Archive through May 01, 2004

[wdeturck]

Ken U.: Got my RPRU this morning now I can finish reading about Hydros(part 2). They have a nice Cub section written by Hank Wills.
Maybe I can learn how to put my Hydro on a tilt trailer with a dead battery.

 

[sshimon]

I just picked up a 1450 today, engine just spins over. Pulled the head, found out the piston is not moving. Dropped the oil pan, found rod in about 4 or 5 major pieces. I also noticed a chunk gone out of the bottom of the cylinder wall. My question is, how far down does the piston travel. I would say the chunk missing is a half moon shape approx one inch wide and one inch high. Will I have problems if I just try to replace the rod and piston.

Scott

 

[ddulac]

Daughter's toy.

 

[dkamp]

Ken- That's an Auto-lite 'serviceable' spark-plug. If you look in the old-car magazines (like Model A News, Restorer, and Cars & Parts, you might see references to it. That type of plug has two pieces- you've only got the core, but there's a threaded sleeve with a lock-ring. What a guy would do, is go to his Auto-Lite dealer, and buy a set of four or six 'sleeves' (depending on wether he was driving a Ford or Chevy, hee hee) and a set of five or seven 'cores' (like what you've got). You thread the sleeve into the spark-plug hole, and then drop in the core, and tighten the lock-ring, which squeezed against the core. This deraingement allowed you to do three things: 1) Clean the plug reely easily (if you had a Ford), 2) blow the raw gas out the cylinders and re-gap the plug (if you had a Chevy), or replace a broken plug (if you were a Dodge-drivin' Scotsman).

As testament to the validity of the design concept, this method is clearly extinct today, partially because the plug wouldn't hold up against modern compression ratios (gee, I think Dad's 29fordA developed 5.5:1), and since the 'heat path' from plug tip to the cooled head is impeded by a questionable joint, clearly wouldn't stay cool enough to prevent detonation.

But if you'd like to experience the 2-piece spark plug for yourself, replace your average Small Block Chevy's AC-Delco R42T with a so-called 'equivalent' Champion, and take it for a good-hard ride. When the collar-crimp fails, it'll spit the core right out, and it'll be just-like-old-times.

(yes, I had this exact scenario happen to me while cruising around in the boat last July 23rd. Lucky for me, a guy came cruising by that'd just changed his Delco plugs... so I bought one used MR42T (marine version is corrosion-resistant, hence the M), and went on my merry way.

Needless to say, there was a whole lot of fancy spark-plug experimentation between 1928 and 1950, and with all the 'drastic improvements' touted by 'breakthrough designs', the ordinary spark-plug is still used as original equipment. Alas, there's quite a few people who pay two and three times the price for a 'gimmick' spark-plug, and swear it improves performance. My favorite was seeing the ads "Fires in OIL!" (uh... Duhhh... it's a conductor!)

 

[dkamp]

Travis- I tell my wife the same thing about Venison, but she won't let me keep any in the house... except for them little spicy deer-sticks. She calls it 'Bambi'... I call it "Blam-bi"... }:>P

 

[dross]

Kraig, you get enough footage for a video of PD-7?

 

[kweaver]

Ask a simple question and you get a long winded history of ol sparky ... now if I was writing a book looking for a story his answer would have been , "It's a plug". geeezzzzzzz

Dave -- I figured you'd know what it was. I was thinking that it would have to be a 2 piece job.

Don D -- Did you talk to yer wife 'bout giving birth to short legged kids ?? That's a cute photo even if she is short legged

Reminds me of my niece trying to sit on my little brother's peddal tractor from the 70's. Those legs will grow into it real fast !

Geezer -- pull off the cover and use a drill on the inputshaft to drive it on a trailer. I have a little adapter made up to use with a cordless drill to move hydros around the shop. Heck I even tram my Payloader around with a 3/4 horse drill !

Scott -- not to ignore you but ... I've seen 1/2" or so chunks out that they ran but on an 1" or so .. you'd better wait for a better answer from someone else. I myself would think it'd work taking into account that you'll need to chamfer the edges of the break real good.

(Message edited by kweaver on May 02, 2004)

 

[gerickson]

Went up into Wisconsin yesterday to pick up a tractor. On the way home I found a real nice 12 inch plow.CHEAP!! Looks like I'll be a wide bottom at Plow Day.WooHoo
On another note. At more than one gas station/ convenience store I saw a sign at the cashier that read... Please don't put your bait bucket on the counter! Any help???

 

[jbliler]

Anyone got a big trailer?

<font color="ff0000">(Admin note) That was just a bit too much like an ad Jerry ! ! ! !</font>

 

[dkirk]

Scott S.,

When you get the engine out and torn down, take a photo of the cylinder damage zone and post it. We've got some experienced engine guys on the forum that will give their opinion.

You Quiet Line drivers ever notice that the die-cast frame (that anchors the exhaust box to the engine)is always cracked somewhere? I came up with a fix, I think. I call it a Muffler Crutch. It takes the load off the rather fragile aluminum frame boss that supports the right side of the muffler and transmits the load into the more robust bolt and boss on the engine block. Here's what the crutch looks like on the bench:

Here it is installed and ready for field trials:

 

[thoffman]

More "Plug Talk". Who says SPLIT FIRE plugs are something new. I got this one out of a F-20 about 15 years ago.

 

[thoffman]

This one is one of my all time coolest. A Champion "44" with the IHC logo on it.

 

[thoffman]

Dave "K",
Ya' mean "relacable part" spark plug like this?

 

[kweaver]

Glen -- on the "bait bucket" question ... say there's a guy in front of you with a minnow bucket sitting on the counter and he has just bought a few dozen minnows ... now he leaves and you step up and lay your loaf of bread on the counter ... nobody likes getting the wet spot

 

[kehrecke]

Dave Kirk:
Keep me in mind for a "muffler crutch". I'm working on building a 1650 now. The way the 16's shake, it'll need all the help it can get to hold together. When I get to the assy portion of the show, I'll be looking for one of these as well as one of your ignition modules.

Keep inventing.
Keith

 

[tschweizer]

Dave Kirk, looks like an excellent idea!!

Other Dave, we're actually camping this weekend (I just came home to try to keep up on emails). We had deer burgers last night. EVERY time I put something on the fire, we got paged out for a fire call. I quit eating

 

[dkamp]

Jerry B- NOW what did you do? bust your Cub-transporeter? I've got a tandem-axle car-hauler...

Travis- If you get a fire-call each time you put something on the campfire, you're soakin' 'em in beer too long! (Whooof!) BTW- don't lean over the grille when you do that- takes 'yer eyebrows off!

Hey everybody- Tom HOFFMAN is a Spark-Plug-Collector! COOL! (Hey Tom- want a blown-out Champion? I think I still have the one that blew-out on me last summer...

But seriously, folks... the 'replaceable part' plugs did have one thing going for 'em... they proved the difference between a well-crimped and poorly-crimped non-replaceable plug. Poor crimps keep the plug from cooling properly, so even when you think you've got the right heat range, it still runs too darned hot, 'cause heat doesn't pass from the ceramic out to the shell and head... besides, they also start leakin' compression. If you've got a funky-runnin' motor, and you don't know why, look between the ceramic and sleeve... if it's bubbling, it's leakin'... throw it out.

 

[till]

Hello, my name is Tedd....
I mow my lawn with a 21" MTD push mower. It isn't even self propelled. I have gone from 1 hour to mow my lawn to three.....

More later, lunch and back to mowing...

 

[rchristensen]

David Kirk
Excellent idea on the muffler crutch, I will add it to all of my Quietlines. I might add some additional comments. I find most of the cracks on the flat side (left side looking from the front).

It makes sense the flat side cracks as it doesn't have the support the right side has with all of the contours around the exhaust exit from the block.

All of the 14 and 16 hp Quitlines I have seen have an additional side bracket support but none of the 12 hp's I have seen have the support. I don't know if this was a later mod or because the oil dip stick was relocated.

I was in a hurry the other day to get a 12 hp going and I made a simple bracket to add support. The two existing holes are not at the same level so I had to twist the bracket, that will be changed on the next one. The next ones I make will be made of a wider flat metal with a gusset to add support. And all will get the David Kirk mod.

 

[smckenzie]

Does anyone have a DELCO (or any other brand for that matter) part number for a voltage regulator for a model 86 (I assume it's the same as all the others of that vintage {i.e., 129, 149, 169, etc})? We tried to cross the IH part number without success. Any help would br appreciated.

Thanks

Scott