T Doodlebug/Conversion Tractor Thread 2015 Part III

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2015: T Doodlebug/Conversion Tractor Thread 2015 Part III
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - 09:05 pm:

I was getting tired of scrolling!

here is a link to the old thread:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/517756.html?1427244926

And a video to keep you busy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUnYdluMGgk&feature=youtu.be


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - 09:16 pm:

Good call Zac. So was I!

You need to post some closeup pics of the skis you crafted - absolute works of art. Still regret not moving quicker on that pair I found on CL.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - 09:33 pm:

The skis are in Albion at my father in law's I will try to remember pictures when I visit at Easter.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 - 09:49 pm:

Thanks for the new thread ... Here is my power unit kit I bought at Chickasha, Clayton listed it in the classifieds, and could deliver it to Chickasha, so I bought it . Then I found the belt pulley, radiator, radiator shell, a fan governor, the three dip pan, one gas tank bracket (the other one came with the framework). and the battery box. I have a grand total of 185.00 in all of it. I have everything else needed to complete it in my parts pile. So, does anyone know what I have. Someone at Chickasha said they saw one like it in a "Sears" catalog from aprox 1926 1927. I have Montgomery wards catalogs from back then but no Sears catalogs. Any help will be appreciated. I would also like to know what the two small brackets on the side rails are for. I think the rear hole in the two rear brackets are for a flat bar that will go down to the rear axle and strengthen the rear frame/wheel/axle assembly.??? The front two brackets may be for something to stabilize the radiator . ???? Any thoughts or help in identifying this unit will be appreciated...

unit 1

unit 2

unit 3

unit 4

unit 5

unit 6

unit 7

unit 8


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 06:16 am:

Donnie - it's great!! The small wheels all the way around make me think it was intended for industrial/shop use. Hopefully Jay sees your post and has an ad in his accessory archive that matches what you have. I have only seen the kit ones in pictures. My unit is homemade, as have been all the ones I've seen in person. If Jay has some ads for these kits, I hope he posts them here.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 06:22 am:

When the post gets long, just click on the down arrow to the left of the persons name. Takes you right down to or near the bottom.

Donnie, do you have the running gear(engine) for it to get it running? That is a good start for sure.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 08:49 am:

Im going to assemble an engine from my parts that are not quite good enough for a tour car. I have a good block with a nice set of cast pistons and heavy rods, a good crank and cam with early straight cut timing gears. I have always wanted to build a engine with a set of early straight cut gears. The head I want to use has a crack on top and was welded back in the day with about a pound of brass. It looks like a very good weld and will be a neat use of an otherwise un-usable part. and of course Ill leave everything in its "work cloths" and not paint anything ... There is the remains of a decal on top of the frame rail. It is almost gone, but I can make out the letters ODUCT on the top line of letters, and Co. on the second line. I think the word may be "PRODUCTS" I also seem to remember a company by the name of "Metal Products Mfg Co." if my old febal mind is working correctly. It "May" or "May Not" be the company who made the cart ... A lot of the old stationary engine carts had small wheels on them. I always thought the wheels were small for the use, but that is the way they did it back then... I have two different govenors to chose from. The fan type was the most common that I have seen, but I also have a side shaft style of govenor that will mount on the frame. Ill try to post a pic of them as I have not seen the side shaft one anywhere else. This is next winters project, as it is getting close to garden and vacation time.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 09:13 pm:

Here are the pics of the govenors. The fan type is a common one that I see a lot of. The other one is the only one I have seen like it. It is probably the one Ill use on this power unit ... I may have to start on this sooner than next winter, It just seems to call out that it needs worked on ..:-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 09:54 pm:

Looks like the pictures didn't load, were they over the 200 or 250kb size limit?

I'm sorry that I have nothing to add regarding the carts pedigree, but I have to concur with Ron on the wheel size it must have been made for use on hard surfaces. Do you have something that you are intending to run with it yet?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 06:26 am:

Donnie - I know what you mean about that calling out to you right now. I wouldn't be able to resist it. I hope you try posting the governor pics again - I really want to see them and get some ideas on set up.

I've spent the winter juggling part and component refurbishment in the basement for 3 different projects (mower bug, power unit and saw rig). When the snow finally clears and I can get out to them, am not going to know which one to focus on first. Big engine show near me at the end of June is featuring the Model T this year, so I'd like to haul as much of my little freak show over as I can. Power unit should be a quick turn based on everything I did in the basement the last few months. The mower bug will probably make it over as an "ongoing preservation" and sit on the line with the As and my two other Ts (show is close enough I can get them all there with multiple turns). Saw rig won't make it.

Zac - have been looking for a small device to run with my power unit for show demos (corn grinder or feed mill). Ideas?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 11:11 am:

Ill try the pics again. It probably would work better if I "actually" attach the pics :-( :-)

govenor 1

govenor 2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gerard de Bruin on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 07:11 pm:

This is my tractor, not a converted model t but a tractor that uses model t parts...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 07:36 pm:

That is a beautiful Fordson.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 07:37 pm:

Gorgeous Gerard!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 07:47 pm:

Fordsons are ALWAYS welcome on the Doodlebug thread!! I had a '25. Had to sell it when I was posted back overseas and lost storage. Will find another one someday - preferably an Irish or Trackson.

Trackson currently advertised on Ebay and Craigslist right now - about 90 minutes away from me down in Rhode Island. Pricey though given her condition (she sat as lawn art in front of a construction company apparently).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 08:12 pm:

Shhh!! Listen, I think I hear it calling you Ron!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 08:26 pm:

Not helpful Chad!!! :-)

Have made a studied attempt to avoid looking at her.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 08:32 pm:

You know though, they certainly aren't making them anymore. Maybe I am out of touch with prices--or just willing to pay more, but I think if it can be bought for 3k or less, it's a deal. $2500 would be nice.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 09:06 pm:

All very true - and those numbers are reasonable (and have been floating in my head) if she is loose and her clutch is good. Fordson clutches can be a nightmare. You'll note from the various ads, he is not ponying up any specifics on condition.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Thursday, March 26, 2015 - 09:33 pm:

Donnie good to see that the pictures posted, I have not seen either type of governors, but I have never been looking either. Both are neat.

Ron, Hmm, corn grinders are nice because they can be interactive with the kids, there was someone at the Gasup here last year that had a grinder and was baking corn bread to hand out.

Gerard nice Fordson did it just roll off the assembly line!

To that Tracson
The doctor said I should get more iron.... Besides I practically have all the parts it needs, I found a gas tank and three Fordson connecting rods in a barn already.

Think my wife would buy any of that? :-)

On the way to my wife's parent's house there is a Fordson sitting out by the road as yard art, I cry a little bit every time I pass it by.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Friday, March 27, 2015 - 08:14 pm:

After this thing taunted me relentlessly on E bay for 2 months, and I was to stubborn to pay his best return offer, I finally anted up and bought this fan governor tonight. I spent about $15 more than I really wanted to, but I took my own advice that I gave Ron to the fact that stuff like this isn't made anymore and sometimes you just got to jump.

BTW, I have Zero use for this right now, but I figure when I find a decent running engine, it'll go on it. I'll make my own power unit if I have to.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Saturday, March 28, 2015 - 03:39 pm:

So the sickle bar for the '27 T/IHC mower is done. Completely disassembled, cleaned, linseed oiled, blade sharpened, blade track oiled and reassembled. I found a NOS replacement grassboard for it on Ebay. That arrived this week - great stencil on it ("made by Herschel to fit McCormick MB1051"). Board is solid oak and has an age split going down about 1/3 the length. This board is only for show - will swap it out with a modern steel one for actual cutting. Soda can is there for scale - I had no idea the grassboard was this large.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Schrope - Upland, IN on Saturday, March 28, 2015 - 05:02 pm:

I always called that a divider board with a divider rod attached. The rod was normally steel and was bent to throw the "grass" in farther. These were pretty important if you were cutting tall alfala/clover/grass. Without them, it was easy to plug up on the inside of the mower on the next round.

Having said all that, it's neat to see one with the writing. I always just made them from a native 1x8 and used the hardware from the old wornout/broken one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dale L Myers on Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 10:22 am:

I thought that rod was to hang onto when you weren't mowing.



My Dad and I in the early 1950's


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank M. Brady on Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 11:25 am:

Dale: What a wonderful photo. Would you happen to have any more with closer details of the tractorbuggy? It has some very interesting aspects of the front axle and steering set up. Thank you for sharing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 11:55 am:

Best I could do with the original.

Looks like it's probably an A / AA built bug?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 12:17 pm:

Dale - what a GREAT picture and that is largely due to the fact that is you and your Dad!!! Am sure there are a LOT of memories contained in those 200 or less kilobytes. Did he make the tractor? You look happy as hell sitting on that mower!

Cowl looks 30-31 A and the slight edge of the radiator shell or hood that is visible seems to confirm that Rear end looks like a mid-late production AA. 30-31 car front wheels - so it would seem to be a non-commercial front end (no big drums). Appears, from the location of the drag link and tie rod that the entire front axle has been flipped upside. The actual front axle is throwing me though - the end towards the spindle does not look A.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dale L Myers on Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 02:15 pm:

Dad and his brother built it (mostly)from a 1930 A Coupe. I wish there was a better picture of the front end. I don't remember anything about the front axle.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - 09:47 pm:

Power unit update. Have you ever had one of those ah/ha moments. I had mine today. I have been trying to figure out what the 2 brackets on each side of the frame of the power unit are for. I showed the brackets in the pics above. So while finding the parts Im going to use, and doing a quick mock up assemble of the parts. I was trying to figure out if I would use a 26/27 coil box or try and mount a firewall and coil box. And then it hit me. The brackets are for mounting the firewall brackets to and one hood latch on each side. .. all I could say to myself, was DUHHHH... The position of the gas tank is just right to have clearance for the coil box and lid...

brackets

brackets 2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - 09:55 pm:

Donnie - looks fantastic!

My gas tank is going in the same place. Had to make uprights for it (all new wood weathered to look old) and had to cut them tall enough for the tank to clear the travel path of the E-handle.

I just love those wheels on yours - the entire carriage is just great.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Clayton Swanson on Wednesday, April 01, 2015 - 09:41 am:

hey Donnie its lookin good! how nice that they thought to relocate the hood hold downs to the middle so you can wear out a hood in a different spot!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 02:52 pm:

Finally beginning to thaw out up here. Mounted 4 tires for the T saw rig yesterday and went to strip some parts off her so I could better assess her state (just got her home when Snowmageddon started here in Massachusetts). Her engine is stuck and may be past saving (at least for me). I managed to get her plugs out when she first arrived and filled her up with Marvel Mystery oil. She's sat with that in her for almost two months and it has not freed her. I got what's left of her carb off yesterday and installed a small homemade blockoff plate on her intake. I then jammed up what's left of her exhaust with rags. I mixed up a freeing brew I read about on one of the vintage tractor sites: about 50-50 mixture of ATF and acetone. I filled her up with that today and will let her marinate for a while. In any case, I wasn't able to get any good detail shots before, so I took some today. Highlights (besides the porcelain Valvoline sign used as a blade guard) include: Model A rear end, two front axles and front crossmembers, superstructure for the gas tank, etc.






Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 02:56 pm:

And some more:






Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 09:09 pm:

That is going to be quite the project. Good to see some fresh and better shots of it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 09:24 pm:

Engine is the long pole in the tent. Would love to find a known decent one (or at least a free one) and drop it in. Wheels are already done, so is the gas tank.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 11:38 pm:

Ron, I completely forgot to take some pictures of the skis this weekend. |Sorry. Good to see you are getting some work done on the saw rig. I see that there was a round tank near the engine, presumably for fuel?
Dale love the pictures of you and Dad thank you for sharing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Sunday, April 05, 2015 - 11:58 pm:

This morning I went out to my father in laws shop to see how my bug's second transmission turned out after cooling since Saturday morning . When I unwrapped the insulation it was good to be met by a just slightly warm transmission with what appears to be a good repair. I would have liked to have been able to spend some time getting it back together, but it was a day family, so all that I did was pack it up so it could take the train back home with me this evening (everyone else is still visiting but I have my evening CAD course to teach tomorrow afternoon) At the risk of possibly irking some for the analogy I couldn't help but think that it was some how appropriate to find that this casting is reborn on Easter day.



Preheating after being ground, the area to be worked on was hit again to remove carbon after it heated up. I did not drill the ends of the cracks, but ground them like a T so that there will be a bar of weld to spread the stress.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 12:16 am:

Here is post weld, you will note that it is not a stellar job, the image shows some slight voids where there was air in a crack that did not quite fill which was reveled upon grinding:



As you can see I use one of those propane cooker things, and heat the whole transmission for a good while, I work on the transmission while it is still cooking, never removing it until the job is complete. every once in a while I roll the side I am working back into the flames to make sure it is staying hot. This is pretty un-scientific heating, I think the critical temperature for most cast is in the 700 °area(?) where the metals crystalline structure shifts from one arrangement to another. I kind of doubt I am actually hitting this temp.
I had 2-1/2 Nickel rods to work with from the last cast repair I did, so I couldn't really screw around trying to fix the little voids; they are really pretty superficial anyways. Welding was done on DC reverse polarity ~90 amperes. welding in short bursts then peening to relieve stress/ remove slag,wire brushing to make sure it was good and clean then welding some more. After building up material I ground the new material back then finished up the welding in any low spots, followed by final grinding with an abrasive disk. From the fire it went directly into to fiberglass insulation to cool for about 24 hours.

Hope everyone had a good Easter weekend.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 06:30 am:

Zach, I know you were busy with the family, it was me who wanted the pics of the skis. Oh well, maybe during the year you can get them.

Nice repair job though, as long as it holds oil it should be good to go as it looks like a superficial and not a structural repair.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 08:11 am:

Sorry Chad, wrong name, it was getting pretty late..
Yes, the repair is pretty superficial in terms of structure.
As for holding fluid, I don;t have any worries. I Both of the two gas tanks I have used on the doodlebug have required welding, neither has leaked with welds that are completely submerged when the takes were full.
This is the third transmission I have welded, the first one for an A doodlebug was by far the worst, the whole back side of the case was about to come free.

http://memebeam.org/zcarrico/offroad/doodlebug/post_weld.JPG

The crack here is pretty common for AA truck transmissions. the bearing between the input and output shaft gets it's oiler hole plugged, the bearing drys out and wears then one day the transmission will freeze when torque is being applied because shafts are allowed to flex. apparently the line shown is the common weak spot.
(BTW I have never taken apart any type of old transmission and found that bearing to be very good so if you have never looked in yours I highly advise you check it out)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 09:15 am:

Zac - rig had a standard T oval gas tank mounted over the engine (like a Fordson). The round, vertical tank on the side of the engine was for additional coolant. It had a hose connected to the side of the gooseneck (along with upper tank hose) and a hose spliced into the outlet connection pipe. Red circles in the picture below highlight the hose connections. Not sure how well it worked, but apparently the radiator was deemed insufficient for cooling purposes.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By marvin turner on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 09:40 am:

If after welding there is ever a question of leaks through pin holes or minute cracks i will always soak the complete area with super glue. It seems to completely seal the repair.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 11:22 am:

Zachary. Looks like you did all the things needed to get a good weld. Nickel rod is bad to pinhole or get porosity. I have found out that if you weld with a "long arc" and not try to hold too tight of a rod/puddle/arc that nickel rod does not get pinholes/porosity as bad. The arc I hold is not extreamely wide but you will feel like you are somewhat "spraying" the weld, instead of a puddle. I agree with Marvin, the use of super glue, quik-poly, or even a thin JB Weld coating while everything is nice and clean is just "good insurance" Anyway, a good job, another part is saved .... Donnie Brown ....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 11:47 am:

Super glue, huh not a bad idea, it will certainly crawl into just about any size gap


Donnie, I try to prep well with information so easy to get these days it just isn't worth screwing something up. And thanks for the tip, I was holding a short arc to minimize chances of burn through/ drips on already hot metal so it follows perfectly that there was some porosity.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Monday, April 06, 2015 - 05:35 pm:

Dale, Your picture could have been my dad and I. I was about the same age but at a bit earlier time, late 40s. He had built a Model A doodle bug and pulled the same side bar mower. I remember once when we were mowing and he stopped suddenly. I looked down and there was a pheasant on a nest with eggs. The hen wouldn't move and would have been killed if we hadn't stopped. Dad moved the nest and we continued mowing. Only thing abut the doodle bug was it kept losing the radiator cap and I had to walk the field till I found it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Friday, April 10, 2015 - 08:45 pm:

Finally got some ok weather today, so I started tackling building my floor. After many weeks of debating what and how to do it, I finally formulated a plan and list of materials. Yes, the framing is new material, but had to get it the way I wanted--and the fact this thing spends it's time outside, It had to be durable.

I managed to get one running board cut and notched to fit the framing, then ran out of cut off wheels, and daylight.

My question is, how would you attach the running boards to the framing--Spot weld it, screw it down? If so, what kind of screws would you use?



Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Friday, April 10, 2015 - 10:07 pm:

Chad - I'd bolt it in (could even go with U-bolts to those cross members). You don't want to weld in case you need to get under there later.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Saturday, April 11, 2015 - 02:31 pm:

Maybe some wood under/inside the running board that is screwed to the cross bars then use the factory running board holes and carriage bolts to connect to the wood. You already have a metal sub frame made up, but don't underestimate wood for everything. Wood is cheap, easy and period correct. Everything non-factory is held together with wood, the transmission mount/cross member and axle to frame mounts are all wooden.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Saturday, April 11, 2015 - 02:35 pm:

Chad- If you went the wood direction I could get you odd ball/thick pieces, I am just above Saratoga and have a saw mill so there is pretty much any size here.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 07:52 am:

Thanks Zach

I don't underestimate wood, yes it is the thicker pieces that I can not get my hands on. But too, I was trying to get a framework that wasn't too high. Total height is 2" and very strong. So I feel at least for me I accomplished what I wanted. Plus the rear crossmember is no where near "correct" with it's tow loops and 2" receiver hitch, LOL. I do ok with welding and I like the solid connection it provides, wood is great, but metal is my medium I like to work with. Best part of a doodlebug is I can make it how I want, and what mat be useful to me. This one will represent pretty much what it is, something that was built once early on and re hashed a bit later on, but still holds the essence of what a Model T can be used for.

I notched the very edge of the running board for the crossmembers so the flat part of the board would sit flat on the crossmembers....and again, not add even more height. I will screw the boards down with sheet metal screws I have around for now, I ordered up some more appropriate slotted pan head screws to put in for the final assembly. Will get more pics later today as I work on it more.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 08:51 pm:

Short of some paint on the frame and bolting the pieces together, the flooring is done. I will give a quick, thin coat of black to match the rest of the 'Bug that should rust back up and match the rest with some natural weathering.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 08:52 pm:

The rear crossmember is half welded on also, will finish all this tomorrow.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 08:56 pm:

Wow Chad - that looks exactly like what was done on my mower *) years ago. You did a GREAT job!!! Simply fantastic!!

Did your Nebraska tires arrive yet?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 09:01 pm:

80 years ago


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 09:29 pm:

I am so torn on just leaving the frameing I made to rust up, or paint it. Thinking about it more, I will probably let it sit outside for a bit in the weather then pull it all apart and dust it with black and let it weather back up to hopefully get it to match the rest of what is going on. I think that will be the best way to get things to match. Nothing on this was painted neatly, why start now.

Oh yea, tires have been sitting in the basement waiting for their turn. 8-16 AG tires. I have some new 16 wheels to put them on, just have to finish the cluster of the hubs and adapters for the rear before all that can go on.

The front needs their adapters too so I can put the '35 Chevy truck wheels on that are ready to go. Again, just hastily painted over the rust and it should weather back up nice and match.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Sunday, April 12, 2015 - 11:12 pm:

No fear of breaking that!

-The notching is a nice touch, makes things fit very well. You had a great day for work with today and Monday seems like it will be pretty good too.
Plenty of old doodlebugs used old truck tires, but I love the look of ag tires; can't wait to see them mounted.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 01:31 pm:

Clutch went out on the Klam Digah last June. Missed the remainder of the pulling season waiting on a pressure plate rebuild. Not missing this year, so I spent yesterday prepping to pull her engine:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 02:47 pm:

Ron, any video's of the pulling? Ever try it with one of your T's?

You come up with some interesting names for your vehicles.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 03:53 pm:

Chad - no videos (that I'm aware of - some spectators may have taken some - I'm usually the only doodlebug pulling against production tractors, so she gets a lot of attention). No, never pulled with one of my Ts. Klam Digah is my only puller and she has been set up for the task.

She came with her name and I promised the gentleman I acquired her from that she would keep her name and old pulling number when I finished refurbishing her - which she did.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 08:35 pm:

I know it doesn't look like much, but I am sure anyone that has truly built a car can attest to how many times you assemble and disassemble parts before final fit. So two days worth of work, I now have the new seat and "tool" box mounted. I need to make some adjustments to a couple things, but it has radically changed the look of what I bought, but still retain (at least I feel anyhow) the essence of a early model T doodlebug (except my 2" receiver hitch).

I had to redo the seat bracket completely over this morning so that killed about 3 hours of the day with fab work. I also added a couple more braces to support the front of the running board floor, as well as finish all the welding I needed to do. I have decided to leave it all bare metal and let nature take its course, and being outside that should be easy.

I will get some better outside shots at a later time.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 08:37 pm:

And my "tool" box which now holds the battery--currently 12v at this time until I get a working stock starter and generator on there. I just charge the battery when I am done using it for now.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 09:29 pm:

Chad - anyone who has been following the never-ending saga of "doodlebug threads" on here and saw what you started with, knows this is one hell of a transformation!! I cannot wait to see the new tires. Like Zac said, there is nothing like AGs on a T doodlebug. She is beautiful! Congratulations on saving another one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, April 13, 2015 - 10:30 pm:

Thanks Ron. Getting the new wheels/tires and making a real exhaust are next. Then I will have what I feel as the big jobs done. I have just about everything here, time will be the big factor now. The nice weather means the guys with classic muscle cars want my help with their projects. You can see a 340 Chrysler block in the back round that I need to build and test run for a someones '71 Barracuda.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - 06:20 am:

Oh yea, I forgot to mention, I tried to stay somewhat correct, and even though you can not see almost all of them, I used square nuts on everything. I have to admit they are a big pain to work with, and the ones you get nowadays seem to only work with metric wrenches. The wood parts have all the correct slot head wood screws. I need to get slot head machine screws for my switch panel.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - 09:42 pm:

I love it: "the ones you get nowadays seem to only work with metric wrenches"
-That is actually a time saving feature, you don't have to wait fifty years for the things to rust onto the bolt just to round out the corners it will happen the first time you tighten them.

To be honest I am pretty lax about using proper fasteners on my bug, I pretty much use fasteners from the odd balls bin on my workbench some are old T/A fasteners others are nearly new. I guess that helps them blend with the eclectic mix that was already used years ago.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - 10:09 pm:

Oh, and nice job it looks great, big transformation. I wouldn't worry about changing the bug it was built to suit a purpose, you are just re-purposing it to suit yourself and as you note, you have given thought to keeping your changes true to its nature. The 12 volt battery really helps with the crank starts. I wouldn't know about using a starter, I have literally only started a T engine with a starter once. If you haven't replaced the capacitors in the coils, DO IT -you will see a huge difference. I can get coils to jump an inch and a quarter spark gap on a good day now (most kids at school have never seen a Jacobs ladder, or a T coil:-)
I struggled with a good place for my battery, last year I just ditched it and now run off the mag even for starts.

On a mostly unrelated note, I would like to add lights so one of my missions is to make a rectifier for the mag power and make some adapters to fit LED's in some T headlight housings. I think LEDs make sense just because they won't be very visible behind the lenses, they are not at all sensitive to bumps and vibration and two ten watt LEDs should be way brighter than the original bulbs.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - 11:17 pm:

Chad, She looks good. Thanks for saving another one. I see you needing to replace the "receiver hitch" soon. You have already mentioned it 3 or four times, so I do not see you being happy with it. :-( But they are very handy :-) :-). How about finding some old bumper and a "clamp on" hitch for a 1-7/8 or 2 inch ball. Just trying to add more thoughts to your plate. It looks good just like it is ... Donnie Brown .....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Erik Journey on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 12:56 am:

This photo of a model T doodlebug came across my Facebook feed today. I don't know anything about it other than it looks like the engine has been cut down to two cylinders

.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 06:26 am:

Zach, I actually have a distributor on the 'bug. It is something I would figure I'd try, and at the time I did not have a set of coils to use. I weighed the cost of doing complete ignition systems, and the fact it will sit outside, and it seemed to me to be a set it and forget it deal that slightly won out on price. It definitely loses the character of Henery's coils though. But, this is simple for sure, just two wires to hook up, but I may still switch back to coils and timer now that I do have a set of rebuilt coils on hand. I was told the mag on this engine wasn't so "hot" so I didn't even try to mess with it.

Donnie, I added the hitch (and tow loops to the new crossmember I made) to make it useful for me to actually use the 'Bug for something around here. I decided to add that style receiver so I could make various mounts to use for things other than pulling/moving trailers. My real beef with it, which is probably why I keep mentioning it, is that it is not period for what the rest is. It actually bugs me a lot, but I am sure it's usefulness will out weigh its period correctness.

Erik, that is an interesting machine that has been posted with detail shots of the engine--maybe in 2015 Part II ? section. That is a nice larger shot of it though, and if I had time to kill, I think I would give it a shot to make one. Definitely a conversation piece.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Miller, Sequim WA on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 02:18 pm:

Chad what type of transmission do you have? I have one almost exactly like it except the tower is reversed with the key in the front. I have never found any markings for the manufacturer. The one I have has had the bell housing cut off and uses a short homemade input enclosed drive shaft . I have found that transmissions around this age mostly had unboltable bell housings and the ones where it is single casting are not very common.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 05:11 pm:

Fred, it is approximately a 23-24 Buick transmission--that much was verified for me on the AACA site. I believe what has happened is that they took the shift tower off and turned it around to get the shifter to point in the opposite direction. If that is what they did, it was done a long time ago as the bolts are in poor shape and paint has not been disturbed.

It has a cast in bell housing, and the pedal shafts have been cut off. I assume the input shaft was cut to square and there is a regular Model T u-joint to connect to the regular T trans. I can not comment on how the rear is attached to the TT rear end.I would absolutely love to find another for a spare.

Here are a few pics:





Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 05:11 pm:

one more:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Miller, Sequim WA on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 06:42 pm:

Thanks Chad that's the same as the one I have. Its interesting to see the Key lock on the shifter, kind of unique.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 08:07 pm:

Erik, back to the photo, I was the one who took it, funny how things circle back. the fellow who owns it loves doodle bugs and lives in western NY, I have his contact info but haven't talked to him in years he seems to have zero internet presence. I would post a larger file here but we are limited to 250k file size. maybe I will try to upload larger photos of it on my web site and link back to here later tonight.

Chad, Hmm, I didn't realize that it was distributor, though maybe you had mentioned it in the past. I have no problem with distributors, they were certainly used in the day. The engine being dropped into mine posted toward the end of part II has a distributor on it. It will likely come off being that I have a good rebuilt timer and roller to put on and the distributor is cobbed on pretty poorly.

The transmission key is pretty funny, Go ahead try to steal it, you can run the engine all you want but good luck getting it into gear!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 08:48 pm:

My T/IHC mower had a distributor (period) when I bought it. Ditched it for coils - largely because I am more familiar with the original T ignition system than I am with aftermarket distributors. And there is something about that buzz.....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Carrico on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 11:11 pm:

OK, I created a page with thumbnails of the 1/2 engine bug, if you click on an image it will open a 640x480 window to view the picture in, but the actual images are about 3-4 Mb each so you can zoom way in. I suspect there is enough detail that someone will be able to cut a junk block and send it to me right? :-)

http://memebeam.org/zcarrico/offroad/t_doodlebug/half_engine_t_doodlebug.htm

Also note the links at the bottom of the page to my T bug, and also an A bug my father in law has which may be for sale. I would like to have it and have done a fair bit of work on it, but I am afraid that right now I just don't have any money to buy it, so PM me if you are interested and I will keep you posted. He has offered to trade for my T bug, but I am pretty sure I could not do that. (note that the engine height, and radiator height issue noted in the last picture has been corrected)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John H. Nichols on Friday, April 17, 2015 - 01:59 pm:

For Ron and Chad. I finally have the photos to send you on the little tractor crawler and the AA doodlebug. If you would contact me at 315-493-2148 or e-mail at john115@hughes.net

Also in the tractor crawler pictures you will note, a barn in the background. There are some photos showing the barn as it now appears. The snow got it.

I was told that in the bottom of the barn, which looks as if it did not collapse, there is a Model T; a 57 chevy convertible, a Model A and possibly a Packard. Since the barn is covered with posted
posters, I would not enter to confirm or deny.

John


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron in Central Massachusetts on Monday, April 20, 2015 - 07:57 pm:

This thread was becoming too long. Part IV was started today by Jim York and the pump primed with pictures of his beautiful Montgomery Ward Trail Blazer. Link to Part IV:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/535540.html?1429574006


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