benuger

Eclipse Machine Co.

36 13 FZ

Does this number give me date or # of holes? Anything else?

bulgie 

I used to have several Morrow hubs and hub shells, because a friend who worked in a LBS alerted me that they were about to throw away drawers full of Morrow parts, and he knew I had a bike with them.

All those shells had the number 36 stamped in them. I know at least one of them was from the '40s because it was painted black, which was a WWII thing when nickel and chromium were allocted only to the war effort.

Also I do believe the hub on my own Excelsior was original, and that bike has been reliably dated to 1933.

So the 36 on the hub can't be the date.

They were all 36 hole hubs though. Draw whatever conclusion you want!

benuger

Hey Bulgie,

From that I'll draw the same conclusion that you did. One might hope for a '36, but still be happy with a '47.

All the way, Dawgs!

Could you tell me the difference between a 'quick reply' here, and a simple 'reply'?

wschruba

36 13, aka 36 holes, 13 gauge spokes.

The letters are dates, and you can take it apart to confirm broad date ranges (clutch/brake shoe design, etc).

More info available at the CABE.

benuger

Thanks for the direction. I 'm going to try to overhaul it. Just this morning have been gathering lore from the cabe for that. good to know I'm barking up the right tree, rather than howling at the moon!
I was originally trying to date an otherwise unknown quantity with Serial H11118. I think I've got it narrowed down to a 1946 men's Roadmaster.

wschruba

Cleaning is pretty easy, maintenance is pretty easy.

Assuming all your parts are okay (big assumption), it will work just fine. I have two Morrows (three, if you count another hubshell), and they all seem to have what would--now--be considered long travel for the braking/driving. If you screw up assembling the ******er spring properly, you'll know (as you'll need to spin/spin/spin to get the brake to work)...I believe the prescribed way of assembling that part is to place all the parts in question on the axle, then press it firmly into the brake cone and screw it together once it catches. That ensures the ******er has the proper clearance.

Don't bother trying to remove the sprocket. You need to put it in a BIG lathe with a brake to unscrew it without damaging anything. If you need a new driver, I have a box of them floating around in my parts bins (they have what I assume is a zinc dope coating them...not shiny. Apparently required the end servicer to chrome/etc if desired). Bendix, Elgin, Morrow, and New Departure all made threaded sprockets that fit. No other (modern) threaded sprockets will fit.

FYI, the clearances in the hub are TIGHT. They are not kidding about using oil to lubricate it, as you'll otherwise get the forward movement of the hub rolling the brake shoes towards the clutch (good for going forward, but otherwise you need to chase the brake). Grease the bearings, and use a healthy dose of oil elsewhere. If putting heavy demands on the hub, carry a small dropper of oil to quiet it down.