Diff Clam shell rivets

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Kerry
Posts: 1297
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 2:42 pm
First Name: Frank
Last Name: van Ekeren
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1916 touring, 1916 pick-up, 1924 coupe, 1926 touring, 1927 touring
Location: Rosedale Vic Australia

Diff Clam shell rivets

Post by Kerry » Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:20 am

Can someone tell me if the clam shell rivets had been brazed on the inside from factory?


Allan
Posts: 5201
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 7:21 pm
First Name: Allan
Last Name: Bennett
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1912 van, 1917 shooting brake, 1929 roadster buckboard, 1924 tourer, 1925 barn find buckboard, 1925 D &F wide body roadster, 1927LHD Tudor sedan.
Location: Gawler, Australia

Re: Diff Clam shell rivets

Post by Allan » Thu Sep 16, 2021 5:24 am

I have never seen them brazed on the inside. Outside is more common, but I think this was done later to stop leaks in cars which had a rough time on the roads of the day. I don't think the factory ever brazed the rivets.

I could be wrong again.
Allan from down under.


ShirkWood
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Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:27 pm
First Name: Verne
Last Name: Shirk
Location: Kansas

Re: Diff Clam shell rivets

Post by ShirkWood » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:15 pm

I have had experience with several early (1911-14) housings that are cracked. One I believe was done as it was being riveted back together. One pair of late 1911-12 housings I bought had been filled level with the surface where the thrust washers rides with brazing (non-factory I'm sure). I would inspect the housings very closely for cracks. The most common areas are around the rivets that hold the tube on and the front where the driveshaft spool bolts on. A lot of the housings are cracked where the driveshaft spool attaches...between the bolt hole to the surface of the housing.

My advice would be to NOT use a rivet gun and pound the "hmmm" out of the rivets that hold the tube to the housing. That, I'm pretty sure, is how the one referenced above was cracked. Use a rivet set, ball pien hammer, and bucking bar in a vice. Have a friend help you hold things while you rivet it. I've done my rivets cold in that area. I also put a little Permatex between the housing and tube to keep the leakage down. One last thing, I would check to be sure the axle tubes have not been bend.

Verne Shirk
Wichita, Kansas - USA

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Tbird
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First Name: Mike
Last Name: Bird
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1912 Delivery Car
Location: Goshen IN

Re: Diff Clam shell rivets

Post by Tbird » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:57 pm

A thread about the rivets on early clamshells
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29 ... 1194014305


R.V.Anderson
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First Name: R.V.
Last Name: Anderson
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914, 1920, 1923, 1923
Location: Kennedy, NY

Re: Diff Clam shell rivets

Post by R.V.Anderson » Thu Sep 16, 2021 3:32 pm

On my '14, since the rivets were sound and there were no housing cracks, I left them alone and just mig'd over the inside of them. It's been almost 20 years and still no leaks from any of the rivets. There were other areas that required sealing during the restoration but that's a story for another time.

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