General Tech What did you work on Today?

[moab_cj5]

No pics, but since having 3 windshields replaced in the last few months in 3 different vehicles, my insurance dropped my comprehensive glass coverage. I got 2 rock chips on Monday in my truck. Rather than pay someone to fix the chips (since it seems to be a common occurance to get chips in my truck) I bought a repair kit and learned how to repair them myself. The kit arrived today with the practice glass I bought.

I fixed a couple of chips on the practice glass, then tackled the chips on my truck windshield.

My repairs aren't as good as a real pro would do as I think a real high quality bridge is key, but they're good enough for me and if they crack I'll try again if I can catch them in time.

It'll take many more chip repairs to pay for the kit, but at the rate I'm getting chips, that'll be in another 2-3 months or so.

 

[zmotorsports]

JJ had dropped off a Dana 60 steering link to me last week but I hadn't gotten to it until the last couple of nights.

The steering link is a nice quality part that JJ needed the holes sunken in and the corresponding taper drilled as the studs were too short for the application and he wanted a full nut engagement of the threads.

I took some measurements and with his measurements of how deep the counterbores needed to be a plan was devised.


I had to start by grinding the proper 60-degree taper to match the original tapers. I used my small protractor to grind a 3/4" drill bit from my loose stash of bits then blued the taper to make certain it was accurate.


Bingo, that will work. Only took a few tries to get the bit ground to the correct 60-degree taper.


Next was to determine the diameter of the counterbore. The studs are 1/2"-20 so a tapered hex nut with a 3/4" hex will be used. I grabbed a couple of sockets to measure so that the sockets are tight in the bores.


Continuing to measure using pin gauges for the hole pattern.


Link clamped in the mill vise and a .500" pin gauge used to find the center of hole #1 then zeroed the X and Y axis on the DRO. Measured in both X and Y to determine the bolt pattern as I was unable to find the specs on the internet. Turned out to be an odd measurement. I would have thought it to be something more uniform like 3-1/16" or 2-1/16" but landed on 3.057" on the X and 2.118" on the Y axis. I even triple checked because that just didn't compute in my head why it would not be a standard dimension.


Starting with a 1" end mill I began boring the holes to within about .005" of target depth.


Measuring with a depth mic to make sure the DRO and the actual depth are the same. Yep. Ready to continue on with the other holes.


Last hole being bored to 1" with the end mill.



Stay tuned for more....

 

[zmotorsports]

Continuing on with the Dana 60 steering link for JJ.

My 3/8" drive socket fit into the 1" bore easily.


However, a 1/2" drive 3/4" socket was tight. I wanted to ensure there was enough clearance for any socket to fit plus not create any drag on the socket that could potentially affect torque values when installing.


I opted to shoot for 1.100" and after only two passes with my 2" Criterion boring head with the Mesa tool boring bar I landed right at 1.100".


A 1/2" drive socket now fits easily.


And more than enough room for a 3/8" drive socket.


Cleaned up and ready to move on to cutting the 60-degree tapers.


Using my Jacobs 18N drill chuck in the quill I used the custom ground 3/4" drill bit to take the taper to .200" depth to match the original taper.


Cleaned and deburred. A very slight amount of chatter in the bottom of the taper but otherwise it turned out great.



Thanks for looking.

 

[JeeperG]

Spent some time today doing yet more sanding, I tackled 3 of the 4 small filler panels, I'll have to remember to share some of the blocks we are using, between "big kid blocks" softer "durablocks", DA with 3000-5000 grit pads. Trying to get everything to the cutting compound stage.

My bro was tackling the inner fenders, everything is looking great to me.

Still have 2 doors, 4 fenders, cowel vent door, grille, small filler panel, few other smalls. Running boards and hood are done.

Maybe I'll detour up to Peach days tomorrow for a break, inspiration and to remember why I'm doing this.

 

[JeeperG]

Here's a few of the blocks and such we are using

Busted out a few more small panels, tried to get a picture showing the nibs on top of the base coat, we didn't sand base. Seems to be sanding out just fine.

Neighbor got the seats pretty much done, this is his first time doing leather upholstery. I think they look great.



Edit..So these seats I pulled out of a junkyard like 7? Years ago. They are basic all mechanical out of a late 90s "Pontiac Sunfire". I used these based off size, with the headrest removed the top of the seat sits almost perfect with the bottom of the rear window, the width was a lot narrower than more modern seats, that cab is very small.

They also have those big bolsters to hold your ass in, the seat cushions where swapped sides to put the bigger bolster on the door side and to give more room for the center console.

We also put a driver side set of sliders on the passenger seat because the drivers are flat and the passenger are curved.

My brothers throw away car (cavalier) has the exact same clam shell seats.

Sitting in them feels similar to sitting in my wrangler up taller, with some sliding and back rest adjustments, way more comfortable than the two 40 coupes with their fixed bench seats and also little space.

 

[STAG]

For his first time doing leather upholstery, he killed it. I’d use him even for some of my own projects for sure.

 

[JeeperG]

For his first time doing leather upholstery, he killed it. I’d use him even for some of my own projects for sure.

He's not new to a sewing machine, he does boat covers at home when not working his day job.

The leather is a whole different "animal" to work with.

 

[bryson]

JJ had dropped off a Dana 60 steering link to me last week but I hadn't gotten to it until the last couple of nights.

The steering link is a nice quality part that JJ needed the holes sunken in and the corresponding taper drilled as the studs were too short for the application and he wanted a full nut engagement of the threads.

I took some measurements and with his measurements of how deep the counterbores needed to be a plan was devised.
View attachment 163719

I had to start by grinding the proper 60-degree taper to match the original tapers. I used my small protractor to grind a 3/4" drill bit from my loose stash of bits then blued the taper to make certain it was accurate.
View attachment 163720

Bingo, that will work. Only took a few tries to get the bit ground to the correct 60-degree taper.
View attachment 163721

Next was to determine the diameter of the counterbore. The studs are 1/2"-20 so a tapered hex nut with a 3/4" hex will be used. I grabbed a couple of sockets to measure so that the sockets are tight in the bores.
View attachment 163722

Continuing to measure using pin gauges for the hole pattern.
View attachment 163723

Link clamped in the mill vise and a .500" pin gauge used to find the center of hole #1 then zeroed the X and Y axis on the DRO. Measured in both X and Y to determine the bolt pattern as I was unable to find the specs on the internet. Turned out to be an odd measurement. I would have thought it to be something more uniform like 3-1/16" or 2-1/16" but landed on 3.057" on the X and 2.118" on the Y axis. I even triple checked because that just didn't compute in my head why it would not be a standard dimension.
View attachment 163724

Starting with a 1" end mill I began boring the holes to within about .005" of target depth.
View attachment 163725

Measuring with a depth mic to make sure the DRO and the actual depth are the same. Yep. Ready to continue on with the other holes.
View attachment 163726

Last hole being bored to 1" with the end mill.
View attachment 163727


Stay tuned for more....

Awesome work! But, I gotta ask - wouldn't it have been far cheaper and easier to just find longer studs?

 

[NYCEGUY01]

Awesome work! But, I gotta ask - wouldn't it have been far cheaper and easier to just find longer studs?

You would think. It seems there are really only 2 length of stud made for this application.
"standard" which is what I had and then much longer ones for the 2.5" block. (used for non crossover lifted Chevys).
The longer ones dont have enough threads on each end to work with only a 1" block.
It seems most guys doing a 1" block just cheat them with less threads in the knuckle and not quite enough thread engagement on the other end or they use bolts instead of ARP studs.
I didnt really like that idea so Mike did this and it worked perfectly.
I have full thread engagement in the knuckle, like 1.25", and then full nut engagement on top.

Normally its not something that is needed but on my Blazer Im running very thick leaf packs, Deaver long travel with 12 thin leafs, and then I also have a 1" zero rate to move the axle forward 1.5" and provide a little more room for the 40's. The leafs are only 4" lift.

Truthfully, I may have still gotten away with it but it would have barely cleared. The extra 1" just makes sure the steering stays off the spring pack.

 

[TRD270]

Well finally got the 96 4runner to a place where I want to start driving around. Time for some basic maintenance….. now wish I had gone to a quick lube before I drove it home from Colorado 😭

 

[Herzog]

Farm-bro truck didn't have an exhaust from the Y pipe back, but luckily the guy I bought it from tossed in some components. Ended up with a flowmaster that I'm not too fond of and a couple glasspacks. I decided to try a glasspack then the flowmaster just to see it would calm it down a little. I'm not going for bro-sound, just want to tone it down a bit.






Took it for a drive and while it is a lot quieter now, it still has that annoying low end drone... but good enough!

I guess I have a question - was it a bad idea to put the glasspack in the middle there? Does it help or is it just helping the truck be 'bro'? I'm muffler-tarded so any help is appreciated. Also - are glasspacks directional? I didn't see markings. I probably put it on backwards.

Next is to fix the mounts of the chevy bench seat in the inside, or find an original bench seat for it and then it's time to make a plow mount (or buy the kit, I haven't decided on that yet)

 

[Hickey]

Farm-bro truck didn't have an exhaust from the Y pipe back, but luckily the guy I bought it from tossed in some components. Ended up with a flowmaster that I'm not too fond of and a couple glasspacks. I decided to try a glasspack then the flowmaster just to see it would calm it down a little. I'm not going for bro-sound, just want to tone it down a bit.

View attachment 163941

View attachment 163942
View attachment 163943

Took it for a drive and while it is a lot quieter now, it still has that annoying low end drone... but good enough!

I guess I have a question - was it a bad idea to put the glasspack in the middle there? Does it help or is it just helping the truck be 'bro'? I'm muffler-tarded so any help is appreciated. Also - are glasspacks directional? I didn't see markings. I probably put it on backwards.

Next is to fix the mounts of the chevy bench seat in the inside, or find an original bench seat for it and then it's time to make a plow mount (or buy the kit, I haven't decided on that yet)

Glass packs can be directional, just depends on the shape/style of the screen material inside. A longer tail pipe may help the drone sound.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have had new front wheels for my 21" Snapper walk-behind mower sitting on my workbench for the past couple of weeks with no time to replace.

I have replaced these front wheels three times now in the 32+ years I've owned this mower. However, in the past I have just spent the bucks and purchased replacement Snapper ones but they use a 7/16" shaft so require a smaller than normal bearing which of course, nearly doubles the cost of each wheel.

I found a couple of wheels of the same exact size from my local Tractor Supply for less than half the cost and seeing as how I really don't feel the OEM Snapper ones last any longer I just can't justify the added cost.

Unfortunately, the more popular aftermarket replacements have a 1/2" bearing ID so I had to make a couple of adapters before I could just throw the wheels on.

These ones didn't last as long as I would have expected. I don't necessarily think I am hard on stuff, the exact opposite in fact. However, these just didn't last very long before they started to come apart so it was hard to justify spending $25/each when I could find aftermarket with a different bearing size for around $10/each.


Took some measurements to determine the overall length of the spacers. I grabbed some 1/2" aluminum round stock to save one step in order to keep this quick and simple. After drilling then reaming the bore to .4375" diameter I parted the spacer off about .020" long so I could flip the part in the collet and face to length then debur. One down and one to go.


Both spacers done and landed right @ the 1.240" target length.


New wheels installed with the spacers and while it was in the shop I figured I'd double check the blade balance and give the underside of the deck a quick cleaning.


Cleaned the bulk of the grass off the blade and it was still perfectly balanced and we're well past halfway through the mowing season.


Edge still looks good with no knicks or gouges.


Ready to go back into the house garage for tomorrow's mowing.


She's holding up quite well for a 32+ year old mower that gets used twice weekly and has been for its entire life. My goal it leave it to my son in just as good of condition when I'm long gone.

 

[Hickey]

I have had new front wheels for my 21" Snapper walk-behind mower sitting on my workbench for the past couple of weeks with no time to replace.

I have replaced these front wheels three times now in the 32+ years I've owned this mower. However, in the past I have just spent the bucks and purchased replacement Snapper ones but they use a 7/16" shaft so require a smaller than normal bearing which of course, nearly doubles the cost of each wheel.

I found a couple of wheels of the same exact size from my local Tractor Supply for less than half the cost and seeing as how I really don't feel the OEM Snapper ones last any longer I just can't justify the added cost.

Unfortunately, the more popular aftermarket replacements have a 1/2" bearing ID so I had to make a couple of adapters before I could just throw the wheels on.

These ones didn't last as long as I would have expected. I don't necessarily think I am hard on stuff, the exact opposite in fact. However, these just didn't last very long before they started to come apart so it was hard to justify spending $25/each when I could find aftermarket with a different bearing size for around $10/each.
View attachment 163944

Took some measurements to determine the overall length of the spacers. I grabbed some 1/2" aluminum round stock to save one step in order to keep this quick and simple. After drilling then reaming the bore to .4375" diameter I parted the spacer off about .020" long so I could flip the part in the collet and face to length then debur. One down and one to go.
View attachment 163945

Both spacers done and landed right @ the 1.240" target length.
View attachment 163946

New wheels installed with the spacers and while it was in the shop I figured I'd double check the blade balance and give the underside of the deck a quick cleaning.
View attachment 163948

Cleaned the bulk of the grass off the blade and it was still perfectly balanced and we're well past halfway through the mowing season.
View attachment 163949

Edge still looks good with no knicks or gouges.
View attachment 163950

Ready to go back into the house garage for tomorrow's mowing.
View attachment 163951

She's holding up quite well for a 32+ year old mower that gets used twice weekly and has been for its entire life. My goal it leave it to my son in just as good of condition when I'm long gone.

I’ve never seen a mower blade like that. Looks pretty efficient.

Also, I was expecting to see some custom spun front wheels with speed holes.

 

[Hickey]

I started removing the extra brackets and truss from Britney’s old axle, since leaf springs will be under it soon. I procrastinated on this job as long as possible. Lots more grinding to do. I wish I could find a side gouge tip for my plasma cutter.

 

[zmotorsports]

I’ve never seen a mower blade like that. Looks pretty efficient.

Also, I was expecting to see some custom spun front wheels with speed holes.

I'm sorry to disappoint ya Jeremy. This was just a quick job out of necessity rather than aesthetics.

The blade is actually an OEM factory option from Snapper years ago that they marketed as a mulching blade. It works exceptionally well and has been a great blade.

 

[JeeperG]

Was out in the garage for a bit today revisiting my headlight situation, I have already went through 3 other sets of LED headlights that just would not work with these headlight buckets and bezels.

The Holley retrobright I really liked but it was a no go, the lenses are too tall and you are unable to get the bezel on. Holley even has some pictures on their page with a 40 Ford Sedan and I think the same car has a YouTube video I watched where the shop installed them, they are no way plug and play, would take a whole lot of modifying the headlight bucket and bezel to work properly and I just don't want to do that.

At any rate, I found these Grote LEDs that I think I can get to work, still not without a little modification, I've filed down some material already and I've been able to get them to sit in the bucket and install the bezel, there are still some things I need to figure out, I think the back case is resting on a spring or two so it won't seat exactly flush, it's impossible to see inside the bucket so I'll keep tinkering, I might be able to shave a little material on the back case or maybe bend the spring slightly. Also the three nibs on the front of the lens I think need to be shaved down, I certainly want to be able to adjust them.

I was hoping to get a LED that looked like the sealed beams that came out. Oh well, this whole truck I feel is a little different than the cookie cutter builds out there.

 

[Hickey]

I installed a new sending unit in the Motobilt Stretch tank and primed the inside of the tank skid. I had to take some bend out of the pickup tube, as it was about 1.5” away from the bottom of the new tank.



I let the tank skid sit in my paint booth to bake for a day or two.

 

[jackjoh]

I did the same thing to my 99 S.D. and I love it. I do not often need seating for six but it sure has been nice when I did and the new seat/console is more comfy than the old arm rests. I just put a cutoff wheel on the stud on the seat so my hack saw would not ruin the seat cover but your way is better that steel is harder than the gates of hell. took forever to cut them with the hack saw.

Do you remember "Hacksaw Williams " who played for the Rams back in 1957?" He actually cut his Jeep into pieces when he was in college.

 

[Gravy]

After seeing @cruiseroutfit 's Land Cruiser with the big ARB lights at BeWilder I remembered I had a pair of ARB shaped lights sitting on my shelf and decided to mount them a less conspicuous way.
Little did I know this would take many hours...

Visualization


Cutting big holes


Assembly


Mockup


Bracket fabrication (I tried to be a classy guy and tig all this up)



I wasn't too pleased with how wobbly it was and I was getting bugged with how slow the fabrication was going so out came the MIG out came the bracket and I added more bracing.
And did my wiring.


Testing the stupid bright lights!


Tied up the wiring loom.


Aiming