Speedster Project Update 2018-2019 I can see the light :-)

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2018: Speedster Project Update 2018-2019 I can see the light :-)
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Sunday, December 02, 2018 - 09:42 pm:

Well its that time of year again. For all who have followed in the past, thanks for the interest. This is the start of "year four". I really hope to get the car running by spring. So for all the poor folks who are sick of the project, maybe this will be the last year :-).

I have three major items to finish.

1. Engine (rebuild and install the Rajo 4 valve)

2. Mounting tires on the Buffalo Disc wheels, and getting them ready to go on the car in place of the Disteel wheels I fixed last year.

3. pull the rebuilt rear end and install the long drive shaft in place of the short driveshaft that was installed for the Warford transmission that did not fit in the car. I did not want to modify the body to make the Warford work, so for now the speedster will just have a stock rear end. I will probably add a Ruxstell at some point, but not now ... Its time to get the car going.

For the new comers here is a link to some of the previous work. There are a bunch of threads that are Google or Yahoo searchable with the key words, speedster project update MTFCA Donnie Brown. You can also click on "images" after the search to get more pics than you may want to look at. The pics also open into a lot of the threads. Probably way more info than the average person wants :-) :-)

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/708324/603440.html?1487043839

This is my inspiration photo. I am not trying to clone the car, but it has taken on a life of its own. So every day it gets closer to the inspiration photo car.
1

So the first thing on the agenda was to get started on the engine.
I recently bought a 1914 speedster for a "later project" It had a 1919 engine in it and I was not happy with it in the 14, so I removed it to be the "donor" engine for the "speedster project #1"
I had another good running engine to put back into the 14 so I did a engine swap.
8

9

the engine showed promise to be something nice :-)
10

I have torn down the engine and found a good block with like new bores, good bearings with plenty of shims, a 290 grind camshaft with modern valves and lifters, A .excellent EE crank shaft with .010 journals, Jahns aluminum .040 pistons, no magneto (I was not going to use the magneto anyway), and a very nice four dip pan. The only thing wrong is the transmission is "loose as a goose"

So while I wait on the block to come back from a light touch up of the head gasket deck surface and a re-surface of the exhaust/intake port surface. I have started on my most hated job, of "Installing tires". The bad thing is I already went thru this last year with the Disteel wheels :-( :-( The Buffalo Disc wheels are almost perfect. They really needed nothing but a little clean up. I cleaned and painted the inside of the rims with POR-15 to act as a protectant rim paint. The rims are too nice to not take time and protect them. I just painted the outside of the rims with "cold galvanizing" and Ill let it age to match the rest of the cars patina.

Here is the pile of stuff that needs to make me four mounted tires.
3

I put the tubes and flaps inside a big trash bag and gave them a good coating of talc/baby powder. It helps keep the shop cleaner ...
4

After most of a day of work and a quiet a few bad words, I finally have tires on rims again

So now I have to figure out how to finish the wheels. I have got a accustomed to the yellow color of the Disteel wheels, so Im torn between painting the wheels yellow with the hubs and outer ring black , or leave the Buffalo wheels black and paint the center rings and outer rings red. The red and black color scheme is one of the color schemes offered by Buffalo back in the day. "decisions, decisions" ...
5

Here is the color the Disteel wheels are now
a


Here is a test of the red on the center ring. I did not paint the outer ring red yet. so there will be a red ring around the outside just inboard of the silver color rim. I may also go a little brighter red ??????????
b

So for now, its back to the shop and burn some more wood .... have fun and be safe .........
c

(Message edited by dobro1956 on December 02, 2018)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Donnie Brown North Central Arkansas on Sunday, December 02, 2018 - 09:53 pm:

Here is the link to the Buffalo Disc wheels thread.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/822076/853127.html?1522680221


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike-Iowa on Sunday, December 02, 2018 - 10:18 pm:

Love those wheels Donnie! Keep up the good work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 01:54 am:

Well, I for one hope someone else can take your place when you are finished with this, as I enjoy seeing others making progress on their projects. (I rarely seem to make much progress on mine :-( ) I certainly am not tired of your project.
Otherwise, we may need to get you to start a new project so that we can follow along on it!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Neil Martin on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 03:14 am:

Wayne, You may remember in the 1916 edition of the Speedster update that you asked Donnie to show a few pic's of the highwheeler in the corner of his shop, well, with a few dollars to Donnie and his transport to Chickasha swap and help of transport to Compton for sea transport by Tony Bowker, the 1908 Reliable Dayton is in safe hands in Australia. The resurrection is slowly progressing with wheels, body and chassis in colour with Transaxle, Kingpins, and springs repaired and ready for paint. I have started on the engine and brakes. May be you can organise at a later date after the be speedster is finished that Donnie will do a thread on the body rebuild then I will try and continue with the mechanical part. Regards.....Neil.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees _____Tax Capital, NY on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 08:44 am:

Keep posting, I love this build.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ron Horton, Utah on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 09:11 am:

Wanted to thank you for your help with my 4th pedal project. The plate that moves the 4th pedal to the right side of the hogshead has been completed thanks to your written advice and the pictures you sent. Still have some minor parts to collect before we begin to install my RMB's, but progress is being made!! Many thanks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 10:02 am:

Donnie -- If you're planning on reusing those Jahns pistons, be sure to check them with a micrometer to see that they are cam-ground. Some of them were not and can seize up. I bought an engine which was rebuilt by someone else 20 years or more ago, and that was the situation. It ran great until everything got really warmed up, then it quit. :-(


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By dale w on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 10:10 am:

NICE!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, December 03, 2018 - 11:36 pm:

Neil M, I very well remember seeing that Reliable Dayton in his shop (in the photos). I hope you can post a few pictures of it when you get it finished! Or, if you wanted to, maybe take Donnie's place with regular updates? The Reliable Dayton is an interesting car, I suspect a few people around here would be interested in seeing more of it.
If that TT on your profile page is any indication? The Reliable should be in good hands.
I understand that there are a fair number of our unique to the USA high wheeler automobiles in your part of the world. Somewhere, a few years ago, I saw a photograph of a high wheel automobile meet down there. It was quite impressive.
Thanks for the update! This was a good place to put it. But, now, back to Donnie's speedster!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Bennett - Australia on Tuesday, December 04, 2018 - 04:59 pm:

Hey Donnie, "quiet a few bad words". Are these cuss words you say under your breath?

I find it better to let rip!!!!

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Curtis Fesler on Tuesday, December 04, 2018 - 05:39 pm:

Donnie,
Wish I was there. An extra set of hands on a tire iron made my tire change very easy. I installed the first tire alone and almost lost my testimony. The speedster is going to be a work of art.


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