MTFCA Forum

I finally was able to piece together the radiator cap that I have been really wanting.
The question is;
Is there enough exposed Motor Meter to read?
I'm thinking the rubber piece should be right at the threaded cap.
So the rubber piece should be moved.
Am I right or is it ok where it is?

A motometer can be considered an unnecessary piece of bling which is not required for the operation of a T, so it doesn't really matter if it works or not. Your additions to the bling are nicely done. I suggest you will have to keep a close eye on it when parked. I have lost two less decorative items from my cars.

Allan from down under.

Steve.
Strangely enough, none of the components have to be submersed in water to make it Register a reading. I would also
relocate the rubber seal washer to the other side under the nut and flat washer.
Allan’s comments are also very true. Alan in Western Australia (66 Mustang Guy!)

I've read comments in the past that have warned against moto meters with wings or barbells being too heavy and cause joint failure.

I've read the same thing, and I doubt that the folks telling the tale are lying. I don't want to find out from personal experience, and I drive on country roads a lot, so I'm sticking with the stock radiator cap.

I have always had the rubber washer inside protected with a washer. It does not look right on the outside.

I know horns are not heavy, but that might be too much weight for your radiator neck to handle. If you saw any of Dean Yoder's posts on FB, you would have seen he drove hundreds of miles with a gatorade bottle for a radiator cap. Keep a bottle in your car just in case.
Dean Yoder's fix

"Question: how much weight can the soldered tank neck support before cracking? I've read comments in the past that have warned against moto meters with wings or barbells being too heavy and cause joint failure. True? "
Thank you- D

When I got my Berg radiator the instructions plainly warned not to use a motor meter or similar cap.The solder joint could fail. 1924 car.

John

The issue with radiator neck failure may have more to due to wind drag and vibration then weight alone. Picture a stop sign bending back & forth in 100mph wind - if the post is doesn't break the sign will bend or both. Its easy to see that weight of the sign wasn't the cause of the failure but the exposed surface area. The post failure likely didn't occur from a continuous bend but by being rocked back and forth (vibration). So considering the forces on the radiator neck by various cap designs, I would think that its exposed surface area along with the inherent vibration of the radiator and bumpy ride would be the cause a failure, if one were to occur. Don't think the affect of starting & stopping in a Model T would have much effect. In the exaggerated example which is doomed to failure?

Don't fall in love with it. You'll soon be driving over it.

DHORT, why a Gatorade bottle instead of just a cap?

Jonah D'Avella wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:18 pm

DHORT, why a Gatorade bottle instead of just a cap?

It's a prestige thing. It looks more like something by Lalique.

Scott_Conger wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 23, 2021 12:29 pm

Don't fall in love with it. You'll soon be driving over it.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:35 pm

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Thou doth protest too much, methinks!

Jonah

he had a gatorade bottle over it because the neck broke off during his drive across the US

The loss of the radiator filler neck is another example of reproduction parts not quite being up to snuff. Original radiator necks have a rolled in edge on the bottom, up to 1/4" wide. The top panel on an original radiator has a raised ridge around the hole, again up to 1/4" high. When the radiators were built, the raised ridge of the top tank was turned down over the rolled edge of the filler neck. Thus there was a strong mechanical element to the joint which was then sealed with solder. The reproductions rely entirely on the solder joint, which will not stand up to increased load.

I have two model T's which sport flags on fixtures on the radiator cap. One of these measures approx 8 x 15". Both are on original radiators, have done thousands of miles and have never give a scrap of bother, other than a couple of broken wooden sticks to which the flags were fixed.

Allan from down under.

Allan

that's an interesting observation. I've never seen such a reinforcement on a radiator, but admittedly, they are by no means a specialty of mine. I've repaired several necks for friends, several on what appeared to be original radiators. That would certainly be a good mechanical coupling. A good engineer would remove that feature in a New York second, if it saved 30 seconds of processing time! Time is money, and I think our time-efficient, "price is everything" world revolves around such folks (I know I sure had to clean up after a lot of them when I was still working).

Excessive "cost analysis" can be very expensive. A piece of sheet brass or tinned sheet steel with a beaded or flanged hole for strengthening the neck might be a marketable solution. I'd think such an item could be added to a new or existing radiator withhout removing the tank. A couple of heavy steel discs could be machined to make a punch/die set that would perforate and press a bead into a flat sheet of metal. Put a fine thread I/2" bolt through them to force the dies toether, or use a press. Devices exist that are made to punch clean 1" to 3" or so holes in sheet metal in the 18 to 22 gauge range. A similar device could make the hole and impress a bead or raise a flange around the hole. Galvanized 20 gauge sheet steel would probably work well for stock.

It is a marvelous, unique cap. Use it and enjoy it.
Thanks for showing it here.
Rich

It is a unique cap. I would save it for car shows, parades, etc, just not for touring where more stress will be put on it. Enjoy it.

Yes, enjoy your mascot..it looks wonderful. Now I don't have contact information for Horny Mike from Counting Cars, but I'm certain he could give you some facts on how much stress the horns will put on your filler neck! He'll know what stress they put on his neck.

Mustang1964s wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 22, 2021 9:02 pm

I finally was able to piece together the radiator cap that I have been really wanting.
The question is;
Is there enough exposed Motor Meter to read?
I'm thinking the rubber piece should be right at the threaded cap.
So the rubber piece should be moved.
Am I right or is it ok where it is?

IMG_3374.jpg

IMG_3373.jpg

IMG_3372.jpg

You thought you were asking some simple questions didn't you...

WOW. They say school started for the kids.
I should have paid more attention in the science class.
Guess what could be a simple question turns out to be a very deep subject.
Thank you all for the input.