Ross, You make that sound so easy. I had to hold my tongue just right to get the springs to hold steady. Of course I'm not the most coordinated guy in the world.

Joe, I was thinking brushes not springs. I used sand paper to clean things up, but I didn't shape the brushes any. My started died before it could be put to good use those, so no telling how well I did.

 

I just finished reading this thread from the beginning. What a great story and many, many lessons for the rest of us. Parts of it make me want to get started on my new-found heap and other parts almost convince me to move on to something else! I really enjoyed the video links! You have done a very nice job on this old rig! Keep the story rolling!

 

Thanks for the kind words. By all means, get started on yours. (I'm an enabler) I see by your stable of Fords you have lots of toys to work on.

But nothing I have done on this truck was beyond my ability (yet) and I am no mechanic. Every time I got stuck, I just started asking questions here on FTE, and I have always gotten answers and suggestions.

I'm far from being "finished" with Betsy, but hopefully soon I'll be driving her again. Just need to fix the starter that I broke, and get the oil pan back on. Then I'll check out the tranny and move on from there.

Hope to see your F4 build thread on here soon.

 

So I'm in Albuquerque this week, and I got a chance to stop by and see Ross ALBUQ F-1 again. Last time I was here, we went for a ride in his cool F1. Today however, he's working on the carb so she's not running. Maybe on my next visit I'll get to hear that rebuilt motor purring.

It's always nice to get to talk about trucks with anyone with similar interests. It's even better when it's someone who knows as much about these old trucks as Ross does.

I'm "fixin" to reinstall the oil pan on Betsy (soon) and the idea of lining the pan up with pilot bolts sounded like a good one. The Shop Manual says to use studs, but using pilot bolts with an unthreaded end was suggested by Ross. I stopped at an Ace Hardware to buy the 5/16" bolts before visiting Ross today, and he suggested we go ahead and convert the bolts into pilot bolts while we were in his shop. So here's the results.

Ross cutting the slots for the "heads" on the pilot bolts.



And the finished product.



We got to talking about fans later, and I learned about 3-blade vs 4-blade fans. I mentioned that I was going to have to remove my fan at some point because one of the blades is slightly bent, and I'm afraid it's unbalanced and will possibly cause damage to the water pump, or maybe even to the generator bushings. You can see the wobble in this video. You can actually see the bent blade. I can no longer upload video to FTE (haven't been able to for several months and all my previous video uploads have turned into pics???).

It Idles! Video by JollyRogerJoe | Photobucket



So, anyway (off my soapbox) Ross strides over to a shelf and hands me this... It's a four blade, four hole fan for an I6, and he has no use for it. Perfect!!!



It's safely tucked away in my suitcase now for the trip home tomorrow.

Thanks again Ross, for your help and your hospitality.

 

Want to see the security folks get excited when that fan shows up on the luggage x ray? Or do they even x ray luggage anymore? Yeah, Ross is a good guy. Give him his rep points.

 

Yeah Ray, I expect to see a TSA tag inside my suitcase when I get home. I always know when they've been smelling my dirty underwear, because they can never return the suitcase zipper pulls to the same position. Not to sound like a know-it-all, but there are certain positions for those zipper pulls which are "safer" from the destruction teams handling the baggage. If you've ever watched those guys tossing your luggage, you know why they don't last very long. At least when you use them every week like I do...

So far, I've only met a few FTEers face to face and the common thread is that they're just like they seem in their posts... friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I've said it before, but it bears repeating; my truck would still be sitting in my driveway in an unusable condition if not for you guys!

 

Good to see you again Joe! Glad to see the fan go to a good home, I almost tossed it last week.

 

Joe,
I missed you once again. I've been traveling a lot for work lately and it seems like I'm always out of town when you're in the Alb area.

That fan ought to make them think a bit at the airport....lol

Does the starter by chance have one of those nice skinny washers in front of the commutator? Some modern starters, alternators, etc will have a thin washer that can be used to hold the brushes in place in the brush holder, when you slide it all together the commutator pushes it out of the way and lets the brushes snap into place

Bobby

 

Brilliant idea! Yes, it does have the thin washer, and that should hold the brushes in the right position.

I never would have thought to try that. Thanks Bobby. I'll be having a frosty beverage this evening in your honor!

Maybe next time I'm in town, you will be too. And then the frosty beverages will surely flow.

 

Joe,
Sounds like a plan to me.
I hope the washer idea works

Bobby

 

While I was gone this week, parts came in from Mac's (starter brushes & springs) and Josh jmadsen (starter cover/band) as well as the ones I brought home with me from Ross ALBUQ F-1 (fan and pilot bolts).

So I cleaned up the fan and painted it. And soaked the starter band in my electrolysis bucket to break loose the rust, and painted it.

Then I set about cleaning the inside of the starter since it had no cover/band on it when I got the truck. Here are some pics:

The fan primered



And both blade pieces have this "SC" stamped in them. Anyone know what that means?



And the painted fan



The starter end where the brushes go.

Before... it was really caked in there.



And after. Looks a lot cleaner (not perfect, but neither am I)



And the insides of the starter

Before




Here's a better pic.




And after...



And the starter band before:





And painted. I didn't get shots after it came out of the electrolysis.






I also replaced the two brushes that screw in, but my soldering gun won't get hot enough to replace the other two. You were right again, Ross...

 

What you need is an American Beauty. I have a selection.
Let it warm up for 15-20 minutes and cool for an hour.
Shop for a used one or, hey, they are still in business! American made.

https://www.americanbeautytools.com/...si/18/features

 

Yeah, my soldering gun is only 120 watts. I'll have to get a 300 watt gun or take the starter somewhere and have it done. Time to go shopping...

 

Joe, those old starters are pretty indestructible.....i think they would work under water, LOL. They do need a little maintenance once in a while though.
I 'm glad to see you are a willing to dive in and fix it, not just order a new one.
Most parts on these old trucks are pretty simple, which is why they have lasted so long I suppose.

 

Scott, I priced a new one. Mac's has them for $170 plus shipping. I'd much rather spend less than $10 replacing the brushes and springs and some time cleaning up the mess. I cleaned up the commutator and armature this afternoon and repainted the cover band after I scratched the fresh paint.

And if I hadn't pulled it out to get the oil pan off, I would never have noticed it didn't have the cover band on it to keep the junk out.

The starter worked great when I pulled it out. I hope it still works after I'm through with it!