Running board truss rod adjustment
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Topic author - Posts: 7238
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:37 pm
- First Name: Steve
- Last Name: Jelf
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1923 touring and a few projects
- Location: Parkerfield, Kansas
- Board Member Since: 2007
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Running board truss rod adjustment
I'm pretty sure this is wrong.
The Bible doesn't cover this. How should the rods be adjusted? I assume this rod is bowed because of the weight on the running boards (gas cans, spare tires, tool box, etc. Should I try to straighten it?
The Bible doesn't cover this. How should the rods be adjusted? I assume this rod is bowed because of the weight on the running boards (gas cans, spare tires, tool box, etc. Should I try to straighten it?
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring
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- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:23 am
- First Name: Bruce
- Last Name: Compton
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1921 Coupe, 1925 Coupe
- Location: Kemptville
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
Steve: Once the straightness is compromised they are pretty much just a decoration. They are virtually impossible to compress (bend) when kept straight but easy to bend as soon as a curve is established. On my '15 both were bent so I removed them, heated and bent the actual running board supports to get the boards level and the spent some time getting both connecting bars dead nuts straight. Even the slightest suggestion of a bend will soon develop into a bigger one and you're back where you started.
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Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
If you can get them really straight, try slipping a length of pipe just large enough to go over the rods and just long enough to fit tightly between each bracket, and leave the inner nuts off and tighten the outer nuts to put tension on the rod and compression on the pipe.
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Topic author - Posts: 7238
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:37 pm
- First Name: Steve
- Last Name: Jelf
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1923 touring and a few projects
- Location: Parkerfield, Kansas
- Board Member Since: 2007
- Contact:
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
...leave the inner nuts off and tighten the outer nuts to put tension on the rod and compression on the pipe.
It looks to me like you would want the inner nut pushing out against running board sag, and that outer nuts pushing in would help to cause the sag, not counteract it.
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring
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- Posts: 4434
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- First Name: John
- Last Name: Kuehn
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- Location: Texas
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
Maybe that’s why Ford started using the channel type a little later on. I don’t think the later type would give or bend like that. Did it just recently do that? You probably would have noticed it when you had the engine out.
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- Posts: 665
- Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:23 am
- First Name: Bruce
- Last Name: Compton
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1921 Coupe, 1925 Coupe
- Location: Kemptville
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
Steve; Read Pat's post again. Assuming you have the running boards level (not sagging) , "The "pipe" or tubing should be a tight fit between the running board brackets (with the inner nuts left off)", and the outer nuts tightened up to squeeze everything together. It's a lot more difficult to bend or compress a cylinder than a rod as well. Great idea.
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- Location: Texas
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
Here is an earlier post about the running board brackets playing a big part with the truss rods and possibly being bent or causing other issues. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1232556698
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Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
Here's my guess on the early running board mounts and braces: Originally, the running board irons where shaped and attached to the frame with some uptilt on the outboard ends. When the car was assembled, the running board stay rods were installed and the outer nuts tightened so as to pull the running board brackets into proper alignment, which put considerable tension on the stay rods and some in the frame rails. This tension helped keep everything tight and aligned, and pre-loaded the running boards to prevent undue flexing under loads. With extended hard use, the various parts became distorted and tension was lost, allowing the stay rods to bow under load. (Or the nuts were allowed to get loose, which defeated the design)
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- Posts: 7391
- Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:08 pm
- First Name: Pat
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- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926-7 roadster
- Location: Graham, Texas
- Board Member Since: 2021
Re: Running board truss rod adjustment
The brackets being forged steel, used ones could be re-shaped to restore the original shape and function. I'm pretty sure the stay rods were intended to be under tension.