75 years old and still learning!!

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Bill James
Posts: 163
Joined: August 14th, 2009, 3:09 pm
Body Type: 82A
Model Year: 1930

75 years old and still learning!!

Post by Bill James »

OK, I may have mentioned before, I'm working on my 1930 AA grain truck, known as Dr. Frank. As in Dr. Frankenstien.
The clutch was not working to say the least, so while you got it apart you rebuild the transmission and rebush the rear suspension.
The clutch area was full of dirt, maybe been under water. Fly wheel clutch face BAD. throw out, pilot bearing, and clutch parts, throw away.
Fly wheel and pressure plate from donor truck all good. All new parts bought, and old parts cleaned up, ready to start reassembly.
Now for the learning part :roll:
Heres the plan, 1" pipe U bolted to my tranny jack, slip the fly wheel on the pipe and put under truck. Cut off 2 long bolts for lineing pins in the crank flange, line the fly wheel up and push it home.
What the heck? it slides on my home made lining pins, but will not go all the way on the dowels, it hangs up on the bottem and binds up. I wiggle, push, beat on it with a raw hide hammer, all I do is knock skin off my nuckles. After about an hour of fussing and cussing, I deside on giving it another try tomorrow.
Oh well, I'll get it back on my jack and it will be ready to drive me crazy tomorrow.
By now all you older Model A mechanics probley know where I'm going with this.
I'm under the truck wiggleing the fly wheel back and forth, trying to pull it off my pins and onto the pipe, and I notice the famous "Henry Ford cotter key through the fly wheel housing to keep the drain hole from plugging up" wiggleing around as I try to get the wheel unstuck :shock:
Any how, get the wheel on the jack, take the cotter key out, line the holes up, push the wheel forward, CLUNK, put the bolts in, torque to 65 ft. pounds, wire em up, go in the house and have a beer :D
Lesson? PULL THE DAM COTTER PIN OUT before you try to put the fly wheel in place :!: Bill James
Drew Mashburn
Posts: 496
Joined: April 25th, 2005, 2:25 pm
Model Year: 1930
Location: Ojai, California

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by Drew Mashburn »

Bill:

Thanks for the laugh, Buddy!

-- Drew
Drew Mashburn
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Brady
Posts: 361
Joined: October 21st, 2003, 1:38 pm
Body Type: None
Model Year: 1930
Location: Norwich, NY 13815

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by Brady »

Good story Bill - thanks for sharing. I think I know the feeling, rather like getting it all assembled, crawling out from under, and there's the damn cotter pin on the workbench...
You could have used a couple of donor heads studs instead of cutting off the two bolts- Best of luck with the rest of the job.
fb
User avatar
spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by spectria »

Bill James wrote:OK, I may have mentioned before, I'm working on my 1930 AA grain truck, known as Dr. Frank. As in Dr. Frankenstien.
The clutch was not working to say the least, so while you got it apart you rebuild the transmission and rebush the rear suspension.
The clutch area was full of dirt, maybe been under water. Fly wheel clutch face BAD. throw out, pilot bearing, and clutch parts, throw away.
Fly wheel and pressure plate from donor truck all good. All new parts bought, and old parts cleaned up, ready to start reassembly.
Now for the learning part :roll:
Heres the plan, 1" pipe U bolted to my tranny jack, slip the fly wheel on the pipe and put under truck. Cut off 2 long bolts for lineing pins in the crank flange, line the fly wheel up and push it home.
What the heck? it slides on my home made lining pins, but will not go all the way on the dowels, it hangs up on the bottem and binds up. I wiggle, push, beat on it with a raw hide hammer, all I do is knock skin off my nuckles. After about an hour of fussing and cussing, I deside on giving it another try tomorrow.
Oh well, I'll get it back on my jack and it will be ready to drive me crazy tomorrow.
By now all you older Model A mechanics probley know where I'm going with this.
I'm under the truck wiggleing the fly wheel back and forth, trying to pull it off my pins and onto the pipe, and I notice the famous "Henry Ford cotter key through the fly wheel housing to keep the drain hole from plugging up" wiggleing around as I try to get the wheel unstuck :shock:
Any how, get the wheel on the jack, take the cotter key out, line the holes up, push the wheel forward, CLUNK, put the bolts in, torque to 65 ft. pounds, wire em up, go in the house and have a beer :D
Lesson? PULL THE DAM COTTER PIN OUT before you try to put the fly wheel in place :!: Bill James
Great Story!
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
Join the Ford Model AA Truck Club - membership form at http://www.fmaatc.org
Shorthaul
Posts: 374
Joined: November 15th, 2008, 8:18 am
Body Type: 186 stake
Model Year: 1931
Location: Hawthorne California

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by Shorthaul »

Glad you saw the cotter pin doing the hula, otherwise we all would have missed a good story.
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vtwinsideways
Posts: 452
Joined: March 19th, 2010, 6:37 pm
Body Type: 82-A, 88-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Taylorville IL

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by vtwinsideways »

I once new 4 fellas that spent 2 hours "finding" Henry's infamous pin. Sad to admit, I was one of them.
"I get all my exercise jumping to conclusions."
Luke in Illinois
User avatar
spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: 75 years old and still learning!!

Post by spectria »

vtwinsideways wrote:I once new 4 fellas that spent 2 hours "finding" Henry's infamous pin. Sad to admit, I was one of them.
Ha Ha! The visual is scary...
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
Join the Ford Model AA Truck Club - membership form at http://www.fmaatc.org
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