I needed to move my forklift today. I built it about 25 years ago out of a WD Alis Chalmers tractor. It started right up like usual, ran for a couple of minutes then died. So I drained the water out of the sediment bowl and realized it was also out of gas. So I added some gas to the tank and tried to restart it and broke the starter drive spring. I pulled the starter and noticed it had a Bendix drive like a flathead V8. I had bought a new spring for my truck when I was gathering parts before I decided to use the Mercedes engine. Sure enough it is the same spring as the tractor starter drive. I know several of you all are also into old tractors, so if you have a WD or possibly a WD-45 A-C tractor and you break a starter drive spring, you can use a flathead spring. The drive looks the same as a flathead drive, but I believe the gear on the A-C drive may be larger.
Mark

 

Gotta love old stuff that parts can interchange with!

Similar story, I recently purchased a used non running propane Cat forklift. They didnt know why it wasnt running. So i gambled a little bit and got it home and notice that it looked like a recent tuneup including all new plugs wires cap etc had been installed.
I go and take a condensor off one of the old flathead v8s that had been laying out in the weeds for decades and install it. Thing fired right up and runs like a champ! Didnt even have to go to the parts store.

 

A number of years ago, I worked in the machine shop of a local steel yard. One day they decided to replace the brakes on their old forklift. When they disassembled it they found that the backing plate was damaged and were wondering where they would ever find one. I looked at it and noticed that the drive axle was from a '40-'47 Ford Tonner. I had one and brought in to work the next day. It was a Tow Motor built forklift probably made in the late '40s.
Another story, I rebuilt the two cylinder opposed starting engine for a D2 Cat that I used to own. The valves and valve guides were from an 8BA flathead and if I remember correctly, the pistons were also. It is amazing what is interchangeable in old equipment.
Mark
BTW, the mast on my forklift is from a T50B Cat forklift.

 

No reason to reinvent the wheel, so to speak! I imagine the tonner brakes were Bendix or Lockheed, not really "Ford"?

 

When i was looking for brake parts i had the numbers off the wheel cylinders by manufacturer. I had a friend cross check it aganst modern equipment and sho- nuff they were same on tow motor/ forklift . Also the crane winch brake shoes looked alike and same width but replaceable pads are thicker . So even if your drum is at its limit you can reline the shoes and get more use .

 

They were Lockheed brakes, but the Timken axle did have the same 5x6 7/8" wheel pattern as a Ford Tonner. Dodge did use the same bolt pattern on the power wagons during WW2, but as far as I know no one but Ford used the Timken axle with that pattern.
Mark

 

I have a '37 Buick Special I am working on, well not lately but anyways, there is a Buick magazine, the Torque Tube in which there were a few articles about parts from more modern cars that can be used on our old Buicks. One is distributor parts, 1970 Triumphs use the same distributor and parts. I went to the McParts store to buy tune up parts and give the counter guy the part numbers I got off their website for the Triumph parts. The counter guys asks me what car they are for and I tell him he won't have it listed, just use the part numbers I gave him. He insists on knowing the car. Just for fun I tell him '37 Buick Special. After about a minute of clicking away he tells me their system doesn't go that far back. I then tell him '73 Triumph and he's able to find them. There ware other parts I've bought for the Buick using newer cars for reference.

One small part that I'm not sure you can find for our old Ford trucks is the dashboard light switch under the dash. This is the same switch Ford used on their 8N tractors to control the rear light.