It sat in my shed and never ran for 15 years," said Keith, of Covington, Ind., who inherited the tractor after his dad passed away 25 years ago. A couple years back, Keith's mom gave him a battery for Christmas, with a simple note that neighbor Paul Kirkpatrick, a recent retiree from farming, was willing to help him get the D19 up and running again. Kirkpatrick worked with Keith and Keith's 19-year-old son Sam, and the trio had it running again after just a couple hours of work in Kirkpatrick's farm shop 2 miles away. Last summer, the Clems acquired a 1946 WC in rough condition and again enlisted Kirkpatrick's help to restore it and add it to their growing A-C collection. "It was seven shades of orange and rust," recalls Keith, whose dad and grandpa farmed with A-C and Gleaner equipment. Within a couple weeks, a friend gave Keith a 1954 WD45 that he describes as "12 shades of orange and rust." The Clems again worked with Kirkpatrick to get it show-ready. They exhibited the WD45, along with the D19 and Neighbor mentors father-son A-C collectors By Heidi Clausen, Editor From left are Keith Clem, Paul Kirkpatrick and Sam Clem with the trio of tractors they restored together. The Clems and Kirkpatrick have worked together to restore three A-C tractors. Shown above and inset are the tractors before restoration began. 28 OLD ALLIS NEWS