End cap line bore off center.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: End cap line bore off center.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steven Thum on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 11:29 am:

I have a 27 engine with a model a crank that has .019 end play. I took off the third main and sent it to Ron's Machine Shop per Don Lang. Ron just called me and told me that the engine was line bored off center and he could not rebabbitt the cap and bore it out off center. The cap has plenty of babbitt and shims left but needs added babbitt to stop the end play. I know about the paper in Funprojects library on how to add babbitt but I lack the tools and the physical expertise to do this.

My question is, is there some one out there that I can pay to add the babbitt and turn the cap down to stop the crankshaft end play?

Steven


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Thode Chehalis Washington on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 12:19 pm:

Steven,
If you print out the article at:
http://www.funprojects.com/pdf/Excessive%20Crankshaft%20Endplay%20Repair.pdf
and give that and your cap to any machine shop, they should be able to fix you up.
Jim


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stan Howe Helena, Montana on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 12:54 pm:

This probably isn't what you want to hear but if you don't redo the babbitt now and have it line bored correctly you will have problems with the engine until you finally do it. If the crank and rods are good I wouldn't think it would be horrendously expensive to have Ron do the babbitt in the mains. Probably 3-500. I'm thinking by the time you pay some machine shop to build it up and turn the thrust surface down you'll be quite a ways to what Ron would charge you to do it right. IMHO


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steven Thum on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 01:30 pm:

Stan,
The whole engine is line bored off center to make room for the rods. The end cap needs to be fixed to take up end play.

Jim. As I stated, I already have that pdf printed. 2 Machine shops, no go.

Steven


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 01:38 pm:

Where are you located?

It might make a difference in who responds if you're in Japan, Australia, Europe or down the street in Mayberry.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steven Thum on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 02:09 pm:

Ken St. Louis misery.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerry van Ekeren (Australia) on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 02:55 pm:

If the whole engine is line bored off centre, what is the mesh like on your timing gears?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 05:01 pm:

Steven,

How far off center are you?

Can you take a standard rebabitted cap and simply elongate the mounting holes to allow it to slide a bit in whatever direction you're off?

As Kerry asked, I'm also wondering what this off center has done to your timing gear mesh.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steven Thum on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 06:27 pm:

Thanks Kerry and Jerry,

A regular end cap will not work because this model a crank measure 1.594. I have not taken the front cover off to look at the gear mesh. The engine runs fine except for the end play. A babbitt job on the block is out of the question. No funds. It would be nice if I can get the help in adding to the babbitt on the front of this cap. If not I will figure something else out.

Thanks
Steven


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Bender Tulsa Oklahoma on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 07:34 pm:

Steven

Sent you an email


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 07:37 pm:

This, I have never done. Yet.
I read this in a Vintage Ford magazine about thirty years ago. Using a just-small enough-to-fit rat-tail file. Elongate the bolt holes only forward or back (usually forward?) enough to adjust the cap to set the end play. Some recommend using shims around one side of the bolts so that the cap cannot vibrate its way back
Upside. Easy to do, even for the minimumally mechanically inclined. Should work okay, and even add a bit to oil accessibility.
Downside. You will be running on only half a thrust face, it won't last as long. And at some time in the future, someone will rework or rebuild that engine again and may not like what you did.
This is just a more detailed what Jerry VanO said.
Good luck!
Drive carefully, and enjoy the holidays! W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robbie Price on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 08:44 pm:

Steven,
Check this article out. It sounds like what you are looking for as to taking out endplay by adding Babbitt to the thrust surface of the third main.

http://www.funprojects.com/pdf/Excessive%20Crankshaft%20Endplay%20Repair.pdf


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug Money - Braidwood, IL on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 09:14 pm:

What about this?

http://www.modeltford.com/item/3030SHIM.aspx


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 10:48 pm:

Fixing that cap is very easy.
Build up the flange, chuck a piece of shaft and turn it to the size of the journal, without disturbing the shaft clamp the bearing cap to it and face off whatever you need.
That way you will retain the alignment as it is.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 11:02 pm:

I took my cap in to the local engine builder last winter and told him to add some babbitt to the thrust on the third main. I brought the block with me. A couple days later I got a call to pick my stuff up. When I picked it up the guy told me to make sure the cap clearance to the main journals was right. I gave him the $50.00 he charged and went home and assembled my engine. I had .020 endplay in the crank. After putting everything together the magneto worked where it hadn't before. There's no way in hell I'd ever consider doing the job any other way again. No babbitt had to be added other than what was necessary to build up the thrust surface of the 3rd main cap.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tony Bowker on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 11:13 pm:

End play of 0.020 seems excessive, I thought new the end play is 0.004 and wear limit 0.006 (or 0.008).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 11:26 pm:

Tony, it is excessive, that's why the thrust on the 3rd main needs to be reworked. Babbitt is added and machined back to where the endplay is down to specification. I doubt if Steve's magneto is working. If it is, it won't be for long. The thing is the motor doesn't need to have the mains all rebabbitted to make the motor right. If he simply builds up the thrust babbitt on the 3rd main and doesn't mess with the rest of the main he can use the one that was in the engine originally. That's assuming the babbitt is good in the journal area of the cap. Then it won't matter if his crank was line bored off center. Now if the guy that he's been working with has already rebabbitted his 3rd main cap then he's what we like to call here in Minnesota "screwed".


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan McEachern on Thursday, December 06, 2012 - 11:38 pm:

If you havn't solved your timing gear issues, let me know as I'm cutting T cam gears now and can cut one to fit your center distance.

Dan


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tony Bowker on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - 12:39 am:

Steve, there is a cheap and nasty solution.... Measure the end play and then solder a suitable brass shim to the front of the bearing, The engineers and mechanics who read the Forum will shake their heads but it will get you out of a jam and last a few thousand miles.


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