bamfordsgarage

I’ve been running bias tube-type tires without tubes for years… 11 years on the summer set and nine winters now on the winter studded knobbies. Stock original rims for both. Many thousand miles on each set, with the only problems being a handful of bead leaks, all corrected with a bit of bead sealer and remounting. Point of interest… I tried to order a set of 600x16 summer tires last week and my preferred supplier Lucas in Long Beach CA advised they have no stock and the manufacturer has a backlog of 40,000 units (multiple sizes of course).

My perspective and experience from 30 years driving a mechanically stock 1947 D25, the sister car to yours: — The 6-volt +ve ground system worked just fine back in the day and still will if properly maintained. — 12-volt conversions have their place for various reasons, but if done just to help the car "start better" they are an expensive bandaid. — Really slow cranking "rem......rem........rem..." sounds like a weak battery and/or dirty connections. Poor battery cable connections cause a lot more trouble with 6-volts than 12-vts (but cleaning them up costs a lot less than a 12-volt battery and all new bulbs) — I'm negligent when it comes to regular tune-ups (it's been several years and thousands of miles) but my D25 starts reasonably quickly at -15°C/5°F without being plugged in.

Are you having problems with your current setup?

I recently rebuilt the roof rack on my '47 D25 and treated the car to a new set of presents. The old heap is rarely garaged, and whenever I've put a load up there for Christmas a few go missing overnight. No big surprise. No big loss either — the boxes and bags are weighted down with rubbish (this year it's demolition debris from a nearby infill project) and this whole load cost less than $20 to put together. The wrapping 'paper' is actually dollar store plastic tablecloths and the bows are taped securely to withstand highway speeds. Which, for me, is about 50 mph. As I'm always one to climb onto the latest bandwagon, this Christmas the old heap is a gas-electric hybrid... the dollar store Santa mascot is powered by a photo-voltaic panel and dances merrily away, dawn to dusk, even on cloudy days.

I chose not to have my D25 block hot-tanked as I wanted to preserve the aged appearance. A couple bucks down at the coin wash (wash wand seen at top-left) flushed out a lot of debris and I've had no cooling issues since the rebuild. The brass water distribution tube was removed prior to the flushing.

I recently rebuilt the roof rack on my '47 D25, which with mission creep, entailed going through not only the rack lighting (signal, marker and hit brake light), but replacing the long-dead second battery and cleaning up various connections throughout the charging and lighting circuits. The generator got new brushes a few years ago; the regulator was set up by an independent auto electric shop around the same time. All is functioning well now, and some readers might be interested in the real-world performance of this factory charging system... Photos were taken yesterday evening, with the following electrical loads: — headlamps on high beams (H6006 halogen 6-volt) — two heater fans on full (the factory heater and a second, identical, heater installed 10 years ago prior to an Arctic road trip) — four marker lights (front greens are visible, red rears were obstructed) The ammeter showed discharge at idle of course, but reached 'cross-over" at about 1,00 rpm and positive charge at higher speeds. I find this very satisfactory — even with the additional non-factory loads the generator keeps up at 20 mph or faster. No inclination here for an alternator or 12-volt system (no 12-volt loads either!) The second battery was installed 11 years ago in parallel with the factory battery as a reserve for camping and longer road trips. It can be isolated as needed.

I second Robert's comments... it was a real fun old car day! Up here in Edmonton, most northerly big city in Canada, we are not 'on the way' to many places and get few visitors. It's always fun when someone drops by and I can tell you Robert makes very good company. Here are a few more photos: Robert piloting the Mighty D25; a later-'30s Packard sedan; Pierce-Arrow sedan with signature headlights-in-fenders; more '30s sedans including a Packard with possible sealed-beam conversion; general yard view. Astute readers will note the sky clouded over since Robert's photos posted above — in fact, my yard photos are about a year old and were shot whilst retrieving the replacement steering box that is in the car now.

Here is most of what we packed for the 2,400 mile run up to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, on the shore of the Beaufort Sea and as far north as one can drive in Canada's Arctic. As it happened, our only troubles were a bad fuse (internally-open) and worn out generator brushes. We had fuses of course and I was thankful I threw the parts car generator in the trunk just in case.

Thirty-five states, three provinces, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Beaufort Sea, Pikes Peak, interstates, blue roads, dirt roads, no roads, deserts, -35F, 95F, heavy traffic, no traffic, whatever… Stock brakes, stock suspension, stock rear end, 6-volts +ve ground and original engine. Definitely not for everyone but it can be done — and it sure works for me ?

Well, that was a ton o' fun! Here are a few pictures. Video has been promised and I'll post more in due course. The most enthusiastic demographic wes white-haired women. No damage, no injuries, no attention from the authorities, tons of smiles, waves and Huh???s

DONE! It has been rather a long day.

Thank you Wagoneer. All worth considering. 1. Agree 2. I'm confident the two 1000 lb-rated straps combined with cleats (photo 2 above) will keep it in place. 3. Maybe. Goggles and ear protection for sure. 4. That would be a sensible choice. 5. Oh, you'll see pictures! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tomorrow we build.

I did give thought to a swivel, however that required more engineering than I have time and inclination for. The speeds will be modest (we are talking Model Ts here) and this chair will support someone kneeling and facing backward. Another requirement is that we will only use materials on hand, spend $0.00 out of pocket, and it should look like somebody dreamed it up in the ‘50s. . Hence my Great-Aunt Lilly’s chair, and hardwood boards that were probably stockpiled 50 years ago by my Dad. Sadly, the bright red tie-downs give it away. No helmet. Chair will be strapped down as will the occupant. Most of the time ?.

The Foothills Model T Ford Club (Calgary AB) is celebrating their 50th anniversary with a three day tour out of Rocky Mountain House, AB this week. Wednesday is a big drive to Ram Falls... lots of gravel roads, hills and fantastic scenery. My D25 will be the camera car for the Ram Falls outing. Idea at 7:00 last night, followed by conceptual mockup with existing materials. Cutting and fitting today, finish it up tomorrow. Seat anchors could be beefed up a tad. Yee-Hawww!

FWIW, the top photo in Tom’s original post was mine, labels indicate how the relay was wired when I purchased my D25 some 30 years ago. Horns worked fine for decades but a wiring fault elsewhere eventually caused trouble.

It wouldn't take a competent auto-electric shop long to repair your generator. I'll bet you could have it fixed and back on the car in less time than it takes to: figure out what 6-vt alternator to use; find it; buy it; 'drop it in' (as if?); and sort out the wiring. How much driving are you going to do while the generator is in the shop? A fully charged battery will start the car multiple times and run your ignition, signals, brake lights and so on for hundreds of miles. If you need to use the head and tail lights in a pinch, they will do OK... dimmer than usual and your spark intensity will be down, but the vehicle will be functional. Top up the charge every night and you're set. Maybe this is the time to replace your old battery with a shiny new one using some of the money you saved by not buying an alternator. Your old battery can live in the trunk for the time being with a pair of booster cables 'just in case'.

Would anti-seize reduce the friction between axle and hub and put more stress on the key? My main experience with tapered axles is on Model T Fords. Lots of worn axles, keys and hubs in that crowd, and these are often attributed to insufficient axle nut torque — and grease etc on the taper.

I'll be at Hershey in October assuming the border is open — my 4th time and according Rich Hartung's source, maybe the last ? In 2010 my friend and I drove the '47 D25 from Edmonton AB (roughly 400 miles N of Montana) to Hershey and camped in our stall right on the show field. On Saturday we entered the old heap in AACA's massive judged show, category "Historical Preservation of Original Features". Originality was all important, condition hardly at all. Perfect for this car. HPOF cars were judged against a standard, not each other. Anyway, it would be just great to have a gathering of P15-D24 Members at Hershey 2021, especially since this might be the end of the run for the biggest swap meet on earth. Or at least this version of it. A lot of groups have theei major—or only—gathering at Hershey. The others I attend are a major Model T Forum get-together (at a T club tent Thursday afternoon) and the Horseless Carriage Club of America (big BBQ lunch for one and all on Friday at their club tent). Any of us planning a stall at Hershey we could use for a home base? Or anyone nearby Hershey that wants to coordinate something? Who's In? Photos: the '47 at Camp Dodge, Hershey 2010, and in the HPOF field at the big Saturday show... guy in front is explaining that Canadian-market Dodges are Plymouth body shells with Dodge grilles and other trim. Plodges.

Norman, you might be over-thinking this replacement roller thing... PlymouthCranbrook found something usable at the hardware store, an auto-glass shop could easily have what you need in their junk pile, there could be dozens of equivalents in the breaker's yard, or a local machinist could carve you one from billet in less than an hour. A $45 kit that includes stuff I don't need — plus $55 shipping — plus waiting who knows how long for it to arrive? Not for me. Buying on-line can be and often is the best way to go. This doesn't sound like one of them.

It’s only 81 in Sundre AB right now, but getting hotter. We’re just having an ice cream then saddling up for the 180 mile drive to Edmonton, where temps in the 90s await. My 1926 Model T (far car) still has the original rad… hood off helps and I’ll probably be OK. Buddy’s Model A was vapour licking something fierce yesterday, we hope pulling the hood and insulating the fuel lines will control it.

Our hometown of Edmonton Alberta, roughly 400 miles north of Montana…

Now that’s a new expression to my ears. Mind you, I’ve always been a cat person…

Very slick. I have a particular appreciation for shop-made specialized tools. Thanks for posting.

Good morning Tim... I didn't check for caster or camber: assumed/hoped it was unchanged from my last professional alignment, couldn't conceive of DIYing that apparatus and process, and will get the full meal alignment deal after new tires are installed. For now, it seems to track and drive pretty well. FYI, my only other experience with alignments is on Ford's Mighty Model T... castor and camber are baked into the front axle and can only be adjusted by bending same, and ideal toe-in is about 3/16"

Post 2 of 2... Photo 6: One pointer is lined up dead-on the line at the RF tire, front. Photo 7: Other pointer is about 1/16" outside the line on the LF tire. This indicates about 1/16" toe-in; factory spec is 0-1/16" toe-in. Success! Photo 8: Turntables are required to enable the front wheels to turn freely no matter how small the adjustment. Photo 9: Exploded view of turntable. Auto body sheet metal, 2x6 top and bottom, carriage bolt pivot, washer between top and bottom at the pivot point, lotsa grease. Out of pocket expense: $0. Time to research, develop, build equipment, probably 5-6 hours over a week. Time to do alignment and adjustments, about two hours. It is easy to jar the trammel points out of position while moving the apparatus out from behind the tires and into position at the front. Once I had the toe-in apparently correct, I slid the trammel back under the car and took another reading at the back of the tires just to be sure my measurements were repeatable. This work was done in conjunction with ensuring the steering wheel cross-bar was level when the wheels are straight ahead. I first pointed the wheels straight ahead by sighting along each front tire, front-to-back, at hub height, to see where my line of sight fell back at the corresponding rear tire. After getting the wheels straight, I set the toe-in by turning the tie-rods against each other, then levelled the steering wheel by turning the tie rods together. Finished up by double checking the toe-in and called it a day.