JV Puleo

The crankcase continues to loose a very small amount of oil. It isn't enough to feel it when I run my hand over the tubes and there are no visible drips but my goal is no leaks at all so I've got some different gasket material coming. It was Ed's suggestion about using "O" ring material on the oil pan that got me thinking about that. I've ordered some 1/32 x 2" strips of the rubber material O rings are made of as well as some punches for the bolts. I'll try making my own flat washers out of it. The rubber has a hardness of 70 on the Durometer scale making it relatively hard but it will be softer than the fiber washers I've used and I'll be able to give them a larger OD which will increase the surface area under compression. I want to finish that before I start on the bearings because I'd like to box these parts up and put them away until its time to assemble the engine. In the meantime, I have 4 pieces of aluminum bar I bought on ebay. Three are to make the test bearings and the 4th is for the hub of the fan. Before I start on the bearings I want to machine the hub to get an idea how the material cuts...not knowing what alloy it is. I cut one of the pieces down... It needs a 1.125 hole in the center. I didn't have the right drill so I ended up boring it to just undersize so I could ream it. I have to turn about 2/3 of it down to fit in the fan. The end will be made into a sheeve. The Mitchell used an early form of V belt. Heldt calls them "trapezoidal belts". I've never seen one but you can tell from the broken sheeves that were on the original crankshaft hub that they weren't flat belts. I'll use conventional V belts since I've no idea where you'd get the right ones and I think it's largely inconsequential in any case. Like usual, I made it a bit too long and had to face the big end off to a thickness of 3/4". It will go together with these flange ball bearings. They are sealed bearings which I know aren't "period" but no one will be able to see them I want the absolute minimum drag on the engine from running the fan.

To my mind, that hasn't gone away but it has been heavily glossed over by a layer of "what's it worth". I've found that, at least among those of us who actually do much of our own work, it's still alive. I suspect this has a lot to do with the huge influx of people involved with old cars whose primary interest is profit. I don't think that we thought much about profit 40 years ago, perhaps because we knew there wasn't going to be much and what paper profit there was was usually absorbed by the expenses. I'm no enemy of profit...I wish I had more talent for making it but it isn't the be-all, end-all and as a driving force in what is essentially a hobby with little or no practical application I think it may be detrimental.

I sent the acme nut off to be tested this morning and now I'm in one of my slumps that follow finishing something, wondering what to do next. I may take a break from the car and put my planer and vertical mill back together. One has been here 2 years and the other about a year and a half and I've yet to use either but I think both will be critical to doing a really good job with the connecting rods. I've put that off to the end because I wanted the experience and those are a part that cannot fail without causing critical damage. I did finish up another bit that has been taunting me for a long time. when I made the water tubes I wanted to use brass fittings - which is what I think would have been the case in 1910. I used to jut go to the hardware store for them...they are all standard sizes - but I've discovered they are no longer made and no longer easy to get. I used copper fittings but never soldered everything together in the hope of finding the right fittings. That was probably 2 years ago (I lose track of time on this) and I've managed to find all but a single brass "T" so I decided to make one out of a threaded pipe union. This is a lot of work and if I had to make all of them I'd forgo that detail and use the copper. I bored out a 1/2" brass fitting some time ago...but it's the right angle hole that is a challenge, To do this I set it up in the 4-jaw chuck and indicated it using a brass pipe nipple. Then bored it to the right size - which takes all the threads out. These are the pieces...The acme nut is for Ted's neighbor, for his buffing jack. I told him I'd do the job for my expenses and he could do some polishing for me...a job I really dislike. This trading off jobs with friends is one of the best parts of doing this sort of work. Not everything has to cost a fortune. If you are willing to help others I've found that more often than not they are willing to help you. Everything doesn't have to have a dollar sign attached.

Before going on with the acme nuts I made two more holding fixtures, one in 3/8" and the other, which I can't finish because I don't have the square hole sleeve, for 5/16". Then I put a 1/4" HSS lathe blank in the holding fixture and ground the acme taper. The grinder was still set up from the big tool so I knew the angles were the same. I put the 3-jaw chuck in the 4-jaw and indicated a piece of 2" bar. That gets me very close to centering the 2" hex. Certainly close enough for a nut. Drilled out and bored to 1.140... The threading bit had to be cut down to about 1" because it has to pass through the hole. It went in a boring bar and I threaded the hole. I had a lot of trouble with this and for a time it looked as if I'd messed it up but I was taking such small cuts that I was able to get it working properly before I went too far. I stopped when the threading gauge went in. Then took the 3-jaw off and centered the gauge to use as a holding fixture to face off the rough side of the nut. The last step was to put the chamfers on. First one side then turn the nut around and do the other side. It now appears to be done but tomorrow I'll mail it to Ted (Christech) to take over to his neighbor and check that it fits the machine. It would be a real gamble to make more of before I find out if it really fits.

That was a very impressive job Frank. I can also appreciate your lack of motivation. I find that when I've completed a difficult job I don't even want to think about the next one, even though I will have to eventually. It's hard to be creative all the time and a restoration like you've undertaken calls for a tremendous amount of creativity. I don't think people who have never made something (as opposed to just buying things) appreciate how wearing it can be but it's clear that you haven't lost your touch. Cheers, Joe P

Which was actually in Germany when he moved there. It didn't revert to France until after WWI.

Panhard e Levassor, before the Knight engine and Delauny Bellville before WWI. I've had a very early Panhard but have never even seen a Delauny Bellville.

Thanks Mike. I stumbled on the square hole sleeves while searching for acme threaded rod about 6 or 8 years ago. I thought "what a good idea"...but it's only recently that I thought of a use for them. It's hugely cheaper than buying a square hole broach, especially when you only need it once in a great while.

When I came in this morning the first thing I did was check to see if it had leaked. I could feel no oil on any of the copper tubes or banjo fittings but the oil level in the flare fitting at the rear of the engine - which was just about flush with the top when I left last night - was down about 1/4". I don't know how much oil a column 7/16" x 1/4" is...it isn't much but I'll have to give that some thought. I suspect that the fiber washers I'm using for gaskets might be a tiny bit too hard or the diameter isn't optimum. I'll look into a slightly softer gasket but there is no such thing as an Edwardian car that doesn't leak so this isn't a major worry. And, since you've all suffered through my acme thread experiment, I went on with that. I now have to make a holding fixture for a 1/4" HSS lathe bit so I can grind it to the acme thread profile. The 3/8" bit I made for the external thread worked perfectly but holding a much smaller piece is more difficult. I started by indicating this piece of 7/8" diameter drill rod. The fixture will be made of 7/8" square stock... Then loosened two of the jaws. I always loosen the same two jaws when doing something like this....and Inserted the piece of square bar. Then it was drilled and reamed to 7/16". This isn't perfect but it will get me very close. I inserted a piece of square hole sleeve...1/4" square on the inside, 7/16" round on the OD. I get those from a place called Green Bay Manufacturing. This was the same sleeve I used to put the square hole in the boring bar I made. I drilled and threaded for two set screws to hold it in place. And when I was all done decided it was too short. So, I started over and made a longer one. Since everything was set up this was not a distressing setback and the longer fixture will be much easier to hold in the grinder fixture. In fact, I like this idea so much that rather than go on to the grinding I made another with a 3/8" square sleeve. I have never been good a grinding lathe bits. Most of those I use are from a lot I bought on ebay years ago. I stone them but getting the right angles by hand is a skill learned over years and I haven't the time to learn it. Using a fixture and setting the angles perfectly will be far more effective. I may even make one for 5/16" even though I don't have much call for that size. It's so much easier when all the setup is done.

I had a case of the slows today but did finish the last drawer for the cabinet I'm making...I only have two corner clamps so I had to make them one at the time and wait for the glue to dry. I'm not a cabinet maker but it will serve it's purpose. three of these drawers are already full of micrometers. I've some pulls with a place for a label coming but for now I just put a screw in each one to pull it out. Then I took Mike and Gary's advice and knurled the end of the dip stick. It made a significant difference. Yesterday I noticed a minor leak and this morning I found another one. The first was on the banjo at the front of the engine, the second at the bracket at the rear of the engine. I drained the oil, flipped it over and re-soldered the front connection. When I looked at the other leak I realized I'd neglected to put the fiber washers in so that was an extremely easy fix. I filled it with oil...The only other issue was the hand pump, which didn't seem to be working at all. Then I realized that without being connected to the oil pump it was just sucking air when I worked it. I put my thumb over the hole as I withdrew the pump handle and promptly got a big puddle of oil on the floor...but at least it works properly. I finished this about 3 PM and it's about 5 now. In those two hours I can't see any sign of a leak anywhere but I'm leaving it overnight and will check in the morning. In fact, the brass stock for the acme nuts I'm making came in so I may leave this alone for a few days to make certain all the connections are good. None of the Banjo fittings leaked...not that I expected them to but it's still a relief to know they came out right.

Regulating the dip stick... I turned the engine over and poured in 1 quart of oil. On the first quart I got a good measurement. When I added a quart it proved more difficult. the design of the dip stick - with a flat milled on it wasn't working well. I took a measurement with a wooden dowel and that worked but it was smaller than the hole it was passing through so I decided I needed a modification. I cut the flat milled portion off the dip stick planning to add an extension that is only 3/8" in diameter...the size of the dowel. To do this I had to turn the end down to 7/8" so it would fit in a collet and re-knurl it. Then it was drilled and the extension inserted and soldered in place. It was still hard to get a good measurement. The oil is too clean and barely showed against the brass. I ended up spraying it with flat black paint. That worked reasonably well and I assume that when I'm not trying to measure clean oil it won't be as much of a problem. At 3 quarts (the amount mentioned in the original owner's manual) the oil level was just below what I think is the front drain hole while it it just above the rear drain hole. I though it might be out of level but it turned out it was dead on so I suspect this is just another example of Mitchell-Lewis precision. I have no way of calculating how much oil will be held in the oil manifold and pump so I am guessing the nominal volume is 3 quarts but it might take a little more the first time it's filled. It doesn't show well here but you can see the drain hole in the upper fight corner in this picture as well as the level in the bottom of the sump. The dipstick finished. Because the sump is barrel shaped, the distance between the lines should get shorter with each quart - which they do. It isn't as precise as I'd like but it is a lot better than no way of measuring the level at all aside from those drain holes. because I'll use oil control rings (which weren't invented until the 20s) slightly over-oiling is not the problem it was in period. My guess is that it will take some experimenting to find out exactly what the optimum level is and if I have to I can always make another dipstick.

It's great to have you back Frank...the Mitchell thread you inspired is still running but I miss your input. Cheers, Joe P.

I've been struggling with the cabinet I designed to hold some of my small tooling. I guess I can confess to not being much of a cabinet maker...it's coming out ok but certainly isn't something fit for any place but the shop. While working on that - since I have to wait for glue to dry - I finished all the connections for the oiling system. With the main connection done, I put the hand priming pump on the stand... My system here is to make all the pieces and assemble them. When I'm sure its right I take them apart and put soldering flux on all the joints. They have to be soldered with everything tightened up. Essentially, I'm using the engine as a soldering jig. I flipped it over to do the last connection... Then flipped it back and did the other lines. The last task was to tighten all the connections and put some pugs in the drain holes. Tomorrow I'll probably buy 4 quarts of cheap oil and try to regulate the dip stick. I also noticed that on the test stand the pump had to raise the oil about 14" - which it did just fine. On the engine it will have to raise it less than 6" which probably means it will register oil pressure faster than it did when I was testing it and that wasn't anything to be concerned about. The hand priming pump may not really be needed...but we'll have to wait and see about that. It certainly can't hurt.

The biggest shortcoming of the RR Armored Cars used in the western Desert in WWI was the tires...not because they couldn't get them but they could be shot and go flat. Supposedly the fix was to cut a hole in the tire and fill it with wet concrete...made it bullet proof (literally). Of course they were never driven very fast and never on a paved road - usually sand or gravel. They also had a steel bullet-proof cover for the radiator that could be closed when going into action.

I finished the new Banjo fitting...first boring it out to 13/16 Then milling the inside groove. And tried it on the engine to see if I got the angles right. It fits... So I cut two sort pieces of tubing and assembled it with this gate valve. This will allow the hand priming pump to direct oil into the oiling system rather than back into the sump. I've already tested this on the oil pump test stand so I know it works. I'm very skeptical of the inline ball valves I could find but this type opens at a very low pressure and, when open, the passage through it is big enough so that the valve will not be an obstruction.

Yes...I agree that if the Cleveland engine can be repaired it should be repaired. This business of making a new case should be the last resort. As far as the claim that the made them themselves is concerned, I would take that with a considerable grain of salt. It is the sort of thing practically all of the said and practically none of them did, especially small manufacturers. Mitchell said it in their advertising but I know (because I've found the markings) that they didn't make the springs...and I seriously doubt they made many other parts. For one thing, it just isn't good business even if it makes good advertising. I don't think that Ford advertised that his mechanical parts were made by the Dodge Brothers or that Oldsmobile advertised that Leland & Falconer made the engines...those two engines are so similar that it would be an act of G-d if they did not share a similar background.

Thanks Ed...that is good advice. I'll have a look at it tomorrow but I'll impress on the fellow the need for the fire extinguishers. He's no fool and I am certain will take the advice.

Hmmm... the Olds engines were made by Leland & Falconer. Is it possible that the Cleveland engines were made there also? That would be very much in keeping with the period. Of course, L&F later turned into Cadillac but in the very early days they were builders of engines for anyone who wanted to buy them.

Today I had a photo session for a book I'm working on so I didn't get much shop time but I did manage to get most of the "fix" done on the Banjo I nearly ruined. I set it up in the mill and took the hole out with an end mill. Then started to thread it - and discovered it was too big. How I wondered...so I looked at the end mill again. It turns out it was incorrectly labeled 5/8 when it was 11/16 so now the hole was too big. I didn't really want to start over so I checked my thread charts and it turns out an 11/16 hole is right for a 3/4-16 thread and I had that tap. This necessitated making the projecting piece over but that is a lot less work than making the entire thing over. When it was threaded I smeared the threads with soldering flux and screwed it on as tight as I could by hand. Then soldered it in place. The solder appears to have traveled around the threads perfectly so I think this is at least as good the others. And... when assembled you can't tell which is which so I think I've managed to pull off a clever fix. This still has to be bored out to 13/16 and the inside groove cut. But I'm taking tomorrow off to go and look at some minor issues with the 1920 Cadillac my new "old car" friend bought. I really like cars in original condition but we all know they have got to have some issues. I am pretty certain the water pump leak is caused by electrolytic corrosion - it needs the battery box fixed and some of the lights aren't working. Also, I'd like to relegate the electric fuel pump it has to "backup" and fix the original pressure system. He did buy an Airtec low pressure pump (the one that was on the car when he bought it put out WAY too much pressure) but I'd like to see it maintain 2 lbs rather than the 3 it now has. The gauge goes from 1 to 4 so 2 lbs is probably the optimum pressure. Or...is that wrong? Ed would probably know but I assumed the gauge is measuring air pressure in the tank. Why does it react to fuel pressure? I confess that 40 years ago I did the same thing with my 26 Cadillac (not knowing any better and taking the word of a local "old timer").

In looking at this I have to say I like Terry's idea of making a "half" pattern in wood. 3D printing would be more useful for the cores. I have some figures from PM Heldt regarding wall thicknesses and I'd use those. He was writing c.1908-09. The biggest problem I see is getting what I call the "register" edge (having spent most of my life in the printing industry I tend to use printing term). In this case I think it should be the bottom edge. If machined flat (and I'm not sure how I would do that) everything else could be done in relation to that surface. I would probably leave about .100 or .125 extra material on the machined surfaces. I know that is more than they would have done originally but we have to consider making errors or having difficulties they would not have had. What provides the bottom half of the bearing journals? That should be machined flat as well and the journals bored in one piece. I am almost certain that several holding fixtures would have to be made...at least that's what my limited experience dictates.

Since I know it fits I put a few finishing touches on the bracket by putting some holes in the vertical part. Not that it needs them, these are just to make the part look a bit more like I would imagine it would if made in around 1910. I laid the holes out by hand with a little scale. Since they serve no actual function it wasn't important to make them extremely precise. A 1" hole in the center and 4, 9/16 holes around it. I then moved on to the rear banjo fitting which I couldn't finish until I had the bracket in hand. I connected it to the Banjo on the bracket with a piece of 1/2" rod wanting it to be as straight and stiff as I could get it. The marked the place where I have to put another projecting arm on the Banjo...I don't know why the picture is so out of focus either except that it is not a particularly good camera. I set it up to drill and tap the Banjo... And somehow made an error - though I don't know how I did it. The hole is not centered in the Banjo. Fortunately, it's the "starter" hole and smaller than the finished one. It was getting near the end of the day so I though I'd best leave fixing this for tomorrow. I'm reasonably certain I can make it right.

Over the weekend I built half of a set of drawers for the micrometers, taps and other small bits that are starting to overwhelm me. I wast too much time looking for things I know I have. I'm not a great woodworker but it should come out sturdy, if not beautiful. But, I can only do so much of that before I want to get back to the main project. Today I worked on finishing the casting that will hold the oil lines in place. I milled the narrow end just enough to gt it flat. This is to make a reference surface. I then bolted it down to the table and used a fly cutter to get a flat surface on the other side. This part is supposed to be 3/8" thick so once flat I took it down to the finished measurement. The fly cutter is slow but it gives a relatively good surface. Although I didn't photograph it, I later lapped this surface to get it perfectly flat. the fact that it took relatively little lapping indicates how flat and smooth it was to begin with. I then marked it for a 15/16 hole in the center. Drilled it to 3/4" And finished the hole with an end mill. so far, so good. You can see that the stack of Banjo fittings fits as it is supposed to. Next, I drilled the mounting holes. And bolted the pieces to the crankcase. It's high...which was intended as I have no good way of measuring this perfectly ahead of time. I used the fly cutter again to remove material from the small end of the bracket with the big end bolted directly to the table. That way I am certain the two surfaces are parallel. I took off .150 and tried it...then took off an additional .050.

Yes...I've put my own projects on the back burner for years while I worked on other people's things. When I was 59 I decided that if I didn't get to work on something of my own soon, I'd be to old to ever see it completed. Now I have a rather selfish attitude - rarely doing outside work and only for friends. This car is a huge project but I expect I'll see it done some day - then I can go back to doing other things if I still have it in me. Actually, a number of refinements to jobs I've done have come to me as my skills improve so I expect I have enough here to keep me busy into my 90s.

Well put Terry and Ed. There is a major disconnect between knowing how something is done and knowing how to do it. To the person who doesn't know how it's done, it looks easy but the person who has to do it will see all the attendant problems, if not at first, long before the part is completed. On a very minor scale I deal with this constantly. Everything has to be designed and made according to the limits of the machines used in the making and those limitations often effect the finished design.

I think it's only terrible when you know what it should look like. I'd say that 90% of owners fit into that group and, realistically, making bolts is something only a few people are in a position to do. I think I have almost a week in these - say maybe 20 hours. At $50 per hour (which would be an extremely low shop rate) that's $1000 for 18 bolts...that is almost $58.00 per bolt. I think you could find someone with an old screw machine who could make a few hundred for that price...heck, if I had the machine I'd think about doing it myself.