MTFCA Forum

The photo shows the left (non-ball end) clevis on the steering tie rod on my ‘24 as I found it after stripping the paint. Is it common to see the clevis brazed to the tie rod? I ask because this looks a little amateurish, and I don’t remember how the one on my ‘25 was attached when I stripped and painted it last fall.

I'm not surprised to see that. The crankcases have an abundance of brazing on them and not done neatly. It isn't as noticeable after painting. It seems like they might have been pinned too.
This looks to be the same under the paint.
Rich

Rich Eagle wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 12, 2022 1:01 pm

I'm not surprised to see that. The crankcases have an abundance of brazing on them and not done neatly. It isn't as noticeable after painting.
Rich

Thanks Rich. That gives me some peace of mind, considering the criticality of the part. I hadn’t thought about it being pinned but there is evidence of what may be a pin on the opposite side from my first photo:

If I remember one end is fixed and the other is adjustable. And yes Ford’s brazing wouldn’t pass the “good look test” these days.

While the paint is off, take this time to fit a new bolt to it and close up the hole and renew the threads if either is necessary (and it often is)

Scott_Conger wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 12, 2022 2:44 pm

While the paint is off, take this time to fit a new bolt to it and close up the hole and renew the threads if either is necessary (and it often is)

Thank you Scott. Stripping and painting is just the last step in overhauling the front axle of my ‘24 touring. The axle has been straightened, and reamed for steel tapered upper spindle bushings. The threads for spindle and tie rod bolts have been inspected and found to be in good condition, and the spindles have new bushings fitted for new spindle and tie rod bolts.

looks like you're doing a good job of it

When you are on a assembly line and have to braze a part every 20 seconds the work can get a bit sloppy!

MichaelPawelek wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:41 pm

When you are on a assembly line and have to braze a part every 20 seconds the work can get a bit sloppy!

Thank you Michael, that makes a lot of sense. I’m still developing a feel for how fast these cars were built, and how that rate was accomplished, considering the methods available at the time. As for the tie rod end, I was more concerned with brazing being the correct method of attachment than with the cosmetics of the finished work.

Motorcycle frames are brazed on a production basis similarly. Look at a sandblasted one if you get a chance.

mbowen
If you want to see what those quick brazing jobs looked like when Ford was rolling out the T engine crank cases you would surprised what they looked like before the paint was applied! But overall they worked and held the crankcase arms and the other pieces really well.
Model T’s have character and those brazing jobs give them that. Or at least I think so.
In reality the brazing was flowed on is pretty much the correct term for it!

MichaelPawelek wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:41 pm

When you are on a assembly line and have to braze a part every 20 seconds the work can get a bit sloppy!

In addition to that, early flux technology wasn't up the the level we have had for nearly three quarters of a century. The flux wasn't preformed onto the rod, it needed to be brushed or paddled onto the hot metal. Hot metal and brush fibers don't get along well, and paddles don't apply paste flux very evenly. Flux was also sometimes applied by waxy-like sticks with similar application difficulties. All of those methods resulted in excess flux being splattered all around the work area. High heat to speed up the production time would result in running or splattering brazing material in the area. That brazing material would then stick to many surfaces where the flux had splattered.
Somewhere years ago, I watched videos (originally film!) of the model T assembly lines at work. There were several places (including engine crankcase/pans!) showing the production line workers brazing! Fun to watch them juggling torch, rod, and flux, working on a part moving as it went by.

You can still buy flux in jars, cans, and sticks along with non-fluxed brazing rod. Some people still prefer to work brazing that way. Personally, I don't see any advantages to doing so. But I did enough of it that way many years ago to want to stick with pre-fluxed brazing rod!

It was so long ago, I can't remember now what it was. But I do remember helping my dad repair something that had materials other than common soft steel. Some sort of brass family rod was used, but we had to get a special flux material. It came as a small solid block, in a box, and we had to shave material from the block with a knife, and carefully apply to the material to be brazed with the bare rod. A bit tricky, but I remember it worked very well. I think I still have that block in with my welding and brazing supplies.

Flux was also sometimes applied by waxy-like sticks with similar application difficulties. All of those methods resulted in excess flux being splattered all around the work area.

Sure was done that way! Note the worker on the right as he smears flux on the parts, the hole in the forging holds the brass wire that is melted to braze the joint. They are gang brazed on the rotary setup. This was 1914, likely Ford improved the processes even more as volume of production skyrocketed.