01-26-2016, 06:00 AM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Manawatu, New Zealand
Posts: 1,416
|
Bang!!!
After 1800 miles of trouble free motoring in the 1934 . We where less than 50 miles from home and travelling at a steady 45mph when there was a loud bang from up front followed by a cloud of steam . I pulled immediately to the side of the road and turned off the engine which was still running. The photo shows what greeted me on lifting the hood.
The generator mounting on the valve chamber cover had sheared clean through. The generator had tilted forward and the bang was the fan chewing through the radiator and the top of the coil. We finished the trip on a trailer. I will need to have a radiator re-core done as the radiator is toast.. I will also need a new Valve Chamber cover , Coil and fan ( fortunately which I have except perhaps for the fan) Hopefully no other damage but time will tell. All in in all not a great day! |
01-26-2016, 06:38 AM | #2 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Orcas Island Washington
Posts: 5,107
|
Re: Bang!!!
Quote:
__________________
Owner/Operator of 'Jailbar Ranch' on the side of Mt. Pickett. Current stable consists of 1946 1/2 ton pickup turned woodie wagon with FH V8, 1946 Tonner Pickup with 226 H six, 1979 Toyota landcruiser wagon, now wearing 1947 Ford Jailbar sheet metal. 'Rusty ol' floorboards, hot on their feet' (Alan Jackson) |
|
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) |
|
01-26-2016, 07:26 AM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Queensland, Australia
Posts: 10,418
|
Re: Bang!!!
Ouch!!! Sorry to hear about the damage to your 1934 Ford. |
01-26-2016, 07:51 AM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Marana Arizona
Posts: 1,777
|
Re: Bang!!!
Ouch!
|
01-26-2016, 07:55 AM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Powell, TN
Posts: 2,514
|
Re: Bang!!!
Do you remember how high above the manifold your gen was. A fan belt slightly too long requiring the gen to be at the limit of adjustment can cause such breakage.
|
01-26-2016, 08:46 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Oakland County, Michigan
Posts: 562
|
Re: Bang!!!
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
|
01-26-2016, 08:54 AM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Posts: 2,658
|
Re: Bang!!!
Man that sucks but you are OK and it can be fixed ....
|
01-26-2016, 09:11 AM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Coshocton Ohio
Posts: 168
|
Re: Bang!!!
|
01-26-2016, 10:09 AM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Central MA
Posts: 187
|
Re: Bang!!!
Ouch. That hurts just to look at it.
|
01-26-2016, 10:30 AM | #10 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Manawatu, New Zealand
Posts: 1,416
|
Re: Bang!!!
Quote:
|
|
01-26-2016, 10:42 AM | #11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: near Washington, DC
Posts: 560
|
Re: Bang!!!
Karl,
Thanks for posting your experience. Sounds like we should periodically check the aluminum generator mounts for cracks. Maybe overkill, but a retaining strap could be fabricated to at least keep the fan/generator somewhat centered if it breaks loose.
__________________
Those who do not move do not die, but are they not already dead? |
01-26-2016, 10:57 AM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys
Posts: 10,423
|
Re: Bang!!!
When I was a kid, we would consider ourselves lucky to find a radiator that good at the junk yard. A little solder and some Stop-Leak and back on the road!
|
01-26-2016, 12:18 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Shelton, WA
Posts: 3,817
|
Re: Bang!!!
It is this reason I keep the fan belt only as tight as needed to turn the water pumps and generator on my 33. It has probably 1 1/2 inches slack but it keeps the battery charged and never overheats and the belt has never come off.
I'm very sorry to see this but as others said--it always could be worse. You didn't throw a blade through the hood or at someone. |
01-26-2016, 12:28 PM | #14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: near Hershey, PA
Posts: 876
|
Re: Bang!!!
I had a similar incident with a cast iron intake once...
__________________
-WANTED-
Pre-War Speed Equipment Davies or Morrison Intake Manifold 77-6050B, 81AS - 81SB - 99AS - 99SB 19AS cylinder heads |
01-26-2016, 12:39 PM | #15 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 5,223
|
Re: Bang!!!
Quote:
I'd highly recommend that you send it to somebody who really knows these early radiators - and has the necessary alignment tools/jigs to get the top-tank exactly where it needs to be. You might consider Brassworks: http://www.thebrassworks.net/ |
|
01-26-2016, 12:43 PM | #16 |
Senior Member
|
Re: Bang!!!
Wow ,what a disaster Karl ,I recently re commissioned my 35 and noticed a crack developing beside the bolt ,cant see it clear here but removed that sucker right away for a cast iron one .will be fitting a bracket on my 34 aluminium one now.The stress on the bolt could be a factor over tightening by previous people who worked on the car .Make sure they get the radiator height right when they rescore important for grill fit .Ted
|
01-26-2016, 04:50 PM | #17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oamaru, New Zealand
Posts: 419
|
Re: Bang!!!
Never known of a manifold to break before....but I have had 2 generator mounting studs break off over the years.
|
01-26-2016, 05:02 PM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 963
|
Re: Bang!!!
The fact that the generator was resting on the manifold is not a good thing. The resulting vibration surely contributed to the failure. Like having an engine bolt to the frame without any cushion.
|
01-26-2016, 05:05 PM | #19 |
Member Emeritus
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Madison, NJ
Posts: 5,230
|
Re: Bang!!!
It's easy to overtighten the old wide belts...they are happy as noted above with a lot less tension than narrow ones. I do suspect that a lot of failures actually have their roots in roughly handled engines long ago...that part is very vulnerable to damage on engines jostled around in junkyards years ago or in the back of a pickup truck headed for Hershey now. The projecting stud is one of several natural snags on flatheads, like the fuel fitting on Strombergs, just waiting for someone to roll the engine over.
|
01-26-2016, 05:35 PM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Manawatu, New Zealand
Posts: 1,416
|
Re: Bang!!!
More big bang pictures . Look at what is left of Skips coil (and it still ran)
|
|
|
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) |
|