F-D Zernia

I have that same fuel tank. I read the ingredients for a hole repair and it all sounds very toxic. many years ago I know someone that had a metal gas tank repair done for his pickup truck. At that time an internal liner was fabricated for the tank. Maybe something like that is still available. I’m not sure I want to trust the rubber tank for myself. For now I intend to use something else and get to this rubber unit later. I would hate for the rubber to melt or dissolve and plug the filters and carburetor. I have considered cutting away the front of the fuel tank to put a smaller one inside. Then mend the outside rubber to make it look right. And you probably know by now how difficult it is to remove the self sealing tank. Not an easy one to do a second time. All kinds of ideas but I’m on step M and that one is about X. Good luck Fred

Good day Mike, Good to hear from you in Iowa. Bummer the snow isn’t as abundant for you these days. Snow hasn’t been great hear in southern Wisconsin for years. I’m working on places to run my Weasel next year in Central Wisconsin. We should have one up and going by then. What I have learned is that it is best to stick to private land with owners permission. Snowmobile and UTV trails are out by Department of Natural Resources rules. We could only drive those trails while dragging a snow groomer. Some established public trails must have a valid vehicle registration for highway use. I’m not sure about paper mill land yet, it may be an option I will check in to. That would be far north. I was told we can drive on some lake ice with no kind of registration. That is an option that I wish to take advantage of. I am working on getting permission from some neighbors where I hunt. That is with the provision only to drive after all hunting is finished. So from mid January until end of February. This would be logging roads on wood lot property. If anything promising develops I can let you know. It wouldn’t be until next winter. I still have more officials and municipalities to check with. As of right now I’m kind of distracted with figuring out the first Weasel. I admit I’m over thinking things. Fred Zernia

Congratulations. Looks like great machines. The fun is just beginning. Good luck with your projects. Fred

Patrick, That is great news that you are pleased with the LAR tracks. It is a well made unit. Keep us informed. Will you tension them a little less than the other tracks? I would be curious to find if the sprockets wear better with this set up. My feeling is that on snow the sprockets would favor the lubricating characteristics of the wet environment. It is encouraging that things are moving along. Fred ps. I was told to stay off of big rocks about 3” in diameter or larger. That can damage and bend grousers. Probably same with original tracks.

Patrick, I have been asking around about simple heat treatments that can be done using simple methods at home. With hardening sprockets in mind. It ends up most of the products a person can purchase apply such a thin coat of hardened surface it would not last very long. I was a student in a metallurgy class last year. My professor was kind enough to meet with me to answer questions. In the process we determined the protection was minimal unless it can be done in more of an industrial setting. I also have a message in to my local weld shop concerning Hardfacing. This is welding with a filler metal that will create a harder surface. To my way of thinking this could be a better solution. He will forward my questions to the distributor of this product to find out what they feel would help. I have seen videos on this and it seems like a good product for our needs. If they feel it may help I can bring some filler metal with me to school and try it out under ideal conditions and pass on what I learn. hopefully this will be a sound sprocket repair. Fred

Patrick, For durability I think the LAR tracks are hard to beat. We visited Mike’s facility to pick up our tracks. He has weasels fitted with the different prototypes that were used to develop this track. A lot of time went into the design and testing. This should be a good investment for you. We plan to drive ours plenty when the engine work is done. That was the incentive to purchase LAR tracks. As a reminder. Mike insisted that bogie alignment is key to good track life. It was time consuming but gave me satisfaction figuring out how to orient each bogie so the steel guide bar slipped through easily. Fred

Patrick, it’s good to hear the machine shop work is moving forward. I have experienced the same pace in my neck of the woods. The biggest delay is the process to re babbit the rod bearings. Very few businesses can or will do it. I did purchase replacement connecting rods, that require shell bearings and gave the builder the option, his call. The aluminum cam gear has been purchased as I requested. To me this seems a good choice. The gear I have is from a Studebaker supplier so I expect they have a good history of success. Everything is taking extremely long for anything under the engine cover. Good luck Fred

Hi Brad, I was reminded of something when you mentioned the clutch not releasing well. Many years ago I had a Chevy Vega that sat a few years and the clutch wouldn’t disengage at all. From sitting the pilot bearing was not free any longer. It may be one more thing to check other than linkage. Also the shaft assembly in the bell housing that the throwout bearing rides on , may be very corroded or oil is now thick. Mine was like that. There is an oil cup on one side and a hole drilled in the shaft on the opposite end. Try adding oil at these 2 points and exercising the shaft. Otherwise with the trans removed you can work the shaft from side to side to expose the bearing surfaces to clean them. The good thing about this transmission removal is you don’t lay on your back under the machine. This is a fair first step rather than taking a pressure plate off. Our Weasel sat idle 20 years plus and all the clutch parts looked new. I cannot say the same for the pivot shaft. Our linkage is not the cable type so I’m not sure about that problem. Although I do have a clutch cable I am trying to free up and have not gotten it to move at all as of yet. Fred

Welcome, looks like someone built that on to have fun with. The perimeter rails should have protected the hull from trees. Good luck with your project. The more you get into it the better things get. Fred

Well done. Plenty of good and hard to find parts. That looking through piles is a great part of the story. Or when you find those parts you can really use. That arctic top would be helpful in harsh weather. Good luck with this find. I wish the best for you, that it all works out. Fred

Hi everyone, I recently applied rubber to the return roller. It is a project best attempted in times of warm weather to be certain of good air circulation with doors open. I ordered material from Granger supply. It seems to be a good combination and it cured an extra month plus to be certain of a good bond. this is my adhesive. It was recommended to me by a friend that is involved with building big electrical transformers. They use it to apply rubber seals to covers. Granger also deals with sheet neoprene that I cut into strips. I purchased the hardest rubber I could. The neoprene I used was 1/2 the thickness needed so we applied 2 layers. everything was scuffed to rough up the surface. Kind of like patching an inner tube. Treat this like contact cement and apply to both sides then let it get tacky dry. Do dry fit before applying the cement to be certain no extra trimming will be necessary. beforehand I already had fabricated a compression band of galvanized sheet metal. You need to compress immediately to squeeze out all air bubbles. Pay attention to the circumference of 1 and 2 layers of neoprene so the band will work both times. The neoprene seams are on different parts of the roller so that the overlap reinforce each other. The part of this that caused a little domestic troubles at home was baking the completed assembly in the kitchen oven. There will be a smell that airs out quickly. 250 deg F for about 30 min. with the compression band still on. I recommend the outer edge face down on tin foil, resting on a baking sheet. Some adhesive will squeeze out with the heat and it seemed the neoprene slips a little when heated. That being the case it might be best to slip towards the outer edge. The baking sheet will hold it in place. Keep the steel band on for a minimum of 1 day while cooling. As it cools the bond improves. Even 2 weeks or more created a tougher seal. I installed the hub today and if all goes well should be testing by winter. Still plenty of work to go. Fred

Hi Jim, I would like to suggest a resource for engine parts. StudebakerParts.Com. I just recently began to get some parts from them. From what I gather the Champion engine comes with an 8” and 8 1/2” clutch and pressure plate that are not compatible with all trucks. You may have truck parts. The web site shows many options that would interest a Weasel build. Recently I purchased, exhaust heat riser replacement parts. Manifold to pipe gasket and studs, connecting rods that accept shell rod bearings. Listed are all different bore size pistons and the list goes on and on. The owners name is Russ and he is all about Studebakers and knows a thing or two about Weasels. This looks like a good resource. The prices seem to be in line. When we began this adventure I joined the Studebaker drivers club here in Wisconsin to learn another aspect of this machine. These members get excited about Weasels too and share the little tricks that they realize will help. Good luck Fred

Robert, I happened to be removing wiper assembly’s from a wind screen this week and have not packed them away for later yet. Here are some pictures of the short arm. I hope it helps. There are some small bends to clear the mechanisms. This should get you close Fred

I had an idea to help keep the shafts on the steering and shift controls lubricated. Battery terminal felt rings struck my fancy. It looked like the right diameters to fit the shafts. It was so much effort to disassemble, clean the controls and replace brass bushings I wanted to preserve them. Oiling with the oil can makes a mess. I am going to try these felt rings to wick the oil and help spread it on the joint. It acts as a good shim, removes some play and will keep out dirt. This product is made with a small ring inside of a larger ring. The smaller diameter fits the smaller shifting shafts perfectly. The largest ring is a bit sloppy on the brake shafts but I think may be good. I will start to add oil to them on the bench and observe the performance. Fred

Hi all, I have an idea for you. Do this solder experiment first to see if it makes sense for this application. Take several small pieces of clean sheet metal in rectangular strips. Clean a long edge with emery cloth about the width of you thumb on each strip and paint with some self tinning plumbing flux. The you will need some 50/50 lead/tin solder. Heat along the clean and fluxed edge with a propane torch until it starts to turn silver and add solder on the length of the joint. Wipe the excess off with a clean rag. Next try two different methods. Lay one piece on top of the other with the solder sides touching. Do not clamp it a very small gap is not a bad thing. Next heat the joint again until fresh solder will flow into the joint. The solder will flow to the heat of the joint so hold the flame where the solder needs to flow to. Capillary action will draw the solder in. You just followed the steps to solder a copper plumbing fitting. Only thing to remember, solder melts around 650 degrees F. If your used to welding it is much cooler. Another way. Prep and tin the joint like before. ( tinning is when the solder first melt and bonds to the base metal ) next lightly heat the strip and add a little solder the entire length of only one piece. Let cool. Lay the other prepped joint on top in a lap joint configuration. Now weight can be laid on top behind the joint or a clamp. Heat along the length of the joint until the pieces settle onto each other or solder pushes out of the joint. Let cool and if you did it right the joint will not easily rip apart. With enough force it will rip but if the solder is bonded to both sides it was a solid, leak proof joint. It would be a simple test and can determine how best to form the seam. Fred

I have been assessing the condition of some of our existing grousers. I think I may have figured out a thing or two about how damage related to a particular problem. In this photo the rivets on the track guides have the tops shaved off and the guides are cut next to the rivet. Notice the intact rivets at the bottom of the photo for comparison. I believe this was worn sprockets mostly and poor tension. These grousers are all from the same track. Notice the steel hinge replacing the outer band. This is a solid fix with a manufactured piece made for the weasel. The outer band did not fail but there is evidence the inner band broke. I must assume when the band broke, the grouser cracked and it was all over. Even though the outside was intact. My observation is these grousers broke in a group and the machine could not drive any longer. You cannot rely on only an intact outer band when the inner is failing This is from a completely different track and machine. Someone was aware of the risk running when the inner band began to fail. This repair with wire must have gotten them home. I believe some of these past owners understood a thing or two about the risks driving on tracks that are beginning to fail. This observation convinced me to go with the LAR track for now. I know this choice is not for everyone. In time I intend to re belt an original set. For now our first attempt at running a weasel is to learn about them. Just like Pat’s yellow machine we intend to keep this one as a test bed and a driving machine. Also some original parts will be donated to a different weasel to make it proper. Fred

Hi Jim, I removed the center section the way you propose. To remove the oil I did use a hand vacuum pump from my hydraulic brake bleed kit. I removed what I could from the fill port in the side of the pumpkin. A 1/4” copper tube will fit in the top tapping you mentioned. It will take a little maneuvering to pass the ring gear and carrier. With plenty of patience slowly the oil can be evaluated. I filled 1 gallon milk containers to determine how much was removed. In the end less than a quart will spill. Block the drain holes inside the hull to keep the oil from migrating to the drain on the bottom side of the outer hull. Before removing lay some rags or oil absorbing mats on the tunnel floor. Create a dam with anything you can. When the piece separates it will lay down. I laid it on cardboard. You may want to rig this to lift it out of the hull. It is heavy and not well balanced. This will work but still a small mess. In Idaho you must have low temperatures by now. I used my heater to blow hot air under the hull to warm the oil, seeing at it is supposed to be 30 weight and may be thick. A light bulb next to the housing for a few hours might warm the oil to. Good luck! Fred

John, looks great and like fun. Congratulations well done. Fred

Lately I have been working on a way to replace the nonexistent rubber on some return rollers. I noticed some of these parts had previously been replaced with rubber strips and adhesive. It seems it bonded well only thing the years were not kind to the rubber. I have material and adhesive on order so now we were touching up a slightly bent and dented rim. I cleaned the rim with the wire wheel then with plumbing flux and 50/50 solder tinned the rim in the area of the dent. Very much like how Patrick filled the imperfections on his Weasel hull. After filling and smoothing twice it is close enough for now. I think the contact cement will fill the small voids left. Fred

I also found spindles with and without plugs in the end. I solved that with a freeze plug from the automotive supply house. I could not locate an exact fit. One was close enough that a little work with a coarse file and it tapped in tight. The tube with no plug was filled with excess grease and this should solve that issue. Fred

I see you had a hub with water contaminated grease. I also have the same issue. Amazingly everything cleaned up and looks to be in good condition. The outer cover had no gasket. My question is it wise to fill the hub with grease completely after packing the bearings. We have a vendor in town that specializes in bearings and seals. In conversation he told me filling the hub with grease can cause overheated bearings. The space in the hub is needed for dissipating heat. The example he gave was boat trailer bearings that failed on the road when they were full of grease. I have noticed some heat marks on the spindle and the inner bearing ring that rides on that spindle. With emery paper they buff out easily. The modern grease does not have the wax like consistency of the grease I’m cleaning out of these hubs. Is there a school of thought on hub maintenance. I was told one hour of swimming with a Weasel will require five hours of maintenance. If this is so I imagine part of that is cleaning hubs and repacking bearings. I realize there is a grease fitting that enables maintaining the hub in a grease filled state but is this an old way of thinking. For now I’m packing bearings like I would on a utility trailer or an old car. I will add a little grease but not fill the void in the hub. We can always top off later if I change my mind. Fred

Hi all, I have been working on refurbishing hubs for the return roller and drive wheel on the other side. I had used the 1/4” thick inner seals that John identified. I doubled them up to create the 1/2” seal width. The hub I’m working on now had quite a lot of water in it and turned the grease to mud. Incredibly the bearings and races are looking good. The only issue is the inner seal surface where the leather rides is pitted. My seal vendor had ina seal in stock I have not seen in any posts. This seal presses into the pitted surface of the hub and the rubber then turns on the spindle. I figure the spindle should probably be a good surface in most cases. I am testing these seals in different corners to assess performance. At this point I am experimenting with different products to find out which I favor. I did try to locate the Caterpillar seal but the dealer seemed to think it was an obsolete part, so I moved on.

Cujo31, Interesting handle. There are some good publications from Portrayalpress that would be of help with your project. I would recommend beginning there. TM9-1772 has 2 drawings on pages 257 & 258 with hull dimensions. This would be an excellent start point to determine if this is complicated or not for your equipment. Also you would find suspension parts with no dimensions in that manual. Where in Wisconsin are you located? We are from there too. If you can get your email to us it may be possible for us to provide information and be of assistance. Fred

John. Thanks for the response on sprockets. Mike does not provide sprockets any longer. He did not recommend anything but suggested we look around. These I found from a vendor in California. I remember in the past that you posted about excessive guide wear and how your sprockets were modified. I used that information as a reference of what I would look for. These had the chamfered edge on the ring and offset teeth. It seems to clear without adding the spacer from the return roller but I was willing to do that if need be. I have been holding out promoting this sprocket until I see if there is excessive wear. As of now rotating the tracks while the hull is in the air all looks good. The real test is when we actually drive the Weasel hopefully later this year. As of right now I am cautiously optimistic. Fred

All of this adjustment is done on a flat floor. We keep our Weasel on a dolly set so the adjustment is on boards in the dolly cradle. I did make extra shims for the support arm bracket in order to adjust bogies. Another shortcut I learned was to unbolt the support arm bracket and let it hang loose on the bolts. At that time I could tip the bogie back an forth to find the sweet spot. Then you can stack shims sideways to determine the right amount and install them. Very important. DO NOT use the impact to tighten these bolts. I learned the hard way and mashed up two bolt threads. I did go with new sprockets. It seemed to make the most sense. These are pretty heavy and will spread the load better. Like the manual states we took off the outer Idler Wheel to pass the track on. Eventually dish soap was spread thin on the rubber surface to help the track slide in place I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me later This I learned the hard way. I had to put a punch in the top hole for the spring stop bracket. Next time it will be a bolt. Otherwise the weight of the track will pull the idler down and lift the end of the spring until it hits the bottom of the hull. The track has to pass over the spring. As you can see I am not concerned with paint right now, but if it was all finish painted there would be plenty of touch up. Fred