Rear Roller Track Assemblies / Help?

[Rob Doe]

The rear brake roller track assemblies on our coupe are set up for a threaded grease zerk to lube the cam shaft bushings. The ones on our coupe are a straight zerk. Is there a special end for a grease gun to be used on these. These zerks don't appear to be accessible whether the zerk is original or modern.

I could swear that a Jack Bahm YouTube video showed an angled zerk that could be accessed between the fork of the radius rods??? Apparently, the angled zerk must be installed at the correct angle before the tracks are riveted in???

What gives?

[Joe K]

Make sure in your mind/description you've separated Grease "Zerks" (i.e. the modern grease transfer fitting that has a little "ball" you click the gun onto) and "Alemite Fitting" which are original to the Model A and have no ball, but instead rely on the pressure of the gun on the fitting to effect the transfer.

The original Alemite style nozzle is available to use on a modern grease gun. However, a modern gun has trouble transferring the "pressure" necessary to effect the grease movement. Most original alemite guns/nozzles are "inline" push between handle and nozzle.

Zerk guns "attach" using the ball and don't require "inline" push - as much.

So google both of these grease transfer systems - you can get more on the differences right here on this board or find more "out there" in Internet land.

Vince Falter at his fordgarage.com site goes through the historical development of alemite->Zerk fittings but alas his site is out of commission due to "security certificates."

Joe K

[Fordestes]

I use a grease needle to lube the original model A grease fittings, the needle can be unsnapped from the modern grease gun and then the gun can be used for the modern Ball type fittings without the need to change to the modern tip or swapping guns to grease the model A grease tips .

[nkaminar]

If the grease fitting are the press in kind, they can be pulled out with a set of vise grip pliers. Some twisting helps. Angled push in fitting are available from the vendors. They are sometimes hard to push in unless there is a straight shot. If the fittings are the screwed in kind, you will have to unscrew them and buy angled fitting from the vendors with the same thread. 45 and 90 degree fitting are available. Modern fittings can be bought at your local auto parts store.

[Joe K]

AND - if you're converting from original Alemite press-in to Zerk press-in, you may find that the Zerk press-in type fitting "won't stay pressed."

The original Alemite fittings get a lot of support to keep them in place from the Alemite gun and pressure filling function. Like their Alemite cousins grease zerks press-in style rely on "friction" to hold them in place and the gun/hose usually doesn't properly "back up" the fitting.

You snap on the ball/Zerk applicator, give it a few pushes of grease, and find the grease pressure has backed out the fitting.

The solution to this MAY be to take extra step and somehow "knurl" the base of the Zerk push-in type fitting. I have used "vise-grips" to upset the base and provide some more "interference." And - one can change to a different geometry zerk gun which has a "straight-on" pressure approach - and similar to the alemite system tends to restrain the fittings.

I have "tapped out" certain lubrication holes and screwed in a pipe-thread type Zerk fitting. This works but of course you'll regret it if you ever have an interest to go back to Alemite fittings. (i.e. thread in a slug and then drill for the alemite.)

So the solution in this, like many things, is not clear cut.

Joe K

[Jim Mason]

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Find copper pipe the alemite fitting will press into. Thread the outside of a copper pipe to fit the zerk thread. Bob's your uncle

[Keith True]

You can buy drive in fittings,lots of modern machinery uses them.Tractor supply,Napa,Sanel,all sell them.In both SAE and metric.What I don't like about them over the threaded in types is the fact that if you run into much resistance you can easily force them back out with the hydraulic pressure.With a threaded type if you run into a little caked grease you push a little harder on the handle and you can usually feel it give way.With the drive in type you will just feel the fitting pop back out.I have a Bobcat excavator with a mix of both kinds.The drive in types have what look like hose barbs on them.