Restoration Progress On My 1955 Greenie

[mickyd]

The purpose of the 'shim' suggestion was to sanity check my thinking, not a permanent fix. The later posts indicate my "success" in equalizing my cover clearance.

STEP by STEP(and hopefully clearer).
1) remove two belt cover screws, and set aside.
2) slide the belt cover off the headstock.
3) notice the shape of the top of the belt cover. It is SLIGHTLY curved out across the top and the sides form two rounded 'corners'.
4) Using some fork like object (open end wrench(padded)) apply a twisting force(torsion) to the 'low' corner of the top.
This force should be applied so as to bend the top in(down) and the side out. Forcing the top in(down) will tend to raise that side of the cover up off the waytube(when reassembled). Forcing the cover out will allow slight rotation of the cover(relative to the headstock) thus also SLIGHTLY increasing hole/tube clearance. This torsion is applied in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed from the headstock side(open side) and to the 'corner' on the right.
5) APPLY torsion(still c'clkwise , 'fork' repositioned) to the 'other corner'. Top out(up) and side in. This will help restore the tendency to self align and therefore depend less on the screws holding it in exact position.
6) Slide cover back onto headstock, replace screws and determine degree of 'success'. Repeat as required.

I know! 'step' 4,5 got muddy again. Detailed understanding of the intent IS necessary.


Consider what happens at the hole when the cover is RAISED by lowering the top corner. When put back on the headstock, the lowered edge of the top will cause the cover to go onto the headstock slightly raised from where it was before. Top edge bent in will contact the headstock and force the REST of the cover to a 'higher' position. Thus the same as a shim!
This makes more sense when the parts are 'right there'!

This will make sense when I am at the machine I am sure. I'll "tweak around" with it tonight.

[mickyd]

mickyd responses in red

HI Mike, Let me ask a couple ?s . (1) Did all 6 belt cover screws line up nicely with the tapped holes in the headstock casting when the cover was put on? Excellent question. I will look tonight. (2) Is the belt cover hard to get on/off. Yes, but not unreasonable. Nice fit if you ask me Two things come to mind for me after looking at your pic. How thick is the paint in the area of the headstock casting where the belt cover goes on? Two coats of hammered so I would guess ~.010 per surface???. When I painted my headstock I was careful not to go too heavy in that area. Are there any burrs or boogers on the belt covers rim. No Good'n smooth I had to file the edges of my belt cover before painting as there were some rough spots from the previous owner using a screwdriver to pry the belt cover off. Also you said you used lacquer in the inside surfaces. Do you possibly have any drip spots on the inside of the belt cover? No. Again Good'n smooth The covers on both my Greenies are snug and I know it would not take much to throw the alignment off. I am sure it is a matter of tweaking the belt cover some. Hope this helps----Dave

Thanks for the questions. I'll make sure I revisit all of them tonight.

[robinson46176]

Another approach to the belt cover rubbing the way tube is to let the cover locate itself when you put the screws in and mark where it touches the way tube. Remove the cover and grind/sand with a round stone or drum sander to allow a little more clearance and reinstall. That does require removing the tie bar but that is a 20 second job.
I'm not saying that it is a better way, just that it is another way.
-
There is usually another way to do about anything. You can either climb to the top of a mountain or have someone drop you off at the top and coast down.

[mickyd]

.....Remove the cover and grind/sand with a round stone or drum sander to allow a little more clearance and reinstall. That does require removing the tie bar but that is a 20 second job.

Don't know what the "tie bar" is

[JPG]

HI Mike, Let me ask a couple ?s . (1) Did all 6 belt cover screws line up nicely with the tapped holes in the headstock casting when the cover was put on? . . . . ----Dave

OHHHHKAY You got six(6) screws going into tapped holes. That IS different from Goldies(2 screws and tinnerman nuts on the headstock). That may alter the effectiveness of what I have suggested/ The tightness(lack of) of the motor pan up against the headstock MAY be a more likely culprit?

[fjimp]

Each post I have red here made me wonder if the issue could possibly relate to a need to loosen and turn the way tube to be certain they are round? fjimp

[JPG]

Each post I have red here made me wonder if the issue could possibly relate to a need to loosen and turn the way tube to be certain they are round? fjimp

I Do not understand how out of roundness could cause this.

Look at post #75 this thread. This clearance 'issue' existed originally. You did NOT do anything to create it! I see only 4 belt cover screws in all the pix. Do the bottom two screw into holes in the motor pan sheet metal or ???? It appears the top two thread into tapped holes in the headstock.

[mickyd]

mickyd reply within the quote is in red

I Do not understand how out of roundness could cause this.

Look at post #75 this thread. This clearance 'issue' existed originally. You did NOT do anything to create it! I see only 4 belt cover screws in all the pix. It has a total of 6. One on top, 2 each side, one directly on bottom. Do the bottom two screw into holes in the motor pan sheet metal or ???? The bottom 3 screw into the sheet metal motor pan. It appears the top two thread into tapped holes in the headstock.

Hey, after your newly acquired hyperlinking knowledge evidenced in this post you made, I would have expected your reference to post #75 above would have looked more like this...."Look at post #75"!! Just think of all the poor folks searching back into the bowels of this thread, looking and looking and looking, chewing up bandwidth, being non-productive at work...need I go on?

Very interesting observation you made regarding post 75. To save folks from going back AND to provide more detail, here's bigger version of that picture
-
-
-
-
[ATTACH]4244[/ATTACH]
-
-
-

Although not significant, there MAY have been clearance, Clarence. I wouldn't bet your life on it but...

[judaspre1982]

=========================

[fjimp]

My apologies. I deid not mean to suggest the tube is out of round. What I wondered is if by some remote chance the tube might be warped a little. I seem to remember someone having a situation where a warped tube after being rotated slightly cured an issue that sounded a bit like yours. Incidentally I have read most of this discussion, no I did not read the one you suggested. I simply decided to take a risk and offer a remote possibility for consideration. If out of line again I apologize. fjimp