Recent content by Mark in MT

I have made a set of jigs that hold the backing plates in a milling machine to hold them square and level. After welding, the working surfaces are milled to the correct dimension from the center line of the spindle or axle. In my shop is faster and easier than replacing the plates and...

The heads of the rivets is not the best place for measuring the distance of the working surface of the roller track from. Ideally, it should be taken from the center of the big backing plate hole. I made a fixture to hold the backing plates in a mill vise and machine the previously welded up...

The input shaft should turn easily with the tips of your fingers, no tools required. Anything tighter will put strain on the cable, leading to erratic speed readings and possible cable damage. If the shaft is too tight, sometimes soaking in oil will help, but not always. I use synthetic motor...

Oft times the problem is that the lube that the factory uses 90+ years ago has turned to concrete. Sometimes fresh oil will help, but must be used sparingly or it will migrate onto visible places. To do an effective job, it is best to remove unit from case clean out old and add fresh new lube...

Getting a speedometer to report accurately over the whole range is a challenge. I have done a couple thousand, some are a lot easier than others. It is quite common for them to be right on at 20 mph, and at 60 mph, but a couple mph high at 40 mph. I have not figured that one out yet, though...

If you can find someone with an old hand powered seat install kit, they can do that in the car.( Mine is a K O Lee from the 1940's). I have used seats that are about .032 oversized from stock.

To reset the odometer requires it to be taken out of the frame, pressed apart, the wheels rotated into position while keeping everything in time. Gently press back together without chipping any of the fragile paint. While you are at it, clean out the old grease and add fresh lube. I don't...

The one odd duck of the speedometer cables for the A's is oval Northeast. It has no trip odometer, also male threads on speedometer, others are female.

The drive end of the oval speedometer cable is round tip with a flag pressed onto it. The end that goes into the head has a .124 square tip. The round cable is .104 square on each end. The housing for the oval units is about 1/2" diameter, the round style is much smaller. The threaded ends...

Oops, I did not read the original post correctly, I assumed that he was finishing the small end of the rod, not the babbitt. I have tried to hone the babbitt end, only succeeded in loading the stones with babbitt and getting a nasty finish in the rod.

I have been using SL-7 for many years, general purpose grade, make take a while if the bushings are .010 undersized as some are. I also have a KL mandrel, using a KL7 stone. About the same finish as the SL, but easier to come by. I am using honing oil that I got from McMaster Carr in the pin...

The ones that I have used with the GN logo are good, much better than the old NORS and aftermarket ones from 70's - 80's.

Some times the speedo head will be stiff enough so that it winds up the cable like a torsional spring, then releases. This causes the speedometer to bounce or hunt and seek. Pull the head out of the dash, the input should turn easily with the tips of your fingers, if it doesn't, it is too...

I have a theory of thirds when it comes to taking out studs, 1 third will come out no problem, 1 third will make you sweat, soak and tap, then will come out, and the last third will require more work. Heating, soaking, tapping, praying, rinse and repeat. I pull to about 90% of what it will...

Test the speedometer and the cable for smooth movement. If either one is dry, it can howl like a banshee! I find that the speedometers most often are the problem, the lube has dried out and turned to rock, the oil wicks are dry. If it runs too long like this, it will wear out the frame, lots...