Kozo K27 Link Support and Crosshead Guides

This segment will cover the link support and crosshead guides. In this shot the link support is seen below the running board level and supports the arced link block. The crosshead guides run from the bottom of the link support over to the cylinder.



The initial machining of the link support outer plates has been completed. These were machined as a pair by bolting them to a plate and cutting the arc with the arc function of the DRO. These will be machined further once they have been soldered to the other pieces. June 14, 2020.


The initial machining of the link support inner plates has been completed. These were also machined as a pair to cut the arcs and notch. June 26, 2020.


These are the rear blocks for the link support. The outer plates above will be bolted to the tabs on the one end and the inner plates will fit into the groove seen on the lower block for soldering. Note that the top block is oriented to show the back side. Once soldered together the link supports will be further machined as an assembly to get rid of the tabs and bolts to look more like a casting. June 26, 2020.


This is one of the front blocks on the link support assembly. I managed to finish this one before it got too hot in the shop after the AC decided to take a dive. It will probably be a couple of weeks before I can get some cooling going again and get back to work on the project with temps over 110. July 2, 2020.


The link support assemblies are really starting to take shape. A few round discs will need to be made for the bearing supports and the blocks for the crosshead guide rear supports will need to be added. Once those items are machined all of the pieces will be soldered together and the final finish machining performed. July 24, 2020.


It took quite a while to get cooling back in the shop but I'm now back in business. These disks will be the bosses that the bushings on the link supports will be held in. Aug 15, 2020.


These two blocks will be the attachments points for the crosshead guides on the front of the link support assemblies. August 16, 2020.


The link support assemblies with all of the parts screwed into position. The next step will be to solder the assemblies together and perform the final machining. August 16, 2020.


One of the link support assemblies after the first pass at soldering. Two more discs for the bushing bosses still need to be soldered at the open hole locations. Two soldering passes are required since the piece has to be flipped for the solder to be placed. August 22, 2020.


This is one of the supports after a lot of the finishing machining has been completed. The side rail finished width has been set, the final arcs cut, the arced triangle, a couple of steps on the mounting tabs and some tapers on a couple of pieces. Left to be done is the mounting holes on the tabs at the bottom, a step down on the crosshead guide support and drilling and reaming of the bushing bosses. August 23, 2020.


The machining of the two link supports has been completed with all of the mounting holes drilled and the bushing holes drilled on the front and back sides. The back side actually has two bushing holes with one being across from the front hole and the other at the top end in this shot. Note that the edges of these will be rounded with a file to make them look more like castings. September 5, 2020.


This is the cross tie that will attach the front end of the link supports to the frame rails. The feet on the bottom will sit on to of the frame rails between the first and second drivers. September 6, 2020.


The front cross tie has been bolted to the pair of link supports. This is a bottom view showing the feet that will attach to the top of the frame rails and the crosshead guide supports at the top. Next will be the construction of the rear cross tie. September 6, 2020.
 

The rear cross tie has been machined and soldered together. September 7, 2020.


This is a look at the complete link support assembly with all four pieces bolted together. The next step will be the machining of the feet that sit on top of the frame rails. These will need to be adjusted to place the crosshead guide supports at the proper height to line up with the supports of the cylinder assembly. September 7, 2020.


These are the crosshead guides which have been machined to size and mounting holes drilled and tapped. September 18, 2020.


The link support assembly and the crosshead guides being test fitted on the frame. The next step will be locating and drilling the mounting holes in the frame for the link support assembly and machining the six bushings for the shaft in the assembly. Once that is done this assembly step is completed. September 18, 2020.


The bushing set for the link support assembly has been completed and ready for installation. September 19, 2020.


The link support assembly now has bushings and all of the mounting holes in the frame have been drilled and tapped. This completes this assembly and now it is on to the pistons and crossheads. September 19, 2020.