nsbrassnut

Hi Billy I thought that the box looked familiar so I checked my shelf. I only have a few Hubley kits on the shelf for future building. I will also be watching your rebuild. Good luck with it. Jeff

Correction, make that 3 out of 4 top bows. Some days I can't count. :^)

Those irons and bows look very much like an partial set of reproduction Ford T ones. Two out of five of the bows for a touring. They also appear to be missing the small locating seats that go between the bows when the top is put down. They help keep the bows from touching and catching the top material when folded. A few years ago I bought a set of older reproduction bows and irons for my '15 T roadster. And when purchased they looked very much like this set, right down to the wood and nails that are holding the bottom together. One way to tell reproduction from original is to check the material of the forgings at the hinge points on the sockets, especially the ones part way up. If iron/steel, then likely original, if brass/bronze, likely reproduction. With the unmarked wood bows, I suspect they are reproduction. Here is a picture of a '12 T from Hershey and you can compare the irons.

Hi Gary The black trim around the hood hatch is factory style. As is a black section around the edge of the hood and the dash. And the full hood louver also. And the striping is the last item to go on. Here are some originals for reference. The composite scan is a Cadillac F with a Pontiac body, the individual pictures are a Cadillac F with a Detroit Body Works body. Both used the same patterns of green with black highlights and white/ivory pin striping. There are two different F bodies used in 1905. The early ones are DBW (Detroit Body Works) and the later ones are Pontiac bodies. The main difference is the shape of the lower front corner of the rear doors and the construction of the seat skins. The DBW body used single piece wide planks steam bend for the seat panel while the Pontiac bodies use an early form of plywood for the seat skin. The door hinges are the other difference. The DBW using the more basic ones while the Pontiac body used the fancier curved ones that stuck out further. Do you know which body you have? By the way, if you join HCCA, you can search past issues of the Gazette for more pictures of the original Cadillac F, Pontiac body, which was the source of the pictures in the composite below. The Gazette had an article with several good pictures of that Cadillac plus several other period pictures. Together they provide a lot of useful information on the paint and striping details. Of which there are at least two if not three different striping patterns for the chassis based on period pictures and survivor cars. Regards, Jeff PS. And yes, I kept notes on the DBW body as that was the one that I had to 3/4 reproduce.

Hi Gary If you are going to do striping using the tape method you may want to check out Finesse Pinstriping Inc. https://finessepinstriping.com/ They make some very good stencil tape tape specifically for applications like this. The tape is way better than any masking tape and they make it in "layers" with pre-set width and patterns. Including multiple stripe patterns. The tape is a "plastic" type and can be stretched during application to help it go around odd shapes and to make some turns. Once applied, the upper layer is peeled off leaving the stencil sides evenly positioned. Then you can apply the striping paint with a striping brush or even a narrow regular artist brush. Carefully going over the tape edges after application and before painting to press them down with something like a tongue depressor can produce a very good edge with little to no paint bleed under the tape like you get with regular masking tape. Below are some pictures of when I used the Finesse tape to strip the hood cover on my Cadillac. The masking tape was only a precaution between the Finesse tape which is the actual striping guide. And in case you haven't already discovered it. Its best to remove the tape when the paint is still wet. This greatly reduces the chance of pulling the painted stripe off when removing the tape. But you do have to be careful doing it. One Shot enamel is nice though that it dries slowly and you can carefully wipe off errors with a some reducer and a piece of cloth over a tongue depressor. Also, something to be aware of. One Shot reducer will help with slightly thinning the paint for easier application and flow. However, One Shot reducer starts clear but will turn yellow with age and can throw off light colours later on. Found that one out the hard way. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi All Some more thoughts to consider. The early engine is mounted on what appears to be a bicycle frame, and on the front wheel fork at that. The only indication of how the power gets out to drive the bicycle is what may be a flat belt or more likely v-belt pulley mounted on the left side of the engine. And you can see that it is keyed onto the crankshaft to keep it from moving. Interesting that no additional part of the actual driving system is shown. If the belt was linked to the front wheel it could be challenging to steer. So in part I wonder if it was someones idea that may never have been fully completed? On the right side, facing back towards the frame is a fitting that appears to be the ignition points. And it is mounted on a lever with a single anchor (hinge point) and a rod up to something out of frame of the picture. So it would appear to have a variable spark timing control. It helps to be able to retard the spark for starting and then advance it for power afterward. Overall I very much doubt that it had any form of "hit and miss" ignition and instead believe that it was a regular constant operating spark ignition based on this part. The engine would be low enough in power that I don't think one would have to worry much about it running the bicycle too fast. :^) Its definitely an atmospheric inlet valve. And the chain on the exhaust on the left could be for both ease of starting, but also could be used as clutch to when stopping the bicycle (along with) so that its easier to start pedalling again afterwards. Then when you want the engine to drive, drop the chain and get compression along with retarded spark to start. Just think, if it was driving the front wheel and you suddenly turned the ignition off, but didn't release the compression, what would all that sudden drag on the front of a bicycle do for the driver and the ability to steer it on a dirt road? :^) The engine may not be as old as suspected either. I got to look at parts of a small period bicycle accessory engine years ago that was originally sold by CCM in Canada in the mid to late teens. And it had an atmospheric intake and mechanical exhaust and a spark plug to run. Air cooled cast iron cylinder, separate two piece aluminum crankcase. Similar in overall design to the one pictured here, but only about half the size. In the case of the CCM engine, it was designed to mount in the bottom of the main bicycle frame just above the crankshaft for the pedals, and then drive the back wheel by V belt. I was told by the owner (who as a child drove it) that it didn't have much power and needed to be pedalled up hills. For Articbuicks, I also suspect that your stationary engine is more likely from the early 1900's, such as 1910 to 1930's. The low tension ignition with ignitor points was common and they were still available new from a couple engine manufacturer's here on the East coast right up into the 1970's. They were especially common for small fishing boats and fishing dories. Low tension ignition would operate off a telephone battery for hours on end and could be very easily serviced with a minimum of tools and was cheap. The magneto trip spark I have also seen on several stationary engines. Its common on the slightly "fancier" higher cost engines. Batteries and ignitors were cheap. Magnetos of any kind were expensive by comparison. Just look at the cost comparison in period supply catalogues for replacement parts. I have one of those single cylinder Cadillacs too. And that engine with its mechanical variable inlet valve timing and valve lift is definitely based on steam engine variable inlet valve and valve cut off principles. And once a throttle position is picked, speed and power can be controlled as much by spark timing as throttle position. And also remember the reason for large flywheels on single cylinder engines. With a 4 stroke design, the flywheel is providing all the energy to drive the car/bicycle/machine for a portion of the process as well as providing the energy to compress the mixture for the next cycle. It has to have some serious moment energy storage capacity to keep the engine and machinery running at something close to constant speed. Early single cylinder engines specially designed to operate electric power generators had extra heavy flywheels to help them maintain a more constant operating speed and hence electric voltage and frequency generated. Interested to here what others think. Drive Safe Jeff

I try to use a sort of method in my old car literature library. Not very scientific, but more by how things relate to one another. Original brochures and ads sorted in boxes or drawers, at least when they will fit. Original owners manual in another shelf. But more generally. Period literature repair books grouped together sorted by vintage (oldest to left to newest right). Period aftermarket accessory catalogues together. Modern old car books (as in 50's up for pre 42 cars) grouped together. Non automotive, such as planes and trains, sorted by topic, i.e. plane books together, train books together. And also having been an engineer, various period industrial technology books grouped together. Which in my case include steam power plants, blacksmithing, casting, steam boiler and steam engine plants, etc. from the 1890's up to 1940's grouped together. I don't know why I collect and keep some of this stuff. But now and then it makes interesting reading to learn a bit about industrial history and how to do some things that are now getting forgotten. Some level of organization does help though. I have kept a lot of my library in boxes until building a library space in a new garage recently. And now when unpacking I find out that I have collected two and three copies of some of these items. So now I have some trading stock too. :^) But its all fun to collect.

Hi Nate Good to hear that the bearing came off OK in the end. Just a thought. Those old thin metal bent tab lock washers are known to crack from bending the tab a couple times. It can help reduce the chance of cracking the next time if you anneal the bent tabs to help relieve the stress from work hardening. It's easy to do. Hopefully I get it right here. Just heat the washer, focusing mainly on the bent tab, to a dull to medium red glow. Hold for 20-30 seconds then let it air cool until cold. A propane torch should be enough to heat the thin metal washer to red hot. That should help reduce the chance of the tab cracking the next time it's bent again. Or even better, next time use the tab that hasn't been bent (if there is one) or make a new one when you have some time. Drive Safe Jeff

I still may be way off, but just in case. Here is some generic information on the bearing mounting method although the examples are bearings mounted on line shafts. The principles are the same if its a taper bore bearing mounted using an adapter sleeve and nut. https://www.ntnglobal.com/en/products/catalog/pdf/9011E.pdf See pages 43 and 47 for installation and removal recommendations for bearings mounted with adapter sleeves and locking nuts.

Follow up. After looking at the pictures again it does appear that there is something between the inside of the nut and the actual shaft. Perhaps the end of a threaded adapter sleeve? And with a gap where the woodruff key slot is.

Hi Nate Good to see that the bearing and stub shaft came out OK. That's leading me to another idea of what might be there. There is a bearing mounting system that used adapter/locking sleeves to mount the bearing on a shaft and lock it in place. I ran across this mounting system when researching bearing refit options for one of my other antiques with an odd obsolete bearing. This could be one of those cases. This style mounting system uses a thin tapered inner sleeve and a locking nut on one side. Tightening the locking nut locks the bearing in position so that it won't move on the shaft. Its a method used sometimes where the designer didn't want to use an interference press fit. A like to one modern example made by SKF. https://www.skf.com/sg/products/rolling-bearings/accessories/adapter-sleeves The Grey Dort parts book appears to call it a 11-B-309 drive shaft lock nut and 11-B-311 drive shaft lock nut washer. It may still be just a regular threaded locking ring to help keep the bearing in place on the shaft. But the drawing is not clear enough to see just where the threads are that the nut is winding on. I agree that you would expect to see the start of the thread. But it may be possible that it doesn't go quite to the edge of the nut and isn't easily seen. Either way, it might be an idea to try to hold the shaft some way that won't mark it, then find an appropriate wrench and try winding the nut off. It may help save the bearing. As others have noted, I wouldn't cut the bearing until I was sure that a replacement was actually available in my hand. Some of these old bearings are now made of "unobtanium" and you want to save any that are good for reuse. I also tried a google bearing search. Based on the parts book, one bearing New Departure 207 appeared to come right up (with the seals), but the other New Departure 305 comes up with non New Departure alternates (also with the seals). Be sure to check the dimensions carefully. although for us, most bearing dimensions were standards in the early 'teens allowing many to be matched up with modern ones. But some used special imperial (inch vs metric) dimensions and were special to automotive use. Such as many front wheel bearings. Those ones can be a lot more difficult to find modern replacements. Good luck.

Hi Nate Well I found something that may be of interest in my files. I'm a fan of the Canadian Grey Dort which use the Dort mechanicals. So when I see something reasonable I try to pick it up. I knew that I had an owner's manual from the early '20s in the file. While looking for that I found that I also have a copy of one of the Grey Dort parts books, dated March 1923. And it includes some illustrations. :^) It mentions two different transmissions, likely depending on the year, one with the speedo drive from the transmission and one with the speedo drive on a front wheel. Don't know it makes much difference to the gear case parts. Here is the section on the transmission.

Additional thought. Part of why I'm thinking this way. If this is the input shaft its in direct line with the output shaft, but they are actually two separate shafts that have to meet somewhere in between. And then to make sure that the two shafts fit and don't wobbly, there would have to be a way to adjust the fit of the two. If you are lucking enough to find a sectional drawing of the transmission somewhere it might help show what I'm trying to describe.

Hi Nate Hope this catches you in time. Please don't press on that bushing. The appearance and the use of a locking tab are screaming to me that its a threaded adjustment collar. It appears much like a water pump packing nut and some types of front wheel bearing adjustment nut. I strongly suspect that the bushing is threaded in and uses spacer washers to adjust the position and/or fit of the shaft bearing in the housing or the overall position of the shaft relative to the rest of the assembly. The locking tab would be used to prevent it from turning and loosening up in service. Try finding one of those double end wrenches or single "hook" wrench similar to those usually used for water pump packing nuts. It was probably designed for a special wrench just for that operation. You could also make one from a section of pipe or tube of the right diameter, then cut sections out of the tube leaving two high spots opposite one another that fit into the slots. And make it long enough to extend past the end of the shaft so that you can then drill two holes in the tube and add a bar through them to give you a T handle. That way you can apply the torque more evenly to loosen and remove the collar. Again, good luck with the project. Lots of us are watching over your shoulder with interest.

An old story. Be sure that you have control of the car when testing the old brakes. When I first got my '36 Packard and tried out the brakes in the rental garage where it was sitting, I heard a "pop" and the pedal then went to the floor. One of the rear lines was rusted thin and blew out the first time it was pushed hard. In the case of the master cylinder. With some the bleed hole for fluid from the reservoir to the master cylinder is small and it can take a while for the fluid to drain down into an empty cylinder the first time when only gravity is pushing it down. Hence the fluid level went down, but very slowly. When the system is completely filled, any make up fluid required is "sucked in" when the pedal comes back up. A full front to back, cylinders, hoses and lines brake rebuilt is a good plan and will serve you well when its completed. Good luck with the project.

Hi Nate I hope that you can solve the U-joint fit issue OK. Just wanted to pass along a note. I measured up a Ford T u-joint in my junk pile. The square spline is 0.875". One difference thought, the Ford joint is intended to run enclosed in the torque tube with grease. The u-joint parts run steel on steel. I think your Dort one appears to run open in the air. If you did use a T type U-joint it would need regular oiling for it to last. So you current plant is likely the better one. Just watch how you shim the spline. It will need to be evenly shimmed to stay centered to avoid the driveshaft running off center and vibrating. Good Luck Jeff

The best old car item that I found was when i was stripping the original back seat upholstery during its restoration. I found the workman's tag that did the original upholstery back in 1905. And as the tag says, it was the right hand back upholstery for a Cadillac model F. When I reupholstered the car I put this tag along with one of my business cards in a plastic bagging and put them back under the next future restorer to find. Just passing along the time capsule.

Hi Steve Myself and a few others here in Eastern Canada have been regular customer's of Lang's over the years. In the past when ordering (by phone to be able to check) I would specifically ask for items to be shipped by US Parcel Post. And they were friendly, great and would do so. However, earlier this fall when I called, a new person in their office staff answered. And when I requested US Post, they said that Lang's was in the middle of changing their computer system and couldn't do US Post. At the time I needed the parts and paid the FedEx cost. And like you in Australia, the cost for this method is ridiculous and much higher than US Post International shipping. Next time I order I will be asking first if US Post shipping is available again. If not, I may be check out another T parts supplier that will ship international US Post. I really hope Lang's fixes the shipping issue and once again offers US Post International shipping. They have been good and helpful in the past and I would like to see that continue. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi Nate Here is a long shot idea. Ford Model T u-joints use a combination of square male and female splines. I wonder if the square spline dimensions are similar, then perhaps parts from two T u-joint could be modified to fit the Dort. Ford T u-joints are two halves are held together with riveted rings. This allows the two sides to come apart and then you could mix and match the parts to build one with two female square splines. Used junk u-joints are common and can be used to experiment with. Good originals can also be found, but they also make new ones too. Just note, I think that they are hardened before assembly so that they last for a while. If you try to machine the parts you may need some good tools to do it. Good luck with the Dort projects. Jeff

Hi All I didn't get into the hobby until the late '70's and missed most of HAC's history and stories. But I was in time to catch the last few years of his column Young Nuts and Old Bolts in Old Cars newspaper. It was and still is one of my favourite old car reading material. It also gave me an appreciate to watch for more stories about the early days of the collector car hobby. I have one sort of story that I hope Walt may be able to clarify. Somewhere in old car hobby history I read a story about a/the FARTs antique car association. FARTs being the acronym for "Friends of Antique Road Transportation". The story that I read was that no one could join this club, but now and then when someone in the hobby showed lots of enthusiasm or provided support in the hobby in the New England area, a FARTs plaque would show up on their car. The story attributed the FARTs founding and plaques to HAC as well. I don't know if its true or not, but the story sounded like something that he might have been involved in. It took me several years to find a FARTs license topper for my collection. I would have included a picture of it if I could remember where I last packed it during some recent reorganizing................. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi All A side note when working on split rims to think about. I have a '14 Hudson with 34 X 4, 26 inch spit rims on it. And it uses high pressure straight side tires inflated to 50 t0 55 psig. A few years ago I was doing some work in the rear end and took off one rim and tire at set it by the car and then went to the other side to take of the other one. Shortly afterward I heard the sound of stretching rubber followed by a cannon shot of the tube blowing out. The tire bounced one way, the rim another around the garage, but fortunately for me on the other side of the car. A closer look at the design of the split on the rim showed that it was a poor design. The split is actually slanted and the two ends held together by a pin in fittings very much like a door hinge. The full pressure of the tire and the angled joint resulted in the tire pressure pushing the rim in until one of the hinge pieces broke right off. A picture of this poor design is included below. Since then I always let the air out of the tire before removing the rim from the car. And when inflating it, never put more than 10 to 15 psig in it when the rim is off the car. I mount the rim back on the wheel, snug the retaining lugs then inflate the tire to full pressure. And the spare rim and tire on the car is also left with only 10 psig inside and will have to be pumped up if it ever is needed. Other split rims that I have here and have seen use square but ends where the split ends meet. This design is a bit better at resisting tire pressure pushing the rim in, but it still would not take much to push the ends out of line and for an accident to occur. Moral of the story, let the air out before you take a split rim off the wheel and don't pump it up full until its back on the wheel. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi Peter The Continental engine in your Russel is a nearby version to the one in my 1914 Hudson. Hudson used a very similar version of Continental 6 from 1914 to early 1916 when it was then replaced with the 1916 Hudson Super Six which Hudson then built themselves. Here is a picture of the pump on my Hudson engine for comparison. One time I was out on a drive and when restarting to leave the parking lot I noticed a lack of oil pressure. Fortunately taking it off in the parking lot and cleaning it restored function and I was able to drive it home afterward. Some additional thoughts. Check the oil line to the oil pressure gauge. It’s a dead end line and can sludge up with age and not read the oil pressure correctly. Also, the check valve balls/pistons can gum and stick. The springs also need to be good to hold the ball/piston tight enough that it produces suction from the sump. When in good condition, it will self prime on the starter after the oil has been changed and refilled. There is also a filter screen in the sump which needs to be clean for the oil to get through and be drawn up into the pump. Its tedious to check though, you have to drop the oil pan to get to it. Here are some excerpts from the Hudson service bulletins and parts book that covers the oil pump on the Hudson 6-40 Continental engine that may help with your service and repair process. Drive Safe Jeff

Just to be a nit picker. That Packard is actually a 1936 120 B. It may not have been delivered until 37 while the body was being built. However its still a 1936 120 chassis and body base. The tell tales are the one year only bumper guards and dash details. Along with some other items as well. Having owned one for a few decades you get to know the differences between the years. The '37 model made a major change in the dashboard layout as well as the grille, hood side, bumper guards, wheels, hubcaps and a few other items. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi Pete I understand that. To each their own when restoring their car. I would note though, many come to the Forum to try to find information on what is and isn't correct for various cars as well as for stories and information. So I am offering up and adding additional information and context on the Single Cylinder Cadillac for those who may be looking for it later on. Part of helping to keep the "correct" information available for those interested. Have participated in a few tours in the New England and Eastern Canada area. I have run my Cadillac on a couple of HCCA 1 & 2 tours and managed to finish the days that I drove on and have a bit over 500 miles on mine so far. But the one in New Hampshire in the ski hills a few years ago just about did both me and my Cadillac in. Some of steep hills and long runs resulted to damage to some of the drive train and some severe stress on the driver. Mostly repaired since. Just saying, I'm not speaking from the "trailer queen" corner. Drive Safe Jeff

Hi All A note on what I experienced several years ago when breaking in a freshly rebuild and somewhat tight Packard 120 8 cylinder engine. I promised it for a friend's wedding and only got it running a couple days before the date. So it had less than 10 miles when heading out for a 60 mile drive to the wedding site. The first impression felt like I had to "hold the pedal down" to keep up a steady 50-55 mph. Then about 4 miles or so down the road I could feel the change in the engine. By the time I got to the destination with about 70 miles on the car it felt more like I had to "let up on the pedal" as the car wanted to run. I forget the temperatures that I saw at the time. Nothing overly hot, and nothing overly cold either. Mind you this one runs a thermostat in the outlet of the head so perhaps less of a change in operating temperature once the thermostat starts to open. I might never have noticed the difference if I hadn't done the one long drive right after the engine was recommissioned. Since then its run a bit over 25,000 mostly trouble free miles. And what troubles have been experienced had nothing to do with the main engine internals after the rebuild either. I wonder if anyone else may have had a similar experience? Wishing you the best of success with the Lincoln by the way. Drive Safe Jeff