T16 restoration starts in earnest

andrew honychurch · #1 21-10-11, 00:53

so things are coming along very well, I have just made a bracket to carry the modern style 12v coil on the cylinder head, right bank. This is copied from the UK post war style 12 v coil adaption. I was talking with a friend the other day who had experience of the T16 and he told me it will only be a matter of time before the diving helmet distributor breaks down! cheery chap he is. He reckons I should fit the post wear Lucas distributor but stay away from the crab style which is even worse than the diving helmet! I must say that so far, the Diver has not given me any hassle at all and maybe that will change but I am prepared to assume that Ford USA worked it out before producing 13,000 with faulty distributors. If there is a problem with these, I imagine it must relate to the rotor arms or distributor caps etc?
Have received my wiring harness from the States and am gradually working through the wiring harness to make sure its all in the right place! The engine is running very nicely but I still have one leaking water pump. Now, I have not confirmed for sure where it is leaking from, but I am pretty sure its from the centre bolt, not the hidden bolt but the one above it. I recall reading somewhere that when you put this into the block you should silicone it. I didnt! can anyone tell me whether I should whip it out and add some sealant? It may be leaking from the gland and dripping down and appearing to leak from this bolt but I dont think so. Oil pressure is bang on the TM figures which seems low, but is between 25 and 30 lbs when hot which is what mine is achieving.

I reckon to be about 2 days work from being able to take it for a run around the fields , so watch out for the U tube video!

Lynn Eades · #2 21-10-11, 03:25

My understanding is that the football/ divers helmet is the hardest to work on , but a very good distributor. The crab dizzy works well, and is a little easier to work on. The Lucas dizzy has ball bearings and is also a good distributor. the worst one design wise was the " up the top" 8ba dizzy, which of course is the easiest to get to.
If you find a scource of new caps and rotors for the Lucas dizzy,that costs less than moon beams, can you let me know

According to Tony Smith, (a very knowledgeable chap that used to be on this forum) the Ford coil is very unreliable, and even a new old stock one is likely to be faulty these days. Terry Creighton had trouble with new points in his divers helmet (?) dizzy, until Kenny Hughs, from Dunedin kindly supplied him with some good old contact sets. problem solved.
I also understand that condensors were made with some nasty component that has been dropped and that the later model ones are not as good.

If you are going away from the Ford 4 1/2 volt coil to a 6 volt or 12 volt set up, dont forget to bypass the resistor in the dash.
Note;that if you change your electrics from 6 volt to 12 volt, a different condensor is required.

horsa · #3 21-10-11, 03:48

We're 12-volt with the T-16 but they did originally have a 6-volt coil. A lot of people have smoked them when doing a restoration and trying to go back to the factory design. As Andrew said, he has adopted the late war/post war format of a 12-volt coil on a mounting bracket that stands off the head. Most British T-16s eventually went this way and all of them that survived Swiss service did as well.

So far I haven't had any issue with the divers helmet dizzy. I'd think it would be fairly durable since they stayed on the vehicles into their postwar service life and even the vehicles brought into the USA and converted into cut-down logging mules retained that pattern as opposed to something more modern. Still, it's a bitch to work on once everything is bolted on around the engine.

andrew honychurch · #4 21-10-11, 19:32

thanks Guys, any thoughts on the water pump leak?

Lynn Eades · #5 21-10-11, 21:38

Above that bolt you are talking about is the hole that the water runs from, if the seal is leaking. This is to stop the water going into the bearing. This is most likely where the water is coming from.

andrew honychurch · #6 29-10-11, 21:04

well, at last, and after 27 years since we last drove the T16, today she made 3 laps of the fields and didnt miss a beat. There are few problems, but hopefully nothing that cannot be sorted. Basically, one rear brake was binding, and the rope seal I put in the brake drum to stop water and dirt ingress spewed out all its graphite hrease. I dont know whether this has made its way onto the brake shoes but if so, its tracks back off and a set of new shoes, again. Enjoy the video, taken by my daughter so excuse the running to keep up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_NAdHS0OHo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy-VCbIo1Ws

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23lM0PNxKzo

Richard Farrant · #7 29-10-11, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew honychurch

well, at last, and after 27 years since we last drove the T16, today she made 3 laps of the fields and didnt miss a beat.

Well done Andrew. Looks like I visited a week too early!

Hope you got the wiring all sorted out now.

G166UC · #8 22-10-11, 09:07

Andrew,
it has been quite awhile since I have been on this thread. Your T-16 is looking great! I am one of the guys David mentioned, that toasted a coil {or two} when first starting my engine. The original T-16s had a voltage reducer mounted on the left hand head assy, which cut the 12 volts down to 6 for the coil. I have never seen one except in photos.
I had my T-16 out today, and it runs so smooth! I hope to make it to Beltring next year, so maybe we can have a beer or two. Thanks Rod Shaver
PS Hey David, are you cashing in on that new race track in Austin?

G166UC · #9 22-10-11, 09:10

Andrew,
Forgot to mention I have some NOS water pumps, but can't guarantee that they won't leak. Not sure what I have exactly right now, but I know i have mostly one side available. Will check if you want= Rod

horsa · #10 22-10-11, 22:52

Hey Rod,

Good to hear from you even if it is in the middle of Andrew's message thread

You aren't the only one that has let the magic smoke out of a 6-volt coil. I've come across several other people in the UK and Europe that were doing restorations and tried using un-regulated original top mounted coils before they figured out what had gone wrong.

The Formula 1 track and grounds are still under construction here in Austin. It will be a proper sized course for large races so should hopefully avoid a repeat of the recent accident at the track in your state. I'll probably only see races on TV though as I'm sure the price of admission would cost more than I'd be willing to pay. At least for the first few years while the facility is new and popular.

Can also say the water pumps Rod has are good for the T-16 but might need new double-belt pulleys which was the case with my set since they had the later late war/post war domed face double-belt type installed on them.

andrew honychurch · #11 26-10-11, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by G166UC

Andrew,
it has been quite awhile since I have been on this thread. Your T-16 is looking great! I am one of the guys David mentioned, that toasted a coil {or two} when first starting my engine. The original T-16s had a voltage reducer mounted on the left hand head assy, which cut the 12 volts down to 6 for the coil. I have never seen one except in photos.
I had my T-16 out today, and it runs so smooth! I hope to make it to Beltring next year, so maybe we can have a beer or two. Thanks Rod Shaver
PS Hey David, are you cashing in on that new race track in Austin?

here are a few more photos of the voltage reducer for the feed to the 6v coil. Managed to pick one up so I could stick it on the head and make it look original even though we are not using it. I need the filter unit as i think the reducer bolts to that.