Growing up as a teenager back in the 50's, I started hanging around gas stations
when I was about 14. The grunts job back then consisted of grease jobs,oil change and
fixing flats on the old Coats manual tire changer in between pumping gas and wiping
windows.
So....I have an understanding of the necessary for lubrication on these old vehicles.
Unlike the new cars, which only require opening the hood every 10,000 miles to change
the Mobil 1, a stove bolt needs grease and oil every two to three thousand miles for
it's couple dozen fittings.
I just did the winter lube job a couple of weeks ago and took old blue on a trip out
west Friday. Not 'way' out west, just a 160 mile round trip.
On the return trip, about 50 miles from home, I noticed the ammeter dip down
one click to the left side of center. I'd been running with my lights on, which I
often do and normally the needle will run just to the right of the center line.
So I killed all the electric, that is, lights, heater and that juice sucking vacuum
tube radio, hoping to make it home on what charge was still in the battery.
Lots of things going thru my head, regulator, maybe a wire shorted out, heck
I rebuilt the generator about 10k back, couldn't be that.
About 30 miles from home I started smelling something 'hot' and started looking
for smoke, nota. I didn't want to stop as long as we were still running for fear
of not getting started back up again and being stranded in the boonies.
About 20 miles from home I started smelling burnt rubber, again, no smoke.
Well, I did make it home and popped the hood. checked out all the wire looms
under the hood and under the dash, no bunt wires. About then I notice the
big old fat 5/8" fan belt that usually rides high in the pulleys looked twisted
and was half way into the V-grooves. The darn generator had froze up
and the belt had been just sliding in the pulley. Luckily It was still driving the
water pump so I didn't over heat the motor and crack a head.
That's when it hit me....YA BIG DUMMY!!!!! That's why they put an oil cup
on the front bushing. Thinking back I can't recall ever remembering
to give a squirt of oil to the generator cept for when I had it on the bench
for the rebuild a decade ago.
Now I'm hoping it didn't damage the shaft or the end plate. Gonna have
Ken send me a kit for it and add that oil cup to my chart in big red latters
for the next time I have her up on the lift.
And don't forget to give the grease cup on the distributor a turn during the next
lube job, that's another one that's often passed over.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
