OZM29C Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 On 12/31/2023 at 4:48 PM, DonM said: Starting our engine tear down. The stamped SN is T-24 815 the casting number is 194322-4 A there is also a riveted tag with W 9 9 The serial number is pretty low so I assume the casting was made in 1943. Is there any other information I can extract from these numbers? @DonMYou are going to need these when you assemble both Distributor and angle drive back into the cylinder block. BTW, if you divide the dimensions shown on the package by 25.4, that will give you the old imperial decimal dimension. Cheers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M29C3284 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) 23 hours ago, DonM said: Engine teardown progressing well. Got it free and turning……it’s a beautiful thing! Found some stampings at the top of the block which may indicate prior work maybe reboring. The numbers were next to each cylinder 0 0 05 1 05 05 maybe these are rebore numbers ie 05 = 0.050? if so the “1” would be 0.100? That seems big to me for rebore. I think those number are the diameter of the cylinders after honing. So 05 I would think is 0.0005" and 1 would be 0.001" over the cylinder nominal diameter. I think those numbers where stamped at the factory so they would know which pistons to use in what cylinder when the block moved to the next station on the assembly line. Pistons made to the same diameter are never 100% accurate on size. Also, I have seen the assembly date stamped on the oil sump flange of the block on earlier Studebaker engine block. You might when to have a look for it there on your engine. Edited January 4 by M29C3284 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Thanks OZ and M29C for your insights and suggestions. I think M29C might be right as I measured the bores and they were all 3.000 (+0.003 -0.000) as far as my cheap mic could tell so basically at factory. Keeping in mind my micrometer can only measure at the top of the bore and not below any ridge that may be there. I'll keep looking for stampings as I clean up the block. Regarding the rod bearings, they are babbit type. Some have some "pits" in the bearing surface. Are these fatal to the bearing? If new rods are needed, my question is if I order new rods with the 2 piece bearing inserts from the Studebaker parts place, will they be compatible with my original cast iron pistons? Thanks OZ for the suggestion about the seals, I also see the Studebaker parts site has the AL camshaft gear you mentioned some time ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 10 hours ago, DonM said: Regarding the rod bearings, they are babbit type. Some have some "pits" in the bearing surface. Are these fatal to the bearing? If new rods are needed, my question is if I order new rods with the 2 piece bearing inserts from the Studebaker parts place, will they be compatible with my original cast iron pistons? Post some pictures. The pits in the babbit bearing surface are likely OEM. You can plastigauge the rod bearings and see if they are still in tolerance. Otherwise, the new shell style connecting rods/bearings will work fine with your pistons. My T24 engine had babbit connecting rods and one of them spun - the reason we needed to rebuild the engine. I am about to film the rebuilding of the engine too.....will be on ShopTime™. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Thanks Patrick, I’ll post pictures. I look forward to the video. I watched episode #194 (I think) with great interest. I’m anxious to see what you did prior to taking the engine to the shop! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Correction….episode 193. I’m glad I didn’t have any broken head bolts! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 Here are photos of the rod bearings with the “pits”. Interesting to note that the defects are all on the rod side of the bearing. The cap sides were all ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 Also sad to say that I got a bit too aggressive removing the crank pulley😢 Looks like cast iron…..is it possible to repair or should I look for a replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M29C3284 Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 If you have all the broken peices it can be brazed back together. Check also for cracks at corners of the keyway slot, mine was cracked there so I had to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 Getting ready to order metal for the right side floor. We removed a full length section with a cut up the side of the hull 3.25" and down the inside wall 1". Question is when ordering the metal should I specify the exact dimensions or add an extra 1/8" or so on each edge for margin to trim off later to allow for variation in the cut lines? I think the cuts are pretty good so may be not. How big a gap can we reasonably deal with using a MIG unit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 13 hours ago, DonM said: he exact dimensions or add an extra 1/8" or so on each edge for margin to trim off later to allow for variation in the cut lines? I think the cuts are pretty good so may be not. How big a gap can we reasonably deal with using a MIG unit? With MIG, you want a strong 1/16th gap...much more and it becomes a lot of work. Less, and you will have more distortion. Definitely give yourself extra metal...and take plenty of time to fit things up well. The better the fit, the easier the finish. Good to see you guys making progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 1/13/2024 at 12:36 PM, DonM said: Getting ready to order metal for the right side floor. We removed a full length section with a cut up the side of the hull 3.25" and down the inside wall 1". Question is when ordering the metal should I specify the exact dimensions or add an extra 1/8" or so on each edge for margin to trim off later to allow for variation in the cut lines? I think the cuts are pretty good so may be not. How big a gap can we reasonably deal with using a MIG unit? @DonMTalking from experience, I too would definitely allow some extra length. My photos below better illustrate what I had to deal with. I had to do some creative welding to fill the gap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Thanks OZ and Pat, will make sure to margin my dimensions. Getting ready to go to the shop soon. Sounds like they can turn things around in a couple days. They figure about $400 to do the right side floor and hat channels. Now looking at the hat channel cross sections I have attached a sketch of what I measured. Are these consistent with what you have seen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darth_kitten Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 That looks about right. I'm getting ready to have the "J" channel bent up here soon. I was lucky to get some of the last 2" channel that (I think Rob) had bent up for his kits. There is a drawing of hat channel dims in the files section, but it is in MMs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 Just a quick update…. Things are really starting to move! The engine is the shop now (Caledonia Diesel) for cleaning and inspection and magnefluxing. Initial assessment is pretty good. They’re pretty backed up getting farm equipment ready for spring so it may take a few months before we get it back. Exciting nevertheless! Generator and starter are in a shop for cleaning and repair as needed. Metal for floor and hat channels should be ready next week so we’ll get started with welding. Thanks again guys for all your support and advice! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 On 1/25/2024 at 11:16 PM, DonM said: Thanks again guys for all your support and advice! Sounds like great progress Don! Happy to see this machine getting all this love! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Quick update…..we picked up the metal for the right side floor and hat channels. We will start our welding small, patching holes and cut-outs using some smaller sheet stock to get proficient before going big. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 @DonM Probably a bit late now that your metal is bent but I did find these drawings I made many years ago that may still be of help to you. Weasel Contour Flange.pdf Weasel Hat section 1.pdf Weasel offset hat section.pdf Weasel Sponson.pdf Weasel angle Brace.pdf Weasel Track skirt.pdf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Looks great guys! FWIW, I would get the side fit to my satisfaction and marked with some type of alignment "pins", then add the hat channels and then weld the side in - much easier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted February 16 Author Share Posted February 16 Quick update.....gaining proficiency with the MIG. Filling and patching holes at rear of the hull. Filled 31 small holes and and patched a massive 12" x 9" cut-out. Still need to polish the welds up but it's working out great! Now there are larger four 1/2" diameter holes (for who knows what) that need to be filled. What is the best way to fill them? Should we try to fill with weld material or weld in little patches? I thought about patching in slices from a 1/2" bolt but maybe that's dumb. Also I want to thank Patrick for the excellent recent ShopTime videos about the drive unit differential. I feel a lot less intimidated about digging into ours as we wait for the engine to come back from the shop. It is interesting to note that our drive unit case has a tag from a repair shop in Lyon, France. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 On 1/5/2024 at 8:14 AM, DonM said: Correction….episode 193. I’m glad I didn’t have any broken head bolts! That was fun wasn't it!🤣 We got the final drive installed this afternoon. Going to start rebuilding the engine next week. I have a take out Weasel engine in my test stand that has a stuck valve....going to try and get that engine running first and see what I have...then will start reassembling my T24 engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 10 hours ago, DonM said: Now there are larger four 1/2" diameter holes (for who knows what) that need to be filled. What is the best way to fill them? Should we try to fill with weld material or weld in little patches? I thought about patching in slices from a 1/2" bolt but maybe that's dumb. Also I want to thank Patrick for the excellent recent ShopTime videos about the drive unit differential. I feel a lot less intimidated about digging into ours as we wait for the engine to come back from the shop. It is interesting to note that our drive unit case has a tag from a repair shop in Lyon, France. You are welcome - glad you enjoyed them Don! As for the 1/2 holes, you are going to be better off making a patch of some sort. Doesn't have to be perfect, but just cut some 18 gauge and weld it up. Tin snips are pretty tough going with 18 gauge...you can purchase a cheap hole saw though....and make yourself some patches pretty quickly. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Looking around my barn, I think #10 flat washers might work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Work on the hull is progressing a bit slowly due to other pressing issues but we are making progress and gaining experience. We have pretty much patched all the holes in the aft end. Small fender washers worked well for filling the large round holes after I soaked them in vinegar overnight to get the zinc plating off of them. The first photo shows the aft end prior to patching with a very large cutout and numerous holes from rivets and who knows what else. The second photo shows our progress with just a couple holes remaining. It looks funky as we haven't polished the grind marks yet but it is quite smooth. We're getting much more comfortable with welding. Not pro by any means but not bad. We also have some radiator support hat channels coming from Alexander in Norway. We'll be getting started on the floor soon. We also checked in with the shop working on the engine. So far things look good. They "hot tanked" the block and it cleaned up good. See photo. They will magnaflux the block, cam, and crank as well as inspect the rod bearings which are babbit. Hopefully they are ok. As soon as they get me the tolerances I'll order the overhaul kit. It may be awhile as they are quite busy. They've got engines from everything there from tractors to boats to locomotives. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 As an aside, Patrick as an aviator might appreciate this. I’m doing my work on a shop stool from the Curtiss-Wright plant in Buffalo. It’s where the famous P-40 and C-46 aircraft were built during the war when the Weasel was being built in Southbend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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