Fairbanks Morse Sheffield 40b Restoration

[Sheffield 40B]

8.5" from the outside edge of the angle to the bolt centerline.

The mag shield is 7.5" long by 5.5" wide with 45's cut out of the corners.

Anything else, let me know!

[wise65vw]

Thanks! For now, that's all I really needed. I'm trying to do everything in stages. The forward portion of the top deck, then the rear portion, the tool tray, and finally the side decks. I'm only able to work on this on the weekends, and if I have money (starving college student here).

---------- Post added at 12:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 PM ----------

Oh, actually, one other thing I was wondering was how the very last deck board attaches to the top, seeing as there are no bolts in that spot? If you could get me a picture of the underside of the rear end, that would be awesome. I really appreciate you helping me on this, as I was afraid that I'd never be able to bring this thing back to life.

[Sheffield 40B]

All the seat boards to the rear of the friction-drive "handle slot" are screwed to two strips of 1.25" wide flat stock underneath. The flat stock is spaced 3.25" in from either seat board side. If you look closely at the rear-most crossmember that goes between the seat uprights, you'll see theres clearance left between it and the second to last seat board, for these flat stock strips.

Hope this helps!

[wise65vw]

Thanks! Well, that means I'll have to redo the back section a bit, as I went ahead using 1x2 oak runners. Oh well! I'll just flip all of the boards over to re-use the holes with the flat stock.

[Sheffield 40B]

Just let me know whats next!

[wise65vw]

Absolutely! I'm on vacation at the moment, so I won't be able to touch the car for a little while. The one thing I am wondering about at the moment is the dimensions of the deck sills. What the overall length, height and width is, and the angle the top is cut at. I don't need them immediately, but it would give me something to do at home! I have also been thinking about producing a set of scaled drawings of the woodwork so that future restorers will have some concrete data to work from (I just have to find the time).

[wise65vw]

I finally got a chance to work on the FM today, and I've successfully swapped out the oak supports for steel ones. I was short a few screws, so it isn't all held together just yet. I also got a new gas tank for it that should work quite well.

[wise65vw]

More updates: This weekend I was able to make the linkage to the magneto for the timing control (and it actually worked to my surprise). I also took a few inches out of a gas tank I had to make it fit under the rear deck, and soon it will be ready for paint and some tank sealer. I did bondo the welded seam to eliminate some of the unsightly spots. Next I'll need to fab up some tank straps from steel stock and drill a hole for the gas cap in the deck, but that'll be a little while off.

[wise65vw]

This update is a little late, but school takes precedence over my hobbies. I finally set up the gas tank (and gave it an initial coat of paint), and made some mounting brackets for it. While it isn't the original setup, it should work just fine. I also managed to hook the throttle linkage up to the control lever, now that the carburetor sits at the right angle to the manifold. Lastly, the car has officially received a major touch of color, as the rear deck section has been fully painted gloss Hunter Green. The next step will be to finish off the front deck section, and eventually to construct the side decks. For that, I will need the dimensions for the supports that hold up the side decks, as I have no clue what angle they sit at. Work will continue at a steadier pace come summer.

[Sheffield 40B]

Sounds good. I have my floorboards partially apart. I'll get you some numbers and pictures soon.