When the superheater yielded to excessive pressures placed upon it sometime in late September I really didn't think it would take such a long time to get it back to being roadworthy. It has been an enlightening experience that has undoubtedly greatly increased my understanding of the vehicle. Here are some pictures of the stainless liner getting fitted into the pan and the main fuel vaporizer being bolted in place.
Blog
A blog about my the history, acquisition and operation of my 1911 Model 62 Stanley Steamer.
The New Superheater
Here is the new superheater in all of it's glory. It has been blacksmithed out of 1/2" schedule 40 stainless steel pipe. The shape is rather odd but it will provide over seven of pipe exposed to the flame. I choose 1/2" pipe because, although it is a tighter fit in the burner pan, it won't pose any line restriction from the throttle to the engine. This should add up to a reasonable performance gain and a lot more reliability over the old 3/8" welded tube unit.
Superheater Removal
Alright after a slight break in action I'm back at it. After taking a good look at the steam lines under the car we decided that it would be the simplest to take the superheater out well still connected to the steam line that ran to the engine. The fitting on the engine side was corroded pretty good so we had to apply some heat but after that it came off with relative ease.
Once we started removing the insulation from the pipe it became apparent that none of these pieces were going to be reused. The superheater has 90 degree fittings welded on each end and looks to have been made of a thin grade material; most likely tube. There is a short section of pipe with threaded ends attached after that which must have been where there was once a steam loop. The main section of line running from the superheater to the engine had been replaced by a 1/2" stainless steel tube welded to black iron pipe on each end. I'm amazed it had lasted this long...
To top things off, the 90 degree fitting that threads into the engine was only finger tight which makes me wonder if I had a major steam leak back there that I just hadn't noticed.
Next step is to start construction on the superheater and the feed water heater that goes in the smoke bonnet. I'll be happy to turn the corner on this project and start putting it back together.
Superheater Failure!
I went to take the Stanley out for a drive yesterday but only got as far as a stop light two blocks away before encountering a major issue. I went to pull away from the light and there was a loud puff and steam actually started lifting the bonnet! I quickly came to the conclusion that a steam line had broken somewhere past the throttle assembly. The car wouldn't move under its own power anymore so I was left with no choice but to bring it home on the trailer.
This morning I dropped the burning and found that a 2" portion of the superheater had ruptured. I'm amazed at how it tore the insulation out from around the burner pan and made a massive mess! I'm now learning that my car was missing a steam loop that would have isolated the engine movement from the superheater and that it wasn't properly secured. This type of failure was really only a matter of time...