What's new
What's new

Pics of my American Pacer

Pat Murray

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Location
Santa Fe, Texas
Here's a couple of pics of my 1942 American Pacemaker 16 X 102 and a pic of the mysterious feed rod support device (I think) that hangs on the front of the bed. It could be a device for removing one's head from a very dark place... I'm not really sure... It came with the lathe so It has to be important. Right?

There is a handle on the device that operates on an eccentric, which lifts the lower section up to ride against the lead screw and feed rod... The part also has a handle on top to move it along the bed... Truth is I'm not exactly sure what the heck it does...??? any comments are welcome...

Also I'm aware that there is surface oxidation on the ways... That's due to the extremely high humidity here along the Texas Gulf Coast... I'm working on the shop to possum-proof it some so that it's not as big of a problem...

This machine came out of a local oil refinery's shop and has a US war board approval tag where the US gov. provided the lathe to the refinery during WW2... I was able to aquire this sweet old machine in trade using some parts for my beloved 1969 Mach1 (also under restoration)

I'm in the process of cleaning it up and repainting it light gray... to reflect as much light as possible...for my tired eyes...

One of the things that I really like about the lathe is that the carriage is so heavy that even with a little slack in some of the moving parts, the extra weight tends to really stabilize the tool.

It has a new 5 hp Seimens TEFC motor that I installed...

It runs at top speed (about 1000 rpm) and is as quiet as a mouse...

DSCF0068.jpg

DSCF0069.jpg

DSCF0019.jpg


Anyway hope you enjoy the pics & sorry about the quality (wife's the photographer in our Family)

Pat
 
What that does is to keep the shafts from flapping around while you are running the lathe. Especially at high speed. Americans are good lathes. What are you going to do with it? Clean it and use it I hope.
 
Great stuff, any pics of how you got it there?

I'm a certified Monarch nut, but have a lot of respect for a Pacer too...ran Mike C's 25hp version last year


I surmise that the "cupped" pockets on that movable support bracket need to be lubed early and often.
 
Nice. Gonna look good with some light gray paint and way lube slathered.

Gonna have to throw a bucket of cold water on them chucks though. :D Looks like the four jaw is eating the three jaw....JRouche
 
That's a really good sized machine, Pat.. a lot more friendly than the beast at work.

http://home.att.net/~micallahan/machineshop.html

Couple of pics of it here. The top of the gearbox is about 6ft off the ground and the center of the chuck is about high chest level. If you had your hand in the position you have on your lathe, it would be up about your ear.

These are superbly rigid machines and amazingly accurate. I have cut a 6ft shaft 3" in diam and ended up less than .001 out for the entire length. Also, the diametral reading dial on the crossfeed lets you really tweak it in on fine work. There is a micrometer stop on the crossfeed, too. Your motor is about 1/3 what these came with, so you may stall it out if you get REALLY froggy, but you're not going to hurt this lathe with that motor.

The guy I got my L&S from had a P'maker this size. His was one of my ideal machines. 15hp, 27spd, with a 2500rpm top speed. Had a HUGE toolpost grinder with it, three jaw, four jaw, collet chuck, steady, follow, the WHOLE works. He bought that one and decided to get rid of the old L&S, which is why I now have it in my shop.
 
Looks good, Pat.

My Monarch was about the same condition when I bought it. It cleaned up real well.

I was ready to make chips. Just checked the oil, ran it slow to lube everything, tightened it all up, and let 'er rip.

I really didn't want to restore it for show. I am bad to loose interest in long projects and it would be 50 years before getting it finished. :D

Let us see some pics after you get it cleaned up.


Jackal
 
I bought the lathe as a backup for my Leblond which was down at the time with electrical worms... & at first I had thought it was way too big for anything I'd ever need, & would consume way too much space in my 30' x 30' garage shop... But after using it a bit I decided that It's a really nice old machine. It has a couple of features I like... Such as the reverse lever that lets you "go the other way" without stopping the spindle... & the long bed looks like a runway to land a 747...

It was really nasty when we moved it in, but It's starting to get cleaned up...

the carriage and cross slide are a little loose & I'll probably have to make new gib strips for them... but everything else is in great shape...
As far as power goes I've had a couple of occasions to make pretty steep cuts & the lathe doesn't whimper in the least... Mine came in at about 10k lbs according to the guy that hauled it across town for me... His remarks were that the front wheels actually left the pavement a couple of times with the gearbox on the tail end of the truck...

I know quite well how it is to loose interest in long term projects... I have the same problem, & probably won't restore the lathe to show condition either, but I have this thing about working with things that look messy... So I'm cleaning, painting, & tightening it up... as I find the time... Right now our shop is a bit of a disaster We have a 19" x 54" Leblond T & D lathe, Two Bridgeport Series 1s, an Atlas 12 x 36, a pretty nice size air compressor, Roll away tool chest, and small fork lift... Oh yes & my baby my 1969 Mach1... all under a 30 x 30 roof... A bit crowded to say the least...

Anyone looking for an Atlas...?

Pat
 
RC Jr...

I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I'm a lot like you concerning the AMC Pacer... In fact nearly their entire line... with exception of their AMX & some of the old Javs I find them rather unappealing...

In any case, thanks concerning the pacemaker... & I never really thought about the connection until someone pointed it out...

ATW/AMC Pacemaker/Pacer Hmmm???

Pat
 
Mike C

Really nice shop in your pics... I must admit I'm jealous... & the Pacemaker in your shop makes mine look like a doorstop... & thanks gentlemen for the info on the feed rod/leadscrew stabilizer, I thought so but wasn't sure...

Pat
 
Thanks Pat, that's the museum shop. As I said, though.. I'd really rather have the size machine you have, but this one was a donation, so far be it from me to complain!

On the subject of AMC products, a friend got hold of an oddball little thing that turned out to be a real hoot. It was a pumpkin orange Gremlin X. The X denotes a 304 v-8. Coupled with a three speed manual tranny, this was a pretty scary combination in such a little car. The guy in the Mustang might be laughing at you stopped at the light, but he'd likely see nothing but tail lights as soon as it changed. Brutally quick little car.
 
Gremlin X were pretty quick... Friend had one in HS that used to beat my GTO regularly...along with a particular Maverick Grabber GT (302 Boss)
Man, I'd like to run some of the old stuff one day when I finish my Mach1(428 cj) would be a blast... Pat
 
Woohoo! I love it when an old Pacemaker finds a good home. Those machines are great. I'm hoping to buy my second one pretty soon. It has suffered a lot of the same tortures that Pat's has: left outdoors, some rusting, in need of TLC... They are definitely akin to the muscle cars that have been mentioned in this thread. PLENTY of power. Yet, they probably have a bit more elegance and refinement than a Gremlin with a V-8.
 
Thanks Ions82

I think that there is something sort of poetic about the old streamliner looks of these old irons... They run like silk even after decades of use... Just hit the start button & drop the clutch in, & all of a sudden they are turning... without any grinding, groaning, or squeaking... just the whisper of the air across the chuck jaws... Deep cuts, no problem, no complaining, just blue spirals...

Mine had been sitting in a refinery warehouse since the mid 80s when they downsized the workforce... Then in the mid 90s they replaced these beautiful old machines with New Modern & less powerful,less durable, less accurate imports... in much the same way they replaced the workforce... What a shame... But lucky for us... to have the opportunity to own & run these great works of engineered art...

No they aren't probably as efficient as some of the automated machines, but when it comes down to needing a special feel or an eye for a cut that has to be exactly the right amount or in exactly the right location... How can a CNC machine compete... (They can't)...

I have a feeling that they will outlive all of us... & there will always be a place for them...
 
The AM Pacemaker I ran had a wooden platform built in front of it so you could reach the leavers and tool post.

Was very good as a oil field lathe.

Was so wore out though that it cut on about a .050 taper.

Big chip pan the whole way around the back was a pain in the rear to clean - so nobody did. I shoveled about 3 large dumpster loads of chips from behind it.

If you clean it up with some scotchbrite and use lots of way oil - it should shine up without much work. The ones in the shop I workd in was in worse shape than that one..

Geesh - I can read the placque's for feeds and speeds from here... The people I worked with - just put it in gears until they found one they liked..
 
Did it come with the Ram Rod - sticking out the end of the tail stock? The one I ran had a bar used to knock out the live center... Had a big tubular shaped weight at the end of the bar.

I guess when they built that model - they didn't have time to make it so that it would eject the center when it got to the end of the tailstock.

So they made a ram rod to knock it out.
 
HnC, yeah, that "pick a speed, any speed" will get you in touble on something like a Pacemaker unles you are making pretty educated guesses. First two things I learned on the Pacemaker...

1. The machine does not load up or stall. You choose the wrong speed, as in too fast, it'll smoke even a carbide bit in a split second without a whimper.

2. The machein does not load up or stall. If the work or tool gets loose, or if it gets bound up in any way, something is going to give and it will likely not be the lathe. DUCK! Parts and/or tooling are soon going to be flying.
 








 
Back
Top