Original Cut Out and Gen ??? and Cutout wiring Questions

[Chevmn56]

Hey guys. i have a few questions, are the Cutout and Generator in the picture OEM???? I have noticed on some pictures of other Model A engines on the web that the 2 terminals seem to be reversed, the yellow/black tracer goes to the front side (front of car) of the cutout and the other is the battery terminal. Mine has the yellow/black tracer on the back side (back of car) of the cutout. I'm just trying to get things back to some what normal. i'm guessing that its not OEM.

I also notice there are black and red radiator hoses......is there any specific color/type for my 31????? and can the engine pans be taken out without jeopardizing the oil pan gasket???? thinking about getting them and the coolant pipes powder coated.

Thanks in Advance

[larrys40]

Looks like a reproduction cutout and the Arm should be connected to the output post or lead in the generator and the Bat or battery side to the other.
If you are not sure connect a ohm Meter from the terminals once at a time and the one with 48-49 ohms should be the generator side. The repro cutout ohms may be less than that but that's the original spec.
Make sure your not shorting to the case . Reproduction cutouts are junk.
Larry

[Chevmn56]

Sooooo..... it looks as though the cutout is on wrong????.....the wires on the pic (according to the cover) are hooked to the battery side and the other side is screwed into the generator..... Could the cap be riveted on backwards by PO?????? im getting ready to order some stuff from Snyders.... do the have a good cutout??

[Chevmn56]

Sorry for all the questions thanks in advance.

[Bill G]

Are there any issues in how its charging that causes you to ask, or is it merely that you have seen pictures of two different configurations?

Your generator has its output post near the front of the generator, and so the yellow/black wire is where it should be, and that is on the output of the cut-out. I see nothing wrong with yours.

I do know that there were generators that had the output post in two different configurations. I know because I have one of each.

So, for instance, if you had the one where the output was more towards the rear of the generator, the cut-out would be mounted facing the other way and the yellow/black wire would come out the other end.

Another way to tell is that the wire should be connected to the post labeled "BATT" , if there is a label. Not all aftermarket cut-outs had good labels.

[Chevmn56]

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The Battery never seems to charge the ammeter always shows discharge even going down the road it never zeros or even goes slightly positive. If its possible to zoom the pic the in,the front terminal is screwed down to the generator (left side looking at the pic) the cutout is labled Batt. The other terminal screwed into the side of the cut that has/had the wire connected to it is labeled ARM on the cutout....

[Bill G]

Then you DO need to turn the cut out around. Yellow/black is Batt.

[Chevmn56]

So is the Battery terminal in the side of the cut out or is it the one that bolts down to the generator.......And thanks for your input MagicBox....

[Bob C]

That generator with the output stud at the front was used from October 1928 through
March 1930. The generator with the output stud towards the rear was used from March 1930 through the end of production.
It does sound like the cut out is backwards.

Bob

[Chevmn56]

Output being the battery???? and this output Battery terminal would have the yellow/black tracer and the horn wires on it???

[Bill G]

The output of the generator, otherwise labeled "ARM" for armature on the cut-out is the input to the cut-out. The output of the cut-out is the BATT terminal, where the yellow/black goes.

[Bob C]

Originally Posted by Chevmn56

Output being the battery???? and this output Battery terminal would have the yellow/black tracer and the horn wires on it???

No. The stud on the top of the generator is the output of the generator where
the ARM side of the cutout is connected to. The picture below is the later
generator with the output stud towards the rear of the generator.

Bob

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Chevmn56

Hey guys. i have a few questions, are the Cutout and Generator in the picture OEM???? I have noticed on some pictures of other Model A engines on the web that the 2 terminals seem to be reversed, the yellow/black tracer goes to the front side (front of car) of the cutout and the other is the battery terminal. Mine has the yellow/black tracer on the back side (back of car) of the cutout. I'm just trying to get things back to some what normal. i'm guessing that its not OEM.

I also notice there are black and red radiator hoses......is there any specific color/type for my 31????? and can the engine pans be taken out without jeopardizing the oil pan gasket???? thinking about getting them and the coolant pipes powder coated.

Thanks in Advance

I suggest you help out the national clubs and yourself and purchase the "Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards." It is what the national clubs use to determine if the date your car was made matches what Ford put on the road.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Chevmn56

Hey guys. i have a few questions, are the Cutout and Generator in the picture OEM???? I have noticed on some pictures of other Model A engines on the web that the 2 terminals seem to be reversed, the yellow/black tracer goes to the front side (front of car) of the cutout and the other is the battery terminal. Mine has the yellow/black tracer on the back side (back of car) of the cutout. I'm just trying to get things back to some what normal. i'm guessing that its not OEM.

The short answer is that there were for all intents of your question, three generators made. "Powerhouse (short), early long (output near the radiator end) and late long (output near the firewall end).

Your 1931 would have had the output near the firewall end of the generator.

The cutouts had only small changes such as the shape on the holes for the terminal and ford on top or not and the "feet" had slots, but yours would have had squared holes where the terminals are, it would have had FORD script on the top.

I also notice there are black and red radiator hoses......is there any specific color/type for my 31?????

"Radiator hoses were either predominantly black
with a red longitudinal stripe which was generally
installed with the red stripe facing upward or all
red (a small percentage of production)."

and can the engine pans be taken out without jeopardizing the oil pan gasket????

yes

thinking about getting them and the coolant pipes powder coated.

Thanks in Advance

.....

[dumb person]

Reproduction cut outs are ok, in my experience. Mine seemed to be old repro's, from the '60s. If you have any clue about electrics you'll have it sorted, it's all good.

[Tom Wesenberg]

A couple repro cutouts are OK, but the best is the original Ford one. Bert's sells restored original cutouts. Your generator pulley looks a little bit forward from the front plate. Do not powdercoat the inside of the pipe, or it will soon be in the top of the radiator, plugging up the tubes. Ask me how I know.

Looks like you are using a 1930-1 lower coolant pipe on a 1928-9 radiator. Best to use the correct pipe so it joins without a bind.

[Chevmn56]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

I suggest you help out the national clubs and yourself and purchase the "Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards." It is what the national clubs use to determine if the date your car was made matches what Ford put on the road.

Not sure how to take that comment!!!! lol almost sounded like a slam....if so sorry, ill buy every book out their that way you wont be bothered. Ill take my questions somewhere else....I dont want the car judged but want it as correct as it can be. The generator doesn't have a lot of info out there on it, maybe im not doing the right search..............thanks for your next post Mike that was very informative and if that would have been shared at the start this thread would have been dead

[Chevmn56]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

A couple repro cutouts are OK, but the best is the original Ford one. Bert's sells restored original cutouts. Your generator pulley looks a little bit forward from the front plate. Do not powdercoat the inside of the pipe, or it will soon be in the top of the radiator, plugging up the tubes. Ask me how I know.

Looks like you are using a 1930-1 lower coolant pipe on a 1928-9 radiator. Best to use the correct pipe so it joins without a bind.

Thanks for the info Tom Ill check the alignment........the radiator is a aftermarket setup i believe, the radiator cap is a Stant and sits just inside in the engine bay drivers side, the original cap is a dummy hole. It even has a coolant overflow on the drivers side.......not so sure who makes it or if its any good but i wont ask here people are annoyed....lol to many questions i guess, so as far as the lower coolant pipe maybe it was supposed to be used with the aftermarket radiator, don't know but i will find out. Or maybe ill just pick up a correct 31 Radiator.

Thanks for your time

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Chevmn56

Not sure how to take that comment!!!! lol almost sounded like a slam....if so sorry, ill buy every book out their that way you wont be bothered. Ill take my questions somewhere else....I dont want the car judged but want it as correct as it can be. The generator doesn't have a lot of info out there on it, maybe im not doing the right search..............thanks for your next post Mike that was very informative and if that would have been shared at the start this thread would have been dead

Not meant as a slam but rather a thought for the future. You posted inquires 24 hours ago. If you had the book the answer would have been instant.

Knowing you did not have the book I gave you the answers (I think) to your questions that I got out of that book. Don't be fooled by the word judging in the title. That book is perfect for someone like you that "...want it as correct as it can be.". As an example, you just wanted to know the generator in your car. Did you know there were actually 5 different generators and 5 different cutouts used in the A? There are 18 pages on the electrical system alone (battery cable, starter, starter switch & rod, generator, cutout, terminal box, distributor, spark plugs, coil, ignition cable, all wiring, and electrical connectors). So yea I suggested the purchase of the book.

That book and ANY book for that matter cannot always give one the information you need or want. Trying to locate the info, understand what is written, are reasons why forums like this and others exist. Ask any question you want when you want it. Answers like mine pointing you to other sources of information are to help you enlarge your A knowledge so that you may better enjoy your piece of history.

Again I apologize if the wording made you think it was an attack but it was rather my attempt to give you more data.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've written everything I can think of on generators and cutouts, but the search function doesn't always find the right answer. Sometimes it's better to search through Google, say search "Wesenberg armature" should bring up anything I wrote about armatures for the Model A. Or search "Marco Tudor top replace" to find information on top replacement. Both Marco and Vince have great websites with a lot of information.

Unfortunately, much information has become useless after photobucket removed all the posted pictures and is now holding them ransom. I now only post straight from my computer, and have started posting information on ford vintage, as well as a lot of other guys, so you now have more sites to choose from.

[glenn in camino]

I always modify my cutouts with a diode. I use black hoses that I repaint the red stripe with the right color red(Rustoleum rusty metal primer.) On the currently available red stripe hoses, the red stripe is too red.