MTFCA Forum

I don't know the proper term for this piece but it's that curved metal piece on the brake lever that holds the clutch in neutral when pulled back to 90° or fully back. Mine appears to be worn out. Is it supposed to be like that? It looks like the bolt has eaten into it is there a way I can fix this or do I have to replace that whole bar?

Weld up the worn area and grind back to shape. Next bend the cam over so it is more centered under the adjustment bolt. After you get that done take that bolt out, grind the head to round over the edges and reinstall with the head down. That give more riding surface area. Part of the wear is coming from not holding the clutch pedal down and dragging the adjustment bolt across the cam when you pull the parking brake handle back. Also when you pull the parking brake lever back, squeeze the handle so the pawl does not drag across the teeth on the quadrant.

The adjuster's contact should be centered on the cam face. The question is why its not. Is there excessive side play in the clutch throw out? Loose throwout arms inside the transmission? If there is minimal side shaft movement, a simple bend to the arm to center the adjuster bold may be all you need.

That part is the speed lever, it is on the control shaft.

The angle of yours can be fixed, as it is tilted now, just use a pipe wrench, on that part and bring it back to straight so that the adjusting screw can glide on the center of the lever.


One other way to prevent the bolt end from gouging into the lever is to reverse the bolt. Grind the edges a bit round and the larger surface makes pulling the hand lever easier.

Your cam is twisted so the bolt runs off rather than consistently along the cam surface. That can easily be fixed with a large adjustable wrench. If you bend the cam arm to align it with the bolt, the cam surface will be at a slight angle to the bolt. I would rather tweak the arm on the clutch cross shaft to centre the bolt on the cam surface. That is easily done cold with two adjustable wrenches. Fit one wrench over the arm and use a larger second one over the jaws of the first as you bending lever.
I too fit the adjusting bolt head down. Just radius the edges of the hex on the head to make a ramp to engage on the cam.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

A lot of things can be the cause. The parking brake sever and shaft are bolted to the frame. The engine and hogs head are connected to the crankcase. So if the frame is bent and sags on one side, or if the crankcase is bent either of these conditions can alter the position of the cam to the bolt. or something such as wear on the cam from years of pulling it it back.
Norm

I have always considered this SINGLE FEATURE as being absolutely the roughest and crudest thing on any Model T Ford. That should have been a forked roller of some type. It is the ONLY thing that makes me wince when operating the car.

I agree Bill but it was the least costly ! Here's what I use - master machinist T buddy of mine made a few.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2025 11:18 am

I agree Bill but it was the least costly ! Here's what I use - master machinist T buddy of mine made a few.

Perhaps made from old Ruckstell parts?

Must have been a problem back in the day. Here are a couple NOS ones in my parts drawer.
Nor for the faint of heart to replace.

OilyBill wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:20 am

I have always considered this SINGLE FEATURE as being absolutely the roughest and crudest thing on any Model T Ford. That should have been a forked roller of some type. It is the ONLY thing that makes me wince when operating the car.

Ford did use a roller on the speed lever, on the Two Pedal early cars.

In true Henry design fashion, saving costs when going to the 3 Pedal, the roller got lost in cost savings

Wish he had kept that on the later Model T's! Other than THAT SINGLE FEATURE, most of Ford's design work is pretty good.

It is cheap, cheaper than the second design using a casting, worked well on >14 million cars, and only causes grief when it is damaged somehow. What's not to like about that? Now, if you were to talk about timers.........

Allan from down under.

Hold the left pedal in "neutral", then move the lever to "neutral", or pull it all the way back to park. That will eliminate most all wear on the bolt and cam face. Hold the little ratchet lever back when moving the hand lever so the ratchet won't wear.
Wipe the dirt off the parts once in a while and apply a little white grease to the cam. Everything on a Model T that moves needs some lubrication.

The steel bands used with pallets and crates are hard and slick. Forming a piece of it to fit the cam face and bolting or pop riveting it in place might eliminate most wear and make lubrication redundant.