THICKNESSES

[Matchbooks..John,PA]

One GOOD thing about carrying a pipe, tobacco, and MATCHES is:

The thickness of the matcbook is usually approx.
.030. GOOD 'NUFF fer checking spark plug gaps on recip. ENGINES. EVEN 9N's.

REF: LIBERATOR - Flyover for a GENERAL who passed, recently.

John,PA
 

[Plane Bart]

I remember riding with Grandaddy in his old dump truck when it started missing real bad. He had me gap the points with a match book just to get us back to his shop
Forgot all about that untill I read your post
Thanks for the laugh and smile
 

[Charles Krammin]

We relied on IBM punch cards for shim, to square machine pieces up, so out of square machines could machine the piece square, within .001. Punch cards were .004
Pounding a large nut, with a heavy lead hammer, would alingn the male and female threads up, for better contsct and strength.
Hand fiting of besrings to crsnks, was done with "blueing" and a spoon shape, file.
Flat surfaces were "scapped" to fit with "Bluing" and a rounded end file.
The eye can be trained to estimate widths in thousands, like points and plugs.
The flatness of a block and head can be checked with "Time cards (paper is about .001-.002), leaving them stick out sides and seeing if they are tight.
These above were learned in building "E W Bliss" Punch ptresses.

Charles Krammin Hastings MI
 

[01BIRDDOG]

[old]

Over the years I have used many things to gap points and plugs and most have always worked. Match book cover or the flap of the box the points or plugs came in or a business card. All seem to be close enough to get an engine going when you have nothing else on hand and out in the middle of no where. That is also like timing and engine by ear which I do all the time. Just mess with it for max rpm easy start and the power you think it should have
 

[36 Coupe]

common hacksaw blade measures .025 away from the teeth.