My 1910 Mitchell "parts car" project

[JV Puleo]

Yesterday I put some Prussian Blue on the end of the axle tube and tried the cross again. The marks prove it's hitting the tube before it fully seats in the slots.

 

 

I don't think it has to be relieved any more than .200 but I am going to wait on this since I still have to make another. While I'm waiting for that material to come in I'm dealing with another problem. The locking nuts I made are very slightly too big to fit easily inside the relief on the front of the cross. I was afraid that might be the case so some time ago I ordered material to re-make those. These don't have to be hard so it's just 12L14 cold rolled/ It's 3-1/2" in diameter and fits neatly inside the test piece I made.

 

 

I started by putting a 1" hole in the center of three pieces...two for the nuts and one for the tool to tighten them.

 

 

Then I put them in the mill to put center holes in for the tool. These all have to be in the same place so I needed to do all three from the same setup...

 

 

I may as well put the through holes in as well. I have to bore and thread these but I was not thinking very clearly today so thought it best to wait and start on that in the morning.

 

[JV Puleo]

Today I drilled the second lock nut then bored it out to 2.185 to thread it 2-1/4-16

 

 

And tried it on the axle

 

 

That was fine so I bored the second one and gave it a LH thread...this also went better than I'd anticipated.

 

 

With both pieces threaded I reduced the thickness to .800 on all three pieces...

 

 

So, we have the two locking nuts and the tool to adjust them. I have to slit and thread the nuts and put dowel ins in the tool but I'm off tomorrow on another job so I may not get to this until Thursday.

 

[Luv2Wrench]

No fair labeling them.

 

What kind of metal did you use for those?

[JV Puleo]

12L14...

When they are done I stamp them for "driver's side" and "passenger side" since this is a RHD car. Also, they are right and left hand threads. Ordinarily, you put the RH thread on the right side and the LH thread on the left side so that the wheel rotation tends to tighten them. For some reason, the Mitchell people did it backwards...the LH thread is on the right and the RH thread is on the left. I have no idea why but the other rear end housing is the same.

 

The "nut" set up to drill the hole for the cap screw and slit it. I started by milling it down to a flat surface.

 

 

Then drilled the hole that will be threaded for the cap screw.

 

 

Then put the 1/2" end mill in again to countersink the head of the cap screw.

 

 

The next step was cutting the slit. I'm dong this without removing the piece from the vise because otherwise it would be just about impossible to get it back in exactly the same place and I want the slit to be perpendicular to the cap screw.

 

 

I used this huge slitting saw so I could slide it across and put a small slit in the opposite side. It's an 8" saw and it just made it.

 

 

Then I started over to do the RH nut...and made a mistake so that one is not in the "ruined jobs" box and I went back to the lathe to make another blank. This one is 12L17 because that's what I had on the shelf...

 

 

And...these came in. 8mm brass tube with a .010 wall thickness. the raw material for the cellular core radiator I've been thinking about for about 5 years. I have an advantage here in that a friend has offered me a core that will probably work just fine but I've spend so much time thinking about making one that I want to try it...if it doesn't work I'll just use the old one. The major problem now is that this is slightly less than half the amount I ordered so now I have to get back to the supplier and find out what's going on.

 

 

 

 

[Luv2Wrench]

I spent longer that I'd care to admit trying to get the nut to thread on the passenger's side of the front axle on the Metz.  It was only when I went to file the threads that I noticed they were going the "other" way.  I was so embarrassed I felt me ears start to burn, lol.

[JV Puleo]

You wouldn't be the first. When I was in my 20s I worked for a Volvo/Saab dealer. I was the assistant to the gentleman that overhauled the traded-in cars. He was a VERY good mechanic but if he told you how to do something, and you'd didn't listen, he'd wash his hands of the problem. One evening, about closing time, one of the body shop guys was trying to change a wheel on his van outside our bay. I think it was a Dodge but, in any case, it was one with LH threads on the LH side. He apparently didn't know that so he proceeded to break a stud...with appropriate exclamations. Then he broke another one and turned the air blue. Don said to me "maybe we'd better tell him they are LH threads...otherwise he'll be walking home."

[chistech]

Hey joe,

just drive everywhere in the Mitchell in reverse and your wheel nuts will stay tight!😂 I just ran into the LH-RH issue on a shaper I just bought. It’s got a big nut and a small nut on the same end of the tool shaft. Took me quite a while and lots of bitching until I realized the small nut was LH. None of the stud it was on is exposed so I couldn’t see the thread even if I wanted to.

[Luv2Wrench]

1 hour ago, chistech said:

Hey joe,

just drive everywhere in the Mitchell in reverse and your wheel nuts will stay tight!😂 I just ran into the LH-RH issue on a shaper I just bought. It’s got a big nut and a small nut on the same end of the tool shaft. Took me quite a while and lots of bitching until I realized the small nut was LH. None of the stud it was on is exposed so I couldn’t see the thread even if I wanted to.

Same for me on the Hendey shaper.  Nut for the drive wheel was LH and everything else on the shaft was RH.

 

[JV Puleo]

Back to correcting my error yesterday...I turned the new blank then drilled the two holes for the adjustment tool. I did this with the blank I made for the tool itself since the center holes were all made at the same setting. I used a piece of 1" ground bar in the center to make sure the two pieces were aligned perfectly...then after the first hole was drilled pressed in a dowel pin.

 

 

Then into the lathe to be bored and threaded.

 

 

And the thickness reduced to .800. The finished thickness will be .750...the extra is there so that I can face these off while they are attached to the threading fixture thereby assuring that the faces are perpendicular to the threads.

 

 

Now I was back to where I made the error yesterday. I also figured out what I did...another example of being tired and rushing the job. The center of the end mill has to be 5/16" from the edge of the nut. To do that I locate the edge with a piece of 1/2" ground stock and move the table .250 (1/2 the with of the centering piece) + .3125...for a total of .5625. Yesterday I moved the table .512 so I was .050 too close to the outer edge.

 

 

With the holes done, I slit it.

 

 

This one appears to have come out exactly right. There is more to do...the upper part of the through hole has to be enlarged to 5/16, the lower part threaded and a "spring hole" added at the end of the slit but at least the difficult part is done. These fit very neatly inside the axle crosses.

 

[JV Puleo]

Today I pressed on with these locking nuts, starting by threading the holes for the socket head cap screws. I lined it up in the drill press using the letter size "I" drill the holes were drilled with. Then used a 5/16 drill to open up the top so that it will not thread and threaded the lower part wit this long "pulley tap".

 

 

Then back to the mill and the rotary table, aligning the front-to-back with the spindle and using a center to locate the slit.

 

 

I moved it over and located the next hole. This will be 3/8" and to locate it exactly I used a piece of 3/4" rod.

 

 

Then it was center drilled and drilled out to 5/16" followed by a 3/8" end mill.

 

 

 

All that remains on these parts is to reduce the thickness about .050 but I discovered that they must spring slightly inwards (probably from internal tension) after being slit. To screw them on to the fixture I need the adjustment tool so I put the third piece in the lathe and started a 1-1/6 - 16 thread. If you are wondering about that really odd size, it works out perfectly for threading a 1" reamed hole.

 

 

I could only start it in the lathe to make sure it was straight. I finished it with a big tap handle in the chuck on the mill.

 

 

Last, I started on the hex that will thread into this hole and give me a way to turn the tool...reamed to 3/4"

 

 

Then pressed on to a mandrel and turned down to 1.062. It's now ready to be threaded.

 

[JV Puleo]

The center of the hub tool all threaded...

 

 

Then I screwed it in tight with flux on the threads and soldered it. The idea here is to make the hex solid and give me something to put a wrench on when setting the bearings.

 

 

Then back in the lathe to reduce the thickness to about 1/2"

 

 

I pressed in two dowel pins and opened the holes in the nuts up a little bit so the tool would slip in easily.

 

 

I then put the RH nut in the lathe, mounted on the threading gauge to remove a few thousandths from each side. I'm doing this to make certain that the faces are truly perpendicular to the threads though from the way it cut it was obvious that they were very good to begin with.

 

 

And clamped on the axle tube. Tightened up this clamping nut is immovable.

 

 

All this had to be done now because I need the nuts in place to fit the crosses...and I need the crosses in place to fit the hub caps. All of this is a result of not having any original measurements to work with and having made a lot of changes when I fitted the new bearings. I'm confident this will be both stronger and more durable than the original.

 

[JV Puleo]

Today I finished the second locking nut. I may put a chamfer on the front edge but I'll wait until the crosses are fitted first. I simply don't know if the extra clearance will be needed.

 

 

Next I have to finish the crosses but the material still hadn't arrived so I was going to make a hub cap wrench when my colleague Stuart came in with an emergency repair...the motorized tape dispenser our shipping department uses had stopped working and we have a huge pile of books to ship. As some of you know, my shop is in the basement of a publishing company that belongs to one of my oldest friends...someone I've know since he was three years old as his father was a good friend. When something breaks down I always drop what I'm doing and try to help. In fact, last Thursday we unloaded 13 pallets of a new book which is why we have piles of them on the shipping bench. In any case, it took me the rest of the day to fix the machine much of which was trying to figure out how it worked. It's a very durable machine. I gave it to Stuart because I no longer needed it but my father bought it at least 50 years ago and this is only the second time it's stopped working.

 

When I went up to the office to bring the tape machine back I discovered that the metal for the crosses had arrive...so no time was wasted and I have the satisfaction of having fixed something that would otherwise have to have been replaced in a hurry.

 

 

This time I thought to weigh them. Each blank weighs 8-1/4 pounds...the semi finished one weighs a little less than 3 pounds so you get an idea of how much metal has to be removed. Technically, I only need one but we'll see how well the first one comes out. If it is noticeably better than the one I've already made I will probably make both of them. Perhaps this a bit of overkill but I really like it when things come out right and I'll have to send these out for the square holes so I'm conscious that someone else will be handling them and I'm vain enough to want them to admire my work!

[chistech]

Is the tape machine a Betterpack or a Marsh? I assume a paper tape machine. I might have a manual one in my used machinery lot.

[JV Puleo]

Ted,

 

No...I don't actually remember who made it. It looks like something made by a small company that didn't last very long. I'll write the name down and see if you remember it. Thanks though. If I hadn't gotten it to work I'd be happy with a manual one.

 

[JV Puleo]

I was out of the shop most of the day waiting to get my truck back. I thought I'd burst a brake line but it turns out to have been a leaking rear wheel cylinder. This is all stuff I could do myself but the fact is I'm feeling my age when I try to crawl around under a car and I don't have a lift. Also, if I take it apart at home or at the shop, and don't have everything I need, I'm really stuck because both places are a long way from any sort of decent auto parts store. It just isn't worth the risk that I'd find myself sleeping in the shop for two days. I did this work yesterday...the two new blanks for the cross pieces. They are 3-3/4" 4041PH. I ordered 1-1/2" thick and was sent 1-5/8"...very good of the supplier but more work for me as they have to come down to 1.350 thick.

 

 

With a 1" hole reamed in the center I turned down the thickness to about .020 more than the finished size. I don't use carbide tooling very often, and have a very limited supply of it but I tried it here and it seemed to work well. This steel is hard enough so that it dulls high speed steel when you have a lot of light cuts to make.

 

 

I finished the thickness on both blanks. Now I have to broach the keyway, reduce the OD and surface grind them to the finished size. Then I can set up the fixtures on the mill and start machining them. I learned a lot making the previous pieces so I'm guardedly hopeful that these will come out nearly perfect.

Edited April 27, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Today's progress...the keyways broached.

 

 

Then turned to 4.425, the OD needed for this to fit inside the threads of the hub cap.

 

 

 

Then into the surface grinder. The red Dychem tells me which was the first side faced off and that the hole should be perfectly perpendicular to it. On the surface grinder that side goes face down...

 

I ground one side until I'd removed all the machining marks...then the other side. This is actually a critical measurement because all of the figures for offsetting the fixture to get a 3-degree taper are based on a triangle that is .1350 deep. In the end, I was .001 over but I very much doubt that will make a difference.

 

 

Last, I started to set it up to mark the 4 holes that will be drilled and threaded to attach it to the milling fixture.

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Will this work Joe? I found it today in my storage container. Up to 30” lengths on one handle pull.

[JV Puleo]

Wow...Yes...

I'll send you a PM

[JV Puleo]

Today I started by counterboring the remaining two holes in the fixture. I'd only done two because I only had two cap screws but the proper ones have now arrived so I'll be able to bolt the work piece down with four rather than two.

 

 

Then I put the center holes in the crosses for the cap screws. I did this very carefully because I worry about breaking a center drill off in one of the holes...which can be a real problem since they are high speed steel and you can't just drill them out.

 

 

That went smoothly...the rest is tedious but not a challenge. To locate the drill I used a tapered center in the drill press that matches the taper on the center drill. Pushed in with a little pressure this should center the hole perfectly.

 

 

Then it was just a matter of drilling each hole and threading it. These are now ready to be milled but it's the end of the day and I want to be fresh when I set up the milling fixture.

 

 

The holes are located so that the key way points directly at the corner of the square hole that will be the last step. That way it's useful for holding the piece solid in the mill and will be completely eliminated when the square holes go in.

[JV Puleo]

After spending the morning bagging up the shop trash and cleaning up an oil spill I set the taper milling fixture on the mill. The first step was to align it so that it is absolutely parallel with the table. For this I used an indicator. It runs out about .001 in 4" and that may be due to the fact that it's made of conventional aluminum bar. If I'd felt more precision was necessary I'd have had to make it out of ground bar but that's getting in deeper than even I would go.

 

 

Then I centered it under the spindle and offset it, again using an indicator, .9032" I'd prepared a sheet of calculations based on the size of the end mill I'd be using and, as I often do, I'd written the number down wrong. (I wrote .0932) Luckily, it was so far off that it was obvious so I rechecked the numbers, reset the center and did it over.

 

 

This time I'm holding the end mill in a collet. One of our members here pointed out that the tool holder contributes a little runout. It's not much but it all adds up and here I'm trying to get within .001 of the desired width since that controls the width of the taper at the bottom.

 

 

Since it was getting close to the end of the day I was going to leave this for tomorrow but I had to make at least the first cut...

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Yesterday I milled the remaining arms of the crosses rectangular, first one side...

 

 

Then offset the table using this big dial indicator to mill the other side.

 

 

 

Today I set the fixture to cut the tapers using this piece of 5/8" bar to find the exact edge.

 

 

The bar is the same diameter as the end mill so, when I replace it with the end mill it should come very close to the target size. I milled one side all around...

 

 

Then reset the fixture to mill the other side.

 

 

This came out better than the last one...it's still not "perfect" but its so close that I have no problem using it. It's likely more accurate than the original. In any case...I like Ed's comment about "aiming for perfection"/ I probably don't have the skill to be absolutely perfect but if you aim for that you can get very close.

 

 

Now I'll do the other one since everything is set up for it..though I may not be in tomorrow or Friday. It looks as if I have another week of work on these but it will be worth it if they come out right.

 

 

[Terry Harper]

15 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

I probably don't have the skill to be absolutely perfect but if you aim for that you can get very close.

As I tell my students: There is no such thing as the perfect part. However, a perfect design (correctly applying tolerances) takes into account imperfect parts.

 

Joe, you do have the skills to make it perfect... its time and material that's lacking.

Edited May 4, 2023 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[Walt G]

this fine post continues to be an education for all of us. thank you again Joe for taking the time to share it all.

Walt

[chistech]

Joe, William Tell only had to hit the apple, not dead center!😅

[JV Puleo]

Thanks guys...I have to remind myself that the measurements I'm using are all averages taken from a worn original part. If it fits, and works that is all we can expect. As it is, I'm reasonably sure my parts are more accurate than the originals were but "precision" gets to be an obsession. Terry is absolutely right...if it's within tolerance and works properly it is a "perfect" part.

 

I arrived late today with only about an hour or two in the shop because I was having the rear brakes on my truck repaired. As I've said before, I hate working on modern cars (it's 32 years old) I don't have a lift or any place inside to work and I'm too old to be sitting on the ground. I cleaned up the mill to start on the second (and hopefully the last) axle cross. I indicated the fixture to get it parallel and offset it .903 using my 3" indicator. That measurement is half the width of the lug + half the width of the end mill. The actual measurement is .9032 but I've no way to measure .0002 very accurately and I doubt it makes any difference.

 

 

Then put an end mill in and set everything up for tomorrow morning.

 

 

I am getting better at this...it's too bad I'll never have to do it again (or maybe not!)

 

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

I won't bore you all with a step-by-step description of today's work since it's a repetition of what I did yesterday and the day before. I got all of the "lugs" milled on the second cross and set it up for the first taper by the end of the day.

 

[JV Puleo]

I spent most of today visiting with Ted Brito (i.e. Christech). I wanted to see the Olds DCR before it heads back to the owner. In my opinion, Ted's work looks better in person than it does in photos. It is really a remarkable job...solid as a rock with every joint firmly glued and screwed together. I suspect it's the proverbial "better than new."

 

I got back in time to mill one of the 4 remaining tapers...

 

 

I could have gone further but the vertical head is making a squeaking noise. I sounds like a bearing noise...though that is just a guess but it really bothers me. The problem here is that I need to finish the the tapers without removing the piece from the machine. If I make it through without anything going bad I'll take the vertical head off and look inside. It's very heavy...maybe 300 lbs so it isn't something easily done but even if I confirm it's not the bearings I'll feel a lot more confident. If it is a bearing this could be a major problem because I they are probably the super accurate ones and may not be available...and if they are, very expensive. As it is, there is no indication from the way the end mill is running that this is the problem...but we'll see.

 

To finish up the day I put the piece I'd already done on the fixture...

 

 

Three of the four cap screws that hold it went in easily. The fourth one was tight. I'm not sure of the reason but this isn't a major problem because all these do is hole the piece down and I did it with two screws the last time. I may even go back and take the tight one out. In this case, the salient feature is the hole in the center which I align with a piece of 1" ground bar and that worked as I'd hoped.

 

 

[JV Puleo]

I finished the remaining three tapers today with the machine still squeaking but I decided to take a chance since taking it down at this point might well make it difficult to finish the part.

 

 

These tapers actually came out exactly perfect in that the small end is what I was originally aiming for. But, I'd like them to be identical so I'll have to modify this piece eventually, but not until after I've put the flutes in and gotten them to the point where I can try then in the hubs. I dismantled the fixture and turned the vertical head on its side. I had intended to take the front part off but it's very heavy and I'm afraid of dripping it on the table. The only time this has been off was when I originally assembled it and for that I had a helper. If I take it off its probably prudent to ask one of my friends to give me a hand.

 

With it turned on it's side I took the plate off that covers the retaining nut on the top of the spindle and noticed that it was scraping...exactly the sort of issue that would result in the noise I've been hearing.

 

 

The plate itself also shows this sort of wear and there is a burr on the inside.

 

 

So...I put it back together and tested it with the plate off...and the noise was still there, albeit not as pronounced. I then tested it at a lower PM (it had been running at 430) and there was no noise. When it was on it's side and I was able to turn the spindle by hand the bearing felt smooth with no indication of a problem and there appeared to be plenty of grease in there. So, whatever the problem is, it does not appear to be critical, at least at this point. Since all of the remaining procedures are done at the lower rpm I decided to press on and I'll take the head off later when I won't be needing the machine. With that in mind, I set up the rotary table to mill the flutes.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[chistech]

Joe, thanks for the compliments and it was great seeing you. I’m getting in some interesting reading. You were right about the revolver book. I’ve never read anything like it. I realize now that I didn’t even offer you a ride in my Olds. Our conversation was so good, it totally slipped my mind. Next time we can take a nice ride along our coast!

[JV Puleo]

Today's project was cutting the flutes. This went very smoothly.

The first one...

 

 

Then all four cut.

 

 

And I had enough time to set up the the second one and cut the first flute.

 

[JV Puleo]

I finished the flutes today.

 

 

Then dismantled the rotary table and set up the dividing head to put a bevel on the flat portion at the base of the taper. I have to do this because, as it is, the flat area is slightly too wide and prevents the cross from slipping in.

 

 

I did one side, then turned the cross around and did the other. Aside from the tapers being in exactly right position, the other measurements aren't as perfect as I'd like. Fortunately, none of them effect the way the piece works. This is the second one I milled and, as you can see, it actually slips in a little too far. I have a solution for that you'll see tomorrow.

 

[Gary_Ash]

At long last, here are the cast tops for the hub caps.  They are Everdur bronze, about 3.2 lbs each.  Very sturdy.  They'll go in the mail today or tomorrow.

Have fun machining them to fit the cylinder pieces!

 

 

Bottom side of hub cap ends.

 

Tops of hub cap ends.

[JV Puleo]

Those look really great Gary...thanks again.

It's actually been an unusually productive day with Gary's news that the hub cap tops came in because I'm getting very close to being able to fit them.

 

I tried the two crosses in the hubs. As you can see, one goes down a bit too far.

 

 

Here is the better of the two crosses compared to the good original...

 

 

I also tried the hub cap over the cross just to make sure it was right...

 

 

To correct the long cross, I put it in the lathe and removed .100. This brings the thickness down to 1.250. Since some of the other measurements can be adjusted, the amount of material in contact with the axle may not change at all and, if it does, only a very small amount.

 

 

Now the taper fit is very close to the original.

 

 

Then I removed .100 from the other cross but this time on the large end.

 

 

And ground them...the small end on one, the large end on the other so now they are identical.

 

 

And tried the again. they may not be perfect but they are very close and I'm certain will work as intended.

 

 

The last step today was to set the mill up to remove .400 from the big end. It was too close to the end of the day to start this and I'd forgotten to get a short 1/2-20 socket head screw so I'll get back to this on Monday. We are getting very close now. When these are done I can take the measurements for the hub caps and send the crosses out to have the square holes put in.

 

[JV Puleo]

Not too much today. I have so much work to do on my house that I've decided not to work in the shop on weekends unless it's raining...and even then there is plenty to do inside. After I repaired my shower valve I got to work machining the back end of the crosses. This has a boss in the center 2-1/4" in diameter and .400 deep. I'd bought a new carbide indexable cutter for this but when I used it the finish wasn't as good as I'd gotten with the high speed steel cutter I'd used before so I went back to the original cutter. This isn't difficult work, especially as the tolerances are very forgiving but it is tedious since I have to turn the rotary table by hand and I don't want to take very aggressive cuts.

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Well...despite a few interruptions – all good ones – I'm managed to finish the raised boss on the first cross. I'd had to change the cutter and also take the piece off to shorten the cap screws that are holding it down. Fortunately, the fixture is such that I could do that (although this wasn't planned...I was just lucky).

 

 

Then I put it in the drill press to chamfer the threaded holes on the milled side. I'm doing this because it will have to be bolted to the fixture upside down to mill the recess in the other side.

 

 

It fit...and what's more, it fit just about perfectly. At least as good as I could hope for and probably better than I'd expected.

 

 

Then it was bolt on the second piece and start over. Needless to say, this is not a 3-day project. In fact, I could have finished this one today but decided that, since it was already 5PM maybe I'd better wait and take the last .100 off when I'm more likely to be alert. It won't make a bit of difference in the long run but I'd sure hate to ruin something now.

 

 

Doing a job like this makes it very clear why "prototyping" is so time consuming. In the end, I'll have spent about 4 times as much time on fixtures and tests as I have on actually making the part. If anyone wonders why it can cost so much to have this sort of work done...that's the answer. Practically everything on a car like this is a one-off job that you will never be called on to do again.

Edited May 18, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Terry Harper]

Fantastic Joe!

[JV Puleo]

Thanks Terry...and also your student that calculated the tapers. It's clear the 3-degree taper was correct and as much as the rest of it was difficult, without that information it would have been much worse. When I tried to figure them out using a set of taper gauges I did come up with 3-degrees and probably would have tried that first but I would never have machined the pieces until I'd made test pieces.

Edited May 18, 2023 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

The second cross with the end milled.

 

 

I then tried them in the hubs after which I reassembled one of them on the axle to get an idea how deep the recess on the front face had to be. It looks as if .150 will work but I may go to .200. That will leave the bearing surface in the square hole about .050 shorter than the original but I sincerely doubt that will make any difference.

 

 

Set up to mill the front face...

 

 

And part way through...the first one always takes longer.

 

[Mike Macartney]

Joe, what a PITA! What broke and caused that? Mike

[JV Puleo]

Mike...nothing's wrong. It is supposed to be relieved in the inside. The "ears" of the cross fit in past the edge of the nut. The headache here is that my nuts are a lot larger than the original so the fitting is a bit fussy but so far it's working.