Projects 1934 Ford Pickup in England

I had a ticking noise I wanted to track down, efforts to deduce if it is road speed or engine speed related have proved inconclusive.
But I do know it gets more frequent the faster you go.
It sounds like a spinning thing coming into contact with a tin-plate.
So I was thinking sump.
I wanted to drop the sump anyway, as there is no oil-filter, and crud accumulates in the bottom.
It came off alright, but is a big heavy thing, as on this model it is half of the bell-housing, and is tough enough to take the starter motor.
Wasn't disappointed when I came looking for groo.
There is a metal gauze on the oil pump, that was pretty grotty too, and I poked a hole in it, trying to clean it.
Thankfully parts supply is good, and a new one was procured.

But I couldn't find any witness marks for the noise.
The only marks I found were on the back of the starter ring-gear, and I think that is just from starter engagement.
Sometimes I have a mental block, about sending things out for blasting, this was one of those times. Tried a heat gun, got bored. Fired up the spinning tools.

After a good while and a lot of mess I was ready for paint with a very improvised setup.

Used enamel paint, and this was autumn time, so baked it under the heatlamp.

I used some sump snap-up to hold the sump in place, to avoid the gaskets and sealer becoming dislodged.
A very clever idea from Felpro.

I couldn't source any in time, but yet again the 3D printer came to the rescue.
I printed them out of PETG to give a little bit of flexibility, and printed the 5/16UNC thread.
After running a die down the thread, they worked perfectly.
So I've got a nicely painted and clean sump, but still got the noise......
Thanks for looking

 

Looking up the M10 thread dimensions, it looks like that it might leave as little as .007" wall in the adapter piece. Still, that is a cool knob and worth a try. I even have an I drill bit for the 5/16 unf hole!

 

I know I can't work to that kind of tolerance
It is a M10 x 1.25 fine pitch, so that may help.
But it seems to work, and I've not pulled it off yet. There is always epoxy

 

Thanks for your very detailed posts, great to see how others do it & think about it.

 

Your post #100 shows it working.

 

I was talking to another Hamber and he said why not open up the tapped hole in the knob and re-tap it. Using a McMaster Carr 94110A150 5/16 x 7/16 insert would only enlarge the knob hole by .044". Does the insert in the knob have enough meat for that?

EDIT: Part number is 90259A141

 

That is a much more elegant solution.
I took this picture for you, the threaded portion of the knob appears to be a nylon insert, with a decent amount of meat on it.

Hope it helps

 

I always hated the exhaust, it had been bodged through the chassis, was covered in loose rust, and didn't have any joints in it.
The manifolds came off without too much drama.
The sawzall got the rest of the system out of my way quickly.
The replacement manifolds I picked up cheap, on my recent Swedish trip seem to clear the steering box, so I'll start building a new system around those.
The chrome is a bit blingy for my tastes, so they will probably get ceramic coated eventually.

The first few sections, and the silencers turned up, as the car was up in the air, seemed rude not to fit them.
Screw jacks, originally for decking/static caravans were invaluable for holding the sections in place when working solo.
I started with the most difficult side, as I had to work around the pedals and brake master cylinder.
Now I can see what sections I need to join in the very roughly mounted silencers.

Looking from the front of the car backwards.
Very happy with the routing and clearances so far.
Shame the previous exhaust ran through the crossmembers, which have been crudely gas-axed to suit - that is on the to-do list.

One side, sliced and diced so it fits nicely.
Looks simple, but anyone who has tried this, knows it needs to come off and go on many times for small adjustments to fit.
Just a simple exit ahead of the rear axle - pointing down.

There was one minor mod, after that picture.
I've added a boss for an O2 sensor. The sensor will be a temporary fit, to allow me to see the air-fuel ratio during any tuning/shakedown runs.
Running a Flathead lean is a disaster waiting to happen.
The thread is the same as a spark plug, so I used a chaser, to keep some of the heat away from the threads whilst welding.
The welds are ground back, as pin-holes in this area are bad.
For mounts, this rear one, welded to a running board bracket, with a rubber bobbin isolator, does 95% of the location
I've also added a mount to the front of the silencer, in a belt'n'braces style.
This is what I came up with, using bolts into existing holes in the chassis.

Together they look like this, the bobbin in shear isn't ideal, but it really does very little.
But having the silencer fixed at two points, helped me get a consistant downpipe fit.

Talking of downpipes, they got fully welded and cleaned up. Just MiG with stainless wire, I know people will harp on about TiG with purged pipes full of argon, but you gotta use what you've got sometimes.

Importantly - how does it sound ?
I have no clue, the engine is in pieces - which is definitely a story for a different day......
Thanks for looking.

 

Engine then, I had a ticking noise I wanted to get to the bottom of.
Really tricky to find, sounded like the rear of the engine, and I was thinking either fuel pump/cam/pushrod or valve clearances.
So off with the heads. No dramas to be honest.

It had been running very rich when I took delivery of this little truck.
I've since leaned it off a lot, but there is still a lot of carbon in most places, but not all !!
I wish I ran a compression test before tearing it down, but I didn't.
Somebody has been in here before though.

• Valves are stainless
• Adjustable lifters are fitted.
• Cam cover is chromed, but cam appears stock.
• +030" overbore
• Pistons on the passenger side are facing backwards, and seem miss-matched

Measuring the valve clearances, they do seem to be all over the place, so hopefully that was the smoking gun.
It was my original intention to clean everything up and put it back together nicely with just some TLC.
But the best laid plans of mice and men......

 

Aluminium heads are going back on, that means the head studs need to come out.
I don't have oxy-acetelene, and they certainly were in there.
I had a few unsucessful attempts before hitting on a method that worked for me.
A bit of retail therapy saw me with one of these induction heater things.
£200 for a middle of the road 1500W version, and it was on my doorstep in a couple of days.

The second tool was a Sealey Ak718 Impact Stud Extractor, I really wasn't expecting much from this, but it has a fearsome grip.


So the method was to head up the stud to a cherry red.
The white stuff is lard !! It is supposed to wick into the threads - who am I to argue !!
I think I saw that on an IronTrap Garage YouTube video - thanks.
Then hit it 3-4 times firmly with a brass hammer, to break any remains of Loctite.

I dusted off the old windy gun, as I thought I would need all it could muster.
But no, 1/2 power and short 1 second bursts saved the studs from shearing off.

Then after a while I had this pile on the floor (cooling down)
I broke one by using too much power from the windy gun.
One started to move but then sheared - I was thinking the stud was possibly still too hot.
But on the drivers side head I got out 23 studs in about 80minutes. Which compared to previous efforts, is nothing short of a miracle
I started with the passenger side head, so there are more casualties here until I hit upon these tools/techniques.
Five broken studs to attend to on this side...

Drivers side head is better with just one.

Drilling out the broken studs in the next installment.......

 

I used the Sealey Ak718 with no problems at all and got all my studs out, but I do realize that some flatheads are not as easy as mine was...

 

That is two strong votes for the Sealey AK718

 

Head studs, I largely followed the process in the Bishop and Tardel book, but I was trying to avoid a full rebuild at this stage.
First off was to clean the surface of the block, so I could see what was going on, and for the tape to stick.

Then I used silver heating tape and old earplugs to seal all the holes, to try and keep any swarf out.
Each of the broken studs was center punched, and a small "divet" drilled in each one, to help centre the drill for the next stage.

Then it was a case of bolting the old head back on to act as a drill guide.
I started with a 6mm drill first, to hog out out the centre of the broken stud.
I had to turn up a simple brass drill guide to try and keep it centred.

This was decent, but not perfect.
But it allowed me to adjust some of the slighlty off-centre holes with a Dremmel, and then a countersink bit, to get the next drill bit closer.
Then it was bolt the head back on, this time with a guide, suitable for a 3/8 drill bit.

That worked pretty well. On one hole the swarf was actually the spiral remains of the head bolt, leaving the thread perfect.
Two of the other holes cleaned up quickly with a thread chaser.
The two holes nearest to the top of the block weren't quite as sweet.
I had to use a 13/23 drill, handheld to try and get out the last of the threads.
A thread chaser went down the holes easily enough.
But they still weren't as clean as I'd like, so I gently ran an old tap down the holes.
I don't believe it removed much/any material from the block.
The final result, three are perfect, and two are probably good enough.

 

But I wasn't happy with my efforts.
Had I managed to keep all the muck out of the oil and water galleries ?
Wouldn't 3 of those head studs be better off with a helicoil ?
This was as clean as I could get the block surface - was it going to seal ?

Would this bore scoring and old corrosion be an issue ?

I hate doing things twice, so I've bitten the bullet, and hired a van, and dropped it off at local FlatHead emporioum Royal Kustoms in Dorset, they will do a full strip down and inspection, then we can work out how many of my children/organs I need to part with, to get the engine I want.
Thanks for looking.

 

Somewhere on the Hamb I read to never re-tap the holes for the head studs on a flathead block. Something about they were originally threaded with some kind of an interference fit and if re-tapped they will leak. Someone with more flathead experience will chime in I am sure.

 

Use a "chaser" tap.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/flathead-ford-head-stud-tap.208371/

 

I was using a chaser tap - bought them specifically, but there were 2-3 which wouldn't clean up with a chaser.
I've pointed those out to the engine builder, and they'll double-check/helicoil as appropriate.
Thanks for the links - interesting reading.

 

Gotta keep these ol' cars and trucks on the road!
I'll say that I had not run across your thread until yesterday and I'm very impressed with your progress. I'm going to have to check the local area here and see if a 3D printer shop is available. You've done really great things with your build, so this is not taking away from your other efforts, but the 3D stuff is really some great out of the box problem solving, design ideas and fabrication. It may not be traditional like welding washers (which you've done too), but it exemplifies the creative spirit and unique fabrication which is the point of building your own rod or custom.
Thank you for sharing your build!

 

Thanks RodStRace - I love the 3D print stuff - there is more to come.....
A huge hidden benefit, is I can design and prototype stuff in my PJs without making much noise or mess.
I love a weld'a'thon, but with neighbours and family it isn't always possible to have the grinders running, but a little printer in the background........

 

Last job before the engine got shipped off, was to get a timing mark for TDC.
Many have done this before, so this is an amalgamation of what I've ready and seen.....
The pistons are domed, so the the piston will rise above the level of the block.
So bolt any old plate onto the head. Turn the engine one way until it touches the plate, then turn it back until it touches again.

Make a pointer, that picks up on some existing holes in the block. Using very temporary fasteners until the postman does his thing.
Then mark both the places where the piston touches the heavy metal plate.

Because it is me, I 3D printed a thingy, which gave me the center of those two marks - which is TDC. But also 4 and 8 degrees BTDC.

I decided to only mark TDC and 4degrees on the pulley with a file. But I checked TDC with a dial gauge, and it checked out.

The proper fittings turned up, and were fitted to my TDC pointer - much better.
I can use the same stainless cap-screws to hold on the exhaust manifolds - which is nice.

The trouble is, now this thread has almost caught up with real time.
So updates etc will be much slower.
But there is a Volvo gearbox, a 3D printer and a torque tube waiting in the wings.........

 

A minor quibble based on past experience.
Back in my 20s I had a Chevy LUV (import mini PU) in the shop where I worked. It had a sharp pointer like that. I was doing something down around the crank pulley and stabbed the heck out of my thumb. In my 60s now, I just looked and scar is still there. I'd suggest a flat strip instead.

 

The Volvo gearbox is a good idea, which one do you use, do you drive an open drive or torque tube?
I'm curious, right?

 

When I was reinstalling the head studs in my A motor, one was a little loose, so I decided to helicoil it. Well, I didn't research it well enough and, afterwards, an experienced Model A’er had to remind me to use the head as a guide to drill the hole for the tap straight. My two helicoils were 4 deg from square and the head wouldn't go on. I removed them and used this insert to recover from my error: www.mcmaster.com/90259ai54. The specs say it needs a 33/64" tap drill, which I don't have, but 1/2" worked fine. In order to use the head as a guide, the holes in the head had to be reamed to 11/16" (as I recall), but that doesn't hurt anything, in my opinion. For checking squareness of tap, I used a 4" square I have. I would start the tap, turn enough to get a bite and then check for square in two directions, then adjust the tap and continue to bias the horizontal force in the direction needed and repeat every half turn or so. I used a nut and bolt to install the insert.

 

The Volvo gearbox.....
Before I pulled the 3-speed from the vehicle, I made a simple and rough jig, so show where the old gearbox sat.
That will allow me to progress this part of the build, whilst the engine is away being rebuilt.

In parallel I went shopping for a gearbox, and found locally an M46 4-speed + overdrive, from a 1987 Volvo 760.
The gearboxes in more common S10/T5 conversions are very expensive over here, so I'm on the right path I hope.

My logic for that choice was two-fold.
I might have a fighting chance of getting the gearbox/overdrive to straddle my transmission crossmember.

Second part was, I heard of a man that modifies the bellhousing and shifter to suit my application.

Whilst my bellhousing was away being modified, I put old and new on the bench to see what I was in for.....

The gearbox/bellhousing will be roughly the same length as the original.
But the overdrive, and torque tube conversion will double the overall length of the trans, so I'll need to cut about 13" from the torque tube.
Yes, I'm making a rod for my own back, and I'm going to try and retain the torque tube.
I wanted to change the gearbox, not rework the whole rear end.
I've got a prototype for the torque tube adapater, that is waiting in the wings.

But before I get to that, I need your help.
Scroll back to the first picture, and I've got some ugly holes in the crossmember, where a previous owner, let loose with the gas axe to fit an exhaust !!
Unsurprisingly that isn't acceptable to me, and I want to try and repair it, but I don't know what an original should look like, or what size any factory holes should be.
Anyone got pictures of that area, and measurements of any holes ?

 

This will be an interesting upgrade,
I enjoy reading along.
Regards Harald

 

Looks like this one suffered a similar fate.
https://jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1934-ford-pickup-chassis.1047912/
These pics are not at great angles, but big. Might help.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/520916/
This won't help the holes, but might come in handy.
https://automotorpad.com/ford/1137275-1934-ford-frame-measurements.html

 

The Volvo Box makes a lot of sense. What are you doing for a speedo? GPS?
Interesting stuff. well done!

 

Yep - GPS speedo already installed and working.

 

Torque tube adapter.
I'll try and tell a complete story here, so I'll start at the very beginning....
The back of my 3-speed gearbox looks like this. The torque tube is firmly attached by the four bolts on the perimeter.

Removing the "bell" reveals, what I'm going to call a UJ - not sure if there is a more period correct name.
Behind the UJ is a spline - 6spline, male on the gearbox, it is this UJ I have to reuse, and the mounting points I have to replicate.

Moving onto the overdrive on the Volvo it looks completely different - unsurprisingly.

Eventually that thread will have to be machined off, and a hole drilled in the output shaft to bolt on the Ford parts, but we aren't there yet.
Now I'm into protyping with my 3D printer, as I'm no machinist.
I modeled the Ford spline, into an adaptor, that will slip onto the Volvo mainshaft, there was no point modeling the fine Volvo spline now, this is only a mockup.

Lots of measuring, and adjustments, and I'm getting some flanges, and mounting points together.
There are two M10 threaded holes at the end of the casing - which is nice.

The Ford JU slipped on perfectly.....excited.

Now I could design something, that will center on the output shaft casing, to hold the UJ "Bell"

I do believe that is going to work.
Hope the esteemed members here agree with me.
I can now talk to my machinist buddy and see what is possible in metal.
Obviously the the yellow plastic flanges aren't tied together.
The final length of the spline adapter is key, before I begin the next stage.
But a rendering shows my approximate thoughts on a "cage" to tie everything together.
Probably in 5mm mild steel as I can work with that at home.
Is it going to work ?
Have I missed anything fundamental ?
I know the torque tube will need shortening by approx 13" but I'll cross that bridge....