Photo on back of recent Model A News...

[Steve Plucker]

As you can see from the photo on the back of Model A News, the body is being lowered onto the chassis. So the question is this...was the distrubutor taken off the engine, screwed onto the ignition cable, thus reassembled onto the engine (this would have to be with the instrument panel already secure in the body); OR was the instrument panel NOT already assembled and secure within the body and the ignition cable was turned and screwed into the distrubutor, thus not removing the distrubutor from the engine.

Hmmmmmmm?

Pluck

[crock]

Steve, Something is missing.? Maybe a picture

[jw hash]

Pluck
I`m sure they removed the distributor. and same with the head nut. a long with that question how did they torque and re torque the head.

[JohnLaVoy]

Torque wrenches weren't used when the Model A was manufactured.

[Ted Duke]

I know of MANY engines rebuilt and that served for many years by mechanics who I am sure did not have a torque wrench. I'm not saying that is a good thing, just a fact.

[Jim Mason]

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Originally Posted by Steve Plucker

As you can see from the photo on the back of Model A News, the body is being lowered onto the chassis. So the question is this...was the distrubutor taken off the engine, screwed onto the ignition cable, thus reassembled onto the engine (this would have to be with the instrument panel already secure in the body); OR was the instrument panel NOT already assembled and secure within the body and the ignition cable was turned and screwed into the distrubutor, thus not removing the distrubutor from the engine.

Hmmmmmmm?

Pluck

at least in this period... the cable clamp would require removal of the head nut. I'd say the distributor was in the head loose, along with the head nut loose. remove the nut, lift the distributor and screw on to the armour cable. set the distributor in place while placing the clamp over the head stud and tighten it all up. the reasoning behind the guess is that it appears the dash and terminal box has the wiring completed with the terminal box to generator wiring draped over the coil....

[George Miller]

Originally Posted by Ted Duke

I know of MANY engines rebuilt and that served for many years by mechanics who I am sure did not have a torque wrench. I'm not saying that is a good thing, just a fact.

No we did not have torque wrenches to use, even back in the 60ts. First one I seen was in the late 60ts in the machine shop I worked at. But when you built engine and worked on cars all the time you developed a feel for how tight bolts were.

[Marvin/TN]

you developed a feel for how tight bolts were.

Yes as we used to say a Calibrated elbow. Of course some used say tighten them down till they smoked , then back them off half a turn.

[Jim Mason]

Which way is the line moving? the car behind the vicki is an open car (side note : light color wheels) already has the body on. the next one is a closed car already attached. yet there is a closed car body further back ready to drop.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I don't know the answers, I WASN'T around then & just when I figger out the answers, they CHANGE the questions????
Bill Confused

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Jim Mason

Which way is the line moving? the car behind the vicki is an open car (side note : light color wheels) already has the body on. the next one is a closed car already attached. yet there is a closed car body further back ready to drop.

"Maybe" the line moves BACKWARDS or the Guys doin' the coupe, have a HANGOVER?
Bill W.

[Steve Plucker]

Originally Posted by Jim Mason

Which way is the line moving? the car behind the vicki is an open car (side note : light color wheels) already has the body on. the next one is a closed car already attached. yet there is a closed car body further back ready to drop.

Maybe there was more than one "body drop"???

Pluck

[Dave in MD]

I would agree they removed the distributor to screw in the pop out cable and the head nut was loose to attach the clamp. The speedometer cable is through the firewall and hung over the coil.
What is that mushroom shaped thing on the front left bumper of the Vicky and not on the Roadster or sedan? Could it be the tow to move the chassis from the front of the picture to the rear? Also, how did they attach the open car bodies for the drop onto the chassis?
Dave

[barnstuf]

The bodies on the assembly line had the following attached:

Generator loom fastened to the terminal box and held upwards by a hook

Popout switch cable protrudes from terminal box and hangs loose distribute

Speedometer cable protrudes from firewall and hangs loose

Info from photo page 54 of book "The Ford Factory"

[Tinbasher]

Before Torque wrenches the bolt where tightened by degrees. Tighten the bolt and then add 20 degs. to a 1/4 bolt and you'll find it's torqued preclose to spec. (20Lbs.)
I learn't this from a german guy I worked with. He torqued all the hardware this way. He'd tell me to put a torque wrench on it and he'd be within 1 lb. of the spec.

It's all what you learn. John Poole

[Jim Mason]

It's a speed wrench hanging on the bumper..

[katy]

Of course some used say tighten them down till they smoked , then back them off half a turn.

I was told to tighten them down until they stripped and then back off 1/4 turn.

[jw hash]

I know they did not have torque wrenches back then, so I guess I need to rephrase the question, how did the factory get the head to seal. now days we will tighten (torque) them three or four times and hope they they don`t leak. I`m with Jim on the speed wrench.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

I think I've read that the dealer did some retorque within 50 miles.?

[Jim Mason]

Originally Posted by jw hash

I know they did not have torque wrenches back then, so I guess I need to rephrase the question, how did the factory get the head to seal. now days we will tighten (torque) them three or four times and hope they they don`t leak. I`m with Jim on the speed wrench.

They threw a plug / head nut wrench in the tool kit and the dealer /owner checked. the owner would also scrape the carbon every spring and lap he valves every other.