Hey so I, after many years of wanting a model t bought one 100% apart in a barn three weeks ago. I've assembled most of the chassis and have the parts to assemble the drive train. My problem is that the magneto magnets are very weak. Does anyone have a way to re-magnetize them at home? I found a guy 3 hours away that can do it if I bring the whole flywheel to him with the magnets still mounted. Also does anyone know on a 1917 two seat touring car, if the front and rear wheels are the exact same? My fronts do not take a bolt off rim (one piece) while the rears do take the bolt on rim. Does anyone have pictures of the wheels I would need? I'm having trouble picturing them....
Andy,
I can help you out. Call or email me, aloso@q.com or 320-293-1953
It's not terribly difficult to do it yourself, http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG88.html, especially if you have the book: http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG80.html.
Andy:
1917 Fords have round fellow, non-demountable wheels all around. Front wheels are 24 inches and take 30 x 3 tires. The rear wheels are 23 inches and take 30 x 3.5 tires.
What is the serial number on the block? Can you post pictures of what you acquired?
My dad and I are both interested in 1917 Fords in Minnesota. My dad has a 1917 Ford that he purchased from the original family in 1949. I have an unrestored 1917 roadster.
Erik in Minneapolis
This is what a 1917 Ford touring looks like with the correct wheels (my dad's car):
Here's the kind of wheel Erik's describing. Note the rounded felloe. The demountable rims stacked behind it go on a later style of wheel.
A closer look at the rounded felloe. The K is for Kelsey, one of Ford's wheel suppliers.
Now the round-felloe wheel has a square-felloe non-demountable wheel in front of it. This was the stock wheel used in the early twenties.
A closer look at the square felloe.
This is the demountable wheel you could get in the twenties if you wanted to pay a little extra. Ford didn't use these in 1917.
You can use the car's magneto to remagnetise the magnets. You need three 12v batteries and some start-leads to join them in series for 36v.
See here:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/159978.html
Just place the magneto on the flywheel and magnets so that a S pole (the one which attracts the N end of a compass needle, is just left of the main terminal (as viewed from 'behind' in a car sense).
You will need to arrange a GOOD contact with the blob of solder that is the positive terminal of the magneto. The steel plate is the earth.
Since the car is apart, you will need to gap the magneto anyway. I suggest removing the magnets and having them re-charged individually for the best results. Then use the KR Wilson tool to level the magnets. Be sure to use new spools and screws when setting the magnets. The referenced manuals should give you plenty of information on how to do this. Magneto gap is 0.025 to 0.040 inch. The closer to 0.025 the stronger the output from the magneto. Also get the magneto coil re-condition by Wally. Don't forget to get your ignition coils reconditioned as well. A strong magneto and good coils make for a good running car. I'm sure Andy will give you the same advice.
Thanks for the information. I can't figure out the picture uploader. If you have an email I'll send them. Needless to say when I brought it home I had a rolling frame, a rusted up body, and a pickup box full of parts... It's going to be a long road since I have never worked on one to assemble it. Luckily the rotating assembly and block were rebuilt already. The block number placed it in July of 1917
Andy, pictures need to be resized to under 194K to fit on the forum. A resolution of 150 dots per inch and a width of six inches works well.
Andy,
Like Johns said it is best to recharge them individually. I have a recharger and do this all the time. I also weigh each magnet and place the same weights opposite of each other on the flywheel to help balance the flywheel. I stock new screws and spools, along with lots of other parts so feel free to email or call.
Andy Loso
aloso@q.com
320-293-1953
Andy,
Like Johns said it is best to recharge them individually. I have a recharger and do this all the time. I also weigh each magnet and place the same weights opposite of each other on the flywheel to help balance the flywheel. I stock new screws and spools, along with lots of other parts so feel free to email or call. Feel free to email me the pictures and I can resize and post them for you.
Andy Loso
aloso@q.com
320-293-1953