A disapointed customerr

Charlie,


If it is indeed an attempted installation with the tang improperly aligned, I'd have to conclude that you customer should not be in possession of anything mechanical as the distributor installation setiup on a stock flathead engine is about as elemental as knowing which way to turn a faucet handle to draw water.
 
Let the first one who has not broken something by doing something stupid, raise their hand. The customer made a mistake that will make him a better mechanic by know how to fit stuff and not force it. Charlie may cut him a break on the fix but this guy got a free lesson in basic mechanics.
I was installing a thermostat housing and made sure it was flat against the head before tightening. Yes, I learned about that many decades ago by breaking one.
Like I say, If you pleased 80% of the people you've done 100% of the job. Charlie and a few others here are in the high 90s.
 
How? I believe a #8 blasting cap is carefully positioned atop the anvil. Then whacked with a rubber mallet.
 
Everybody has a stupid factor, mine runs at about 2 or 4 most of the time, but every oncein a while I hit the big 10. Recently I got some medication to help clear my throght. The bottle said spray into your nose. But it's in a glass bottle, and I can't squeezer it. Now my daughter, looked at me and said, "Just push the top down".
Pobody iz nerfect"
Gramps
 
I had changed distributors on our 38 coupe many times, knew how it went, one day had a b---n f, did it wrong..wasn't pretty
 
Hi Everyone, Charlie I'm pleaed you have us to listen to your recent experience. Talking/writing it out helps to let it go.

It's okay to 'fire' a customer.

And it's okay to tell them it's not your responsibility to fix a clear screw-up on their part.

When I've broken something due to my own actions, I get doubly disturbed. This is may be partly where the customer's attitude was coming from.

But if the failure is a broken ear on a helmet distributor... That's one of the oldest goofs in the old Ford book.

"It appears you didn't understand what you needed to do and you broke it" wraps that case up!

We need to feel sorry for the customer but playing with old cars is a big-boy sport and sometimes it involves disappointments and broken knuckles. It's part of the game that mistakes can cost cash you hadn't anticipated spending.

You helped them in a way you can live with, but I'm guessing that cost you some money to it.

That's not right. But it also shows the world how you run your shop!

As humans we seem to absorb negative feedback over positive. This makes experiences like yours hurt and stick with us much longer than they should. We're spending time thinking about this d-bag instead of enjoying life.

Maybe you can recognize this and our comments help brush it off. Next week will be better!

Thanks for being a such a valued businessman and top-notch 'Barn'er Charlie Schwendler!
 
>>>But if the failure is a broken ear on a helmet distributor... That's one of the oldest goofs in the old Ford book.>>>


If it's only one ear, JBWeld to the rescure. Pile it on thick. Maybe smooth & contour it with a putty knife so no one will notice. Then try to hide it with a spray can of Walmart's best ColorPlace aluminium paint. Don't tighten that earbolt too much. Then it'll be almost good to go. And it might. 8^)
 
Don’t take this one all on yourself bud.....you have to have at least a minimum of mechanical knowledge or common sense to change a flat tire.......Mark
 
Ol' Ron said:
Everybody has a stupid factor, mine runs at about 2 or 4 most of the time, but every oncein a while I hit the big 10. Recently I got some medication to help clear my throght. The bottle said spray into your nose. But it's in a glass bottle, and I can't squeezer it. Now my daughter, looked at me and said, "Just push the top down".
Pobody iz nerfect"
Gramps
Click to expand...

Finally, I get to tell of my father’s claim to fame in that category. He had an open sore on his right elbow, and an open bottle of iodine in his right hand, the applicator in the left. Up goes his arm, elbow bent… you know the rest!
 
For future reference to folks.

I was just catching up with Mart and his Pendine Prep series. This one is video #7. Between 21:30 and 23:00 you get an excellent visual description of him fitting a distributor tang into the slot in the end of the camshaft. First pic is the wrong way, second is when the tang dropped into the slot.

Maybe it will help someone else.

Nice job Mart!

the video: https://youtu.be/Ydy38R7EPL8

Mart's thread about the video: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=311700

Mart's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzcePXyhzVro40j-vjjZShg

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Charlie, knowing you, this is bothering you a lot. As you can see from the posts here, 100% of us say you did absolutely nothing wrong, just your laser focused customer service.


Having installed a distributor the "wrong" way because the tang was worn enough to let is slip in, all I got was timing 180 out and no damage....but lesson learned....fortunately years ago.


So, take all the support given here and feel good about the job you did!!!...not your fault.
 
>>>Having installed a distributor the "wrong" way because the tang was worn enough to let is slip in, all I got was timing 180 out and no damage....but lesson learned....fortunately years ago.>>>


IMO, the hardly noticeable offset was one of Ford's lousier ideas to avoid being 180° out. It woulda been better to risk being 180° out with no offset.
 
Jack E/NJ said:
>>>Having installed a distributor the "wrong" way because the tang was worn enough to let is slip in, all I got was timing 180 out and no damage....but lesson learned....fortunately years ago.>>>


IMO, the hardly noticeable offset was one of Ford's lousier ideas to avoid being 180° out. It woulda been better to risk being 180° out with no offset.
Click to expand...


Jack,


Off subject... Your avatar... Try to follow the firing rotation with your eyes, You see only three detonations per revolution, advancing by one cylinder per revolution. Similar to watching the prop on a plane in a movie! Stranger than fiction!
 
You guys are scaring me! I don't want to be bad customer number 2. I bought the modified distributor in June of 2020. My engine block went to the machine shop about that same time. I just got the engine block back ready to assemble. That's 21 months later. The engine builder got very ill and there were times I wasn't sure he was going to finish it or if I would even get it back. I'm sure it was harder on him than me and I just figured his health was more important than my block. So challenge number 1. Is the new distributor where I thought I put it. Yes is was! I looked at it because I wasn't sure what tang was being talked about. While I was in the garage, Some one posted some right and wrong photos. Ive installed distributors in Dodge Flatheads and Chevy small blocks. Seemed not to be a big deal. But this is my first Ford Flathead. There are a couple of photos provided by Charley in the box and I hope the other guy who wanted a refresher course gets his wish. I would like that too. I've been very frustrated today with not finding things I had a little earlier in the day. My RV keys disappeared right after I moved the RV, my 97 year old mother in law moved them to a different spot on the counter. Couldn't find my sunglasses that were on my desk. I found them on my desk. An interior rack I built for the RV was removed by me when I let one of my kids use the RV. Looked all over and haven't found it yet. So finding the distributor on the shelf where I put it 21 months ago felt like I hadn't completely lost my marbles.
 
ford38v8 said:
Finally, I get to tell of my father’s claim to fame in that category. He had an open sore on his right elbow, and an open bottle of iodine in his right hand, the applicator in the left. Up goes his arm, elbow bent… you know the rest!
Click to expand...


Maybe a lite hearted story along the same line.


My grandmother had knee issues. So one night she was rubbing some bengay on her knee like most nights. After about 20 minutes she thought, well this isn't doing anything. To which she looked at the bottle she was using and realized it was actually a bottle of elmer's glue. She laughed, and took the next 30 minutes pealing glue from her knee.
 
ford38v8 said:
Off subject... Your avatar... Try to follow the firing rotation with your eyes, You see only three detonations per revolution, advancing by one cylinder per revolution. Similar to watching the prop on a plane in a movie! Stranger than fiction!
Click to expand...


Alan ....That's not strange & not fiction, because what Jack's avatar is doing is actually correct and true. It represents a 5-cylinder RADIAL engine. You must realize that virtually all AMERICAN 5-cylinder radials turn in a clockwise direction when viewed from the rear (non-propeller end), as Jack's engine does.
You should also remember that almost all radial engines are 4-stroke, and that each cylinder fires once every SECOND cycle.


firing-order.gif



With radial engines, the TOP cylinder in the front row (or ONLY row) is always #1. The cylinders are numbered sequentially in the direction of rotation. With Jack's 5-cylinder example, the firing ORDER would be #1, 3, 5, 2, 4. Looking at Jack's engine from the REAR, the cylinders fire in a clockwise direction, once every other cylinder, with two complete rotations.

If you didn't realize it, all radial engines have an ODD number of cylinders on EACH ROW of cylinders. Can anyone explain WHY radial engines have an ODD number of cylinders per row? The answer should be easy to figure using the two examples below! ALAN ("ford38V8") will owe you a free chicken dinner for the first CORRECT answer. DD

radial-engine-800px.gif




.
 
V8COOPMAN said:
Alan ....That's not strange & not fiction, because what Jack's avatar is doing is actually correct and true. It represents a 5-cylinder RADIAL engine. You must realize that virtually all AMERICAN 5-cylinder radials turn in a clockwise direction when viewed from the rear (non-propeller end), as Jack's engine does.
You should also remember that almost all radial engines are 4-stroke, and that each cylinder fires once every SECOND cycle.


firing-order.gif



With radial engines, the TOP cylinder in the front row (or ONLY row) is always #1. The cylinders are numbered sequentially in the direction of rotation. With Jack's 5-cylinder example, the firing ORDER would be #1, 3, 5, 2, 4. Looking at Jack's engine from the REAR, the cylinders fire in a clockwise direction, once every other cylinder, with two complete rotations.

If you didn't realize it, all radial engines have an ODD number of cylinders on EACH ROW of cylinders. Can anyone explain WHY radial engines have an ODD number of cylinders per row? The answer should be easy to figure using the two examples below! ALAN ("ford38V8") will owe you a free chicken dinner for the first CORRECT answer. DD

radial-engine-800px.gif

.
Click to expand...


Well son if a gun, my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me after all! It didn’t occur to me to consider the firing order! Coop, you get the chicken dinner ’cause your head is in the clouds unlike clouds in my head! Oh, the odd number of cilynders? Would that be to defeat any set of symbiotic vibrations that would occur with even numbered cylinders? (Poor wording, I know.)
 
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