My 1910 Mitchell "parts car" project

[Bloo]

It is nearly impossible to get all the oil out of old aluminum. Are you going to paint it or Glyptal the inside or something?

 

The "Giant Dishwasher" thing 1912Staver mentioned has become common. Those are in many better auto shops since the mid 90s. Typically smaller than the picture, but big enough for a V8 engine block. Transmission shops have them too, but probably wouldn't put your parts in unless they were pretty clean to start with. The heat helps boil the oil out. I used to do that as a first step when painting an aluminum engine casting (like an Alfa Romeo valve cover for instance). Then I would wash it down with brake clean, MEK, or Acetone, or some similar solvent that is aggressive to oil. MEK seems particularly aggressive to oil. I have also used simple green as JustDave suggested. All these things help, none are really quite good enough.

 

As a final step, after all the solvent was gone for sure, just before painting I would play a propane torch across the surface. Eventually you will see the water boiling off and rolling away from the flame. Some of the water is from the torch no doubt, but some is also water that was on the surface that you couldn't see. As you move the torch, the water will "roll" away as it boils off.

 

The interesting thing is, if you have not got all the oil out of the aluminum (and on the first try you probably haven't), it will boil to the surface, making little volcanoes. It is really obvious, you cant miss it, and then you have to clean it more and try again....

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Gary_Ash]

Joe, try a gallon jug of Zep-a-lume for cleaning the aluminum.  You can probably get it at Home Depot or Lowe's.  Dilute it about 1 part Zep to 3 or 5 parts water.  Repeat if needed.  It will take the oil off and brighten the aluminum, but be careful with it because it has strong chemicals like hydrofluoric acid in it.  Rinse well with water.  Wear rubber gloves and a face shield.  

[JV Puleo]

I will certainly paint the inside of the crankcase and probably the outside as well. Like most cases in period, it was painted with aluminum paint and there are still considerable traces of it left. I see that ZEP markets a product specifically for aluminum and other soft metals. It's intended to be used in a heated bath too...the only drawback is the price. The smallest quantity you can buy is 40 lbs. and it costs about $150. I'd live with that if I could find some independent confirmation that it works.

[edinmass]

The best option is to have the crankcase vacuum sealed. They clean it with both dry heat, then a hot water and soap dishwasher treatment. Then they heat it and pull a vacuum on it for 24 hours. When the casting is perfectly clean, they then treat it with a casting sealer to prevent seeping and leaks. There is a company in Rhode Island that does it regularly. Modern castings are so thin on new engines, most of them are having the treatment done to new parts when they are manufactured. I have had it done to several blocks and intake manifolds. The guys who make new Model J intake manifolds recommend the process and call it mandatory to prevent coolant leaks and seeping. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

The company is IMPCO in East Providence. They used to be on Valley Street almost across the street from my office. I found their web site but all the pages go to a 404 error - no longer available. That might just be an internet glitch...I'll try again but at the moment it looks as if they are either out of business or no longer doing that. That was my first choice...the business of doing it myself is only if they are unavailable. Frank Cooke put me on to them many years ago to seal a PI head.

[edinmass]

There is another company, who was in business a month ago. I will get the info for you. Also, Locktite in Hartford does it also.

 

Godfrey & Wing, call and ask for Mike Ballou.

Edited April 11, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Thanks. I'm going to email them next week and ask. From the look of things I get the impression they are reworking their web site so perhaps there isn't a problem but another source would certainly be welcome. That is clearly the way to go.

[JV Puleo]

Godfrey & Wing owns IMPCO.

 

I looked up G&W...same address as IMPCO so apparently they have just reorganized what different parts of the company do under what names. That's a relief.

 

[EDIT] The IMPCO division of this company offers this brush-on sealant for aluminum.

http://impco-inc.com/product/alumiseal/

 

It looks to be a useful product for anyone who isn't local to their facility.

 

I've also been re-thinking the oil level indicator. Something Ed said earlier rang a bell. If I put the float for the indicator inside the crankcase I will have to shield it from the oil thrashing around and I'm reminded that Ed cautioned against doing anything that might upset oil flow around the inside of the case...not that it would cause a problem but that it COULD cause a problem. Rather than take that chance I've come up with a preliminary design for an oil well adjacent to the sump. It's more complicated to make but it mirrors what many of the period makers did so I'm sure it will work - where the other solution may work – and may cause problems too. On the plus side, it will put the oil level indicator adjacent to the breather/filler tube where in the earlier design they were on opposite sides of the engine.

Edited April 11, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Since threading is a slow operation, it gives me plenty of time to think about other problems, one of which is the corroded front engine mount. This morning I came in an made a longer insert.

 

 

This will screw into the arm of the crankcase from the top. I purposely made the threads about .003 smaller so it will go in easily. I will screw it down until the bottom surface touches the sub-frame and it will be held in place with Locktite. In that manner I'll get a metal to metal contact without relying on the aluminum epoxy filler I'll use to mask the corrosion. Nothing will show after the engine is in place.

 

 

The other inserts are about .100 to .150 short (depending on which arm they go in) This is fine because the machined surfaces on the arms are good. What concerns me is tightening down the corroded arm and putting twisting stress on the case so I will tighten up the three good arms before setting the repair piece in the corroded one.

Edited April 11, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

From the top view the corrosion does not look that bad , but I am guessing that it is worse in the frame contact region . There are industrial epoxy's that are intended for machinery foundations that have tremendous compressive strength but obtaining a very small quantity is most likely impossible.

We always used a product called  " chockfast " on the ship when re - alignment was necessary.  Would it make sense to machine the bottom of the corroded lug to maximize the surface area and make up a solid spacer to match the height relative to the other 3 ? Or are you afraid of further weakening 

the corroded one ?

Greg

 

[JV Puleo]

I'm not terribly concerned about the strength but yes, some of the bottom edge is corroded. The longer brass liner I made will be doing exactly what you suggest in making direct contact with sub-frame rail. The material I'll use is Devcon aluminum epoxy. It is available in relatively small quantities but it is still very expensive. I think the container I have cost close to $70 but it is well worth it. Like you say, it's an industrial product, not available at the local hardware or big box store. There is a hollow in the underside of each arm so in this case I'll fill that and finish the underside flat. The spacer will give me the correct metal to metal fit and the filler will just be that although it does have more than enough compression strength to do the job by itself. The real question is do I have the case cleaned now or wait until all the machining is done. If the vapor degreasing does not dissolve Babbitt metal I'll have it done now so I can repair the arm. If it does, I will have to do the preliminary boring first because I want to center the boring bar on the bearings as they are. They aren't badly worn but I suspect that the Mitchell company did not bore the rough case very accurately and just used the Babbitt (which is close to 1/4" thick) to make up the differences. If that is the case, then removing the Babbitt before the bar is set up could be a disaster.

 

The Devcon has a grey color so it will not match the case. By rights I should paint the case with aluminum paint - there are extensive traces of it still there. If I do that the repair should be invisible.

Edited April 12, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JustDave]

Hello joe how do you plan to attach the  Babbitt to the rods,cam bearings and main bearing shells

[JV Puleo]

The cam bearings are bronze. The front and rear ones are just bronze bushings. The center bearing is split because of the cam lobes. The two halves are held together with four 10-24 socket head cap screws. The main bearings will be bronze shells with a Babbitt lining. It will stick to bronze just fine and the pinch in the crankcase should hold them secure but I may add a pin in the cap to make certain they cannot revolve. I'm still a bit undecided about the rods as I've yet to make them. They will probably get bronze shells as well but it was suggested that I use modern insert bearings. I'm not convinced that is safe as modern inserts usually have a Babbitt lining that is only micron's thick. A crankshaft like this one is "whippy"' ... it isn't as rigid as a modern crank. Add to that that the rod bearings have to be splash lubricated and I wonder if modern bearings might wear out very fast.

 

Here is the illustration from Held showing an oil level indicator attached to a sump.

 

 

An my design for a simplified version. I'm not sure it needs the glass at the top as the rod is 1/4" in diameter and will run through a reamed hole about 2" long.

 

 

The two "nut" shaped things at the top re a pair of super banjo fittings that will go on the bottom of the sump. One will be a return for oil from the timing case and the other will supply the oil pump. They are connected by another line which will, in turn, be connected to the level indicator. The major drawback with all this is that all of the oil lines are external and there are a lot of connections, each with the capacity to leak. I have to be very careful to make good connections everywhere but I still expect the engine to weep a little oil.

Edited April 13, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[edinmass]

I don’t think splash rods would work well with inserts. And to be honest, making new rods may not be as easy as you expect. Most early oil systems were a evolving design that was tested and modified to prevent failure. The smartest pre war car mentor I ever had made improvements to an oil system in a lesser priced car.........the motor locked up. His improvements were the cause. There are many variables that were well understood back in the day, and experience and failure often trumped engineering and design. Most certainly, with all the modifications made to this engine, I would run it on a dyno or in the chassis for at least twenty hours before calling it ready for the road.

[JV Puleo]

That's pretty much the plan, especially as I haven't anywhere to go and the chassis will be done long before there is a body to put on it. I don't expect making the rods to be easy but I'm paying close attention to the period engineering data I have. Will it work? I don't know...the only way to find out is to finish. And, I'd love to find a dyno t test it on...

[JV Puleo]

Ironically enough, 20 hours is the exact number I had in mind. The oil pump was run for about 23 hours. I'll have to build an engine test stand to do it as it will be a long time before the chassis is usable for that purpose and even then I've no good place to do it if I use the chassis. I'm not thrilled abut building such a big testing platform but it probably can't be avoided.

[JustDave]

I’m still not sure how you are going to attach the Babbitt to the bronze shells,I know the Babbitt is in molten form is it going to be sprayed on the shells,also on the rods might it be easier to look up a later application possibly a truck rod that you could modify easier than to machine a new rod,or are you testing yourself,from what I’ve seen of your machine work you don’t need a test,     Dave

[Terry Harper]

 

Quote

Quote

I’m still not sure how you are going to attach the Babbitt to the bronze shells,I know the Babbitt is in molten form is it going to be sprayed on the shells,also on the rods ...   Dave

 

 

Hi Dave,

 

The shells are tinned and held in a fixture with an under size mandrel. Then after pouring they are machined and lined bored.

 

Here is a photo borrowed from David Greenlees "The Old Motor" site. A few years ago David ran an excellent

multi part feature on bronze backed babbitt bearings.

 

Its critical that the shells are absolutely clean and that the surface has a degree of roughness or even a key

for mechanical bond.

 

http://theoldmotor.com/?p=48557

 

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Yes...that is the technique. The gentleman I bought the line boring rig from gave me his late father's fixtures so I have two setups similar to the ones David Greenlees uses.

 

Terry, if you'd like to experiment with them you are more than welcome. It will be a long time before I need them.

 

If you coat the mandrel with soot from an acetylene torch the Babbitt won't stick to it. Or you can use a polished aluminum mandrel because Babbitt won't stick to that either. I'll probably do both...make an aluminum mandrel and coat it with soot just to be sure.

[Terry Harper]

Thanks Joe!

 

I might just take you up on that offer!

 

 

[chistech]

Joe, to clean the aluminum crankcase use a bath of water and trisodium phosphate. We used to use it to degrease meat hooks and it worked the best without being very caustic. It was a USDA approved degreasing method. It would pull the oil right out of the wheel bearings and leave a whitish powdery look to the metal. Not expensive either. I believe they use it in local fish houses for soaking scallops in. Pretty scary huh!

[alsfarms]

TSP, what good stuff it is.  As we restored our old  "Victorian" home, we used lots of this stuff to clean walls and anything else that needed cleaning.  The was surface would grab the wall paper glue nicely.  Joe, on the brass thread inserts, what is the method you used to anchor/lock them into the aluminum crankcase casting?  Do you rely on the "thread locker" product from Loctite?  Keep up the good work on your engine.

Al

[JV Puleo]

I used high strength Locktite. In period they would have "staked" them with a pin punch but I have a consistent fear of hitting old aluminum with a hammer.

As to the the TSP, I did a google search on using it on aluminum and found all sorts of conflicting information...some say it's fine and other suggest it's too acidic.

Ted, what were the meat hooks made of?

 

If I had another piece of oil soaked aluminum I'd test it but for now I think I should pursue the vapor degreasing especially as the company also has a pressure impregnation process that seals porous castings. I've used it before on a PI Rolls Royce aluminum head. It wasn't cheap then – and that was a long time ago – but it worked. I do wonder about machinability after the impregnation but this old aluminum wasn't heat treated and isn't great to machine as it is.

 

And Al...I found some answers to your radiator question in a 1909 book on automobile design. I'll try to remember to post the pages tonight.

Edited April 14, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Joe, some were steel, some were aluminum, some cast steel wheels, some cast aluminum wheels. We also cleaned a lot of aluminum pans with it. Like anything, the ratio you mix it at will determine its strength. I think we’ve all heard opinions on many different things , with many different opinions pro and con.  Now I can’t tell you about antique aluminum engine blocks but I can tell you about results I saw on many different things we applied it to in our slaughter house. We also cleaned our expensive band saws and carcass splitting saw with it and all those were cast aluminum. The best thing about the TSP was no oily or grease residue remained. Many solvent cleaners remove a lot of grease but still leave either a soap or grease/oil residue. Stuff we cleaned was clean. It was also fast and easy compared to anything else we tried. Throw an old carb in a bath of it or a aluminum intake from the junkyard. I can’t recall the ratio we used but it was a fairly mild solution so there wasn’t a high concentration of TSP to water. 

[JV Puleo]

That's a good idea...I may have an intake manifold around.

A mild solution sounds good to. Did you heat it" I have a bucket heater I use, oddly enough with TSP, I use when I clean the shop floor.

 

I'm waiting on some bits for the remaining crankcase machining. It's a bear to set up in the mill so I'd like to get all the jobs done at the same time. In the meantime I though I'd make the oil fittings that will attach to the underside of the sump. It's easy enough to draw something like this but making them presents some real problems, mostly because two of them need two connections and the technique I used to make the earlier ones won't work. I started by cutting three pieces, 1-1/2" long from this huge brass bar I bought on ebay. Not that I need so much, but it was an auction and I threw out a low bid...about 1/5 of what it would cost from a metal supplier. To my surprise, I got it.

 

 

 

I evened them up and reamed a 3/4 hole in the center. The actual center hole will be 13/16. I'll put that in last, after the connections for the lines are inserted.

 

 

I tried using the radius too to give them the barrel shape that Banjo fittings have but I realized I'd made them too long...I only did two

 

 

Then stopped and put the holes in. These will be threaded 11/16-16.

 

 

I then went back to the lathe and reduced the thickness by .200. They are now 1" thick and I think the proportions work out better for turning the radius.

 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll go back to the radius tool and see if it works this time.

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Because we were a USDA inspected slaughter house, we had to have 180d water available on tap so we just filled a tub with hot water then added the TSP.

Edited April 15, 2020 by chistech
Bad spelling! (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

This morning I set up the radius turner again. I was a little concerned that the holes might snag on the cutting tool...when I moved the handle I could feel the holes but apparently it's rigid enough so that it made no difference. I did take small cuts though.

 

 

The dyechem stripe around the middle it to tell me when I've gone as far as I need to...

 

 

And it did work reasonably well...

 

 

So I started on the banjo bolts. Unfortunately I have no good way of holding this 1-1/2" hex stock except with the 3-jaw chuck so I was forced to cut the blanks about 3/4" long. I hate wasting the stock but considering how much time this takes it's really not a major expense.

 

 

I got two of them turned ay about 5:30 and decided to finish the third one tomorrow. The bold diameter is .812 - 13/16 to match the threaded holes in the sump. Two will be for the sump and the third one attaches the well for the oil level indicator.

 

[JV Puleo]

Mike...I wish I was there to give you a hand. One of my goals - back when I thought I might be successful - was to spend two or three months a year in the UK. I'd really like to camp out at Kew and spend two or three months in the archives but that has become an unreachable goal.

 

I pressed on with the Banjo bolts today...starting by removing all the extra stock I'd cut to hold the bolt in the 3-jaw chuck. This was tedious but I'd rather deal with tedious than a mistake and this way I was certain to get exactly what I wanted.

 

 

The three bolts trimmed to size...

 

 

Then they were drilled and reamed to 7/16" I reamed them because they have to be pressed onto a mandrel in order to be threaded and that's the best way to hold them. 7/16" is slightly larger than the ID of the 1/2" copper tube that makes up the oil lines to the sump and it's important to not have any restriction in the flow of oil. I know the measurement works because of the oil pump tests but it's still important to keep checking. 7/16 is also the hole size for a 1/4 NPT fitting so I can put either a pipe plug or a drain cock in the hole. I'd prefer a drain cock but we'll have to see what the ground clearance is. (Having said that, it probably had drain cocks originally so it is unlikely ground clearance will be an issue, especially as it has 27" wheels and oversize tires.)

 

 

Right near the end of the day I finished up...I even had a visitor today, an old friend who is going stir-crazy locked up at home. I questioned the wisdom of going anywhere but I'm not sick (thank G-d) and neither is he.

 

 

The last thing before going home was to press one of the bolts onto a 7/16 mandrel. I hadn't though to check and see if I had one so I was relieved to find I did and that the fit was tight.

 

 

I'm getting to really like Banjo fittings. They are a PIA to make but they do a great job of looking "period" especially as they aren't even available in the sizes I've been making.

Edited April 16, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I started the day by picking up another custom end mill to the crank case work and then went on to the Banjo bolts. The first step was cutting the relief in the center for oil passage.

 

 

Then turned the chamfers on the hex so it looks more like a real bolt. After this was done I threaded them.

 

 

And put a deep chamfer in the end. This is where the oil will flow. I don't know if it will help but it's worth the effort to try.

 

 

I then drilled the cross holes - which I forgot to take a picture of. The area of the 4 holes has to exceed the area of the hole through the center of the bolt or it will provide a restriction. I have a chart of the areas of circles so I took the area of a 7/16 circle and divided by 4 – then chose a drill slightly bigger. It's a #2 with a diameter of .221. After the holes were drilled I put the bolts back in the lathe and reamed them again to get all the burrs from drilling out. Since this is an oil passage it's critical that there not be any tiny metal filings floating around. From the chips on the end of the reamer when I pulled it out it was clear this was the right thing to do.

 

 

The last step was tapping the 1/4 NPT holes for the drain cocks and take a "de-burring cut" on the end of the hole. I then blew everything out to make certain the chips from the threading were gone.

 

 

This entire job has gone smoothly - something I'm not all that accustomed to.

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Gary_Ash]

Joe:  Where is the shop that will make custom end mills?  I need a ball end mill 13/16" diameter on a 1/2" shank to make some bronze ball seats for my Houdaille shock links.

[JV Puleo]

Nicholson Cutter

300 Ferris Avenue, Rumford, RI

The owner is Paul Rego

 

I would buy a 13/16 end mill of exactly the dimensions you want and mail it to them. They'll do it and mail it back. I suspect that if you say I recommended them they will just send an invoice with the cutter. You won't have to run up to RI to get it. I've been extremely pleased with their work. When I asked about making a special cutter to cut the radius needed for the ends of the main bearings Mr. Rego just said "no problem."

 

Several of the odd threads I've been using to make threaded sleeves and other parts call for holes for which there is no conventional drill...and sometimes when you are opening up a hole that is already there the tapered end of a regular drill will cause drift. I've found that plunge milling solves the problems. It has also has allowed me to "move" a hole to compensate for the Mitchell companies "freehand" methods of drilling them.

Edited April 17, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I should add that if you are doing a through hole they can grind the cutter so that it will give you a hole as good as a reamer. The cutter will not be useful for regular milling but I keep all these special grinds together and save them just for putting in odd, threaded holes.

[JV Puleo]

I haven't been idle these last few days but I had a couple of "fixes" to perform that aren't car related. On Sunday I decided to make two more threading gauges in 1-16 and 11/16-16. The 11/16 is for the pieces that will screw into the Banjos. The 1-16 is to make threaded sleeves for the bottom of the sump. These sizes were selected because the holes for them are standard sizes and I won't have to have a special end mill ground. I'm not certain I'll do that, but I'm not happy with the original threads. They are loose – perhaps heavily worn but just as likely made with a tap that wasn't perfect. In most cases I'd ignore this but a Banjo bolt coming loose on the bottom of the sump is a serious threat. If I do it, I'll put the enlarged hole in with a 15/16 end mill. This will also allow me to move the hole about 1/8" since the Mitchell people didn't drill it in the center of the raised boss. I started by boring a 15/16 hole in a piece of brass bar.

 

 

Then threaded it...

 

 

I used the unfinished "nut" to make the arbor that fits the hole and then did the same for the 11/16 thread. Once I had the arbor, I was able to finish the nuts.

 

 

I then started on threading the little tubes that screw into the Banjos. I did one and decided it was too short. Luckily I had just enough material to make them over longer.

 

 

While I was drilling a hole in the first one an Idea came to me. The trickiest part of this is the thread. With a 1/2" hole in the tube and an 11/16-16 thread, the wall thickness between the minor diameter of the thread and the hole is only about .050. I decided to make the hole in the center 7/16 which will bring the wall thickness up to about .080 and to counterbore the tubes to 1/2" from the opposite side. That way, the 1/2" copper pipe can be soldered in and the hole, where it enters the Banjo will not be bigger than it has to be. It's all extra work but I'm pleased to be making an improvement in my design.

 

 

So, tomorrow I'll get back to threading these. I'm back to where I began the day.

Edited April 20, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

The ends of the tubes turned down and the relief for the thread cut.

 

 

Then threaded.

 

 

 

 

Then I counter bored the other end. The counterbores aren't quite as tight as I'd like but I'm certain they will work just fine.

 

 

I had a job set up in the mill that I had to work on until it was safe to take it off so tomorrow I'll thread the tubes into the Banjos. Also, all the bits I need to continue with the crankcase have arrived so I've plenty to do this week.

[JV Puleo]

I assembled the banjo fittings today. I was going to counterbore the holes in the banjos for the tubes but on the way in this morning it occurred to me that all I need is a tiny flat on the banjo. Starting a tap on a curved surface is very difficult but if the surface is tlat, it's a breeze. So I set it up in the drill press with a big counterbore - luckily I had a 5/8 pilot so I didn't have to make one.

 

 

The holes were tapped in the drill press without moving anything.

 

 

I put some soldering flux on the threads and screwed the tubes in tight.

 

 

Only the once with the 90-degree angle proved a bit difficult because the threads on the end of the tubes ran into each other. I notched one of them and got it in. Of course, they'll never move and the messy bits will all be machined off.

 

 

Then I soldered the threads from the inside. The idea is to get the solder to flow down and seal the threads. I used 50/50 lead solder because it flows so nicely. This actually went much more smoothly than I'd expected but clean brass solders very well.

 

 

This is the point where everything went sideways. I had intended to bore the holes out on the milling machine with a 13/16 end mill - which has a 1" shank, only to discover that the fitting with the tubes on either end won't fit in the 3-jaw chuck I use with my rotary table. I puzzled how to do this and took a chance doing it in the lathe. The real challenge here is getting the hole perpendicular with the flats...not an easy thing when the gripping surface is curved. I set it up in the chuck and used the ruler from an old B&S try square as a flat surface - pressing the banjo back against it in the chuck jaws. It worked better than I'd anticipated, so I cut the stub ends of the tubes out with a 3/4 end mill and then opened the hole up with the 13/16. To hold that I used a really antique chuck I have - one I probably don't use more than one a year  but unlike my Jacobs chucks, it will hold a 1" diameter. Using an end mill in a drill chuck is really not a good idea but I was very careful to feed it in very slowly and I was only removing 1/6" of an inch.

 

 

It all worked better than it had a right to. Here's two of the Banjo's on the bottom of the sump. The front one connects to the oil drain for the timing case...the back one to the oil pump. There will be a 1/2" copper tube between them which will be connected to the oil level well (which I haven't made yet)... that way atmospheric pressure can act on the oil level indicator without taking any chance of it disturbing oil flow inside the crankcase.

 

 

The last step will be cutting the groove on the inside of the Banjos but I'm leaving that for tomorrow.

Edited April 22, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[weathered1]

Joe, Very nice work!

[Mike Macartney]

8 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

. . . . in the drill press with a big counterbore - luckily I had a 5/8 pilot so I didn't have to make one.

 

Firstly, I concur with weathered1, yet another 'work of art' Joe.

 

Secondly, I am interested in seeing how to make a counterbore. Perhaps next time you have to make one you could post details. (thinking about it now, I suppose I could look it up on the internet!)

[JV Puleo]

I'd make the pilot, not the counterbore. Some counterbores are made with a hole in the center so you can change the pilots.

[JV Puleo]

I finished them today...I'm chagrined to say that I think I made the slots on the inside of the banjos the same way last time and I'd completely forgotten how I did it. When I thought of it again is was one of those "duhhh" moments. First, I had to make a little centering tool because 13/16" doesn't match much of anything and I wanted to center the hole on a 1/2" tool holder.

 

 

Then went in with this cutter. The cutter came in a box lot of tapered cutters...it was the only one that wasn't tapered. I bought them to do a job I haven't gotten to yet and figured out, after I had them, that they wouldn't work in any case...but this is the 2nd or 3rd time I've used one so my error has been redeamed.

 

 

All done, though I'm not certain you can actually see the slots. They are there.

 

 

So, having finished early today I decided to give the oil plumbing another look and discovered, not much to my surprise, that I've painted myself into a corner and will have to invent something to get out of it. I clamped the oil priming pump on the engine stand where it's intended to go. Except that the output oil line from the sump doesn't line up with it. I can't say I even thought of that when I was making it so this is hardly surprising.

 

 

The line from the sump has to feed both the priming pump and the oil pump...I think I have a solution but I also think I should sleep on it and do a few drawings first. I know I can solve this but it's important to me that the fix look right...(like I had always planned to make it that way)!

Edited April 23, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I really should get back to the crankcase and bearings but I feel the need to straighten out the oil system first. If I don't, it will niggle me in the back of my mind until I get to it. I turned the engine up on it's side (it's a great help to have this big engine stand) so I could take some measurements.

 

 

The vertical tube in the foreground will connect to the oil "well". With it in place I was able to get some more precise measurements and it looks as if I won't have a problem. This piece of copper tube, left over from making the intake manifold, will be the well. Copper, by the way, is terrible to machine.

 

 

This is going to be the plug in the bottom of the well. When I was threading it I realized I'd never made a thread gauge for this size so, since the machine is all set up for it, I decided to make it now.

 

 

I was going to put drain cocks in the Banjo bolts on the bottom but I got thinking about something else Ed said and I've decided to use pipe plugs with magnets.

Edited April 24, 2020 by JV Puleo (see edit history)