Re: [HSS] 1920 Model O Four Passenger Coupe

Unknown

minieball@aol.com wrote:

>

> Greetings all,

>

> As some of you know I have a 1920 Model O four passenger coupe. I need to

> redo my exhaust system and two issues have come up:

>

> 1. The exhaust packing nut on the end of the manifold is broken...I need to

> replace it...does anyone have a spare to sell or has someone reproduced

> these?

>

> 2. I would like to get a diagram as how the exhaust heater box is plumbed. I

> know where it comes off of the main exhaust pipe right before the

> muffler....but I am not sure how it is plumbed out of the unit to the rear of

> the car. I do know from a period factory photo that it ends up on the

> opposite side of the car from the regular exhaust pipe.

>

> Any help would be greatly appreciated........

>

> Todd Harrington

> Smithsburg, MD

>

Todd, if you can bring yourself to do a little modifiication here, you

can save yourself a lot of future hassle. These packing nuts were

re-manufactured here in brass, which in theory sounded good, but in

practice were a failure, as the brass expands at a different rate to the

cast iron, and continually came loose, and eventually the the thread

stripped. To keep original you will have to get another one machined

out of steel. But what I do is arc weld a flange on the end of the

manifold, and on to the exhaust pipe, and then use a gasket. This can

be done with a nickle-iron electrode. The manifold is pre-heated

slightly, and the flange welded on, 1/4" at a time, working on alternate

positions so as not to overheat, and peen thoroughly immediately after

each weld to relieve stress. I have done lots of these on Hudson and

Essex manifolds, and have not had one failure. I go in to the nearest

exhaust shop and get flanges and gaskets off the shelf. The pipe flange

can be mig-welded on by the exhaust shop. Whatever you do, don't

bronze weld the flanges, as these will eventually break off. Good luck,

Geoff.