Recent content by SAJ

I agree with Neil here. Attached is a picture of a bronze synchro ring from my 1953 Riley RMB. The previous owner used EP 140 GL5 oil. It shows corrosion from the sulphur and phosphorous in EP oil. Shown also is a new bronze ring, now fitted to the car to make a huge difference in synchronised...

Gene, I have an Innova Equus dial back timing light. It works fine on my later 12 volt cars but will not work on either of my Model A's. It fires the bulb with 6 volt and fires a bit brighter with a 12 volt slave battery, but the readinfgs are all over the place and the dial back does not work...

I can add recent actual experience to the seatbelt question. Last year my friend and his wife were at an intersection in his 31 RHD coupe. No seat belts. He turned right at a stop sign, evidently into the path of an incoming car, which hit him in the left rear wheel. The car spun but did not...

I heated and twisted my LHD shortened drop arm to suit RHD. I wrapped the ball in a wet rag with a stream of water keeping it cool to avoid affecting the hardness. The arm according to Snyders was forged from 4130 which is an oil hardening steel. After bending I cooled it slowly in air with a...

Here is my Snap on coil tester video. Not very professional since I did not expect to pubish. It is a great device when working! https://youtu.be/xR0n6rjZgBA?si=UNbIWG2P5pTdRarS SAJ in NZ

I had to clean and reset the contacts in the ******** unit that interrupts the low tension circuit to generate the sparks in the high tension circuit. The canister housing the ******** contained an inert gas plus foam rubber insulation. Over time this inert gas escapes. The foam natural rubber...

The comments raise the question again of drilling into the bottom high-presure load area to feed pump pressure at just a few psi into the centre bearing. Far better to feed into the tube at the top of the bearing to assist hydrodynamic high pressure film development, in my view. A corollary...

Synchro I came back from the Irishman's Rally in Bruce Miles' phaeton with pneumonia. Incredible fun, followed by a week in hospital due to rain, dust, cold and no fabric roof. Plus continuously soaked from high- speed fording of numerous braided South Island rivers. SAJ in NZ

Good move. In my Tudor ( my wife's actually) the babbitt in the rear main had a crude straight groove all the way across from front to back in the bottom. It was also loose in the block so that pressing on it exuded oil trapped between block and babbitt. I took a stick of number 2 babbitt and...

Man you are quick Arnold. I posted an edit 2 minutes ago! SAJ in N Z

The drain hole is very close to where the hydrodynamic oil wedge is at maximum pressure, therby keeping the surfaces separate. Draining this vital pressure is not what you want. There is also no benefit from the oil groove, which is not used in modern bearings. The rotating journal will pull...

Very sorry to hear Bob has left us. Another icon gone. Comisserations to you but keep up the good work you and he did. I am sure he would want that Paul. SAJ in NZ

Dave Mossman ("Mossie") and I visited Gene about 9 years ago and he gave us a tour of his workshop. He sold us a set of babbit moulds and a line boring rig that he manufactured for sale, along with other Model A stuff. Attached is a video I made while there in Colorado...

My roadster had been fitted with plastic spindle bushes. The problem with these was an interference fit tight enough to prevent rotation in the housing did not occur. So the holes for grease had rotated out of line on all 4 bushes, when I dismantled them. I think acetal plastic may have been...

Look what I got for my 80th birthday. A composites resin and carbon fibre radiator fan. Moulded round an original drive pulley by our friend Bruce Sratton. He needs scrap pulleys in good condition to make more and they are not plentiful in NZ. Bruce did amazing work on all sorts of Composites...