My 1910 Mitchell "parts car" project

[JV Puleo]

I haven't much to report today. It's been one of those days when I had little energy. However, I did get a few things done.

The offset bushing came out so good (on the third try) that I decided to measure the other sleeves and make bushings to fit. They are not anywhere near as off as the 3-degree bushing but the outboard bushing on this side of the axle was off about 1 to 1-1/2 degrees. Since I have plenty of old prop shaft left, I set a piece up and bored it. I used my alignment tool to line it up and glued it in with Locktite.

 

 

Then I opened up the hole for the brake actuator rod in the backing plate. This is not intended to be the finished hole. I is just large enough to get a tool into it. In fact, I bored it off center on the wrong side so didn't accomplish what I'd planned. Still, it worked.

 

 

I remounted the backing plate. I was so pleased with the little sleeve I'd made for the outboard attachment bolt that I decided to do the same thing with the two additional holes I'd drilled, using the fixture I'd already made.

 

 

Then I made two more little sleeves...4/8" OD and 1/4" ID.

 

 

And glued them in with Locktite. The socket head cap screws hold them in place so the leading edge will be exactly flush with the plate.

 

 

To correct the hole for the brake actuator rod I turned the big end of the alignment tool down to 1-1/4".

 

 

I some Dychem on the plate and bolted it in. I then ran a scribe around the edge.

 

 

This will give me a radius concentric with the hole. I'll have to line this up by eye on the mill so it may not be perfect. It will be close and if I need to I can always reduce the diameter of the thrust washers that will go here by a few thousandths.

 

 

 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

I came in early today and started by removing the backing plate. You can see the 3 little locating pins that line up with the plate. There are now 7 bolts holding the backing plate on. I think that is more than enough.

 

 

The plate went into the mill to bore the 1-1/4" hole around the brake actuating rod. I had to line this up by eye.

 

 

This is actually a 1-1/4" counterbore without it's pilot...

 

 

I then reattached it to the housing. The hole is very slightly off. I expected that. It's hard enough to make matching holes when you have something to measure...it's nearly impossible when you're doing it by eye.

 

 

I then cut the faces on the outboard (hand brake) arm, having the Locktite plenty of time to set up, and honed the bushings to fit.

 

 

This went very smoothly...but, of course, I have a lot of practice now.

 

 

There it is complete...all that was left was to reduce the OD of the thrust washer about .010 so it would fit neatly inside the hole.

 

 

I even thought of an easy way to do that. I put it in with a .020 shim between the brake actuator and the thrust washer so that it does not bear on the backing plate. Now the brake action is completely free of the plate.

 

 

Now I have to flip it around and do the other side so last up I cut two more pieces of prop shaft for the bushings.

 

 

[Luv2Wrench]

Very cool to see the parts become assemblies and the assemblies start to look like a car.  Micro to macro. 

[JV Puleo]

Thanks Jeff. The truth is I'd really like to see something actually finished. I may do the front axle since all the machine work is done. I ordered some paint for the chassis so by this time next week I could be in a position to paint it and put it aside. It isn't much, but it is something.

 

I started today by finishing the two bushing blanks I'll need. The hole in the center is to reduce the amount the plunge milling/reamer has to take off. If there is less metal to remove, the chance of it flexing is eliminated, especially since it is only .002 under the finished size.

 

 

With that done, I flipped the axle around and mounted the other backing plate.

 

 

Like the first one, the holes in the center align properly but the outboard holes are off. I started by reaming the single hole at the back, then made the 3/8" x 1/4" sleeve and glued it in. The bosses on the casting on this side do not touch the backing plate so I'll have to put a shim (probably about .050) between them.

 

 

Then I bored one of the bushings. Both on this side are off 1 degree.

 

 

Thant went together well...

 

 

At this point I really wanted to quit for the day but it was only 4 pm and the machine was all set up so I took the backing plate off, bored the other bushing and inserted it.

 

 

I've been talking to Walt G about paint. He had suggested "One Shot" sign paint for the wheels but I got thinking about it and decided to paint the entire chassis with it. If that sounds odd, keep in mind that I have no place to spray paint, my compressor is not adequate and what equipment I still have from my garage days is highly questionable. Also, using proper brushes eliminates all the masking and these cars were brush painted to begin with. I'll have more to say about that when I try it out

Edited October 13, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[edinmass]

One shot covers well. Last time I bought it two years ago, I almost passed out at the cost. It’s got to be much worse today. Ed

[JV Puleo]

I bought 2 quarts (the largest size it comes in)...a trifle over $60 each but I suspect that will do the entire job. I also think this will take much less time than it would to mask all the holes I don't want paint in etc...even if I had a place to spray paint. Also, I suspect it is very close to the brushing enamel that was originally used and, as far as I know, no longer made. It also give me the flexibility to paint the components as I finish them, which is very important since I still don't have a place to assemble the car.

 

[chistech]

Rustoleum etch primer is now $6.88 per can, best price I’ve found.

[JV Puleo]

It doesn't seem as if I got much done today...but it's actually a milestone. I finished with the bushings.

 

 

That was the first one. At this point I came up with a better way of driving the cutter so the second one went quicker.

 

 

And I had enough time left to drill the two additional joles.

 

 

Tomorrow I'll ream them to size and make the little insert sleeves...

[JV Puleo]

I'm not certain any of these are absolutely perfect. In order to calculate the angle they were off I had to use the back side of the boss as the register surface. It, at least, looked as if it had been machined. The front surface was obviously the casting and originally the "paddle" that expands the brakes rubbed on the backing plate. In neither case did the holes in the backing plates line up perfectly with the original holes in the casting all of which leads me to believe these were assembled and "fitted" one at the time and little effort was made to make them identical. You can readily see why Cadillac won the Dewar Trophy for their interchangeable parts. I tend to be critical of the Mitchell companies attention to detail but they were probably doing what nearly every other maker of medium price and inexpensive cars was doing in 1910.

[JV Puleo]

Today I drilled and reamed the two holes for the additional backing plate attachments, again using the fixture I made last week.

 

 

This side presents a problem I didn't have on the other side. The boss on the axle casting does not touch the plate. There is a gap of approximately .040. You could tighten the bolts but that would distort the plate and, as you can see here, the internal brake is retained by those clips around the outer circumference. I'm afraid that if the plate is distorted, the brake will bind. The solution is to put shims on the sleeves that pass through the casting so that the plate will tighten up without distorting. I don't know how well it shows here but I did take a picture.

 

 

The sleeves themselves are different lengths because the casting isn't uniform and neither end was machined so I had to make those one at the time. I put the Locktite on them and inserted them but I want to wait until it has set up before I remove the backing plate to go on with the last step.

 

[Mike Macartney]

Joe, I used that "One Shot" sign paint a number of times in the past when I was restoring motorcycles. It also seems to last. Jane came down with a tin she found on the shelf in my workshop, to use to paint the metal frame of an outside table. That must of been a couple of years ago and it brushed on very well, covered in just one coat, and the paint on the table still good today. Mike

[JV Puleo]

A good observation Mike. Since it's intended to last for years on signs that are exposed to the weather I understand it dries very hard and holds it's color. It is very slow drying but that's good. I do think it is similar to the original paint and, in the case of my car, quite a bit of that remains on the chassis despite it being 112 years old and having been exposed to the elements.

[JV Puleo]

I didn't come into the shop yesterday so the Locktite had plenty of time to set up. Today I removed the backing plate and bored the hole for the brake rod out to 7/8". This is just to get clearance...it was off enough so that the tool for marking the OD of the finished hole wouldn't go in.

 

 

Then I put it back, marked the hole and set it up to bore the finished hole.

 

 

It is still off a few thousandths of an inch, just like the previous one. The thrust washers, shims and bolts I'll need to complete this didn't arrive until the end of the day so I put it aside for the moment.

 

 

And tackled another problem. This axle housing was outside for some time which is why it's rusty. One of the problems is that the inside was rusty as well. In its original form this wasn't much of an issue but I want to insert my improved axle seals here and to get the best possible fit I would like to have smooth surfaces.

 

 

How to do that, with the rivets protruding on the inside was the problem. I decided to remove the rivets and hone the inside. I'll replace them with button head Allen screws threaded into the holes. This is something I did once before so I'm certain it will work. But, just to be safe about it, I'll do them one at the time. I'm sure the tubes were pressed in and they are rusty also but there is no compelling reason why I should remove all of them and take a chance of the tube moving. I drilled out the head of one rivet...

 

 

Cut it off and drove it out. These were nominally 7/16" rivets. The hole itself is almost perfect for threading 7/16-20 but I have come to find out that short button heads in that size are virtually unknown. McMaster sells them 1" long (for about $10 each). I can get 1/2-20 bolts 3/4" long so I'll use those. I'll have to drill out the hole but there is plenty of material around it.

 

 

I want to get the bolts, washers and other bits first though rather than leave this partly done while I wait for them. Curiously, the arrangement of these rivets is not the same as on the previous axle and there is an unused hole in the tube...all suggesting there were running changes made. One of the advantages here is that I may re-make the axle seals. As it is, I used 3 layers of 1/4" felt but it looks as if I could easily use 4 or 5 now, thus making the seal that much more effective.

[JV Puleo]

Today I removed the backing plate and inserted the 3/8" ID shims I'd bought to bring the bosses on the axle casting flush with the plate.

 

 

Than I mounted the plate with all the intended bolts.

 

 

To test it, I put the internal brake band on. You can see how it works, with the "paddle" expanding the bank. If fit perfectly...(or as perfectly as it could)! However, the heads of the two addition bolts are very close, perhaps too close, to the reinforced pieces on the band so I'll change those to flat heads.

 

 

I also fitted the thrust washers and honed out the hole for the outboard mount of the external band.

 

 

Then I went back to the rivets on the axle, starting by drilling and threading the first hole.

 

 

I decided I could do this now if I put "place holder" bolts in the holes. I'm not really afraid it will move but this is an easy precaution.

 

 

Then rolled it over and did the bottom bolt.

 

 

 

I think I'll take those bolts out to hone it. There is no indication that it can move...in fact, I doubt it could be easily pulled apart and the honing will not put any stress on it. In the middle of this my 1/2" drill gave up the ghost and I had to go out and buy another so I lost a good hour or more.

[JV Puleo]

I tried to find some new stones for the cylinder hone I've had since I was in my 20s. It's an old Ammco and none of the auto parts stores still carry it, if it's even made any more. I settled for a different type and much to my surprise was able to fiddle them to fit.

 

 

Then I put a half inch hole in this plug, originally made to center the gear puller I used to pull the original bearings. I had to turn it down as well.

 

 

It fits in the end of the axle tube to act as an outboard bearing for the extension shaft I'll fit to the hone.

 

 

Then I made a simple coupling to connect the hone to a piece of 1/2" aluminum rod.

 

 

With a little finessing, it just fit inside the tube.

 

 

Spun with my new (as of yesterday) 1/2" drill.

 

 

It worked as well as I could hope although I did have to stop and ream the hole in the outboard bushing out a little. Aluminum is very abrasive so it needs extra clearance. In any case, the surface on the inside is now quite smooth. I may hone it a but this should do. I want to get a really accurate measurement of the bore so I can make new seal housings with minimal clearance. Unfortunately, the photo is out of focus...I'll see if I can do better tomorrow.

 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

I didn't expect to come in yesterday as I'm helping my cousin with a project but we finished early enough so that I couldn't resist putting in a little time. I made this threaded fixture. This is for shortening the 1/2" button-head socket cap screws I'll use to replace the rivets. Ideally, they should be about 5/8" long...a size that isn't made. They are offered in 3/4" but the wait would have been 2 weeks so I decided to go with the 1" screws that should have arrived today.

 

 

This morning I went on removing the last three rivets.

 

 

Set up the hone...

 

 

And honed out the other side. All of this has worked quite well.

 

 

I was then in a quandary for what to do next but fortunately, this 7/8" counterbore arrived early.

 

 

This is to put a flat on the curved axle housing so the button heads sit square with the threaded hole. The ad did not say what size pilot it used so I had to wait and see. I had intended to order one but it then occurred to me to make a brass pilot. Ordinarily, you'd do this before threading the holes but I wanted to put thee "place holder" bolts in as I did that job. I haven't seen a pilot suited to the minor diameter of a 1/2"-20 thread so I decided to make one. I started with a piece of brass rod, drilled and tapped 10-24.

 

 

Then threaded a piece of 3/16 brass rod to fit and screwed it in with Locktite.

 

 

The last step is turning the pilot end down so it's concentric with the rod and a slip fit in the threaded hole. I'm using brass because it won't damage the threads but I've already made several mistakes today, largely because I was tired and decided to let finishing this wait. I'm busy tomorrow but I'll get back to this on Sunday.

 

[JV Puleo]

I came in Sunday and had just about everything I touched go sideways...I think we all have days like that.

I finished the pilot for the counterbore...

 

 

As soon as I tried to use it, it broke. Obviously, brass rod wasn't the best choice.

 

 

Then I put in the countersink for one of the flat head bolts I'm using on the backing plate...

It worked but I'm not at all happy with the countersink. It's one of those jobs that has to be done freehand and I had a very difficult time keeping the countersink straight with the hole. I decided not to do the second one until I'd had a chance to think about it.

 

 

Then I tried shortening the bolts that will replace the rivets in the housing. This, at least, went well. The fixture I'd made worked a charm. I did two of the six I'll need before quitting.

 

 

I went back to it today and finished shortening the button head screws. I also made a new pilot, this time with a steel shaft.

 

 

That worked reasonably well...this is the first, and the worst of the flats for the button heads to bear against. I don't like the chatter marks but they won't show and, having done one, I finally go the hang of it.

 

 

Then it was just a matter of doing all six and inserting the bolts. They'll come out again, one at the time while I fit the new seals and won't be locked in until everything fits.

 

 

 

Last up, I went back to the countersinks for the flat heads. I rumaged around and found a better tool. These aren't perfect either but they are better.

 

 

With that done, it was just a matter of flipping the housing around and doing the other side.

 

[edinmass]

Looks great. 👍

[JV Puleo]

Thanks Ed...your approval is confirmation that I'm on the right track.

I hadn't planned to be in today but my morning job was done by 2 so I came in to start on the new and improved axle seals. The materials came in late yesterday, along with my large can of OneShot sign paint.

 

 

The seals will be made from two of the larger pieces of aluminum. They will be very similar to the set I made previously but the fact that I've honed the inside of the tubes and am able to remove the button head bolts for fitting will allow me to do a more precise job. This is one of those cases where having done it before, I get to incorporate the improvements I only thought of after the fact. The first step was to ream a 1-1/2" hole in each piece.

 

 

Where the first time I used 3 layers of 1/4" felt for the seal, this time I'm striving for 6 layers. since I have the to make the seal holders longer. The axles are 1-3/8" in diameter while the hole in the center of the felt is a bit over 1-1/4. I'm hoping this will keep the gear oil in the differential from migrating down the axle.

 

 

Some of the additional pieces of aluminum will make plugs for the axle. It's clear this housing has to be sandblasted but I want to plug all the holes where I'd rather sand didn't go.

Edited October 25, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I tackled the covers for the ends of the seal housing today, one of those tedious, but not too challenging jobs since I've done similar so many times. I started with two piece of 1/4" plate, bolted together. then drilled and reamed to 1-1/2".

 

 

Turning it round is the tedious part.

 

 

I turned them down to about .010 larger than the aluminum pieces since they will be turned together.

 

 

And set up the mandrel I used for grinding. I have better tooling to do this with since the last time...a good example of how things get a bit easier as you gain experience and build up the supply of specialist tools.

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Our projects all require “special “ tools or jigs. I just made up a simple curved 1/4” thick plate of steel to simply bend the sheet metal pieces I need to weld in around the top of the belt rail. There’s no other way to do it correctly. 

[JV Puleo]

The seal holders turned down to about .010 under 2-5/8...this is so they slip into the tubes.

 

 

Which they did...on both sides as well.

 

 

 

I had originally thought to make them almost 3" long but, in thinking about it, I wondered why. As it is, I am going to double the depth of the felt rings from 3/4" to 1-1/2" and I don't need all that length to do it. So, I decided to shorten them...

 

 

[JV Puleo]

This time I'm going to attach the end covers to the pressed cups that cover the inside end of the axle tube. This will effectively make them one piece so I can do a much better job of countersinking the flat head screws that holds the cover on. I started by cobbling up a fixture to solder them together.

 

 

Which worked quite well...

 

 

 

I had a lot of trouble with the second cover and had to take it apart, clean everything and do it again but, in the end, that came out good as well. While it was cooling I set up the small dividing head in the drill press.

 

 

The next problem was a way to hold the two pieces together so the holes can be drilled in both at the same time.  The fixture I made last time is too short. I came up with a complicated solution and (thankfully) before I could start on it thought of something better. This is apiece of 1-1/2" bar...

 

 

Simply drilled and threaded 1/2-20.

 

 

I put a shaft collar on the bottom for the seal housing to tighten against...and made good use of one of the extra button heads I'd bought for the axle.

 

 

It's all set up to drill but I'm too tired to press on tonight and, if I did, I'm almost sure to make a mistake.

 

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Back to the seal holders...

I drilled the holes for the attaching screws through both pieces with everything clamped up in the dividing head.

 

 

Then removed the top piece and threaded the holes.

 

 

 

Then the holes in the top piece were opened up so the screws would pass through.

 

 

I tried countersinking for flat head screws but decided that my countersink (which I've had for about 45 years) was getting dull. I ordered a new one so the black socket heads you see here are just "place holders".

 

 

Then a holder was slipped into the axle tube until it rested against the furthest button head. When finished it won't go in quite this far but all I'm looking for here is clearance. The holders are centered by the pressed steel cap so you don't want them bearing against the bolts that pass through the housing.

 

 

I need to put some slots in them and to figure how far back the slot reached I put a dab of marking blue on a set screw.

 

 

And screwed it in...

 

 

Then into the mill to cut the slot.

 

 

I did that four times...to get clearance for the two button heads that the holder has to clear. When finished, I put the button heads back and slipped the holders in.

 

 

Last, I bored the holders out to 1.875...the OD of the felts I'll insert.

 

 

I'm holding off on making the felt seals as I've ordered some hard felt buffing discs that I think may make good seals. We'll see...for now, the only thing left on these is to finish the countersinks.

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

2 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

Back to the seal holders...

I drilled the holes for the attaching screws through both pieces with everything clamped up in the dividing head.

 

 

Then removed the top piece and threaded the holes.

 

 

 

Then the holes in the top piece were opened up so the screws would pass through.

 

 

I tried countersinking for flat head screws but decided that my countersink (which I've had for about 45 years) was getting dull. I ordered a new one so the black socket heads you see here are just "place holders".

 

 

Then a holder was slipped into the axle tube until it rested against the furthest button head. When finished it won't go in quite this far but all I'm looking for here is clearance. The holders are centered by the pressed steel cap so you don't want them bearing against the bolts that pass through the housing.

 

 

I need to put some slots in them and to figure how far back the slot reached I put a dab of marking blue on a set screw.

 

 

And screwed it in...

 

 

Then into the mill to cut the slot.

 

 

I did that four times...to get clearance for the two button heads that the holder has to clear. When finished, I put the button heads back and slipped the holders in.

 

 

Last, I bored the holders out to 1.875...the OD of the felts I'll insert.

 

 

I'm holding off on making the felt seals as I've ordered some hard felt buffing discs that I think may make good seals. We'll see...for now, the only thing left on these is to finish the countersinks.

 

Funny you mention using the hard felt buffing disks for seals. My neighbor that you made the brass nuts up for his polishing machines gave me some old hard felt wheels that I cut up into 1/8" strips and used to make seals around the ball ends of my Olds tie rod ends. The originals were made of a very similar felt. I don't know of any vendor who sells hard felt like what those buffing wheels yield. Very nice stuff when cut up. 

[JV Puleo]

There are at least three machining steps yet to make on the rear axle, including this crack. So far, it's the only crack I've found in this housing. I think in this case I'll look up Ed's metal stitching man. If I remember correctly, he's in Uxbridge MA which happens to be quite close to the shop.

 

 

However, both to find any more cracks and because the work that still needs to be done will be easier if everything is clean, I think it's time to sand blast the housing. I have a local place that has done the odd job like this for me before so I have to arrange with my brother-in-law to come over with his pickup so we can load the housing and the stand. In preparation for that, I'm making plugs to blank off the axle tubes and the bearings where I do not want any sand to penetrate. Today I made one of the two outboard plugs. I only need one because I can use the bushing I made to position the hone for the other one.

 

 

Inserted in the end of the tube. Because I had them, I put an O-ring on each one as well.

 

 

The inboard plugs are a bit more complicated to make since I want them to sit inside the tube against a shallow rebate. Ideally, they should be about 1/2" thick. I had though of using some round bar but it would be difficult to get it thin enough. Then I rummaged around and found a fixture I'd made long ago (and forgotten for what) so I cut it up and made two 3" squares with a 1/2" hole in the center.

 

 

Tomorrow I'll turn these round and pick up two pieces of 1/2" threaded rod to pull everything together.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

The plugs for the inner end of the axle tubes turned down to size.

 

 

And inserted with a piece of 1/2" threaded rod pulling them in tight.

 

 

I then spend some time mulling over how to do the drain plug. That was a lot of work and I'd like to reuse the parts I've already made. That's a little more complicated than it seems but I think I have a solution. I also decided to have the front axle sand blasted so I started on two more plugs.

 

 

But only got this far...

 

[mikewest]

Joe if you want to pay a visit we can blast anything  you bring up.  You need a hitch on your truck and get that trailer regestered.

[JV Puleo]

Thanks Mike. I'd like nothing better but the truck needs work. I'm sort of hoping I can do it while the rear end is out being blasted.

 

I finished turning down the plugs for the front axle this morning.

 

 

And dropped one in to see how they fit. There is a tiny gap between the sleeve I pressed in and the bottom of the socket it fits into...just perfect to hold a few grains of sand and very difficult to clean out it it gets in there. So, these will go in with a flat rubber O ring under the plug to block that gap off.

 

 

Then I cut two pieces for the top plug.

 

 

And turned them to fit, also with an O ring.

 

 

Then inserted them and tightened up the threaded rod.

 

 

The rear axle all set to go out. I also blanked off the bushings. I doubt sand blasting would harm them by why not be careful.

 

[JV Puleo]

We loaded the two axles and the stand into my brother-in-laws pickup this morning and delivered them to the sand blaster around 11 AM. At 2 PM I got a call from the owner saying they were done. I can't complain about that! We'll pick them up Monday so what I thought would be a week or two turns out to be a day.  I decided to tidy up the shop a bit but I did take the time to spray some Rustoleum etching primer on the backing plates. These are going to be painted chassis color. I won't actually need them for some time but I thought it best to get the paint on now so it has plenty of time to harden.

 

 

 

I also used the new countersink to finish the end caps on the rear seals.

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Unless kept in a warm and dry place, the primer will allow rust. 

[JV Puleo]

That's good to know. It is warm and dry where they are...in the warehouse beside my shop. I may paint them this weekend so they won't be standing in primer long. I want to practice a bit with the One Shot and I figure the backing plate is a good place to start.

[chistech]

I’ve found that the Rustoleum etch primer is nowhere near as bad about rusting like other automotive primers. Ed mentioned warm and dry but the warm and dry is more important during the actual priming of your pieces. After painting, dry is more important than the warm with the Rustoleum etch. I’ve primed many pieces in my shop during the winter months where I warm the shop while I’m in there but the temperature can drop to near freezing overnight and sometimes for a few days. I haven’t had one piece show or experience any rusting through the primer. Regular automotive gray primer on the other hand can show rusting in a little over a week. I’ve had good luck with Nason etch primer also but because that come in paint cans rather than spray cans, I save the Nason for the big priming jobs. Many painters are quite impressed with the quality of the Rustoleum etch and it’s compatibility with many of todays top coat paints. To make the Rustoleum cans spray completely empty, warm a container of water either on a hot plate or microwave then put the can of primer in the warm water. Remove after a few minutes, then shake we’ll and paint. Makes a huge difference in the way the can sprays and how well it empties all contents.

Edited November 7, 2022 by chistech (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

This morning we picked up the two axles. The plugs I made worked a charm. No sand got into the places I was concerned about and only a tiny amount elsewhere.

 

 

 

I tried the seals in the tube ends and those fit perfectly.

 

 

Then the ring gear and its bearings.

 

 

Then, acting on Ted's post about Rustoleum etching primer, I sprayed most of the front axle. This is actually very difficult to handle since it's heavy and won't sit up straight when it's flipped over. I've been thinking about how to hold it so I can paint it and I think I have a solution but I'll do more of that tomorrow.

 

 

Since I want to let the primer dry completely, I went on to a little problem with the axle seals. Despite trying to make them perfect, in fact, they aren't. Each one only goes together properly when the holes are lined up as they were drilled. I'd like to make it impossible to assemble them incorrectly, since I won't live forever and eventually someone else will have to deal with this car. To do this I'm adding two 1/8" dowel pins, asymmetrically, to each cover. I started by making al little fixture to hold them.

 

 

The cover goes on as it should and I drilled through it into the body of the seal holder.

 

 

Each hole gets one of these special dowel pins, knurled on one end so they are tight in the bottom hole.

 

 

This worked...now, when the seal is assembled the cover is in perfect alignment with the center. Tomorrow I will probably open up the holes for the flat head socket screws a little since they no longer have anything to do with positioning the cover and will thread in easier if there is a little more clearance. I also got some 3" hard felt buffing wheels that I'll try to make the felts from. We'll see how that works...to make the hole in the center a tiny bit smaller than the 1-3/8" axle I need a 34mm Forstner bit. I ended up having to order one from Germany so it may be a couple of weeks before it arrives.

 

 

The piece in the middle of the seal is 1-1/2" in diameter which is the inside measurement of the cover and the small end of the seal. The OD of the pocket is 1.875 while the axle is 1.375. 34mm is 1.3385 so the hole should be about .036 smaller than the axle. I'm hoping that will do the job.

Edited November 8, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Joe, this might sound a little crazy but use a couple large tapered alignment pins clamped in small drill press vises on the floor. I put the axle on the pins using the spring shackle bolt holes. The front axles are hard to handle and to keep upright when trying to paint.  I found a taper pin in a vise on each end of the axle on opposite sides holds the axle upright and steady plus allows painting everywhere it’s needed.

[JV Puleo]

That's a good idea Ted. Unfortunately, I don't have the pins or the drill press vices. This is an odd axle, a French-style Lemoine. As far as I know,aside from Lozier and Mitchell, it was rarely used in the US. In any case, I was able to finish the priming by propping it up on this board. It's good I work alone because if anyone else was in the shop it would almost certainly get bumped off it's stand.

 

 

I sprayed primer first thing today and then went back to the axle seals, finishing the second one. I also stamped them "L" and "R". They should be interchangeable but, because the position of the rivets/button heads is not uniform they are not. In any case, it's unlikely anyone will have to look at them during my lifetime once the rear end is assembled.

 

 

Then back to the painting problem. Because the primer dries quickly it was practical to just flip the axle over and do the other side. The paint is a different matter. It dries very slowly so, I plan to paint the ends down to the spring perches then, handling it from the middle, flip it over and paint the other side. Then I'll hand it from this bar attached to one of the beams at the back of the shop and, in that position, paint the center section. Since it's down in a back corner I can leave it hanging for months without it being in the way of anything.

 

 

I may start the painting tomorrow...first I have to get a good quality brush. I have some camel hair brushes I bought to do things that are actually flat and smooth but I don't think that is called for on a forging.

[chistech]

So the axle is French design and it’s a PITA. It makes sense it’s hard to handle. Probably has cost you a ton of money too. I was married to a 100% French Canadian girl years back. Note the word “was”! I feel your pain. Don’t have much use for the French (sorry to the few good ones out there). They’re last to the battle and first to claim the victory! The women are after all your money and when it’s gone, they’re gone. Most of the men seem to carry mirrors in their back pockets  they’re so vain. At least here in my area. I know of two that come to mind who are so vain that it’s hard to stand more than 5-10 minutes around them!  They’re constantly flirting with anyone who will give them an audience and trying to act cute while they flirt. It’s so bad most normal people in their company would have to step outside to puke! They’re their own biggest fans.
     Many years back, the majority of the mills in the New Bedford area were run and manned by the French. As the Portuguese started coming in it was evident that they were the better workers and the mill owners  started replacing their employees. It caused a riff that ran deep for years. The French aren’t as prevalent as years back in the physical work force and now mostly run as politicians. They found an easier way to screw things up. This is meant as a little tongue in cheek with a large dousing of truth through experience !😁

Edited November 9, 2022 by chistech (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I started the day with my first experiment in painting. I'm using a 1" camel hair brush to get the smoothest possible finish although I am not sanding the primer etc... I think we can be pretty certain that was never done on chassis parts. Here are the backing plates...

 

 

And the front axle.

 

 

Cor comparison, here is a section of chassis with the original paint still in place. You can also see that the chassis was painted after the car was assembled since it isn't painted where it couldn't be seen.

 

 

I'm very pleased with both the color and the ease of application. This was all due to Walt Godsen's advice...Thanks Walt!

I'd no sooner put the paint away when I finally had an idea about holding the steering knuckles to paint those so I primed those.

 

 

The paint is very slow drying so I have to go back to machine work. I will need two fixtures to make the felt seals...starting with these hard felt buffing wheels.

 

 

I'll have to turn them down to the correct OD and for that I need a 1-3/8" mandrel I can mount them on with spacers at each end because the wall thickness is only 1/4". I started on those using more of my old, rusty mill shafting.

 

 

Bored and reamed to 1-3/8".

 

 

I have to make two of these so likely I'll be on this part of the job for another day or two.

[JV Puleo]

I started the day by painting the steering knuckles.

 

 

Then finished boring the second spacer for the mandrel I'm making and faced them both off. They have to be turned down to 1.875"

 

 

But, while the chuck is on the lathe I want to make the nut for for the end. I had this piece of brass hex left from a mistake I made some time ago.

 

 

Bored and threaded to 1-3/8-16. I started the thread in the lathe but these big taps require a really big tap wrench.

 

 

Then I threaded the end of the mandrel to match the nut. Something is wrong here as the nut refused to go on all the way but it's the end of the day and I'm too tired to work out what the problem is. I'll get back to it tomorrow.

 

[Walt G]

So very very happy to see this!  Yes, the One Shot paint flows really well, and no brush marks left but it does not need a creamy thick coat , takes a long time to dry , AND looks like porcelain when it sets up and is a really hard finish. Sign painters have used it for many many decades as the signs are in all kinds of weather and temperatures. Not an inexpensive paint but is just so beautiful and easy to apply . Feels good to see a part "finished" and await final assembly .

I retouched a porcelain sign that I bought in England many years ago and then hung outside for decades, still looks like the day I painted it.

Joe, this is what it is all about - getting to see the before and then the after, and knowing it was your effort that made the item have some life once again............

Walt