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Henry,

I know nothing... NOTHING! But how did you get the converter snugged up solidly enough to torque on that big wrench and move a nearly immobilized shaft? Is there a vice under there somewhere, or was the whole thing heavy enough so you could just hang onto it with your elbows or something while you turned the wrench?

Awfully sorry, but it's been bugging me.

I'm sure that whatever is out of whack with the shaft or bushing will be corrected, and you will continue on your way. However, I have found that giving the finger to a project, while temporarily rewarding, sometimes can produce bad juju, so be careful about "lost" parts and tools.

Green, call tomorrow afternoon will be fine. or during the week after 5:30pm. tonight i am not feeling well, so i hope to feel better tomorrow.

I just held onto the TC with one hand and used my body weight and leverage to turn the wrench.

Mike Franko came over today and brought a whole mess of shafts. it is def. the shaft and we found out why. on each spline there was a ridge that was lifted on one side. probably from me attempting to clean it with the wire brush on the bench grinder. it made a little mountain of metal that you could flick with your fingernail....its hard to explain....but basically when i cleaned it originally, i went perpendicular to the splines which created that hump of metal from the metal brushes. my bad.... so i went parallel with it today and it clean it up pretty good. i still gotta do it a bit more, but it is getting easier and easier to fit into the shaft/bushing that Mike gave me to test with. but i didn't get much done after he left cause i started to feel like crap and still do.

if i feel better tomorrow i plan on working on it more and i will update everyone then.

Hank

Hank, it was paining me to read about your reactor shaft and bushing problems. I am so glad to hear that the problem has been identified and can be fixed.

I have a sign in my garage that reads:

Shop Rules:

Rule #1 First do no harm,

Rule #2 No exceptions,

Rule #3 Read Rule #1.

Unfortunately, I get off in the weeds from time to time and things don't go like they should because I screwed something up. So far I have been able to recover from my mistakes.

I hope you get to feeling better. Take care.

(o{I}o)

worked on those splines yesterday and it is getting easier and easier to get it to go in, but that bushing is just trash now, so i have emailed Mike for another one. 3rd times the charm right.....i hope.

the test bench shaft and bushing etc that Mike Franko gave me worked great with my shaft after i smoothed it back out, so i know my shaft is pretty good again.

i can get the shaft on my TC, and i can spine it by hand after working it for a bit to smooth the messed up bushing back out....but i get a spot where it catches in every rotation...and you can tell that one side of the bushing is messed up worse....it isn't a bad catch, but i can feel it, otherwise it spins by finger tip, but i am still going to replace the bushing again.

Hank

new bushing on and working fine, will be sent out to be balanced when i stop being broke.

got all the wood from the Packard plant today...so that makes up for being broke...i was finally excited again. the bigger door has the metal wire that held a curtain on it at one point.

enjoy the pics and sorry for no updates....i'm just really cleaning some pieces, breaking things, and tinkering...so not much to report.

Hank

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Too bad the doors still didn't have the windows in it, with the hand painted names and titles on them. You might have to buy some period correct privacy glass and have someone paint on there "Hank Greene IV, Senior VP Packard Restoration Dept."

I know I sure as hell would do that!

Hey thats a great idea! ;0)

i thought maybe i would get lucky and they would have the glass, but no. its easy to replace though.

one of the doors is 3.5 feet wide...its huge and they are both 7 foot tall.

.....still didn't have the windows in it, with the hand painted names and titles on them.

Bet those windows gave it up to target practice at the first or second break in but some old style bevel glass with gold leaf detailing is not a bad idea. With something that size, what are you planning for them?

well, i didn't know the size of them before i bought them, so i was planning on using them in my house. one for my master bedroom and one for the door that goes to the door to my garage (actually the door to the laundry room)

the only door close to the size of these is the front door, but i wouldn't use these for front doors....not that safe.

so, i will hold on to them and probably use them in a purpose build auto shop when i have land one day. i'll make the doorways to fit these. or if i build another house i'll have them in corporated while building.

i could have them rebuilt to fit the frame ways i have. Paul from the Packard wood sales knows of ways to do it and i will probably get his ideas on that cause i would like to use them, but i don't like the idea really of modifying them from original, but you guys know me.

the crown molding i will use in my foyer and my wife and i really like that patina....so we may hand it as is with a bit of some touch up and cleaning.

i tell you it is so cool to touch this stuff and just dream of all the history flowing through that touch. ;0)

and i am sure these will bring a heck of a profit for me if i hold on to them and decide to sell one day. i didn't pay much, but i bet one day when the plant is long gone....they'll be prime money then.....i hope, but that isn't why i bought them....but its nice to hope they will increase in value.

Hank

Personally, I wouldn't cut them down to fit, as then they just become a regular salvaged door.

I'm still scratching my head on who was so tall at Packard as to require a 7' door???