MTFCA Forum

I find that my back starts protesting after an insignificant amount of T work. This presents me with the choice of stopping for the day with the job unfinished or just pushing through to the end and then being forced to sit it out for one to three weeks before tackling the next job. So I am stopping and posting a companion piece to my post on the hand crank modification ("Hand Crank Mod" https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7524).

While tightening nuts on bolts I noticed an old modification I had done and really liked. Tomorrow when I go back to the shop I will further modify the previous modification. In tuning a car it is nice to have a degree wheel on the crankshaft. This is just too glaring of a modern touch to be easily accepted by Rusty (Rusty is a semi-retired 1927 Los Angeles City Fire Department officer in the Mountain Patrol division). So following is my version of the degree wheel...

Here is the front of my engine. In the past I had to switch to an aluminum pulley as my crankshaft was galled and would no longer accept a stock pulley. I used to try shimming, soldering, brazing, or welding the inside diameter of a stock pulley but found all stop-gap measures purely temporary. The following mod. does not work well on a stock stamped steel pulley as it doesn't have a flange.

If you pull the engine through so that the crankshaft pin is horizontal you get either top dead center (TDC) or bottom dead center (BDC). Using a handy boss on the timing cover you can mark the pulley for later reference. It is very difficult to see the pin whilst the hand crank is engaged so this method is much easier.

BDC: TDC:

This has worked very well for me in the past, But I long to improve on this so tomorrow I will add the marking +15 degrees and a position mark to the left of TDC and BDC. This will facilitate more accuracy whilst utilizing Steve Jelf's timing instructions (http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG97.html).

TH

Terry

Excellent! and very graceful.

Seeing your post reminded me of last timer install. To set my timing using the handy lighted timing indicator tool from one of the vendors. Allows degree view of piston travel.

And.... those rimmed alum. pulleys from Dan Mc, the crank pulley pin goes straight thru those pulleys, and the split is right at the middle. So, when you place the pulley (really only one way as the set screw is best approached from above), the split is right on TDC!

But your idea to stamp the numerals on the rim of the pulley is just plain good idea


Alum pulley showing split at top, and crank pulley pin horizontal......TDC.




Timing Indicator tool, with barrel sleeve showing the proper piston position to achieve the 15 degrees past.




Note ink markers on the flange, and one on the casting line of the front plate, for finding the sweet spot again if needed. And crank pulley pin now at the 9:30 / 3:30 place like the hands on a clock. But those ink lines will be gone, metal stamped would stay. Good Idea!

I do believe I am seeing fifteen degrees after top dead center.

That's right Wayne. 15 degrees after dead center. In Steve’s article he calls 15 degrees after top dead center 15 “past” TDC.

TH