I’m rebuilding a cast iron hogshead that is a pre 1925. I’ve viewed the MTFCA DVD on the subject and have read a Tinker Tips article from a May-June 1995 Vintage Ford publication and see two methods for sealing the pedal shafts and the clutch shaft. The DVD recommends installing 5/8th inch ID “O” rings behind specially prepared pedal supports and installing a 5/8th inch OD “O” ring into a specially prepared grove in the clutch shaft, while the 1995 Tinker Tips article recommends conical shaped slip joint washers (instead of “O” rings) also behind reamed pedal supports but the clutch shaft in the article is built up with solder for a temporary fix for oil leaking there.
Would someone experienced in rebuilding hogsheads please offer an opinion on the currently accepted best method for reducing or eliminating oil leaks from these shafts. I’m especially reluctant in turning down a groove on the clutch shaft to fit a 5/8 inch OD “O” ring and don’t see much durability in soldering the shaft to build up the diameter as a means of controlling oil leakage there. Is there another publication or tech source you can direct me to for other option on this ?
Hi Dennis,
Here is what I did.
I have a friend who is a Master Machinist and he put these seals in for me.
I have also seen where a counterbore step was machined onto the hogshead and the seal inserted there.
Be_Zero_Be
Wow Bob, that right there is a great idea! I am going to do exactly that next time.
It also needs to be said that if any of the shafts are worn just replace them. Drilling out and replacing rivets is easy stuff.
Thank you Be-Zero-Be that’s a great idea!
I’ll search for that seal number. I’ll do that for my pedal shafts. What are folks doing about the clutch shaft? It’s the shaft that holds the two arms that the brass clutch yoke pivots on. Fortunately mine only penetrates one side of the hogshead and doesn’t go through the other. I understand earlier ones went all the way through.
I know that this is an old post, but was glad to see this while I was going through the forum. I was looking for a way to seal the pedal shafts in my hogs head and saw what “Be-Zero-Be” had done. I thought, sweet, nice mod. I have the milling machine and the tooling to do this. So, to investigate what steps I will have to take to make this modification, I removed the notches from my spare hogs head. The first one I removed had a chamfer inside, as did the second one. Hmm says I, looks like this has been machined for an “O” ring. I take of the third one and the “O” ring is there. I now have a size of “O” ring required. Maybe not as slick as having actual shaft seals in place, but being one to “not look a gift horse in the mouth”, I’ll take it. Saves me a lot of hassle So, at this point in time, I have switched notches and put “O” rings in to seal my pedals. Thanks Be-Zero-Be for your modification post. I’ll be looking at my spare, un-modified notches at a later date to install shaft seals, in the event if I ever have to remove my hogs head again.( that’s a PITA)
