MTFCA Forum

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...

Allan

Thanks for the reference source Dan. I can do with more reading!

Allan from down under.

Allan

Jim raises a interesting point. Just when were Z numbers applied to identify the various tools? Originally the large cam gear locknut wrench was designated as part no 2333. The other tools on the same page in my 1915 parts books are all just numbered. There are no Z tools listed. There is a wrench n...

Allan

If a rear axle assembly goes together with two new bronze thrusts, and there is little to no clearance, I would be wanting to know why. I have yet to build a rear axle that has not required some machining/adjustment to the thickness of the new thrusts. When adjusting the thickness of the thrusts, I ...

Allan

Randy, as far as I know, the top irons are not T model items. The one man tops on 20's cars had straight irons for the rear bow. The 26-7 T rear irons were curved in the opposite direction at the mounting point, and were rectangular in cross section.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Robert, effectively the 26-7 T's are different cars than the rest of the 20's T's. As Wayne suggests, you could probably make an earlier top fit. With same amount of work, you might even get a top off a Chev to fit, but if you have to do that much work, why not spend the same time on the correct top...

Allan

Larry, because the ramp is part of the pedal, it is not easily corrected, as new pedals are not available. A new notch will help, but the pedal needs to be removed from the shaft so the ramps can be welded up and refinished to compensate for the wear. Just don't add too much weld and remove all the ...

Allan

Instead of zedding the handle outwards, on my speedster I zedded it to the rear to make it easier to reach. Needed heat to make those bends. The linkage to the pawl was bent to follow the lever.

Allan from down under.

Allan

I think they are an unnecessary complication, with a major drawback. The only way you can make adjustments to set crown wheel and pinion mesh is by fitting shims behind the thrusts. I'd much rather work with bronze thrust which can be manipulated to get a near prefect setting. Others may differ. All...

Allan

Dick, Silky oak was also used by Lorimer when making replacement coils for T's. They do look pretty, But I have never had a matched set of 4 to compare their performance against originals. I have never gotten over seeing silky oak being sawn into 4 x 1.5" ceiling timbers at a mill north of Townsvill...

Allan

Steve, your problem with the NOS Firestones is not typical. I would love to know how they were stored. When I restored my 1912 chocolate van I was fortunate to be offered a choice of a new old stock set of Australian made Dunlops or Barnet Glass tyres, all of which were stored on a cool cellar. I ch...

Allan

Art, you mentioned that one fender fitted better than the other. If you get a large sheet of cardboard and take a tracing of the shape of the better fitting guard on the side profile, you can then compare this to the other side. This will reveal if the two fenders are the same shape. If they are, th...

Allan

On many of our Canadian sourced TT's a number is stamped on the cover at the back of the driveshaft on top of the axle to indicate the ratio. Was this not done on US production?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Scott, that's what I love about this forum. One can learn something new every day. I did not know about those early main bearing bolts. Have you any idea what the measurement is across the flats? The square headed ones are 9/16".

Allan from down under.

Allan

I would love to think that the entry of Blockley into the market for clincher tyres for our model T's would finally lead to the present suppliers specifying products of quality acceptable for purpose. But, I am not holding my breath! Rather, I will vote with my dollars and reward Blockley for their ...

Allan

Steve, most of the metal stem tubes today have no thread for a dust cover nut. The metal stems are plain. You can still use Dill dust covers with the sliding threaded piece, as that screws onto the smaller valve cap thread. About the only threaded stems I have seen are on motorcycle tubes, and I do ...

Allan

John, a 3:1 ratio rear axle can be a drawback with a heavier car, even with a Ruckstel, unless the engine has had a few tweaks. I feel a 12 tooth pinoin on that ring gear, to give a 3.25:1 is more manageable. It works well in my D and F roadster.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mark the second tool is likely used to make adjustments to LHD first gear. It fits the external adjuster by the looks.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Coker and 'best brand' ???? I was under the impression that Coker supplied the Vietnamese manufactured tyres. Am I missing something?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Kim, I have one early round knurled one if you want it. I offered it to Larry but he declined.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Mike, if there are no cracks in the valve seats, you likely have hardened valve seats fitted. They may indeed have been fitted to repair cracks in the valve seats discovered on a prior inspection. If this is the case, the repair is entirely satisfactory, as there is no water jacket under the seats. ...

Allan

Dang me Dan! Here I was trying to tell a tale and you shot it down.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Chris, there was a recent post on Blockley tyres from England. They have a very good reputation and many years of competition use on vintage vehicles.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Those were special issue for Canadian Government purchases. Because Canada was part of the British Empire, all government owned property bore the crown logo.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Jim, it is the I timer which requires working coils, and these buzz as do the originals. The I timer came after the E timer, to cater for those who had to hear the sounds of buzzing coils. I love my E timer on my roadster. I have a True fire in my 1912 van and it performs flawlessly. My shooting bra...

Allan

Donnie, your photos show some thread still not engaged when you install the studs. If there is enough thread, you could run a nut on first, run the studs in and the tension the nut as a locker. That will stop them winding out if you ever have to remove the manifold. Hope this helps. Allan from down ...

Allan

On our Canadian products I believe there are no cup washers. The panel itself has a raised lip around the holes, and the screws sit in this lip.And, they are Robertson screws wuth the square hole drive.

Allan from down under

Allan

Thanks Luke and Frank. I am looking to make a fixed tool to use to check this. I had thought of screwing fixed metalthreads into a 6" spirit level body, but that would only be usable if the car is parked on a level floor. Ed's use of a large square takes the level floor out of the equation an make m...

Allan

Ed's suggestion makes sense. It allows for any fall in the floor. Rather than measure at the castings, would it not be more accurate to measure to the top and bottom king pin bush flanges. Can anyone tell me what the difference should be if the caster is set at 5 degrees? It's been a long while sinc...

Allan

Oops! I misread your fuel line leaks. You had already discovered that the modern fittings do not work. My only conclusion is the seals you used are not bulky enough to fill the void when the packnuts are done up.
Sorry, Allan from down under.

Allan

Don, two points. Original T fittings at the carburetor and the sediment bulb are NOT machined to accept compression fittings. They are as cast. the answer is to resort to standard fitment on the ends. I cut 1/4" pieces of two ply modern fuel hose, remove the outer layer, slide the remaining inner pi...

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