Patrick Tipton

Aren't they pretty! I left the tags on...just because!

It seems that most of our Weasels really have not seen very much use. Those drums do indeed look nice. I don't really have a feel yet for how much that drum surface impacts steering. My M29 steers harder than I like, but the drums are probably worse than those. I am going to be resurfacing the M29 drums and replacing the brake linings in the next few weeks - will let you know how much of a difference it makes. Keep up the great work. Patrick

A few years ago, I bought out a collector who owned a gaggle of Weasels and related parts. Most of the Weasels had been sitting unused in a field for decades, but all but one were salvageable. Happy to report that 3 of the 5 are well on their way to being restored machines. I kept one (an M29) that runs and drives and the other machine (early M29) is stored inside awaiting restoration. One T24 had a decent looking 1945-dated engine in it that was complete and free. That hull was sold to another collector but I pulled the engine to keep as a spare. As my M29 motor is starting to make noises that sound like a bad bearing, I decided to see if I could get this spare motor running to see what I had. We were disappointed when we pulled the head to find the valves pretty much gone. Our environment is too wet, plus too many hot and cold cycles cause condensation and rust. This engine sat too long without any oil etc. and the valves and seats were shot. Fortunately, the cylinders looked good as did the lower end. IMG_1818.mp4 I ended up freshening up the valve seats and installing all new valves. We also dropped the oil pan and cleaned everything out and added fresh oil. The beast fired right up! Oil pressure was 55 lbs at startup. I did not have a radiator hooked up so I didn't run it long, but I am liking it so far! I will get a radiator on it tomorrow and let the engine warm up properly and get it running right. If it continues to run well, I think I may have a keeper to put into the M29 and enjoy until we do a proper restoration at some point in the future. Champion6 Running.mp4

I have NOS piston sets for the Studebaker Champion 6 installed in the Weasel. These are original USGI pistons, in original boxes. Each piston is housed in its own "tube" within the box and also includes a wrist pin. I have Standard and .20 over pistons. The major Studebaker parts guys sell new piston sets for $450-$500 a set. I have a limited number of these sets - $250 shipped CONUS, happy to ship internationally too at cost. I also have a few sets of NOS sleeves to bring your engine back to standard (3" bore). PM me for more information. Cheers

Those look slick! I like the double up approach to ensure that you are close to 1" running around the drive wheels....they should run very smoothly like that. One thing on drilling the holes - I used a punch style cutter...forget the brand but it was cheap. It was made to be chucked up in a drill....we cut a full set of bands ...16 holes per grouser and it didn't seem to bother the cutter at all. We used WD40 as the lubricant. Look forward to seeing these tracks run!

Thanks Jesse - that makes sense!

Could be the pilot bushing too..... As for the time....I keep telling myself I am gaining experience 😂 The other thing about these Weasel engines...they have a labyrinth rear main seal....which is a crazy design that baffles the imagination in my opinion. I don't totally understand why oil doesn't leak out when the engine is sitting....but once the engine is running the oil should stay away from the rear of the engine. Your PO may have siliconed up the area where the labyrinth runs....which would get chewed up pretty immediately....and might have something to do with all this oil.

Sounds like progress! We already talked about how easy it is to get the firing order goofed...so sounds like you fix that and this engine runs. I don't like that brass/bronze either....the only bronze bushing I can think of is in the distributor drive and the starter (at the end of the bendix, but that should not be getting into the oil). Is that oil dripping directly into your bucket from the engine or is possibly being contaminated by junk in the hull on its way to your bucket? I too would be tempted to get it running to see what you are getting for oil pressure and learn whatever else you can. The biggest risk appears to me to be that something was put together incorrectly and that bronze/brass is bearing related and if a bearing spun, you can damage your crank. If there is a bearing problem, it seems likely that the crank might already be suffering though so...maybe worth the risk. Your fuel pump may be providing too much gas, but if the float is working correctly in the carburetor, it should not matter. I would do a quick and dirty disassemble on the carb and make sure the float doesn't have a hole in it/is set up correctly. Sounds like they really goofed up the oil pan sealing....so the engine will have to come out, but it sure would be nice to have it running so that all you are worried about is getting things cleaned and sealed. Keep up the good work - you are almost there!

One of my all time favorite WW2 fighters! Claire Chennault was one of my first childhood heroes. Absolutely love that you get to continue using that stool in a fine legacy of craftsmanship. Congrats to you two for jumping in and getting after it. You are moving right along - outstanding. Regards, Patrick

Sounds like good progress. I get grief for finding TDC this way, but it always works. Pull the #1 sparkplug, put your finger over the hole and crank the engine over. Release the crank when you feel the pressure start to build. By the time the engine stops spinning, you will be close enough to TDC to install the distributor. You will be close enough to get it to fire...then start adjusting the timing until the engine starts....once its warm, you can further refine the timing until she is running smoothly.

Started the engine rebuild last week. My machine shop left two broken manifold studs for me to remove...what are friends for? Anyway, it took us a couple of hours to get them freed up, but we ultimately succeeded using lots of heat on the broken stud and the infamous "EZ Out"...which never are. We spent a good bit of time today cleaning the block, oil galleys and the crankshaft before starting assembly. Tappets and camshaft are in, the crankshaft is in as well and turning nicely. I purchased this engine disassembled from another Weasel owner. It is a correct 1943 dated engine that had spun a bearing. I received it in pieces. Everything was in a big box...and when I consolidated it to save space...any semblance of organization went bye bye. I have spent a fair amount of time digging through the bucket of parts to get everything identified so we can assemble it correctly. Nothing too difficult, but it all takes time! Case in point, the crankshaft was missing all of the flywheel bolts. Fortunately, I picked up a stuck Weasel engine for parts and was able to get 3 flywheel bolts from that, find another two in a crank that I had removed from a broken block once upon a time and then find one in my "parts" bin. At this point, I think I have everything identified other than sorting bolts for the pan/front engine plate and a few miscellaneous brackets. Oh the joy of these projects! Will start working on the pistons tomorrow...they are mostly cleaned up but still need a little attention before we get them installed. I managed to take a video but no good pictures. Pics tomorrow!

Indeed, sounds like you are going to save a lot of headaches by just pulling the engine at this point and doing a very thorough inspection. The "rear main" on the original Champion 6 is a labyrinth seal - always amazes me that they work. There is an aluminum half circle (not sure off hand of the proper nomenclature - might call it a baffle) that fits into the oil pan that has a seal on it as well. Then the oil pan itself has a multipart cork seal.

I am not sure that is even fair😂

This is a little hard to unpack without getting to touch and hear the engine. Let's start from the top. 1. One to two minutes of cranking an engine consumes a lot of energy. Most of the time, we crank for maybe 5 or 6 seconds and an engine starts. 10 seconds is a long time and starts getting starters hot. I could see the battery discharging pretty rapidly if you have cranked on it for close to 2 minutes. 2. When you assemble an engine, you start by installing the crank with lots of assembly lube, then you torque on one crank bearing at a time. You turn the crank after tightening each cap to ensure that nothing is binding. With the crankshaft torqued down, it will turn smoothly by hand but there is a little resistance (I would say mostly lubrication related surface tension because once it starts moving, it moves easily). You then install the pistons and do the same thing, one at a time. By the time you get all 6 pistons installed, it takes a lot of force to turn the new engine over - you need an extension bar or the like - lots of friction from rings, overcoming valve spring pressures, etc. Importantly, though, there is nothing binding and everything will feel smooth. Even with a brand new starter and battery, a fresh engine turns over more slowly than feels comfortable. There is a ton of friction at this point. Once you get the engine running, it frees up quickly ....the rings wear in, and everything sort of settles down to where most of the force you feel when you crank the engine over is compression. But this happens after the engine has run a bit - the old "break in period" - and why lots of manufacturers have suggested break in methods to ensure that the engine will perform at peak. The Weasel manuals have a suggested break in procedure.... Since this engine has never run, compression checks and the like are not going to mean much. If the engine can be turned over without any obvious hard spots (with the plugs out) or noises, then I would focus on getting it running. Get a helper if you can to watch the oil pressure. Once the engine fires up, don't run it for more than 20-30 seconds if the oil pressure hasn't come up. Even without special priming....you should see that oil pressure pop pretty quickly or something else is wrong. Finally, the Weasel starter wiring is slightly goofy - so you may be losing a little starter umph if the wiring isn't perfect. Since the engine turns over though, I would not be too concerned yet. Also, adjusting the timing with the engine in the machine sucks...but can be done. Make sure you have spark, find TDC #1, make sure your firing order is correct and then crank with a little choke. If you are not getting a pop, start moving the distributor in one direction first, then the other - a little bit at a try...maybe up to 1/4 turn either direction. if you are even close to TDC/timing, the engine should start. Try to keep it running without racing it too high, watch your oil pressure and get it warm. Once it warms up, it should settle down and you can start tweaking the timing and the carb to get it to idle nicely, then start working on getting it to run well across the power range. Not sure if you are a member at www.portrayal.tv, but we have started lots of rebuilt engines and struggled with these issues. We are working on reassembling my T24 engine right now, plus doing a quick and dirty "overhaul" on another Weasel engine. You will find the videos helpful. You can use code PPC and get a free month. Hope that helps.

I have a buddy with an excellent T15.... I will see him this weekend and ask if he knows what belongs where. Congrats again on that machine....amazing time capsule. Fantastic to see it running!

T15Rsmall.mp4 T15Rsmall.mp4

Nice project! Congratulations and welcome aboard! When you get ready, start a "build" thread in this forum. You will get lots of support.

Congrats! Not sure why the video isn't working....I see it is a .mov.....??? I was able to download the video...cool! I tried to upload and can't get it to play on this thread either....let me reach out to tech support.

Back on the T24 restoration. Rebuilding the final drive and installing was my latest project. My brake drums were pretty ugly and wanted to see if they were salvageable. I don't have a metal lathe large enough to turn them, but was able to do it with my wood lathe. I ended up making a wooden interference fit collet and tapping the drums on. As there is a bronze bushing in the drum, I didn't want to damage the bushing so this seemed a fairly safe way to do it. With the drum chucked and running reasonable true, I took an angle grinder with a 60 grit sanding disc and sanded off the grooves. I then went through a few more grits up to about 120 grit and polished them up. I think they will work just great now.

Sounds like the clutch is not fully engaged or it is sticking. For the clutch engagement, the first stop is trying to tighten the pedal if there is adjustment room. You will need a helper, but you can pull the inspection plate and watch the clutch plate when someone depresses the clutch in neutral. It should stop. If adjusting the clutch does not work, then the clutch may be sticking. This is typically caused by a leaking rear main seal, although worn pilot bearings can cause this as well. You can spray the clutch down with brake clean. That will usually free everything up temporarily. Not a great solution, but it will sometimes get you by until you feel up to pulling the engine and replacing the rear main.

Sorry - not a fun outcome, but so be it. Onward! I had a pretty rough time getting mine off....used quite a bit of heat and penetrant and a slide hammer to get it off. Keep us posted. Patrick

Looks like Weasel parts! Woo Hoo!

Just to give you a little comfort(?) that all you are fighting with is a woodruff key and 80 years of being in the same spot! I am rebuilding a Weasel engine right now...this fiber gear was already broken off - so no concern about ruining something....still a bear to remove it.

Just checked the Original SNL G179 parts manual...indeed, the copper washers are there! Not terrible to install at this point, so will get them ordered. Thanks for keeping me on my toes John!

Many thanks John. No smashed fingers = WIN! 1. The felt seals in this final drive were in pretty good shape and I went ahead and reused them. Hoping that was not a mistake. Even with older seals, the machined fit of the outer tube/trumpet is very tight. We greased the surface and then used a couple of longer bolts to seat them. We used 2 drift pins as alignment pins. Worked OK. 2. Thanks for the reminder! I did not install the copper gaskets - there were none on this machine when we disassembled. I need to double check the manual for the early machines and make sure they belong....and then order some! 3. I had removed a final drive (or two) from derelict hulls so we had extra shims to mix and match. I spit balled it on the first side (roughly half the space - then we had to fuss a little, but they worked out pretty well to take up the little extra space that was there. 4. The breather canister is super ugly🤣 It needs love (and I may have a better one on a salvage final drive). I may look for a better one!