Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Now that I look at your photo, my pipes look to be very much similar, if not identical.

Probably best if I do a test fit onto the engine. The exhaust manifolds are in place already, and provided the trolley doesn't get in the way, I should have no problem installing them temporarily. Perhaps it was the angle I was looking at my short pipe that made me feel the bends were not as pronounced. I don't believe the cross over is any further to the rear, than yours is, but this isn't based on any facts.....yet!

Thanks again for your responses, chaps. A picture certainly does paint a thousand words.

[Tony Wheeler]

Is there a source for these engine pipes in Australia? Or do we have to get them made up from a pattern?

[Private_collector]

Tony, I dont know if there is a source of exhaust pipes here in Australia, but I may be finding out soon, unless I can salvage mine! I tried for fitting this afternoon, and found one, possibly two problems.
20130926_171834.jpg
The long pipe fits well, but the rear most straight section 'kicks' upward instead of remaining horizontal. This doesn't look right to me !?!
20130926_171707.jpg
Secondly, when attaching the shorter piece I discovered it sits too far out from the exhaust manifold, and cannot be bolted. The gap is perhaps 4 inches. All may not be lost. In a case of serendipity, there could be sufficient length of the area that joins the two bits, to allow me to effect a rescue.

Guess I was rather optomistic to paint the pipes, eh! Typical.

P.S: Apologies for the average photos. They were taken by my tablet thingy, and I was in the process of trying to take better ones when I was called away quickly, to modify a 5ft brown snake! I say modify because I made a slight alteration to its length, making two considerably shorter black snakes from the original single one. Wretched things.

[Private_collector]

Can anyone confirm the OD of the bushing in the rear spring bracket of the front spring?
IMG_20130926_203941.jpg
I want to replace mine. They are worn enough to require replacement, and I might as well do that soonas i'm able.

For some reason I had a figure of 1" in my mind. I can't measure accurately until removing an original bush. I dont want to do that right now, so I can install the front springs and then the front axle & steering. Replacement shouldn't be difficult even after springs are in place, with use of the right height jack or the gantry outside the workshop.

Thanks in advance,

Tony B.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

The long pipe fits well, but the rear most straight section 'kicks' upward instead of remaining horizontal. This doesn't look right to me !?!

Also Tony it appears to bend inwards, whereas the original pipe runs parallel to the chassis rail all the way back to the muffler. You'll probably have to bend it straight to get the desired set up. Simple job for an exhaust shop next time you're in town.

Speaking of exhaust shops, I bought a new muffler today for my F15A, cost $65. They're readily available in 6" diameter, 18" or 16" length, with offset inlet and outlet to fit 2" pipe. You'd need a reducer to fit original 1 3/4" tailpipe, however in this case I'm not fussed about originality.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

Could you give us a couple of photos of your custom engine stand, and some overall measurements? Good simple engine stands that actually can be rolled around make working in the shop so much easier.

I've done one for the Chevy 216 engine which is a combination storage and test stand. Yours intrigues me because it has even a smaller foot print. Are you happy with how it roles around and how stable is it the tricycle wheel lay out?

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

Hi Phil, glad to.

The trolley is very stable, despite only 3 wheels. The tyres are solid, so they are not subject to any 'give' that pneumatic tyres may have when being moved around. Where possible, I tried to build in a way where the weight of the engine would actually reduce the potential for damaging stress to the welding joins. You can see that on the end with single wheel, which is the bell housing end of the trolley. The part that attaches to the engine there, is a bracket and a rectangular box that slides into the vertical box on the trolley. There is no need for any form of bolting between the engine bracket and the trolley vertical box piece. It just sits there, one inside of the other.
PC170497.jpg PC040491.jpg
I have chosen to lower the main frame, where it joins the wheels. It was done that way to lower centre of gravity, for better stability. What doesnt appear in these photos, is that I had added a reinforcement plate to the wheel brackets, at the duel wheel end. I had wanted to have additional support to overcome any problems with my less than perfect welding. So far, so good! I also have added another vertical steel tube piece to provide more strength to the cross piece that the water pumps are bolted to. Those bolts, one for each pump, are the only mechanical fastening between trolley and engine. If you look closely at my first photo of the exhaust trial fitting, you can just see one of those added tubes beneath the left water pump.

If I was to do it over again, I would retain basic shape, but make a couple of tweeks to the design. I would make the single wheel a castor wheel. Current one is fixed. It does assist in knowing exactly where it is heading when you push it, but I often have to push & pull to make a direction change easier. This is needed in my limited space. I wouldn't change the wheels I currently have. They are brilliant for travelling over concrete expansion joins, power leads,and the gravel outside the workshop. One person can move it easily. I would rethink the complex front part that the water pumps sit on. It was a lot of work, and it doesnt need to have been. I started with one way in mind, then revised the design mid stream, because I thought of a potential weakness in original design.

I would retain the single piece of tube connecting both ends. It has allowed me to have easy access from below, while retaining a fair strength. With the trike setup, uneven ground isnt a problem, and you dont get the 'one wheel off the ground' scenario over uneven terrain.

My engine trolley is just that, a trolley ONLY. It is not intended to replace a rebuilding stand. It wouldnt work in that capacity. That said, I will be installing the cam, and setting the valvetrain while engine is still on the trolley. Lower engine would be impossible to do, which is not a problem for me. I will be giving that job to a professional.

Hope this helps. These are the best photos I have, sorry!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

Thanks for the details, for years I stored extra engines on improvised blocking and they are such a pain to work around. Once I built my first engine test stand I discovered it was so much easier to move around engines that I've built 5 more to store engines on as well as use as test stands. They all have engines on them so the question is build more or build something smaller and simpler purely for storage.

Your approach seems to fit that bill, agree with you about solid wheels but one of the things I've noticed is that any of the "solid" plastic wheels will take a set after long storage of a heavy engine making it hard to roll them around later. One of my Flat head engine transmission groups exceed 900LBS. Do you think using a single swivel caster at the rear and two fix at the front would work. If you were going to attach a pull/push handle do you think it would work. How much do you think the engine weighs?

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

Phil, I dont think having the two wheel end fixed would suit my needs. When I need to move the whole thing around outside on uneven ground, I dont want the most animated end of the trolley being the one wheel end. At one point, I considered having all castor wheels. Very pleased I reonsidered that idea. Removing the issue of stability on the gravel, having castor on single wheel SHOULD give better manouverability on concrete floor. Especially so in restricted space. I would have gone that way, if I didnt want to go outside with it.

My solid tyres dont feel to have flat spots. Im sure I would feel something if they had suffered thus. The engine I had basically discarded in preference for the recently acquired French block, had been sitting on that trolley for around 12 months or thereabouts. I would imagine the extent of any flat spot developing is proportionate to the weight rating of the individual wheel/tyre sets being used. Mine are rated at 300kg each. I chose tyres with a tread pattern, so they wouldnt slip around, but with the weight of an engine above them, I guess that would have been unlikely to happen anyway. Also the tyre compound is VERY dense. Sorry I cant recall whether they are considered rubber, plastic, or something else.

No idea whatsoever, with regards to engine weight, though it is something I have tried to find out! No one seems to want to give an approximation, not even the local engine rebuilding workshop. When I was still considering assembling the engine myself, I intended to buy a rebuild stand that would take 900kg (2000lbs). I figured that should cover any engine I would ever work with (unless I wanted to rebuild a Pratt & Whittney radial engine).

I cant get used to seeing engines hanging off stands, with just 4 bolts going into the bell housing. It just looks so WRONG, but everyone I have spoken to, that has done engines this way, assure me it is actually safe. Still gives me the creeps though.