Flywheel question
 

Has anyone replaced one of the brass screws that hold the magnet spacers on the flywheel while the engine is still in the car? When i changed the oil this past weekend I found the head of one of the brass machine screws in the drained oil. . Just wondering if with the hogs head off is it possible to replace one of the long brass screws. I really don't look forward to pulling the engine.

Re: Flywheel question
 

You, just as well get pulling, as it can't be done. Also there are probably

more then just one.

Herm.

Re: Flywheel question
 

Besides that, one or maybe more of the plates might be sitting in the bottom of the pan and hopefully the windings are not damaged.

Re: Flywheel question
 

To answer the original question...

Yes, it can be done IF your coil ring has the hole that Ford provided for that purpose.

I lost a keeper, or clamp, and drove a couple of blocks back to the house. I found my coil ring had the hole when I took the hogshead off to find the keeper. No other damage seemed to have happened. I had been changing bands and the hogshead had slipped and hit the mag so I thought that probably had caused the keeper to fail.

Sitting in the passenger seat, the hole will be between two coils on the ring just behind the carburetor at about "2 o'clockish" as I recall. Turn the mag to line the screw up with the hole then,

1. Remove the peened edge/end of the #14 brass screw on the flywheel back and take the screw out the engine side through that hole.
2. Chase the #14 thread in the flywheel.
3. Run the new brass screw through the keeper and into the flywheel.
4. Tighten screw and peen end on back of flywheel.

Check the rest of the brass screws to be sure they have both halves of their screw head. I found two more that were missing one-half of the head and replaced them as well.

I am not sure how long Ford provided that access hole but I have seen other coil rings with that provision.

Re: Flywheel question
 

I am with Herm on this one. Something caused the head of that screw to break off. Likely it was because someone re - used a set of screws in an attempt at false economy. The screws need to be new, and they need to be peened over after they are installed. This can only happen once, as the peened end is ground away to remove screws. Installing a screw and not peening it over is a recipe for disaster.

Re: Flywheel question
 

Brass tends to work harden with age & use causing it to become brittle. If one screw has broken for no apparent reason, more are likely close to breaking. As well as for the reason Royce stated, always use new, correct screws & replace them all.

Re: Flywheel question
 

The Magnet Clamp Screw access hole is pictured below at the tip of the screwdriver. If it's not there, the answer to your original question is no.

Jack, my case could have been as you described and I should have changed them all. Frank didn't say.

There are very specific metal requirements laid out on the Ford drawing below. I have no idea if the "brass" is "correct" in what is available from the vendors today. We may all be flirting with disaster with the "new" brass screws.

However, I am suspect of suppliers furnishing 1/4"-24 brass screws for #14-24 which was the case in the past. I know a "/" is not a big deal, but if they can't get the size correct, what's your guess on the metal which should be the real question on this part!

No telling how many 1/4"-24's were forced into #14-24 flywheel and starter gear threads. I just looked at some #14-24's I was sold years ago and they DO NOT match the drawing.

Re: Flywheel question
 

I took some time to look at the 3 notched and one double oval stack types. Non of the notched types had the hole, the oval double stacked did. BUT! There is no room to install a screw thru the hole. The windings cover part of two sides and one of the leads cross right over the center.

Re: Flywheel question
 

I deal only with Langs and Chaffins. Both of them sell the original #14-24 bolts and the 1/4"-24 bolts. The new flywheel ring gears use 1/4"-24 bolts. Old original ring gears use #14-24 bolts. You need to know which to order. I would be suspicious of any vendor that didn't offer both, because the hobby uses both.