Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Brierley
Back in the 50's I was a mechanic at a GMC dealership. Another mechanic had rebuilt a 503 engine. A few weeks later the owner brought it back to the shop because he had drained the oil and got a handful of broken cotter pins. The foreman gave me the job because mechanic #1 was on vacation. Not one of the rod nuts were loose, not even one! The problem was caused by the mechanic not driving the pin in with a hammer to
fully seat them before bending them over.
|
Not to confuse but slightly after the Model A era was the development of "hammerlock" cotter pins. The head and far end are made such that they can be hit with a hammer while in place, and the act of hitting cause the two parts of the cotter to "set themselves" in place and create an interference.
It was a development ostensibly to shorten assembly time - no need to use a pair of pliers to bend carefully the legs of the cotter in different direction. A quick hammer blow (it was thought) and assembly was done.
Now perhaps you were doing both, setting the pin AND separating the legs?
OBTW, hammerlock pins are one of the things judges look for to mark down on. IIRC No Model As were produced originally with hammerlock. Check your front end.
Joe K