About Us

Who: Mike Shelby and company (845) 626-5870
What: Reconditioning of Carburetors, Magnetos, and More for Antique Farm Tractors.
Where: 11 Upper Cherrytown Rd. Kerhonkson, NY 12446

PopinJohn ™ Company, LLC is the business providing carburetor, distributor and magneto service and parts to those who collect and restore antique tractors. In regard to antique carburetors, these carburetors are unique in that they were made of cast iron, whereas newer carburetors are made of aluminum. During reconditioning, we prefer to leave the carburetors the natural cast iron color and leave the brass parts their natural color for contrast. Same with magnetos. If a customer request includes paint, we will use a quality coating of the color requested by the customer.

The restoration process includes completely disassembling the carburetor, cleaning with a special glass bead machine, and then reassembling with new parts as needed. Because the carburetors from tractors of yesteryear are made of cast iron as mentioned, this poses a unique problem. These carburetors do get gummed up, but they usually rust on the inside where it can’t be seen. We have special drills and skills to get the rust out so that the tractor will run properly once the reconditioned carburetor is reinstalled. PopinJohn’s inventory includes gaskets, bushings, shafts and parts specific to antique carburetors.

The cost is a basic labor rate, plus parts, plus shipping. Extra repair work such as stem repairs, flange repairs, etc. is based on an hourly rate. We specialize in repairing carburetors that others have given up on.

After the carburetor is reconditioned, we install the carburetor on one of our tractors for a final test of the carburetor on a running tractor. Magnetos are run tested on a special drive machine. These extra steps insure the work has been done properly.

Nationwide, there are only a handful of shops that do this specialized work. PopinJohn advertises in TWO-CYLINDER magazine and GREEN MAGAZINE, national publications enjoyed by antique tractor collectors. Mike grew up on a model G John Deere in the old Pleasant Valley community near Piggott, AR. You can contact Mike at (845) 626-5870 or visit him at the shop on Upper Cherrytown Rd.