30 Century S Windshield Crank Housing

[Guest Dvernon372]

Hi Hupp Friends,

As we progress with the Century S restore, I have found another part that I need assistance with. As you can see from the attached picture, the housing that holds the crank assembly is broken and parts are missing. Would anyone either have the housing that they would like to sell or be able to take some pictures that I can use to have one made? Thanks for your help.

david

[avantey]

David,

Is that all you have? You are missing a lot of the housing and the sector gear plus a few smalls. Is the sector perhaps still attached to the windshield?

I have recently started to rebuild the crank too (on my '31 L) but only the sector is bad. I have found a modern gear to use as a basis, make some serious modifications to and hopefully have a good mechanism. I know it is the same mechanism as your car and there are at least four variations on this mechanism. They all work the same but there are at least two worm gears and two sectors I know of. The differences are in the muonting of each piece which has led to the four different housings. Your worm gear looks different though- is the tip away from the handle broken off?

I will take some pics for you in the next few days, mine is all apart anyways.

[Guest Dvernon372]

Hi Bill,

The sprocket that goes with this, is connected to the windshield frame and seems to be in good shape. I didn't realize that there were different configurations of this. I bought the crank off ebay from someone parting out a 29 Hupp. As far as I can tell, the crank is in good shape and not broken. I look forward to seeing your pictures. I do have a local machinist that thinks he can make the needed parts if he can see what it looks like. Thanks for your help.

david

[avantey]

David- Here are a series of pics for you. First is a few sides of the housing. This is a heavy cast piece with wall thickness throughout the part like the piece you have left. You can see this housing is one piece with two ears. This is how the sector mounts in three of the variations using a pin I will show later. Refer to picture 4- on some units there are one or two adjusting screws with locknuts in this side of the housing. I think they are to adjust the tension on the worm near the respective end. Refer to picture 2- One style does not have the three triangular ribs around where the center body meets the top flange(piece you have remnants of). Refer to picture 5- you can see the worm mounted in the housing, crank handle away from you. More on this later.

[avantey]

To continue- Picture 1 is a closer look at the worm mounted. At the left, near crank handle end is the spring loaded pillow block; on the right is the retainer plate. Picture 2 has the retainer removed to show the two bearing surfaces on the worm for the pillow and under the retainer. Picture 3 again shows the worm seated in the pillow block. Picture 4 shows the worm out of the housing with the respective block and retainer aligned by the worm. The pillow just sets in the housing with the slight spring seated up in it away from the worm. Picture 5 shows the housing with the pillow in place and worm out of the way.

[avantey]

forgot to attach the pictures

[avantey]

And to go on some more- Picture 1 shows how the sector gear attaches to the housing with a thru pin. Windshield would be to the right Picture 2 shows the pin aligned with the sector, front view. Pic 3 is a side view of the sector. I am making a new one since the first three teeth to the left have ripped out and many others are worn. Picture 4 shows the front or windshield side of the sector. Thru the windshield frame screws hold it to the frame into top and bottom holes. Center hole is a deformation hole not quite drilled thru. When you have the pin located you punch the thin wall of material left in this hole and it acts as a detent feature in the groove on the pin (see pic 2). Picture 5 shows another variation that has been remade. It has 'ears' or external pins built into the sector. This is the surface nearest you, shoulda got a front picture! The housing for this style is split down the middle so the rings on my housing would go over each ear. Not sure how this housing in then held together since I have not seen it but I think it mounts to the car in the same way.

[avantey]

The end is near!

Just two more pictures of the remade part. Picture 1 is the front view. You can see the ears and it does not have the upper windshield hole (or material to put it in). Pic 2 shows it in my housing to roughly show how the ears would go in the rings on a two part housing.

Now the comments- I hope you can see why I asked about your worm. It appears stubby without the upper bearing surface under the retainer plate

I also hope these help you in your quest, feel free to ask me more here or in PM.

It would help a lot to see a picture of your sector gear. I am curious as to what models went in what cars. Was there a pattern? Mine is an L, I think the eared version is from an S and the adjustable one from an H.

The S and L are essentially the same body behind the cowl. They were made by Murray and delivered to Hupp. I do not know if the crank mechanism and windshield were delivered with the body or if Hupp sourced and mounted these units on the line. The only maker's mark I found is a globe with Mercator lines on the side of the sector and I have not tracked it down. I do not know the story of the H body either.

I have found a modern gear of nearly the same dimensions and mates to the worm nicely. I am going to cut it up and do something similar to the redo in the pictures but add material for the top windshield hole and use the separate pin mounting like original.

Regards,

[Guest Dvernon372]

Bill,

thank you so much for all the information. I think this will give the machinist a good idea of what to do.

David

[Hupp36]

Well the real problem is that the housings are made of pot or pig metal as it was called. and that is why it breaks so easy. You will be better of to make it out of modern metal. Chuck.