JV Puleo

Done. I tried all the caps and they fit just fine but this was a serious tension inducing job. Now I'll make the studs. Interestingly, I had a bit of a search to find grade 5 castellated nuts. The grade 2's are available everywhere but it is desirable to match the nut to the stud or bolt. I'm making the studs out of Stressproof which has just about the same tensile strength as grade 5. With four 7/16 studs on each cap there is no need to go to grade 8 - the original bolts were about as hard as soap. The only holes I'm not putting inserts in are those for the studs that hold the blocks and the lifters. In both case there is room inside the engine for a lock nut...those will be castellated as well.

Here is the Jackson crankcase. It's a bit heavier than the Mitchell and, I think, a bit more robust. The camshaft goes in on the side where it is resting. Notice that the gear that drives the camshaft, and the gear that drives the magneto are inside the case. There is no timing cover, nor is there it big intermediate timing bear. I started on the Mitchell today by chasing the threads in the original holes for the main bearing studs. This is just so that the centering tool will screw in easily. One of the reasons I'm doing this (aside from the fact that this old aluminum is not very strong) is that the Mitchell method of securing the studs was to cut a slot in the end and, after they were in, to spread them with a chisel. They were a bear to take out and in doing so it was clear that unscrewing them was damaging the threads. Would they work? probably - as there are 4 of them on each cap but I really didn't like it and I know I'd be worried that they might come loose. I put the crankshaft in the case to see how it fits. Converting this to bronze shells is a fairly complicated job and I wanted an idea where I was going. I's probably been close to 8 years since I took it apart. This is the front bearing, the only one I'm really concerned with because the hole is rather close to the edge. I must have measured this thing a dozen times but, ultimately, decided to go ahead. Before I started on the case I drilled a hole in a piece of aluminum to test the end mill and the tap...just in case I made an error somewhere. It's better to find out now before I damage an otherwise unobtainable part. It seemed fine so I went ahead with the crankcase. In this case the centering fixture is a flat head socket cap screw that has been center drilled. I used this to line the hole up with the spindle. I then bored it with the end mill, threaded it without moving anything and screwed the insert in. By the end of the day, I'd done 4 of them, including one of those I was worried about. So far, so good. I should finish this tomorrow and then make the studs that will hold the caps down.

Well...I'll be happy to help in any way. Perhaps I should measure the crankshaft so you can compare it to yours. You might also try to find some photos of a Jackson engine...it used the separate mountings for the cam and it has internal timing gears. I have a crankcase here and I'll take a photo. Oh... and the Mitchell is actually EOI - the exhaust valves are in the cages. They made no provision for valve guides so when the valves - or the guides wore it just leaked. jp

I installed the inserts this morning... you can see how some are proud of the surface. This was to make them come out square with the cast bosses on the crankcase which aren't terribly uniform. Then they were filed flat. I took my time with this because I am not terribly good with a hand file and I did not want to mar the flat surface. As it is, it has plenty of dings and machining marks...it wasn't a perfect surface to begin with but I didn't want to make it worse. Since the sump will get a rather thick paper gasket the little marks aren't important. Then, just to be sure I set the sump on the crankcase. The holes seem to all line up although it isn't perfect. I suspect that may be the result of Mitchell's lack of precision in their machine work. Fortunately, the ears where the heads of the bolts go are quite large so I may enlarge the holes 1/64... but I'll clean everything up first. As it is, the sump is dirty and that may have kept all the bolts from sliding in perfectly. As a matter of curiosity, the sump is cast iron and weighs almost as much - if not as much as the crankcase. It is not what is illustrated in the original owner's manual and I suspect that, after the fact, the company decided that they needed an iron sump to stiffen the crankcase. They would have been much better advised to make the crankcase of iron and the sump of aluminum but I'll bet the decision to change the design came late in the game. The threaded hole in the front of the sump is how you check the oil. This engine pre-dates the invention of the dipstick. You poured oil in until it came out of the hole. The raised section on the bottom of the sump is an oil galley. I'm guessing there were petcocks there to drain it but why were there 2? In any case, it is a handy ting to have because I am going to have to think of a way to drain oil from the timing gear case. Mitchell made no provision for lubricating the timing gears aside from packing the case with grease. Since centrifugal force with throw the grease against the inside of the case that is a poor idea at best and I'm going to have to think up a way to get oil in there and out again.

Yes, I think so. I've used 1/4" masonite as well but I doubt that the expansion of wood would make a difference unless Mike was making parts for supersonic jet fighters. They installed milling machines on ships and used them effectively so the level is more to relieve stress. Theoretically, it's not critical since the machine itself is square but I've found it was handy to have it level when setting up odd shaped parts...my exhaust manifold was one where I wanted to level it but there was no square edge on the underside to grip or the piece had to be held down with clamps. you might also want to raise one side a tiny bit in order to get a very slight taper...all that is easier if you can use the level to check it.

You are supposed to use a "pinch bar" but any decent crowbar will work. I'd only lift it about 1/2". It might be a good idea to find four, 4" squares of wood to go under each corner. Then, depending on how far out it is you can use anything to true it up. The usual technique is to level it in one direction (left to right)...then level it in the other direction. Then check the first level and make smaller corrections. I've used slips of paper for the final adjustment. It's amazing how much stress is relieved on the frame of the machine when it's level.

You want to level the machine as well. In order to do that right, you will need a machinists level. I've also seen it done with a surveyor's transit but a level is probably a lot more practical. I'll add that, if you don't have or can borrow a machinists lever, Moore & Wright were an excellent UK maker.

It has been a hectic Monday...I dropped off some end mills to be ground and then went to look at a Blazer. My current truck is tired and needs quite a bit of work. I'd do it but I doubt it will pass inspection at the end of next month in any case. I'm told (and I am almost completely ignorant of these things) that there is a valve in the transmission that is malfunctioning and that it prevents the emissions sensors from setting so my "check engine" light stays on. Replacing the transmission (which may not solve the problem) is just too expensive and, truth to tell, I would rather have something I can fix and that is not subject to the vagarites of electronics. So, I bought an '89 Blazer. I'd like to thank Ted Brito (Christech) for giving some pointers on what to look for. I did get back to the shop long enough to finish the 18 threaded holes for the sump inserts... I'll put the inserts in tomorrow. The cast bosses in the crankcase are not uniform in thickness and I don't want them to stick up on the top so they have to be done one at the time and, if they protrude on the bottom, filed so the gasket surface is flat.

It was a British law - the "Locomotives on Highways Act" passed, I think, in 1876. It was a method of forcing the early steam carriages off the roads sponsored by the horse interests. Actually, the red flag part of the law was revoked before the first London to Brighton run in 1896. The 1904 date was arbitrary...settled on by the Veteran Car Club at a later date.

Here is the sub-frame material - from the 1911 edition of Heldt. Heldt also makes reference to the fact that many commercial engine makers (like Wisconsin and Teetor Hartley) made the crankcases with removable arms so that they could be fitted to different width sub-frames. I think that if I was in your situation, I'd be looking for a largely complete engine from a truck...perhaps no easier to find but maybe easier to find ne big enough. the real problem is that the Staver was a fairly large car by the standards of the time and 40-50 HP motors are scarce.

The rest of the engine design is just "ordinary." Nothing unusual but the workmanship is often very questionable. I think they were forcing the issue, trying to make the engine as cheaply as possible because they reduced their prices across the board in 1910. I had BSA's when I as younger and remember that. RR also did it. Heldt goes so far as to say that threading aluminum is a poor idea but a lot of people did it to save the added expense.

A year ago I was offered 5 Wisconsin engines, all from 4WD army trucks and all in wretched condition but I didn't act fast enough. That was probably a mistake but, like you, I don't have money to spare. I may have something on the water pump you need. I will look when I get home. I am pretty sure I know where the sub frame specs are.

Since I have to get a cutter ground for the job that was in the mill – and that will take a few days – I decided to start putting in the threaded liners. Working on the original parts (as opposed to making parts) is always tension inducing so it took me a while to set this up. The first step was to take a 3/8-16 bolt and put a center hole in it. It was screwed into one of the holes in the crankcase and used to center the spindle. You can tell you've got it straight if the center balances on the bolt when you drop the table. I then used a 29/64 end mill to take the threads out. And, without moving anything, threaded the hole. And screwed the first insert in with a little Locktite on the threads. I ended up having two long phone calls with authors I'm working with so I only got 4 of them done before I decided I'd had enough for the day. There is nothing to be gained by pushing it....all the mistakes come when you are tired. There are 14 more of these to do and then I have to do the main bearings...so I'll be busy for a couple of days.

It looks to me as if you've started out with more parts than I had but I can see your point. If you can't make them yourself, and can't afford to have them made, it's practically impossible. But, I'd say that was always the case. I faced that sort of problem 40 years ago with a 1910 REO. In the end, I did find some bits but they were nearly as worn as the parts I was replacing and I had the advantage of working on an engine that was made in large quantities over a long period of time. As to the sub frame problem, there was an SAE standard for subframes...I'll see if I can find the relevant data. I think there were only 3 widths although the holes front to back were probably different.

Ive seen one added to an H6B Hispano Suize. A beautiful car and, at the time, owned by one of the nicest and most knowledgeable collectors I've ever met.

I also don't think this issue is driven by lack of skills. If getting cars mechanically sorted was thought of as desirable (as it is by some of us) the skills would be there or be learned. One need only look at some of the fantastic sheet metal work done on what, to me at least, are pretty mundane vehicles. People spend small fortunes for paint but are reluctant to make their car actually safe to drive. Before the advent of "trailering" cars to shows owners were forced to address at least some of the mechanical problems. With "100-point trailer queens" that is no longer needed and, not surprisingly, it has gone by the board. Also, to get back to the original observation, "axle tramp" (the British term) was a problem in period even with new cars. W.O. Bentley wrecked a car as a result of it...in fact, he was trying to induce it on a test drive. What was causing it was understood. What to do about it was a bigger problem. I don't think it was completely overcome until the introduction of independent suspension. I've seen it happen in a Silver Ghost (which had very low mileage and was not worn out). My one personal experience with it was in a Phantom II when I ran over some old car tracks with one wheel while turning. I nearly flattened a local bar... I suspect the patrons would have been pretty surprised if a RR town car had crashed through the door!

I do not think a lack of interest in mechanics is surprising. The only aspect of restoration that is consistently rewarded is cosmetics.

I agree...and it is why I would rather get a well used and never been apart original car over almost any "restoration." To my mind, paint and upholstery are cosmetic. Making them work as they should is far more important. I'm reminded of Edinmass's comment on this, which if I remember correctly, was that less then 10% of the restored CCCA Classics are mechanically sound.

I think that is happening more than we might expect. My shop is next door to an aluminum foundry and the brothers that run it are both friendly and helpful. They have cast a few parts for me and just recently one was telling me that they have started to get printed molds (i.e. the printer actually makes the mold without needing a pattern.) I once saw that demonstrated as part of a rapid prototyping demonstration. At the time, three or four years ago, it was frightfully expensive but I bet it's already getting much more affordable and for something like a crankcase or a block, very attractive. There will still be a lot of serious machining involved but we are approaching something that is doable by a competent enthusiast.

Yes... I'm certain that is a disappointment but at times like this I like to remember a saying for the Pirkei Avot that "every misfortune is an opportunity." Fortunately (or unfortunately) I'm a very long way from ever going to a car show. That said, this morning I cleaned up the underside of the hollow bolt I made. It won't make it work any better but at least I'm finally satisfied with the job. The one in the front is the finished item...those behind it have gone into my "mistakes" box. And, if you were wondering, this is how it works. The projection on the end of the bolt goes through the cap and into the bearing so when it is tightened down the bearing can't move and oil will be delivered directly to the rotating surface. My mill is still tied up while I try to solve another problem so I decided to make the insert that will screw into the crankcase and provide a seat for the banjo fitting that will oil the center main bearing. Threading it 1"-20 I then turned it down on the ends. The short end will go into the crankcase but, as the threads won't go all the way to the bottom I put a rebate on it. The other end is turned down to .900 for the banjo fitting. It's still a bit long so I'll trim it down to 3/4" but it's otherwise done. Monday I'm going to visit the cutter grinding shop and have a 1" end mill taken down to .950 - the hole size for a 1"-20 thread. I'd rather do that with an end mill because I want a flat bottomed hole and I have another fix the end mill will work for so it worth the effort.

Were they ever? I don't remember it ever being easy and clearly not "remunerative" to undertake a project like rebuilding a car from "two tracks in the mud." There have never been many people who could do it although in the past there may have been more who thought they could and failed. The only car I really regret selling was the nearly hopeless wreck of a very early Panhard - maybe c.1897-1899. It had been outside so long that a tree about 8" in diameter was growing through the center of the chassis and had to be cut down to move it. Everything was rusted solid...seriously rusted solid, including the inside of the transmission because the cover was missing. The engine was missing altogether although it came with a later (c.1902) Panhard engine. I advertised it in Hemmings and sold it before I'd even seen the magazine and I could have sold it again within 12 hours. Being a person of rather limited means I will probably never get another chance at a big, very early car. At the time, I couldn't see how I could bring it back but today, while it would be a monumental job, I can see that it could be done. But...it would never be a money maker - it wouldn't even come close to breaking even and unless you understand that it would be a fools errand. Still, if I had the chance again I'd take it even if didn't live to see it end.

You bet...I'm especially at loose ends now since the Baltimore Gun Show was cancelled and the National Archives in Philadelphia is closed, both of which I was supposed to be visiting this weekend.

I could claim to have been away from my project for a few days but, in truth, I've been struggling with making the retaining bolt for the center camshaft bearing. This my 4th...and I'm finally satisfied with it. First I made the hex portion... in this case I gave it a deep chamfer on the bottom. My problem has been consistently brazing the threaded portion in place in such a manner that none of the braze got into the threads. This has proved a lot harder to do than to describe. In addition to the deep chamfer, I used a small mandrel to turn a ring of 1/8" bronze brazing wire into a perfect circle...the same technique you would use to make a spring. The wire is springy and it took me 3 or 4 tries to get the correct dimension so that when it sprung out it would be tight on the threaded part of the bolt. The wire now fits down inside the chamfer. The threaded portion is too long for any of my drills so it was necessary to drill it from both ends. If I'd attached it to the hex piece first, I would not have been able to use the collet to hold it. This worked quite well although its only a 3/16 hole and it was necessary to withdraw the drill regularly to clear the chips in order to make certain it was going in perfectly straight. The Exact height of the threaded section was calculated and the two pieces assembled, with some brazing flux, on the rotary table using heat blocking putty to keep from getting the table hot. At just about this point I had a call from a friend who wanted to work on one of his projects so I waited for him and before he began we brazed the two pieces together. We did that by having my friend hold the torch while I turned the handle, rotating the piece so that it got uniformly hot all around until the brazing wire melted. This technique finally worked although I do have a little clean up to do on the lower surface - though as it doesn't show and doesn't obstruct anything that is more a matter of my own obsessive behavior. I then turned the top end of the hex to the diameter of the banjo fittings I have. This is how it is supposed to look. An oil line will be connected from the pump output line to the banjo fitting giving me oil pressure on the center cam bearing. Depending on how the pieces fit, I may extend that line to the front cam bearing as well. But, until the engine goes back together it is difficult to plan the plumbing.

The table of that mill is shockingly devoid of the usual scars! jp

About 25 years ago I sold a 1911 REO to a gentleman in Massachusetts. About 3 years ago his son contacted me - I'm not sure how he found me but his dad had given him the car and he was curious about what I could tell him about it. He even sent a picture and it looked exactly as it had when I sold it. Also, about 30 years ago I advertised in Hemnmings looking for a 20HP Rolls Royce. I got a reply from a man in Michigan who sent pictures. The car had belonged to a very good friend of mine...in fact, I'd have bought it from him if I had the money at the time and I actually loaded the car on the trailer when it left. We agreed a price and I made arrangements to get a bank check (this was long before Paypal and the other fast money transfer services). I had the check in hand when he called and reneged on the sale, saying someone had offered him more money. He even called on my toll-free line so I paid for the call as well. Every time I hear the refrain how everyone in the old car world is so wonderful I think of this. What an AH. There are just as many jerks in old car collecting as anything else.