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ZR4 Magnetos & Two Spark Igniton


Guest T-Head

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Good to see a little activity here on the Mercer Forum.....After reading Ivan's post about ZR4 mags I will add this. One other area that can cause varing point gaps is the points housing and the end plate on the mag that it rides in.

I rebuild my own mags and this is the last one I did that is a ZR4 2-Spark on a T-Head Mercer I just finished up recently. The OD of the points housing and the ID of the bore in the end plate were both worn which is common and will let the gap vary widely at random as much as .015" thousandths.

I bore the end housing and fit a sleeve which I machine and then bore it after being installed for .001"-.002" clearance on the OD of the points housing which I machine in the lathe.

Ivan is also correct about a 2-spark igniton being helpful on L-Head Mercers also in his recent posts.

www.roadinosaur.com

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Edited by T-Head (see edit history)
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Of course you are right David. It is handy to have the clearance by your advice.

I reckon that Dick Stadt must had been running his effectively as a Rickardo L-head. Wih this combustion chamber geometry, the best placement for double plugs would be in both valve caps. I just had another look at my engines.

By the way, do you know what happened to the spare crankshaft that Morris had as a living area ornament? Ralph told me that nobody had ever broken an L-head crankshaft. (He told me that someone had blundered when one engine being test run driving a generator for power in the factory, so that one engine ran for 18hours at 3800rpm without ill effect. The crankshaft broke in my 1918 because some idiot line-bores the mains without the block in place. I have been told they could weld the crank satisfactorily, but I don't have enthusiasm for that. Maybe I could get one roughed out of a slab of CSM2 steel, but it is a big job.

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Ivan...I don't know what happened to crankshaft that Morris had but I ended up with the drilled set of L-Head racing connecting rods. They came out of a racing car that was run around the Atlantic City area.

Do you need a crankshaft for your L-Head ?? There must be one around....If not Moldex outside of Detroit can make you one. I have had them make me a T-head Mercer crank, a 4-60 Thomas crank and right now they are making me a 6-70 Thomas crank. They do very good work and the price while expensive is is line with what it takes to do the job.

I will post photos of the L-Head rods when I get a chance.....They are quite interesting.

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Guest Silverghost

T-Head:

What a wonderfully detailed engine you have there .

It looks almost better than new !

I would love to see photos of the rest of your car !

Since I was a small child and First saw Ralph Buckley's Mercer Raceabout at a Philadelphia area show in the mid 1950s I have wanted to some day own one.

I seem to remember in our suburban Philadelphia area in the 1950s there was a fellow named Robenson who also owned a Mercer raceabout .

Do you, or any other Mercer club owner, remember him, or his great raceabout auto ? If so~~~ Where is it today ?

My late 92 Year old Father who just passed-away knew Ralph Buckley very well along with "Austie" Clark & James Melton, Sam Adelman Jim Hoe,and many more of the early collectors.

My father and Mr Buckley would often go on fishing trips in my Dad's big wooden inboard boat the "We Three"from out of Ocean City NJ.Great Egg Harbor inlet.

Several years ago we saw Mr. Buckey's great old red Mercer raceabout at the Ocean City NJ Antique Car Show and Boardwalk Run.

That brought back a flood of memories for Dad & I !

My Father had tears in his eyes when he saw it,

He was 90 years old at the time.~~~ I have photos of Dad and the raceabout from that day !

Dad had several rides in Mr' Buckley's Mercer.

Sadly I have never ridden in a Mercer Raceabout .

I am now looking to buy a Mercer, Stutz, or other great early speedster to add to my Father's , and now my auto collection !

Edited by Silverghost (see edit history)
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