VETERAN MECHANIC BRINGS NEW LIFE TO SUPER M’s, FLATHEAD FORDS AND MORE

by Bob Fitch

For 63 years, Jim Blankespoor of Doon has been working on tractors and other equipment for farmers from Lyon and Sioux Counties and points far beyond. He started working at local implement dealers in 1962 and opened his own shop in 1974.

Over the years, Jim added on to the shop twice. And it needs more expansion now, but that’s up to his son, Randy, and his business partner, Joe Huyser, who own Blankespoor Repair today.

According to Jim, “The first tractor I overhauled in this building (back in 1974) was a 1942 or ’44 M Farmall. We had that tractor back in here last summer and it’s still running today. It purrs like a tomcat in a creamery.”

Even at age 83, Jim’s energy seems boundless. Nevertheless, the years march forward and now macular degeneration is beginning to steal his sight. Today, he wears magnifying glasses similar to the ones jewelers wear – the powerful eye - wear helps him continue to work in the shop on old International M tractors. “When you get old, your body tends to wear out,” he said.

So far, diminished vision hasn’t limited Jim’s ability to spot the trucks, tractors and vintage equipment which he plans to overhaul and jump-start to a new life. On a cold winter day, touring the inside of his garages and sheds is like discovering a previously hidden stash of tractors, trucks and motorcycles which have been perfectly preserved – and are now ready to roll onto the show floor.

Jim’s basic process is to assess the viability of a restoration; if chances seem favorable, then he’ll buy it and began dismantling it; he’ll do the initial sandblasting work; but then turn the body finish work off to a professional in that field (typically done by Memory Lane Restorations in Sheldon.) Then its Jim’s turn to take a look at the mechanical problems and prospects for the engine.

“My 8N Ford has got a flathead V-8 in it. It came out of a 1949 truck the Sioux Center Fire Department used. I went through 11 engines before I found a good one. They were all cracked or something else was wrong with them. I completely rebuilt the engine.” Jim advertised on a swap shop program on WNAX radio, and he ended up pulling the tractor out of a grove even though the back wheels were rusted out and all the parts were full of moss. “Using a loader, we got it out of there and put it on the trailer and brought it home.”

While he was looking for wheels for the tractor, he happened to spy a John Deere with a diesel engine in it.

“So I got my tape out, measured it, and thought, ‘I can get this engine into that tractor.’ So the engine for the 8N came from a 970 John Deere diesel.”

Mix and match is a common theme for Jim. His International 706 was rebranded as a 708 after it was upgraded with an eight-cylinder combine engine. He took the sixcylinder motor he pulled out of the 706 and used it to replace the original four-cylinder motor of an International Super M.

He has a Harley motorcycle body in which he put a Honda Goldwing engine. He calls his creation a “Honda-Davidson.” He overheard some dedicated Harley owners saying, “That guy ought to be shot, chopping up a good Harley like that.”

Other treasures include a 1947 Ford cab-over in which he installed a 454 Chevy engine. It’s been upgraded with air conditioning, electric windows, tilt wheel, cruise control.

They hook a trailer to the rear and use it regularly to haul tractors or autos to various shows.

His 1950 Ford F1 pickup with a flathead V8 motor is in pristine condition. The wood in the truck bed has about 20 coats of varnish on it. “I started in April and I didn’t get done until October,” he said.

A beautiful piece you might not find in many local car collections: A 1955 Ford Crown Victoria, with a two-tone paint job, one of which is “Tropical Rose.”

Over the years, his eclectic collection has included 10 Harley and 12 Goldwing motorcycles, three Cushman scooters, and two Wisner motorbikes (sort of an oversized trike for adults). “My wife, Wilma, and I traveled all over the country, including to Alaska on that trike. It’s got cruise, heat, AC, automatic transmission, and tilt wheel. You see, when you’re a kid, you start out with a trike; and when you get old, you end up with a trike again.”

Some might consider Jim’s 1949 International KB5 a masterpiece in automobile restoration. While procuring some parts at a salvage yard in South Sioux City, he mentioned to the owner he was looking for something like a wrecker or a flatbed to mount on the back of the KB5. The owner, Chuck, replied, “I think I’ve got just the thing for you.” He had a tanker that perfectly matched the size and era of the International KB5 and, after some work, Jim had an antique fuel truck which looks like it just came off the line at the factory.

To restore the engines and bodies of tractors, trucks and motorcycles, he said, “A guy don’t have to be nuts, but it sure helps.”

Jim still rises at 5:50 every morning, lets the dog out, and turns on the lights in the shop. “I still work on some old M’s that people bring in. That gives me something to do.”

ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING.