Anybody know where I can find an exploded view diagram for a Ruxtell? Trying to put one back together for a friend and want to make sure everything's in the right place.
Thanks for the help!
As I recall, the original RUCKSTELL instruction book has an exploded view. I would think Glen Chaffin has such a thing.
There are several on here if you do a search, I have to leave right now or I would search some more....I'll check when I get back to see if you still need help...
Thanks for sending this illustration - this gives me a better idea of how things look when assembled. Never worked on one before, so this will get me going I think.
You want the manual from the club before you start assembly - it's only $12 and it's written by an expert, Glen Chaffin: http://modeltstore.myshopify.com/products/service-manuals
Here's another drawing from this thread: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/306352.html
It is a Perfecto axle, the forerunner of the Ruckstell, not exactly the same:
A true exploded view of the Ruckstell innards would be a great project for some gifted artist like Martin Vowell? (hint hint ;) )
The assembly manual has exploded views of the R7ruckstell as well as explicit instructions on how to properly assemble it. If you are interested in the Ruckstell history you should read My other book. "Glover E. Ruckstell and the Ruckstell Axle. Ruckstell was quite an amazing man and was highly respected by Ford.
Let me add that I am no longer doing Ruckstells and am not soliciting business, either for rebuilding or buying/selling. I don't have time and there is not much money to be made. I believe Ross Lilliker is still doing them as well as some other people. I had a guy call me awhile back about one he has for sale, if I buy it I'll put it on the classifieds as a project.
Ya people seem to want a boat load of money for an old rusty one. By time you buy it and find out the housing and maybe shifter housing are the only saveable parts you are on your way down a dark hole money wise.
Stan, What will we ever do without you. I know the feeling, I ran out of time to do them a long time ago but really enjoyed it. I did do two more recently just as favours for friends. I am trying to sell the business. Have had a lot of interest but no one has any money. Guess I'll die under a load of Ruckstell parts.
I like doing them, too, but there are only so many hours in the day, I have so many irons in the fire and not much wood left to heat them compared to what I used to have that I am behind on everything all the time. I never get caught up on the bookwork, every time I think I'm on top of it I get the mail.
A lot of it with me is I have pretty much run out of good original rearends to tear down. I've got 4 or 5 left that probably have some good gears in them but as you well know, it's easy to spend half a day tearing down old differentials and cleaning up the parts to find the axle gears are shot, etc.
I did make a deal with a guy the other night. He has several Ruckstells and piles of NOS parts he bought years ago, wants me to help him build up a couple for cars he's doing. I told him I wouldn't do it for money but would trade him my work and help for NOS parts. He said, "Sure, I don't need all of them." We'll see what happens with that. He lives in Great Falls so can just bring the Ruckstells down and we'll smack em open and see what they need. He probably has half a dozen complete ones plus the parts.
It's also the need to be realistic about business. I can easily do three or four carbs in the time it takes to do a Ruckstell, pays more and it goes in a Priority Mail box and goes away, never to be heard from again. The Ruckstell takes an afternoon to build a crate, time to haul it to the freight dock, etc. Can't charge what all of that kind of time is worth. Gotta do what is paying the bills.
I also have a couple fairly recently acquired kids, teenagers, growing up more every time I see them, they are still glad to have me around and I'm trying to spend some time playing music, going to sports activities, graduations, concerts and just hanging out with them before they get older. The boy will be off to college next year. We are working on a Jeep pickup, riding dirt bikes & jet skiis, shooting .22's etc. The girl is 14, a star athlete, champion fiddle player, dirt biker, jet skier, skier, shoots .22's etc. Both are straight A students. This is my last chance at my age. More important to me to spend what time I can with them instead of working on Ruckstells.
I'm still in the auction business, still on the road playing music, restoring carbs and spend more time on the computer than I should so I'd better get back to the shop and get to work. I have another birthday coming up next month. Getting older and slower, too.
Stan
As u get older you realize that family and kids are the most important things in your life. Time lost without them can never be replaced. Time with them is worth more than any amount of dollars you can earn doing ruckstels or carbs. Never forget that.
Have many great times with them. They will cherish it forever.
Stan, at Chickasha, I thought you told me were still "chasing women". You must have caught the one you were looking for. The change of your family status must have changed since then. You did well. you not only got the love of your life, but you got a champion fiddle player to accompany you. I'm still enjoying your music.
Stan, I didn't know you played music. Blue Grass or Country? I play the guitar and sing to entertain myself. have done some radio and TV work when I was younger but now just play and write songs for my self. Lots of fun. Send me some of your music. Glen
Here's a publication available from MTFCA
Terry, I'm still chasing women. It's just that I have so little chance of catching any that it doesn't make much difference. And I'm not sure this is the love of my life, but I'm helping her raise the kids. I think most of the time the kids like me better than she does. Actually, we are getting along pretty well. She's a nice lady. Great kids.
Glen, 60 years on stage playing music, 7 CD's, Montana Country Music Hall of Fame, nominated a couple times to the Seattle Western Swing Hall of Fame, fiddle and guitar player and singer. I've played everywhere from the Nashville Palace at Opryland to school house dances in rural Montana, Texas to Las Vegas and most of the beer joints in between. Lots of fairs and festivals. Last festival I played was this fall in Idaho with the great Kristyn Harris from Texas. She is a rising star and worth a look on you tube.
My new CD, TURN ME LOOSE AND LET ME SING will be out in January or February. Recorded in San Antonio with Bobby Flores, Randy Reinhard & Jim Loessberg from Ray Price's band, Jake Hooker, other guys and multi Grammy winner Alex Gomez with Jay Fort and Dave Woodard on horns over the past two winters. Bobby Flores and I produced it.
I was the first Western Music Association Songwriter of the Year and won again a few years later, American Songwriter Magazine's Songwriter of the Year, etc. Don't get much chance to play anymore and am still working on the packaging and art work for the new CD, also rounding up the money for it. Terry, I'm planning a CD release party in the San Antonio area for this spring sometime, I'll let you know when. I'm booking a few things for Montana including a couple CD release parties here. Gradually putting a band back together after years of not having one, will work a few festivals and other dates here and a few in Texas if it all works out. Also starting to work a little toward doing a tour of Europe in 2016. I'll only be 73, good time to start a new career. You can look me up on Soundcloud and listen to a couple songs from the new CD but their quality is so bad you don't really get the full sound of the recording. Terry has an early copy, before the CD was mastered, it also sounds a little thin in places. The final is much better, full sound. All I need now is a picture of some young handsome guy to put on the cover and I'm good to go.
Savanna and her friend Maggie - 13 and 14 - played a festival with my band last spring in May. Five old guys, all younger than me but gray haired and with a lot of miles on us and these two great little fiddlers. I've been working with them on playing Texas style long bow backup. The were dressed up in their cowgirl outfits and both are division winners in the Montana fiddle contest so they can out play me. They walked out on stage, played the kick off to "One More Time" and just brought down the house. My most recorded song is "Take Me Back Along the Yellowstone," second most is "Memories of You Sometimes Cross My Mind," which is a Texas Shuffle that has a great fiddle kickoff and fill. They were as good as anybody I could have hired and they were so proud of themselves -- as they should have been. They want to go on the road with me playing twin fiddles for me. We'll see how that works out. The chick that's got the fiddle job now is 28, has a degree in Jazz violin and has been taking country fiddle lessons from me for about two years. She's a hot fiddle chick. She is almost 35 years younger than the next youngest guy in the band.
To get to the soundcloud play stream, you have to do this: https://soundcloud.com/stream, then when the page comes up, type stanton howe in the search box. There should be 5 songs loaded.
And here's "Memories of You" by Stan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT6vp-YgkIg
I didn't know that was on you tube. That was at the old time fiddlers a year or so ago. Trying to teach the song to the guitar players and another fiddle player who had never heard the song. I usually have on a big hat and am plugged into an amp instead of trying to play and sing into the same mic. I think I needed another drink. The royalty checks from that one have made a few payments around here. Not as much as the royalty checks from "Yellowstone," but every little bit helps. This one bought me a red Cadillac about 25 years ago. =) And yes, I gave it to her when she left. Famous cowboy singers never sell a red Cadillac, they give them to the chick when she leaves. It's the cowboy way.