Starter rod question - seems I've stumbled on another farmer fix!

[montanafordman]

I had a feeling my starter rod was a little on the long side, it also seemed to take forever to thread it onto the starter switch nor did it thread so far that easily. I decided to take it out and wire brush it on the bench grinder to clean it up some. I noticed that there appears to be a weld seam at about the six inch mark and the head appears to be simply an accelerator pedal. I'm assuming this is a farmer fix based on what I'm seeing, the difficulty and time to thread it onto the starter switch, and length?? It sure looks like someone cut up a throttle linkage, welded the end onto a threaded rod and installed it on the starter switch. I guess the upside is I was able to unscrew the end and it looks like a pristine original accelerator pedal with little wear or rust!


Looking at the parts suppliers description it looks like the starter rod is originally one piece. Is that correct? My other question is how close are the reproduction starter rods to an original? are they acceptable? Does anyone know the overall length of the starter rod?


Here are some pics.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The two piece rod you have shown is correct for 1928 starters. You'd have to look in the J/S book to see when they switched to the one piece, or that information might also be in one of the parts books the dealers give out. I think the switch to the one piece was with the new starter switch in October 1928.

[montanafordman]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

The two piece rod you have shown is correct for 1928 starters. You'd have to look in the J/S book to see when they switched to the one piece, or that information might also be in one of the parts books the dealers give out. I think the switch to the one piece was with the new starter switch in October 1928.

So in the 1928's case, is the foot starter pad the exact same as the accelerator pedal? I will have to consult the book, but does the length look correct? Sure looks like this one was welded together.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Yes, the 1928 starter and throttle pads are the same. I'm sure that someone added the threaded rod so it could be used on the new starter switch. The earlier 1928 had a rod held in place with a cotter pin through a hole in the rod and switch. I'm sure pictures can be found in the SERVICE BULLETINS.

[montanafordman]

Ok, that actually makes more sense than cutting up a throttle linkage, because now that you mention it, I think I dug out a 28 starter switch from my grandfathers garage when i picked the car up. I assumed it was for some other early vehicle but I think it would take a pinned rod. The battery contact was on the rear rather than the top also if i recall correctly.

[montanafordman]

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Part of the mystery solved! Looky what I found...





I'm guessing my granddad, or whoever he got this stuff from found it easier to cut and weld a threaded end onto the old starter switch shaft and use the correct switch for my 31 coupe rather than find the proper shaft to go with it. Now I'm going to dig out my RG&JS to find if there is any way to tell what year my starter motor is...


Now.... Anyone need a 28 starter switch?? How about trading for an original later model switch?

[montanafordman]

Originally Posted by 1930 coupe

Many of the FARMER FIXES were because these cars were driven during the depression, nobody had any money to go buy parts. They tried to keep them running without spending any money on them.

True, and while my granddad owned this car long after the depression that mindset carried with many people from his generation long after the fact. He certainly could have afforded multiple blue ribbon professional restorations but I guess his priorities were elsewhere or the principle of making it work for so much less was just the way he worked. I really can't fault that way of thinking either. In fact I wish I had an easier time of working and thinking like that! There's got to be a happy medium in there somewhere. I have wasted a lot of money on interest and other foolish things and mistakes, and yet he could have enjoyed the fruits of his labor to a much further degree since he didn't take it with him. I guess he was also satisfied knowing that his kids and grandkids would benefit from his frugal lifestyle and for what he's done for me I'm very grateful. Its a good thing not all those lessons are lost but sometimes I insist on learning the hard way!

[Tom Wesenberg]

The bands on the generators and starters often have a build date.
J7 = July 1929
K10 = October 1930
L3= March 1931

[Rex_A_Lott]

Originally Posted by 1930 coupe

Many of the FARMER FIXES were because these cars were driven during the depression, nobody had any money to go buy parts. They tried to keep them running without spending any money on them.

This , and the fact that most learned to never throw anything away, are probably the reasons we still have the old cars to play with today!