Vintage J-Model Whizzer
- Thread starter Paula
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Paula
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Not at the moment. As I mentioned earlier, things are getting really busy at work, and I've been logging some heavy overtime. Hopefully things will get back to normal in about 6-8 weeks. Stay tuned...
Paula
Paula
Paula
Member
Oil Filler Cap
Hi,
Still very busy at work (60 hrs/week) but I wanted to squeeze in this little job for the Whizzer engine restoration. The brass oil cap was pretty beat up and sad looking, so I decided to make a new one. It's a basic machining project, and the free-cutting brass alloy makes it even easier.
I started with a piece of 1" diameter 360 brass. The end was turned down to .744 dia. x .65" long. Then a diamond pattern knurling tool was used to knurl an area around .25" wide:
The end was chamfered and a recess cut for where the gasket resides (which also makes a handy place to stop the threading tool.) The 60-degree threading tool was then lined up, and the gearbox set for 10 threads/inch:
Successive cuts are then made, each one slightly deeper than the last, until the full thread depth is reached:
Once the thread is cut, the cap can be parted off, and re-chucked on the threaded portion to face, radius, and polish the end of the cap where the "handle" will be milled. Much easier to do now than after milling.
I made a little threaded brass fixture tube to hold the cap in the milling vise, between some small V-blocks. A standard milling cutter is used to remove most of the material to form the handle:
Then a 3/16 ball-end mill can be used to form the radius:
After the handle is all milled out, the cap can be removed and the milled areas polished up. I forgot to mention that while the cap was still in the lathe, a hole was drilled to hold the dipstick. The dipstick was originally held in the cap with a swaging operation. A quick way to remove it is to screw the old cap into a 3/4-10 nut and chuck it in the lathe. With a sharp angled tool, the swaged area can be cut away to release the dipstick:
The dipstick can then be installed in the new cap using hi-temp Loc-Tite, taking care that it protrudes the same distance from the end of the new cap as it did on the original. A new gasket finishes the job:
Paula
Hi,
Still very busy at work (60 hrs/week) but I wanted to squeeze in this little job for the Whizzer engine restoration. The brass oil cap was pretty beat up and sad looking, so I decided to make a new one. It's a basic machining project, and the free-cutting brass alloy makes it even easier.
I started with a piece of 1" diameter 360 brass. The end was turned down to .744 dia. x .65" long. Then a diamond pattern knurling tool was used to knurl an area around .25" wide:
The end was chamfered and a recess cut for where the gasket resides (which also makes a handy place to stop the threading tool.) The 60-degree threading tool was then lined up, and the gearbox set for 10 threads/inch:
Successive cuts are then made, each one slightly deeper than the last, until the full thread depth is reached:
Once the thread is cut, the cap can be parted off, and re-chucked on the threaded portion to face, radius, and polish the end of the cap where the "handle" will be milled. Much easier to do now than after milling.
I made a little threaded brass fixture tube to hold the cap in the milling vise, between some small V-blocks. A standard milling cutter is used to remove most of the material to form the handle:
Then a 3/16 ball-end mill can be used to form the radius:
After the handle is all milled out, the cap can be removed and the milled areas polished up. I forgot to mention that while the cap was still in the lathe, a hole was drilled to hold the dipstick. The dipstick was originally held in the cap with a swaging operation. A quick way to remove it is to screw the old cap into a 3/4-10 nut and chuck it in the lathe. With a sharp angled tool, the swaged area can be cut away to release the dipstick:
The dipstick can then be installed in the new cap using hi-temp Loc-Tite, taking care that it protrudes the same distance from the end of the new cap as it did on the original. A new gasket finishes the job:
Paula
Last edited:
Mike Notigan
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- Mar 10, 2011
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- 56
And I'll second that, Paula! Just astounding craftsmanship, almost a how-to guide of remanufacturing an old Whizzer motor. I take that back, it IS the standard bearer of how to remanufacture an old Whizzer motor. Our Whizzer hobby is fortunate to have Paula and Quenton onboard showing the way! And they both can be found here, at this site!
Paula: Have you considered doing this kind of work on the side, in support of the Whizzer hobby?
Not sure when your next installments will come along considering that heavy workload of 60 hours a week, but I'll be standing by, waiting for the next postings! The detail in your photos and writings are just superb!
Take Care,
Mike
2008 Whizzer NER
Paula
Member
Paula
Member
Thanks for the nice compliments, guys. I've finally gotten back on a more normal schedule at work, and have been taking some time to "decompress", as they say. Hope to make some more progress on the Whizzer soon.
I really appreciate that, Mike. I do have a wide range of skills acquired over the years which I've brought to bear with this restoration project, but I am clearly not in the same class as Quenton when it comes to specific Whizzer knowledge. His postings on this site have helped immeasurably with this project thus far, and I'm grateful for his generous support. Nevertheless, it's nice to hear such appreciative comments.
It's a thought I've had, but my fulltime job makes my leisure time too valuable to seriously consider such an undertaking. Maybe something to consider for retirement...
Thanks again for the nice feedback!
Paula
I really appreciate that, Mike. I do have a wide range of skills acquired over the years which I've brought to bear with this restoration project, but I am clearly not in the same class as Quenton when it comes to specific Whizzer knowledge. His postings on this site have helped immeasurably with this project thus far, and I'm grateful for his generous support. Nevertheless, it's nice to hear such appreciative comments.
It's a thought I've had, but my fulltime job makes my leisure time too valuable to seriously consider such an undertaking. Maybe something to consider for retirement...
Thanks again for the nice feedback!
Paula
Paula
Member
Thanks for that, Ray. Chuck is a nice guy, and he's been a lot of help to me. Good to see him out and about, rubbing elbows with other Whizzer fans!
Paula
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