Catching up on all the interesting things that happened in September and October.

 September - 

After getting the VIN, I proceeded to go thru the multi-step process of getting a title, registration and finally plates.  I studied all the regulations I could find during the VIN process, and had downloaded numerous forms that seemed to pertain to the process.   

Since the Ladye M was acquired from a company in the UK, I needed to have documentation to back up the purchase and document the origin of the materials used.   Then I had statements and attestations on how the vehicle was constructed and by whom. 

The first trip to the DMV took 3 hours and did not result in a satisfactory end.   I had all the documentation EXCEPT for a certified weight.   WTF - where do you get a certified weight? Well you go to a truck scale at a truck stop out on the highway.   So that is what we did - we rented a trailer and took her out to the TA Truck Stop.   Steamed her up and drove off the the trailer and up to the scales.   I pushed the button and the voice said - "There is not any weight showing - where are you". 

It turns out that my little buggy was too light to register.   So - after a consultation with the Oracle of Google,  it turns out that Landscape Supply Companies have certified scales that read down to 45lbs. Problem solved.   The next day - back to DMV,  dropped $3K on fees and taxes, and a temporary plate.

 Mishap #1 - Watch the gauges.  

I have a fuel gauge,  I watch the fuel gauge - but the damn sender in the fuel tank got stuck at 3/4 of a tank.  I don't know for how long, but on a sunny Saturday morning I fired her up and she died after about 10 minutes and would not restart.  I spent the rest of the day, disconnecting the burner, cleaning and testing according to the manual, and then watching 2 hours of videos on how to setup and adjust a Riello burner.  The only thing wrong was that there was no fuel in the tank.   The good thing is that I now know a lot more about my burner and how it works.  

 

Mishap #2 - Stutter, Stutter, and More Stutter

After the burner/fuel incident, now with a full tank, I took the LadyeM out for an extended series of hill climbs.   In my neighborhood and the surrounding area there are a number of hills.  Since this is an urban setting we have hills where you can go up over a couple of blocks and then over and down the next street. 

I spent about an hour (5miles total) testing the way she drove with starts and stops, steam controls, water levels and basically everything I could think of, all within a mile from my home in case I got in trouble. 

I was on the top of the last hill when all of a sudden, she stuttered, badly.  By "stutter" I mean that the engine turned over quickly and then grabbed and I started moving again.   I was able to get pointed down hill and made it home.  

In my driveway I made a few videos while trying to determine the cause:

The difficult thing was to determine what part was slipping.   At first I thought it was the small sprocket on the engine crankshaft.  The majority opinion from the FB Forums was that the chain was too loose.  I focused on the engine, and decided to pull it. 

Here is a look at the engine after I pulled it out - the first time - 

 
Looking at the replacement crank, webs, and shaft I have stashed away, I am trying to see where a failure could occur.  

 

Not convinced it is in the engine,  I put the engine back in.  Adjusted the chain to as tight as I dared, and took her back out on the road.   I made it about 6 blocks before she stuttered again.   Damn.  

Still not seeing anything obvious,  I pulled the engine again.  Here are some pics of the process getting it in and out.   Lots to unhook, and some hidden relationships to handle.   I started to murmur my new mantra - "Never put it together if you can not get it apart" 

 

 

 

 

In order to reach the boiler fill check valve, the left side tank needs to come out. 

 

 
Then the cylinder drains and supporting mounting metal need to come out.
 

 All clear to be pulled.  Attached a strap to the main engine tube.   

So here is another look - hopefully the last one - at the engine while it is out of the second time.  Just to double check and erase my doubts on the engine being the problem.  

 

And a deeper look at the sprocket - 

 

SO - It is not the engine.   Now where could it be?  

Not the engine, sprocket or chain.  Time to move to the back end and look there.  First - a look at the differential. 

 and another - 

Now it is time to look at the guts - 

Keeping my fingers crossed that the gears are intact - 

Well - that is a relief - no damage evident there - time to look at the other end of the axles.  Just because I am right handed, I look at the right side first. 

Right about now I recall a comment made on the FB Forum that some bolts shearing off caused problems on another owner's Lyka.  But ... it did not really sink in - 

 Digging a little deeper - 

And - A Penetrating Glimpse into the Obvious - 

 

And a conclusion - the fix I applied.

Five sheared bolts - to remove - Drill and Easyout extraction.    

Then a study in shear strength and where on a bolt it is greatest.   Remember - I am an electrical engineer, my mechanical engineering knowledge is all acquired by experience - "If I did not break and fix something, I do not necessarily understand while it is still working" 

So I consulted the family mechanical engineer - my daughter - She spent a couple of years at Ford on the big F350, 450 and 550 trucks.  Before changing careers to Medical Physics and part time professional driver for the kids.   

Here is a document she sent me. 

 

The LadyeM uses Grade 8 equivalent (10.9 and 12.9) metric bolts.  The ones that failed were fully threaded 6mm x 40mm long.  Looking at the chart above, the closest imperial bolt is a 1/4" x 20.  Going over to the far right column you can see that the difference in shear strength between Threads and Shank is considerable.

So the solution is to acquire partially threaded bolts that had a thread-shank transition beyond the interface of the drive adapter setup and the wheel hub.  It took a number of tries to get one that accomplished this and still had enough thread to be effective as a clamping force.  

Here is a comparison of the two types.   I will need to trim the longer bolt back to 40mm but the remaining tread should be enough to grip safely. 

 

The final fix - I reamed out the threads in the existing holes for about 9mm, this gave a close fit around the shank.   Then just to be completely over-engineered, I added 5 drive pins to help handle the forces when I tootle along at 10mph. 

 

The left side wheel had none of these issues, but I pulled it off and replaced its bolts (only) as a preventative measure.  

Oh - and just to top off my month of October - my permanent license plates cam in the mail. 

 

Thanks for reading,

Stay sane,

Poppapope

Denver, CO USA 

 

 

I hate the Hand Pump ! ! !

Saving my shoulder, replace the hand pump. 

The STW Hand Pump is a backup device.  You have to have a way to get water into the boiler if the level drops too far and trips the safety shutdown.  After driving the Lyka for a year (60 miles total) I have been studying how the water level moves during driving, how it changes after being parked hot, and what happens if you play and interrupt the natural physics of the boiler and steam system. 

But the hand pump is very slow to fill the boiler.  There is a handle provided that attaches to the pump.  You have to stroke it up and down, netting an unknown amount with each stroke.  It takes a real long time to get any level change in the sight glass, and frankly, my shoulder gets very upset after about 5 minutes. 

I was watching Jay Leno work on his Stanley Vanderbilt Racer where he was explaining the startup procedure and made the statement that they replaced the hand pump on the Vanderbilt with an electric pump to top off the boiler if needed.  I figured that if Jay could do that, I could too!

 

Here is the hand pump installed and plumbed into the feedwater system. 

 

 I came up with a number of criteria for the replacement pump:

• 3/8" NPT fittings
• 12 volt DC power
• 200 PSI max pressure
• capable of running dry
• reasonable amperage use
• fit into the space near the hand pump location

 

 

This is the model I chose.  About $125USD

 

Test placement.  Might be tight.

I chose to mount the pump to a piece of 1/8" plate, the unit comes with rubber feet and you screw thru them to give yourself a shock absorbed deal.  I also added the following items to the assembly:

• 12 V automotive relay w/socket.
• inline fuse holder / 20A fuse.
• barrier strip for connections
• SPST switch to be mounted next to sight glass in engine compartment. 
• 2 - 3/8 NPT M/F close elbows - brass. 
• 2 - 3/8 NPT x 12" high pressure braided pigtails (3/8"NPT M each end) 
• 1 - 3/8 NPT F - 3/8 Compression adapter.
• 1 - 3/8 inline check valve - 2PSI differential - 3/8"NPT F/F
• 1 - 3/8 NPT M - 3/8 Compression adapter. 
• High temp (plenum) 2 cond cable for hookup - 18ga for switch, 10ga for main power.
• cable cover (woven black) cause I want things to look old. 

I tapped into one of the positive battery connection points and my ground buss bar up under the floor. That cable ran along the top of the frame near the tabs for the fuel tank and then snaked back along the outside of the left hand water tank. 

The switch is installed in the frame over by the sight glass.  I do not use the engine cover at this point, so it's placement is not an issue.  In the future I may move it to a more obscure position. 

After removing the hand pump, I used the bracket to mount the plate. Then routed the flex hoses thru the available holes to meet up with the 3/8" tubing in the hand pump circuit.  I cut the tubing to length and attached via the compression ends.  All NPT threads were sealed with Rectorseal#5 and I added teflon string to the brass elbows as they threaded pretty deep.  

Here is the resulting assembly with the inlet flex tube coming up thru the hole in the hand pump bracket and the outlet flex tube leaving via the space between the frame and the back wall.  All electrical connections are at the back of the pump. The relay is hidden under the fuse holder. Everything is sealed in shrink tubing after crimping.  

 

A view from the back, the inlet pipe is on the left, the outlet on the right.

 

A look from the side. 

 

It is hard to see but there is a 3/8" check valve in line on the output.  I chose to do this because I was seeing some anomalies on the hand pump that indicated there was backwards pressure in the system and the little ball bearings were not always stopping it.  Most of the time after a run, I would find the handle of the hand pump in the "fully extended" position.  This indicated to me that pressure had been applied to force the piston out.  I would move the handle back to the mid position, and it would be forced out each time.  Since this is feedwater, the temperature was basically ambient, so just pressure was involved.  The pump has an automatic cutoff at 200PSI, that will keep me from overtaxing the system.  

 

A lonely hand pump

 

SYSTEM TESTS 

I flipped the switch, the pump whirred, nothing came out.  I went inside, had a pee, sat and pondered a moment.  I disconnected the two compression connections and put the inlet in a bucket of water, nothing.  I went to the outlet - I could feel some slight pressure against my finger, but nothing else. 

I stuck the out tube in my mouth and sucked - EUREKA - a mouthful of bucket water - and it kept on coming.   I know there are chambers and diaphragms in the pump head, so I am guessing that they were dry and sealed up.  Just needed a priming to get the juices flowing. 

Of course each time I played with the plumbing I needed to drain and fill the tanks, so I hooked everything back up, checked for drips, refilled the tanks some more and did my first test. 

Test #1 - no pressure. 

I drained the boiler to just above the cutoff sensor, then ran the pump while manipulating the feed valve lever. 

 

 Test #2 - under medium pressure - 120PSI.

This test simulates the situation where you have run the water level low and cut-off the burner but for some reason the engine-driven pumps are not doing it for you.  You pull over and park, turn the pump on and manipulate the feed lever to fill her back up. 

Watch the video - I will discuss it after.

 So here is what I saw - 

1. The water level was late in starting to change.  I think this is because the "bubble" was trapped so I did not see the fill happening until late.  
2. I played with the bypass lever, should have moved it the closed and stayed there.  I was working from ear, waiting for the same clack I get while driving and pumping.  I did not hear that, I heard a "rattle".  The rattle was occurring as the bypass was opening and closing.  One closed, the pumping action "flow rate" was enough to keep the check valve open, so we do not hear the "clack".
3. Once the bubble moved, and I stopped playing with the bypass, the pump did its work and filled the boiler back up. 

Notes: My check valve is a mechanical flapper (brass) and gives a noticeable "clack" when opening and closing against the engine-pump action.  It would appear that the pulses in the flow allow the valve to close between pumps.   The electric pump is much more continuous, reducing the clacks except when opening and closing. 

I will continue to play with scenarios and push the pressure up to test limits. 

The end result is that I now have an electric pump and my shoulders are grateful. 

Thanks for reading - 

Jim

poppapope

Denver, CO USA 

Just a few more things before I go. (Steaming)

You can not have a steam engine without a whistle!!!

                                                My good friend Frank testing the valve action.

 

Lets start at the beginning.  

About the second thing I bought on E-Bay after I signed up for the Lyka process was a steam whistle.  I paid too much, got a hand made but still serviceable two-chime made out of copper.   It also included the whistle control valve and handle.   That was worth the price I overpaid for the whistle.  

4 Years later - The car is done, and I want a whistle.  But I decide I want to show it off visually as well as audibly.   So I go out and buy a pretty 4-Chime Brass unit from the UK. 

It has a 1/4" solder connection so it will fit in great with the rest of the tubing system.   Back when I was plumbing the boiler I made the decision to rework the runs to the pressure switch and the gauge.  I chose to loose the metric sized tubing as I needed to supply some of the missing pieces, so instead I converted it all to 1/4" copper with compression fittings.  

I also rummaged thru my junk drawer and found a brass bracket and fashioned a band that would allow me to mount to the front panel.  I used a little JBWeld to secure the band, just to keep it from moving.  

The injection point for the whistle is a compression T inserted in the Switch/Gauge line.  I chose a point at the top of the initial loop right before the tubing turned to head off to the pressure switch. I routed the tubing over the top of the right cylinder and then down on the far side of the left one.  

This brought raw steam down to the front of the engine, and I worked hard to find a place where I mount the whistle valve.   The biggest issue was the strength of the spring in the whistle valve, and I found a way to mount it so I could reach back with my heel and press down.  

The other issue was that the valve was 3/8" and the tubing was 1/4" so there were some other demands to be met.   I ended up with multiple adapters. 

 The little red handle is for a ball valve to allow for a restriction to control the amount of steam allowed into the whistle valve.  The max pressure of 265 PSI is just too much for the whistle to handle. 

I made a brass plate and anchored the outlet port and then used a metal zip tie around the lubricator to stabilize the motion when the green valve handle was pressed down. 

The outlet points down and has a reducer down to the 1/4" inch tube size.  The tubing drops down about 5 inches and then heads over to the side of the car and turns forward along the edge of the frame. 

 

Once the tubing clears the front edge of the fuel tank,  I added a cover to the tube, just to look cooler.  Then the tube curves up to the underside of the whistle. 

Since I anticipated a lot of steamy water spurting so I searched the scrap drawer again and found a plate to add as a barrier.  

 Another look in the pile found a bracket to add support to the flex tubing.  Makes it very stable.

 AND THE FINAL RESULT IS . . . 

 

Finishing up the whistle, I wrapped the new piping in the same insulating wrap I used on other steam piping.  I wanted to accomplish two things, one protect fingers, and second, conserve steam.  

 

Improving the wrap of the boiler. 

Heat - lots of it. 

Sitting on top of the boiler with the engine panel off,  you can really feel the heat.   So much so that I have seen some of the electronics ( the relays controlling the lights) get cranky and stop operating when the engine panel is on.  

I found a source for "muffler wrap" that is a dimpled aluminum with a layer of ceramic wool.  I used it to start the insulation process earlier, but still had some parts that only had the original cladding from STW.  I used large stainless steel zip ties to add two large pieces, one panel in the front between the steam outlets, and another larger one wrapping the rear, from side to side. 

                            The rear area behind the boiler - just the original STW cladding in place. 

                                                  The same area with the new cladding added. 
 

The front panel in place.

That wraps up the whistle installation.  You might have noticed that the hand pump is missing from the rear cavity.   I will discuss that in the next post. 

Thanks for reading.

 

Jim

(poppapope)

Denver, CO USA 

VIN VIN, who's got a VIN - . . . I DO!.

More Strange Roads Traveled.  

It has been my goal to have my Lyka titled, licensed, and plated as a vehicle under the laws of the State of Colorado.  This has been first & foremost on the to-do-list for a couple of years.  I started doing research on the C.R.S. Section 42 -  Motor Vehicles - ended up reading most of the section, and concentrated on the Collector Vehicle sub-section.  

The process is not difficult, just time consuming, especially since I had to take the Lyka to meetings with the Colorado State Patrol - 15 miles away.  Which means a trailer and enlisting my son as my driver in his Lexis. 

 

But let's go back to April 2026.   I went to the CSP (Colo State Patrol) website to make an appointment for a VIN Inspection, the first step in applying for a VIN.   Appointments are booked 2-3 months out, but you can "wait-list".  I made an appointment for late May at a patrol office near me (10 miles) and started my wait.  

In early May I got antsy and drove over to the CSP office to see if I could meet with one of the inspectors.  I had pictures, and wanted to confirm what documentation might be needed to make things go smoothly.  As it turns out that was a good idea.  While I did not talk to the inspector myself, the clerk took my papers back and I could hear the conversation with the inspector.  When I heard "I don't think that is 'road-worthy'", I knew I had the wrong guy and went home, cancelled the appointment, and looked into one at the headquarters.   That was the right thing to do.   I managed to luck out and signed on to the appointment system right when someone cancelled, which gave me an appointment the next week. 

In the appointment system, you get an email from the inspector to confirm yours.  I used this to ask him if I would need to take the Steam Buggy off the trailer.   He replied no - and as it turned out was intrigued so he looked me up.   YouTube.   

When we got there, he came out and was saying how cool the Lyka was and that I was sure to come out ok in the process.   We went over the car, discussed the brakes, lights, reflectors, and other required items.  I showed him the documentation from STW and the certificates I had from inspections.  We then discussed how I wanted to be considered a "collector car" ,  or better yet a "Horseless Carriage"  - because it is one. 

There was a wrinkle in the process - My vehicle was completely built from scratch.  Most "kit" cars start with a donor vehicle.  The year and model draw identities from the donor, and the kit modifies the result. In my case, with no donor vehicle,  there was no make/model - just a result.  The VIN Inspector decided he could not proceed without further guidance, so all my information was bundled up and sent off to the Colorado Department of Revenue - Motor Vehicle Division for a decision on where to put me. 

Fast forward a month, now June, 2026 - The D.O.R. said I am an ASVE  - Assembled Vehicle with a year of 2025, which is when I finished it.   Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it got us moving forward. 

So the next step in the process is to go to DMV and actually apply for the Colorado Assigned VIN.  I went, waited in line for 3 hours, and paid my $3.50 to have the application sent back to the D.O.R. for approval and issuance of the plate.  I suspect that there is some old guy in the back of the DMV office hand stamping out plates.  It took another month before I got a call to come back out (another trailer rental) and have my plate attached.  

So by the end of July -  I have a VIN.  Now to apply for a title. 

 

Keep on Steaming - Stay Sane.

Jim   

The End of an Era - Steam Traction World closes down - Finish a build on your own - Tips and Tricks

They took all the money and ran . . . 

('nuff said)

 

OK, so for all you Lyka Builders,  How to get your baby on the road?

Since I do not know what has been shipping and in what condition the shipments were in, I can only speculate based upon my experiences and the questions I have been getting.   

I received final shipments a year ago.  This was because Dean started building my pile before he left, and I got a lot of parts that were the spares from the previous series.  Even so I was missing a lot of the individual pipe pieces and a number of adapters and connectors.  

I will build on this post as the questions come in.  

#1 - Lubricators -  

There are a couple of places you can find them.   Note that the ones originally provided by STW did not meet with rave reviews.  They had an eccentric on a shaft that activated the pump.  This wore out.   Most of us now like the Foster type lubricators.  I cover these in my post "Subsystems Part #2" in May 2025. but I left out a few things.   

 

The 4” model was chosen to match the size of the model provided by STW.  The model they provided had a bottom outlet, the Foster’s have a side one.  So the pipes needed to be changed, one was totally replaced, one was just bent.   The 4” sits just fine on the little shelves just a new hole pattern to mount.  

My kit was missing the check-valves for the lubricator lines, I got them from:  https://steamfittings.co.uk

If you look at the check valves on the site, the last part of the part number is the same as the part number on the STW parts list.   Other wise John Rex has them.  Just make sure you get them in the right direction when you put them in.  If you have to “splice” in the feed tubing, you can soft-solder (plumbing type) anything below the check valve as it does not get hot.   Silver solder on an 1/8 ID tube is a pain some time.  

The lubricator and also the water hand pump, plus inline water check valves etc came from: John Rex. 

https://johnrexmodelengineers.com/shop/    He also has an eBay shop but will cut you a deal or two if you use his other store, it saves him from paying e-bay fees. 

 

As to the connections to the con-rod,  there are two barrel nuts for the con-rods.  Strangely enough I got one way back on kit #14, and the other never showed up.   So I made 2 matching ones out of brass hex stock.  They are threaded all the way thru length wise, and have a hole thru in the middle.   They thread onto the con-rod bolt, then have another short bolt in the end to lock in the lubricator rod. 

I used the provided push rods from STW but re-formed it to fit.   Whatever you do, make sure the push rod is NOT TOO TIGHT, meaning the linkage should be a little loose.   The ratchet pump is part metal, part plastic and you do not want to stress it. 

The 4” Foster lubricator fits well and seems to distribute the oil efficiently.  I fill the oil reservoir at the start of a run,  usually 4-5 miles it is down about 1/6th of the way.  Remember that you need to adjust the pump on the lubricator, by moving the piston in/out and locking it down with a nut.  Make sure you know how to do it before you fill it and hook it all up.  

At the end you want each pump cycle to release about a pea-sized drop into the pipe.   It takes a while to fill the pipe, and once it does, the fact that oil is uncompressible will keep the injection stable.   The lubricators are nice in that there is a little crank and you can prime them by pumping it a few times to get some oil into the steam before you start up.   

The Hand Pump

The water hand pump from John Rex is the 3/4” ram size and IS the one STW provided originally. It might be made by someone else, but it bolts right into place.  You just have to replace a part for the handle to fit out the back of the body.  In Kit #14 I got a few random items, one was a piece of steel in a right angle.  This replaces the one on the pump from Rex as it are straight. 

 

The pump has two built in check valves and works well but it takes a long time to fill the boiler.  Better than nothing though.  When I put mine in, and used the stock pipe to hook it up, I noticed that the engine pumps managed to pump feedwater back thru hand pump and into the left hand tank.   This might seem to be ok and the tanks are hooked together but it filled faster than the transfer back to the right hand tank so I got water coming out of the vent.   To correct this, I put in two check valves - one close to the engine pump witch allows water to flow OUT of the hand pump and into the common connection in the engine pump but blocks the flow in the other direction.  The other is inline with the outlet of the left tank into the hand pump,  this keeps the flow from going backwards as well.   A belt-and-braces approach.   JRME has all the necessary valves as well. 

 

 

   .  

 

A Review of Some Modifications

Just something to pass the time. . . 

December 8 - update 

Got a very nice write-up in a local on-line automotive magazine: 

www.shiftcoloradomagazine.com  

Earlier in Late Summer:

I made a video discussing the a few of the modifications I made to the Lyka.   Remember that  I came into this project for STEAM, not necessarily HISTORY.   To those that pursue the holy grail of the historically correct original paint-job rolling chassis, I wish you well, and we can wave when we pass each other on the road.

 

I am getting near the end of my build.   

Hope you enjoyed the ride. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Be safe. 

Jim (poppa) Pope

Denver, Colorado

USA 

 

 

Update on the Regulator

Testing the rebuild

To recap - The regulator was very messy when first assembled.  It spit a lot along the push-rod thru the stuffing plate, and had a continuous leak at the seam of the two body pieces. 

 

I reassembled the unit after adding an O-Ring to the base of the threaded end at the seam of the two body pieces.   I used a US vendor - www.oringsandmore.com.    I measured the groove on the threaded end and bought a selection.  The one that fit was: 3/32"cross section, 15/16"I.D. , 1 1/8" O.D. , and made of FKM. FKM is rated at 600F.   

 

STW did not mention anything about an O-Ring.   As a matter of fact, the instructions for assembly of the regulator basically said - "Look at the diagram, you figure it out."  I used X-Pando on the threads and around the O-Ring.   I connected the two body parts together and torqued it in a vise with a large wrench. 

I then installed the regulator back in the car.  The nipple end bottomed out in the "T" location so I did the procedure where you paint the threads with SteamSeal, add a sealant thread, and then paint the threads again.  This allowed the mating to take place and gave me the ability to rotate the regulator to meet up with the brackets without worrying about being loose.

 

Once back in the car I let everything sit and harden for a week while I traveled.  Then I came back and fired her up for a test.  The test was with the boiler at the top of the glass, but the tanks are still out so I can get in and feel for exhaust and or steam leaks.  I heated her up to 200PSI and let her soak.  I purged a little thru the cylinder drains and over the next 2 hours watched for drips or steam in the area, purging every 15 min or so.   

After everything had cooled down, I finished wrapping the pipework to cover flare joints and exposed pieces in an effort to reduce the heat.  Once the tanks are back in, I can move on to the burner adjustments and hopefully finalize this whole lady. 

 

 

 That's all for this little update.

 

Thank you for reading,

Jim (poppa) Pope