1923 Dodge engine

[cutdown]

Hi. i have just joined this forum and hoping for some advice on the above engine.

I have owned this car for a long time [ in New Zealand ]and now I have retired have started to finish off the restoration.  I have never had it running so want to remove the sump to check the crank and bearings. There are 2 holes at the rear of the sump on front cover for the flywheel [ it has been soldered to the sump ] where I suspect there are 2 bolts or screws. Very hard to tell, but with all visible bolts loose, the sump is free all around except at the rear.  Can someone verify that and let me know what they are, or suggest where I can get this information.

 

many thanks

 

 

[Bob Scafani]

there should be two bolts with square ends on them at the rear of the sump. They unscrew counter clockwise.

[cutdown]

Hi Bob. Thanks for that. Very quick replay. Yes both bolts missing and one broken off.   I thought about looking at the other engine i had in the garaqe and discovered those bolts.  Amazing, they are not a standards size squares, but managed to get them out with a 7/16" open ender.  Got the sump off in the end but I should have removed the oil pump first, which was a little awkward hanging onto the sump as well.

The block was full of black sludge. Yuck what a mess.  All looks well otherwise but I am going to Plastiguage the bearings anyway. Most modern engines have about 1 thou" clearance. What should I expect with this engine?

 

Lots of work to be done. repair front guards. Make up new hood stays and make new hood.

 

I have been advised the 24" tyres are hugely expensive and have sometimes been replaced with 21".   Mine has been a 4 seater, cut down into a flat deck truck, and 21" wheels fitted to the rear.

 

What are the prices and availability of tyres over there.  525x21   and 5.00 x 24.

 

Dereck

 

PS My other automotive interest is Norton Commando's.

Edited May 14, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[BHWINCVAP]

5.25-21" tires are all but non existent. Last week I managed to get the last 3 Firestones Summit had and have not yet been able to find the 4th anywhere. I did find a few 3" Wide Whites  somewhere among the phone calls but at nearly $400 a tire I passed...   Many places are showing them on their websites but when ya call to order it the same story, They are out of stock and no idea when they will be back in..

 

CokerTire.com

Looks to have 4 of the Blackwall BF Goodrich 500-24 tires in stock $268.00 ea

Edited May 14, 2021 by BHWINCVAP (see edit history)

[cutdown]

Another engine question.

Has any one any knowledge of a modification to the front retainer that holds the gears to the front of the crankshaft. The original retainer, with the pin going through it and through the crankshaft is not holding the gears tight. They are loose and flog out the key-way if they are left. 

 

Also, does anyone know if the oil pump is able to push oil through a filter, before delivering it to the engine.  I have a copy of the original workshop manual and it says the zero oil pressure at idle is not a problem [ and normal when hot ]. That to me is wrong. It also talks about 1 - 1/2 lbs at 20 mph in top gear [ presumably 1-1/ psi ]. Not very high by today's standards. 

 

many thanks

 

Dereck

[MikeC5]

Although it has an oil pump, it is not a true pressurized oil system.  The pump brings oil to a galley in the block where it then fills pockets in the oil pan baffle that line up with the connecting rods.  It’s basically a splash system at that point.  That’s why the oil pressure gauge only goes to 4 psi.  I use 10W30  and for the first few miles the pressure stays up around 4 but after it fully warms up it’s down in that 1 - 2 range at idle.

[Minibago]

Once worn whether it is the pin, the gear or the crankshaft the ultimate failure is catastrophic so replacement is important.

The oil pump is very small so fitting a filter having a 40 micron restriction is probably not a good idea. If using the correct oil “Not the modern car synthetic oil” then a filter is not necessary. Modern detergent oils are not suitable for these engines.

I would not run a car with zero oil pressure.

The pressure is set by the ball and spring located in the fitting coming off the block, in this example just behind the water pump.
 

 

The ball and spring are available new from Myers early Dodge parts.

Low oil pressure could be due to the pump being worn, the ball and spring losing tension, incorrect oil or greater than recommended gaps in the bearing caps on the mains and big ends. The oil feed is via splash from a rail coating the inside of the bore (lower) and the crankcase from above and a sort of scoop on the big ends splashing from a raised trough in the sump to help assist in feeding the bearings.
I have four psi on my 1917 on start up at idle and when very hot at idle three and a bit rising to four when driving. I change my oil regularly between rallies / tours so maybe every 1,000 miles.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Mark Gregush]

This is a volume not pressure system. The pressure on the gauge is more to indicate that oil is being pumped. Ford Model A's worked the same way at about the same pressures. For an oil filter you would want to use a full flow type, same as what Model A's would use in a non modified system, Ford Model T's can use the same filter with their gravity system.

[Minibago]

Some good points raised here, although perhaps some clarification. The oil pump is gravity fed, the pump is a sliding vane type with a helper spring to keep the vanes in touch with the chamber sides.

The pipe size from the sump to the pump is 3/8”

The line into the block and oil gauge is 1/4”

 

 

The chamber referred to is the outer crescent in the above photo. Critical to the operation is the face of the bottom cover shown in photo 2. It can be pitted due to moisture sitting on this plate during the “rest period” in a shed.

As pointed out, a gasket fitted to seal this, if too thick, can create a gap so oil can bypass. Also mentioned is that this is a volume pump and the pressure gauge indicates flow rather than a pressure to be achieved, the pressure is created by introducing a restriction into the flow however if the ball and spring regulator (the restriction) is fitted and you have no pressure showing then I would take this to be a concern. If the pump cannot put out enough pressure to lift the ball off it’s seat and show even one psi then the pump is not performing as it should and points to check would be the aforementioned cover plate clearance, the vane wear and the spring tension.

In my experience frequent oil changes to maintain the lubrication qualities and remove the contamination not removed by an oil filter as in modern cars is just ahead of greasing regularly to help provide a longer life for our charges.

just my thoughts.

[cutdown]

HI There. Thanks for your replies. I understand what you are saying. I have been a mechanic for over 30 years but retired from that 21 years ago.  It was obvious to me after what I have seen that I needed more information, which I hoped I would get by purchasing the copy of the Dodge workshop manual.  That wasn't the case hence all the questions.

I have made the decision to remove the engine etc to make it easier to fix the problems, the main one being the loose gears at the front of the crankshaft.

My oil pump looks pretty good [ no pitting ] but I will attend to that as necessary. 

 

As for the loose gears. Can anyone tell me if the pin driven through the collar and crankshaft is tapered.  A friend  suggested it might be, or it would come loose. It looks like it has been peened on both ends so which way am I going to drive it out.

I have to make up an "A" frame to hoist the engine out with my chain block so have a bit of time to sort all this out. I should have decided to haul the engine out in the first place because the clutch is bound to be seized and a good idea to inspect the g/box as well. Someone has fitted an SU type fuel pump and the Stewart vac pump is included with the spares so good idea to make that work as well.

 

The 2 x 3/8 OD  C U oil lines have only single tapers and I prefer the double taper. The oil line to the engine has been flattened as well in the sharp bend near the OP valve. I have also started to make and adapter at the sump pick up to enable a drain plug to be fitted. I don't really like how they suggest draining the oil by loosening the oil supply pipe from the sump and oil pump.

 

Seeing as the oil pump is such a low pressure device, I had better set up a jig to prove whether a filter could be fitted inline or not. 

 

I like these nice simple engines, just like the engines on my Norton Motorbikes.  We had a bit of a saying in the motor trade though. "The simple devices sometime were the hardest to cure/diagnose". Don't get sucked in because it cant give trouble.

 

all the best

 

Dereck

[nearchoclatetown]

When changing oil you are expected to clean out the screen, not just drain oil from a 3/8 bolt. Don't overthink DBs, they will confuse you and win. 

[Minibago]

Keep in touch Dereck, if you need information someone here will have it.

On that note no, the pin is straight. Part number 202 if anyone has any NOS.

 

 

Sadly, no dimension information in the parts book.

 

[cutdown]

Hi Minibago.  That pin [ 202 ] is the one the crank handle engages with. The diagram does not show the pin that goes through collar no 261.  I suspect 212 represents the drive for the oil pump. 205 [ retainer ] appears to be pointing to the dynamo drive gear.

 

We are getting somewhere slowly though. As you mentioned, someone out there will know.

 

I think I need to get  a book with the part numbers in  it. Not sure where though, and not sure I want to pay another $99.00 NZ for a book that does not have the answers I want. That workshop manual didn't give me any more information that I didn't know or have access to from an encyclopedia written in 1943,  covering the basics of American vehicles. Not to worry. It was interesting reading.

 

Dereck

 

 

I love the way the manual suggests leaving the crank handle in position to help stop water from entering the engine.  This is the first engine I have seen that does not have any type of oil seal arrangement at the front.

Edited July 20, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[Minibago]

Hi Dereck,

I have a very nice leather bound parts list costing a little more than NZ$99 so hopefully we can make good use of it.

I will have a look at an engine I have in the garage first thing tomorrow to see what I can discover that might help. I also have a spare bare crankshaft so I just had a look at it.

 

 

 

I am not sure why but the second hole is not shown in the parts book, nor is the pin.

This hole is 0.2 inches (1/5) an odd size however the keyways do the driving so it can only there to prevent movement fore and aft.

Keep asking the questions.

😊

[cutdown]

Both my lines from the oil pump are 3/8" OD and 7.6 mm ID. The one going to the gauge is smaller. I don' t like the restriction [ in the bend ] in the pipe going to the engine hence wanting to renew it. The pipes to me are not very big for a low pressure system, but obviously big enough.

[cutdown]

Minibago. That's a great help. Looks like a parallel hole. It also looks like the gears on your crank there have been moving as well. Must be a common problem. An engineer I know came to the same conclusion as me. Make a longer collet and thread the outside. Secure a nut over that to compress the gears, after renewing both keys and Loctiting the gears to the crank.

 

That's the second odd dimension I have seen so far now.  The squares on the rear sump bolts are neither metric nor imperial..Bigger that 3/8 and smaller then 7/16. 10.25 mm or 0.4035 inches.  I always though american dimensions were in inches but didn't realize they used the decimal inches rather that the fractions.  [ maybe apart from crankshafts and pistons ]

Edited July 21, 2021 by cutdown
new info (see edit history)

[cutdown]

Jack. Look at the front of your crankshaft.  You can see the drive pin which the crank handle engages. Behind that is a coller, which is held in place by the 0.2 inch pin mentioned above. That coller presses against the oil pump drive gear which presses against the Dynamo drive gear and the camshaft drive gear. I advise you to make sure any of those gears are not loose/. [ rocking or oscilating back and forward on the crank. ]  If they are, you had better fix them as the workshop manual mentions a knocking noise they can make and also, destruction if they come loose.

 

At the moment, I don't have the front off the engine as my original intention was only to adjust the bearing clearances once I removed the sump.

[Mark Gregush]

The camshaft gear; there are alignment marks on the end of the camshaft and one on the gear, but no key.

[cutdown]

Hi Mark. The camshaft "drive gear" I mentioned, is the one on the crankshaft.  The "driven gear' is on the camshaft.  [ auto engineers terms ]

 

Jack, thanks for your comment.   I have never run this engine, but the bloody workshop manual I bought, mentioned that no pressure at idle hot was OK.  To me that's a pile of shite.

 

Below are pictures from the manual I bought.  You can see in the middle of page 3 where it says no oil pressure is OK @ low revs. [ That's bollocks to me, unless I am Miss-reading what it says. ]

Edited July 21, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[cutdown]

 

Hi Minibago.  Could you please let me know the diameter of the crankshaft where the timing and Dynamo gears sit.  It looks like Dodge must have known about the gears coming loose and decided to put 2 keyway's in the crank instead of the usual 1 keyway. [ My guess ]

 

 

 

Picture of car just before putting in my daughter's garage. It does look odd withe 24 inch wheels on the front and the 21 inch on the back but that's the way I intend to keep it looking at this stage.

Edited July 21, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[Minibago]

Hi Dereck,

The diameter of the collar shaft is one inch, the diameter of the gear shaft is one and 3/8ths inches.

Nice photo. 
I like individuality so you have the wheels how you like.

😊

[Mark Gregush]

RE: Hi Mark. The camshaft "drive gear" I mentioned, is the one on the crankshaft.  The "driven gear' is on the camshaft.  [ auto engineers terms ]

I added: "The camshaft gear; there are alignment marks on the end of the camshaft and one on the gear, but no key", in case you might have been looking for a key on the cam shaft.

[cutdown]

Hi Mark. Most of the camshafts I have worked on in the past which have been secured by bolts, don't have keys. Some have vernier adjustments as well. [ ie Jaguar ]

 

I have had another look at my loose gear problem and decided to get some advice about threading the 1 inch portion of the crankshaft so a nut can be used to secure the gears.  There isn't enough room for a mod to that collet. Also, the collet OD is about as big as you can go, without interfering with the oil pump driven gear which looks in my case to be forward of the centre line of its mate on the crankshaft. It will mean the nut has to be turned down sufficient to miss that gear when its tightened up. the drive pin for the crank handle can be utilized for some sort of locking device for the nut.

 

Engine out before that happens.   It will be good to do a total strip now to remove all that black crud inside the block.

 

Thanks for all your help guys.  i will keep this thread going as progress is made.

 

Dereck

Edited July 23, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[cutdown]

Its finally out. It was an interesting project working out how to do this. Lots of dismantling.

 

Because the cylinder head  was firmly against the fire wall, it meant I had to remove the rear head stud as well, which finally let go this afternoon. I head removed the head on an earlier occasion. One of the head studs broke so will need to get another one of those plus need to get more head nuts as there were a few standard thin nuts holding the head on when I got the car.

Once I had removed the steering box, I could remove the exhaust complete with manifold . That manifold nut was too hard to get at in place and I will need to make up a special tool to fit the nut.

Now to sort out the loose front gear problem.  If its possible, I will cut a 1 inch UNF thread on the front of the crankshaft and make up a special nut to hold everything in place.

 

Could someone please let me know how much clearance there normally is between the head and the fire wall? It could be that the body has been mounted slightly forward on the chassis.

 

all the best.

 

dereck

[Minibago]

My car has just a bit less than 1/4 of an inch,

You definitely need clearance.

[cutdown]

Yes. Vibrations. I will have to see if I can shift it forward.  Not sure if the rear engine mounting will allow that but I could always look at reshaping the fire wall. [ Maybe ]

[Minibago]

I understand that the rear engine / gearbox banjo mount is bolted in to the chassis with no adjustment. This dictates the fore and aft engine / gearbox position. The front mount is really just a support so your body mount bolts are where you need to make your adjustment for clearance between the engine and firewall. (I think)

[cutdown]

I agree.  I have been thinking about this so had another look today. The front sliding joint is no problem and the cross member has plenty of meat in it to elongate the holes backward. Once I have the engine about to be fully installed, I will check the alignment and work out if I need to weld the front edges of the holes so it cant move.

I stripped more of the engine and notice the pin holding the Morse chain together is extra long. It doesn't seem to have been a problem though. I had a better look at the front crank problem.  Hmmmmm!!!   Not much room.

 

Was there a special jig made to enable the correct alignment of the clutch?

[cutdown]

Slowly getting there. I feel like Captain Cook must have felt in 1769.  He knew  he was going somewhere, but had never been there before.

 

In the top picture you can see the camshaft thrust plug on the rhs of the block. It looks like a 5/16 UNF thread in the middle for extracting it.  Trouble is, a 5/16 unf bolt wont go in ans as we are in lockdown, I have no access to w 5/16 unf tap to clean the threads if necessary. 

Can anyone please tell me if it is 5/16 UNF. 

 

Also is there anyone out there that has the experience of stripping down engine, g/box and diff on one of these.  it would be nice to get an idea in advance  rather than the learning experience I have been though so far.   I am a qualified Auto engineer but like Cook, I am feeling my way using the guidance of the Dodge manual which is not quite so easy to follow.

 

Especially as when it comes to removing the engine etc it basically assumes you know what you are doing.   Instead of removing the diff, g/box then engine over a 3 -4 day period, someone who knows what they are doing and so long as everything un- does easily, it should really only take 1.5 to 2 hours..

 

The manual does say remove the diff first, then the gearbox then lower the rear of the engine to allow getting the engine back out of the front cross member before removing engine. engine.

The two 1 inch x 14 TPI nuts I ordered on Friday 13th, actually arrived yesterday. You can see in the main picture, I have removed the crank pin and the oil pump drive collet. I just have to wait until after our lockdown to borrow the thread cutting tool for the front of the crank.

 

Someone mentioned on another thread about getting the cam shaft reground to get the valve overlap more modern.  I would appreciate more info on which grind to go for.

 

Dereck

 

PS you can get an idea how dirty the inside of the engine is from the main picture here.

Edited September 5, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[Minibago]

Hi Dereck,

Firstly the plug thread is definitely 5/16ths UNF I just put a bolt in to try it. 
If you have no tap maybe cut a bolt down the centre for a half inch or so with a fine hacksaw and use this as a rudimentary thread cleaner.

 

Next, I agree that the mechanics manual is not very comprehensive, in all my work removing engines on these I have always removed the rear axle and torque tube and cleared it away then removed the gearbox. Supporting the engine the banjo is removed followed by the engine.

 

The mention of a cam shaft regrind to provide an overlap was from me I believe, the cam grind I had done was to “Ralph’s  recipe” it was a bit of a secret I think but I understand the later Chrysler grind was the guide, I am not an engineer so the profile I cannot explain nor can I tell you the dwell, sorry.

[22touring]

cutdown, I'm enjoying your thread because I'm presently removing the engine, transmission and rear axle from my late '22 touring car in order to have the frame blasted and powder-coated, and am asking myself some of the same questions that you are.

 

I just wanted to share the following with you [the link provided proved to be dead, so I'm quoting it instead] because, from what I've heard, Horace Dodge thought he was designing a car that would almost never need to be repaired, so he simply didn't care very much about servicability at all.

 

"Dodge Bros. collectors Harry and Debbie Redding discover that it's not too easy to replace the water pump on their 1915 model:  'I wanted to pull the water pump and the oil pan. In the process I discovered that to pull the water pump shaft you need to remove the engine’s front chain case, to remove the chain case you need to pull the engine, to pull the engine you need to remove the transmission, to remove the transmission you need to move the rear axle with torque tube back several inches (basically remove the rear axle). To then lift the engine out it would be easier to first lift the body slightly. To remove enough body bolts to lift the body you need to remove pieces of the running boards and the rear fenders. I didn’t lift the body!'"

 

 

[cutdown]

HI GUYS.

22touring

My son-in-law suggested removing the body, but that meant removing the tray first  plus whatever else I would find along the way.  Nah.  Not so bad getting the engine out after following the above procedures, as well as removing the cyl head, and also the rear stud.I had removed the head some years ago.

That early Dodge must be different from ours as i believe you can get the w/pump off in place.  My project has never had front guards on it since I have had it so thaT may make it easier!! I didn't take mine off till I got the engine out though. I removed the magneto though for safety and easier access.  

Minibago

Yes, I got an old unf bolt and wound it in back and forward for about three threads. threads were damaged so I do need a tap.

I finally got the main bearings adjusted this morning.  i thought i was going to be in the shit because someone else had used paper shims as well the the spacers to get the adjust right previously.  i had found all sorts of crappy work done previously.  Some one had in ingeniously filed some of the big end shims tapered to get the clearances right and both side were not the same thickness in some cases.

 

Took the bolts out of the cam wheel this morning and found the cam and shaft had location timing marks. Its interesting that no timing marks correspond with TDC, the cam wheel to crack gear are timed 45 degrees or so away from TDC.

 

A lot of work so far and much more to do.  I still haven't had time to work out how to get the clutch off the gearbox but that will be soon.  I have purchased a new flywheel spigot bearing locally.  

I noticed one of the rear wheels did not have a mounting lug or bolt so I need to get another one of those. It has been converted to 21 inch 5 stud at the rear and the lugs are different from the front ones. I will take a photo shortly.

 

Got called away for lunch. Look at your nose she said. Go and wash it.  Big black mark from the internals of the engine. Teach me to be so nosy. I cant wait to strip it completely to enable thorough cleaning. I took the end plugs out of the oil gallery and ran a wire through it to see how much crud was in there. A bit at the back but not too much that a thorough clean will fix later. 

 

Dereck 

Edited September 6, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[Minibago]

The very early cars had the whole front casting on the water pump side in one piece so the shaft need to be removed to release the water pump.

On later (early) cars the water pump / magneto / distributor drive gear was housed in a detachable casting making it possible to remove the pump and shaft for maintenance from the side.

[cutdown]

I CHEATED, I just went back around to the garage where my Dodge is being worked on and dragged the gearbox from behind the car up to the front where I can look at it.  Looks like you disassemble the clutch throw out to remove the clutch.  I also suspect that the flywheel spigot bearing takes all the forward thrust when you are pressing the clutch down,  That's not the best idea and definitely not a good idea to ride the clutch.

 

Thanks for the info on the early car.

 

Dereck

Edited September 6, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[cutdown]

I borrowed the 1 inch x 24 thread cutter and 5/16 unf tap from the mens shed, cleaned out the thread on the cam thrust pad and cut the thread on the front of the crank. I had a friend hold the engine while i refitted a 5/16 bolt attached to a chain which was bolted to the end of an old truck rear axle [ bloody heavy ], which is used as an impact puller for extracting hubs etc from cars.  I gave the cam plug a bout 6 goes, finally giving it a huge heave and the bloody plug would not budge.  i have now decided to leave the cam in place and to hell with sorting out a more modern grind.  I machined the new nut today and double checked that the crank handle would go over the machined part loosely. All looks good. I machine a small taper where the nut cam neare the oil pump drive gear, and machined the other end down  [ in silver ] to allow the crank handle to go over it loosely.  Later when rebuilding the engine, I will shim [ the key way areas ]  and loctite the gears in place after first working out where the nut will finish up.  I will then mark the nut in the area where the crank handle pin goes and cut a hole in the nut to fit the pin. This will act as a locking devise for the big nut.

I got sick of getting black hands again so got engine degreaser and a 12mm paint brush and took to all the surfaces that are hard to get at, like above each main journal and around the cam. All those lower surface ares were full of black crud. That"s the best I can do apart from running the engine on diesel oil for a few miles to clean it out.

 

I had another thought today looking at the crank handle and the front mount tube. Ideally, a bearing would be best fitted to locate the crank handle better in the tube. Easy to do. get a bearing with out ID of approx 40-41mm and an ID big enough to go around the bends in the crank. Make up a tight fitting spacer to fit around the crank handle and inside the bearing. Split it and the drive it into place.

 

Dereck

Edited September 11, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[John McEwan]

On 9/5/2021 at 9:02 PM, Minibago said:

Hi Dereck,

Firstly the plug thread is definitely 5/16ths UNF I just put a bolt in to try it. 
If you have no tap maybe cut a bolt down the centre for a half inch or so with a fine hacksaw and use this as a rudimentary thread cleaner.

 

Next, I agree that the mechanics manual is not very comprehensive, in all my work removing engines on these I have always removed the rear axle and torque tube and cleared it away then removed the gearbox. Supporting the engine the banjo is removed followed by the engine.

 

The mention of a cam shaft regrind to provide an overlap was from me I believe, the cam grind I had done was to “Ralph’s  recipe” it was a bit of a secret I think but I understand the later Chrysler grind was the guide, I am not an engineer so the profile I cannot explain nor can I tell you the dwell, sorry.

Is there any performance gain from the reground cam?

 

[Minibago]

To be clear, the intention is not to increase the speed of the Dodge Brothers cars but to improve power and efficiency making driving acceleration and hill climbing power easier for the keen drivers among us to better enjoy modern road conditions.

 

Also to be clear I am not an engineer nor a motor mechanic.
 

The original cam shaft grind has the exhaust valve closing before or at the same time as the inlet starts to open.

The side valve configuration is not the best set up.

The bathtub combustion chamber design is also not very efficient.

The spark plug site over the valves just compounds the problem.

 

The late Ralph Provan utilised the developments by Riccardo to design a head in aluminium with a combustion chamber creating a swirl effect and positioning the plug to fire over the piston.

The upgrade to the camshaft profile changed the valve timing (inlet opening before exhaust to allow the exiting exhaust gases to help draw a larger charge in to the combustion chamber. The dwell (The time that the valves are open) is also important.

Ralph expected that all of this would be used together so taking one item may not provide much improvement. The standard head combustion chamber is not designed with swirl so perhaps some of the extra charge created by the valve opening overlap may well go straight out of the exhaust however in my opinion, the cam grind providing valve overlap (inlet opening before exhaust closes) must provide an improvement in available charge on an otherwise standard car.
Again, Ralph’s final offering was an improvement in the ratio for first and second gear to eliminate the high revving slow progress at traffic lights and intersections. (Particularly on inclines) 

I was privileged to go for a run in Ralph’s 1915 Tourer with all the above fitted and “Wow” is the only description.

My 1919 Tourer has all these improvements but is not complete and running as yet, I am looking forward to driving it with a full load.

I hope this helps clarify things John.

[cutdown]

Hi there. 

Someone on this forum asked about machining quite a bit off the head to increase compression. [ Sorry, I cant find that thread again ] . An answer to his question was that unless the cam was ground with a more modern grind, it was a waste of time.  Also when I checked the manual, it said the exhaust vale closed at TDC and the inlet valve opened 8 degrees after TDC. I checked my engine before dismantling and using an "eyeometer" observation, I agreed with what the manual said.  That valve timing is really backward for an engine.

My intention was to make the car a  bit smoother to drive based on the above and also to possible make the vehicle a bit more economical.  Looking at the design, I would think it lucky to get 10 miles per gallon, but that is a guess. There was also talk on that thread that "hotting up'' these engines was not too detrimental. Not my intention though, as the vehicle is 98 years young, and the crankshaft is pretty spindly compared to modern engines.

My experience on flat head engines is my very first vehicle. A CC Bradford van, which if I was lucky, Might do 25 MPG. [ Riccardo head design as well.. Basically a flat portion above the piston and most of the space above the valves and sloping down to the piston area. Spark plug between and beside the valves. ]  My 4.2 litre Jags could be made to do 21 Mpg. I kno which I would rather drive.

 

I am just going to be happy to get this car going again after sitting idle for so long. Adjusting the bearings was my priority, but after seeing how much black crap was inside it and how loose the front gears were, there was no option but remove the engine.  It has a straight bore and Alloy pistons. Rings look in really good order. It needs a valve grind and renewing two exhaust vales as they had corroded on their stems. Also the welch plug at the back of the water jacket looks like it may have been leaking.

The fan drive pulley has flogged out, water pump, Magneto, carb and lift pump unknown. Exhaust is ok for now but the flange nut is just about worn away so for now, I removed the exhaust in one piece. A new nut will be ordered as my spare engine is much the same.. 

 

I found there were no gaskets behind the valve covers and some of the tappets had not been tightened. It will be fun again making all the new gaskets.

All the best.

 

I have made the adapter for the drain plug. just a note, modern engines have a filter mounted to the oil pump, which is inside the engine.  The old idea of cleaning the oil filter was because the oils available 100 years ago were not up to the job. [ hence the black crud found inside the engine. ] Picture here which also shows the old collet retainer and the crank pin.

 

Dereck

Edited September 12, 2021 by cutdown (see edit history)

[cutdown]

This time a question about Dyno chain and engine ID. 

First, My chassis plate is 905830, but according to page 103 in my manual, it refers to engines after A875-380 having timing chains.  Mine definitely does not have a timing chain, but meshing gears so it has to be from a car prior to that chassis number. [ surely ]

 

Second. On the page shown below, it says that there are 2 different Dyno chains, but it is very unclear from the description, which is which. Mine is joined by a pin which goes through quite a few interlocking fingers.  Both chains refereed to have a single joining pin. so which is it. The older chain connected together by double link locked by a pin passing through both link pins.. "The new type chain has a connecting link which is locked by a pin through only one of the link pins"

 

Mine is a Morse type silent chain, . If I understand what is written, the earlier chain is a convention chain, which is more commonly used now days.  Its true, a picture is worth a thousand words and eliminates any misunderstanding.

 

Hopefully someone may be able to shed some light on which timing chain I have because according to the manual, "the later type chain require tighter adjustment", whereas the earlier chain requires 1/2 inch up and down play, midway between sprockets".

[22touring]

Can the original equipment DB camshaft be reground to provide the overlap, or must you have a new camshaft made, and in the latter event who makes camshafts like that?