T-2004JAN

January 2004

FRONT SEAT NEWS

MODEL T FORD CLUB NORTHWEST OHIO, INC.

Officers: Bob Torbet, Pres.; Bob Hollister, V-Pres.; Jack Putnam, Treas; Jim Cook, Sec/Editor

NEXT MEETING: January 7th 2004 7:30 at Jack Putnam's Shop 1215 Hancock Rd 28; Bluffton (4th house east of Anderson Tractor Supply), Phone (419) 358-6313

The December meeting was a Christmas dinner at Diamond River Steak House in Findlay. The event was attended by Dave and Janet Benny, Bob and Patty Hollister, Bill Mack, Bob and Ann Torbet, Ken Stucky, Jack and Marilyn Putnam, Melvin and Erna Gerihart, Bill Sieberg and Joy Baker, Dave and Carol Sousley, Dave and Cheri Nolting, and guest Brent and Nancy Meyers.

Everyone reports that they had a good time. I'm sorry that I had to miss this annual event. Sue thought that her brother's wedding was more important! I thought that it was a matter of misplaced priorities. We do have some pictures of the 1926 Tudor that was used to take the couple from the church to the reception hall.

Bill Coulman of Columbus may be attending our January meeting. He is scheduled to have mains poured on Wednesday afternoon; so, we may get some first hand experience into fitting bearings.

Dave Dohanos of Fremont is a new member that has joined the club. Please make him welcome if you happen to see him at one of the meetings. Additionally, Ronald Stieben of Perrysburg and William Phillips of Findlay have paid up for next year.

Just a reminder that your dues for the club are due at this time. They are still only $20. Your dues are used to help pay for the newsletter, the web site, our fine club meeting place, and also show your continued interest in the club. Our club is affiliated with both the Model T Ford Club of America and the Model T Ford Club International. Because of the bylaws of the club and the framework of the two affiliates, the officers of the club must hold memberships in both MTFCA and MTFCI. If you are not a member of either one of the parent organizations, please consider the benefits. Both clubs have informative magazines.

Our club's bylaws can be found on the internet at www.nwo-modelt.org which is our club's web site. The web site is visited over 100 time per month by people interested in the activities of our club.

C Cab on the Home Stretch

The new stake bed C cab is almost ready for the road. This project has been a long time in the making. Parts were collected form all over the United States and a few lessons were learned along the way. Number 1 - all that glitters is not gold. The original C cab body that was found looked useable, but had been modified so much that it was next to impossible to use. Number 2 - get it straight the first time. The premise that a body panel is close enough and can be persuaded into place later can cause a lot of frustration further down the road. Good job Jack!!

Those Dependable Model A's

Here we see Fred on the drive home from the Island tour. He was having a little bit of a problem with his starter. In Fed's unique style of persuasion, he has talked the ladies into giving him a push.

Usually Fred doesn't let the ladies push him around; but, today he made an exception to that life rule.

Believe it or not, this A wasn't the one with the
problem on this stop. Another on of the A's was

having problems with a tied up bearing on his alternator. By this time in the trip we were all just ready to jump out and give Fred a shove. He didn't even need to ask.

Center of the Bearing vs Center of the Assembly

A lot has been written and discussed about the need to balance the Model T drive system to optimize performance of that 21 horse engine. The problem is that the shop techniques that were used in the Model T era do not make sense to a modern machinist. In the Model T era the drim was turned, the bearing pressed in, and the bearing was reamed to fit. Using an original drum and trying to center it on a lathe may or may not allow for a centered bearing cleanup. The picture is the result of such an attempt.

A little less than one quarter of the surface did not clean up because the bearing center did not match the drum center. This drum probably alway ran just a little off center.

The Battery Method of Charging the Magnets

Here we see the poles of the magnets as they are checked for polarity. A regular magnetic north compass is used to determine which of the magnet sets is positive and which ones are negative. The poles reverse on each set. A total magnet check should also involve the removal of all of the magnets to check for cracks. The magnets tend to break at the spot under the bolt back at the bend in the magnet.

The electromagnet is attached directly to the ends of the magnets, so that the electrons in the magnets are pulled into a polarized state. It the poles are attached backwards, the magnets will depolarize.

Out on the Ice

While you guys were having a fun time at the Christmas party, I was busy getting the 1926 Tudor ready for a trot through the snow. A few problems were involved in this particular adventure. The first thing was a short that showed up back in October. I was originally convinced that it had something to do with the starter. Unfortunately, once I isolated the starter out of the electrical system, the short still persisted. I continued to isolate everything out of the electrical system until I had a

single pole double throw center off switch hooked up inside the engine compartment with the center lead going to the coil box, one lead going to the battery, and the last lead going to the magneto post. I now had a system of starting and running the car just like the 1916. I'd throw the switch onto the battery side, hand crank the engine, and throw the switch to the magneto side once the car was started.

Well that problem was temporarily fixed. So, my son Wallee and I jump into the car and head the 15 miles to the church. Wallee's job is to keep an eye on the carburetor adjustment (it wants to vibrate up and down). Within 100 yards of the house it is evident that the car is lacking the power needed to keep up the normal 40 mph speed that this car normally runs. I adjust the spark up and down without any result. The 4th cylinder finally starts to kick in after about 2 miles. Still, I'm not getting all 4 cylinders working all of the time. I now know why the car was so hard to start.

So, now we're 3 miles from the church and the car starts to sputter and cough. Fortunately we're on a downhill run as the car dies while crossing the Sandusky River bridge. I pull off onto the berm just as I get off of the bridge. I open the hood to make sure that all of my make shift electrical connections are still in place and then start to look for signs of dripping fuel. I crank the engine and it takes off and then quickly dies. I go around to check the carburetor adjustment and find that Wallee had let it drift to a quarter turn shut.

We get to the church and everything else goes well until it is time to go to the reception. The combination of a long wedding ceremony, a 45 minute recieving line, and an hour of pictures has now turned the 2:00 wedding into a dusk drive to the reception and and after dark drive back home. Remember that I've disconnected all of the wiring except the needed ignition setup. I whip out the trusty screw driver and connect the headlights to the battery while the engine continues to idle on magneto power. I have battery powered blinking lights on the bumper for any traffic coming from behind. Except for a deer threatening to dart across the road on the trip home, that was the gist of the evening.