MTFCA Forum

JamesD

I tried to bend mine cold a few years ago based on advice from this forum and it snapped in half. I welded it back together and it has held ever since. Just a warning if you are going to try that.

JamesD

I was digging through some rear end parts and came across a couple of thrust washers. One was a ball bearing type, obviously aftermarket. Has anyone used one of these before in a rebuild? the others were the "babbit" washers. one in very good condition, and the other very poor. The better looking on...

JamesD

Drove to a village nearby and took some pictures. The village has been designated a historic site for its collection of original Mennonite house barns that were built in the traditional style when they came to Canada in the 1870s.

JamesD

Went for a few rides in the country. Lots of flat “T friendly” roads around here.

JamesD

I had a lot of slop in my wishbone ball. I took it out today and it wasn't really very round. I measured the new ball cap and it seemed to be 1.25" diameter so I machined a washer with a 1.25" hole, welded up the ball and filed it to fit. Not perfect, but it has no play in the socket now.

JamesD

This may go against all the theory, but I used a heavy duty 12V battery charger. After my ignition switch issue I had discharged the magnets. I have one of those floor model battery chargers with a 300A "boost" feature. I hooked the negative lead to the frame and the positive onto the mag terminal. ...

JamesD

MichaelPawelek wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 03, 2021 9:06 pm
So fess up. How many ears of corn ended up back in the bed?

none! it's feed corn and I don't have any livestock. I suppose I could grind it into cornmeal but then I'd have to find a mill. Hmmm, maybe another project!

JamesD

Beautiful day for a little spin in the country. There's a dirt road down a few miles from my house with some corn on the side. Tried to do my best Steve Jelf impression but I don't have a pair of bib overalls! As you can see the T is a bit tight for my 6'6" but it's still fun to drive. Haven't sorte...

JamesD

Today I started the car, no chrging at all. First I checked the wiring at my switch. All OK. Checked the wiring between the generator and the terminal block to the ammeter - OK. Checked the wire from the battery to the ammeter - OK. I pulled the generator and set the Null point. It ran like a motor ...

JamesD

Thanks Scott, but I don't know of anyone who knows anything about Model T generators around here. If you read my earlier posts you will see I have tested with an analog volt meter, not just the digital one I showed a picture of. I can read a meter and it shows 9.5V with the engine running at a highe...

JamesD

Does your car have a starter, and if so does the battery crank the car as it should? If you have a very weak battery, it may not "load" the generator enough to keep the voltage/current within an acceptable range. The Model T generator is designed to work with a full size, 6 volt lead acid battery t...

JamesD

No, it's definitely a 6V battery.

JamesD

I tested the voltage at the generator post (both sides of the cutout) with an analog meter. I just tested at the battery to make sure I was getting similar voltage there in case there was some connection issue. It reads 9V with analog or digital meter.

JamesD

well I had a chance to work on the T today and attempted to adjust the generator with the Ron Patterson method as he suggested. With car switched off the battery was at about 6.5V. I backed off the 3rd brush (opposite direction of rotation) and loosened the four screws holding the brush plate. With ...

JamesD

Thanks guys, I'll check that and see what I find.

JamesD

My generator seems to be charging too much. I don't want to burn it out or damage my battery. It is putting out 9.3V and 13A on the dash gauge at a high idle. I've moved the 3rd brush all the way away from the engine (opposite generator rotation) and it seem to make no difference. Am I missing somet...

JamesD

Very nicely done! Glad I could help. The purists won't like it, but if it works and lets you enjoy your T I'm all for it. Like you said, there's nothing stopping you from returning it to original, nothing has been modified or butchered that can't be put back. Improvise, adapt, overcome.

JamesD

Should be pretty simple to follow the power. Is there 6V at the switch? If not there's an issue with your wiring. Do you have 6V at the coil box terminal when you flip the switch opposite to "Mag"? Have you checked the continuity of the switch. one way should connect the left terminal with the cente...

JamesD

Professor Fate wrote: ↑
Sun Aug 08, 2021 4:12 pm

Bummer..... you just sealed it... two 3 ways it will be.
Any advice on switches[load capacity)? I'm mechanical but electrically dumb.

The ones I used were rated at 25A. You can find them here: https://picocanada.com/view_product/9439-11

JamesD

Yes, one SPDT switch for the ignition. Center terminal is the coil box, one side is mag and the other bat. The light switch is functionally the same except it has two sides, so there's a battery wire from the ammeter connection to the center terminal of one switch and and a jumper from there to the ...

JamesD

I think I'm winning. I took out the old switch and wired up two On-Off-On switches to replace the ignition and lights. Made a temporary dash plate to hold them and the ammeter. Went for a 3 mile ride and no mag issues. Started running on three cylinders, but that was a loose coil in the coil box. wi...

JamesD

checked again today. After sitting overnight with the mag post disconnected I'm back to 2.5V at idle and not going above 4V when revved up. Do I need to charge the magnets some more, or why are they losing their charge? The mag worked good after sitting for 10 years, now it suddenly died. It seems t...

JamesD

I bought a cheapo offshore analogue Volt meter today and ten 1156 bulbs and a bulb socket. Hooked it up to the mag: 2.5V at idle and 5V at higher speed. I didn't want to over rev it. Obviously too low. Tried an in-car mag recharge using a method described by Tom Carnegie in the 2018 forum. Zapped it...

JamesD

Transmission pedal washers have a ridge in them that MUST sit in the notch in the nuts. Yours don’t appear to be doing that. I would not move this car under its own power again until you fix it or you’ll be yanking the entire engine and trans to fish them out. You may not be able to see it in the p...

JamesD

I was very careful not to run a wire that would make it possible to have battery voltage to the mag. I forgot to mention that I checked for lint under the mag post. That was the first thing I did. Crankshaft end play is 0.006" measured with a dial indicator on the Crankshaft and pushing the crank ba...

JamesD

Ok so I ran a wire directly from the mag post to the coil box, eliminating any switch or wiring. Pulled the spark plugs and cranked it over as fast as I can by hand. No spark. I even held the end of the plug wire in my hand while cranking and there's no jolt at all.

JamesD

The switch is an old original and I wouldn't be surprised if it was shot. I've disassembled it and cleaned it up as good as possible but It is in rough shape. I was thinking of getting a reproduction switch. Are they no good? I ordered a kit for mine but it is obviously wrong and doesn't fit at all....

JamesD

Yesterday I was driving to the grocery store and my mag quit. It backfired a couple of time and then the engine died. I coasted to a stop, turned it to "bat" and it started right up but it just dies if I turn it to "Mag". Testing the ignition switch, it has continuity from the mag post wire to the c...

JamesD

Well I got the pistons honed and drilled the oil holes for the wrist pins. measured the pistons and cylinder bores (0.005" clearance) and put it all back together. It feels better now. No stiffness/seized up feeling when it it hot, just the normal resistance from compression. Thanks everyone for the...

JamesD

I've been looking online for a supplier in Canada to get some Timesaver. I could buy it online from the USA but the shipping was more than the cost of the product...I'll continue the search..
Can you answer my question of what the parting line "oil Swipe" should look like?

JamesD

So I did what Kerry suggested. I took some 320 and then 1000 wet/dry sandpaper and wrapped around a socket to get the appropriate diameter and polished the rod. got it pretty good I think. There are a few pits left but there's enough bearing surface to be OK. I measured the crank pin and machined a ...

JamesD

Kerry, do you have any pictures of what the "swipes" at the parting line should look like? I found these two pictures in a post from 2011. Is it enough if I file the edge at the parting line to a 45 deg angle? I'm planning to drill out the holes in the pin boss also.

JamesD

Well there's good news and bad news. :( :cry: First the bad news: no holes in the pistons for the pin lubrication, #4 pin feels a tiny bit stiff, the rod bearing on #4 looks like it's damaged. Of course it has to be #4 on a 3 dip pan! The good news: The crank looks fine, no scratches that I can feel...

JamesD

Beautiful box. I love the toolbox idea. I bolted a toolbox on the running board, but it would still be nice to have another place to put some other items. I painted my box, but the wood wasn't nearly as nice as yours. here's a picture of my tailgate latch for reference.

JamesD

Yes, if I'm going that far I will pull them all to check them.

JamesD

Hi Scott, My intention was to pull one piston out and check the piston clearance or if there is evidence of scuffing on the piston. At the same time look at the pins and check if there is an oil hole. I guess I can start at the bottom first before I pull the head, since I have to do that first anywa...

JamesD

Spent Canada Day repairing a few things that were suggested to me in a previous post. Riveted the low speed notch instead of roll pin, rewired the bolts holding the clutch drum together, put new longer springs in the bands so I could remove the washers that I had before to keep the bands apart. Fort...

JamesD

Some have suggested to check wrist pins, I see you say a re-build some 20 years ago. A big problem with pistons back then was there was no oil holes drilled to lube the wrist pin by some piston manufactures and a big problem as you are having now back then. do you have a picture of what it should l...

JamesD

I suppose I have to remove the hogshead to replace that roll pin?

JamesD

Scott, I take your point on the springs, as I said I will change them out but they are not bottoming out right now. The washers are reproduction washers with the bit that keeps the nut from turning off. The bands are new Kevlar with less that 50 miles on them. I put this motor together a long time a...

JamesD

I checked the compression today (cold). it was 50 psi on all 4 cylinders. The plugs looked like they were running rich, but I've got the mixture screw where it runs OK. If I turn it in any further it will stumble and stall. Think I'll add some oil to the gas for now and see how that works. I'll take...

JamesD

I've run it numerous times in the driveway as suggested. It doesn't overheat, at least it doesn't boil over. The radiator seems to function well, I can feel that it's hot at the top and cool at the bottom when I have it running. I'm using 10W30 oil and yes, it has enough oil. I check it before every...

JamesD

I took the T for the longest ride I've done to date: about 5 miles round trip. By the end it feels like it has less power than at the start, and when I crank it it is quite tight as the pistons come up. It almost groans through that part of the rotation. It starts and runs, but my question is: am I ...

JamesD

In Canada there is only one kind of hockey. It is taken for granted that when you say "hockey" its played on ice. If anyone says "ice hockey" we know they're from away. We used to make a rink in winter and play regularly in winter. there was a shack with an old barrel stove and me and three of my bu...

JamesD

The roll of electrical tape is a great idea.

JamesD

So my big size 14 feet keep stepping on the starter switch when the engine is running resulting in horrible noises coming from the starter! Solution? drill a hole in a hockey puck and drop it over the button. Easy to remove for starting, appropriate black colour, and cheap to replace if lost or stol...

JamesD

that's the one!

JamesD

Thanks for all the advice. I'm running a roller timer and the mag is working. I took it for another spin today and it ran pretty good except it started surging at the end. I think I may have fiddled to much with the needle and it was running rich. when I got back I adjusted it leaner and it ran bett...

JamesD

Good advice on keeping the speed below 20 mph for a while. I'll do that.

Steve you're right, there's plenty of country roads around here to practice on, I'll just keep making the loops bigger as I get used to it. But it's sure different than anything else I've driven!

JamesD

Thanks Steve. I think the timing is OK. With the spark lever all the way up it doesn't kick back if I crank it. When it's cold I give it about 4 pulls with the choke, turn the key on and one pull will get it started. I have to say that I've never driven a T before so I really have no idea what is no...

JamesD

I got my truck on the road today! first time in high gear and one drive around the block. It starts very well but it seems to run a bit rough on the road. New Champion X plugs, rebuilt coils from Brent Mize, new wires, new timer, it just seems to labour and has quite a bit of vibration. I rebuilt th...

JamesD

Finished the steering wheel.

: done painting

: drying in the furnace room

Turned out pretty good and cost me nothing but time and materials I had in the garage already.

JamesD

Made a steering wheel rim for my T. I have a 15" diameter wood rim wheel but the finger joints are in poor shape and have been badly repaired. I decided to make a 16" wheel (I had the spider already) so I glued some plywood together. I shaped it with a rasp and sandpaper and now I'm in the process o...

JamesD

I made my own from galvanized sheet metal, some wooden forms, a big soldering iron and some time. So far so good.

JamesD

Not so much next project as previous project... I had a rusted out running board apron that I patched in Summer. IMG_1227.JPG IMG_1240.JPG IMG_1276.JPG IMG_1279.JPG IMG_1820.JPEG I enjoy the metal working part of it way more than the filler and paint part. Luckily the picture doesn't show the sandin...

JamesD

I just threaded a piece of 1/2" rod and bolted it through the flat iron that supports the "flare" board. I have a piece of flat iron on the inside of the wood too so it's fairly strong.

JamesD

Here's a few more pictures

JamesD

So I lost the coil box lid somewhere in the last move and what with Covid and the cost of shipping (especially from US to Canada) I decided I might as well build one. I made a form out of wood and with a little bending and welding I managed to make a half decent replacement. I'm there are many who w...

JamesD

So I got my truck together for the first time ever and I've been driving it around the yard. I can't get plates for it until I get the lights working and find a horn for it. It seem to run smoother on battery (6V) than on mag. When I switch over it changes the sound of the motor, and it seems to be ...

JamesD

Thanks for the encouragement! everything in the cab except the cowl is new metal and new wood that I built. I mocked it up first with cheap spruce and plywood to get the dimensions and concept. tcab.jpg Then I made a frame out of maple and covered it with metal. Lots of little pieces hand formed and...

JamesD

Thanks guys, I’ll try that and see if I can get it to work.

JamesD

Hello Forum, I haven't posted in a very long time but I'm finally making some progress on my T. I bought it about 20 years ago and got the chassis running about 15 years ago, but life, career changes, moving etc kind of put a stop to everything and it sat in a barn for the last 8 years. it was almos...

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