Page 1 The South Carolina Model T Ford Club SPARK COIL Volume 19 No. 2 July, 2017 www.scmodeltford.org Happy Fourth of July!
Page 2 Off the Running Board Notes from the President Leonard Carroll Away goes Spring, and in comes Summer! It is time to get out our shorts and fans, as we tootle around the state in our Model T s. Many thank go out to Wayne and Susan for a great tour in Georgetown. If you have a T and are a little skittish about taking it on a tour, start by driving to the grocery store, or on short trips around your house, you will find as you drive your T it will be far more dependable than you initially thought. Before you know it you will be off and riding on the fall tour! As we roll forward into July I am excited to host the next meeting, we should have a little something for everyone to enjoy, see the details later in this newsletter. If you are a member of the MTFCA, make sure and check your mail label to see when you membership expires. In order to maintain our tour insurance, we have to have a percentage of members in the national club. If you are not part of either national club, they are a great source for reference materials, education, and produce a fantastic magazine. See you all in July!! Happy Motoring, Le n r C r 2017 SCMTFC President 2017 SOUTH CAROLINA MODEL T FORD CLUB OFFICERS AND STAFF President: Leonard Carroll (803) 518-8426 lac29072@yahoo.com Vice President Susan Buff (803) 518-1644 randsbuff@gmail.com Secretary: Wayne Colson (843) 330-6303 waynecolson8@gmail.com Treasurer: Mike Chambers (706) 220-0686 jchambers@columbiacountyga.gov Website Editor: Stella Chambers (706) 220-0686 mschambers1340@att.net Newsletter Editor: Josh Lauener (843) 298-0035 josh.lauener@gmail.com Meetings are scheduled on the second Saturday of odd numbered months. Dates are subject to change; contact Susan Buff for more information. See last page for our tentative schedule. The South Carolina Model T Ford Club is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of the Model T Ford automobile. The club is affiliated with Model T Ford Club of America and Model T Ford Club International. Membership in MTFCA and/or MTFCI is encouraged. Model T Ford Club of America P.O. Box 126 Centerville, IN 47330 765/855-5248 E-mail: admin@mtfca.com Website: http://www.mtfca.com The Model T Ford Club International PO Box 355 Hudson, NC 28638 828/728-5758 E-mail: sbumg@charter.net Website:http://www.modelt.org
Page 3 Treasurer s Report Mike Chambers Last Balance Reported 3/26/17 $2,113.94 Payments: 5/13/17 Flowers 63.45 5/24/17 Flowers 72.19 Deposits: 4/07/17 Dues - 9 Paid 135.00 4/24/17 Dues - 1 Paid 15.00 5/22/17 Dues - 1 Paid 15.00 Final Balance Reported 6/25/17 $2,143.30 Additional Members Paid 11 Members paid for 2017 37 From the Editor Josh Lauener It s hot, but as you can see in the photo above it s not too hot to get your car out...but do it early! Rocio s sister was visiting us recently with her boyfriend from Puerto Montt, Chile, the gateway to Patagonia. I took the chance to give Big T a good run and show them how much fun it is to ride in a T. The looks, the honks, the waves, the smiles. I often forget how much fun it is just to ride down the street in my T. Hope to see you all soon! T-MARKET Sell your stuff here
Page 4 SCMTFC Tech Session July 29, 2017 Lexington, SC Location: Parking: Leonard and Carrie Carroll We will have the meeting in the detached workshop, I will have fans going for the heat 133 Orchard Place Court Lexington, SC 29072 803-957-7070 We live on a 0.2 mile cul-de-sac private paved road. You can park along the road if you drive your Model T or you can park your tow vehicle and trailer, offload your T on the road. There will be plenty of room either way. Please park on the pavement. Event Schedule: - Plan to arrive anytime after 11:00am. - We will eat lunch around noon. Lunch will be provided and include BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans, and Banana Pudding. Water, Unsweet Tea and Lemonade - After lunch we will have a Technical Segment discussing the MTFCA Safety Inspection Form for Tours, and a special Tech Tip from Terry Smith. After the Technical Segment we will adjourn the meeting. - Around 3:00 we will take a short tour (4 or 5 miles) to Mercer House Estate Winery for those interested in going. They will have wine tastings ($10 per person). Then return well before dark. I am looking forward to seeing everyone! Leonard
Page 5 Engine Rebuild By Leonard Carroll Bang, Bang, Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.WHOOPS, something is not right!!! Ever pull up to a stop, apply the brakes and feel your car rock back and forth? I noticed that happening more and more to my Tudor, so I pulled the transmission inspection plate off to see what was the issue. I found the output plate rivets were loose causing the rocking. What to do? My youngest son is now 19, hard to believe the baby kid is nearly 20! I finished the Model T restoration just before he was born, so it has been 20 years and one set of tires since the engine had been opened (my guess around 15,000 miles). In that time the car has been over hill and dale to grandpa s house and back (he lives in East Tennessee so we crossed 441 by Mount LeConte) and all around the backroads of South Carolina, many back roads in North Carolina, Southern Ohio, and Northern Kentucky, plus many trips to work on sunny days. In order to remove the output drive plate the engine has to come out of the car, or the transmission cover must be removed and the rear end must be removed. Knowing that so many miles had passed, I thought this would be a good time to pull the engine, re-ring, and adjust the main/rod bearings which would be easier than crawling underneath working upside down through the engine pan plate. No problem, OUT WITH THE ENGINE! With the engine out and a drive plate acquired through a partial trade agreement with a black market Model T parts dealer I know, I removed the rods and started to adjust the mains. These mains were original from the Model T Ford factory; they were in great shape for the first restore and not replaced. I couldn t get them to adjust right, they would turn free, then drag, then free, then drag almost like being egg shaped. I spoke with Terry Smith and decided re-pouring the mains was the best option. Photos are shown on the following page. Photo 1 Drilling and cutting extra groves for the babbit so it won t come loose Photo 2 Heating the block preparing for pouring in the babbit Photo 3 Pouring the babbit Photo 4 Condition prior to boring Photo 5 Line boring the block Photo 6 Final condition of a freshly babbitted and burnished engine Photo 7 Final assembly Photo 8 Final assembly Machined block, machined head, machined crank, new rods, new pistons, new rings, new timing gear, new generator gear all installed and ready to go. As reluctant as I was to do the work, I have always wanted to participate in re-babbitting an engine. It was a lot of fun and I have a high level of confidence that the engine will last for many more miles to come. The most important part of this project was properly burnishing in the mains and rods for a perfect match to the crank. Oh yes, and I replaced the drive plate as well, but found the problem to be a worn universal joint so more repairs to come. Just make sure you over-grease your U-joint fittings because all the grease is slung away making it hard to keep grease on the friction areas.
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Page 7 Pictures from the SCMTFC Georgetown Tour in April...
Page 8 Important Dates and Events July 16-21 July 29th September 22-25 October 5-8 October 19 "Motoring in Montana" - a combined MTFCA and MTFCI national tour Whitefish, MO SCMTFC Tech Session Leonard Carroll s home Lexington, SC AACA Charlotte AutoFair Charlotte, NC SCMTFC Oliver Hardy Festival and 3-day tour Harlem, GA SCMTFC Model T s to Olar Parade Olar, SC South Carolina Model T Ford Club 31 Water Tupelo Lane Bluffton, SC 29910