Steve, well worth it to drill a little hole so you can carry a memory of your Dad with you! I think of my Dad every day.
Dale
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It about killed me to drill a hole in my front fender for the whippet. Dad owned a Whippet automobile.
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I went back to where i grew up and did a library search; was thrilled to find this article about my Dad's trip from Cincinnati to Hartington, Nebraska, in the local paper, The Cedar County News. Attached are a couple pics taken during that trip. The date of the article is August 18, 1927. Also attached is the expense log he kept during April, 1927, that must have been when he first purchased his '27. 980 miles in 36 hours = average speed of 27.2 mph. Doing the math on his $6.12 gas expense for 980 miles.... based on price per gallon of gas noted in Dad's gas was 25 cents/gallon, that means Dad purchased approximately 24.5 gallons during the trip. Dividing 980 miles by 24.5 gallons, his fuel consumption was approximately 1 gallon per 40 miles. 1 dollar in 1927 is worth $13.79 today; this means a gallon of gas cost Dad about $3.45 in today's dollars. Pulling that side car, I imagine he used at least 1-1/2 quarts of oil.
1927-08-18 (Vernie Swan cycles) Page 1 of Cedar County News,published in Hartington, Nebraska on.jpgDad's JD log book.jpgDad on the road.jpgDad asleep on the road.jpgLeave a comment:
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Splitdorf's green spark plugs are my favorite. Spark plug manufactures have no imagination anymore, but I guess reliability is a good tradeoff for pretty
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Thanks Eric. Splitdorf made more than a few different green plugs i am learning. some differences are obvious and other parts not so much. I am surprised someone has not made modern look-a-likes of these distinctive plugs. Splitdorf advertised the P157 was for the Indian and also for "motorcycles." Same for the P126 metric plug being for "motorcycles." Between all the different makes, i wonder how much concern there was for different "heats." and what race engines required.Leave a comment:
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Thanks for posting the new pictures of your '27, and the Splitdorf info, Steve. You really did a beautiful job on a motorcycle that is difficult to get right. In regards to the spark plugs; I have a pair of Splitdorfs that I have run in my '16, but I can't find any numbers or identification, other than 'Splitdorf'. They are 7/8" plugs, and are green, but that's it
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here's a little information on Splitdorf "green hex" plugs i gleaned off the internet in my research on mica spark plugs used from the early 1900's up until the late 1930's.
the P157 is the 7/8" plug. the P126 is the 18 mm metric plug. I've learned the green hex plugs came out in 1912 and were last produced in 1929. i've also learned that porcelain for use as insulators around the electrode was not perfected enough to be considered dependable, was prone to cracking because the porcelain did not expand at the same rate as the metal electrode, so mica was used, although the stacked layers of mica degraded with use and would foul from accumulation of byproducts of combustion. It wasn't until the early 1930's that porcelain, specifically zeta alumina was discovered by Helen Blair Bartlett and sintered in porcelain that porcelain insulators were dependable. Helen was a geologist who received her PhD from Ohio state in 1931; her primary interest was spark plugs, she worked for General Motors, then worked on the Manhattan Project and after her atomic bomb work was finished, she returned to GM.
It's going to be interesting running these mica Splitdorf's, because the mica fouls, and the plugs have to be cleaned regularly. Maybe since I'm running a dry upper end, the Splitdorf's won't foul quite as readily. if they do foul, the novelty of running the Splitdorf's may wear off fairly quickly for me. We shall see.....
Splitdorf spark plug types indluding P157.jpgSplitdorf ad P157 (pn 3828A9, 3rd from right).jpgP126 Splitdorf (P157 metric analog).jpg
i have too much depression era thinking Dad passed on to me to run the nos Wrights brown mica's.... and i am the one who always says "ya only live once." sheeshLast edited by Steve Swan; 09-19-2018, 09:55 PM.Leave a comment:
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It's been a while since i posted, so i thought i'd catch up a little of what i've been up to. i was able to score a couple nice used Splitdorf P157 green hex plugs; after i got them cleaned up, i installed them today to see what would happen next. The old fellow usually starts first kick cold, it popped the first kick (after 2 prime kicks) and started on the 4th kick, ran a little rough but settled down as it warmed up. I only rode it a mile, so the next trip out will be another 30 miles to see how they perform with more running time. I don’t think it’s my imagination, with the Splitdorf’s it certainly seems the engine idles faster at full advance and slower at full retard. (I’ve been running the modern Champion W16Y plugs.) Any thoughts on what I don’t think I am imagining?
Also, i now have the nice original headlight Tommo so graciously sold me and the original switch panel installed as well.
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Thanks Eric, for your kind words. i just love the little details, and considering spark plugs were such a readily consumable part, the fact i have a pair of n.o.s. plugs is a real treat. i can only imagine how cool they would look compared to the modern massive Champion W16Y's i am now running! What is interesting, i was going through my files, and a factory picture of the '27 engine, clearly appears Wright spark plugs are fitted. (attached). i also just acquired a used green Splitdorf in really nice condition, so i am on the hunt for a second, and if i can get a good pair, i am going to try running them in the '27.Originally posted by exeric View Post
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I got one of those spark plugs in a Merkel motor I had. I didn't know the brand until you posted those pictures, Steve. The laminated mica insulation is unique, but I don't know anything about early spark plugs so mica could have been common. Regardless, I love the looks of those plugs, and I think you found a treasure, Steve.Leave a comment:
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These little n.o.s. gems arrived in today's mail, they are exactly what shows in the '27 factory Accessories Book. i could not be more pleased! i'll never run them, or squish the copper washers, but is nice to have such a rare consumable parts that comes with the boxes in such fine condition. The steel parts look nickle plated to me.
'27 Accessories Book Wright 001.jpg20180712_165614.jpgLeave a comment:
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