I need help with comunitator rod

Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration
Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: I need help with comunitator rod
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Austin Baker on Monday, May 14, 2012 - 07:03 pm:

In my conversion of a 1925 motor to use a brass radiator the comunitator rod wont fit under the radiator hose and also rod end hits fan belt. Anyone ever did this? And how did you make it work?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Monday, May 14, 2012 - 09:07 pm:

Austin, you could convert to right hand drive! LOL

Allan from RHD down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Monday, May 14, 2012 - 09:28 pm:

Austin, the rods require a little bending to get them to fit properly, and to achieve the proper initial timing setting. For the rod hitting the fan belt you could try using a shorter fan belt which will change the angle of the fan pulley and hopefully solve part of your problem. Also, does the rod fit snugly in the timer and in the little lever at the end of the spark rod?

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Norman T. Kling on Monday, May 14, 2012 - 09:36 pm:

Look in the vendors catalog for a rod for an early car. Whatever year the brass radiator was made to fit and order a rod for that engine. The rod is made to either go over or under the hose. When you set the timing, find top dead center on the first cylinder top of compression stroke. This is found by putting your thumb in the spark plug hole while turning the crank. When you feel the pressure trying to push out your thumb continue until the piston reaches top. The pin through the crankshaft pulley should be horizontal when the piston reaches top. Then continue turning the engine until the pin reaches a 10:00 4:00 position. Rotate the timer so that with the key on battery, the number one coil just begins to buzz when the timer is rotated clockwise looking from the front of the engine. Turn off the key, and bend the rod so that when the spark lever is all the way to the top, both ends will go into the holes without moving either the timer or the spark lever.

It is possible, that you can bend your existing rod to go either under or over the hose and still get the ends to fit without moving the timer or the spark lever. You might try that first before buying a new rod.

The reason I say either over or under is because some rods were made to go over the hose, and others were made to go under the hose.

The end of the rod hitting the belt is dependant on what kind of adjustment you have on the belt. If you have the 26-27 type, the eccentric can be moved either direction to tighten the belt. Move it in the direction where the belt will be moved farther from the timer. If you have the earlier type adjustment, you might need to get a shorter belt.

Norm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Austin Baker on Monday, May 14, 2012 - 11:23 pm:

Allan I did get a brass horn on ebay and I didn't realize it at the time but it is for right hand drive. You got a left hand horn you want to trade?
I need the hole positions for the correct horn so I don't drill unwanted holes in the firewall when I get a correct horn. Then I can make a adapter to use the right hand horn in the mean time.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 06:49 am:

Austin,

The rod is bent like this. Brass radiator or not makes no difference, the radiator tube is in exactly the same place on every Model T except the first 2500 cars which had water pumps.

This shows the typical shape of a timer rod for any Model T from S/N 2500 onwards. Note the timer end faces to the rear on pre - 1912 cars. After 1911 model year the timer end faces forward.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 07:53 pm:

I agree with Royce. FWIW the stock factory timer rod never went over the top of the radiator hose or tube. It also never went under the radiator hose. It went under the radiator tube. The hose should be shortened so that the rod passes only under the tube rather than the end of the hose with the tube inside it. Typical original rods get all bent up every which way by now but if you have a new one that is bent factory correct then you need only to make sure the radiator hose is trimmed short enough that the rod passes beneath the tube only and not the hose and then adjust it to set the timing by bending it only in the upper radius arc above the timer. You need only to squeeze it together to shorten the rod or spread it apart to lengthen it. Neither of these adjustments will affect the clearance of the rod at the radiator hose. The timer rod I am talking about began in very late 1911 and was not used with the earlier so-called 2 piece timers used from early cars on into mid to late 1911. Those had a different rod and it inserted into the timer from front to back which is opposite the next timer rod version which was used with the one piece timers (beginning late 1911) and those rods inserted into the timer from back to front.


Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.
Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration