MTFCA Forum

Im getting ready to install the Columbo cross drive magneto on the speedster project engine. There is a small mystery hole on the inside of the casting where the shaft is located. The hole is beside the slightly larger oil hole for the shaft. The mystery hole is threaded and I can see no use for it. ?? The large cam gear also runs very close to the inside of the casting so there really is no room for something to bolt there.

I searched past threads about Columbo mags and found one more pic of a threaded hole in the same location as my mystery hole. I also found a few photos showing the inside of the casting with just a single hole for oil to the shaft. The second picture (grey casting) shows a single hole. The shaft is visable thru the threaded mystery hole and is smooth. There are no groves that could be used to control end play with. Also the design of the shaft controls all the end play.

I contacted Dan McEachern about the mystery hole. He is the person who makes the new gears for the Columbo. He did not know what it was for. So I guess Ill just ignore it and move on, unless someone knows what its for .....

Any input will be appreciated. After 35 plus years of messing with model Ts, this is my first external magneto to install. Im learning as I go ...

Donnie, just looked at a loose Columbo here and no such hole in this example. You see these with several ways of lubrication. When they come into my possession, they have dope cups, zerk or alemite fittings. Others have oil caps such as on a king pin, and I’ve seen them with larger oil cups that use a wick. The biggest maker, the Matco ( Magneto Corp ofAmerica ) used a small copper line that went from the oil fill hole to the shaft, so their method was oiling the shaft automatically ( provided you have oil in the engine), with the engine crankcase oil fog. Enough of these go through here that I have noticed the matco brand seems to show less slop and wear on the shaft than the columbo brand, even though the Columbo has ball bearings on one end of the shaft, and the matco is just a bronze bushing. With that info , I’d say it’s better to get oil to it than grease. Perhaps some previous owner or even the factory ( Columbo/ Apollo ) used that extra hole to insert a wicking felt of some sort. I use a heavy oil in all mine, and I run 3 different types. ( and just love those critters) I’ve learned a lot more in re/ to the coupling from the first one we installed 10 years ago and would be glad to help privately. T

Dropacent wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 28, 2019 2:31 pm

The biggest maker, the Matco ( Magneto Corp ofAmerica ) used a small copper line that went from the oil fill hole to the shaft, so their method was oiling the shaft automatically ( provided you have oil in the engine), with the engine crankcase oil fog.

True that the MATCO plate has an oil line to deliver oil to the driven shaft bushing, except that this oil is captured by a small reservoir in the filler spout. So every time you pour oil in the motor a small amount is saved to gravity feed the driven shaft

Tim, thanks for the reply, I agree that oil may be better than grease. Mine has a grease cup with a zerk fitting in the top of the cup. I probably will use a oil cup instead. I have several styles of oil cups about the size of a regular grease cup. I probably will also add a felt wick or felt insert inside the cup. My shaft has no slop or end play. Since this project will probably not be a high mileage car, I think almost anything will be good enough for the use it will see. I think Ill just leave the threaded hole open to allow a little more oil in. Since the large cam gear sits so close to the oil holes I see little to no options as to something mounting to the threaded hole.

Thanks for the offer of help with my mag setup. I will probably need all the help I can get. Ill be contacting you soon ...