These are for sale locally. Maybe a good start for a coil tester?

I don't remember who built this one a few years back but I like it. Anyone see a problem or something that should be done differently? Thanks.

I found it. By Anthonie Boer.

Another reply to my own post... I plan to pick up the flywheel and mag coil ring on Monday. A friend has donated a brake drum to the project, as I didn't have an extra one. I will order a gauge off of Ebay, probably, if the local electrical supply doesn't have one. I have the other materials needed to build the "chassis". I will, over the weekend be searching and reading everything I can find about testing and preparing the parts for the project. I will be deciding whether to remove the magnets to clean and paint the flywheel. It would make for a better looking finished machine to also remove the coils to clean and paint the mounting ring. Any tips/suggestions? Thanks

Ok, I now realize that I will not be removing the coils from the mounting ring if the coils don't appear to have any damage. Still not sure about the magnets, though.

Gary Tillstrom has some very nice and complete plans somewhere on this web site. Google "Hand crank coil tester Gary Tillstrom". I built one a few years ago and found the plans excellent to follow. Plans gave the bearings needed and great information.


Painted it up nice and mounted it on an old sewing machine base. Will dig up some pictures and send them to you if you would like.


Jon Crane

Jon, that would be fantastic. I have saved the Tillstrom plans too. The sewing machine base sounds like a very good idea. I believe there are a couple of junk sewing machines in my father-in-law's barn.

What I have read so far has me thinking about doing an in-car recharge on my '21 Touring. The engine is fresh, with about 100 miles on it, and I'm pretty sure my coils are up to specs plus it runs better on MAG than BAT, but maybe I can get a little more out of it.

Tommy, This is the one I made from Gary's plans with a little of my own engineering. Jim

Looks good Jim. I would like to see a side view, please. I have some various size pieces of plexiglass about 3/8" (+/-) thick. I might make the box for the coil out of it, if I have enough and if I can find it in my stash. I guess that I can cut the needed grooves with my router.

Does anyone offer a restoration service for a coil tester ? I have a Allen tester that's complete but doesn't work. I also have a KR Wilson that's missing the meter.

Since I don't have the flywheel in hand yet, I have a question that I'm finding conflicting answers to from previous discussions. Can I unbolt the transmission from the flywheel and remove it or must it be removed piece by piece? I want to rebuild it and save it for a spare for my '21 Touring. Also, when building a coil tester like I am going to do, is the shaft reused for the flywheel to reattach to so it can be mounted in a pillow block bearing? None of the parts lists I see mention obtaining a shaft. Thanks.

Gary, you can restore that coil tester yourself.

It is not that difficult!

I have restored 8 of them, although Ron Patterson provided me with a lot of help, guidance and parts and Bob Corio has rebuilt the meters on two or three of them.

The schematic is rather simple and easy to trace out.

You can get a higher charge on the magnets by removing them and charging them one at a time.

That also lets you check them for cracks and makes the flywheel easier to bead blast, etc.

Tommy, your flywheel seems to have picked up a few hitch-hikers.

It important to keep iron objects away from the flywheel magnets and inspect them closely to insure none have been collected.

Yeah, I probably would have been a little more careful with the storage but I don't know where and how it has been stored for the past 100 years. I don't have it in my possession yet. It is still 3 1/2 hours from here.
There is another discussion going on currently on here about removing a transmission and someone, or two have shown the wrench(es) for that. I think they are used when the flywheel is still bolted to the crankshaft, correct? So maybe I will have clear access to the bolts, right?

Is it the six bolts that are wired, as shown in my picture?

Or maybe three of the four are already out and it appears that the fourth is broken off, with enough sticking out to get a grip on, and I see the two line-up dowels?

James Golden, thanks. I'm thinking all the Allen tester needs is magnets charged and new wires...everything else looks ok. The meter may or may not work. Could be a good winter project for me !

Tommy, As you requested more pics. As you can see the flywheel was no jewel I had to drill a bunch of 1/2" holes to help counter balance the rusted out section you can see them in the one picture,I balanced it best I could on my bubble balancer for tires.The shaft is just the trans shaft turned around and facing forward. All in all it turned out pretty good. One thing I would add and probably will is some kind of handle to carry it with. sure would make it easier. Jim







(Message edited by tfan on November 15, 2018)

Coil guys Ron Patterson and Brent Mize know a lot about restoring a hand crank coil tester. Both guys are most helpful with sharing their experience,

Testing for cracked magnets is easy. Hold the magnet at the U and lightly tap it on the side of your vice. cracked magnets fall in half!

I had my magnets recharged by the local hit and miss engine guru. He showed me how to do it and we did them all in 15 minutes or so on his magnet charger.


I hear the new electronic coil testers are better for adjusting coils than the hcct. However the hcct is cooler looking and apparently does get the job done.


If you want to mess around, than the hcct is fun. If you want your car to run great, order a set of rebuilt coils from Brent Mize. From my experience, Brent's coils are the single best thing you can do to make a T run good.

What I first learned with the StroboSpark that tests the capacitor in the coil is that capacitor is always bad or at least 98 % of the time.

I was about to return my StroboSpark as being defective when Ron Patterson clued me in and told me they were almost always bad.

I later tested a rebuilt coil and found the readings were good on that capacitor and the StroboSpark was giving honest readings.

The ECCT also tests the capacitor, as that is very important to good coil operation.

Unfortunately, the HCCT has no capacitor test function.

I have several (7 or 8) coils that I put new capacitors in that have not been tested and not all of them have points on them. I hope to install points and test them when I get the HCCT together. Also, I am curious to see how the 6 that I have,(four in the car and two spares) that my car runs with, test. Lennie Glenn, come down and bring any of your coils you want to test and you and I will learn how to use this thing together. Give me a call or a PM please. Thanks.

One point I haven't seen mentioned. The ammeter needed for this type of coil tester must be of a specific type. I can't recall exactly offhand what it is called, something about an iron core movement??? As I recall, it is the type that has a non-linear meter scale. Somewhere I have the notes and prints that Ron P gave me a few years ago, but don't know exactly where they are at the moment. I have most of the parts to build an HCCT myself, but in the past few years, no time to work on it that wasn't desperately need in several other important projects.

It looks like the mainshaft is used in the HCCT build. I want to save the transmission that is at present still attached to the flywheel for my car. Should I find another shaft to use in this build, and keep the shaft attached now with all the other transmission parts, since they have been together for 100 (+/-) years, or would it matter?
Thanks

Doesn’t matter on the shaft. If you found one laying around that was rusty with some pitting, use that for the coil tester. If you use the one you have for the tester and find later one that is not as good you can always swap them taking the best one for the future Transmisson.

The type of meter used on the HCCT has an Iron Vane movement.
All of the original Weston and Jewell meters were of this type.

There is currently a very good Iron Vane 0-2 Amp meter on eBay.
It is a precision laboratory grade meter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Weston-AC-Amperes-Meter-Model-433/183536372816

Be_Zero_Be

I got my flywheel,trans, and magneto today. I have a spare shaft coming.