Quality of new motometers

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Quality of new motometers
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harry Courtneay on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 01:49 pm:

Can anyone comment as to the quality of currently available new motometers. The last one I purchased was in 1967.-------thanks


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew David Maiers on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 02:01 pm:

i know that they arent reproduced to be like the boyce moto meter.

ive heard that the threads that screw into the radiator are too large in diameter and dont screw in far enough.

compared to my Sr. boyce moto meter the new ones look like a toy.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Danuser on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 02:05 pm:

I didn't realize that a motometer had threads on it to go into the riad where the cap goes. all the motometers I sell must have a cap w/ a hole in it to even mount the motometer into?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew David Maiers on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 02:37 pm:

i meant the cap they sell to mount moto meter has threads too large, i was describing it as a unit.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bud Holzschuh - Panama City, FL on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 06:49 pm:

Bought one from Lang's about6 months ago. Seems fine, threads tight, functions OK.
No complaints.
Cheers
schuh


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 07:58 pm:

I got a JR. model from Langs over a year ago and I drive that car quite a bit.
Looks good and works well....... :-)

http://www.modeltford.com/item/3926JMBW-F.aspx


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve McClelland on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 08:53 pm:

FYI..... The one I bought was supposed to be (brass) after cleaning it one time I can now see the chrome on the motometer body. Anyone else got this problem? I thought brass meant brass...! I ordered parts from several different venders so I don't know where it was bought now but it was a vinteque item. So I have a brass dog bone cap and a POS plated meter !


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By M Philpott on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 09:39 pm:

I bought both the wings and the meter this year along with the neoprene washer and some of the flat washers for alignment and it all worked out fine. No problem with threads or anything.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug Money - Braidwood, IL on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 09:50 pm:

Mine lasted a year. Suddenly, there is no fluid showing in it. It makes a cute expensive hood ornament.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Gumbinger, Kenosha, WI on Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 10:21 pm:

Steve and Doug - I bought a brass Motor meter about 5 years ago, and the brass on mine now looks more like chrome too. Further, the fluid can't be seen. What gives? If I buy another one will the same thing happen?

Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Horlick in Penn Valley, CA on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 12:29 am:

Keith and Doug, last time I looked (maybe 8 years ago) they also sold a repair kit which has a replacement thermometer (red "fluid" is really a mercury containing thermometer). If it ends up looking silvery then the brass is plated on. Brass plating is hard to do well, easy to do poorly so it comes off. Maybe they are farming it out to an inexpensive or unknowledgeable (or corner cutting) plater. I would bring it to the attention of the manufacturer (or vendor).

IMHO, T"H


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew David Maiers on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 01:34 am:

they should be made of solid brass and polished, or nickel plated. not chromed.

the original moto meters were beautiful. it seems somone should make a accurate faithful repro that does justice for the origials.

i did some reading up on replacement thermometers but apparently the company making them wont sell just that anymore.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 02:13 am:

Granted I have only seen a couple of original Jr Boyce Moto-Meter's, they had white metal bodies that were nickel plated or painted. The ones I saw could have been later in the T era versions. Did the originals even come in brass or is that something that came along later when people started restoring model T's?
If the glass tube is only plugged at one or both ends I could understand how the fluid might have gotten out. If they are sealed like a normal thermometer then where could the fluid go unless cracked?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 02:15 am:

I'm fairly certain when Langs' say theirs are brass they are brass.
I expect the chromed ones start out as brass too.
The brass JR. IS brass and it's beautiful....... :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 02:28 am:

I did some checking, the early ones were indeed brass but looked nothing like the ones they sell now.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 03:15 am:

The Moto Meter that I have on my coupe was purchased sometime in the early nineties. Not sure which one of the vendors I bought it from now, but I think they were most likely made by the same supplier. It has red fluid in it and it fits and works great. It is chrome plated. I hope they haven't screwed up on the newer ones. Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 10:20 am:

The ones Langs sell are chrome plated pot metal with brass plating over the chrome. If you polish it a couple times the brass is gone.

All of them are sold by Vintiques to the various vendors so it is not unique to Langs or anyone else.

All the originals I have ever seen are nickel plated pot metal. Never seen a Boyce moto meter in the Model T size that was made from solid brass. I doubt that originals were ever brass plated, that is a modern application for those afflicted with BRASSITIS.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 10:49 am:

Out of curiosity, I did a search on ebay for "motometer" and got 266 hits. They're not all meters (since a hit is anything with that word in the description) and the ones that are are not all for Fords. Still, if you want one, it's at least worth a look.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 11:49 am:

Illustration from Henry's Wonderful Model T. Sorry it's so big, I am having problems with my scanner. The style shown is the same as in the reprint of the Western Auto Supply catalog. The reprint is of a 1920 catalog. The ad in the Western Auto Supply cat does not state what its made of. I am making a guess that the illustration and description in Clymer's book may be earlier catalog.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Sunday, August 19, 2012 - 12:34 pm:

Nice! Wonder if the Chinese will make some for us?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, August 20, 2012 - 02:41 am:

Only a very few of the early Moto-meters were brass. Some early ones appear to be aluminum, however I have not in any way confirmed that. Most of them from about 1915 on were a form of pot-metal. Fortunately for us, it was not the poisoned type like too many early parts (although I have seen a few that did disintegrate). Many were nickel plated, many were painted black. Many from about 1915 up until about 1920 were left natural.
Earliest ones had no glass other than the thermometer. A few had a front glass, but no rear glass. By about 1920, all new ones had glass front and rear.
About 1926 (?) Boyce came out with the Art Deco styled meter/ornament called "Radio". (Kind of like the "Jet" by Oldsmobile in the early '50s.)
There were several other companies that made similar radiator thermometers, but I never got too interested in them. There are just too many aspects of antique automobiles to get into them all.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Monday, August 20, 2012 - 07:59 pm:

Here's one I bought on ebay a few years ago.

moto

I bought it restored, and the center part is painted black while the glass rings are brass, so I assume that the black part is pot metal. The face says: "Boyce Motometer, made especially for the Ford car." (Obviously, I should dust things before photographing them.) :-)

BTW, the wings are new, from Lang's, and they fit fine.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Christopher Lang ~ Brentwood Bay, BC on Monday, August 20, 2012 - 08:40 pm:

I had one on my Coupe, bought it about 2 years ago, it always worked just fine.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By HARRY A DAW on Monday, August 20, 2012 - 09:29 pm:

Bought a winged Motometer a couple of years ago from
Snyders. Had to put several turns of Teflon tape on the threads to increase the diameter of the threads to keep it in the radiator. Did not know at the time if it was the MotoMeter or the Brass Works radiator neck. Found it fit the same on another Brass Works radiator on another T. The Teflon plumbers tape does keep it in place, not tight, but in place.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Aldrich Orting Wa on Monday, August 20, 2012 - 10:20 pm:

Just bought one from Lang's and mounted it in a Gull Wing I bought from Mac's a few years back. No problems.


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