[c5farmer]

I may have a ring from an insulator that was melted in a fire, if you are interested in it.
The rubber is gone, but the ring should be on the bearing.
Jerry

[Doug]

Originally Posted by c5farmer

I may have a ring from an insulator that was melted in a fire, if you are interested in it.
The rubber is gone, but the ring should be on the bearing.
Jerry

Jerry, It may be that I don't need an old ring if you can look at yours and answer these:

Does the outside of the ring have any projections/tabs that stick out into the rubber?

Does the outside surface of the ring appear to have any knurling or other feature that appears to assist the bonding of the rubber?

I am sure that the NOS insulator that Chiefkey has offered will allow the fellow to get the basic dimensions (thickness, width, outside diameter, bevel) of the ring from it and the inside diameter of the ring will be that recommended to allow the press-in bearing to fit properly.

Thanks!

[c5farmer]

Here are some pictures of the insulator ring that the ropeshaft bearing presses into. It is bonded to the rubber with glue and a small interference fit. There is no staples or knurling on the ring to keep it from spinning in the rubber.

The ring is rusty from getting hot in the car's engine fire. Hope the picturs answer your question concerning the insulator's construction. Jerry

[Doug]

Originally Posted by c5farmer

Here are some pictures of the insulator ring that the ropeshaft bearing presses into. It is bonded to the rubber with glue and a small interference fit. There is no staples or knurling on the ring to keep it from spinning in the rubber.

The ring is rusty from getting hot in the car's engine fire. Hope the picturs answer your question concerning the insulator's construction. Jerry

Jerry, Thanks for the pics.

Frankly I was surprised to see that the ring is apparently flared to the outside on one side and flared to the inside on the other side. (I assume the inside flare is to provide a seat for the bearing when it is pressed in.)

It looks as if the ring was made by a stamping process and the metal itself is fairly thin (I had imagined it was about 1/16th or more thick.)

I doubt that the fellow can duplicate the "stamping" process but I don't see why the ring can't be machined out of a piece of stock in a lathe, especially for a somewhat low volume of pieces.

At this point I am going to contact Chiefkey and get him to send the NOS piece to the fellow and see what he thinks of it.

However, if you can, would you measure the thickness of the ring metal and let me know what it is so that info can be passed on?

Thanks,

[c5farmer]

Doug,
The ring measures approximately .037". In between 1/16" and 1/32". Seems to be made from a strong, hard metal. At that thin measurement, it is still very strong and hard to bend. Good luck.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by c5farmer

Doug,
The ring measures approximately .037". In between 1/16" and 1/32". Seems to be made from a strong, hard metal. At that thin measurement, it is still very strong and hard to bend. Good luck.

Thanks for the info.

I did some research and it looks like these rings can be machined out of a piece of 2" Schedule 80 pipe stock. A cleanup cut of about 1/32" or soon the outside would leave a ring thickness of a 1/16" or so. A machine cut on the inside diameter of about 1/8" or so would fit the outside diameter of the bearing and leaving the full inside diameter for a short distance past the internal cut would provide a ledge for the bearing to set on. A slight bevel could be put on the other side for ease in pressing the bearing in.

Yesterday, I sent Chiefkey a private message asking him to go ahead and send his NOS insulator to the fellow. I mentioned the idea of making the rings out of 2" Schedule 80 pipe and I asked him to discuss that with the fellow too.

Thanks for the input. Hopefully this will work out.

[Sanduners]

Not sure if this will help you but here it is, a view of the torque tubes.

[421 S/Stocker]

Any updates on the repop bushings

[Chiefkey]

I've been in contact with a fellow in NC who took a NOS insulator I sent him and he made a mold of it and created several samples which he sent to me and another forum member. They look great and appear to be better than the original. I've been trying to arrange to have him reproduce 20-30 pieces to begin with, but he seem to be having a problem finding someone to make the metal insert that holds the bearing. I've had several conversations with him but we haven't gotten beyond the sample stage. I'll try and see if he's still interested in proceeding and will let everyone know how it works out.
Maybe we'll all get lucky and find they're available in the new Ames Catalog.
JK

[GaryK]

these are not in the new Ames catalog.

[Chiefkey]

Update on the Torque Tube Insulators Project. Talked to the gentleman who made the prototypes and he's found a machinist to make the metal retainer portion of the part. He's going to order the materials and start making an initial run of 30 or so pieces. If they turn out as nice as the initial samples he sent me, we should finally have a source of new insulator/bearing assemblies for the Torque Tube Shaft. It looks like the price will be around $ 100-120 + shipping for a pair with the bearings installed. I'll get some pic's posted once I get the parts.
JK

[421 S/Stocker]

Great news!

When and where do I send the $$$.

[BIGIRON69]

Jeff, Here are some file images I have of your NOS bushing and the first repop. BTW, publicly I'd like to thank you and Doug for inviting me to assist with this project. It does take a village to keep the hobby running!

Lynn

[gavin]

I wonder If you could use a water cutter on neoprene.The expensive part would be the programing but after that it would not be to bad.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Chiefkey

Update on the Torque Tube Insulators Project. Talked to the gentleman who made the prototypes and he's found a machinist to make the metal retainer portion of the part. He's going to order the materials and start making an initial run of 30 or so pieces. If they turn out as nice as the initial samples he sent me, we should finally have a source of new insulator/bearing assemblies for the Torque Tube Shaft. It looks like the price will be around $ 100-120 + shipping for a pair with the bearings installed. I'll get some pic's posted once I get the parts.
JK

Jeff, Thanks for the effort on this project. Since our last "private message" discussions when you indicated the problem of getting the metal retainers, I re-visited my above #46 post where I indicated that Schedule 80 pipe could be used. I was wrong about that!

In following up on it, I did some research and concluded that Schedule 160 pipe or 2 1/8" O.D. tubing (1.688 I.D.) could be used. BOTH of these materials are expensive. However, it looks like there would be relatively simple and minimal amount of machining required (as say, compared to using round bar stock).

As it turns outs, only Tuesday evening I discussed the matter with a retired design engineer friend who is AutoCAD proficient about getting a drawing put together for the retainer. I think that getting a commercial machine shop to do these (in low units) would be quite expensive. I had in mind approaching some of the local high school vocational teachers and seeing if they would be interested in doing them as a class project.

So, I am quite pleased that the metal retainer issue has been resolved and the project can go ahead. I know the setup costs to do it are going to be a few to several hundred dollars so I hope that potential buyers will be willing to sign up in advance and pay some portion of the purchase price to fund the startup expenses.

Thanks again!

P.S. Any word from the guy about making the other part I mentioned to you? I know he can make those easily and it could be that you could offer those pieces at the same time you do the insulators. I am sure that anyone wanting the insulators would probably want the other piece. That would save some shipping costs.

[63Banshee]

What bearing is going to be included with this set?

[BIGIRON69]

Originally Posted by Doug

Jeff, Thanks for the effort on this project. Since our last "private message" discussions when you indicated the problem of getting the metal retainers, I re-visited my above #46 post where I indicated that Schedule 80 pipe could be used. I was wrong about that!

In following up on it, I did some research and concluded that Schedule 160 pipe or 2 1/8" O.D. tubing (1.688 I.D.) could be used. BOTH of these materials are expensive. However, it looks like there would be relatively simple and minimal amount of machining required (as say, compared to using round bar stock).

As it turns outs, only Tuesday evening I discussed the matter with a retired design engineer friend who is AutoCAD proficient about getting a drawing put together for the retainer. I think that getting a commercial machine shop to do these (in low units) would be quite expensive. I had in mind approaching some of the local high school vocational teachers and seeing if they would be interested in doing them as a class project.

So, I am quite pleased that the metal retainer issue has been resolved and the project can go ahead. I know the setup costs to do it are going to be a few to several hundred dollars so I hope that potential buyers will be willing to sign up in advance and pay some portion of the purchase price to fund the startup expenses.

Thanks again!

P.S. Any word from the guy about making the other part I mentioned to you? I know he can make those easily and it could be that you could offer those pieces at the same time you do the insulators. I am sure that anyone wanting the insulators would probably want the other piece. That would save some shipping costs.

Hello Doug and Jeff,

I appreciate the fact that you fellows have reached out to us for a solution for a much needed obsolete part. I do enjoy the challenge.

We are looking forward to the production phase of this project and hope to answer questions as they are presented to inform those interested about what makes this part as good or better than an original.

I'll attempt to post images of your NOS part along with a repop.

If any one is interested, I have been involved with cars since I was 12 years old. I have been interested in them even longer and make my living as a Mechanical Engineering Technician. My career and hobby have overlaid in such a way that one compliments the other in such a way that at times it is difficult to distinguish the two.

I currently own two hobby cars, a 1969 Impala SS 427 as well as my first car, a 1957 Chevy convertible. Unfortunately, there is not enough time or money to own more cars to even approach the quantity that would satisfy the itch of owning every car that struck my fancy.

Enough of me, here's the images. (I hope)








Lynn Adcock
Oxford NC

[Chiefkey]

Dave, I'm not sure on the bearing mfr.... we had some lengthy discussions regarding the quality of the bearings. The guy making the mold for the insulator was quite insistent on using a quality bearing. He was working with someone at his company that is far more knowledgable than I am on the bearings. Next time I talk to him I'll inquire and let everyone know. I'm sure we can get the insulator without a bearing so the buyer can use one of his choice.
JK

[Chiefkey]

Please spare the accolades until we actually have these things in hand. When UPS arrives with a box of 30+ finished units I'll be as happy as the next guy. Until then, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
JK

[63Banshee]

Originally Posted by Chiefkey

Dave, I'm not sure on the bearing mfr.... we had some lengthy discussions regarding the quality of the bearings. The guy making the mold for the insulator was quite insistent on using a quality bearing. He was working with someone at his company that is far more knowledgable than I am on the bearings. Next time I talk to him I'll inquire and let everyone know. I'm sure we can get the insulator without a bearing so the buyer can use one of his choice.
JK

That sounds promising.