How does it fit?

[Guest]

Hi all, I have this thing in my hand and I don't know which way it fits!!!

It is the little rod that screws onto the lower scuttle, it is somehow connected to the carby and also to the controls of the steering wheel.

which way is which? does it fit with the two arms at the steering wheel end or the other way around? I must mention it is for my 1918 DB also my 1923 GB.

Also, at the bottom end of the steering wheel there are two little levers that are connected to this rod thingy, i'm not too sure which one connects to which.Some thing connects to the magnito and the other must connect to the carby. This is getting a bit too complex for me. could some kind person draw me a drawing of how this all works, or be even nicer to me and email me a photo of the connections as on their own car.

thankyou. Brian.

[nearchoclatetown]

The lever closest to steering wheel controls idle speed. The one closest to floor controls distributor advance. It would be best and safest to look at another car to look at how they are hooked up.

[Guest]

Thanks for that my friend, I will see if I can find one of these rare beasts around here somewhere and look under the hood.

I think that the two lever end must be at the steering wheel end, one links to the carby and the loose end is probbably a link for the magnito advance/retard. I shall try this and see.

AHH. I JUST REALISED SOMETHING. MY CARS ARE RIGHT HAND DRIVE AND ARE DIFFERENT TO YOUR SETUP. no wonder you were confused!!!!

[mrgearhead]

Brian

You are right about our cars being wrong hand drive from yours, but for consistency the lever on top closest to the steering wheel connect it to the carby. The direction is down for idle or start position and up for fast or cruse. The lower lever is connected to the magneto. Down is retard i.e. the spark fires after top dead center. This means that the spark plug fires after the piston is I think about 4 degrees on the down stroke. The levers are set this way so when hand cranking all the driver needed to do was pull both levers to the same position (down) and the car is ready to start.

Reuel

Let me know how it goes. I too am in the process of restoring a 1918 touring.

[Guest]

Hi Reuel,

Got it. Close lever for carb and other one for mag. Thanks. Just another silly thing, If the hand lever is connected to the carb, then how is the gas pedal connected to the carb? Does that mean that the hand lever moves up and down with the gas pedal? this would be a bit of a laugh. more fun watching the lever than the road...

The idea of the spark retard at startup answers my questions. When I had to remove the '18 from a garage I borrowed for a couple of years, I thought that it needed very little to get the old car going, so with all small jobs completed I tried to crank the car into life. I cranked and cranked and still cranked.

Bugger me the thing spits heaps of gas out of the joint in the carby, all over the place, great for starting a fire!! I'm glad i'm not a smoker.

It kicked back many a time, one time it kicked back so hard that it ripped the button off the sleeve of my shirt and threw it against the garage wall. Thank god my teeth were out of reach of the crank handle.

Anyway with the help of my son we pushed it out of the garage and down hill from there. Hope the brakes work, he shouted. About 3 metres down hill it started and ran very nicely. Yahoo!!!

After a bit of a drive around the block without a body or mudguards or a seat or number plates or anything else. (we do these things don't we)I parked it up, then realised there is a little lever on the mag that retards the spark, mainly for starting... It starts very easilly now I know how. Bloody Novices.

My '18 didn't have a body of any sort when I got it so I am making one from ply wood. it is of an earlier design, around 1912, verticle dash, seat on a pedistal etc. etc. It will look good when finished.

Anyway, got to go.

Cheers Brian.

[mrgearhead]

Brian

If your 23 fire engine gas pedal is like mine it kind of looks like a spoon. That same pedal is on the 18. The steel rod that goes to the carb on mine has a steel sleeve rapped around it. This sleeve fits loosely on the rod and has a slot cut in it about the length of the gas pedal travel. In the pedal shaft a small hole is drilled and a cotter pin is installed. Now the sleeve can only move the same distance as the gas pedal will move. On the side of the sleeve is a flange with a hole drilled in it perpendicular to the gas pedal shaft. When you connect a rod from the steering column leaver to the sleeve hole. When you lift the lever it moves the gas pedal down. Taa Daa poor mans cruse control. If you put your foot on the gas pedal it will go down for more speed but when you come to a stop sign or turn, don?t forget to pull the gas lever down to release the gas pedal. For long distances on open roads this is wonderful and fun.

Reuel

[Jan Arnett]

Brian send me your email address and I will send you some pictures.

Jan

[Guest]

Hi Reuel,

sorry for the long delay in my reply to you and your drawing of the gas pedal setup.

This looks so simple yet so effective. I have a local contact which I can go and have a look at an old Dodge and see how it all works. This will be helpful.

keep in touch,

Cheers Brian.