Just something to pass the time. . .
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.
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.
