This resource would not have been possible without the help of countless folks throughout the Internet. Not just T owners, but mechanical sites and others as well. I found it only fair to give credit where credit is due. If I left out specific names I apologize in advance, it’s mostly done for brevity of the document. Please let me know if you desire credit in the future and I will endeavor to add you in any revised printing.

(underlined addresses would be "hot links" in the computer.)

Don Lang at (978) 297-2126. Don is a former school shop teacher who now supplies Model T parts to the hobby. He always has a supply of rebuilt coils for sale.

Don Lang, 212 School Street, Winchendon, Massachusetts, USA 01475

MEDWAY, MA Phone 1: 508 533-5222 Fax: 508 533-0484

" Ford-N-More " Spokane, WA at N.2225 Dollar Road, 99212

Phone 509-535-7196 toll free (in '96 at least) is 800-327-1469

Have not contacted yet so not sure about the number!!!!

Tony’s Speed tips "Montana 500"

Copies of the original factory drawings can be purchased from Ford’s research center if you send them a request (and $) The parts drawings are identified primarily by the factory number of the part.

The Research Center

Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village

PO Box 1970

20900 Oakwood Blvd.

Dearborn, MI 48127-1970

Example, to order the original full dimensional drawing for:

• The Bumper bars Ford Factory Symbol number T-3112.
• The flywheel for the starter cars used from 1919-27 carries the factory number T-701C.

Wood Body Plans:

Mel Miller

2030 South Geary St.

Albany, Oregon 97321

Include a SASE and be very patient.

-Send $23.50 US to Vic Zannis at:Model T Powerplant,---735 Montgomery Hwy. Box 337, ---Birmingham, AL. 35217. Ask for his book: Rebuilding the Model T Ford Powerplant-- Everything you need to know.

-Western Auto reprint catalog (1919) that has page after page of every conceivable device to make the T safer, faster etc.

-TT truck owners: "Ford Trucks Since 1905"

-Model T Ford Parts identification Guide volume 2 by Gail Rodda

I am always looking for more stuff to save from extinction. I have been working on restoring center ball tie rods and some of the other early parts, This coming winter I plan on releasing some redone TT parts and special tools. I am working on a "Roadside Rim Spreader" and a TT and T bushing removal punches and tools. I am planning on offering rebuilt TT Axles and NEW Worm and ring gears as soon as I get the time for the engineering. I am working with a gear manufacturer who is trying to come up with HIGHER speed worm set up to fit the original housings. I now have remanufactured steering shafts with new threads and taper and key both 5:1 & 4:1. I have Rebuilt Drag links and Pitman arms.

Texas. They attended swap meet in Texas, ’99 where two brothers had a new C cab wood top for sale. The quality was great.

1924 TT C-cab, Bob and Pat Meneely in Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club, in Saratoga, Ca. meets in the Cortez Room at 686 Willow Street, San Jose,Ca.

Was putting outside rear band brakes on his TT.

(Can’t accept LARGE e-mail files)

Jeff J., MPLS, I've been working REAL hard on mine this year and I'll be a lot

closer this year, maybe even win. (responding to the above)

alan, wpb, fl. 22 TT with Ruckstell

Herb Iffrig, St. Peters, Mo., I have A 1918 Model TT Hucksters Truck. I've Had it since 1974. I got it right after highschool. It took years to get it running. I remember my dad thought I was crazy to mess with something that. But years later when we were going to a parade he liked to set up front. It's been fun using it in parades and weddings. It's not a show grade vehicle. But it is one where a truck load of kids can have a good time. It's got an original body on it. I've seen one other like it on a horse drawn wagon. When I got this one it had a wind shield and doors so I know it was really a truck. We really get the TT experience as it has solid rubber rear tires. I also have a start on a 1926 TT flatbed with a TT Ruckstell rear. Not much of a cab though. I have a TT era fuel tanker body I need another truck to put under. Model T's are fun.

Dave Lawrence, Greer,SC. I got a 27 closed cab grain side that I have been working on for about 2 years. Soon I’ll have a rolling chassis with Ruckstell rearend and engine/trans rebuilt.

1925 Model T Truck. has complete rebuilt engine and transmission

Jack Putnam, Bluffton, Ohio, asked if anyone could help with the rewooding of a TT C Cab. Plans? or a good picture of a C Cab under restoration showing the top wood would help. Any C Cab owners out there??

Parts needed for a 1922 Model TT.2 De-mountable rims for 1 ton rear end, 2 lower brake shoes Rt and Lt, Round gas tank,1 Hub cap for 1 ton rear end.

axle, warford, rear tires, wheels and rims, and frame. I found a steel cab in near perfect condition for $10 my dad had a spare front axle, spring, and motor. The most expensive part was the wood for the bed, which we purchased at the local hardwood lumber mill (white ash).

It was my introduction into restoration of model T's (my Dad had always had one since 1927). I'm now 52 and I don't think I would let my TT go for love nor money.

Pete Owens at 757-566-4364 in Virginia, has many "T" parts.

107 rich neck rd, williamsburg, va USA - Saturday, July 15, 2000 at 21:14:25 (EDT)

On the '26 and '27 models there is a number stamped on the frame right under the front rt. passengers feet. Lift the floor boards out. There is also a number on the left side of the engine, as all previous T's had, by the water inlet.

In late 1925 Ford started adding the engine number, in addition to being for a long time stamped just about the water inlet on the drivers side of the engine, to the frame. It may be found on the top of the frame rail on the passengers side under the floorboards. You may have to look close. Remember they may not match and the engine may not have a number affixed if it has been replaced.

I have 2 26"s, a Roadster and a Touring. Neither one have the number stamped on the frame. I took a tour of Model T Haven in Kansas when I picked up my Touring, and was shown the two different 26 frames. It appears that the early 26 frame, without the re-enforced rear cross-member, will not have the number stamped. The one with the newer cross-member should have it stamped. Both my T's are early

26's, so, no number. The location of the number should be under the floorboards, passengers side at the area of the emergency brake rod, where it bolts to the frame,

and it covers an area of 3 to 4 inches in 1/4 inch numbers, same as the engine number.

On the back spring cover on the left top is a pennant flag with the letters M.S.C. in it. The letters M.S.C. inside of a pennant is the trademark for the Michigan Stamping Company. MSC along with Parrish and Bingham (P&B in a circle) made frames for Model T Fords in the 1920's

The TT had a wheelbase 24" longer, so the frame is heavier, and longer than the standard car frame. If it has the serial numbers, probably 26-27.

The Car frame is 100 inches long. It is 23 inches wide on the out side, from one end to the other. Stock height puts the frame 24 inches off the ground.

The '25 T will have three body mounts on each side. Two of them are little ears that stick out of the side of the frame and the last one is on the rear cross member where it hangs out from the frame.

Measurements are: 9" back from the firewall for the first one.

Then 31-25/32" further back for the second,

Then another 31-25/32" further for the one in the rear cross member. Keith Townsend

Dan McEachern is making new A.C. Brakes. They are for the Small Drum of '09-'25, and priced less than Rocky Mountains, at $375 for the complete set.

Dan is located in Alameda, California and can be reached at (510) 532-8228.

I have my drums off and it looks like the only thing that matters

is that the opening on the shoe goes to the front. The springs, the open side or hook goes in. All looks like it is made to go on either side. Do you still have the tabs on the backing plate that goes against the rear end? The lip of the shoe goes behind those clips. At least they are on both sides of mine.

Fel-Pro FS Gasket set Ford Model T 1909-27 Set # FS7012

It's important to clean bolt holes in the block...old grit, oil , birds nests,,, & follow thru with a tap to clean up the threads. Try fitting the head without the gasket & run the bolts thru checking that the bolts don't bottom out in the block due to previous milling of the head and/or block. I use anti -seize compound on the new bolts...some suggest not to use anything on clean threads. Start with the center row of bolts beginning with the middle bolt & alternate front to back....then do the remaining bolts starting in the center criss crossing till done. First go round I set to 30 ft/lbs, second round to 45, & third to 55. Yes do check after running a bit. I refill radiator with good 'ole water as a precaution checking for leaks. Our '26 had a warped head & leaked at the rt. front corner, previous owner couldn't solve problem & that’s how we became Lizzie's new owners. Anti-freeze is more fluid than water & will "find leaks"... yea, we're all cheap...that’s why I run with water at first to check for leaks, and when satisfied, drain & fill with antifreeze solution.

It's important to use a bottoming tap to clean the threads. If you can't afford one, an old head bolt with grooves cut like a tap will work, maybe even better.

Torqued to 45 or 55 ft pounds the bolt stretches; gains much length. As Tom's post indicates it is very important to start with about 1/16 free space in the bottom of the bolt holes. Most of that spare thread will get filled during the subsequent torquings. A properly torqued head bolt is really like a powerful spring clamp. The bolt is elastic, and placed under permanent tension. If not tightened enough the bolt won't maintain sufficient clamping force to seal the head under all conditions.

There is always a danger of stripping a head bolt hole on a T. If you are not too fussy about originality, it' a good idea to get some Model A head studs and nuts. The studs you screw all the way down into the block to make use of all the threads. After installing the head, the fine thread upper ends will put more squeeze on the gasket than the coarse thread T bolts will. Just a thought, as I once stripped the rear bolthole on my own T. What a nightmare that turned out to be!

It is easy to incorrectly install. Sure enough, the head gasket will fit both ways! You'll notice the difference when the engine heats up quicker and gets hotter. The reason for this is the water jackets are partially occluded. Look at the gasket and top of the engine with the head off. Try it both ways and see that its possible then match the water jackets from the block to the openings in the gasket to install it properly. Put the two rear head bolts into the head before positioning it otherwise you won't be able to get them in later.

Over the years your T probably was opened up and decarboned, or had the carbon build up scraped off the pistons, valves, etc.. Some of that carbon may have gone into the bolt holes and was compressed by the bolts. But now the bolts "bottoms out" on the carbon in the holes. So what to do? I us a drill bit, smaller than the hole, and carefully drill out the carbon in the holes (no iron) and then go back in with a "bottom Tap" and make sure the threads are clean all the was down. or when you install the head make sure the bolts will screw down tight to the head by finger, then remove the bolt and add a washer then reinstall it. Or insure with no gasket installed, the bolts will screw down snug to the head by finger. The goal here is to insure the bolt is getting tight because it's pulling the head to the block not because it's running into some form of interference.

One more thing that I do after chasing the hole with a smaller drill bit is blow the hole out with as much air pressure that you can get. I use 100 psi. (Use ear protectors.)

Seamed side faces up. That puts the larger oval hole at the rear of the block, smaller hole to the front. Although headgaskets were originally installed dry or with a little grease, I personally prefer a heavy spray coat or brush coat of "copper coat" or whatever it's called. Paying particular attention to wetting all edges and seams. Today's head gaskets tend to seep messy oil otherwise. The one time I installed a truly dry head gasket a slight water leak resulted. That in spite of really clean and true surfaces. The sealant seems to take up any little imperfections and help bond the seal but good. It is interesting to learn that rough milled surfaces are far superior joints. When the gasket is squeezed between the rough surfaces the soft gasket metal crushes and forms right into the cast iron. You see this imprint on any removed gasket. It has the effect of making the gasket blow-out proof. If one carefully buffs and smooths the head or deck to glassy slick condition, he'd better use a gasket sealant! How do I know? Well, I'm the guy who polished his block deck smooth and purty. What a mistake. Rough milled I'd probably get away with a dry headgasket just fine. Smooth----? Fool that I was, I have to apply sticky stuff from now on! But, it's cheap insurance in any event- whether smooth, or good milled surface- to use a sealant.

After the motor gets hot it should be retorqued to 50 lbs.

Manifold gasket: Victor 8357 (a pre-1961 number)

One gasket for all six, Victor Part # 8358

I have a set of McCord 3SS 2-in-1 copper gaskets (No. 8025). These only have the flange on one side.

The 3-in-1 gaskets make putting the manifolds on an easier job. You only need three hands instead of four. Those little copper crush rings work OK too- But I find the flat 3-1 gasket has a larger bearing surface and more crush-ability and is very cheap.

You can make your gland (small connecting tube) out of a 1" copper coupling. I cut them about 1/4 to 3/8 thick and sand lightly. That will make a nice tight fit. I then insert in the block. If the ex manifold is warped I do what you did not want to hear, I buy a new one. Try Snieders or Chaffin's garage. I have one on my Ice Cream Wagon and it works great. They will continue to warp if you do not use the gland. I have tried welding with a cast rod and done it when toasty hot. I had short time success and lots of questionable rides.

Exhaust manifold warpage is usually not variance in the deck height of the ports, it is longitudinal alignment of the port openings. A new exhaust manifold can be expensive. Try this technique, I have never seen it fail even with badly warped exhaust manifolds. Set aside the glands as they are of little use with a warped exhaust manifold. Place two rings in the intake ports and two in cylinder one and four exhaust ports. Now place the asbestos gasket over the bolts and four rings. Place the exhaust manifolds on the two rings and have someone hold it for you. Place the intake manifold over the two rings and place the four ears and nuts on the studs. Tighten things up, start the car and retighten when hot.

If you have a warped exhaust manifold which is very common on a Model T and you want to fix the exhaust leak but don't want to go to the expense of buying a new manifold try this, it works every time. Place four rings (no glands!) in exhaust ports one and four and both intake ports. Place the asbestos gaskets over the four rings. Place the exhaust manifold over the rings and have another person hold it. Place the intake manifold on the rings and add the ears and bolts. Tighten the nuts and retighten after warmed up from running. Ron Patterson-Coilman

Use a piece of copper wire 12,14 Gauge and fit it inside the nut so that when you tighten it up it will seal against the manifold.

The simplest way to cure leaking packing nuts (mine had the same problem), is to go to the hardware store and get some of the asbestos rope seal that is used to seal furnaces. This is the stuff that serves as the gasket on the fire box door. It comes in 2 or 3 thickness’. Just cut a piece and lay it inside the nut, and when you snug up the nut, it will seal around the pipe. It's simple, neat, and cheap.

I used to use a monkey wrench, but found the pack nut wrench that is made for the nut is a sure grip and the right feel when tightening.

Always back your manifold nut with a muffler clamp below the nut. I have seen guys use hose clamps also.

Chasing die the size is 1 7/8" X 16. KBC Tools and Machinery has it in stock at various locations around the country. Their part number is 1-945-138. They have a toll free number at 1-800-521-1740. The cost is about $53.00. This cost could be shared to keep the price low per person.

The hollow bolt replaces the front pan bolt that screws up into the timing cover.

(Well actually it does not screw up into that hole it goes into the hole next to that because other wise you would have the hollow bolt screwed into the casting and no oil will go through it. It has to be screwed into the threaded hole in the front of the pan then the oil goes into the pan.) Run the oil line past the lower water inlet bolt so you can make a sheet metal strap to go around the oil line anchored to the bolt. Reread all the posts about oil lines and oil first.

After you connect the outside oil line to the new mag. post, fire up the engine before connecting the other end to the timing gear cover and see if any oil is coming out of the line. I installed one on my car years ago and all this time I was thinking I was getting plenty of oil to no.1, only to disconnect it a couple months ago and found that not one drop of oil had ever gone through that line. Several post said that the new mag post needed a scoop under it to catch the oil and direct it toward the oil line. The scoop sure did the trick for me. "From inside the car", the flywheel turns CCW,so the scoop would be on the left side. Just use a piece of brass and bend the top over so it is captured under the mag post. Mine is a 25, so I don't know how you would do it on a 26 or 27 with the threaded post.

I just installed one of these kits also, On the front of the engine next to the crank shaft there are bolts that go into the pan, take the driver side bolt out and screw the hollow blot in then attach the oil line I bent the tubing with a fixture not to kink it there, be very careful not to get the bend to high keep the oil line going down hill to the hollow bolt. NO KINKS.

Reid had a good idea... he cut his outside line and removed a little piece. Then he stuck on some clear vinyl tubing. Now he can verify that oil is flowing by lifting up the hood and looking.

If it was rebored and the bearing clearances are tight, I'd use nothing but 5/30 oil the first time. Let there be oil! Less transmission drag too.

The modern seal replaces the old felt seal. There are at least two modern seals that you can use. One is a CR 11740 that must be put on over the end of the crank. One has to take up the slack around this seal with a little silicon sealant. The other is a NAPA JV674 which is a copy of the "wick" type seal Ford used on the V-8's. The are two seals in the package - use the bid one. the ends will have to be trimmed a little. both work real well.

Now, before you go tearing that engine down to replace your third main bearing after you do the crankshaft end-play test, let me tell you the easy temporary fix (that'll last for years.) Use a pry bar to move that crankshaft as far forward as possible. Now, take a section of 1/4" cotton rope jam it between the pulley and the pan/timing gear cover. Make a "U" shaped dam with the rope with the top of the "U" just above the crankshaft. Melt down some lead and pour it down between the pulley and the pan/timing gear cover. It'll be tight until it runs in a little, but it will keep that crankshaft pulled forward, which will reduce the gap in your magneto, and give you the maximum output that your existing magneto will give. It is an easy fix that saves hours of tear down, not to mention downtime. If it doesn't take care of the problem, you are not out a lot of time.

Ream out the internal oil line with cut off piece of 1/4"x36" thread bar stock. This is turned by an electric drill.

Piston "T" Slot. Power stroke pushes crank away from cam, and hence, piston toward cam, so that needs the full face of the piston. Rdr

I've been at this "T" thing for a couple of years now and my first project is a '26 TT. Do I use the old cast iron pistons or go aluminum? Well, this neighbor’s husband while rebuilding the 1925 put in aluminum pistons. The 1913 he wanted original, so he kept the cast iron pistons. I always wondered why I like the '13 better - it because of those pistons. That car runs sooooo much smoother than the '25. After taking that out for a spin yesterday it's a done deal - the cast iron pistons are staying! Kyle Sands - Huntley, MN

Piston clearance should be at least .002". Measure just below the center of the piston (near the piston pin) directly opposite the slot that goes toward the driver's side ( opposite cam). I measure the piston clearance with a piston and rod with no rings. I insert the piston up-side-down in the hole with a feeler gage (lightly oiled or with paint thinner or ATF). If I can pull the gage out with very little resistance I stop honing. If there is too much drag on the gage I keep honing. If you end up with .003" clearance you will be slightly on the loose side. If you end up with .001" you will not be able to start the engine when hot. If you are going to build a hot engine that you want to really put out some power I'd recommend 3 to .004" clearance with .006 as a max. for an engine used only for things like hill-climbs. Might also add that .010 to .020 for ring gaps would be in order with at least .010 on the center ones and more on the top and bottom rings. Also the piston pins should be loose enough so that the piston will flop one way when you hold the rod straight out and flop over the other way when you turn the

rod over a half turn.

I would go AT LEAST .015" ring gap on the top ring, especially if the engine will get a hard workout. .010 should be ok for the 2nd, and .008 for the oil ring. Install with oilring gap on the driver's side, the second ring should be 1/3 of a turn from th oil ring gap, ditto for the top. Always try to get the gaps so they are not directly above the scalloped out part by the wrist pin. The crank and dippers throw more oil on the cam side of the cylinder wall, therefore oilring gap on the other side. I have always done it this way, and have had fantastic luck with my jobs. On 3 piece oil rings: the main ring to the driver's side, the spacers go one straight forward and one straight back. Stay a way from oilring gaps on the cam side.Aaron Griffey

Piston:

You have to pull the bolts on the 4th main to bolt on the cover over the universal. If so then

the 4th main be able to move about and lose alignment. The solution is to drill one or two holes through the 4th main cap (after alignment) into the pan and hogshead. I then drive roll pins into them until flush. Modern awareness of the pinning technique came from Louis Rechtor of Towe Museum fame. He lives in Sacramento and is, last I heard, around 96 years of age. He was a young man of 94 when he imparted his wisdom re pinning the fourth main and a few other notable fixes. I have used his techniques on a low mileage 17 and it truly is a super smooth running car. Whether that is due to the alignment or not I am not sure. It is certainly not due to balancing, as I am running the original heavy cast iron pistons which vary considerably in weight. Neither has the flywheel been balanced. All is bone stock. Ricks, SoCalif rickydik@ix.netcom.com

4th main clearance

Set the clearance to match the total runnout in your tailshaft. When you rebuild your transmission, first make make sure there is as little runnout in the transmission shaft as possible where it enters the tailshaft of the driving plate. Install your tailshaft so there is also as little runnout as possible where it enters the 4th main. Finally check the total runnout. This should be the sum of 1 plus 2. The clearance of the 4th main should be equal to this figure. I have seen decent running original cars with as much as .020 " play. On a rebuild, I try for .004" and am satisfied with .006". I can live with .008" but not .010" but beware, it does no good to set a small clearance in the 4th main if there is significant wobble in the tailshaft. All you're accomplishing is twisting the transmission shaft until it all wears in. Then you're back where you started. Richard

Rods and u-joints:

Ron's Machine Shop

4995 Cincinnati-Brookville Rd.

Shandon, Ohio 45063

Phone 513-738-7353

The most critical part about rebabbiting mains is to use a boring tool that pilots on the camshaft bore. Any other method will leave you with timing gear backlash that is either too minimal or too sloppy, or worse yet, the gear mesh is not concentric.

I started my enquiry into babbitt because it seemed to me engines that were being rebuilt in the last 20 to thirty years were just not holding up as well as original engines. This seems to be especially applicable to the bearings. The babbitt most often used today on the an "A" engine is #2 Babbitt in the U.S. What ever babbitt you use must have absolutely NO lead content. If it does it will be beaten out in a short time. The original formula for Ford babbitt, 86% tin, 7%copper and 7% antimony is no longer available. The best babbitt to use is Astm b-23 #11 Babbitt. Its chemical composition is 87 tin, 7% antimony, 6% copper and must be lead free. The following chart compares the various babbitt formulas.

The ASTM #B-23 TIN & LEAD BABBITT STANDARDS:

When I checked about #11 babbitt. I got varying stories. The place where I buy my babbitt did not make it and the salesman was suprised to find it listed let alone that it was not in the lead babbitt catagory. He told me his company had never had an order for #11 babbitt. Another alloy company I called said his spec's showed it contained a lot of lead and he never had made it or sold it. A third company told me what the other two had, everyone uses #2 for engine rebuilding and they too had never had call for #11 babbitt. What it seemed to come down to is #2 babbitt is a standard item which is normally stocked and is therefore pushed as the

babbitt to use out of convience for the alloy makers. I have located a supplier in Canada who makes an #11 which they certify as lead free. I will be trying it out shortly. In making my inquiries I did find Babbitt #2 is domestically the closest to the Ford spec's, with 89% Tin, 3 1/2% copper and 7 1/2% antimony. Recently I have mixed #2 and #3 babbitt in a ratio of 3 parts #2 to 2 parts #3 in my melting pot to get a babbitt that would be closer to the Ford babbitt. #3 babbitt is 84% tin, 8% antimony and 8% copper. By my reckoning the resulting mixture is approximately 87% tin, 7.75% antimony and 5.25% copper which is much closer to the Ford babbitt. The #2 babbitt that is pretty much used in the U.S. today actually is softer than Ford used. From the evidence I don't believe bearings using #2 babbitt will hold up as long especially at higher speeds as the Ford babbitt did. I WOULD NOT HAVE AN ENGINE REBUILT WITH #2 BABBITT ANYMORE. If my rebuilder said thats all he uses I would find a new rebuilder. In doing my research to find the closest thing to Ford babbitt I also wanted to find out what the antimony did in the babbitt. From an alloy manufacturer I found out the copper and antimony where hardeners for the babbitt. What I found out from a chemist is, antimony is one of those special chemicals that expands as it cools just like water. This characteristic helps make the babbitt fill and even up the space its poured into. Never reuse old babbitt. It contains abrasive particles that become imbedded in the old bearing material and may even have been the cause of an earlier failure. These particles can score your crank and lead to bearings melting, cracking and/or seizing. The babbitt should be relatively fresh. As babbitt is heated the tin will oxidize as does the antimony vaporize. The remaining material becomes harder and harder thus the bearing material will start to lose some of its elasticity with this chemical change. Just as lead makes babbitt too soft to use on a gas engine the addition of nickel makes babbitt too hard. Do not use babbitt with more than 1/4% of 1% being nickel. In fact avoid it altogether if possible. Each time you have a new melt you should have a least 50% fresh babbit added to the pot. When babbitting items which are to be tinned make sure the tinning compound contains no lead. If lead is contained in the tinning compound when the bearing gets hot there is a possibility the bearing will let go from the saddle because the lead melted. Steve Ross

Rods and mains should be poured with ONLY "Government Genuine" or "Diesel Marine." It is available from a variety of sources, Syracuse Smelting Works in Syracuse, NY being the supplier for most of the vendors. Doesn't make any difference how they are poured; spun, static, etc.; if the babbitt isn't any good or has virtually any lead at all it in it will fail.

Dippers: I have had dippers on several engines, including the speedster I should be out working on to get it ready for the Glacier Park tour. My next engine, though, isn't going to have dippers. I have come to the conclusion that two holes, drilled at the top of the rod, slightly angled to the rotation side and countersunk slightly to act as a tiny funnel, do more to lubricate the rods than dippers do. Think about the centrifugal force and which way it is attempting to move the oil. This is backyard engineering but personally I think it does a better job than the dippers. The rods for that project are poured and

bored, assembled with a .005 shim and going on a chromed, (hardened) shaft that I had brought back up to standard. I'd like to have a Suremike crank for it but this will have to do. Mains for that block are poured and bored, I usually drill two oil holes in the block for oil, one on each side of the web and cut a groove with a Dremel tool out a ways to the edges. The above block will have pressure to the mains so I babbitted over the usual oil holes in this one. Stan Howe

One should only x cut ("x" cut Narrowly) the rod cap bearing half, it is a mistake to x cut the rod bearing half. This with dippers allows a bit of extra oiling to the journal. John Regan

As a modern auto mechanic I was reluctant to set my T bearings up tight, but I followed the advice of a fellow who has a lot of T eng. knowledge and I used Prussian-Blue to "Blue-In" the bearings to check contact with crank journals and adjusted/ shimmed the caps "till I had a good fit with a fairly good "drag" when turning the crankshaft. I used 12 volts to start the eng. 1st. time, and had rear end on jack stands and let car run in high for about half hr, then shut down for 15 min., then repeated .after a couple hrs. the engine would run cool on the motometer and start easily on 6 volts or the hand crank. Just watch your temp and don't fry the oil. Mark W.

If replacing bolts with modern replacements, and you don't bevel the head of the rod bolts it will hit the cam shaft. I don't know how long you can run like that before it breaks the camshaft. Flatten one side of the head to fit up against the rod. grind in a bevel on the opposite side of the head of the bolt (on top

.. away from the threads). You only need to do the four on the cam side, but it probably is a good idea to do all 8 in case you have a Terry moment a few years from now and put them back on the wrong side. I torque my rods to 20 foot lbs. Seems fine and I haven't munched any bolts yet. I believe those original bolts are just not large enough to handle 35 ft/lb. I ran grade 8 lock nuts so I didn't have to do cotter pins and didn't have to drill the grade 8 bolts.... no problem popped up. Terry Horlick

Rod Bolts: Go to the junk yard and scrounge rod bolts. Some Chevy 350's, Rambler, lots of other engines use rod bolts that are so tough you could pull a T rod in two with them and are an exact fit to the T rods. The are usually five or ten bucks for all you want.

Mains & rods are 1.246-1.248

Possible source from OLD 1964 magazine:

New crankshafts for Model T Fords Immediate Delivery!

$49.50 C.O.D. F.O.B Hampton, Iowa ATMOR CORP. box 422 Hampton, Iowa

Remove pan and inside retaining strap iron things, wash clean, especially in the treads and the bolts. Put the pan and gasket up with 4 bolts, but not so tight that the pan can't be shifted. If you use a solid gasket, use sealer on both sides, I like non hardening Permatex 2 or 3 for easy removing next time. On cork gaskets put it on dry so it does not smash & squeeze out. Now with all the other bolts just started a thread or so, cut up some grocery store wrapping cotton string in 6 inch pieces and coat them with black silicone by running the threads through your fingers dabbed with silicone. Wrap each string around a bolt and tighten the bolt up snug. Do it quickly and recheck each bolt. Don't forget to do the first 4 that were holding the pan up to start. This gets messy, so gloves would be nice. After they are all tight, wash your hands and cut off the excess string with a single edge razor blade or good small knife. Even though it is a messy job I don't mind doing it, because it gives good results. And if one leaks you can always redo one or more by spraying parts cleaner at the threads and redoing it. I have never had to redo one, and I have done several cars that way, including my own, several times over the last 10 years.

Aaron G.

Piston pin bolts

All bolts should be on the camshaft side.

DUNN weights. Some guys swear by them! The weights were a great seller 80 years ago, and many sets were sold. I bought into the hearsay and ad. testimonials. I installed a pair. I put them on right. I spin balanced the crank to 5k. Perfect. I felt the car ran like gangbusters and was very happy and smug for a while. Later on I realized the hidden danger of counterweights on a stock T crank. I took them off. Even though I _thought_ the car ran smoother with the counterweights- once they were gone- what was this? the car ran just as well, if not better. I was fooled by the famous Placebo Effect. But I took the Dunns off for a seriously scary good: I'd finally figured out that the extra mass of the weights, which are nothing but extra flywheels distributed along the crank, caused the bent wire T crank to twist and squirm very severely at certain engine speeds. Twist and untwist as it never did before. Added counterweights can very well wear out a T crank. Meaning, it breaks without warning.

Ask around about a real, aftermarket counterweighted crank made in the 1920’s- it was a big seller, and not Mickey-Mouse looking like the bolt on Dunn weights. It had integral, forged counterweights of much smaller mass than the Dunn weights. This "SureMike" crank promised you'd "Run faster with less vibration", and indeed there was merit to SureMikes's claims. It would be better named, however, "SureBreak" because they have a reputation for letting go sooner or later. Why? Maybe the forging wasn't equal to Ford's work... OR.... Analysis of the problem involves explaining some basics about the behavior of a crankshaft in the running engine. It is long, it is skinny, it is undamped at the forward end. It has crooks or bends and forging flaws and usually, hidden cracks due to long use and old age. The crank throws receive terrific power impulses, reoccuring in a certain order. Each explosion forces a twist into the springy crank. This is a torsional vibration. If the torsional vibration becomes large in amplitude the crank will quickly fatigue, much as when you bend a paper clip back and forth. Hopping up a T engine to produce double it’s stock horsepower is a good way to break a crank. The metal only knows twist. More twist less life span. This is why modern cars and quality cars of olden days have much thicker cranks than in the T, to reduce torsional flex.

Another crank-breaker is harmonic vibration. Any object that can be flexed has what is called a "natural period of vibration". A piano string has a natural period of vibration- for that is where it will vibrate with greatest amplitude with minimum power input. So does a wooden yardstick clamped to a table edge and sprung by the hand.

A crankshaft, loaded with reciprocating pistons and rods, and having a number of kinks and changes of cross section along its length also has a natural period of torsional vibration- perhaps several! In practically every engine, the rear end of the crankshaft is loaded (or constrained) by a massive flywheel. The flywheel cannot suddenly reverse its direction. And even though torsional vibrations will not be reduced one bit, the flywheel checks harmonic vibrations. In practically every modern engine, we find a "harmonic damper" attached to the free, front end of the crank. Whatever it’s design, the harmonic damper’s job is to absorb torsional movements at the end of the crank. The T has no harmonic damper, which is a bit of a shame, because it would really benefit from a damper. Now, what happens when we add upwards of 16 pounds of rotating mass to the flywheel, distributed between the one and two and also, between the three and four cylinders? The harmonic resonance point of the engine has been drastically altered.

When harmonic vibrations occur- and they occur just as they did before, only at different bands of engine rpms- the extra mass of the Dunn weights makes the crank suffer far larger harmonic excursions than before. Like this rough example- extend your arm outward and wave it up and down through an arc of six inches. Do this as fast as possible. Next take a weight of some sort in the hand and repeat the test, trying to get the same up-down speed and keeping the same restricted arc of motion. You cannot- not without using much more muscle! The T crank does not have muscle; only springy steel. And so, the result to the T is that the torsional vibrations increase in amplitude. I found in my own car that at a road speed of 42 mph the harmonic vibrations became so powerful as to make the whole engine and car thrum very loudly. This was a dynamically balanced crank, btw. One night I was out doing a speed run and when passing through that critical speed of 42-45 mph the fiber timing gear suddenly was stripped of its teeth. I had to get a flatbed ride home. The Dunn weights did it. How? Because at the critical speed of resonance the back-and-forth _shimmy_ at the front end of the crankshaft actually turned the steel crank gear into an immensely powerful battering ram- to the fiber timing gear. It fractured a fiber tooth and that spelled destruction for the remaining teeth. Wham! What a noise it made at 45 mph!

When replacing the timing gear with yet another fiber gear I pulled the lower cover to clean out the gear debris. And take off the Dunn Weights. Next ride I found there was no more distress at 42. None at all. As I said, even a stock crank has considerable periods of harmonic vibration. They are made much, much more intense

by Dunn counterweights. On my own car the barometer of harmonic activity in the crank is my fan belt. Yet- seriously. My fan belt runs tight. It’s treated with an anti-slip compound. It runs straight and true on a ball bearing fan hub. I drive with

the hood off, and I can glance at the belt while driving. At several road speeds the belt can be seen to flutter. I avoid steady driving at about 32 mph, for instance, because this is a belt fluttering speed. Close the throttle and the flutter instantly stops. Open wide, and the flutter gets worse- but only over a road speed band about 2mph wide. With the Dunn weights that flutter at 42 mph extended up to 45 mph. The belt whipped and flapped so violently that I thought the loud thrumming noise must be from the belt itself! It was not. I slipped the belt off the pulley and ran up the critical speed again. No belt, and the thrumming was louder than ever. I determined in fact, that a low-slip fanbelt actually confers a very useful degree of harmonic damping to the T crankshaft. Harmonic damping is a good thing. Much more recently I read in a book on vibration theory that close coupled engine accessories do indeed help damp the crankshaft contortions. The harmonic damper is better, however, because it is a full time, purpose built device. If one carries this logic to it’s conclusion, it is quite clear that if a crank is so heavy and beefy that it twists very little, it will hardly ever fatigue. If it is twisty as a paper clip, and you force it to twist further than intended it will break sooner than later. Dunn counterweights force the T crank into much larger torsional excursions at resonance. Similarly in a sense, doubling engine HP forces larger excursions at all rpms. But even at double HP, the maximum excursions of the stock crank in a highly hopped engine by my guess are not so severe as those brought on by the heavy Dunn weights in a 20 HP T running at the critical speed of forced harmonic vibrations.

What the T needs is not counterweights. It needs a thicker crank. Reid

In late 27 Flywheels were machined. Flywheel did not require balancing. This is from Model T Ford Parts identification Guide volume 2 by Gail Rodda

Put a dab of grease on the pin before pushing it in the valve stem hole, it works wonders! Larry Wycoff

The Manley part number for the 302 and 351 Ford valve that works well in a "T" is A2223. This valve has a chrome plated stem which gives superior wear qualities as well as a hardened tip on the end of the stem. The stem is 11/32" (.341 actual diameter) and is longer than the Chevy valve stem. Retainers are available from Ford tractor stores only. The Ford part number for this retainer is 8BA6514 (4 retainers per bag). This retainer fits the 8N tractor. Model T valve springs are a perfect fit in this retainer.

The tractor retainer and the 302 valve use the standard two piece single grove keeper. Ford and Chevy use the same keepers for the 11/32" valve stem. Keepers can be purchased at any parts house. The TRW part number is LK-127 and the Pioneer number is PF-555-HD. Check with your machine shop first before you purchase new keepers. Machines shops generally have lots of extras around they will give you. I hope this helps. Steve

A cheap and very strong fix for bad valve guides is to use a "Kay Line" or "K Line" bronze insert. You local engine rebuilder uses them every day. Here's the drill: pull the valves. Find the proper K line insert for your valve guide (there are many) and drill, ream and press the bronze valve guide insert into the enlarged valve guide hole. The next step is to grind the valve stem down until it is perfect. You will not need to remove more than .010" or .012". Then figure the proper clearance for your engine, about .0015 and ream a hole in the bronze insert that allows for that clearance for the new smaller diameter of your old valve stem. Now with the good valve guide you can grind the seat, or replace the seat with a stainless steel one and ground that new insert seat. Grind the valve for proper fit " stem heighten if you are keeping it original, and put it together and forget it. One more step can be added after that is to knurl and ream the bronze guide back to size after it is inserted to aid lubrication. If you want to get fancy, grind a three angle seat and go getum!

Wholesale price for a K line insert used to be $2.25 each and it cost three bucks to grind the stem and fit a valve. You should be out the door for $50 bucks wholesale for a valve job with new guides but the old seats. Seats can cost $15 each. Now those prices are from 1985 and that was with the block on a bench, all ready to go, after the set-up was made for a production run. If you look at time and material piecework with set-up time it could cost a whole lot more. But for the hobby person it can be done at home, is fun and won't cost much but your time. There is a special tool that several people or a club could buy, that will drill - ream and press the insert using an air powered 1/2 inch hand drill.

This is written in response to the item (general loss of power - bad valve guides)

I have been running small block Chevrolet exhaust valves in my T for over 30 years with no trouble. They are almost an exact fit. You have to ream the guides double oversize and use modern keepers. Small Block ford, 272 or 312 or 223 6 cyl, exhaust valves also will work but are a little too long, had to grind the lifter a little to make them work. I use the Chevy valves all the way on both intake and exhaust. John.

A safe rule of thumb is .010 on the intake and .012 on the exhaust. If you like noise you can set them at .013 and .015. If you like lots of noise you can set them at .025 and .030. If you have adjustable tappets just remember that the tappet face gets worn on those little fellows and the cupping make you set them loose if you use a feeler gauge. Remember that the 1/4 x 28 thread on a T tappet gives you .036 for a complete turn. A half a turn gives you .018 and ten degrees give you .001. You don't need a feeler gauge, just lock them up and then back off 100 degrees on the intake and 120 degrees on the exhaust. It should take about five minutes to adjust the valves after you get the side cover off.

Same as for a car- about 1/32". Some people time their valves by piston position because it may bring more useful results, especially with a worn cam

Fiber gears are quiet, but they will not last as long as a metal gear. I have never run a model T with a generator because of the extra load it puts on the timing gear. Get yourself an aluminum gear. If you have overhead valves and a generator you would be better off with an old original steel gear or a brass repo. Dan Mceachern makes a special heavy duty gear.

I had 1500 miles too on a fiber gear, which when changed out showed no wear. Yet, it could've been _fatigued_ and ready strip so to be safe I put in another identical fiber gear. At that same time I installed a new camshaft- the Shelley billet cam. Actually, the whole engine was taken down and everything gone through- I fitted crank counterweights at that time. Everything was spin balanced- done right. I soon learned that heavy counterweights on the skinny T crank really amplify inherent crankshaft tortional vibrations- at about 43 mph the shaft came into resonance with the weight's moment of inertia. The whole engine thrummed badly, particularly at that speed. Only I did not realize what was happening, really, because the fiber gear is so silent. Nonetheless, the intense harmonic vibrations of the crank travel out to the tail of the crank- which in a T _IS_ the timing gear. One night far from home I was making speed trials on a long, straight deserted road. The fiber gear had just 500 miles on it. While accelerating past 40 mph, and through my engine's period of loud thrumming (due to the stupid counterweights) the gear suddenly shucked 2/3rds of its teeth with an extremely loud "KaBAMMMM". The car coasted to a stop. We required an $85 flatbed ride home. So I did the prudent thing- installed a bronze gear. But the Shelley cam has a small defect in its machining- no shoulder to center the timing gear. The bronze gear as a result ran slightly eccentric. And boy, was it knocking like a boiler shop. Especially going through the harmonic phase of engine rpm. Now I was sure of the real problem and cause of my second fiber gear blowing up at 500 miles: it was the Dunn weights. So I simply took them off. The boiler shop became much quieter and the car seemed to run better than before. There was no more thrumming at 43. Yet, because the cam shoulder did not center the gear I suffered with lots of clattering at various engine speeds. The clattering really taught me a valuable lesson: it came and went at certain very definite engine rpms under load. (not just racing the engine out of gear) So, even a stock T engine has quite a lot of whipping in its crankshaft. And counterweights just make the problem much worse. I avoid driving at steady speeds that I know from experience set up harmonic vibrations. For the T has no harmonic dampener- other than the timing gear and maybe the fan if your belt doesn't slip. This experience has taught me another reason why macerated fiber gears fail in the T- another reason, that is, besides running a fiber gear against an old, used crank gear or generator gear. This "other cause" is harmonic or plain tortional vibration: the repetitious slapping of crank gear backlash against the timing gear's fiber teeth. Eventually this punishment fatigues the fiber material. The Dunn weights make it fail much, much faster.

Because the bronze gear ran noisily in my car- and I hate knocking noises, I've put in another fiber gear. All is quiet and smooth for the time being. I will watch it. You all may not know that there are TWO types of fiber gear blanks. One is cheap and nasty- chopped cloth in a phenolic binder. That's what you buy for your car today. The other type is hugely stronger- laminated layers of linen cloth in a phenolic binder. The difference in strength is like that of particle board to plywood. I wish the suppliers would order up a batch of _laminated_ phenolic timing gears. I think this stuff would hold up a great deal longer. Still, you must have a fresh, smooth crank gear and generator gear or any fiber gear will be short lived. Oh, one other thing: The destroyed fiber gear still retained one third of its teeth. I miked across a section of teeth, comparing to an identical new gear. In 500 miles the failed gear had lost very considerable tooth thickness. Whereas the first fiber gear-at 1500 miles showed about zero tooth wear. The failed gear thrummed itself to death. I'm just glad I did not continue with those nasty Dunn weights- which would've probably caused more catastrophe like a broken crank if allowed to remain in the engine. One other point- It has long been advised when fitting a fiber gear to "double the normal backlash" in choosing the gear. Fahnestock said so in the twenties, and everyone else seems to agree since then. But WHY double the usual backlash??? It seems wrong to me- A fiber gear does not expand with heat or swell in oil. Choosing an oversize if necessary that results in little or no backlash would prevent the _hammering_ on its teeth by the crank gear, when the crank gear sets up those small, rapid and intensely powerful reversals in its forward direction. I think that backlash might just make those blows worse. Or is it the other way around? Should the backlash be set really, really loose so the reversals hopefully do not slap the preceding teeth? I think more the former: Little backlash. But I may be wrong.

I've had good results with my valve facing machine, facing the valve first to 45, then putting a 60 cut top & bottom, so leaving the suggested pencil line contact. Lap that against a 45 seat and you get a really effective long lasting valve.

Erik has recommended Ford 351W valves, which take a .030 oversize reamer

Model T valves such as those available from Snyders work fine and the weight of the keeper assembly is considerably lighter that that of the newer valve systems. Most of the racers in this area use Chevy 350 exhaust valves 1.5", NOT the 1.6" Intake valves. They are cheap, available from NAPA or a zillion other sources for about $5.00 each or less. Also, their diameter is just right for reaming the T valve guides .015 and having the correct clearances. Many T engines used for drivers have been rebuilt with used Chevy intake valves from the pile at the rebuilder's shop; I personally believe the new valves are worth the $40.00 a set they cost. There are several other valves that will work. NAPA has a master catalog that lists every valve available by stem length, stem diameter, head diameter, seat angle, etc. Ford tractor valves are a favorite but cost twice as much as Chevy valves. The main thing is to get a rebuilder who is interested in your project. Any competent rebuilder will ream the valve guides to valve size prior to fitting the hard seats, then center the hard seats off the new guide holes. This is critical to well fitting valves. For racing engines, the hard seats should also be fine-ground and flow checked after the seats are fitted. If you are fitting adjustable lifters, which I assume you are, prior to taking your block in to the rebuilder, check the lifter height with the cam installed and make sure the adjustment screws come (or will come after installation) far enough out of the lifter guide that you can get the wrenches on them to adjust them after assembly when the valve is CLOSED. Otherwise they are miserable to adjust, especially after the engine is assembled and running. If not, you can grind or cut about 3/16 inch off the top of the lifter guide and save yourself much work and swearing later. (Use a fine tooth hacksaw blade in you Sawzall, it's a five minute job.) The little bit of guide that is removed will not affect the longevity of the engine appreciably. You never live long enough to wear the lifter guides out if you drive it to work every day forever. Also, the guide height varies as much as 1/4 from block to block anyway. Some people use later valve springs with the new valves, my concern in the amount of stress on the timing gears with the extra lift pressure; no faster than a T engine turns over I believe the T valve springs are more than adequate to close the valves quickly--which is the reason for more powerful springs. One last thing. Even though most rebuilder shops no longer lap in the valves with grinding compound after hard seat installation, I still think it is a good idea if for no other reason that it lets you check every valve to make sure it is seating all the way around the diameter. Correctly fitted, the seat should leave a ring about 1/3 of the width of the valve centered on the valve face where it has been lapped. Use the finest compound you can find. You T will purr like the proverbial kitten forever. One last thought. If you do use Chevy valves you can reduce the clearances slightly from Henry's "thin dime" setting to about .010 & .012 for a little quieter operation as the Chevy valves don't expand as much as the old Ford ones did. Did you know that the stems of the old T valves were made from the pieces of rod left over from cutting the spark and throttle rods to length? It's a wonder they ran as well and as long as they did.

Ford 302 exhaust Valves can be used.

The perfect heavy duty "O" ring seal for my '15 radiator neck. It fits exactly and is thick enough to crank down to center the dogbone/ motormeter. At your local hardware plumbing dept: #101 o-ring from the Danco company, stk.# 35881B, $.49.

I just looked at my 16, and the rivet is dead center in the back next to the rod support.

In response to where the single rivet is or the three.

Radiator Ralph does brass radiators all the time, and is very reasonable. He even makes them from scratch if need be. He has a nifty rad for a Speedster that he built based on inspiration from the Livingston WindSplitter rad on 77. He works out of his garage in Norwalk. 562-866-3108.

An excellent and relatively painless way to clean a gunked core right on the car is to simply drain the coolant and refill with hot distilled water to which has been added a good teacupful of dishwasher detergent such as Sunlight or Cascade. It's important to dissolve it in the water thoroughly before it is added to the radiator. Also, the gel type is probably better than the powder. Once it's in place, replace the cap using some pipe tape on the threads (you want a good seal here as the solution is not kind to polished brass or paint). A good plan is to force some plastic tubing onto the bottom of the overflow pipe in order to carry the belching into a bucket rather than onto the axle. Then drive around the block a few times and park in a safe place where the alkaline water won't damage anything important. Let it run at a fast idle for 15 minutes with the bucket under the extended overflow. You'll see a whole lot of gook come out. Then stop the engine and let it cool enough so that you can remove the cap. Drain and rinse with fresh distilled water a few times. You may have to repeat the "boiling" a few times if the radiator's really dirty. If your system has a water pump, remove it before you do this cleaning. The radiator will be surprisingly clean when you peek in. The combination of the alkaline detergent and boiling water (which is a pretty strong cleaning agent by itself) does a surprisingly good job. R.V. Anderson

Mark, I too am a novice and I removed the water pump that was on my 26 Coupe. It was a Camel and the belt that was used was a Gates part #K050336. It is 34 5/8" serpentine belt.

I cut off the old belt, I mean the strings that are wrapped around everything and then I work the new one on the crank pulley without pulling the starter handle. If the engine is cool it is rather simple. Some repro belts last a while, others are junk. I think that Russ Furstnow (I apologize to Russ as I am certain I just added another variation of the spelling of his name) in AZ makes leather belts. I plan on trying one of those. Supposedly Gates # 814 will fit, but I do not know if that is for a water pump model or not. If you find a gates belt kindly post the P/N as I am certain others would be interested

As per Terry Horlick [sept.9-98]

1911-1916 #811 1 1/8"X 22 1/2"

1917-1920 #812 " " x 25 1/2"

1921-1925 #813 " " x 26 3/4"

1926-1927 #814 " " x 31 1/2"

This is from a post by Jon Turpin on 5-12-99. That said napa sold me #070319 1"x 32 3/8" works good if somewhat thin. These are all for cars with no water pump.

I need to go buy an 814, as I believe that's about the right length for pre-'26 engine with waterpump. I am running a 5 rib serpentine right side out, and it has been trouble-free for about 10K miles

‘26 w/waterpump I measured mine and needed 36&1/2 but settled for a 11/16" x 37" or 8mmx940mm for the metric folks NAPA#050365 It is a serpintine, but installed it inside out, it is tracking well, and works just fine.

I tried the local NAPA store, which cross referenced the Gates 813 to an Atlas 813. But that's a Vee belt. So I went to a garage that handles Gates belts exclusively. No listing. The owner calls the distributor, and he couldn't find it in his book either. Both thought it must be a "truck belt", and their books only handled auto belts. Didn't make much sense to me. But bottom line is -I can't get a Gates 813 through the local yokels.

The fellow said the Gates numbers did not match, but when I kept on insisting he found the belts listed in the Gates books under "Antique Vehicle Belts". They WERE in the book but in a different section than the standard serpentine belts.

I just went into a Napa store and they ordered it from Gates, had it the next day. The belt our vendors sells will last 25 to 125 miles. If you grab some piano wire out of your tool box to sew it up out on the road you may get a few more hundred miles out of it. The problem with it is bad design, bad materials, and perhaps bad workmanship. You can't glue a belt together with snot and expect it to last.

The Vendors are not dumb, just misinformed. I bet if we contact our vendors and tell them the quality of the belt they are selling and that it reflects badly on them, then nicely inform them of the source (Gates) and part number of a good quality part which can be had at a reasonable price, I bet they would change their stock.... but not until the shellac is off of the shelf. In the meantime for those who may need a belt, remember if it is brown (tan) it is..... fecal material! I suggest if you order a belt and it shows up as a tan color with a white directional arrow, send it back. It may get you home in a pinch, but I would rather rely on a good spare Gates belt for that. If the vendor wants to know why you sent it back let him know!

Gates in Denver. These are the only 1 1/8 in wide, flat belts they make.

Number 811 is 22 1/2; 813 is 26 3/4; 814 is 31 1/2; and 822 is 36. All measurements are the inside circumference in inches.

I also had this problem with belts on 26 T, ended up taking off the water pump and installed a 180 degree thermostat between two gaskets and it works and runs fine. Went to the local Gates distributor and told him of my problem with the belts, he went in the back and came out with a 2 1/4" X 36" serpentine belt that he said was used on heavy duty air compressors. With a cut of his box cutter knife down the middle of the groves I had two fan belts at 1 1/8" X 36" for the price of one belt, $14.00 total and well worth it, The name on the belt was Jason #PJ838/330J...4298.

NAPA sold me #070319 1"x 32 3/8" works good Ribbed but reversed and it stays on well and looks like it will outlast the car ---till it cracks from age, any way!!!

The belt tensioner with bolt on the side and a large threaded screw for adjustment is the early 1926 style and was discontinued because the ears were breaking off the locking portion if it was tightened too much. On the later style adjuster you loosen the lock nut and turn the large round eccentric in the mount to make the adjustment. Ron the Coilman

Try this: loosen the lock nut on the end of the adjusting screw (bolt), then turn the adjusting screw clockwise. This should tighten the belt. When the tension is correct, you can tighten down the lock nut. On mine, I sometimes loosen the lock nut quite a bit and you can rotate the assembly easier. If you have the small black Model T service manual, you will find a narrative and picture on page 273. Bill Schatz

There is no nut on that shouldered bolt. Just the ineffectual cotter pin. Here's a suggestion to keep the bolt snug so the fan arm stays true- clean out the bolt hole really well of all oil and gummy grease using a brush and solvent). Then paste in some #1 or #2 Permatex into the hole's threads, and onto the bolt threads, and run in your fan bolt. The large contact surface of the threads and the Permatex will "glue" the bolt's adjustment really nicely. And the bolt comes out later without trouble. Alternately, blue or green Loctite is just as good, if not better.

Putting new fan hub bushings and a new shaft in my 20 T. The hub had a regular grease fitting on which I used to use a grease gun. Instead, fill the hub with GEAR oil and then plug the filler hole

The T parts vendors all sell the same, original style clamps. Zinc plated steel strap with overlap, RH screw and square nut. Modest cost, work and look fine.

(Possible)Identification: A is 1" throat, B is 1 1/4", and I believe BB is 1 3/8".

Sounds like a '26-'27 choke rod. They are square and slide in a socket that is the top half of a U joint on the carb needle. The hole is for a pin that holds a small collar with a tap on it. The tab has a hole in it and the choke rod (wire) runs from this hole down to the choke lever. So when you pill up on the choke rod it slips in the top portion of the U joint, but the pin lifts the collar, and choke wire pulling the choke closed. At least it does on my '26.

Unless you're restoring for concours, hang the NH on the wall and get a better carb. As well as newer carbs, almost any aftermarket carb. from the era will provide better fuel mix than an NH. That includes the Schebler FA and Stromberg OF, which by the F means they were built for the T.

Someone said that you could replace the cork float in the Holley G with a John Deere Brass float. JD P/N is 93004/AR-10066R. You have to unsolder the JD tab and put the Holly G tab on it. I think the float is the one used on John Deere ca. 1939 on the Model D. I priced one once and it was pretty spendy, I think in the neighborhood of $40.00

I would take the carb. off and remove the float, and both needles, blow every thing out with air. At the back of the carb. at the flange there is a 1/8" brass plug. Drill the plug out follow the passage down the carb. towards the venturi about 2" is another 1/8" plug that is on the outside of the carb. Drill this plug out also. Now follow that passage down to the venture tube about an inch or so and you will find another brass plug on the side of the venture tube drill this plug out also. These three passages are always blocked. Use air to clean them out. Now take a white coat hanger from your wife’s closet and run it in all three passages. You should be able to see the end of the wire go through all three passages. Now its very important that you locate two very small holes on either side of the butterfly that is on the flange end of the carb. These two holes are about 5/64", take a wire or a 5/64" drill bit and make sure that these two holes are clear. They go into the 1/8" hole that you drilled out earlier. Now go to a hardware store and get some brass welding rod and sharpen the end and cut three plugs to put back into the carb. before you put the flange plug back in take your WD 40 and place the little red tube in the rear of the hole and see if you can spray it through the carb ;and out the bottom of the venture tube. If it is going through OK, plug the flange hole. Next make sure that your venture tube is clear. I always take the valve seat out of the venture tube and run a wire and air up the intake air passage under the name tag. Use you white wire its easier to see. Next make sure again with your white wire that the over flow passage is clear. Your float can't work if its not clear. This passage is located about 1/4" from the rear of the name tag. If you have not done so in the past you may want to bead blast the entire inside to the carb. before you do the above steps. Dave Huson

I have found that the spray on paint remover found in paint or hardware stores will cut old gas varnish fairly quickly. This is the strong stuff that burns if you do not have rubber gloves on.

Many mechanics have been conditioned to ask for a float each time they rebuild a carburetor, due to the reasonable price of modern, mass-produced floats, and the propensity of nitrophyl (foam) floats to absorb gasoline after time. In dealing with older, NON-CURRENT-PRODUCTION brass floats, neither of the above are true, and a mechanic should attempt to 'save' the float if at all possible.

The first step is to clean the float and inspect it for obvious damage. Small dings and dents are quite common, even in unused floats, and occurred when the manufacturer shipped the floats in bulk. Major dents (generally caused by water freezing in the carburetor) are not generally repairable. If one can hear liquid sloshing around inside the float, skip to the next paragraph. If the float looks to be reasonably damage-free, it should be tested. Testing is accomplished by grasping the float arm with a pair of needle-nose pliers, and submerging the float in very hot water. The hot water will pressurize the air inside the float, and a leaky float will blow a stream of bubbles.

If the float should need repair, it is important to understand how the float was originally produced. Virtually all brass float pontoons (the floating part) are composed of two pieces (a few are more) of brass soldered together. The pieces differ in the seam area, as one piece has a male seam and the other a female seam. One float piece will also have a small hole for temperature equalization. This hole will be covered by a small drop of solder, and will be as far from the seam as possible. The manufacturer would solder the two pieces together, allow the float to cool completely, AND THEN close the equalization hole. Soldering MUST be done using a soldering 'iron'. Repair should not be attempted using either a torch, or a soldering gun. If you plan on disregarding this advice, read the next paragraph first! The following procedure works for us (no, we will not repair your float unless we restore the entire carburetor): First, if liquid is present inside the float, find the hole, and remove the liquid by placing the hole down inside the hot water. The pressure will force the liquid from the float. If the float has much liquid, it may be necessary to remove the float from the hot water, allow the float to cool, and repeat the hot water dip. Once the liquid has been removed, and the leak has been marked, open the equalization hole by removing the solder. Solder the leak closed using as little solder as possible. A small piece of tape over the equalization hole will allow the hot water test to be preformed. If there are no leaks, remove the tape, and ALLOW THE FLOAT TO COOL COMPLETELY before closing the equalization hole. A final test, and you have 'saved' a valuable float.

There is usually a small pinhole somewhere else, not near the seam. First, make sure the solder is off the hole, then do the seam, and when it's cool, then solder the hole shut. Trick here is to keep the solder flowing onto the hole sight while the air cools off, then it sucks the solder into the hole instead of out of it. David D.

The MTFCA carb. manual does not list a setting for the H-1 that I can find. On most T carbs I have worked on...with the float at the top of its travel...the top of the float is parallel with the flat surface of the carb body directly above it. In other words the gap between the top of the float and the bottom of the carb body is equal all the way across. Michael

A new method to fix a seeping float valve: By Reid Welch.

Your carb probably drips. My carbs used to drip. Almost everybody's carb drips until the float valve is upgraded to a modern neoprene tipped valve. But you may not need to go to such extremes as to spend a dime. For the nearly sure-cure, go to a Chinese restaurant and have a good meal. Bring home a chopstick. What? Yes, a chopstick. You are going to improve your float valve- maybe even make it dripless, with a chopstick. Before proceeding further let me say this is my own technique. Have read every old book in sight and you know the standard line: "grind in a leaky valve" (please, don't try that) or "Hold valve in seat and tap with a small hammer" (never worked for me yet) Here's the problem: These steel tipped, brass seat valves did not leak drip when they were new. The steel cone is actually a type of early stainless steel, Monel metal to resist corrosion. Even though the brass seat is considerably softer it is generally the case that the steel valve shows some wear. Maybe very considerable wear.

What do you do about that? Nothing- only as a last resort would you reshape the valve because the necessary precision requires a good lathe. The valve has to be perfectly round or it can never seal. Even when worn looking the valve may remain perfectly round; it just has become broader contact area on the seat. This is of no advantage, but it's not a fatal flaw either. Years of "yammering" around on the brass seat has polished away much Monel metal, but in so doing the valve probably rotates too. And if it rotates as it yammers it will remain very round. Obviously, we cannot seal a round hole against a fluid so penetrating as gasoline unless the plug is round too. Or made of Viton rubber. But WE are men, and WE like to make things work despite age and decrepitude. The carb's, that is. We do that, and save five bucks on an NH Viton valve. And can live easier with non-NH carbs for which no new float valve is available. It's been frustrating forever- We've turned and trued steel valves and polished the Monel to perfection. Result: carb still dripped. What next to try? The seat. I've tried "grinding" the newly trued valve into the seat, using Simichrome polish and then clean oil. Still dripped.

If the float valve is round, and IF the float valve is getting a square push from the float then leakage owes to some invisible defect in the brass seat.

In clock work(another hobby), steel pivots run in brass bushed plates. When cleaning a clock, the most important aspect of the cleaning is to "peg out the holes" with a sharpened orangewood stick. Orangewood whittles to a very fine, sharp, tough point for pegging such tiny holes as are found in watch plates. We peg and re-peg, twirling the stick in the brass hole until no more stain comes off on the stick. Only then is the hole clean of wear products and dirt. Now a float valve seat is not a clock bushing but in a way it has a much rougher life than a clock bushing- We are going to peg the old brass seat out with a chopstick. And the seepage will almost surely be eliminated. Why?? The float valve continuously pounds and vibrates into the soft seat. Fuel contains tiny bits of solid dirt. Dirt gets worked into the seat. BUT the real culprit is the brass itself. When brass is pounded over and over, what happens?- it spalls and develops tiny fractures. A layer of microscopically rough dead brass resides on the seating surface of the valve. This layer is not only rough, but it is porous. THIS is the #1 reason why otherwise perfect float valves allow the carb and you to suffer with "wet nose" syndrome.

Sharpen the chopstick as needed. Twirl the dry chopstick firmly, by hand, in the float valve seat. Examine the tip of the stick- it became black. Scrape off the stick and twirl again a few times. Scrape off the dirt. Continue doing this "pegging out" until the stick comes out clean. Use magnifying glasses if you need to because you must know the stick is coming out clean- it's rubbing surface merely becoming burnished by the pressure. Now oil the tip of the stick and twirl a couple more times. Done.

Examine the float tip under a strong lens. Normal appearance should be bright and shiny, exp. where the seating occurs. It does not matter if long wear has necked the seating area so long as it has a polish. You might as well polish the tip by hand, or better yet- polish it with gentle rouge on the buffing wheel. Wipe it clean, and "peg" its tip into some soft end-grain wood. Insert the dry float valve, turn carb upside down and do the Suction Test (see MTFCA carb rebuild book. If nothing else is wrong your valve will hold tongue suction until the cows come home, or your tongue gets a hickey. You will not have a carb drip again for a very, very long time- But DO use an in-line pleated paper fuel filter.

Remember- this drippy carb syndrome can be caused by simple dirt pounding into the brass seat. BUT the other endemic cause of leakage has never been addressed before this posting: the "dead" brass surface on the seat. The chopstick removes both the micro-dirt and all the dead brass. IF the carb still seeps, check that the seat has it's fiber seal washer intact and sealing, and the body or fuel elbow is not cracked or defective. (talcum powder helps find tiny leaks). Per old advice read in the club magazine, seal the bowl to the underside of the casting with #1 Permatex sealant. You can remove the Permatex later with alcohol. So will today's fuel tend somewhat to remove Permatex or about anything else short of epoxy. IF a drip remains, and the valve passed the suck test, Look at float condition, float height, and alignment of the float's pusher on the valve- IF the valve fails the suck test (it should be perfectly tight, holding suction indefinitely), be sure the fuel union is not cracked. Be sure the seat is bedded on a good fiber washer. If the suck test still fails the valve tip is out of round OR the seat is out of round. Pegging will not true up the seat. Truing a brass seat is easy- if you have an appropriate size, preferably new, steel bearing ball. Tapping the ball into the seat will can make a band of contact that is very round indeed. The ball must be of a size that will leave a ring that the float valve will seat upon. That is, the ball can't be too small or too big. Don't use an old, rusty, used up bearing ball. Get a nice new one out of some cheap new bearing. Drop the ball onto the brass seat. Use a short wooden dowel punch and a small hammer and give some sharp raps around on the top of the ball. Examine your work with the strongest lens available. Or go see a jeweler and have him look at the seat for continuity. Then repeat the pegging process again. You will find by the new "dirt" on the stick that smacking has re-spalled the brass. Pegging cleans out the fractured metal. Finish with as before, with a final pegging with the stick oiled.

If the new seat corresponds with a round, undamaged portion of the float valve the suction test will be perfect. If the seat corresponds but the test fails, then the float valve is indeed out of round. DO not try to "grind" in the float valve. It has become a small job. Unless you have a good, precision lathe, give the valve to a friend who has a lathe and a talent for detail. If you saw the very worn float valve on my Xenith you'd expect it to leak. But I did not even have to touch it beyond polishing the tip and pegging out the seat. There are no drips on the floor and no gas smell in the garage. And DO use a good inline filter! Reid

Holley NH that caused engine overheating. I found that the brass nut on the top of the carb. was cracked, the one that keep the needle from backing out. So much excess air was being sucked through the top of the carb. that the previous owner had to open the needle 3 turns to get the T to run. The mixture was causing the T to overheat and the tail pipe to get very hot and glow. A new brass nut solved the problem. Have you checked for any intake air leaks in the carb. itself, carb to manifold, or manifold to block? Sucking in excess air could make you need to open the gas needle too much. All three of my cars run best between 1 to 1-1/4 of a turn open.

I hooked up a steel gas line to the carb. using a compression fitting and the felt gasket to the sediment bowl and double flared the sediment bowl end The original pipe was not flared. The felt or string packing made the seal because when the nut cinches down it exerts large crush to packing. The packing presses into the pipe with sufficient force to neck it down; at least this is true of copper tubing. Primitive system, but it works. Use soap, or Fuel lube, or ? on the packing material to prevent seepage through the fibers.

I need to re-route the fuel line from off the top of the exhaust pipe. I have read Buzz Pounds fuel line route in the 1993 Vintage Ford and intend to take his advice and route the line to the outside frame and then pretty sharply upward to the carb.

The recommended way is down from the tank and under the exhaust pipe to the outside of the frame, back to the inside of the frame near the carb. and up to the carb. with a fairly sharp upward bend.

On both my 1914, and my 1925, (as well as about 10 others I have had the pleasure of owning,,) the fuel line does run inside the "U: of the frame rail. It is held in place with a clamp at the handbrake cross shaft, and sometimes another clamp near the carb end.

Yes, it is close to the exhaust pipe, I think "Henry" was attempting to pre-heat the fuel? ( like he pre-heats the differential grease by pointing the exhaust gasses toward the diffy housing??)) or so I was told..

Postings by John Conley and Bill Schatz regarding a Briggs and Stratton filter, part number on 28090S. Evidently, a screen only filter that is sealed in plastic canister and works well with gravity systems.

The gas tank was originally made from galvanized sheet steel and was not painted. If your tank is typical the galvanizing is long gone. What most folks do is to paint it with a galvanizing paint. Check with your local hardware store to see what they have.

My conclusion that this a '27 engine is based upon the paint scheme of the

motor. All of the parts appear exactly per the factory specifications dated August 1926. That is, the engine block, head, time gear cover, generator mounting boss and intake manifold are all painted the same color, which appears to be a dark olive. The pan and transmission cover are painted black, as is the timer. The cylinder head bolts are domed and nickel plated. So are the manifold bolts and the bolts that hold the generator mounting boss to the block. All of this is, again, is consistent with the factory specifications.

A little bit of information has been found in the Research Center that indicates that moleskin color was a dark olive. This engine appears to be what one might call a dark olive color. Hopefully the pictures at the bottom of this page will show that.

As you look at the pictures of the motor, you may note that the block and head are quite shiny. At first I thought that these parts had been painted with an oven baked enamel. Pyroxlin is another name for nitrocellulose lacquer, and if the paint had been enamel that would have pretty quickly ruled it out. But upon close examination of the paint it appears so smooth and shiny because the block and head castings were ground and polished before the paint was applied. In fact, the paint exhibits some signs of crackling that is so characteristic of old lacquer finishes. So the bottom line is: This is my best guess as to the correct shade of green for the post August 1926 engines. Prior to that, records indicate that they were, of course, black.

Engine Accessories: everything was black, '14 through '25. Aaron Griffey

Exhaust manifold "should" be natural,, there is a good "cast" finish offered by Eastwood company that looks close to unpainted iron,, Intake should be black, Pipe and muffler are left natural to rust with age..

I personally like the looks of "stove black" on my exhaust manifolds. Bill Eads

DO NOT FORGET THAT A WOODEN OAK BLOCK GOES IN BETWEEN THE FRAME.

I have fixed frames with cracks there and it is because in the past the wood disappeared and they just never replaced. The wood does several things like stopping a frame crush and acts as a damper so the vibration of the engine does not cause a cracking of the frame. Old Henry would not have put that wood there if it weren’t needed, believe me he definitely counted his parts and money

-The side bolts go in from the outside, nut on the inside. Torque the top bolts tight, but only finger tight on the side bolts. You definitely need a cotter pin here.

-Let us open our green Ford Service hymn books to page 31. The 2nd paragraph of installing crankcase arm bolts- "The nuts should be run down as far as they will go, but absolutely no force applied in tightening them, as there is a possibility of drawing the crankcase arms so tightly against frame that they become imbedded in that part, eventually resulting in crystallization of the frame at points 'B'".

Point "B" is an arrow pointing to the frame at that point. That is exactly what FORD said. "absolutely no force". all of the T's I work on have no wood block, and the top bolts are finger tight, or finger loose.

Fahnestock wrote in 1924:

"There are two bolts holding each crank case arm to the chassis frame- and it is important to notice that they require different treatments. Let us first consider the upper bolt, which holds the top of the crank case arm to the upper flange of the side member of the chassis frame.

"These upper bolts should be kept as tight as possible- always. The reason being that, if these bolts are allowed to become loose, then the crank case arm will _hammer_ on the chassis frame, with inevitable crystallization and cracking of the steel. While if tight, there is no sharp _impact_ to cause shock, and so there is much less wear and tear on the parts. Push against a brick wall- or punch a brick wall with your fist- if you want to be convinced of the difference between a push and a hit.

"But the lower bolts, which hold the sides of the crank case arms to the web, or middle of the chassis frame, require different treatment.

"Because they know that broken crank case arms often result from loose top bolts, some mechanics make a practice of using too much force when tightening the side bolts. Which is as bad as kissing the wrong girl!

"This is very poor practice, as there is a possibility of drawing the crank case arm so tightly against the frame that it becomes embedded in that part, eventually resulting in crystallization of the frame. Under no circumstances should force be applied when installing a crank case arm side bolt. The nut on the end of the side bolt should be run down as far as it will go on the bolt, but absolutely no force applied in tightening it.

"The only purpose of this bolt is to prevent the crank case arm from spreading away from the frame, and to prevent vibration at this point..."

I believe the 45 degree angle in the wood block is for the gas line on the earlier models, and goes toward the frame. Larry Smith

The fuel line is clamped along the lower inside of the frame, so it would pass the wood block on the lower frame rail. So, the 45º angle would go towards the inside, lower edge. Also, Gas lamps have a fuel line that runs the drivers side, thus the notch in BOTH blocks. Bill Eads T-Nut

======

note from rw: Murray Fahnestock was _the_ premier technical writer on all things "Ford" for over four decades. During his early career he was a Factory employee, overseeing final aspects of Model T production. His technical writing career began in the early 'teens. His clarity and content received the personal approval Henry Ford himself, with whom MF was acquainted.

Fahnestock enjoyed free access to the Ford factory engineering staff during the Model T's heyday. His popular readership included thousands of full time Model T mechanics and a million Model T car owners.

If your proposal of loose or spring-floated top bolts offered safety and freedom from crank case arm breakage, it seems very likely that our ancestors would have recognized the technique and adopted it, for it is easy to set up, and seems sensible on the face of things. Yet, as Fahnestock indicates, there were and are very good reasons for bolting tight on top and not discarding the side bolts.

-In my experience, shouting "NO" does not defend a strongly felt point nearly so well as a rational presentation of the thoughts and ingenuity behind the method.

Bearing out this thought, MF's text presents plain facts and documented procedure which remained standard during the entire 19 year run of the Model T, during which time most parts of the car were refined or reengineered. The bolting methodology seems never to have been changed. Why, is that if its so "wrong"?

Millions of car owners did NOT experience arm breakage. Some did, but this does not prove that tight top bolts were to blame. Before pronouncing your way as best, and me accepting your word, you should document the _number_ of cars that you've treated with loose top bolts, and how many _tens of thousands of miles_ each car has run without arm breakage. Or more particularly, if all cars have runs these long distances without mashing, wearing or and fatiguing the upper frame rail.

Such damage could be considered especially serious, because the greatest percentage of the car's weight bears on those two, small points of contact.

Again, exclaiming "NO" doesn't necessarily make it so.

I made a PCV system out of a BMW motorcycle crankcase breather reed. It lets the crank case pressure and fumes out but not outside air back in. The reed costs $10 and is about the size of a quarter. You do not buy the diecast holder for $45.50, just the reed. It is easily mounted in a piece of pipe cap. In fact, I mounted two of them in a 2" pipe cap for redundancy and they work just fine. Oil consumption is down and now the only oil loss is through gaps below the oil level line in the crankcase. They mount by cutting a counter bore in the cap and then drilling and tapping two or three hole around the edge and holding it down with a washer under the screw head. It looks old because it is made out of waterpipe and it is very entertaining the way it pops up and down with a slight blur. This system ports to ambient air and will not clog the intake air system or spark plugs if you have an old oilburner. BMW has changed the reed design but dealers still have the old ones in stock. The new one is a flapper reed. The old ones I use are a flat disk valve on a spring loaded post and they look like something Henry would have used.

Tom or Richard Carnegie in Spokane, Washington can supply you with a drilled crank for about $300.00

The 26/27 is different but also the late 25s. In late 25 when they went to the Improved brake drum with the 6 lugs they had to use a different (previously These bolts were 1.5 " long, 9/16 cap screw head, and have a collar about half way with threads about half inch from the end towards the collar.) bolt that would go down inside of the brakes drum and connect the clutch plate to the brake drum. At first in late 25 they started using a long 3/8" fine thread diameter bolt with a slot for a screw driver in the upper end. These were obviously unsatisfactory and then they went to the Bolt you described with the apron. these bolts are much easier to tighten ,I never use the slotted type. As far as I know the early 3/8" stud is the same one used in more than one place including bolting the Magneto Field coil to the black. If you don't mind the hole in the head for the wire you can also use them on the cam gear cover and underneath the left side of the hogs head near the starter. These bolts were wired, but could be finger turned. Looking at the threads, the bolts weren't tightened enough to have the collar seat against the clutch plate. The part # for the '09 - '25 bolt is 3323 The part # for the '26 - '27 bolt is 3323B Bob Jablonski & Dave Huson

Low speed shaft dimensions for RHD

Perhaps a good idea- OR one more small thing to drop in your transmission! - while pedal shaft is out of the car, drill the very end of the shaft for a cotter pin. After reassembly of the band washer and nut install a cotter pin very securely through that hole. In the example of Terry's case, this cotter pin can't prevent the brake failure, but it will prevent the nut from escaping and falling into the transmission with destructive results.

OTOH, it is hard enough not to drop nuts and washers into the transmission without worrying about $#% cotter pins. So take extra care when changing bands next time.

The transmission triple gear pins of a Model T are an odd size. Furthermore, the factory recommended that the bushings be reamed with .003 inch clearance. Failure to provide that clearance results in triple gear bushings that seize to the pins. Using reamers designed to finish the hole in the bushing to factory specifications can eliminate the need to go back and fix it later. This reamer is marked Mayhew and the number 3022 1/2.

The Genuine Ford 5Z324 transmission band ratchet adjusting wrench for the Model T Ford is designed to make the adjustment of the brake and reverse bands a quick and easy job. The 5Z324 is a much scarcer tool than its later counterpart, the 5Z829.

Pulling drums without factory puller:

-I did this once by placing a very large washer inside the drum to fill the space to the lower edge of the side holes. I then installed two close fitting pins through the holes to rest on the washer. Then I used a large gear puller on the outside ends of the pins. A little heat on the hub where the set screw mounts helps a lot. Kenneth Bove

-What I do is put 2 short bolts in the holes you speak of, then I put the jaws of the puller on the head of the bolts then pull the drum out. Larry

- After removing the safety wire I remove the square head bolt. Then I put my 2 jaw puller into those two holes and crank on the bolt center. The drum always seems to come off, there are two Woodruff keys inside there. My drum may come off easily because I seem to be removing them every other week. Terry Horlick

- Be sure to take the square headed lock bolt all the way out before you try to pull on it.

- My gosh, I don't see what the average person can do to rebuild a transmission! The disk drum is generally press fitted with such and interference fit as to require a 20 ton press. At least mine was- Wow, what a booger to get off. I gave up and went to the machine shop. Well, really the main thing that stymies us homeboys is the bushings. We can't just pop in new bushings and call it a job. Say you have the tooling to align ream the bushings on the true center(How, without factory repair tool or a machine shop?).... Then what should be don when the brake drum shaft is necked down from wear, and the "003" fit of the bushing becomes an oval .009 fit on the drum shaft? Not to be a wet blanket- but it would be a great service if the average T owner could just bundle up that transmission and send it off to a reliable professional shop-

one with full equipment and a keen interest in doing the best that can be done with worn parts. The aim of balancing the various drums is noble indeed. But I see in the MTFCI video the gentleman balances the drums by drilling holes in the slender, break-prone spokes. Really, is there enough metal there that this method won't increase the chance of drum failure? The alternative to spoke drilling is painstaking grinding of the inside surface of the drum. Few would have the patience for that- there's very little metal to work with. Average Joe (me, really) gets his transmission apart... he somehow gets the old bushings out without breaking anything. He somehow manages to pound in new bushings to the correct depth. The transmission bushings naturally require reaming. So he hones them with what? A brake cylinder hone? (I did). And gets a "fit" of sorts. Real marginal. The nice "fit" soon wears loose because the new bushings, which are not of the correct Ford bronze, and not running on truly round, cylindrical journals, and had to be reamed "oversize" to get them over the unworn portion of the journal- soon loosen up considerably. Now- how about the triple gear pins- always worn. And the triple gear bushings- usually best (I think) to leave them original. How is the average Joe gonna change chose triple gear pins? And whose pins should he buy (since the various sources seem to vary in diameter, hardness, etc). Sorry I'm such a wet blanket here- but there are many loose old transmissions which are better off being left alone if they cannot be rebuilt by an experienced shop. And checking the drums for cracks... There's an advertisement for the value of a competent Magnaflux inspection. You want someone to do that check who has checked Ford drums many times before. And cares about the T. Reid

posted by Willie Strickland

"I have noticed that low gear does not engage as well as it did. I have successfully adjusted for free neutral as well as adjusted the brake and reverse levers. But I don’t know how to adjust the forward gear pedal. "

I assume you took a good look at the band linings when you had the cover off to adjust the reverse and brake bands. I am assuming they were ok. If the linings were worn too much, they will not grab the drums. Assuming they are good, there is an adjusting nut which protrudes out the right side of the transmission cover near the exhaust pipe. Loosen the lock nut and turn the adjusting nut one turn to the right. Push on the pedal and feel how much resistance you feel when depressing the pedal. It should "feel" some better. Just continue until everything "feels" right. The only warning is don't tighten it too much. They will drag on the drum, act as a brake and overheat it and the engine.

Ried:

Look at the right hand side of the hogshead. See that large "bolt" sticking out the side? Loosen it's locknut with a crescent wrench or 15/16" end wrench. Turn the flatted end of that bolt clockwise one half or more turns. Lock the nut and try the pedal. The more you turn in the bolt, the higher the low pedal will feel. No higher than necessary. On many cars when the low band gets a bit worn the low pedal goes down so far that it abruptly "overcenters", and LOCKS the car resolutely in low. Juggernaut T will plow throw walls, haystacks and day care centers. YANK the pedal back up with a free hand. And go change your shorts. (grin) But even if it does not overcenter, a slipping low band quickly wears out the band lining. So, go ahead and adjust it now.

DO NOT CUT THOSE BAND LINING’S TO FIT USE ALL OF IT

If you hate the Kevlar idea then get wooden bands, nothing drives better than wood bands.

Don't soak them first as it just makes it messy. Do not trim them to length. Put one end on and rivet it. Put the other end on and rivet it. Now compress and push the lining down so that it fits tight. If there are any raised portions, move another part up and slide the lining this way and that until it is all down flat against the band. Then rivet the lining through the center. There are two sets of thinking on the direction of the split of the rivet. One bunch of people think that the split should go across or perpendicular to the band. This makes the spread rivet touch lightly all across the drum and the wear is even. The other bunch of guys say that the split should be in line with the band so that you only muck up a small portion of the band. I prefer the spread across the band rather than in line with it. After you have the band properly compressed and riveted, soak it in fresh oil. The reason they want you to soak the lining first is that in the old days, they were in a hurry and car was to be driven as soon as the job was done. Today, we have time to rivet clean dry lining and soak it afterwards. Then the next day install the band according to proper procedures and enjoy driving with a new set of bands. Frank

I have seen people install bands incorrectly by starting the riveting at one end and working around the band to the other end. This leaves excess material that they cut off- WRONG. First one end should be riveted flush with the band then the opposite side. Of course next you work the material towards the center packing the excess down into the lower section of the band. Possibly yours were not installed correctly and are grabbing. Sounds like a simple matter of replacing but not so simple of a job! I usually soak my new band material overnight in oil and rivet it in the next day. Its a mess but they always drive well. I did one car 15 years ago and have never changed them since.

If the bands are not properly done and you have to rivet them make sure you get the rivets ends going perpendicular to the band for better holding

Changed a transmission band tonight and got to use my new "Band nut and washer tool". This is a tool prevents the nut and washer from falling into the transmission. It holds the band nut and washer in a burled knob, with a spring loaded fork. The tool has a handle that fits inside the inspection hole in the tranny. All you do is put the nut and washer into the tool, and flip the spring loaded fork over them. Then take the tool by the handle and lower it into place over the stud. Then just spin the knob until the nut is snug, release the spring loaded fork, and lift the tool out. The nut and washer are on! The tool is available from "Lang's Old Car Parts" for $16.95 and is well worth it. It's catalog number is 3416TNW. Another band changing pointer I got from the "Tinker'n Tips" book is how to hold the band in place on the stud while you get the nut and washer on. You just loop a piece of mechanic's wire around the ears of the band, and then tie the wire to the break pedal shaft. It holds the band in place, while you fiddle with the nut and washer. After the nut is on, you just slip the wire out. I Drilled a hole in the tail end of my tool, and strung a piece of safety wire through it, so the tool can't drop out of reach down in the tranny.

I like to rivet them as described, but I also keep a spare set of freshly re-lined bands soaking in fresh oil. A set of bands can be had at a swap met for $10 or less, and a cheap plastic bucket is perfect for the job. I've not had to have any emergency band changes since I switched to Kevlar but it pays to be prepared nonetheless.

Some postings farther down discuss the possibility of using brake adhesive to secure the linings to the steel bands. With the right adhesive this could be a great idea. Besides its adhesive qualities it would have to penetrate some distance into the woven material as it would seem that non-penetrating stuff, holding as it were only the first layer of fibers, would not get a sufficient grip into the material to be a safe bet.

Personally, I don't worry about the effects of brass rivets scoring the drum. The main reason is because I try not to allow band slippage. Some folks start their Ts in motion by trying to "feather" the band like a modern clutch; a real uh-uh. Slipping drums will quickly build heat and have a sort of annealing effect on the rivets which could harden them and allow scoring. If the rivets are properly cinched into the lining and minimal slippage occurs, the effect on the drums will be negligible.

As for riveting technique, I have cut a 7-1/4" circle out of 2" thick pine, clamp it in a vise, then after driving the end rivets and compressing the lining, I clamp the band around it and drive the rivets clean through the lining into the wood. Removing the band, it is turned over and rivets are spread with a large cold chisel. A small ball peen hammer finishes the job, but you have to be careful to curl the tines over and lock them back on themselves, burying the ends in the material. It takes longer to write about the process than it does to actually do it.

Ran into a band changing problem. With a new low band installed, take up almost bottomed out the band, like the drum was a smaller diameter than normal. Initially, I thought it needed new bands because the take up was all took up. Trying to figure out what to do, I read in one of the books that you can grind off a couple of turns of the spring, and add a shim behind the left ear, to keep the band from bottoming out. This I did and she performs beautifully.

You can also put a sheetmetal "shim" between the under-sized drum and the lining material, which brings the working mechanism out to the standard "size" without modifying the springs or adding washers.

Wood bands are being made by John Hale in Anaheim , California His phone # is (714) 779-8507

Jim Guinn makes wood bands. He bought out John Hale, he can be reached at (714) 779-5438.

-That's what you have: classic symptoms. As Michael says, first check your neutral on the linkage between the low pedal and clutch lever. However, even a correctly adjusted stock clutch can drag when cold - the plates get lapped together with use and then the cold oil helps glue them together. This is why you can buy accessory clutches like the Watts, or use automatic trans plates. Some people suggest parking the car with handbrake off to squeeze the oil out of the assy. Also check you don't have your low speed band adjusted too tight; that's always a temptation.

Take the inspection cover off the tranny by taking out the machine screws and you will see the three bands. Push on the brake pedal so you see which band does the braking (the rear one), there will be a bolt, spring and nut on that band. By tightening the nut the slack in the band will be taken up. You want the band loose

enough so it doesn't grab the drum with the pedal up, but not so loose that the pedal goes all the way to the floor board on a hard stop, just about an inch above the board. Be sure to put the floor boards back in and try the pedal before you make any final decisions.

There are lugs for the 26-27 brake drum side of the large clutch disks. If you file the lugs smooth and use a Watts Clutch no steel will ever touch your lugs again. If you use the jack rabbit or the original clutch disks then you will have trouble with the lugs getting cut again. When you use the watts clutch the only steel left in the disks ride on the clutch drum, which is steel and will not be effected. Just remember that the drum is made of soft cast iron while the clutch drum is steel. I have even seen the steel shoes in the late 25, 26 and the 27 be cut in half with the steel disks. Also I would never cut the running surface of any of the drums to make them smooth they are two thin now and subject to cracking. If they have not been run for awhile put them in your lathe and polish them but don't cut. The groves that you see from someone using non brass rivets won't hurt a thing, but if they are too bad other wise get a good used one they are cheap. By the way I have just a little short of 50,000 miles on my center door (2220 Lbs with no one in it) and my coupe and have never had a moments trouble with the Watts Clutches. I even use the Watts Clutch in my Montana 500 car and have had no trouble with it. I had the motor out the other day and checked the disks and they look like they were almost new.

The factory drawings for the transmission brake drum call for the outside diameter to be 7.495 - 7.505. Regards, Trent Boggess

We "machine" the lugs by filing them so that they will accept the steel lug shoes. You can do this yourself if you are patient. Do one lug and then quit for awhile to do something else (unless you really enjoy drudgery).

It is imperative to check the drum rivets as a routine overhaul procedure. Tighten with a center punch (use a crossing pattern). Twixt ye and me, fluxing a T drum for cracks is overkill, and unreliable overkill at that. In my experience, the way to find cracks is to soak the drum in mineral spirits or run it through your parts washer, shake or wipe off the excess solvent, then dust talc powd