This year’s project.

[BHunter 1,700]

We have reached the part that the students dislike the most, block sanding the primer surfacer. 
We are going to let them sit until after the holiday break , then sand and paint them. 

[Handy Don 12,225]

33 minutes ago, BHunter said:

Thanks Don. The kids are seeing the project transforming and they are getting excited to finish it . 
I like that story. With school budgets being thin, we learn to be industrious and very creative. . I bet that racer looked pretty cool. 
 

Looked fabulous. I'd have loved to take it for a spin, but that was against the rules . As I recall, they were going to sell it for a nice price to someone who was going to race it and plow the proceeds into their next project. Yep, I was impressed--a lot of great lessons learned there.  

BTW, there apparently is a trailer-mounted "tiny house" afoot that is engaging a bunch of the other trade students. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc. Need to learn more about that one!

[BHunter 1,700]

13 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Looked fabulous. I'd have loved to take it for a spin, but that was against the rules . As I recall, they were going to sell it for a nice price to someone who was going to race it and plow the proceeds into their next project. Yep, I was impressed--a lot of great lessons learned there.  

BTW, there apparently is a trailer-mounted "tiny house" afoot that is engaging a bunch of the other trade students. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, etc. Need to learn more about that one!

That Tiny house is a really neat project. It’s great for the building trade students to be a part of. The plan is to build  them for the public to buy. It is well-built. Looks pretty heavy.  

[953 nut 55,228]

On 12/18/2021 at 9:51 AM, BHunter said:

Thanks Don. 
I’m sure some people on here would have some great stories from shop class. 
I’d love to hear them. 

OK, I will go first.                         

Our auto shop would do work on school employee's cars for the cost of parts and any donation they wanted to make. I was doing a tune-up on a '56 DeSoto (this was in 1963) and didn't have adequate lighting to set the points. The distributer is located at the back of the engine and was a dual point unit. I was laying across the engine and asked one of the other kids to shine a light on the distributer. He couldn't get the light where I needed it without climbing on the short ladder and laying across the windshield with his arm through the gap between the hood and windshield. While this was going on he slipped off the windshield, the hood came down on my back and trapped his arm. The whole shop erupted in laughter and once the shop teacher quit laughing and determined that we were both OK he decided it was time for a shop safety lesson. 

[BHunter 1,700]

8 hours ago, 953 nut said:

OK, I will go first.                         

Our auto shop would do work on school employee's cars for the cost of parts and any donation they wanted to make. I was doing a tune-up on a '56 DeSoto (this was in 1963) and didn't have adequate lighting to set the points. The distributer is located at the back of the engine and was a dual point unit. I was laying across the engine and asked one of the other kids to shine a light on the distributer. He couldn't get the light where I needed it without climbing on the short ladder and laying across the windshield with his arm through the gap between the hood and windshield. While this was going on he slipped off the windshield, the hood came down on my back and trapped his arm. The whole shop erupted in laughter and once the shop teacher quit laughing and determined that we were both OK he decided it was time for a shop safety lesson. 

That’s a funny story. Glad nobody got hurt. 

[BHunter 1,700]

I noticed this today as we were putting the engine back on the frame. Anyone know what would cause the plug to melt? These wires come from the coil behind the flywheel. I’m not sure what they plugged into until we do more assembling. 

[BHunter 1,700]

[Handy Don 12,225]

Those wires are, I think, from the stator (you have point ignition, right, with a coil?) and deliver a lot of current.

Some rust or corrosion in that connector causes resistance to the electric flow and that makes heat--LOTS of heat.

 

Replace the connector, coat electrical bits with dielectric grease when re-installing or, ideally, replace with a waterproof 2-conductor connector of suitable capacity (40 amps or more)

Edited December 22, 2021 by Handy Don

[BHunter 1,700]

6 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Those wires are, I think, from the stator (you have point ignition, right, with a coil?) and deliver a lot of current.

Some rust or corrosion in that connector causes resistance to the electric flow and that makes heat--LOTS of heat.

 

Replace the connector, coat electrical bits with dielectric grease when re-installing or, ideally, replace with a waterproof 2-conductor connector.

I do have a point ignition system with external coil. I meant to say stater behind the flywheel.  
I guess it plugged into the rectifier. I will try to find a connector. There are 3 prongs on the rectifier. 

[953 nut 55,228]

1 hour ago, BHunter said:

Anyone know what would cause the plug to melt?

A few years back @Save Old Iron did a post on the subject of corrosion on electrical components, I saved his explanation. 

 

Think about it - if you forced a sudden surge of lets say 35 amps thru a 30 amp fuse - the fuse internal element slowly "melts" - usually within a few seconds - you see a melted wire in the fuse body and the fuse body and leads remain looking like they originally did ( give or take a little). If you dead shorted the battery thru the fuse to the chassis, you may blacken the inside of the fuse but the fusible element melts long before you have a chance to cook the entire fuse body like in your picture.

Same idea for the white plastic engine harness connector - the brown discoloration is from cooked plastic - where is the heat coming from ?? The "Molex" style connectors used in this tractor series are in a harsh, corrosive environment. Vibration causes the connections to loosen - corrosion starts within the metal terminals and a voltage drop develops across the corrosion.

If you have a 10 amp current flowing across a 1 ohm resistance (contact corrosion) the electronics formula to calculate power = current squared times resistance

so 10 amps x 10amps x 1 ohm resistance = 100 watts !!

100 watts of connector heating is the same as laying a 100 watt soldering iron on the connector.

[BHunter 1,700]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

A few years back @Save Old Iron did a post on the subject of corrosion on electrical components, I saved his explanation. 

 

Think about it - if you forced a sudden surge of lets say 35 amps thru a 30 amp fuse - the fuse internal element slowly "melts" - usually within a few seconds - you see a melted wire in the fuse body and the fuse body and leads remain looking like they originally did ( give or take a little). If you dead shorted the battery thru the fuse to the chassis, you may blacken the inside of the fuse but the fusible element melts long before you have a chance to cook the entire fuse body like in your picture.

Same idea for the white plastic engine harness connector - the brown discoloration is from cooked plastic - where is the heat coming from ?? The "Molex" style connectors used in this tractor series are in a harsh, corrosive environment. Vibration causes the connections to loosen - corrosion starts within the metal terminals and a voltage drop develops across the corrosion.

If you have a 10 amp current flowing across a 1 ohm resistance (contact corrosion) the electronics formula to calculate power = current squared times resistance

so 10 amps x 10amps x 1 ohm resistance = 100 watts !!

100 watts of connector heating is the same as laying a 100 watt soldering iron on the connector.

Thanks for posting this info . It really makes sense. I didn’t consider checking my connections because the tractor ran fine and  the battery stayed charged. The terminals were badly corroded. I’m glad I took it all apart this winter to restore it. Now it will be in good shape for doing it’s chores in the spring. 
Does anyone make a complete wire harness for a C series? 

[953 nut 55,228]

12 hours ago, BHunter said:

Does anyone make a complete wire harness for a C series?

You can make your own harness. The folks at Del City https://www.delcity.net/store/Packard-56-Series-Electrical-Connectors/p_9108 have all the proper connectors and terminals that were used on the factory floor at . You can also get them at NAPA or other good auto parts stores. A few spools of colored wire and a good pair of crimpers and you will be in business. I would suggest doing one wire at a time so there is no confusion.

[Gregor 4,846]

On 12/21/2021 at 8:24 PM, BHunter said:

The kids are seeing the project transforming and they are getting excited to finish it .

Do you take older kids?

[BHunter 1,700]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

Do you take older kids?

We used to.
I would like to teach an adult class at night that allows people to bring their wheel horses in and restore them. That would be fun. 

[peter lena 8,627]

@BHunter your wiring issue is a common failure point , replaced a lot of wiring , easy just to re do with much better connective points , use wire / cable wrap , to prevent wire chafe , reroute tight spots , cap off and tape end areas , install , nylon hanger loops as you go . question , did you re grease the needle bearing in that pto  cone ? requires a hi temp grease , just a careful wipe out and a small amount of grease is needed , excess will fling onto clutch face , avoid that . also detail in that pto lever for fit and lubrication , add washers on the end / starting point , next to battery , typically 3/8" or more of washers to firm it up along with chassis grease lube , makes it very solid and smooth , pete   

[BHunter 1,700]

1 hour ago, peter lena said:

@BHunter your wiring issue is a common failure point , replaced a lot of wiring , easy just to re do with much better connective points , use wire / cable wrap , to prevent wire chafe , reroute tight spots , cap off and tape end areas , install , nylon hanger loops as you go . question , did you re grease the needle bearing in that pto  cone ? requires a hi temp grease , just a careful wipe out and a small amount of grease is needed , excess will fling onto clutch face , avoid that . also detail in that pto lever for fit and lubrication , add washers on the end / starting point , next to battery , typically 3/8" or more of washers to firm it up along with chassis grease lube , makes it very solid and smooth , pete   

Hi Pete .

I plan to redo the wiring and try to make it nice like you suggested. 
I didn’t grease the bearing but I will now. I never knew about that.  I’m also going to add washers to the lever. Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated. 
 

Bob

[BHunter 1,700]

We made some progress today. Installed the k321 shroud and painted some of the panels. 

[SylvanLakeWH 25,557]

Looks beautiful!!! 

[Gregor 4,846]

WOW !  A real paint booth !  What color is that? BEAUTIFUL

[BHunter 1,700]

52 minutes ago, Gregor said:

WOW !  A real paint booth !  What color is that? BEAUTIFUL

Candy apple red

Thanks

[AMC RULES 37,130]

Just needing some hand painted pinstripes and engine turned gold leafing now.   

[BHunter 1,700]

2 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

Just needing some hand painted pinstripes and engine turned gold leafing now.   

I agree. I wish I had those skills. My hands aren’t steady enough for that. 

[AMC RULES 37,130]

https://www.hotrodjen.com/

Hot rod Jen is there in central Pa, 

Landsdale maybe?

[BHunter 1,700]

18 minutes ago, AMC RULES said:

https://www.hotrodjen.com/

Hot rod Jen is there in central Pa, 

Landsdale maybe?

I never heard of her . I like her work, very talented . Thanks for sharing. She’s about an 1.5 hrs from me. 

[AMC RULES 37,130]

She's got a page on fb, always posting cool projects she's working on there.

https://www.facebook.com/HotRodJen

Maybe she might could hook you up.  

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by AMC RULES