Anyone familiar with these?

[BaileySims]

Yesterday I picked up a 1948, I think, allstate cushman. Hasn't ran in awhile and I know for a fact the motor isn't original. It's a 318cc. I bought it from the owner of a shop I used to work at for 100 bucks. I got it running and the dam thing is pretty quick. I may just try and register it and drive it around town!

[Petros]

those are kind of nerdy retro-cool, and are becoming collectable. There is actually an active club and collector market for the cushman. My daughter used a scooter in collage, looking around for a reliable one, I found the cheap Chinese ones are popular because they are cheap (but junk, not worth buying as we discovered, required more in repairs the first year than it cost to buy new). Looking for reliable replacement for commie crap, I discovered the vintage vespa, honda and cushman scooters get big bucks because of the popularity with collage students (and former students) because of their reliability and quality manufacture. It is retro cool to ride around campus in a restored vintage scooter. And they will pay surprising large amounts of money for good daily rider.

I would clean it up, get it running good, and make it visually perfect and than sell it at a profit. The communist made cheap scooters have really made the older vintage scooters much more desirable. These Chinese made ones are such junk, despite their modern slick appearance, they are only worth scrap metal.

[Mattel]

That looks like a real score. I have a 1952 Lambretta that I restored to factory. I spent about $1800 on parts but now it's worth $4,500 good fun to drive around town.

[Petros]

this is a 48 allstate Cushman:



which looks much older than your model.

This one is a 1958 Allstate Jetsweep, looks like yours. Sears sold them under their name too according to the scooter blog I found this pic on.

[BaileySims]

Awesome! Thank you for that information. That's also something I was looking towards doing. Rebuilding it to factory over the years. I don't know how difficult it would be seeing as how the engine is currently built in there. Parts as well are quite expensive. I do belive it will be quite the project. With its current carb related issues it only got up to 35 mph yesterday. It also didn't help that a friend of mine laid it down yesterday either. Just a couple of paint scrapes though, nothing too bad.

[Petros]

Restored those are worth more than a good running Tercel4wd! better not let anyone take joy rides on it, even if you only have $100 into it. That is really a great find.

If you do a search you will find clubs and collector's blogs and website, they can point you in the right direction for parts and restoration protocols. sometimes doing "factory option" mods makes it worth more, but sometimes doing performance or upgrade mods make it worth less to the collector. Best know that first. Oddly antique collectible furniture for example is worth more with a bad but original finish, rather than having it stripped and refinished. it could be the same for collectible scooters, though usually collectable cars are worth more when restored to look factory new.

The blog I got that picture from said it came with 5 hp stock. If it runs good, no reason to pull the engine apart. There are a few slight differences, the tail light is smaller, so your might be a different model year.

[ARCHINSTL]

What Petros said!
A HS buddy had a Cushman Eagle back in the mid-'50s and had a recent need for a scooter, so thought he'd "return to his yesteryear."
BIG surprise on the cost!
So he went with the best Chinese scooter (dunno the name, but he did some VERY diligent research). He paid approaching USD$2K.
He realized that a modern scooter made much more sense for real-world transportation than using a 60-year old nostalgia item for a DD.
This is a man who personally did a nut-and-bolt restoration of a '58 MGA and gives "anal" a new definition!
Tom M.

[ARCHINSTL]

'58 Allstate Jetsweep - in same family since '62!
http://www.carolinahg.com/Slow-Ride/
Note to BaileySims - that Allstate emblem is rare!
Tom M.

[BaileySims]

'58 Allstate Jetsweep - in same family since '62!
http://www.carolinahg.com/Slow-Ride/
Note to BaileySims - that Allstate emblem is rare!
Tom M.

That one is unbelievably clean! I was doing some research last night and found a guy who was selling his for $3499 without the original motor. That kind of gave me a little hope for mine. The only original parts mine is lacking is the motor, shock and tail light cover. I plan to restore the body, buy the shock and tail light as well as the 3 to 4 hundred dollar speedometer and see what I can do with that. Might even have to join the Texas cushman scooter club for 30 dollars a year. Haha.