Project Schism - another offbeat '23 Ford T

[GregWeld]

Ah ha -- well the post did say "spokes" but there was the earlier post showing three --- and then this one with just the one spoke and I thought -- oh man -- that's a beautiful design but that wood is going to crack big time!

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

...that's a beautiful design but that wood is going to crack big time!

It's still going to be fun to see if I can get the rim machined without it busting up into a hundred little pieces. I have a friend in England who has a degree in woodworking, used to teach it, and makes incredible formed, carved, and bent, furniture. He's guiding the process of whittling that rim out, but makes it clear every step of the way that there is simply no guarantee.

So far, so incredibly good though...

Only one way to find out, and I only get to ride this merry-go-round once.

[toddshotrods]

The electro-mechanical column shifter design is coming along quite well. I have the basics of how the mechanical system will ratchet, and turn the encoders to the proper degree for each gear, sorted out. As per my normal design process, I did all that in my head, with the assistance of a lot of chicken scratch sketching, and have now started modeling the ratchet and pawls, then the gears, then the housing - yes, I plan to design and make almost every piece (except for fasteners, etc)! It's going to mount right on top of the steering column, and have a clear cover, like a watch face, so you can see the mechanical commotion inside. Hmmm, I'd better make sure people can actually see it way down there, and under that impossibly low roof.

The goal is for it to feel sort of like cycling the bolt, or pulling the trigger, on a really expensive rifle when you pull the "paddles". Beside the mechanics to get the encoders to turn to the right positions, that's what all the design process has been about. Mostly all metal components inside, directly connected to your finger tips, and very smooth distinctive action, with well defined releases, catches, and stops. When you first pull, you'll feel it release the pawl for that direction, then feel yourself winding all the gears up to speed, then just as it begins to gain momentum, and inertia begins to take over, the pawl reconnects and brings it all to a dead stop - gear engaged! All that happens in about seven degrees of rotation for the shifter and ratchet/pawl, but there is a flurry of activity throughout the rest of the assembly.

I need to develop a feedback loop, to interrupt the encoder's signal to the steppers, if the transmission doesn't go in gear. My first thought is simply sensing the resistance - what happens when a CNC machine encounters something it can't move - the program crashes - but less code, and more simple electrical circuit. I think...

[toddshotrods]

With enough patience, one can machine aluminum with a CNC router. I re-cut the center of the old gate plate to create a mount for the gauge panel. This machine is still having issues (big gouge in the center of the side) but this piece will work. It broke my end mill though. I purposely left room to hand finish it, so I'll blend that out in the process. I'm going to make a little pedestal mount to fit in the center that the gauge panel will sit on.

[toddshotrods]

Preliminary round of finishing work on the mount. I can't really finish it until I get the pedestal piece designed, machined, and fabricated, but I needed it smoothed out a bit so I can think through what I want it to look like.



I think it' going to be a ball on a stick, that will protrude through round openings on the sides of the housing a little. I think this base is going to mount to a steel hemisphere, on a ridiculous steel bracket that swoops out from the dash bar of the cage. The clamping mechanism will be a lever under the bottom of the hemisphere. Simple.

In keeping with the 1913 Open Runabout theme, I am foregoing a regular dash (even that panel I made will be replaced with less "dash"), and concentrating on highlighting all the levers, and pedals, and switches, that consumed early Ferd interiors. The challenge is to make it all speak the same language, and communicate a specific message. In this case that message is something like "coach-built, antique, driver's car".

[toddshotrods]

To make good use of that massive-little curved I-beam armrest, since the shifter is moving up to the steering column (where I can actually reach it), I am fabricating a Todd style "big red button", emergency kill switch.


It turns out to be the perfect location, and a very natural action. It's main components are the recycled former shift knob and horn button. The big heavy knob should mean less chance of missing it, and have the ability to tolerate any excessive force exerted in an emergency situation. It will manually disconnect the high voltage traction pack for the electric drive, via a cable and rear mounted switch; and most likely simultaneously disconnect the 12volt source to the ICE ignition system.

The inset photochop is one possible finishing idea - dark red anodized knob, with a black anodized bezel.

[toddshotrods]

The pedestal design was quick and easy as it was just a quick sweep from the geometric cross pattern in the mount up into a spindle for the pivot ball. Now, I have to decide whether I want to machine it or cast it. Either way, there will be a machined mock-up or plug coming soon.




This little assembly is going to be a smorgasbord of textures and finishes. This isn't the final decision, just one of hundreds of possibilities. Here, I have a steel lower enclosure, aluminum base plate, nickel-plated pedestal, aluminum pivot-ball receptacles inside a carbon fiber housing, with a brushed aluminum-bronze bezel - whew! It's conditional, first, upon whether the aluminum-bronze casting works and/or possibly an aluminum-bronze cast plate for me to machine one. The carbon fiber housing is going to be produced with a special, proprietary, process/technique that I am working on. First tests were positive, and it's very unique.

Although I am going to great lengths to develop the aesthetic side of things, everything actually has a serious purpose. The main point, of course, is to benignly graft a digital gauge panel into an "antique" atmosphere. The elaborate pivot ball.pedestal mount will allow one-handed adjustment, to get that screen focused towards the driver's eyes. It can be angled, titled, and rotated, with one hand, and locked in place. The steel hemispherical lower enclosure will be a part of the clamping mechanism, and will also hide the plugs for connecting/syncing to the digital gauge panel.