MTFCA Forum

Allan

I believe Jack Putnam reproduced some Stevens T 181 tools. Still not cheap, but far better than the prices paid on Ebay for a couple of them. I bought my original on spec going on the T181 number and the Stevens branding. I thought it had to be something to do with T's.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Darren, be careful about getting the length of the whole tube correct. In my experience, you cannot rely on the shoulder for the machined section of the tube as a reference point for attaching the new casting. The length of that machined portion of the tube varies. To make an absolutely indistinguis...

Allan

If removing the generator does not improve the situation, it would pay to check the depth of mesh on the timing gears. It does not take much of an error setting the camshaft to crankshaft distance when boring the main bearings to have them too close in mesh and the timing gear bottoming out in the c...

Allan

When I discovered my 1915 tourer, the front cowl panels had an extra rolled in swage about 1/3 the way up the panels. The swage was the same as that rolled on the edge of the doors and on the top panel where it met the side panels on the cowl. When the time came for its restoration, that swage was i...

Allan

I had to remove everthing from my block casting using an angle grinder, cut off wheel drifts and a big hammer. The valve guides are not really a problem. I one does break off, they are easily replaced with modern parts, from memory, 350 Chev items. This is an easy fix for a good machine shop. there ...

Allan

That block is way better than the B series block I started with for my van. Is there any indication of a casting date between the top of the engine number boss and the deck of the block? Mine has it there, small and totally unreadable, until a coolant leak took off all the paint and accumulated rust...

Allan

I believe a filister head is referred to as cheese head here, I presume due to its appearance like cheese before cutting. Makes sense, sorta!

Allan from down under.

Allan

Molasses will not remove paint, but it does an excellent job on steel. Cast iron needs to be watched, as it seems to get into the carbon content and will really erode the piece. As for the smell, you are working with an organic material, and as such, even my wife does not object to the smell. If I e...

Allan

I think a more correct pronunciation is 'wooster', woo sounding as it does in wool, with no particular emphasis on either syllable. Then again, if you guys pronounce solder as sodder, anything goes.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Adrian, I have never seen such a bolt in any T model I have worked on. I note your other post and attempts to bring some order into your T hardware hoard. My answer was to sort them into two gallon half chemical drum tubs. One is for 3/8" bolts, and it is nearly full, second has " larger" ones, a th...

Allan

Jim, you have just followed a primary rule In workshop theory. You had way too much space which needed filling!

Allan from down under.

Allan

John, if you want to clear finish your wooden spokes, don't be tempted to take a short cut an use a strip of emery cloth pulled around the spokes. All sanding needs to be done along the grain.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Allan

I went through a similar process on my last two rebuilds. In a chance purchase of some other toolmakers stuff, I found a pair of steel blocks with multiple machined holes with their sizes stamped next to them. In another drawer were numerous hardened steel slugs, which were a precise fit for the var...

Allan

The longer the spring the less wriggle room you have when fitting the hogshead. On our RHD cars, reverse and the brake have external adjusters, so the gap for those spring/band ears is fixed. I have had to resort to wiring the springs to compress them a bit to be able to drop the cover down over the...

Allan

Larry, I use an adjustable reamer and pilot when doing king pin bushes. What role does a pilot play with spindle arm bushes?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Robert, that sounds the best way to save a few dollars. However, I get the distinct impression most of us would rather have the choice of a quality product at an increased price than a cheap price on more rubbish which is not fit for purpose.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Scott, I make my own spindle arm bushings from used king pin bushes. The top face is machined down and a thrust face is left so the tie rod has a wear face on which to rest. I bore the old bushes in the lathe and use an adjustable reamer to achieve a neat fit on the pins. I would not like to do this...

Allan

Those two on the left in Dale's photo are the type I thought Bob McDaniel on his 1913. Larry, was the changeover from cast caps to this type made in 1912? Perhaps my September 12 van should have one instead of the cast one I have for it.

Allan from down under.

Allan

A retired Ford mechanic gave me my pair. Excellent tool for the job.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Chris, it seems a fellow enthusiast is involved in making the Blockley tyres available to us in Australia. Your direct route would work, but bulk shipments to Australia should mean cheaper freight, which may well be chewed up with internal freight within Australia. However, he deserves our patronage...

Allan

Hank, motor cycle 23" tubes top out at 2.75", and the valve stems require extensions to make them long enough to clear the felloes on wooden wheels. One tightwad here went that route, and even put up with taking the rim/tyre off the car to save having to buy a valve extension.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mack, it may be a blessing in disguise. Rather than space the handbrake cross shaft down, you could run a piece of 1/4" insertion rubber under each pan ear. This will lift the rear of the motor a little and reduce vibration in the car. I did this deliberately when fitting replacement ears on my 1915...

Allan

What a treasure! Just needs some period looking doors to look at its best. Well done all.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Eric, the tubes available today are the same crapshoot as far as quality goes. Troubles with valve stems which leak, splitting along seams, not holding air etc. The Blockley alternatives are of thicker construction and of different material. They are made to work as a tube should. When you price up ...

Allan

I doubt a fan blade had anything to do with the damage. A flying blade would have a trajectory almost parallel to the inner fender panel, resulting in a sliding contact, which would surely have been impeded by the rolled edge of the fender top surface. There is no damage to that rolled edge. The rol...

Allan

Don, best of luck finding a good hood former. I bought the one for my 15 tourer at the Spokane swap meet in 1989. It was really nice but didn't fit well. To get the best hood fit I ended up brazing a solid steel piece behind the badly worn hole which locates the hood hinge pin. Then the hood was mou...

Allan

James. to me the windshield brackets are for screens which mount straight up and down. The notches are set at the same height, and being brass, suit pre 1913 cars. For the 13-14 windscreens they were steel and one side was longer than the other to accommodate the slanting lower winscreen. Hope this ...

Allan

Tony, When working with 'kit's' of gathered together parts, there are often such difficulties getting the mix to marry as a unit, especially where the mix of parts is unknown. In your photo showing the pan arm and inside bottom of the pan, I cannot see the tapered down top of the ridges on the top o...

Allan

Rich makes an excellent point re the rear spring perches. When putting together any assembly, it is often a good idea, to put it all together before doing any tensioning up of components. The rear axle assembly should fit up nicely to the rear of the pan before the perch nuts are tightened, so that ...

Allan

As I suspected. Much about growth by acquisition, buying market share, leveraging etc. Not a word about any improvement in quality of the substandard stuff/ brands for which they are responsible. Yesterday I received advice that Blockley tyres for T's have landed in Australia. No prices as yet, but ...

Allan

When following the Blockley clincher tyre story on a previous thread, some more information has come to light. The assertion was made that Coker has been the target of a private equity buyout. Has anyone any information to corroborate this? I have yet to hear of a good outcome from this kind of capi...

Allan

Mark, the no 5 Kelsey lugs may not be model T. On our Canadian sourced cars, the hole for the wheel bolt is central in the face of the lug. When I find these and select those suitable for sand blasting and replating, I find some where the lugs are wider and when fitted to T wheels the bolt hole does...

Allan

Glen, your glass shop can mount it in the same stuff they use on modern cars. Sikaflex [sic] makes a range of products for the purpose. The advantage over the brass bedding strip is the glass is sealed in the channel, water cannot get in and rust is ruled out. I would suggest black will be the best,...

Allan

Powder coating is not the answer. Powder coat is a form of paint. When water gets into the rim/tyre assembly, it will still cause rust as the paint breaks down under constant moisture contact. It may take a little longer, but they will still rust. Galvanising is the best answer, but ask yourself, "H...

Allan

Half the problem is the use of laminated glass. The two thin sheets making up the lamination are not very tough. The original 1/4" plate glass is far tougher, but hardly safe. When I first restored my 1915 tourer, I had new toughened glasses made. They were good, until both broke on a national tour,...

Allan

Dane, last time I saw that car it had a pair of E&J brass sidelights on it. Looks like someone talked them out of those.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mike, it is usual for the backrest to go right down to the seat base, and the seat squab to sit in front of it. Over generous stuffing of the backrest can make fitting the squab in front of it somewhat difficult. Even that can be compensated for by making a new lip on the front of the seat support b...

Allan

Chris, if you are confident your rusty rims are not sharp, then a good rust converting coating will help slow subsequent further rusting. I t is the flakes of new rust which cause headaches with flat tyres. Whether I am fitting tyres to old rims or to newly refurbished and plated ones, I always use ...

Allan

Bob, your cap on the 1913 looks much like the later high fin caps. Those with which I am familiar are cosiderably lower in the fin on the 1913-??? early style ones. Larry's second photo of the cap with the rolled lip to engage the gasket is way different to the one I have. On mine the transition fro...

Allan

I have a few originals polished and set aside for re-plating, so the differences are easily noted.The cast high fin one on my 1912 van is easily recognised, being a casting. The major differences in the pressed examples are the heights of the fins. The 1913 to ??? caps have quite rounded, low fins w...

Allan

Susanne, your Pierce Arrow rear tail light certainly is a connundrum. Can you tell us what a front tail light looks like?

Allan from down under.

Allan

When assembling my 1917 shooting brake, I used the same closed retainer on the firewall and the radiator shell. Silly move. The radiator shell end must be open. Original black era hoods have a bend about 1.5" out from the centre hinge. This allows the centre hinge to sit low in the keeper on the she...

Allan

Burger, we don't talk funny. The root of the difference is you listen funny. When I tried to order a hamburger with the lot in Spokane, they told me I talked too fast to be understood. I told him he just didn't listen quickly enough!

Allan from down under.

Allan

Warwick, is it a solid brass extrusion or folded brass channel? On my van I used the folded brass channel. I had Snyders cut it in 3 pieces so it could be posted. The joins are under the windscreen to firewall mounting brackets, so they are not seen. On the original car I used as a pattern for the s...

Allan

John, they are indeed meant to be inserted into the irons. A critical measure is the depth . You need to have them set so that they stack neatly, while sitting at the correct height. I can't help with the height, but if they are not set correctly, the top material will not fit well. Once you have th...

Allan

I am in the keep it 6 volt and don't bother with a charging system for the battery. An Optima 6 volt battery can be laid on its side under the back seat and easily be fixed in place in its own little wooden box. just put it on a smart charger whenever the car is idle. Hope this helps. Allan from dow...

Allan

Until the new Blockley tyres are available, there are no T model clincher tyres which last an acceptable mileage. Some may last long enough for their purchase price the forgotten, but they will almost certainly be un-useanle due to sidewall cracking Until the distributors upgrade their specifations ...

Allan

The easy way to identify any A model rim is to check the hub. A frequent problem with wire wheels is cracking between the stud holes on the flat base of the hub The A model wheels have a teinforcing ridge, pressed outwards beteen each stud hole. That ridge is common to all A model wheels. Allan from...

Allan

If you are short on funds or cannot get it exchanged, it can be made to fit simply by machining off the lip on the spool. This is a one way fix though, and vandalised an original part. I'm sure it was done back in the days to get a fix done.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The rims were electro plated zinc originally. There is evidence that some were hot dip galvanised. These finished a Matt silver colour which darkened with age. The best colour match I have found is aluminised brush on paint. The brand here in Australia is Silvafrost.
Allan from down under.

Allan

I don't follow that the first gear drum gets most use. In proper use, there is band slippage only until the band is clamped to engage bottom gear fully. The brake band however, slips constantly under varying loads, unless the back wheels are locked up! The brake band is also used more frequently tha...

Allan

Terry has nailed it for you. When I need remove the sleeve, I use a couple of bullet head nails the same size as the two holes in the sleeve.I cut these off just behind the head and insert them in the holes. The a good pair of channel locks can be used,the nail heads taking the strain, and the colla...

Allan

I bought a complete headlight for Henrietta at the Ballarat swap meet on the weekend. One of hers had a slightly damaged reflector, but this replacement has an almost perfect one. When I removed the rim and lens it revealed about the best light I had ever worked on. With the replacement reflector fi...

Allan

George, the 26-7 model TT's in Australia had front and rear wheels of the same size, eliminating the need for two spares. In Japan, with RHD, it would make sense that a TT was sourced via Australia as a restored car, or initially from Canada when new.

Allan from down under.

Allan

It would certainly fit the wider running board on a 26-7 T.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Those crafty Canadians only used 3 holes in the fibreboard, one for the spring, and just two for the wire. The spring is hooked into one of the loops on one of the split pins in the rear spring U bolts.

Allan from down under.

Allan

I have a selection of crescent shaped one piece steel shims which space the whole coilplate closer to the magnets. Are they not used on US production? The teardrop ones are then used to make adjustments to even up the gap. I don't use them, preferring to cut my own with a slot in them so they can be...

Allan

On our RHD cars, it is the first gear pedal which has the internal adjustment/outside pedal ramps, just like your LHD brake and reverse pedals. Unlike your problems with worn pedals/notches, when rebuilding our first gear pedal, we HAVE to incorporate some free play to be able to select neutral with...

Allan

Thanks RV. On our scale the 9 x 2" example I used, the 9 is the width of the plank at sawing. The actual measurement is 9" less the thickness of the sawblade. Likewise on the 2". A 1" thick board is roughly 7/8"+ off the saw. By the time it is planed all round it comes down to 7/8"- or 22mm in today...

Allan

RV, that's interesting. Here we used the actual inch measurements of the flitch. A 9 x 2 was 9'' wide and 2" thick. I presume there is a story behind the 12/4 type of description which would convey more than just the timber dimension. I'll have to do some Googling!

Allan from down under.

Allan

Chris, I made mine using light sockets from 80's Japanese tail light assemblies. any later than that and the lights are all plastic. I bent some fencing wire for the ring and left a leg on one end to get the globe holder in the centre of the lamp. The metal socket was then soldered to the leg. I lef...

Allan

RV, I am still a little unaware of the timber nomenclature you use. What is 16/4? I presume from the subsequent references to 12. 10 or even 8 represent some kind of grading.

Allan from down under.

Allan

I understand cavitation, caused by reduced pressure at points and material being "sucked" out, as in boat propellers. Does the micro dieseling require a small pit, like a rust pit to be able to progress?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mack, if the photos are of the same car with which you have a parking brake issue in another thread, it may well indicate that your linings are well worn, or the drums too. Your lever is at the back of the floorboard slot, and touching the seat squab. New linings will see the brakes applied earlier,...

Allan

Robert, a standard filament type emits light in all directions, front side ways even behind. The parabolic reflector in the headlight is responsible for reflecting that light forward in a concentrated beam. The focus screw lets you adjust that beam. When you dip the lights, the different orientation...

Allan

Ignatio, your bend is about where the cast section which mounts to the body, and the tube section which forms the socket, are joined. The tube must be sound. Otherwise, internal rust would have led to a break rather than a bend. However, I would tend to live with the bend rather than try to correct ...

Allan

David, Can you tell me what dieseling means? It's a new one on me.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Daniel, do you mean the right hand side? I have some on my trailer for an upcoming swap meet, but it would be cheaper if you can get one locally.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Wayne, I once had an A frame with forged brackets at the front and pressed steel at the rear. Waste not, want not.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The other commonly found one is 1/4" different length, Shraeder no 888. Most others are larger in diameter.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Absolutely marvelous RV. I was fascinated by the grain in the box front. I presume it is a result of the way that particular board was first cut. It would certainly make it hard to duplicate when making the matching lid, as is shown. I presume they are the same species, just milled differently. Alla...

Allan

Ron, that may explain why I have found so many to be missing! Were all the counterweights drilled to accept the pin?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Eric asked if there is an accurate 'set up ring' for an adjustable reamer. I suspect not. The adjustable reamer is not set to a specific size at the start. I set mine to take a light cut first, and then try the pin. The reamer is adjusted to take subsequent light cuts until the pin fits neatly. This...

Allan

There is a good chance that little pin and spring are missing. They seem to go absent without leave quite often while in service. Fitting a replacement requires the removal of the bearing collar on the bendix. There are tricks to this process. Ask on the forum if you need to.

Allan from down under.

Allan

I bought a top quality adjustable reamer, with pilot and cone around 30 years ago. Treated with care , it does a fine job on T kingpin bushes. I can custom ream the bushes for the closest fit for whatever kingpins I find. I would not contemplate using a cheap, modern adjustable reamer made in who-kn...

Allan

Jeff is telling you how to engage neutral in the usual way. If you are unfamiliar with T model idiosyncrasies I suggest you lift the floorboards. When you pull back on the handbrake lever as Jeff suggests, you will see a cam on the handbrake cross shaft engage on a linkage to the first gear pedal. A...

Allan

Mark, I don't know why you need the measurement, but the replies will vary if they come from making measurements, rather than quoting a factory published dimension. When I was making floating bearings I found that the tube internal diameters varied as much as .012". With the length of the bearing ca...

Allan

Susan, thank you for the photo. I was pleased to see Russ Grunewald looking so well. I first met him at the 2010 meeting in Mesa when the 40th award of the Rosenthal trophy was made. Russ took us Ausies under his wing, giving us guided tours of Dallas/Fort Worth, free accommodation in his yet to be ...

Allan

Today I have been packing my trailer for the Ballarat Swap Meet next weekend. I measured the rear spring U bolts in the trays and found four with split pin holes at 3 and 3/8" and three others at 3 and 3/4", a difference of 3/8". This makes more sense to me than Scott's measurements where the differ...

Allan

Wayne, I have never seen the forged brackets on a TT. It just seems strange that they were in use on the trucks and it took so long for them to be developed for the cars. Even stranger that they reverted to the forged brackets on the early A models and then changed to the pressed types later. Allan ...

Allan

Arthur, there are some who would say .020" backlash is too much. If the pinion is engaged for the full length of the teeth, and your prussian blue indicates full engagement on the teeth, you have it right. That is preferable to having less backlash but only part engagement at the gear faces. Well do...

Allan

The question arises as to why you need a filter? If it is to filter out rubbish in the fuel system, pressurising the fuel to push it through a pile of rubbish is really not the answer.

Allan from down under.

Allan

While the photo Frank posted shows U bolts of different lengths, I believe they have the same application. If you square up the top corners to the same height, the split pin holes are also at the same height, indicating that they are for springs of the same number of leaves. Sure the threads are lon...

Allan

Cameron, I have used Meranti, which is similar to the once available Queensland Maple, and Australian Oak/ Victorian Mountain Ash. Both are period correct, knot free and quite strong enough. However, new stock PAR boards are finished at 19mm whereas original timbers for this use were 22mm. If you ar...

Allan

The Loktite product used for building up worn tolerances between parts is called ' quickmetal '. I have used it extensively on agricultural machinery when fitting bearing/gears/ hubs etc on worn shafts. The components go together while the product is fluid, and it cures in place. Removal requires ju...

Allan

Arthur, have you had the assembly fully built and the two halves bolted together, to see if you have room for a shim anywhere? If the combined stack of the four steel discs and the two bronze thrust washers is too thick to allow the two halves to be bolted together, then you can start to fiddle. Wit...

Allan

Further to add to 1918-9, it appears to have square wooden felloe non demountable front wheels. Did the trucks ever have forged running board supports, or are these pressed items fore runners of the 22 one piece supports used on the car chassis?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mark, if it's for a Chev, the valve hole will be closer to the lug, and on the opposite side of the hole than it is on a Ford rim. This means that the lug nearest the valve hole on a Chev rim is slotted to allow the rim to be dropped over the bolt when the valve stem is lowered through the felloe. I...

Allan

With the tank out and dry, now is the best time to treat it. I add a couple of kilos of tek screws to the tank and then rotate it in a concrete mixer to let the screws scrape of any loose material and rust. Then the tank is ready to treat. I have had really good results with a three step treatment m...

Allan

I believe the white rope seal with the little black core is stocked as an A model part. As such it is too long for a T. This is good because it allows each piece to be trimmed leaving the ends a little long to provide extra crush. They will not work on the earlier Ts with the narrow seal groove. Whe...

Allan

Terry, if it is possible, tap the spoke aside when you drill the hole. That way you will get a clean hole which will give you a stronger weld. Two points to mention. I tap the spokes with the wooden handle of a hammer to check if any spokes are unsound before doing any other work. The duds will not ...

Allan

Old two piece valves have those two holes in the head to accommodate a tool used in lapping them in. However, many replacement one piece valves also had the two holes, and can be re-used if good. Look in the ports to see if the head is a separate piece to the stem.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Bill, Stan Howe has developed a fix for the problematic needle and seat in the Holley H1s. he replaces them with a different setup which works up side down to the standard set-up.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Terry, I have done exactly as you suggest a number of times, but always on the rim end at this stage. The hub end should be no different. If you can't get a line up to use a drill, the same effect could be achieved with a 1/4" burr in a die grinder. I use a MIG to do the weld. The trick is not to ge...

Allan

Rather than use solder to build up the thrust face, I have used soldering techniques to add whitemetal. This can be a permanent fix, provided the thrust face on the crankshaft is not undercut with wear. Either way, if the added material is worked back so the cap is a neat fit, any such wear will giv...

Allan

Adam, you are absolutely correct in that there needs to be some play between the ramps on first gear. In my first attempt to rebuild the ramps on a RHD pedal, I eliminated that play, and had to re-introduce it! 2-3" seems a little excessive though. I would have thought 1.5" would be sufficient, bear...

Allan

As noted in previous posts, unless two new components are fitted, all existing components are worn somewhat. In the absence of specifications, a new ramp will eliminate half the wear problem, and give a reference for the wear on the pedal. With a built up pedal ramp, finishing it to work well on a n...

Allan

Luke, if you purchase a new notch, let that be your guide as to how much your pedal ramp needs to be built up. On a brake pedal, the two are a neat fit. Build up plenty, so you have plenty r to work with. The working surface is both angled and twisted. Some beating blue will keep you on track as you...

Allan

Perhaps the most curious thing is the different manufacturers involved. Either there was an arrangement between them or intellectual property theft was alive and well far earlier than generally expected. We can't blame orientals for this one. I wonder if ever there was a stir over this. Allan from d...

Allan

Thanks Scott. Our RHD cars are as I indicated. The pedal shown at the start of the thread is a LHD brake pedal? That shows ramps like our first gear pedal. I missed the fact that it is not a first gear pedal. Given the use the brake pedal is likely to have had, the same repair procedure as I outline...

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