One way to build a '32 sedan

Don- Thanks, I really enjoy your builds also. There doesn't seem to be as many builds going on like their was before? The site seems to be going threw a change, maybe it's just me.
I think you will like the new truck, I'm still collecting parts but getting close.
Your right I don't sell any of them, I have all of them since 1976. It just bothers me to sell them for what I have in parts, that's what people who aren't capable of building cars want to pay for them, even then I'm not sure they would sell.

39Deluxe-I have seen them also, I wanted to see how they did the internal pieces but I don't know any one who has one. so I just faked it.
the chain I chose is very high strength and 1/2" wide and the gears are hardened. I think after the initial break in it won't be a problem unless I smack a curb or a large pot hole. Something that would create abnormal stress. Unless the car isn't moving there really aren't much loads put on the steering, it's the turning of the wheel when the car is stopped and the width of the front tires that create loads.

Ken

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Originally Posted by 39Deluxe

I noticed an ad in one of the magazines for a chain drive steering setup and was concerned with chain stretch. How often do you anticipate having to adjust the tension gears to keep the slop out of the steering? Would a double row chain be better?

Tom

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We work on a lot of high performance sport bikes at the motorcycle dealership where I work. It's amazing to me how they control valve chain tension on these motors that live in excess of 14,000 RPM. To make it more amazing these "very small" chains are in "constant run, constant tension". You could play a tune on them when they are tensioned. They have pretty much one thing in common from brand to brand, model to model, they just use a plastic/nylon (?) slipper type chain guide on the back of the chain with a spring loaded ratchet tensioner.

John,
I was considering using one of those, I actually took the dimensions off of one of your bikes when it was over here, But decided against it for there size and needing two of them for my project.
Ken

How are you going to hold tension on the small gears? It would seem that at stopped or in an abrupt situation like a quick hard jerk of the wheel to avoid something that a spring tensioner would compress first before transmitting the movement to the wheels.

I would think a threaded adjuster that can be positively locked would be better. Something like is used on a motorcycle drive chain. Maybe I'm trying to over engineer this but to me it's a fascinating piece of ingenuity and I like tight and precise steering feel on my cars.

Tom

Tom,
You are right we have adjusters just like a motorcycle. I love comments and question if I'm going in the right direction.
Thanks for taking the time.
Here is the model.

Ken

Here it is assembled with the pitman arm shaft that will stick outside the cowl and the pitman arm will slip over the splines.
Ken

Love the cad drawings. Picture is worth a 1000 words, so I guess a cad drawing is worth 10k and a computer laser cutter is priceless!:D

I can't speak for Ken, but I think we are all overthinking this thing. It isn't like it is a motorcycle chain that spins at a zillion rpms (which Ken also has a lot of experience with through his other company) but it is on a fixture that moves very slowly and not far at any one time. The dual idlers look much better to me than one because they would keep equal tension on the chain when you turn the wheel BOTH ways, and if you look at the picture below, you can see how they act as guides to keep the chain in a straight line until they reach the idlers.

To me it sure looks a lot more stout and better thought out than the one that is on the market, and for which users have had nothing but praise. I like it. :)

Don

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Originally Posted by Evolvo

Ken,
I'm curious to know why you chose to use two idlers? Seems to me one would work just fine and there would be that much less friction and wear.
Besides that your doing fine:LOL:
Alan

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cause if ones good twos better right? jk :LOL::LOL::LOL:

Ken

you are my hero!!
One of my goals for life is to one day be able to design, make, fab any and every part I want for my toys.... you sir are living my dream :)

keep it up, awesome as always!!

Thank you all for the nice comments. I'm out of town, but thought I would check in and wow, you guys are actually looking at this thing!:eek:
Well, as usuall Don has it right, I think he's my brother from another mother :LOL:
Here is how I came up with this design. I was adjusting the valves on my red roadster. I use a 1/2" drive long ratchet and stick it in the blower pulley to use to turn the motor over. It has so much leverage I don't even pull the plugs out. I just run it threw the firing order and adjust the valves. But if I got to for when I'm rotating it, I have to back it up, even though the belt is as tight as can be on the pull side when you back it up it has a bunch of play in it. So when I was thinking of doing this I knew it needed two idler's one for each direction, right turns and left turns. There is clearance between the chain and the sprocket, but as long as yopu are pulling in that one direction it's tight. So when this is installed I will find the neutral spot where it has the same clearance on both sides of the chain then push the idlers in to take out the clearance. That way I shouldn't have any play in my steering. Make sense?:whacked:

Ken

Yup. Like my motorcycle drive chain my old Honda. Forward it's tight, Spin the wheel backwards and it loses tension. The main reason why ten speeds derail!

Ken, now that you mention it, I was found as a baby on the steps of a church in LA with a note pinned to my little sleeper. It read "Someone please take this boy in and some day help him find his long lost Brother who will share all his '32 Fords with him." :eek: I'll take the pickup and sedan BROTHER KEN! :D:D

You are also right about the lack of builds on here as of late. Maybe they all got running or maybe the guys building them don't feel thread-worthy. It could also be that some have posted and felt they didn't get the feedback they wanted. What they have to realize is, 1) we love builds, regardless of how trivial the progress may seem, and 2) sometimes we just sit back and read the thread and don't have anything to say to add to it so we are quiet. Doesn't mean we are interested or that we didn't love reading it.

Don

Hard to say from pic but that looks like some heavy 40 chain also . No bicycle stuff there .

Ken,

Thanks for posting the model. It looks like a well thought out system to me. What kind of bearings are to be used on the pitman shaft?

Tom