MTFCA Forum

72 years old and recently purchased a ‘25 roadster with no model t knowledge so please remember your are dealing with a complete novice and I will try to use correct terminology. As expected there is a lot of wear in the hogshead but other than the obvious, (elongated holes where the low speed connection goes) I have no idea what is excessive wear and what is acceptable. I have several issues but to try and keep the conversation orderly I will stick one or two per post. Also in a very small garage so a little hesitant to experiment with engine running.

The first issue is with the hand brake forward (engine not running) the clutch lever shaft can be pushed inwards towards the trans 3/8”. Then putting the hand brake in the vertical position causes parking brake cam to miss the bolt on the clutch control arm and not allowing a shift into neutral. In a driving situation this sounds like it could create a little bit more excitement than this old guy needs.

Does the hogshead need to come off to remedy this ?

Easy fix is to cold bend one arm, holding the other from bending.

The arm is then about centered on the cam of the clutch/brake lever.

Sometimes, straighten the tall cam bracket by bending to vertical.

Dan, thank you for your reply. If I push the control shaft in and bend to match that that’s fine but if the shaft moves out the cam could miss the bolt on the other side. I believe my problem is the 3/8” end play. Just not sure if that’s considered excessive.

D.

That movement is approx normal, as that clutch lever arm shaft operates the collar inside the trans to move the clutch spring. There is normal movement at this important function.

Here is one that has the lever arm too straight, like yours.

Here is what an arm should look like to operate normally. Also, the linkage to the low pedal also provides some resistance to the clutch shaft from moving in or out too much. There is play that is needed, as too stiff will prevent functions. Make sure the double arm lever is bent to best function, and the tall arm on the control shaft of the clutch/brake lever too. They all need to be in alignment.
This is the collar or clutch release, the u-shape is normal to have some play, could be worn to excess, but most times the amount of play on your clutch shaft is appropriate.

Thanks again Dan. I like the third image with lock nut riding on cam making a wider “footprint”. Would you mind me sending you a PM in a couple of days with a couple of more questions ?

D.

Sure, PM me anytime. Put your email address in your PM. So if I need to send you photos, the system PM won't allow photos to be attached.


Here is that old trick on re-position of the adj. bolt for the clutch lever. Ford only used the end of the bolt, with lock nut on top of the lever arm.
Putting more 'surface' onto the cam, with a bit of grease there too, allows the clutch/brake lever to be more easily moved.

The low speed connection, clevis & pedal connection hole may have a lot of wear. this adds to your problem by not helping to retain alignment.

Also, there appears to be a gasket between the drive shaft connection & the transmission. Common mistake. there should be no gasket. that area is a ball joint. adding a gasket makes for a sloppier fit.

Thanks speedytinc ... The low speed connection points are my next issue. Pulling the starter would allow me enough room to weld the elongated holes but not enough to drill the bottom of clutch pedal. Will make a new 5/16 connector, weld up and grind to as close to size as possible or start with a 3/8 and work down.

I know the proper fix is remove the hogshead but was hoping to save that for when bands need changing. The entire front end needs bushings and I would like to drive it a bit more first. Hogshead seems like a good winter project.

This how my dad fixed the side play issue some 40 years ago. Maybe one day, I'll fix right.... probably not.
It's a split collar.

Not trying to be a jerk as Dan offers excellent advice.

Here’s what I did on my first T. Intuition told me something wasn’t right as the threads were milling a chamfer on the lobe. No inet then, no club yet either. Figured bolt was upside down?

So, threaded bolt up from the bottom, kept the locknut topside. Made sure a hex flat was square to the lobe. All worked from there.

That was ‘79...that car is still that way....yet all my other T’s are normal

George

Do what works! Many ways to skin a cat, or repair a Ford

Owner of this engine had same issue, so made a 'guide' of sheetmetal to keep the adj. screw on track!

When bending the arm to centre the bolt on the cam, it will pay to twist it a bit also, so the bolt meets the cam squarely. Otherwise it will tend to thrust to the side of the cam.

Allan from down under.