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It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 2:27 am
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1926 Model TT Restoration: Engine/Trans Rebuild
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Arisaka
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Location: Tacoma Joined: Sat May 4, 2013 Posts: 6196
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Getting back on the TT after finishing some Honey-do stuff.. As a recap, the engine and transmission are freshly rebuilt. Now its time to drop it back into the truck. Here is the engine and trans ready to go Here is the engine-less truck It took some finagling and tipping of the engine to get the trans under the firewall, and I was too busy to take pics of the whole evolution. But here is the end result Here is a closeup of the new head. The "Z" marking denotes a high-compression head. Regular T heads ran about 4:1. The Z heads run 6:1. There is even a "P" head that runs 8:1. But for me the Z is the best mix of drivability, reliability and cost. It should up the factory 20 hp by 7-10 hp, which doesn't sound like much, but that's a 35% to 50% increase over stock! Where it will make the most difference is in hill climbing ability. I should be able to climb most hills in high gear. Before I had to go into low gear, which is about 5 mph. Makes for a very slow climb. In high gear I should be able to triple that speed. Bolting the engine and trans down is pretty simple. One mount on the snout, where the hand crank goes. And two bolts on the rear support bracket I am making one big change to the running gear. The truck had an original Warford auxiliary transmission, which is an aftermarket accessory. The factory Ford transmission only has a high and a low gear. The Warford adds an under drive, a direct gearing, and an overdrive for each Ford gear. That gives you 6 forward speeds vs two. It also gives you 3 reverse speeds. Not that you would ever use 3 reverse gears much. The big advantage of an auxiliary transmission is the overdrive. A stock TT truck is ridiculously low geared - it tops out at 20 mph or so. The Warford in overdrive bumps that to over 30 mph. The only downside to a Warford is that the original units were a bitch to shift. You have to float the gears just right and match speeds. And double clutch on downshifts. Since I only drive the truck on good weather days, I don't get that much practice. I could hit maybe 60-70% of my shifts without grinding or completely missing the gear. And when you miss a gear, you are stuck in neutral. The Warford will not go back into gear. This causes two problems. First, the main Model T brake is on the Ford transmission drum. Pushing on the brake pedal clamps the brake band around the drum, and slows the transmission. And since the transmission is connected to the drive shaft, the differential and rear axles also slow. However, the Warford is located between the Ford transmission and the driveshaft. When the Warford is in neutral, that severs the connection between the Ford transmission and the driveshaft. So, no rear brakes except the emergency brake. And those fade quickly. And Model Ts have no front brakes. Thats why I previously installed hydraulic brakes on the truck. The second issue with missing a Warford shift is that you cannot get the Warford back into gear without first stopping the truck, shutting off the engine, putting the Warford into gear, starting the engine and then taking off. Actually, you can also just stab the reverse pedal while you are stopped and idling, which stops the trans from spinning, and then slap the Warford into gear. But you still have to come to a complete stop. Finally, I want to pass the truck down to my son, and double-clutching is a lost skill these days. He will enjoy the truck much more, and drive it more, with a synchronized transmission. Here is the original Warford transmission still in the truck Here it is removed Here is a modern Warford, manufactured by KC Layne. It is fully synchronized, and cannot get stuck between gears. These transmissions are highly respected by the Model T community. They provide the same under drive/direct/overdrive gearing, in a package that is smaller, much lighter and won't leave you without brakes. Here it is installed Needed a new back bracket to support the rear of the new Warford Up next is the rear axle rebuild. It needs new bearings, seals and probably ring gear. I will know more once it is apart. The truck will also need a new torque tube and driveshaft, and new rear radius rods, because the new Warford is 4 inches shorter than the old one. That means my existing driveshaft and radius rods are now 4 inches too short. I know some Model TT guys who may be able to help on these parts. I would also like to find a set of express gears for the differential. The standard differential gear ratio is a 7:1. The Express gear is a 5:1. The advantage of the express gearing is a higher top speed. But those gear sets are hard to find. TT owners snap them up so their trucks can keep up with Model T cars, which have a 40-45 mph top speed. I have been looking for express gears, but no luck so far.
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Fri May 06, 2022 1:21 pm |
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NWGunner
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Location: South Seattle Joined: Thu May 2, 2013 Posts: 12419
Real Name: Steve
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Fascinating! And nicely done! Good luck finding those Express Gears!
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Fri May 06, 2022 8:17 pm |
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usrifle
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Location: RENTON Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2011 Posts: 20754
Real Name: John
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You never cease to amaze me with your skills Ray.
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Fri May 06, 2022 8:23 pm |
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shaggy
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Location: Snohomish Co Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 Posts: 1797
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Monroe swap meet is a couple weeks out... If you buy stuff and need a place to stash it, i have a booth, offer is also open to all other wagunners.
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Fri May 06, 2022 11:24 pm |
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RocketScott
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Location: Kentucky Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 Posts: 11045
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Great update
Always impressed with the thoroughness
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Sat May 07, 2022 5:59 am |
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MadPick
Site Admin
Location: Renton, WA Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 Posts: 51919
Real Name: Steve
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I've seen some high-compression tanks and artillery on TV recently.
_________________SteveBenefactor Life Member, National Rifle AssociationLife Member, Second Amendment FoundationPatriot & Life Member, Gun Owners of AmericaLife Member, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear ArmsLegal Action Supporter, Firearms Policy CoalitionMember, NAGR/NFGRPlease support the organizations that support all of us.Leave it cleaner than you found it.
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Sat May 07, 2022 6:21 am |
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shaggy
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Location: Snohomish Co Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 Posts: 1797
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I spy i '26 or '27 roadster in the first pic you posted yesterday, is that yours too?
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Sat May 07, 2022 10:26 am |
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Arisaka
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Location: Tacoma Joined: Sat May 4, 2013 Posts: 6196
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shaggy wrote: I spy i '26 or '27 roadster in the first pic you posted yesterday, is that yours too? Good eye Shaggy! It’s my buddy’s 1927 roadster pickup that he is building out of gathered parts. Let me know where your booth at Monroe is, so I can drop by and say hello!
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Sat May 07, 2022 3:44 pm |
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shaggy
Site Supporter
Location: Snohomish Co Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 Posts: 1797
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Arisaka wrote: shaggy wrote: Let me know where your booth at Monroe is, so I can drop by and say hello! I'll be between the totem poles and the highway. Red and white bronco and a trailer loaded with parts, everything from t tin, thru a trans am hood. I may not be at my both since i'm also on the hunt, so i have a friend in a neighboring both that may be helping(usually my dad does, but he is out with a bad hip). If i am there, i'm 36 with a mutton chop mustache and undoubtedly a vintage hot rod shirt, mabey a divers street rods coat.
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Thu May 19, 2022 9:36 pm |
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shaggy
Site Supporter
Location: Snohomish Co Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 Posts: 1797
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shaggy wrote: Arisaka wrote: shaggy wrote: Let me know where your booth at Monroe is, so I can drop by and say hello! I'll be between the totem poles and the highway. Red and white bronco and a trailer loaded with parts, everything from t tin, thru a trans am hood. I may not be at my both since i'm also on the hunt, so i have a friend in a neighboring both that may be helping(usually my dad does, but he is out with a bad hip). If i am there, i'm 36 with a mutton chop mustache and undoubtedly a vintage hot rod shirt, mabey a divers street rods coat. Looks like i wont be able to park a my booth this year.
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Fri May 20, 2022 7:10 pm |
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Arisaka
Site Supporter
Location: Tacoma Joined: Sat May 4, 2013 Posts: 6196
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Finally assembled enough parts to rebuild the rear axle. The hardest part to find is the ring gear, both because only 1 in 5 model T were one-ton trucks, and only a small portion of those had the gear ratio I was looking for. Most Model TT trucks came from the factory with a "farm gear" which is 7:25:1. Good for heavy hauling up hills, but not so good for top speed. There were some TT trucks built with an "express gear" which is 5:17:1, and provided about 10 mph higher top speed. That gear is what I was searching for. I found one online from a very helpful gentleman in Virginia. Here it is, along with the worm gear that mates with it: When buying these gears, its important to look for wear. All the wear occurs in the ring gear, since it is bronze. The worm is steel. The trick is to look for a flat top on the gear. When new, the flat on top of the gear teeth was around 01 inch or so. Maybe a bit more. Gears that are used up are worn down to a knife edge. Here is the gear I bought. Looks to be about 50% worn, which over almost 100 years means I can expect a lot of years from it The TT differential is very different from the Model T cars. The cars use a typical ring and pinion. Here is a pic of a Model T car differential Here is a TT Truck differential Since there are very few TT rear axle parts being made, you have to find the parts you need. So the next step was to disassemble a couple of TT axles my buddy had on hand, looking for usable axles, bearings, and other unobtainable parts. Here are some pics of tearing down those two axles Here are. the parts we ended up with: Differential halves, bearings, spider gear, worm gear cap and wheel bearing sleeves Here is a special tool used to remove the wheel bearing sleeves Wheel bearings Worm gear bearings and thrust bearings Rear axles Axle housings Backing plates Next up is assembly of the rear axle. Then I will need a new drive shaft, torque tube and radius rods. My new Warford transmission 12 inches long vs 16 inches for the old Warford I took out. This makes the old drive line and other parts 4 inches too short. So I need to locate full-length drive shaft/torque tube/radius rods from a TT that had no Aux Transmission at all. Then those parts have to be shortened around 12 inches to span the distance from the rear of the new Warford to the rear axle.
Last edited by Arisaka on Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Thu Jun 16, 2022 12:17 pm |
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shaggy
Site Supporter
Location: Snohomish Co Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 Posts: 1797
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It doesnt look like there is any way to adjust the backlash on the gears, is there?
I've done my fair share of early ford rears, so i'm familiar with the whole stacking gaskets thing
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Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:19 pm |
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NWGunner
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Location: South Seattle Joined: Thu May 2, 2013 Posts: 12419
Real Name: Steve
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Nice Find!!!
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Thu Jun 16, 2022 9:32 pm |
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Pablo
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Location: Everson, WA Joined: Sun Jan 6, 2013 Posts: 28149
Real Name: Ace Winky
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Brass ring, interesting. I wonder what alloy and I think of the lubes 100years ago. Wrong oil, not set up right - I bet plenty of those got chewed. TT differences. Thank you for the pics and details!
_________________ Why does the Penguin in Batman sound like a duck?
Because the eagle sounds like a hawk.
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Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:38 am |
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Arisaka
Site Supporter
Location: Tacoma Joined: Sat May 4, 2013 Posts: 6196
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shaggy wrote: It doesnt look like there is any way to adjust the backlash on the gears, is there?
I've done my fair share of early ford rears, so i'm familiar with the whole stacking gaskets thing Shaggy knows this far better than me, but on a ring and pinion rear end you move the crown gear closer to or farther from the pinion to adjust backlash. On the TT there is no way to move the ring gear farther away from the worm, or he worm farther from the ring. So I’m flying with what I got. I figure it worked before, so it should work again.
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Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:45 pm |
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