Well, I'll tell you one thing about her....when you ask about price, usually the first thing out of her mouth is, she wants a "fair offer" and usually, if you spell out what you think it's worth and why, she's pretty quick to come around to it. I'm rather sure there's a title but I will ask. In this case, scrap value would probably be the most reasonable marker from which to begin...and brother, it sure looks like it. I'm sorry I didn't get the data off the vin. We were moving pretty fast today and it skipped my mind.
I just texted her and she said yes.
Cheers,
TJ
Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Moderators: rickf, raymond, Mr. Recovery
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Price on those is climbing fast and that one is not bad at all. TJ, you have been in the south far too long. You need to visit the rust belt again for a while. The 3.9 in that thing probably cracked the heads and those heads are unobtaium so a 4.0 swap would be good. never did that so don't know what is involved. 4.0's had their own issues with timing chain tensioners failing and blocking oil sumps. I have one here that has that issue.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Well, since you're feeling so froggy, there are a couple of nasty Ranger pickups there as well.
-
Mr. Recovery
- Brigadier General
- Posts: 2895
- Joined: December 5th, 2007, 9:03 pm
- Location: New Port Richey, Fl.
- Contact:
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
From looking at the photos it looks to be an 1988 or 89 2.9 with an Auto trans, you can see the dip stick (red handle ) on the passenger side of the motor between the AC box and AC hose, should have the Dana 28's 
TJ I'll PM you in the morning. Thanks. PS: can you get photo's of the Ranger's 
TJ I'll PM you in the morning. Thanks. PS: can you get photo's of the Ranger's You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1960 M151 Run 1
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Sure, I can get photos of those too.
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
So what goodness came my way today? How about a Holmes 400 wrecker rig? JUST the rig. No winch or mast yoke (though I think the winch and maybe even the mast yoke might still just be around there somewhere) but it's otherwise fairly complete. It's seen some modifications but the price was right and it's something I've been on the lookout for, for a very, VERY long time.
The fact that it's without winch really doesn't bother me in the least as they were PTO jobs and I'm not all that sure I'm going to be towing any cars, per se, but rather using it as a recovery rig (if I am able to land the truck I want to put it on) so an electric winch will do just as nicely. If I don't luck into a mast yoke, I'll just build one (not all that difficult).
The 400 series was being produced in the late 50s and were rather small in comparison to some of the commercial units but they do have a very nice old-timey look to them which is one of the things that attracted me to that style in the first place.
Cheers,
TJ
The fact that it's without winch really doesn't bother me in the least as they were PTO jobs and I'm not all that sure I'm going to be towing any cars, per se, but rather using it as a recovery rig (if I am able to land the truck I want to put it on) so an electric winch will do just as nicely. If I don't luck into a mast yoke, I'll just build one (not all that difficult).
The 400 series was being produced in the late 50s and were rather small in comparison to some of the commercial units but they do have a very nice old-timey look to them which is one of the things that attracted me to that style in the first place.
Cheers,
TJ
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Mr. Recovery
- Brigadier General
- Posts: 2895
- Joined: December 5th, 2007, 9:03 pm
- Location: New Port Richey, Fl.
- Contact:
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
That's OK TJ, I really don't need them as it looks like I can't justify a 2500-mile round trip for the Bronco. Thank you for all the information and taking the time to look it over.
Nice find on the wrecker, you are digging up all the lost Gold in Texas.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1960 M151 Run 1
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Somebody was having a little fun with their wrecker! (On display at Motor City Antiques, Flat Rock, Michigan) I've posted this before but it seemed like the right moment to revisit it.
Naturally, I made an inquiry about what that was all about. The fella that made it has some mad skills with laying fiberglass (and a lot of free time on his hands).
Naturally, I made an inquiry about what that was all about. The fella that made it has some mad skills with laying fiberglass (and a lot of free time on his hands).
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Mr. Recovery
- Brigadier General
- Posts: 2895
- Joined: December 5th, 2007, 9:03 pm
- Location: New Port Richey, Fl.
- Contact:
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
That would be "Sir Tow Mater" from the Movie Cars. You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1960 M151 Run 1
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
1963 M151 Willys DoD 10-63 in Baltimore
1989 Alley Cat. "work in Progress"
NRA Life Member
American Legion Post 275 Fl
US Army 6 years 2nd Armored Cavalry Bindlach Germany
Colorado Army Nat. Guard 5 years
Md Air Guard 15 years active duty on C-130's
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
What a crazy year.
As per usual, we took turns around the holiday table speaking about what we were thankful for. Quite frankly, I might have gone on for an hour if I had been allowed to. So many blessings. And, because today was also my birthday, when I got home I unwrapped the big heavy box of half track starter and a spare Bendix assembly that became this year's birthday gift.
I ended up with TWO, 11-tooth pinion drive gears; one on the rebuilt starter and one on a take-off Bendix assembly.... so that problem is officially solved. Add that to the long list of things to be thankful for.
Now, I must consider what is the next, best course of action. I am thinking that ol' Frank and I might take that gear off the Bendix assembly, take whatever measurements are necessary and recreate it in his shop before turning the original over to Big Mo. At this point, I have dodged the need for haste in getting the half track running so there are not tangible time considerations.
All this, and I'm still busy putting up the annual Christmas Party tent and all its decorations and accoutrements. Doctor Smith wanted the place decorated in Mexican Christmas style which is a pretty tall order for a fella from Ohio but, I think I'm getting the hang of it.
Con la práctica creo que estoy mejorando.
Cheers,
TJ
As per usual, we took turns around the holiday table speaking about what we were thankful for. Quite frankly, I might have gone on for an hour if I had been allowed to. So many blessings. And, because today was also my birthday, when I got home I unwrapped the big heavy box of half track starter and a spare Bendix assembly that became this year's birthday gift.
I ended up with TWO, 11-tooth pinion drive gears; one on the rebuilt starter and one on a take-off Bendix assembly.... so that problem is officially solved. Add that to the long list of things to be thankful for.
Now, I must consider what is the next, best course of action. I am thinking that ol' Frank and I might take that gear off the Bendix assembly, take whatever measurements are necessary and recreate it in his shop before turning the original over to Big Mo. At this point, I have dodged the need for haste in getting the half track running so there are not tangible time considerations.
All this, and I'm still busy putting up the annual Christmas Party tent and all its decorations and accoutrements. Doctor Smith wanted the place decorated in Mexican Christmas style which is a pretty tall order for a fella from Ohio but, I think I'm getting the hang of it.
Con la práctica creo que estoy mejorando.
Cheers,
TJ
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
No hay tiempo para practicar, ¡hazlo! Una esposa feliz es una vida feliz 
Two can play that game.
Although I can speak it better than I can type it.
Two can play that game.
Although I can speak it better than I can type it.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Oh man, you got THAT right.
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Here we are again, discussing pinion gears for starters. My purchases came in; they being a completely rebuilt starter and a take-off (maybe even NOS) replacement Bendix unit for the starter that I took off the ol' M2. The replacement Bendix unit will be the focal point of today's post.
You may remember Frank had suggested that, if push came to shove, he and I might simply make a new gear. Happily, things never got beyond 'push' and it is no longer necessary but I did take the time to do a little preliminary investigation of the process of gear making on Youtube. Keith Rucker does a dumbed-down explanation of the process on his Youtube channel that is worth watching (and you'd never guess it's dumbed down).
Yesterday was rainy and cold (leaving me in no position to do anything productive) so, I visited Frank's machine shop with my Bendix unit and he and I discussed gear-making. In a nutshell, the process involves Science, Math (beginning with notional measurements which, somehow, magically get you close to actual measurements) Geometry, Physics, MORE Math and a host of very clever devices, both large and small; devices that are needed to create a functional gear from a chunk of metal. All this does not even begin to delve into the metallurgy issues involved because mild steel gears don't last very long so, we also discussed transforming mild steel into hardened steel in a process called carburizing which is something Frank does not do.
Yeah, that's right. Once the piece is made, it has to be sent off to another place where they do a whole 'nother bit of magic (for a price).
We talked about Pitch and Pressure Angle and why an odd number of teeth makes replicating a gear difficult (but not impossible) to sort out and also, how gear teeth are shaped to provide optimum meshing and un-meshing (BEFORE setting back lash) while at the same time providing for solid lock-up at just the right moment of full engagement. He even schooled me on at least three different ways to cut gear teeth. (And, yes, there are more!)
Two long hours of being in the presence of big machines and the intense odor of gear oil, while Frank doodled out the process so my tiny little brain could begin to understand it (he filled every inch of a large sheet of paper - ON BOTH SIDES!) and he schooled me until my eyes bled and my brains dribbled out of my ears.
Most of the points of the process are laid out in MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK which would be the foundation of rebuilding any modern society after the Zombie Apocalypse (or ANY apocalypse for that matter). So buy one, and put it in your bomb shelter in a fireproof box. No Post-Apocalypse Survival Kit is complete without one.
All of this left me with my
M I N D
B L O W N
Frank would be a truly dangerous individual if he weren't such a mensch.
The Bendix unit was coated in preservative and not moving freely. I eventually removed it all with a lot of PB Blaster and a good quality tooth brush and got things working very well. HOW does the mysterious Bendix work? Well, I'm glad you asked because, that, I DO understand...
On the half track starter there is a small transmission with two gears (there's those gears again!). Power is transmitted from the armature shaft in the motor through a pinion gear, driving a larger mating gear with has a shaft of its own, situated below the armature shaft. The Bendix connects to this mating gear shaft by means of a half coupling, a woodruff key and a single bolt (the rearmost in the photo) which has a indexing pin. The two bolts also serve to anchor the connecting drive spring to two independent sections that are cut to mesh with one another inside the spring.
When the motor gets going the large drive spring on the Bendix takes that energy and transmits it smoothly through the assembly to the Bendix drive gear which is really just another pinion gear. But, there is a twist (literally and figuratively). The Bendix drive gear is press-fitted to a heavy, offset disc which acts like a flywheel (because it is just that), providing the relatively small drive gear with additional mass and inertia when things get moving. Pure genius and, once you hear the rest of it, you'll never again look at a Bendix unit with anything other than pure admiration.
Notice the offset?
The Bendix drive gear does not immediately begin moving because of its initial state of being at rest, because it does not immediately rotate with the rest of the assembly. But, when it finally does begin turning it moves toward the engine's flywheel on a helical thread so as to mesh the pinion drive gear to the ring gear.
Here's a question you can use to can win a drink or two at your favorite watering hole. Question: How many flywheels are there in the starting assembly on a half track? Answer: Two. One on the engine and one on the drive gear of the starter.
So, the torque needed to bring the drive gear out (rearward) and meshed with the engine's flywheel is cushioned by the large connecting drive spring.
Tah DAH! Smoothness AND power.
When the engine starts, it's ring gear (being larger than the drive gear of the Bendix) immediately outruns the drive gear, forcing it back along the helical threads of the drive assembly so that it is withdrawn from the ring gear. As you might imagine, having a properly lubricated Bendix is key to all of this happening as it should.
The one big design flaw on the half track starter motor is, the lubrication cups for the Bendix cannot be PM-ed unless the starter is removed because they are simply not accessible when the starter is mounted.
When the Bendix drive spring is withdrawn all the way (assisted by the inertia of its little flywheel) it reaches an out-of-mesh position where it is no longer engaged in the helical thread. Because there is a toothed section at the base of the drive assembly (needed to start the drive gear forward) those teeth are cut in such a way that the drive gear cams over them when it is returning and running backwards. (MORE cleverness!)
Once the drive gear settles down and stops spinning, a spring pushes it forward so that it can be in position to begin the whole process once again.
Friends, once you see all this in action you'll never rapid-fire your starter again. It is a violent process only made possible by a very close balance between springs and gears and helical threads and a certain level of lubrication, and that's even BEFORE it is engaged with the engine's ring gear.
My particular situation does much to illustrate why our lack of understanding and appreciation for things we take for granted is something that can work against us. A lowly starter, especially one that doesn't seem to work or one that is trashed, DOES contain useable parts; parts that may not necessarily be irreplaceable but might be almost impossible to find. I lucked into this replacement Bendix unit. Lucked into it in a very big way, I might add. And it was NOT cheap, but it was FAR less expensive than making a new gear (as interesting as that might have been), having it hardened and all the headaches that would have gone along with that process.
Point being, don't just toss stuff out without salvaging what you can....unless you happen to be made of money.
Cheers,
TJ
You may remember Frank had suggested that, if push came to shove, he and I might simply make a new gear. Happily, things never got beyond 'push' and it is no longer necessary but I did take the time to do a little preliminary investigation of the process of gear making on Youtube. Keith Rucker does a dumbed-down explanation of the process on his Youtube channel that is worth watching (and you'd never guess it's dumbed down).
Yesterday was rainy and cold (leaving me in no position to do anything productive) so, I visited Frank's machine shop with my Bendix unit and he and I discussed gear-making. In a nutshell, the process involves Science, Math (beginning with notional measurements which, somehow, magically get you close to actual measurements) Geometry, Physics, MORE Math and a host of very clever devices, both large and small; devices that are needed to create a functional gear from a chunk of metal. All this does not even begin to delve into the metallurgy issues involved because mild steel gears don't last very long so, we also discussed transforming mild steel into hardened steel in a process called carburizing which is something Frank does not do.
Yeah, that's right. Once the piece is made, it has to be sent off to another place where they do a whole 'nother bit of magic (for a price).
We talked about Pitch and Pressure Angle and why an odd number of teeth makes replicating a gear difficult (but not impossible) to sort out and also, how gear teeth are shaped to provide optimum meshing and un-meshing (BEFORE setting back lash) while at the same time providing for solid lock-up at just the right moment of full engagement. He even schooled me on at least three different ways to cut gear teeth. (And, yes, there are more!)
Two long hours of being in the presence of big machines and the intense odor of gear oil, while Frank doodled out the process so my tiny little brain could begin to understand it (he filled every inch of a large sheet of paper - ON BOTH SIDES!) and he schooled me until my eyes bled and my brains dribbled out of my ears.
Most of the points of the process are laid out in MACHINERY'S HANDBOOK which would be the foundation of rebuilding any modern society after the Zombie Apocalypse (or ANY apocalypse for that matter). So buy one, and put it in your bomb shelter in a fireproof box. No Post-Apocalypse Survival Kit is complete without one.
All of this left me with my
M I N D
B L O W N
Frank would be a truly dangerous individual if he weren't such a mensch.
The Bendix unit was coated in preservative and not moving freely. I eventually removed it all with a lot of PB Blaster and a good quality tooth brush and got things working very well. HOW does the mysterious Bendix work? Well, I'm glad you asked because, that, I DO understand...
On the half track starter there is a small transmission with two gears (there's those gears again!). Power is transmitted from the armature shaft in the motor through a pinion gear, driving a larger mating gear with has a shaft of its own, situated below the armature shaft. The Bendix connects to this mating gear shaft by means of a half coupling, a woodruff key and a single bolt (the rearmost in the photo) which has a indexing pin. The two bolts also serve to anchor the connecting drive spring to two independent sections that are cut to mesh with one another inside the spring.
When the motor gets going the large drive spring on the Bendix takes that energy and transmits it smoothly through the assembly to the Bendix drive gear which is really just another pinion gear. But, there is a twist (literally and figuratively). The Bendix drive gear is press-fitted to a heavy, offset disc which acts like a flywheel (because it is just that), providing the relatively small drive gear with additional mass and inertia when things get moving. Pure genius and, once you hear the rest of it, you'll never again look at a Bendix unit with anything other than pure admiration.
Notice the offset?
The Bendix drive gear does not immediately begin moving because of its initial state of being at rest, because it does not immediately rotate with the rest of the assembly. But, when it finally does begin turning it moves toward the engine's flywheel on a helical thread so as to mesh the pinion drive gear to the ring gear.
Here's a question you can use to can win a drink or two at your favorite watering hole. Question: How many flywheels are there in the starting assembly on a half track? Answer: Two. One on the engine and one on the drive gear of the starter.
So, the torque needed to bring the drive gear out (rearward) and meshed with the engine's flywheel is cushioned by the large connecting drive spring.
Tah DAH! Smoothness AND power.
When the engine starts, it's ring gear (being larger than the drive gear of the Bendix) immediately outruns the drive gear, forcing it back along the helical threads of the drive assembly so that it is withdrawn from the ring gear. As you might imagine, having a properly lubricated Bendix is key to all of this happening as it should.
The one big design flaw on the half track starter motor is, the lubrication cups for the Bendix cannot be PM-ed unless the starter is removed because they are simply not accessible when the starter is mounted.
When the Bendix drive spring is withdrawn all the way (assisted by the inertia of its little flywheel) it reaches an out-of-mesh position where it is no longer engaged in the helical thread. Because there is a toothed section at the base of the drive assembly (needed to start the drive gear forward) those teeth are cut in such a way that the drive gear cams over them when it is returning and running backwards. (MORE cleverness!)
Once the drive gear settles down and stops spinning, a spring pushes it forward so that it can be in position to begin the whole process once again.
Friends, once you see all this in action you'll never rapid-fire your starter again. It is a violent process only made possible by a very close balance between springs and gears and helical threads and a certain level of lubrication, and that's even BEFORE it is engaged with the engine's ring gear.
My particular situation does much to illustrate why our lack of understanding and appreciation for things we take for granted is something that can work against us. A lowly starter, especially one that doesn't seem to work or one that is trashed, DOES contain useable parts; parts that may not necessarily be irreplaceable but might be almost impossible to find. I lucked into this replacement Bendix unit. Lucked into it in a very big way, I might add. And it was NOT cheap, but it was FAR less expensive than making a new gear (as interesting as that might have been), having it hardened and all the headaches that would have gone along with that process.
Point being, don't just toss stuff out without salvaging what you can....unless you happen to be made of money.
Cheers,
TJ
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Oh boy. Where to begin?
The annual Christmas party has come and gone. People who don't give me the time of day 364 days out of the year, found their way to my doorstep once again, conspicuously consumed whatever could be consumed, enjoyed my hospitality, engaged in light-hearted holiday cheerfulness and then departed, leaving me to deal with the tattered remains. Now, my evenings are spent watching endless YouTube episodes of The Walking Dead whilst packing party-specific stuff back into cardboard boxes to be stored for another year.
Isn't the holiday season FUN?!
With the party behind me (and because I am no longer under looming party deadlines) Bill and I returned to the Nice Lady's place with the brand new solenoid for her golf cart.
While Bill examined even more salvage stuff I got down on my knees and waded through the endless wiring that was attached to the new, damaged solenoid (which was presently only conducting a little more than 2 volts) and with great care, I dutifully transferred everything over to the new, NEW solenoid.
After a check, I had juice going to the starter but, it was still misbehaving, so I pulled it off, bench tested it and it just meandered around in circles without any real purpose.... like a man searching for the perfect Christmas gift for his wife at Bed Bath & Beyond while she was waiting in their car, parked in front of Diamonds Are Us.
And by the way, don't EVER do that, fellas. It ain't gonna end well.
Whereas with the starter belt on the starter motor, it wouldn't turn at all. I even grabbed the pulley, put power to it and it wouldn't turn. With the idea that perhaps the brushes were worn but also stuck in their little cages, I rapped on the starter motor with a mallet. No improvement. So the brushes were probably completely worn out. That's one very, VERY tired starter motor!
So, like The Grinch, I packed it into my sleigh to take it back to Mount Crumpet in order to give it a once over (and maybe replace a light on one side). With that done, I decided to do a little picking of my own. Bill pointed out an old winch and I immediately thought of my wrecker rig acquisition which was, coincidentally, in need of a winch.
♫ Come, he told me, pah-rum-pa-pum-pum.
An ancient winch to see, pah-rum-pa-pum-pum! ♬
So with my meager tools (Don't judge me. I only came prepared to work on a golf cart, after all..) we separated it from a ridiculously large bumper that, at one time, had probably been on an equally ridiculous truck. As is 'The Way' around the Nice Lady's place, this winch was not only on the ground but it was also located directly below the low edge of a pitch-roof which had no gutter.
Perfect! A B S O L U T E L Y perfect. What could possibly go wrong?
Once freed from the bumper, I gathered it up as best I could, lifted with my legs (yeah, right, sure) and huffed and puffed all the way over to my truck and deposited the winch onto my tailgate which I had the presence of mind to open earlier. Small wonder that my back is so messed up!
I immediately recognized this winch as being kin to the famous Warn models of yore; it having the vertical transmission/gear housing on one end with a motor above and a cable spool similarly located below but that was about all I knew at the moment. Bill came over with a few stray pieces and while I was standing there gasping for air and waiting for the bright spots of light in my vision to clear, Bill examined the machine a bit more closely.
Not just a Warn winch, but a Belleview Electric Winch, Model 6000. Turns out Warn was in cahoots with Belleview back in the day.
If you are as winch savvy now as I was then, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to you at the moment, which is understandable. It certainly meant very little to me at that moment, but, as I came to find out, this winch design was among the very first iterations of compact, electric-powered winches produced for the emerging 4x4 craze of the time and is the grandpappy of the Warn winches we all recognize today. You can read more about them here -
https://www.warn.com/the-history-of-the ... view-winch
Its obvious design shortcomings were a very anemic brake and a motor that only winched IN. If one wanted to extend the cable, one had to do that by hand. Warn & Belleview were on the right track with their winch design but it had not yet reached its zenith which would come with the fullness of time. So, it had a meager brake consisting of a simple asbestos band...
"ASBESTOS! Everyone run for the hills", said no Texan, EVER...
...and a motor that only winched IN, rather than IN and OUT. All that said, a winch of any stripe is a very useful tool to have and the 'cool factor' of a winch of this vintage is really off the charts. Except this particular winch was stuck and incapable of any useful action....just like a certain president and vice president. Still, I was excited. Endless possibilities awaited.
While I was still mired in my starry-eyed excitement about this treasure and engaged in crowing about it to Rick, he dashed my hopes of putting it on my Holmes wrecker kit, explaining (very correctly) that this winch's decided lack of braking capability would eventually have negative consequences no matter how careful one was. Of course, he was absolutely right about that but, in another 'AH HAH! moment' it occurred to me that this particular winch would be absolutely at home mounted on the front of one particular 1953 powder blue, civilianized, Willys M38!
Yeah! THAT's the ticket!
So, the winch went home with me and I lugged it over to the work bench, hosed it down with PB Blaster and covered it with an old rubbermaid tub I keep around for this very purpose. Today, I began taking the winch apart. The gearbox, which is aluminum, has all sorts of steel hardware and I was sure this would mean a quick end to any progress but I came away pleasantly surprised. With care, things began to come loose without a great deal of effort. Simply amazing.
First, off came the motor. That took some doing because (a) everything was locked up tighter than Richard's hatband, (b) the finely cut spur gears... (GEARS AGAIN?!! What's with all the GEARS all of a sudden?) ...were rusty and rust takes up the tiny space between gear teeth so, the gears were seemingly bonded to one another and (3) because everything in my life has to be DIFFICULT in some way, shape, or form for some darned reason.
I might mention that Rick seemed adamant that the gearbox would contain oil. Because I had turned this unit every whichaway and no oil appeared at the Fill Line Hole, I was equally adamant that the gearbox had NO oil. Once we got it opened, it became apparent what might have been corn head gear lube was now a biscuit sitting on the bottom of the gearbox and rated at something like 4,830 wt oil (if you really insisted upon calling it oil). Whatever 'IT' was, it was now well on its way to becoming a dinosaur again.
Weird.
In any case, what had been a lubricant was no longer like anything approximating a liquid. These winches really had very little oil in the gearbox to begin with. The lowest gear picked it up and shared it with the other gears above where it would eventually drip back down and start the process all over again. Not the way I would have done it (not with a 136:1 gear ratio) but, by golly, it worked. I am happy to report - despite the fact that the gears were all rusty from condensation, I found them to be in excellent condition and it will be fun to watch them come back around.
The motor, however, was DOA and it would be foolish not to replace it with a two-way motor. anyhoo. So, there is plenty of work yet to do but I believe we are going to be able to make a winner out of this old winch. Might even get ol' Frank involved. Lord knows he loves gears!
Cheers,
TJ
The annual Christmas party has come and gone. People who don't give me the time of day 364 days out of the year, found their way to my doorstep once again, conspicuously consumed whatever could be consumed, enjoyed my hospitality, engaged in light-hearted holiday cheerfulness and then departed, leaving me to deal with the tattered remains. Now, my evenings are spent watching endless YouTube episodes of The Walking Dead whilst packing party-specific stuff back into cardboard boxes to be stored for another year.
Isn't the holiday season FUN?!
With the party behind me (and because I am no longer under looming party deadlines) Bill and I returned to the Nice Lady's place with the brand new solenoid for her golf cart.
While Bill examined even more salvage stuff I got down on my knees and waded through the endless wiring that was attached to the new, damaged solenoid (which was presently only conducting a little more than 2 volts) and with great care, I dutifully transferred everything over to the new, NEW solenoid.
After a check, I had juice going to the starter but, it was still misbehaving, so I pulled it off, bench tested it and it just meandered around in circles without any real purpose.... like a man searching for the perfect Christmas gift for his wife at Bed Bath & Beyond while she was waiting in their car, parked in front of Diamonds Are Us.
And by the way, don't EVER do that, fellas. It ain't gonna end well.
Whereas with the starter belt on the starter motor, it wouldn't turn at all. I even grabbed the pulley, put power to it and it wouldn't turn. With the idea that perhaps the brushes were worn but also stuck in their little cages, I rapped on the starter motor with a mallet. No improvement. So the brushes were probably completely worn out. That's one very, VERY tired starter motor!
So, like The Grinch, I packed it into my sleigh to take it back to Mount Crumpet in order to give it a once over (and maybe replace a light on one side). With that done, I decided to do a little picking of my own. Bill pointed out an old winch and I immediately thought of my wrecker rig acquisition which was, coincidentally, in need of a winch.
♫ Come, he told me, pah-rum-pa-pum-pum.
An ancient winch to see, pah-rum-pa-pum-pum! ♬So with my meager tools (Don't judge me. I only came prepared to work on a golf cart, after all..) we separated it from a ridiculously large bumper that, at one time, had probably been on an equally ridiculous truck. As is 'The Way' around the Nice Lady's place, this winch was not only on the ground but it was also located directly below the low edge of a pitch-roof which had no gutter.
Perfect! A B S O L U T E L Y perfect. What could possibly go wrong?
Once freed from the bumper, I gathered it up as best I could, lifted with my legs (yeah, right, sure) and huffed and puffed all the way over to my truck and deposited the winch onto my tailgate which I had the presence of mind to open earlier. Small wonder that my back is so messed up!
I immediately recognized this winch as being kin to the famous Warn models of yore; it having the vertical transmission/gear housing on one end with a motor above and a cable spool similarly located below but that was about all I knew at the moment. Bill came over with a few stray pieces and while I was standing there gasping for air and waiting for the bright spots of light in my vision to clear, Bill examined the machine a bit more closely.
Not just a Warn winch, but a Belleview Electric Winch, Model 6000. Turns out Warn was in cahoots with Belleview back in the day.
If you are as winch savvy now as I was then, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to you at the moment, which is understandable. It certainly meant very little to me at that moment, but, as I came to find out, this winch design was among the very first iterations of compact, electric-powered winches produced for the emerging 4x4 craze of the time and is the grandpappy of the Warn winches we all recognize today. You can read more about them here -
https://www.warn.com/the-history-of-the ... view-winch
Its obvious design shortcomings were a very anemic brake and a motor that only winched IN. If one wanted to extend the cable, one had to do that by hand. Warn & Belleview were on the right track with their winch design but it had not yet reached its zenith which would come with the fullness of time. So, it had a meager brake consisting of a simple asbestos band...
"ASBESTOS! Everyone run for the hills", said no Texan, EVER...
...and a motor that only winched IN, rather than IN and OUT. All that said, a winch of any stripe is a very useful tool to have and the 'cool factor' of a winch of this vintage is really off the charts. Except this particular winch was stuck and incapable of any useful action....just like a certain president and vice president. Still, I was excited. Endless possibilities awaited.
While I was still mired in my starry-eyed excitement about this treasure and engaged in crowing about it to Rick, he dashed my hopes of putting it on my Holmes wrecker kit, explaining (very correctly) that this winch's decided lack of braking capability would eventually have negative consequences no matter how careful one was. Of course, he was absolutely right about that but, in another 'AH HAH! moment' it occurred to me that this particular winch would be absolutely at home mounted on the front of one particular 1953 powder blue, civilianized, Willys M38!
Yeah! THAT's the ticket!
So, the winch went home with me and I lugged it over to the work bench, hosed it down with PB Blaster and covered it with an old rubbermaid tub I keep around for this very purpose. Today, I began taking the winch apart. The gearbox, which is aluminum, has all sorts of steel hardware and I was sure this would mean a quick end to any progress but I came away pleasantly surprised. With care, things began to come loose without a great deal of effort. Simply amazing.
First, off came the motor. That took some doing because (a) everything was locked up tighter than Richard's hatband, (b) the finely cut spur gears... (GEARS AGAIN?!! What's with all the GEARS all of a sudden?) ...were rusty and rust takes up the tiny space between gear teeth so, the gears were seemingly bonded to one another and (3) because everything in my life has to be DIFFICULT in some way, shape, or form for some darned reason.
I might mention that Rick seemed adamant that the gearbox would contain oil. Because I had turned this unit every whichaway and no oil appeared at the Fill Line Hole, I was equally adamant that the gearbox had NO oil. Once we got it opened, it became apparent what might have been corn head gear lube was now a biscuit sitting on the bottom of the gearbox and rated at something like 4,830 wt oil (if you really insisted upon calling it oil). Whatever 'IT' was, it was now well on its way to becoming a dinosaur again.
Weird.
In any case, what had been a lubricant was no longer like anything approximating a liquid. These winches really had very little oil in the gearbox to begin with. The lowest gear picked it up and shared it with the other gears above where it would eventually drip back down and start the process all over again. Not the way I would have done it (not with a 136:1 gear ratio) but, by golly, it worked. I am happy to report - despite the fact that the gears were all rusty from condensation, I found them to be in excellent condition and it will be fun to watch them come back around.
The motor, however, was DOA and it would be foolish not to replace it with a two-way motor. anyhoo. So, there is plenty of work yet to do but I believe we are going to be able to make a winner out of this old winch. Might even get ol' Frank involved. Lord knows he loves gears!
Cheers,
TJ
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Re: Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux
Picked up my half track's starter today. I did not ask for the premium, make-it-look-new service but it came back clean and ready for paint. What I DID ask for, I got. The motor, the transmission and the Bendix assembly have all received Big Moe's blessing and a new solenoid was installed because the old one was shorted out. Yup, My half track's starter solenoid was shorted out, just like the Nice Lady's golf cart solenoid.
A glitch in the Matrix? Perhaps!
Not only did I come home with a serviceable starter I also have a new positive cable cut and assembled to my specifications (and, OH BROTHER, is it a long one!) I even bought new, military style battery post clamps. I'll install a new negative cable from tractor supply (far shorter than the positive cable and far easier to source from the usual retailers) and I'll double down with a bonding strap right off one of the starter bolts. Friends, I WILL have unimpeded current flowing. I can assure you of that.
I'm not there yet, but I am nearly there and doing it as well as I can manage along the way. Sometimes that just takes time. That sort of progress is what I'm looking for; good, sensible, quality repairs that I won't have to worry about later on.
Cheers,
TJ
A glitch in the Matrix? Perhaps!
Not only did I come home with a serviceable starter I also have a new positive cable cut and assembled to my specifications (and, OH BROTHER, is it a long one!) I even bought new, military style battery post clamps. I'll install a new negative cable from tractor supply (far shorter than the positive cable and far easier to source from the usual retailers) and I'll double down with a bonding strap right off one of the starter bolts. Friends, I WILL have unimpeded current flowing. I can assure you of that.
I'm not there yet, but I am nearly there and doing it as well as I can manage along the way. Sometimes that just takes time. That sort of progress is what I'm looking for; good, sensible, quality repairs that I won't have to worry about later on.
Cheers,
TJ