How do you get them out without drilling them out?
Bill w/o a pole shoe screw machine there are many ways. Use a drift or round stock slightly smaller than the head and give it a hard smack. This will relieve the tension on the head. You can always center punch the center of the screw to do the same. If they are too stubborn, it ain't pretty but with a center punch on the outside edge of the screw and can turn it.
Will
The correct way to remove and install generator and starter field pole screws is with a pole shoe screwdriver. This specialized tool is found in any generator ans starter repair shop.
Sometimes they can be removed with an impact screwdriver. Installing them is another matter because of the need to check the radial clearance.
Ron the Coilman
.................And the need for a pole shoe spreader.
Ron the Coilmsn
If you mess up the screws removing them, until just a few years ago new pole screws were not available. Glen Chaffin and I worked together to make reproduction screws available and they can now commonly be found from most Model T Parts suppliers.
Ron the Coilman
Ron, do you know of a source for good impact screw driver bits? The ones I have found lately are junk and break after one or two licks. Been thinkin about building my own pole shoe screwdriver. KB
Keith
Sorry, I do not.
Ron the Coilman
I normally heat the screws till red hot, and let them cool down, then a small screwdriver is enough to screw them out.
This may be my stupid question for the day but; Do they make a wider flat style driver for an impact driver? I have broke small drivers by putting them in a large diameter screw and it makes the screw head look like heck!
Apex makes high end bits. Try this link to their catalog
http://www.apexpowertools.com/catalog_pdf/pdf_pages/TC100_23.pdf
Be_Zero_Be
‘Pole shoe driver’ may get you a blank stare at a tool house, but with
a little luck they may know what a ‘drag link' socket is.
http://www1.mscdirect.com/eCommerce/NavigationServlet/Hand-Tools/Sockets-Ratchet s/Sockets/Drag-Link-Sockets/_/N-77eo8
I use a drag link socket for the pole screws on 12v winch motors.
You may have to carefully grind it to fit exactly in the slot for a tight fit.
Set the starter/generator housing in a short length of appropriate size channel iron
and use a ˝” ‘T’ handle with an old ball bearing between it and the press ram
to hold the bit tight in the screw slot. (or design your own setup)
And yes you will sometimes break the tip of the driver, but if you are lucky
you may have enough left to regrind it. If (when) that happens just grind
the tip profile long enough for the depth of the screw slot.
Regards
Art
i took a file ground it to the proper shape on the tip so it tightly fit the screw head, then tempered the file with a torch. insert file and then get on it with a wrench.
If I mail the housing to you, will someone loosen the bolts for me? You don't have to take them out, but loosen them.
I went to several gen/starter shops in the area, and none of them had the device of which Ron spoke. I want to see if I can rebuild the guts, pretty sure the field coil is shot, but not sure about the armature.
Not that it's that important because I have an alternator on my T, but to have a re-done genny on the shelf isn't a bad idea.
Here are pictures of my "Wilton Pole Screwdriver". The assembly must be clamped tightly in the Wilton vise, not a death grip, but tight. The goal is to turn the screw enough to break it loose from its stake. A quarter turn will do it. This has worked many times and should it break just recut the blade. I used a 3/4" bolt to start with.
Wow! that's neat! can I have one of those? LOL
Hi Art
Thank you for the link to the MSC bits. It was very helpful.
The press part of a pole shoe screwdriver never wears out, but the bits certainly do. When tightening pole shoes it requires a lot of torque. I used to be able to buy original style bits from the manufacturer, but they (Tru-Cut) ceased operations about ten years ago. Slowly I am running out of usable bits.
I can easily adapt the MSC bit 83879908, which has a blade width of 1/2 inch and slot size .0910, to my press screw.
I was sweating how I was going to solve the bit problem and you bailed me out.
Thanks again.
Ron the Coilman
Keith
I think Art has identified a source.
Ron the Coilman
So, anyone willing to take my gen housing and loosen the bolts? I really don't have the where-with-all to create all of these fantastic devices to remove them. And really don't feel up to traveling to every gen/starter shop in the tri-state area.
Will
Send it to me and give me a call tomorrow when I an in the shop 11am-3pm so we can discuss the task you are taking on.
I will coach you through the generator rebuilding process, but not guarantee YOUR work. grin.
Ron the Coilman
859-881-1677
It's completely disassembled except the field coil.
Will
The field coil is the least of your generator rebuilding problems.
Give me a call.
Ron the Coilman
My two pole shoe machines cost over $450 a piece old money. Truth be known we hardly use them. Typically we hit em with a 1/2 air gun. Doesn't make the Snap-on happy. I've never had a problem removing them with a drift. A generator shop will pull them for you. It is not difficult.
BTW My pole shoe machines use an anvil that sits on the pole shoe. The screw presses the bit against the pole shoe screw and the anvil. It is a pretty solid set up as opposed to the barrel in a V block.
A good suppler,
http://www.venselenterprises.com/index.htm
A very good article on generators. Interesting.
http://www.venselenterprises.com/techtipsfromdick_files/generators.pdf
I've known Dick Vensel about 30 years and he had been in the business a long time even then.
Thanks everyone, just what I was looking for! KB