In Reply to: Re: Ford 501 Sickle Bar Components posted by Mario on February 05, 2017 at 11:39:59:
Just to follow up my own post in case someday someone needs the information: My sickle had thick wear plates and shims (figure number 21, not 20)under each one raising the blade sections off the ledgers way too much. I purchased all new wear plates and found them to be thinner. I was thinking that I would have a metal fabrication shop custom cut me some shims (20) from 18 gauge metal, but it didn't need any shims. Perhaps the primer I applied to all the bare metal surfaces played a role in that. Maybe it will require shims after a few hours of cutting. For the components (2, 3, & 18) I custom cut my old wear plates, and added a couple shims (21) to create the clearance. I rapped on a few of the rock guards to get them parallel to the blade sections, but my one new rock guard and another were difficult. I'll go back to those two prior to painting, and examine what the issue is. Currently, I'm fabricating a new outer shoe and modifying the rear of the inner shoe to provide a taller cut with 1/2" increments. The gist of it is, do whatever it takes to get the blade section clearance correct in a professional manner. It helps to use components that are original or close to original and all consistent.