Hard to believe
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Topic author - Posts: 361
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- First Name: Bob
- Last Name: Shirley
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Hard to believe
Saw this small block Chevy crank at the scrap yard. Still in the block, is worn over 3/8 of an inch at that one rod.
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- First Name: Scott
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Re: Hard to believe
Perhaps that was used as a sound-effect in "The Grapes of Wrath" movie.
Scott Conger
Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny
NH Full Flow Float Valves
Obsolete carburetor parts manufactured
Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny
NH Full Flow Float Valves
Obsolete carburetor parts manufactured
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- First Name: Mack
- Last Name: Cole
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Re: Hard to believe
That could be repaired with spray welding and cut back to standard.
If you can't help em, don't hinder em'
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Re: Hard to believe
==================================
Good business sense never goes out of style !
More people are doing it today than ever before !
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Re: Hard to believe
For whatever it is worth. My Dad grew up around Elko Nevada. In out-of-the-way places like that, those days, auto supply stores and machine shops often carried "un-sized" connecting rods for cars and trucks. These were rods with new Babbitt poured, but not cut or machined to size. That way the shop could keep just a couple sets, and machine to fit as needed.
Out in the middle of nowhere, some fellow traveling across the country, short on money, heading for a job offer in California, pulled into town with a rod knocking so bad it could be heard a block away. After getting out of high school for the day, my Dad walked down to the auto repair shop and found the mechanic working on the car. He had dropped the pan, and found the rod barely hanging together, with the crank journal chewed up way under-size. The man could NOT afford a proper repair, or a new used car. So the mechanic told him he could do a bad repair, guaranteed for fifty feet, or crossing the driveway, whichever came first.
The mechanic used his in-the-car crankshaft grinding tool to cut the crankshaft journal back to round, about a half inch under-size (the car was a '30s six cylinder)! He then took an un-sized rod over to his big blacksmith's vise (I have one like that!), and squeezed the rod narrow. Then with the bolts removed, he used the power hacksaw to cut an appropriate amount off both the rod and the cap to bring the size back for the crankshaft. The new Babbitt was distorted, but still intact. Over to the rod cutting tool,and cut the new Babbitt to fit the way under-size crankshaft. Then put it all back together. Charged the man for the rod and a couple hours work (probably less than he actually spent on it).
He repeated no promises, but wished him well.
About a week later, he received a postcard from the fellow. A BIG "thank you", a "made it", and "got the job!"
Out in the middle of nowhere, some fellow traveling across the country, short on money, heading for a job offer in California, pulled into town with a rod knocking so bad it could be heard a block away. After getting out of high school for the day, my Dad walked down to the auto repair shop and found the mechanic working on the car. He had dropped the pan, and found the rod barely hanging together, with the crank journal chewed up way under-size. The man could NOT afford a proper repair, or a new used car. So the mechanic told him he could do a bad repair, guaranteed for fifty feet, or crossing the driveway, whichever came first.
The mechanic used his in-the-car crankshaft grinding tool to cut the crankshaft journal back to round, about a half inch under-size (the car was a '30s six cylinder)! He then took an un-sized rod over to his big blacksmith's vise (I have one like that!), and squeezed the rod narrow. Then with the bolts removed, he used the power hacksaw to cut an appropriate amount off both the rod and the cap to bring the size back for the crankshaft. The new Babbitt was distorted, but still intact. Over to the rod cutting tool,and cut the new Babbitt to fit the way under-size crankshaft. Then put it all back together. Charged the man for the rod and a couple hours work (probably less than he actually spent on it).
He repeated no promises, but wished him well.
About a week later, he received a postcard from the fellow. A BIG "thank you", a "made it", and "got the job!"
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Re: Hard to believe
Great story Wayne, what year do you think that was, early forties? I did a repair that still amazes me. My father an I had purchased a Austen Western small rubber tired crane that was broke down. As was told to us, the engine had been rebuilt and had only ran about 8 hours when it dropped a valve that broke a hole in the piston and head. There it sat with the head off for a year. When it broke the hydraulic boom was extended and all the out-riggers were down. We needed to be able to retract the equipment to be able to transport it. Dad and I decided that it would be best to make it run long enough to do that. As it turned out our neighbor had an international head that fit the engine. It also had dropped a valve but it didn't hurt the head. We pulled a valve out of our head and installed it in the new head. We then gathered some tools and headed over to try and make it run. We cleaned everything up, very dirty sitting a year with the head off and no covering. I brought my wire feed aluminum welder and welded up the quarter sized hole up in the piston. This was done in place. We figured out why these two engines had dropped valves and fixed that before we installed the head using the old gasket. International used cups on the end of the valve stems for a wear surface, as it turned out the cups weren't adjusted properly and were pushing on the spring retainer instead on the end of the valve freeing the retainers. We elected to just leave them off. Three and a half hours we had it back together and running. It ran so good, and we didn't have our transport there I thought I would drive it the 15 miles home. It still runs and we have used it many times. 1988
24-28 TA race car, 26 Canadian touring, 25 Roadster pickup, 14 Roadster, and 11AB Maxwell runabout
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
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Re: Hard to believe
Hey there John, Yeah, it would have been the early '40s. Some of us were fortunate enough to have good working time with our fathers. My Dad had so many interesting stories of growing up in the wild area of Nevada (around Elko). He told those stories over and over again, and I never got tired of hearing them.
I hope you have many fond memories of your Dad. It sounds like you would.
I hope you have many fond memories of your Dad. It sounds like you would.
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Re: Hard to believe
Boy, you're bringing back memories, but I'd like to correct one thing.John Warren wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:31 amGreat story Wayne, what year do you think that was, early forties? I did a repair that still amazes me. My father an I had purchased a Austen Western small rubber tired crane that was broke down. As was told to us, the engine had been rebuilt and had only ran about 8 hours when it dropped a valve that broke a hole in the piston and head. There it sat with the head off for a year. When it broke the hydraulic boom was extended and all the out-riggers were down. We needed to be able to retract the equipment to be able to transport it. Dad and I decided that it would be best to make it run long enough to do that. As it turned out our neighbor had an international head that fit the engine. It also had dropped a valve but it didn't hurt the head. We pulled a valve out of our head and installed it in the new head. We then gathered some tools and headed over to try and make it run. We cleaned everything up, very dirty sitting a year with the head off and no covering. I brought my wire feed aluminum welder and welded up the quarter sized hole up in the piston. This was done in place. We figured out why these two engines had dropped valves and fixed that before we installed the head using the old gasket. International used cups on the end of the valve stems for a wear surface, as it turned out the cups weren't adjusted properly and were pushing on the spring retainer instead on the end of the valve freeing the retainers. We elected to just leave them off. Three and a half hours we had it back together and running. It ran so good, and we didn't have our transport there I thought I would drive it the 15 miles home. It still runs and we have used it many times. 1988
The caps on top of the valves were called "Roto-Caps" and were not intended to be for wear.........and they were supposed to push on the valve keepers and not the end of the valve. There should have been a couple thousands - or maybe more - clearance between the end of the valve and the cap. This allowed the valve to be free to rotate when it was open. The cap was actually pushing on the retainer and not the valve itself. This increased the time between valve grinds. The keepers should have been straight and not tapered like most keepers. If you'd put the valve in the retainer and put the keepers on the valve and put the cap on the valve and put the retainer between your two fingers and push down on the cap with your thumb, you should be able to rotate the valve freely. The few thousands clearance allowed this. It worked and was a common practice on the big gas engines - IHC's. Oh yeah, I think, but an not completely sure that they were only on the exhaust valves.
This brings back the memory of I think one of these IHC engines that dropped a valve like you said but the valve stayed in the guide until the engine coasted to a stop. Then it dropped out and as the engine coasted on the up stroke, but valve caught the edge of the removable valve guide and punched it right out the of the head. I don't think it hurt much,......... but that's been maybe 50 years ago.
One more thing, the "Roto-Caps" were eventually replaced with "Positive Valve Rotaters". These were a coil spring fitted inside the valve spring retainer and positively rotated the valve on each stroke. I guess they worked better.
It's been a long time though.
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Re: Hard to believe
Thanks Fred, Ya I wasn't sure why they were there, but it has ran maybe a hundred hours since and not dropped any more valves. Obviously something was wrong with the setup.
Wayne, Dad has many stories and like you I never get tired of them. His first model t had a rod bearing out, he being a kid at the time and money and resources were lean, he cut a piece of tube off a brass bedstead and put it in to take up the gap. He said it worked! Dad was never afraid to try to fix anything, and I don't remember him ever being unsuccessful. Once on an excavator track drive sprocket, it had came loose and ruined the splines on the sprocket and hub. Dad tightened and aligned things up and welded them together. There was a guy that said that he just destroyed it, wow, his response was that all these pieces were already JUNK so why on earth would doing this hurt them. Funny that that excavator was used daily until sold 5 years later, with the welded up hub and sprocket. Many stories, THANKFULLY I still have my Dad and can still listen to them. Dad has always been my hero!
Wayne, Dad has many stories and like you I never get tired of them. His first model t had a rod bearing out, he being a kid at the time and money and resources were lean, he cut a piece of tube off a brass bedstead and put it in to take up the gap. He said it worked! Dad was never afraid to try to fix anything, and I don't remember him ever being unsuccessful. Once on an excavator track drive sprocket, it had came loose and ruined the splines on the sprocket and hub. Dad tightened and aligned things up and welded them together. There was a guy that said that he just destroyed it, wow, his response was that all these pieces were already JUNK so why on earth would doing this hurt them. Funny that that excavator was used daily until sold 5 years later, with the welded up hub and sprocket. Many stories, THANKFULLY I still have my Dad and can still listen to them. Dad has always been my hero!
24-28 TA race car, 26 Canadian touring, 25 Roadster pickup, 14 Roadster, and 11AB Maxwell runabout
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
Keep it simple and keep a good junk pile if you want to invent something
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- Posts: 3641
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:13 pm
- First Name: Wayne
- Last Name: Sheldon
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- Location: Grass Valley California, USA
- Board Member Since: 2005
Re: Hard to believe
I lost my dad about fifteen years ago. Enjoy yours while you can.
My Dad was actually quite difficult, and hard to get along with in many ways. But I learned early to look beyond that, and worked with him for many years. He was also brilliantly intelligent. And I am glad that I was able to be his friend.
My Dad was actually quite difficult, and hard to get along with in many ways. But I learned early to look beyond that, and worked with him for many years. He was also brilliantly intelligent. And I am glad that I was able to be his friend.
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Re: Hard to believe
Wayne, that's nice. What a treasure to live long enough to be a friend. My dad and I still have a similar relationship, though I'm sure he'd tell you that I was the difficult one!
Scott Conger
Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny
NH Full Flow Float Valves
Obsolete carburetor parts manufactured
Tyranny under the guise of law is still Tyranny
NH Full Flow Float Valves
Obsolete carburetor parts manufactured