RYPN readers with sufficient seniority may recall a post from almost exactly nine years ago about a "Brookville 'Speeder Bus'" that had just been acquired by the Beaver Valley Junction Chapter of the NRHS. One commenter thought a good high school shop class could have it presentable in a semester, another thought it might be the biggest basket case ever adopted as a restoration. Both were optimists, but today I'm happy to report that the unit turned it's wheels under it's own power yesterday.
I can't go into the whole story here, but we lucked out finding that Brookville still had the sales file, but (alas) not the body blueprint. Hercano Propulsion in Newark OH had most of the parts needed for the Hercules DOOC diesel, and an Oliver dealer had the other bearings we needed. The front piece of the frame was found to be a poor sandwich of used channel and plate replacement thrown together and needed to be replaced... ever drill 3/4" holes with a hand drill? The Ford transmission worked but still got a $800 overhaul once we found an experienced local shop to overhaul it now... while it was out. The Brookville final drive was found to be based off the Ford AA truck rear end, and replacement gears were located; the original pinion had worn down to a nub.
After getting all the parts, we found we couldn't get the gear lash anywhere near the Ford specs -- and the Coolspring (PA) Power Museum came to the rescue by lending us another Brookville final drive to disassemble and measure. [Many of Brookville's records and drawings had vanished in a flood in 1996.] We found that someone back in 1940 had neglected to take about .070 off one side of the driveshaft, leaving the gears too far apart and making the pinion wear inevitable. It was an easy fix... then we just had to put two drives back together.
All in good fun, and with the wheels up on rollers and the chains back on, it was as simple as easing the clutch out and watching the wheels spin. Lots more to do, but I guess this post is to show that even the next-to-impossible can get done eventually.
Nick
http://www.blrhs.org/
| Attachments: |
|
File comment: First test run up on rollers - 2011 First test drive 2011.jpg [ 158.14 KiB | Viewed 3622 times ] |
|
File comment: Colorized version of original Builder's photo BrookvilleColor.jpg [ 147.45 KiB | Viewed 3628 times ] |
|
File comment: As-obtained in 2002 Brookville -as obtained 2002.jpg [ 93.2 KiB | Viewed 3628 times ] |