TonyAus

The car in the photo looks like a Maxwell. In any event, the usual headlight lens diameter of a car in this class is around nine inches. Hope this helps.

Good advice. Look there first. Wear in the steering box will manifest itself as excessive slack at the wheel rim. Wear in the worm can be taken up by rotating the eccentric bush to adjust mesh with the sector. If this results in tight spots the worm can be rotated after removing the pitman arm. The top and bottom bushes may also be worn. Replacements can be turned up and line reamed to size. Clear details on adjustments are provided in the Book of Information.

The rests on my car, like many used on Australian made bodies, are cast bronze - presumably a phosphor bronze which has strength similar to steel. The force you mention is applied to the hook and the hinge pin - both of which are steel. Their location points are in the thickest part of the casting and I've never seen failure in this area. Consult your local For reference, Holdens bodied roadsters like mine have the locating pins at an angle whereas those on the Holdens tourers come straight out.

Cled Davies was selling the gears at Bendigo last year. Check out his list. http://www.dbca.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Cled-Davies-_-Stock-List-2019-_-2020.pdf

That is the correct tube. It's slipped between the exhaust manifold and the aforementioned plate and held in place by the valve chest covers. The tube is only meant to draw hot air from around the exhaust manifold in extremely cold weather. This is achieved by closing the shutter ring around the carburettor intake. All other running should be with the shutter ring open. The Book of Information states that its purpose is to avoid condensation.

A sketch with dimensions is attached. I've stuck to imperial measurements in deference to US viewers and the fact that the original was made to these standards. Please use the sketch with reference to the following notes: The tool was made with reference to a four inch wide Kelsey rim. This is reflected in the four inch crossbar used on the longer arms. If you have wider rims, make the longer crossbar equal to the distance between the edges of the rim and the shorter one 1/2" less. The 1"x1/4" I used for the arms does make the tool relatively heavy but it is very strong, particularly where the hole for the cross bolt is drilled. You could go down to 3/4" wide if you have the material of that size at hand but probably no less. I'd stick to at least 1/4" thick. The crossbars could go down to 1/2" if you have the material - I used what I had. For durability I feel the the pins which engage the 5/16" holes in the rim should be made from something tougher than mild steel. I used ad a discarded 12mm cylinder head bolt. Any 1/2" high tensile bolt (say over grade 5) of suitable length to provide sufficient material for this purpose. I used 5/16" UNF bolts and threads because that's what I had on hand. UNC or Whitworth would be ok. Note that the thread on the pins is undercut so they fit flush with the sides of the arms. Otherwise the overall effective length of the pins will be wrong. To overcome the fact that a die will not cut right up to a shoulder a thin parting-type tool should be used for the undercut - probably no more that .040" wide. An alternative is to remove the first two threads on the hole with a 5/16" drill. Also with regard to the pins, the sections to be threaded should be turned down to .305", not the notional .3125 " . The reason for this will be clear if you measure a commercial 5/16 bolt. Finally, the tapping size for 5/16" UNF is a letter I drill. Have fun.

After a bit of head scratching and some cut and try I've manage to come up with a working solution. This tool is clearly the answer to all my fears. It gives a full three inch overlap with little effort and holds the rim firmly in the shrunk position. Removing the tyre and tube should be easy. All I need now (like a hole in the head) is a flat! The sides are made out of 25x4mm (1"x1/4") black (hot rolled) steel and the locating pins from salvaged high tensile cylinder head bolts. If there's any interest I can post a sketch with full dimensions to save the couple of days it took me to figure them out.

Thanks Ron Please disregard some of the email I sent you earlier - I should have read this post first! Tony

I've manage to Google up these images. All I need now is the overall length of each of the sides (long and short) and the vertical distance between the pivot point (with the wing nut) and the reduced section which fits into the rim.

The brake band should be forced into roundness at four adjustment points. The first is the top bolt (with lock nut) which exerts pressure through a flat spring bearing on the back of the band. The second is the bottom rear bolt which goes through the saddle riveted to the band and the square protrusion on the backing plate. This bolt also bears on the band and its position is secured by a coil spring which fits into the square protrusion. Finally, the adjustment is maintained by a lock wire through the head of the bolt. The last two adjustment points are, of course, at the front of the band which bring the forward ends down or up as required. If all these are adjusted to give a 15 thou clearance between the drum and lining the band will be round. Again, see the Book of Instruction.

I had a similar idea but using flat steel about 3/4" x 1/4" for the sides and 1/2" steel rod for the ends. A screwed rod through hole on the centres of the sides would carry the wing nut and the round bits that fit into the rim could be made from hardened silver steel (or high tensile) screwed onto the sides (if this makes sense). I saw one made this way many years ago but it subsequently vanished before I could claim it. Ron, if you have time I'd like some dimensions, particularly of the clip on the longer handle.

More pictures from the Studebaker handbook showing modus operandi of the tool

Hi Ron I've been looking for one of these for years. Attached is a scan from Studebaker Big Six handbook showing one as part of the supplied toolkit (just above crankhandle). Is the spreader you have the same or similar?

Not sure about the maker - my list only goes up to 1926. However, the technique would be to knock out the pin (if remaining) and lever the male part up with a large screwdriver so the rim ends overlap to the left in the above photo. Note at this is flat rim rather than a well base. It needs to be shrunk so the rigid wire in the tyre bead can get over the rim. With a modern well base rim the bead is forced down towards the wheel centre to achieve the same result.

No. I've assumed that he has Kelsey No 210 rims which have flat locking plate.

Failing a rim tool, the rim may be parted by using a heavy screwdriver under the locking tab. The tab is at the split - lever up under the pointed bit. After the rim ends overlap, remove the tyre with a suitable pair of irons. A very useful tool is a comprehensive dictionary of profanities.

When all else fails, read the instructions. Brake adjustment is well covered in the Book of Information. Key points are that the brake levers should lean backwards and not be pulled over centre, clearance between the drums and linings should be set with a .015" feeler gauge and the pedal should engage about 1/2" above the floorboard. All these are aimed at maximum leverage, the key requirement of mechanical brakes.

Bingo! There should be a banana-shaped pipe here and two flat plates between the cylinders held together with a long stove bolt. The holes in the plates hold the end of the pipe and the carburettor intake respectively. The idea of this pipe is to direct hot air to the carburettor in very cold weather. Normally, the engine runs on cooler air from holes in the intake which are uncovered by rotating the sleeve thereon. Again, you could be sucking oil from the valve chamber. Start looking for the missing bits.

The white smoke sounds strange. A rich fuel mixture burns black. I noticed in a previous post that you seem to missing the plates that go around the carburettor intake between the cylinders. Do you also have the pipe which connects the intake to the exhaust manifold? If either of these are missing you could be sucking oil out of the valve chest. In this case, the liquid running out of the block could be oil highly diluted with fuel. Oil could also upset the mixture at idle, resulting in the variation shown above.

The approach I use for a cold start is to pull the choke out no more than 1/2" and let the engine run for about one minute before pushing it back. This works for starts down to 5 degrees C. More might be required for temperatures under that but I don't use the car in those circumstances.

Fit a wire to the contact breaker cap of the magneto. This will allow you to earth out the magneto when to need to stop the engine.

Looking back to a previous post which showed a pool of fuel next to the carburettor I think you may have a flooding problem. In respect of the first poll, you'll notice a small vent (raised section) under the float chamber cover. If the needle valve is leaking or the float has sunk the excess fuel will exit there. Also, the engine will suck up more fuel that the carburettor can properly atomize it and condense in the inlet tract. This can also result from an incorrect mixture adjustment. Both will result in black smoke from the exhaust. Let the float chamber fill from the vacuum tank then turn off the fuel cock. Remove the float chamber cover and check the fuel level. It should be no higher than about 3/8" below the top of the chamber. If higher, shake the float to see if it has any fuel in it. Check the condition of the needle and seat - it may be well worn.

You might have difficulty buying the exact gasket due to differences in diameter and screw hole pattern. However, these are easy to make yourself. Get some 1/8" nitrile cork gasket material. Cut the outer and inner (outer first!) circles with a well sharpened pair of spring dividers. Yes, this does work and provides a clean cut if the dividers are used with many gentle turns and have a fine point. A 1/8" wad punch or rotary leather punch will deal with the holes. One thought on the flapper valve. Its closing and seal is probably proportionate to the volume and subsequent pressure of the fuel in the lower part of the tank. The larger valve may not seal as well in the smaller tank due to reduced pressure. Perhaps go with the sizing determined by the manufacturer and use the smaller valve . Just my two cents (AUS)- currently worth around one cent US!

A couple more photos.

Found the piece of floorboard edging. It's 3/4" (side) by 1/4" (top ) and is .051" thick. Apparently attached to the boards with escutcheon pins.