unimogjohn

It is Wednesday, Nov 30th. While Greg continues his Matheson tasks, I am still pounding in T posts and stringing wire for the pasture fencing. I have inspected about seven acres and am now in the final stages of making sure that each of the old posts still have good plastic connectors for the wire. They only seem to last about four years before the sun takes the life out of them. Lots of walking. We did get three new gates installed with three new wood posts buried deep in Virginia clay. They are not moving! Here is Greg's report from last night. "I got a lot of inquiries concerning the mysterious felt wick oiling of the main bearings. I'd better explain that it isn't the primary system. The car has a dash mounted oiler that feeds engine lubrication points via individual lines. It looks like a Moller pipe organ. It's the old total loss oil method. Pour oil in the dash oiler, it pumps oil to the bearings and cylinder walls, then you crawl under the car to drain off the excess oil through standpipe petcocks. The felts must be to prevent dry starts of the crankshaft after standing idle. The other question is how do the main cap reservoirs get filled? I'm not sure. Each cap has holes that have been plugged. They could have been to allow splash oil to enter. Why and who plugged them, I don't know. For the little use that this car will see, and not knowing how useful the idea of the felt wicking might be, I think that I will just fill each reservoir before I cap them. Should be adequate. Besides, nobody else did it. As for tonight, I'm doing more investigation. One reason this project landed in my lap was that in addition to the other uncnventional features, it is a make and break motor. That's period lingo describing the ignition system. No spark plugs. It has a Bosch dynamo , a generator, that feeds constant current to an insulated contact inside each cylinder. Another grounding contact inside the cylinder is cam operated to make it touch it. This gets a current flow between them. At a precise moment, the cam tells the points to break which causes the spark. Like bumping a file across battery terminals. My plan is to get the components cleaned and installed in their cylinders, and with the cylinder heads off, feed current to them and watch the make and break action in action. Sounds easy, but there's a whole lot of gizmos, shafts, cams, timing issues, etc and I need to turn the dynamo the right way and the right speed. Somehow. So tonight I'll begin cleaning and prepping parts. That's kind of brainless and it's been a long (but good) day. But that's another story. Photos enclosed of some of the ignition components.

Bob's Automobilia has the correct stuff by year. You can download their catalog or view it at Bob's Automobilia Some folks install the rubber without glue and just use the molding to keep it in place. I use water resistant contact cement. You have to remember that it will then shrink a bit. I trim after I install it, not before. Use a new, very sharp razor blade.

Matt, thanks. Glad you got to see the "movie stars". A big thank you to Greg. He took time out of his evening work schedule to take the visiting family on a tour and history lesson of the Wright Brothers and their airplanes. I also enjoy listening in as I learn something new each time I take the tour. And after we left, Greg continued his work on the Matheson engine. Here is his report. "Time to settle in the main bearings. But I hadn't really studied what was going on with the caps and inserts. The caps have that funny plug. A look through the copy of the owner's manual explained the system. So I unscrewed the plugs to find that the caps have been sand cast with a sand core which makes them hollow, an oil reservoir. Then there is supposed to be a spring loaded felt wick that keeps the main bearing journal wet . All I had here was the plugs and some of the holes. Someone had done a lot of machine work to keep this motor going. There's also been some shimming done and some of the shims weren't drilled for the wicks. I don't know if they are vital to the life of the bearings, but I chose to put them back. I've redrilled the missing holes and need to look into felt wicking material. The plugs have been blast cleaned, they look to have suffered some rust damage, but they'll do just fine. The rear bearing cap is missing the internal chamber and plug and has some fresh machine work, which leads me to believe the rear cap is a replacement. I don't see the need to start over on it. Sorry, but I'd like to outlive this project."

It is Monday, Nov 28th. Company is still here and they offered to help me bore holes in the ground for new fence posts. So it will be a "boring" day for me today. I was also told that a local town wants me to take the city council in their Christmas parade as I did last year. Looks like it will have to be the 28 Buick. So pulled her back out of storage. Started right up. Checked the oil and it had turned milky so water is present. There was no water in the radiator or engine so maybe condensation? Anyway I changed the oil and she is ready to go except for a good washing. I will check the oil more frequently now. It could be that I have a head gasket is getting tired. Greg was busy this weekend also. Here is his report. "Weather was pretty nice this past weekend. Nice enough to allow some work in the tin shed. I'd gotten the maroon Avanti out for a road trip Thanksgiving day. We'd equipped our cars with auxillary Stewart Warner 240 A 12 electric fuel pumps back in the olden days. Funny how you get used to turning the ignition key and expecting the pump to go BRRR tic tic tic. And when it doesn't you notice it right away even though you're thinking about something else. Anyway, it quit ticking and even though fuel will flow through it on it's way to the standard mechanical engine driven pump.....I put the car away. So Saturday I pulled the pumps off both Avanti cars, maroon and black. I understand the pumps are NLA, the Ebay NOS pumps are about ten times the original price, and even then the old rubber seals need replacement. I did some research to find that there is someone who offers an overhaul service. Friday Scott helped me haul the engine from the black Avanti, now it is here in the main shop building. Today, almost nice enough to work outside, but I chose to stay in and tear the motor down. I built this one up to replace the R2 supplied in R5054. A blown up R4, remnants borrowed from the R5 pile and a full flow block that I can't remember where it came from. And maybe one of those Standard Surplus $25 cranks. Lots I don't remember. One thing I really didn't remember. The oil pump. I know that I put one of the tall geared pumps in it, but I was shocked when I pulled the pan today. I certainly didn't remember that it was a dual pickup model. OK John E, I know I know. Don't use it. Too much pump. I have another Paxton pump with the standard short gears but for a deep pan. That will go back and this heavy duty unit will go back to the R5 project. It is torn down now, but not measured yet. The internals look pretty good so far. I'll pay special attention to the Forgedtrue pistons since they have a tendancy to crack. Otherwise this weekend, did make that road trip to pick up the barmike for the AMMCO line boring fixture. Had a nice visit with the John Jacksons, friends from high school days. Those were the days when I spent as much time in the Jackson house and garage as I did my own. My second family. Hopefully I'll get the Wright eight cam bores done tomorrow. And one detour found us at my friends Malcolm and Marla Collum's new old digs . Historic and in need of restoration, it is perfect for them. Good thing they are young. All I can think of for now."

Bernie, lots of places in the US. Just do a search on automotive frame clips. They do come in three sizes. Not much money. Here is just a sample link. Optronics Trailer Frame Clips 12 Pack from Wholesale Marine

Steve, Bobs Automobilia rebuilt mine for the 23 and it has a glass face. I have all the old parts to include two levers. If you need them just send me a PM with your address and I will send them to you. Glad to help out. PS, Bobs did a great job on mine, the internals were all shot and would not keep the lights on or provide a good contact for the ignition.

Bernie, the wire conduit and fuel line on my 20s cars are held in place with frame clips. No drilling of holes required. They come in different sizes to hold what you need held tight to the frame. Here is a pic.

It is Saturday, Nov. 26th. Beautiful day here, I have to make light repairs to the 02 Chev Trailblazer. The LED 3rd brake light went poof. No $1 bulb to replace, only a $120 light bar assembly, now that is progress. And of course I have to take half the car apart to replace it. But Greg is busy on the Wright V8 airplane engine. Here is his report. Oh, I did ask him if there was a plan to run it when completed. He said yes, they want to hear what it sounded like. "A brief update on the day job Wright V8. Working it in, I've borrowed Mitch Sine's AMMCO Universal line boring fixture and have set it up to bore the cam bearing locations. Now that they are roughed out to slightly undersize, today I'll drive to Pa. to borrow John Jackson's bar micrometer to allow an accurate setting of the cutting tool."

Sid, on my 28 there is a small door on the passenger side front kick panel that has a small space for papers, etc. Other than under the seats, which you have to pull, is all you have. I guess that is why folks added trunks to back of their cars, or used the running boards for suitcases, etc.

Greg, looks to be a 28 Buick cast distributor on ebay now and it is still mounted in the generator so it has the gears you need too. 1928 1929 ? BUICK 6 CYLINDER GENERATOR / DISTRIBUTOR | eBay

Dave Coco, Trimacar on this forum, did an excellent, first class job on my 23 McLaughlin Buick. Of course he is a bit far from you, he is in northern VA, but you might want to contact him for advice. He is always willing to help. He used a Haartz product called Stayfast. They are the leaders in the industry. Great material. Here is link. The Haartz Corporation - Cloth Convertible Topping By the pins do you mean the two on either side of the windshield posts? If yes, then the top is fastened down with two L shaped bolts that clamp the top corners to the pins. The pins have a little detent in them so the bolts will not slip out at speed. Here are a couple of pics of my completed top that Dave did.

It is Thursday, Nov 24th. Hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. Greg worked hard last night, into the night. Here is the report. "My buddy Frank Gable stopped by tonight. Just in time to help me land the Matheson crank. Boy was I glad to see him. I guess he doesn't hear that very often. With me lifting the flywheel with the engine hoist and Frank carrying the end of the crankshaft, we were able to transport the works to the awaiting crankcase. Frank directed me and carefully guided the shaft into the main bearings. Glad that's over. Next is to clean and fit the main caps and bearings. I've been using a babbitt lapping compound called Timesaver that really helps. A powder that you make into a slurry with oil, not only helps the fit, but eliminates the usual sticking of the journals in their babbitts. Even though the project is still uphill, the Matheson has finally begun the assembly stage. A milestone indeed. Thanks again Frank! Happy Thanksgiving to all."

Wow, Greg is really pressing hard on the Matheson engine. Here is his report for tonight's work. "Getting ready to replace the crank in the case. Spent time cleaning and polishing the crank bearing journals. Lee said that I could use his polisher (like the big guys use at the engine rebuild shop), but this shaft had been reground and doesn't need it. I did scrub the grease that plugged the rifling, and gave the journals a rubbing with 2000 grit wet or dry paper and WD-40. The rod bearings are fed main bearing runoff. I had to elevate the engine stand so that the engine hoist legs can pass beneath it. The crank and flywheel are now ready to be lifted from it's cradle by the hoist. Another night's work. I hope the crank finds it's way back home tomorrow night."

John, yes OHV it is. Here is some information from the web. And also a pic of the engine from the web. And there are several shots of the engine in theoldmotor.com web site. Just do a search on Matheson and you will learn some interesting history. Also I included a good pic of the OHV system. The Matheson Automobile

It it Tuesday, Nov 22nd. Folks coming in for the week, going to be a full house. I am sure all the cats will scatter for the week. Been bugging Greg on what is happening with the Matheson engine. He always gives me the same answer, "nothing". Well, he is finally on it again. I cannot tell you how massive this car engine is. When you get up close to it the bulk is massive. Quite an impressive engine. Anyway, here is Greg's report and pics. "Time to get back to the Matheson. It's interesting to see how the other guys did it. Like the Matheson from Wilkes-Barre. A feature that makes things a bit difficult during the partial reconstruction and fitting of components is the fact that the same bolts are used for the main bearing and the cylinder retention. You gotta have'm both in place whether you are ready or not. I want to get the crank and flywheel back in the crankcase. I hung the cylinders temporarily so that I could invert the case. Got that done this evening and then time was spent cleaning the babbitts and also swabbing out the oiling passages. Some of them were stopped up with grease. The bearings fit the case nicely. Soon I'll run out of excuses why I can't put the crank and flywheel back in."

Greg sent me this note tonight. Some of us get play with old cars, others are into old airplanes. " Here is some footage relayed to me by my good friend Andrew King doing what he does best. Of course, it's about ALL he does." 1911 Ely-Curtiss.mpg - YouTube

David, here is Greg's response. The impeller has about .030" total clearance. The tricky part will be fitting the pump to the engine. The captured pump shaft determines where the impeller will live. The mounting holes in the pump casting will determine where the housing will live. Although I was as careful as possible to maintain the dimensions of the original sample, sand castings even though moulded from the same pattern tend to be individuals. I'll wager that there will be some adjustments to be made to the mounting holes.

Greg just sent me a short video of his maroon Avanti running. He said that he finally figured out that his old camera had a video mode. So he tried it. You can tell that the camera is vintage digital, like almost ten years old. Here is the result. You get the idea anyway.

Still Sunday. Greg was busy this weekend. Here is his report and pics. "Determined to finish that Pope Toledo pump saga. Since the pump shaft is still connected to the engine which is four states away, I thought to call the car owner and have him double check the shaft diameter. He responded with what amounts to an oversize dimension (.635) I'd set the body up for a standard (.625), which meant that I'd better open up the bore if the pump was going to actually fit on the car to minimize the curses aimed in my direction. I machined a test shaft and drove to Lee's shop where I use his honing equipment and get some guff all at the same time. With that done, I cut some graphite packing for the gland assembly and filled the grease cup with water pump grease. Today it will get boxed up for it's ride in the big brown truck.

It is Saturday, Nov 19th. Boy, it sure has been cold so far for being early in fall. Into the 20s and night and only into the high 30s during the day. We should still be in the middle 50s. This is January weather. Have not been outside working on the old cars, but managed to get a few things on Ebay for them. I got a 1920s AA Badge from England for the 1923 Buick; a new set of carpets for the Avanti; and a few belly pan for the VW Passat W8. Looks like the Avanti is going back to its original red interior at some point in the future. Where is Greg? Have not heard from him in a couple of days. I think that he has gone to Reedsville, PA for the Studebaker swap meet Friday and Saturday. I hope that he brings back some treasure.

DB, thanks for the advice. I sent your comment to Greg. He said that he would check the tension on the chain. It is Wednesday, Nov 16th. No car stuff for me. I have been very busy getting equipment and the farm ready for winter. Put the snow blade and chains on the little Cub Cadet garden tractor. I am going to be ready for an early snow storm this year. Not much fun putting on the blade and chains in the cold and snow. But Greg is moving on his car stuff. Here is his report. "Is there anybody who isn't tired of this Toledo pump? Tonight's episode of sanding and buffing. I've been asked why am I doing this? No good answer. Other than the fragments of the old pump were once polished. Was it originally? Don't know, but might have been. Or, it happened during a previous restoration. I've seen original equipment castings polished before, and the Pope Toledo was a high end machine. Guess you had to be there. Otherwise, no news."

Leif is correct on availability. I do see them pop up on Ebay from time to time, like once or twice a year.

It is Sunday PM, Nov 13th. Here is Greg's weekend report. "Chilly, but not cold enough to keep me from putting the parts back on the old Dodge. It still has a hint of the knock in #4 cylinder, but I know it isn't the rod bearing. I had tightened them up to the point that they were dragging enough to require a hand crank assist to the electric starter. It's probably the wrist pin. The Dodge manual states that it will run without harm. After running a few minutes, it started fine on it's own. A trip around the block with the curtains on. Drained the water, flushed it with anitfreeze and now it is waiting patiently for spring in the back of the barn. Need to put some stabilizer in the fuel. Avanti running well, used it yesterday for a road trip and today for running errands. Friday evening we joined the Fesers for a nice night out, dinner and a movie. With their cars on screen, it was hard to keep myself from blurting out that the red Buick touring car had a starter about to let the owner down. Who knew? We did."

Jim Davis, Greg's videographer, made a video of the Wright V8 casting process and casting in general. Pretty good stuff.

In the movie J Edgar. Well, the cars made it into the movie and not on the cutting floor. The movie was good. But you have to be our age (over 55) to really understand the historical events that Hoover lived in. The acting was superb. The plot, I will leave that to you. And if you go to the movie our cars made it into the movie three times. First, at the Lindbergh house as Hoover walks up the driveway, you can see both cars behind his staff car. Second, at the Lindbergh garage, you can see both cars, especially the 23 in the background, twice. Third, at the courthouse as the verdict is announced, as the camera pans the scene you can see both the 28 on the corner, and then the 23 in front of the court house; and then one final shot you can see the back end of the 23. Very exciting. Now back to reality.