Sometimes you should leave well enough alone

[montanafordman]

How many of you have gone too far without the proper tools, instructions or proper help? Its like impatience and frustration feeds you to make it worse! I'm dealing with that right now! I had a 29 throttle control on my 31 coupe that had the levers pinned on with nails, leaving a lot of slop in the linkage. The arms were also bent and farmer fixed with a cut, spliced and welded throttle linkage to the carb to take up the slack and get it to work somewhat properly. In my quest to get things "proper" I got the correct linkage for a 31. The one I aquired was bent slightly so in my quest to get it just right where the pedal post comes through the center hole in the floorboard I turned to the bench vise, hammers, channel locks etc. I THOUGHT I had it close until I hooked up the steering column linkage and found out messing with the pedal post now my steering throttle didn't adjust properly. Common sense tells you STOP! consult someone who has a torch and can heat and bend things without tool marks, and maybe has one that isn't bent to compare with and adjust accordingly.. Sigh... Now I'm probably way off what it should be, more so than when I started and I've put plenty of tool marks on the pedal arm after adjusting. I had even cleaned and sanded it previously and was wanting to paint it today I'm hangin it up for now. Maybe I'll adjust it later, find a club member with one to compare it with or give a hand, or get another locally.

Its just one of those nights when I'm bangin my head against the wall. I knew it too when I was clamping the thing tight in my vice with no plastic to protect it and hitting on the sides with a hammer... that inner voice was telling me ....dumb..dumb! That is all... just had to vent.

[james hitchcock]

I did the same to mine. I did finally get it working but nothing like it did before I tried to "Fix it". though a bit crooked it worked very nicely. I've adjusted it so many times I can't remember how it should be. Will probably get an unmolested one someday.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Montana,

Can you imagine how much you have learned?

Not one of today's educated Government "programmed" professor could have taught you such vast technical Model A knowledge while sitting in a classroom.

Now you can recognized the lost art of Common Sense; e.g., start over & surprise everybody -- I'm serious!

Thomas Edison chose not to go to some ridiculous ding bat school because he knew the ignorant programmed professors only knew what they were taught by former ignorant educated professors of the day.

He knew that they would waste his time telling him it was impossible to make a light bulb.

When later asked how he did it, he replied, "I only listened from within" -- the lost art of Common Sense.

Start over, try agin, & go for it!

[AlanD]

That's right on Chauvin!

Montana, I have felt your pain. What I do is take a break. Sit back, relax, and look things over. Remember and enjoy the fact that you get to own and work on fine antique car.

[al's28/33]

Get another spare .....take your time to adjust the arms very slightly each time, re-assemble and test the floor pedal and hand throttle.....mine was hung up on the fire wall, bent way too much, so I tweaked with it for a week till I got it tuned in just right. If everything is set up perfectly, you have no slack and the hand lever will move the arm right from the start all the way down the quadrant. Make sure your linkage rods are straight too. Be patient, you'll feel so much better when the job is done.

[1931 flamingo]

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How much "forming" will these take w/out breaking? Can they be formed cold?
Paul in CT