Modified FamilySew Zigzag
I recently acquired a familysew for a good deal off craigslist. I originally intended to use as is, but I found it difficult to keep the needle going without giving it all gas. I also really disliked how reversing/stitch length mechanism worked. I had to loosen it a lot to be able to switch to reverse, but it would then work itself loose while I was working. No bueno.
I watched a video of a guy who modified his with the sailrite spring and added the ez set. He didn't really explain how he did it or show how it was done. I was going to get the monster wheel anyways so I decided to order the spring and ez-set as well.
I had hoped to find the sizing info of the spring independently but no luck, so I included a ref photo of the spring for those who might want to try their luck somewhere else. Sailrite doesn't charge much for the spring but shipping and tax adds up.
I was able to find some video on sailrites youtube channel of the bottom of the machine. I could see what looked like the feed regulator spring hooked into the case, so I could see approximately where to drill a hole in the case. Also, in the schematics for the ultrafeed you can see where the other end of the spring inserts into the feed regulator.
I got to work, drilled the holes for the spring. Also decided to modify the familysew regulator a bit so it wouldn't interfere with the spring when it's in full reverse.
Unfortunately, the familysew feed regulator pivot and the interface to the casting is very rough. Also, the crank for the shuttle is very close to the casting, so backing it out too much interferes. I backed it out as much as I could.
The ez set install had a few hiccups as well. The arm that comes in the ez set kit is a size or two smaller than the familysew arm. The screws holding the old plate seem to be much shorter than what would come from sailrite, there was no threads left when using the star washer and the plastic keeper. The familysew screws are also a weird size (#6-40), and my local ace had #6 only in 32. I was able to get the ez set to screw on just fine without the additional hardware. I also grounded the knurled knob so it wouldn't interfere with the ez set plate.
The monster wheel went on easily, it's was a direct swap for the wheel that was included. I was able to increase the foot pedal setting, it's definitely easier to control than before but it's still a bit ruff.
The familysew is definitely an inferior machine to the sailrite. There is some resistance when the needle is transitioning from the lowest point that isn't consistent and seems to increase when the stitch length is at it's maximum. I don't know much about sewing machines but I'm pretty mechanically inclined and I enjoyed tinkering with it, trying to make it smoother.
I bought the machine with the intention of doing some automotive upholstery, but I would also like to make some motorcycle bags, I'm glad I found this subreddit and I'm happy to share.
edit:
to clarify, the resistance I'm feeling isn't a grinding or metal on metal kind. It's feels like a binding resistance. I've been able to reduce a bit with some changes to crank for the feet lift. I still think the timing of the feet crank is off. I haven't found any reference material for the driving and reverse mechanism so I'm making small tweaks here and there to see how they effect the movement. I was hoping to get some more feet lift but that seems to be limited by the cam on the upper crank arm.