Need some Timer advice.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Need some Timer advice.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andre Valkenaers on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 08:21 am:

Hello All,
I am just not willing to start a new timer discussion but I need your advice about two timers I bought some time ago.
I should like to use one in my new 1922 Model T I am rebuilding.

One of the timers say New Day Timer the other have no mark on it.
One of the brushes was new in the bag but it seems to me it has a week spring and a steel body.
One has a aluminium body and seems unused.
The third brush is all brass and used but maybe still usable.

I have no experience with brush timers there for my question.

I am just willing to know which combination should work the best.

Thanks
Andre
Belgium


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - 09:10 am:

The timers with the square cutout in each contact are the original style contacts. I cannot say if this is an original or an early Gaslight repro but both were OK. Since I can see evidence of the belt cutting that same timer it would appear that it has been run but the contact surface seems rather smooth. Measure the depth from the edge of the housing down to the contact surface. I am told it should be 13/16". It is important that if resurfaced that the face be parallel with the housing edge. The BEST TIMER is not one that I can say anything about since while it looks like a new day by design it is made cheaper even to the point of using steel zinc hardware to mate with the bronze contacts (galvonic corrosion?). It also has a much deeper spring tip cavity in the center of the housing but it might be OK. Too much tension on the brush can wear out the timer quickly but more often the repro housings are made from very soft material and that is the cause. The square hole in the center of each contact appears to be from a lug being punched down to help the contact anchor itself into the housing material and that speaks well of the design. The main problem the brushes had is the if engine has a timing gear on the front of the cam with a "too thick" hub area then it pushes the cam nut forward and the new day brush butts against that nut instead of against the flat shoulder on the cam and that will quickly destroy a new day timer because the brush is then sitting at least .100 further forward than it should. Been there you should check for this since it is most important. Most people blamed the New Day for that problem but it was the maker of the repro gear who blundered and thought he had a better idea which destroyed a lot of new day timers before the REAL problem was discovered but most folks by then had tossed their ND timers away. Most folks here have changed the spring in the ND brush to one they found in a ball point pen but that is hardly a specification as to what that means but only that it meant they added tension to the brush. Brush material and tension is very important for the ND to operate correctly for the long haul. Hope this helps. I used a ND for years but also have used a flapper type for years. I am currently trying one of Tony Wilshire's new timers and so far it is running fine but I have not had it on a tour yet. I like its simplicity.


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