My first real drive in my '26

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: My first real drive in my '26
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 08:43 am:

Just thought you all might appreciate this. I had tried driving my new '26 about two weeks ago. It would back up but wouldn't go forward at all. So I installed new band linings all the way around. Finally got it ready to try last night. My wife heard the car start and saw me back it up, so she came out to take a picture of my first real drive. Didn't see her do it but I am sure glad she did! Just went around the barn a half-dozen times. No floorboards yet, so no decent place to put my left leg except hanging out the door. What a time!

I was told by Mark Eyre that the next thing I need to do is replace the thrust washers in the rear end, as they will crumble after having sat for 60+ years, leaving the car with no brakes. I assume Langs has them, but if anyone has any better ideas, I would appreciate you letting me know.

photo of me driving the t


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 08:46 am:

Congrats. Listen to Mark--he will steer you right.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 08:51 am:

Good fun, isn't it? For the rear axle job be sure you have the axle book. I don't remember if if I gave you these links before.

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG80.html

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG79.html


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By James Chochole on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 09:14 am:

Congrats- have fun with the T- they are wonderful rides!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Zahorik on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 09:36 am:

There are a lot of good "first's" in a guy's life. First job, first girl friend, etc. First Model T ride is right up there.

Mike


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 10:12 am:

Thanks for the kind words guys. I will remember that short drive for a good long time, I suspect.

Steve, I just ordered the rear axle book. I already have the shop manual but its nice to have as much information as possible before tackling a project like this.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Sutton on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 10:16 am:

If you can do the band linings you'll do fine on the rear end. Just remember that the housings may not fit together perfect on the first try. Sometimes I have to open them up a little and make sure the steel washers have the holes lined up with the pins. You'll understand when you have it apart. There aren't a lot of pieces in there which helps too. Have fun and congrats.

Craig


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Doug Wilson on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 10:30 am:

Worst part of the rear axle is the mess it makes when you take it apart. Be prepared with a sheet of poly on the floor, and plenty of cardboard and newspapers to protect your floor. Once you get it all cleaned up, it goes together logically. Chafins instructions are the way to go. It is a little overwhelming when you read through the instructions, but in reality, it is mot that big deal, it just takes patience and time to get it correct.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 10:59 am:

In my Langs shopping cart, I have the following:

Rear axle housing bolt and nut set
rear end gasket set
axle housing cap set
thrust washer x 2
thrust plate pine x 6
rear axle hub key x 2
600 wt axle grease x 1

Barring any major internal problems (won't know until I get in there) does this list look pretty complete for the thrust washer job? Anything I don't really need?

Thanks for the help guys. I, and my T, really appreciate it. She still needs a name...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Norman T. Kling on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 11:32 am:

You relined the bands. Congratulations. I hope you started at the ends and worked toward the middle. The first set of bands I relined I started at one end and worked toward the other end. They didn't last very long because the lining was tight from rivet to rivet and did not lay flat against the band. So it would drag when in neutral, but would wear out very fast. Anyway, I hope someone showed you how to do it right or your instructions were good. Also it is a mistake to tighten the bands too tight. They should clamp down on the drums when the pedal is about 1 inch above the floorboard. At maximum no farther than 1 1/2 inch. This is because they should be completely loose in neutral or high gear. If they drag, they will overheat the drums leading to the "Big Bang". The "Big Bang" is a cracked drum.

On the rear axle, be sure to replace the babbit thrust washers with bronze if not already done. The steel rings which fit over the pins can be temporarily held in place by smearing thick grease on them on the sides toward the carrier and toward the axle housings.

I would recommend the book or video on the rear axle. It is easy to work on and most of the tools you will need are simple tools which every mechanic should have in his tool box, so if you need a tool, buy one, because you will need it again some day, or on some other T part.

Good luck,
Norm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob McDonald-Federal Way, Wa. on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 11:35 am:

Zachary
How about Zacs Dilly and just plane Dilly for short. Now you better get Dilly's rear end fixed.

GRIN

Bob


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 11:47 am:

Hi Norman,

I did start at the ends and work my way to the middle of each band. It seemed easier to do it that way. They laid flat on the bands before I put them back into the transmission. I had some advice from Mark Eyre on how to do it and just followed the Ford shop manual from there. I will check the adjustment again but am sure that they aren't too tight. Thanks for the 1" above floorboard spec.

This isn't my first car restoration, but it is my first T. When I need a tool I buy it, so I have a pretty large tool kit for mechanics work (not counting woodworking... an entire full of that stuff). No problem there.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 11:47 am:

Bob,

Funny stuff! I'll have to think on that.

Zach


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Tomaso - Milton,WA on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:05 pm:

Welcome aboard, Zach !

Any shady relatives with that last name ??? My heritage being what it is, there was rumor about my Uncle being in the "produce business"!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:07 pm:

Hey Zachary,

It all depends on how much money you are able to spend, but when you read through the Chaffin's manual you will see that when you rebuild the rear end, you pretty much have to rebuild the driveshaft at the same time. If you can afford it then it's definitely worth going ahead and doing while you have the rear out from under the car.

To add to your list you would need a Fun Projects pinion bearing kit ($118), new brass front drive shaft bushing ($8.50), and a new u-joint ($99). OH! And go ahead and order the little studs that hold the steel plates, there are 7 of them - 2 on each housing and then 2 on the ring gear side of the carrier and 1 on the other side. They are pretty much ALWAYS worn off and need to be removed and replaced ($0.75 ea). http://www.modeltford.com/item/2531B.aspx

Also - since you're going to have the rear end out and apart - look and see how much your axles have worn as well as what kind of shape your axle bearings are in. Mine were worn a comical amount and I ended up just getting new axles from Snyders. The Chaffin manual has all the specs on exactly what size the axles and bearings should be.

I bought a huge rubbermaid container for a few dollars at Walmart and just drained everything in there, and then used Kerosene to clean everything, then threw away the container when I was done. A bristle toilet scrubber works really well to clean out the housing tubes.

Last but not least! Worse than the mess it makes for me was taking the housings apart and putting them back together repeatedly getting the thrust washer thickness just right. There's really no good way to know exactly how much you'll need to thin the thrust washers for the housings to go back together and the ring gear be able to turn. You just have to bolt the halves together and see if you can turn the ring gear I used some 200 grit sandpaper on an eletric sander to thin mine. It definitely took some brass off but it wasn't crazy and took too much. I used some calipers to make sure I kept the washers the same thickness. I think I ended up doing 3 different test fits before finally feeling like it was ready to go and assemble with a gasket and sealer. Just know you have to be patient with all of the bolting and unbolting and taking the halves apart and putting them back together. An extra person for this part just to help you lift and place the housing is REALLY helpful. Especially when you're trying to keep the little steel plates on the studs as everything goes together.

Good luck and have fun! I was immensely satisfied with myself once I got the driveshaft and rearend rebuilt and back under the car.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:07 pm:

Don't order any parts until you have the differential apart. I removed and disassembled the diff on my 16 last weekend. Ended up ordering axles, gears, seals, bearings, bearing sleeves and supporting hardware.

Right now I'm at $800 into the rebuild.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gene Carrothers Huntington Beach on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:13 pm:

Zach
Do yourself a favor and drill and tap a small drain hole at the bottom of the dif so you can later drain the oil from there. Many of the guys here will use a modern gear oil vs the black type from the T vendors. Probably a better grade lube. Might be a great time to install some modern type seals at the wheel bearing to prevent grease from getting on the brake linings.

Have fun and glad to hear about your ride.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:15 pm:

Lol Philip - I did the same thing. I ordered what I knew I would need just to swap out the thrust washers. And then ended up spending a total of $1,500 on new axles, modern roller bearings, and a new spider carrier body besides the pins, plates, thrust washers, and drive shaft parts I already had.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 12:40 pm:

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Are we supposed to do a 'bio' post or anything like that? A lot of other sites / email lists I'm involved in require that.

Funny Steve. Your uncle might have been in the 'produce' business... my distant cousin John was in the 'bank-robbing' business! Small world.

I should hold off ordering things, but when I know I'm going to need them, I usually like to have them on-hand ahead of time. It is a calculated risk, betting the extra shipping cost if I need to make another order against the timeliness of having certain things on hand. I get burned sometimes but sometimes it pays off.

I usually just try to only fix the things that need fixing and not get involved in 'project creep'. But we will see what I creep myself into once I have the axle apart!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 09:57 pm:

Zach,
you'll like the modern neoprene seals. Among many of the good things about Lang's is they will only charge you the actual shipping. I've spent lot's of money with them over the years just because of that. I need to order a few things a lot more often than I need a hundred dollar order. No "bio-post", just a profile page where you can put a pic and change it whenever you like. Welcome.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Saturday, September 14, 2013 - 02:52 pm:

Oh oh........at least it looks like you have room for another one.......or two....... :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Saturday, September 14, 2013 - 08:47 pm:

Most of my parts showed up yesterday but as usual I forgot to include something in the order. I hate when that happens :-(.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Saturday, September 14, 2013 - 09:09 pm:

Zach,

Welcome aboard! As you are getting your T ready to drive, recommend you take a look at some of the safety items. The T is an honest machine and will server you well. But many of the items that everyone commonly knew back in 1925 are not as well known today.

Please see:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/154102.html

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/131656.html

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50893/69429.html

Again welcome aboard.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 08:17 am:

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I'll update my profile page as necessary.

That barn is about 2/3rds full with farm equipment (not mine, my father in laws). We are buying the barn from him, however. I will rent 2 or 3 bays back to him (he insists that he "rent" it rather than just use it, but thats another story) and keep 2 or 3 for my car collection. It isn't much right now (just my T, my '73 Satellite and a '74 Datsun 260Z that is up for sale), but I hope to add to it soon. I'd like a Model A pickup and a 20s or 30s Packard, assuming I can find one that I can afford! I'd really like a Dolson since I live in Charlotte, but there is only one known to exist in the world... probably can't afford that one.

I plan to drive my T a lot, so I will be doing some safety upgrades once I get her reasonably ready to go on the street. Probably upgrade the brakes, certainly add a better tail / stop light. Make sure every cotter is in place and that all the mechanical systems are rock solid. I'm only 29 (soon to be 30), and I want to do everything I can to make sure the car is as safe as I can make it, keeping in mind its limitations.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 09:14 am:

Welcome to the club, Zach. And as I always say, when it comes to Model T's, they're like Lays potato chips...you can't have just one!


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