Projects Giant speedster project

It wasn't the Loveland Firehouse was it?
Jerry
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I love this build.

 

Many, many big over the highway trucks of that era (and even today), use totally non-syncro transmissions. With the really big, slow-revving, slow-response engines it is really pretty easy to 'float' from one gear to the next, waiting in neutral for the revs to come down before going into the next gear on upshifts, or revving slightly in neutral for the down shifts. Shifting this type of transmission is usually easier NOT using the clutch at all.

 

Miscellaneous

I'm waiting on some bolts to arrive from McMaster-Carr. They're the place for all sorts of miscellaneous nuts and bolts and hardware. I wanted new bolts to hold the lifters in place. The lifters have to go in before the valves and springs. While waiting I had the timing cover welded. The truck was in a minor front end collision. I had the cover welded--you guessed it--by a buddy. Now I need splice on an aluminum piece that I ordered from speedymetals.com to hold the hand crank shaft. Speaking of starting, the truck has an interesting electric starter. It's gear driven and 12 volt. The only other 12 volt early car I've ever seen was the Dodge Brothers. Anyboy know of any other 12 volt early cars?
Jerry<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

Hehehe, I wonder how "minor" that collision was for the other unfortunate vehicle ?

 

Front Crossbar

This is one of those little things on which bigger things depend. The truck was in an accident which bent the front crossbar, which bent the hand cranking shaft, which cracked the timing cover. The bolts that hold the cross bar in place are also the front spring bolts. Originally there was a rod that went through both springs, both frame horns and through the hollow crossbar. I had to cut all that away since it was bent beyond salvaging. I decided to weld nuts inside the crossbar eliminating the rod. I machined two holes into the end of the new crossbar then ground down two 5/8s nuts and pressed them inside. I'm going to weld the nuts in place through the holes. So the whole project doesn't look like much but with the crossbar in place I can lengthen the hand cranking shaft (remember I set the engine back a foot) And with the hand cranking shaft in place I can line up the new aluminum piece on the timing cover to assure it is welded in the right position.
Jerry
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Great work Jerry.
Hand cranking ??
Just try to imagine hand cranking that 1,000 CID monster on a dark frosty morning.

 

Hey, there's a youtube video of a guy hand cranking a Seagrave with an F6 engine like mine. Check it out. The engine does have a compression release but I don't think he uses it. I'm not really sure why there's a compression release. Any ideas?
Jerry

Hand cranking a 1920 Seagrave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnfoxNjvjM0
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Jerry,

Keep the progress reports coming, I love it!

Brian

 

I just watched the video again. I can't even spin my old REO 4 cylinder around like that guy spun that Seagrave!
Jerry

 

Cool project can't wait to see it finished.

 

I have only ever seen compression releases on stationary and marine diesels that had a hand crank start.
If your CR is only 4:1 to begin with, I cannot really see the point.
I hope it also has an electric starter motor. I sure would be fitting one (or two) if that big boy was going in my car.

 

It's got a starter. 12 volt gear reduction. But it just looks cool to have that big crank hanging off the front.
Jerry
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I totally agree. Some things like crank handles and spare wheels bolted to the outside of the vehicle are all part of the character of the era.

 

Heres some more pics for inspiration. The Mormon Meteor and Bluebirds may be a bit to streamlined for the look you want, but the scale is right. I always thought it would be so cool to build a street version of one of the Bluebirds.

 

I like those wheel covers and the pontoon thingies behind the wheels. The size is great too.
Jerry
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My 1913 White " Thirty" has a compression release, as do all Whites of that era.

It may "only" have a 4:1 compression ratio, but try cranking something big like that and you will see. I have cranked a couple of 1913 American LaFrance fire trucks and they are brutal, let me tell you.

 

Hand crank shaft

I cut off the original hand cranking shaft then I cut off a shaft that formerly activated the rear brake shoes off the old rear end I discarded. I mounted them in the lathe and cut a taper on both shafts. After aligning them with a dial indicator I tack welded the two pieces together. Then I mounted the new shaft along with the front cover and figured out where the new aluminum piece needed to be welded on. All this represents a days work. I took aluminum over to my buddy to have it tigged. He might as well do the final weld on the shaft too because my mig is a little too small for 1 1/8 shaft. I did some quick mental math to see what this project was had cost so far.
Seagrave 2000 ( includes shipping)
Sand blasting & primer 300
Dodge diff 100 (I actually traded an old Mercedes junker for it)
Bits and pieces of new metal 200
Plasma cutting 100
New valve springs 45 (The came from a hardware supply co.)
Engine and other paint 50

Total 2795

Am I within budget? I probably forgot something.
Jerry<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

and to cool of a project factor .......= priceless

 

Great project. My vote would be the red Isotta body. Love the V shaped radiator idea too.

 

Lifters

Didn't get much done today. After 350K the automatic trans in my '89 Trooper 2.6 blew a front seal. I'm not doing that job! I'm reduced to driving the old rollback. ('86 F350 6.9) Working on the Seagrave cheered me up. I got the lifters on one side in and one valve in place. You can see in the picture there's a little oil hole in the valve guide. Besides any upper cylinder lube you might use, that hole is the only way the guide gets oiled. I made up a valve spring compressor. It works well. That grey goop oozing from under the lifter is Permatex Ultrgrey. I use it on everything. You can peel it off after it dries. The original gaskets were thin paper.

Jerry

 

The early White 30, 40 and 60 hp gasoline cars from 1909 to 1916 where all 12 volts if memory serves me right...I know for a fact they were from 1911 to 1914 at least because my buddies '13 White GAF-30 is an original car and is 12 volt.

The catch is that while the electrical system on the Whites was all 12 volts, the starters were 24 volts. This was accomplished by using 2 12 volt batteries connected in series by a knife switch on the dash that also acted as the starter switch....when the knife switch was dis-engaged, the car was using only one 12 volt battery. Engaging the knife switch linked the 2 12 volt batteries together and connected them to the starter directly.

This system also means that as long as the switch was engaged, the starter was running...so you had to remember to disengage the switch once you got the car running

 

Valves and Stuff

I finally got all the valves lapped and installed. Ditto on the lifters. My welding buddy welded up the hand cranking shaft and the front support bar and the front cover so I can get that installed. We're coming up on a countdown to crank up.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

Exhaust

I've been thinking about the exhaust. Another buddy, had his buddy, who has a plasma cutting service cut me out some exhaust flanges. I was able to salvage 6 copper clad gaskets for the exhaust. So what I've been pondering is the which direction to go with the exhaust: up, down or middle. I'd like to have the exhaust come straight out unmuffled but I think that would be a little radical on the street and some guy would get burned or get something in his eye and I'd be sued. I could come straight out into a muffler and then out the back. Or I could go down into a muffler that's low and then.out the back. What do you guys think? Post some pictures.

Jerry
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Incredible build, keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing this with us!

 

I kinda like the header on the "Blitzen Benz" above^^^....or maybe zoomies pointed down. Can't wait to see this thing done. Very cool...

 

Well, it is going to be a speedster, which means a very close fitting purposeful looking hood.
So the exhaust will be totally exposed, and have to run along the outside of the body.
So basically six identical primary pipes leading into a large expansion chamber.
If the exit pipe is a fairly small (relative) diameter, you may not need any further muffling.
The second and fourth pictures above, follow that sort of general idea. At least that is how I would probably do it.

 

I like the Blitzen Benz as well, but the front of the muffler portion I don't much like; I'd like to see the front pipe curve into the muffler with a better angle, and the other pipes gradually join a collector.

Maybe make up a long cone with the front diameter the size of a single exhaust pipe, and the back about twice as big - run the pipes down to that and weld them on at cylinder spacing (I like the curve on the Blitzen Benz pipes). The actual muffler part could start then after the last pipe joined the collector, or you could use harley-type exhaust baffles in each tube and another baffle at the end.

 

Are you going to add some method of ensuring oil gets to that little hole in the valve guide? New oil lines, etc? Seems like this is the time to think about it - I'd be scratching my head and thinking about adding copper pipe that splashed oil on that hole? Just thinking... a dangerous thing sometimes

 

I see your point BFC.
But there is a need for as much internal gas volume in the expansion chamber as possible, if it is going to reduce noise.
An old "period correct" car needs to look both very purposeful and deliberately crude in construction in some ways (to our modern eyes).
Do it how they would have done it back then. If you are going to take the exhaust back over the rear axle, a fish tail exhaust tip would not look out of place.