Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT Kwik Fab's Small Shop
- Thread starter KwikFab
- Start date
Workspaces sized between 265 and 485 squarefeet.
Ahhh gotcha!
Naw the additive has a much higher boiling point than the water its mixed in.
I just run the garden hose out and fill with more as needed - this is regardless if I'm cutting a lot, or a little as there's a lot of evaporation that naturally occurs from being open on top.
The water is more for catching metal dust than anything else. Helping keep the steel cool on top is just a "bonus" but it does get messy.
It's my air compressor that needs help really but I'll have to run another 220v as well.
I added my own 220 to a 50 amp double pole breaker when we just had our house built. I did it for a welder I planned to run in there but never thought about an air compressor much less a CNC table
rd65
Well-known member
Some girl/woman posted on a FB group about dual sporting alone, stated she had dropped her bike but it was less than a mile walk to main road to get help picking it up. I chastised her some about riding alone and not being able to get out of trouble. The admins blocked me for a few days for being mean to her (I wasn't a **** or call her names, I just told her that was a bad decision). LOL. ok, but next time she is back 20 or 30 miles by herself and gets into trouble and can't get out I guess we won't need to read her posts about it.
Friend had asked me how many pierces so far from having done those panels.
I'd say I've probably got another 200-400 pierces left.
That initial pic of the nozzle isn't the best so here it is cleaned up - the orifice is still nice and round and not burned out
I know many in the FB group only range from 200 to 500 pierces per set, regardless of plasma cutter.
Then others that hit over 1,000.
If I had a larger air compressor, I'd have more filtration in place and I'd definitely see 1,500 pierces per set vs my average 900 to 1,100.
I'd say I've probably got another 200-400 pierces left.
That initial pic of the nozzle isn't the best so here it is cleaned up - the orifice is still nice and round and not burned out
I know many in the FB group only range from 200 to 500 pierces per set, regardless of plasma cutter.
Then others that hit over 1,000.
If I had a larger air compressor, I'd have more filtration in place and I'd definitely see 1,500 pierces per set vs my average 900 to 1,100.
I wish my Crusher was cool too! Paid $1500 for it almost 20 years ago, then some lady backed into the side of it and dented a door in. Her insurance gave us $1000 for the damage so now it’s a $500 LC! Paint is falling off and half the windows don’t want to roll up but it’s 2000 miles away from 300K and still drives nice and quiet with no squeaks or rattles! Now I need to get me a snorkel and some fancy cow catcher bumpers and a rooftop tent, then I’ll be KOOL!
Best part about it is that it will pretty much go anywhere I want to and except for the 17” Tacoma wheels it’s completely stock!
I love seeing the snorkel on a few pavement princesses around here. Most off-road they probably see is the WalMart parking lot.
That's a great question actually!
So, when I teach people how to work up their CAM on Fusion or Sheetcam, I do go over the importance of spacing out one's cut paths. This helps from allowing any one area to build up a lot of heat and prevent warping.
I've been fortunate enough that cut speeds normally address that without having to jump around so much for example in this piece I cut out on my old table.
Not bad considering the steel was only 16 gauge, and it was done on a hobbyist of a table.
Yet the piece sat as flat as the sheet was before being cut.
I pulled it off earlier this year and donated it as I decided I'll make myself another (one of these days).
Also have an even older video to showcase those cuts being spread out as such.
For that molle panel though, I did not bother spacing everything out in a different sequence and instead chose to just pause every 6 to 8 minutes or so.
Metal is going to warp slightly anyway, so it's best to just heat up the areas that show warpage and let it rest back on its own.
Y'all ever date that one person, that had issues in their past relationship.
Maybe it was cheating or something? And the issue being that they would come into the new relationship with trust issues even though you did nothing wrong?
Well that's how the **** I feel with these cause I'm charging double to the next person that asks for these!
At least they're done!
Best part is I was able to knock it all out on one set of consumables (still working) and I fit everything into a single 4' x 4'.
Customer wrote this job off as using the entire 4' x 8' so he'll be happy to see this unused.
Now I can clear the table and finish working on the railing for the backyard.
After which I need to finish up those pipe jack assemblies and knock out an order of truck parts.
Maybe it was cheating or something? And the issue being that they would come into the new relationship with trust issues even though you did nothing wrong?
Well that's how the **** I feel with these cause I'm charging double to the next person that asks for these!
At least they're done!
Best part is I was able to knock it all out on one set of consumables (still working) and I fit everything into a single 4' x 4'.
Customer wrote this job off as using the entire 4' x 8' so he'll be happy to see this unused.
Now I can clear the table and finish working on the railing for the backyard.
After which I need to finish up those pipe jack assemblies and knock out an order of truck parts.
A small update!
So, the customer called me after getting my pictures as he's crazy happy about the whole ordeal.
Originally he wasn't going to tell his customer that he outsourced the job (I don't think there's anything wrong with that). But in his conversation today he asked how much he owes me.
I told him "sir, gentleman's agreement. I told you $50 so just $50" and that's when he asked me for the real price. Apparently he had changed his mind and said he will tell the customer my actual cost and said not to worry about anything.
That's when I shared that realistically it'd be $150. It was a 12 minute runtime for each smaller panel, and 34 minutes per larger panel. Although my hourly rate is $100 per hour, I wasn't doing any welding or fabrication work so I broke it down to an hour and a half of table time at the rate of $50 per hour.
This is something I had calculated over a year ago as that makes up for consumable cost and electricity too.
The nozzle has a little bit of life left, but it's worth tossing as it'll create beveling.
And the electrode'a hafnium is nearly gone.
[Another issue with this forum - my picture won't upload yet it's the same resolution but smaller in file size than the one above]
Exactly why I need a better, larger air compressor! Y'all saw all the water my air dryer was puking.
Got 730 pierces this time around.
So, the customer called me after getting my pictures as he's crazy happy about the whole ordeal.
Originally he wasn't going to tell his customer that he outsourced the job (I don't think there's anything wrong with that). But in his conversation today he asked how much he owes me.
I told him "sir, gentleman's agreement. I told you $50 so just $50" and that's when he asked me for the real price. Apparently he had changed his mind and said he will tell the customer my actual cost and said not to worry about anything.
That's when I shared that realistically it'd be $150. It was a 12 minute runtime for each smaller panel, and 34 minutes per larger panel. Although my hourly rate is $100 per hour, I wasn't doing any welding or fabrication work so I broke it down to an hour and a half of table time at the rate of $50 per hour.
This is something I had calculated over a year ago as that makes up for consumable cost and electricity too.
The nozzle has a little bit of life left, but it's worth tossing as it'll create beveling.
And the electrode'a hafnium is nearly gone.
[Another issue with this forum - my picture won't upload yet it's the same resolution but smaller in file size than the one above]
Exactly why I need a better, larger air compressor! Y'all saw all the water my air dryer was puking.
Got 730 pierces this time around.
That was cool of him and good on you sticking to your word. I’ve had me share of underestimated projects thru the years and always stuck with the price I quoted. But, if they insisted on throwing money at me, well what kind of person would I be if I didn’t accept itA small update!
So, the customer called me after getting my pictures as he's crazy happy about the whole ordeal.
Originally he wasn't going to tell his customer that he outsourced the job (I don't think there's anything wrong with that). But in his conversation today he asked how much he owes me.
I told him "sir, gentleman's agreement. I told you $50 so just $50" and that's when he asked me for the real price. Apparently he had changed his mind and said he will tell the customer my actual cost and said not to worry about anything.
That's when I shared that realistically it'd be $150. It was a 12 minute runtime for each smaller panel, and 34 minutes per larger panel. Although my hourly rate is $100 per hour, I wasn't doing any welding or fabrication work so I broke it down to an hour and a half of table time at the rate of $50 per hour.
This is something I had calculated over a year ago as that makes up for consumable cost and electricity too.
The nozzle has a little bit of life left, but it's worth tossing as it'll create beveling.
And the electrode'a hafnium is nearly gone.
[Another issue with this forum - my picture won't upload yet it's the same resolution but smaller in file size than the one above]
Exactly why I need a better, larger air compressor! Y'all saw all the water my air dryer was puking.
Got 730 pierces this time around.
On side note years ago when I was building twin intake systems from tube steel another vendor started making single sided CAI units out of carbon fiber. He hadn’t developed the jig yet for making the bottom filter mounts so he was sourcing them from me. One day I guess I screwed the pooched and mentioned this online and man was he pissed off at me.
In my opinion there’s nothing wrong with sharing and or acknowledging the talent when props are do. Not everyone has the ability nor equipment to pull some of the details off all the time.
Thanks for the explanation!
customh
Well-known member
I'd have to satisfy my curiosity every time and see what SendCutSend or OSHCut would charge. Especially considering your proximity to SCS. I do understand the hobby aspect of course- just would want to know what the "market rate" is vs the "guy in a garage" rate.
Great work!!
Thanks!
So, a few things here that I'd love to shed light on!
I got into welding cause, I always wanted to do it. I'll skip the long story of how I got into it and all.
Anyway as my skill-set progressed, I wanted to cut down time (and effort) with the parts I was making as I would often use a hand torch (plasma) and shape with an angle grinder. Holes with a drill press and all that good ****.
Accidentally got into the whole CNC plasma gig and I did it as a means of adding a tool to the arsenal. I say accidentally because the thought had never occurred until I asked myself one day "what new tools can I add to make things easier?"
Big difference from those that buy into a CNC plasma table, especially with little to no metal working experience, and market their business around said table.
This is especially true of the cookie cutters er uhm, sign makers, that appear at every craft show and fair all around. I won't even mention how many plague Etsy.
Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that! But there are too many people that get into it thinking it's a get rich quick scheme only to realize there's a lot of learning to do on the computer side. On top of that, tons of people had the same idea so the entire market is way over saturated.
Well problem is, CAD seems to kick a lot of people's *** and the vast majority of members that join the Langmuir FB group (new members daily) are over my own age of 40.
There's this whole idea that you can just "load a file and press a button" and magic happens. Only to have issues with many cut paths being discarded, tons of dross, beveling like crazy, consumables lasting only 100 pierces, lead-in marks that even Ray Charles can see, and more. I won't even touch on the drawing part of it because many just go out buying commonly stolen and re-distributed files all over the internet.
So now, for those that did continue to push on and continue to do what they do, here's what bothers me. I'll see a lot of these signs posted on Marketplace, Etsy, local shows, etc and I am honestly SHOCKED at several things.
From signs being made of thinner gauge material (18 or 20), lines that aren't parallel where they should be on a design, corners that aren't nice and sharp, holes that look a bit oblong, or lead-in marks that are super noticeable on cut paths.
I don't do signs myself, as I mentioned that back in my post where I made that Welcome pumpkin sign, but when I do I sure as hell apply everything I know to that and everything else I cut. Pride goes into everything I make and you don't see it as often as you'd like from others.
Here's the last few signs I did before the Welcome sign.
Back to what you mentioned.
There are indeed times where simply going to a local shop that offers laser is a much better way to go, and I'll genuinely be honest about it to a customer. This is especially true for a mass order of parts as they will cut significantly faster and much cleaner. Plus, shops like to do bulk orders and not small ones.
I think I even told someone in this very forum how shipping a sign wouldn't make sense financially for them, even though I'd love to make a few bucks.
As for Send Cut Send, the reason why I still get new customers is because -
1. Many people like that one-on-one communication, whether via phone, text, messaging on FB or a forum.
2. I do all the CAD work, whereas many don't have the means of learning CAD especially if it's just for 1 part of their DIY project.
3. My rates are reasonable, even though I'm working from home but that's because I'm trying to keep it "affordable" for the average person.
4. I'm ok with small, one-off jobs - it's what got me here in the first place (have to be humble).
5. This goes on with #2 but I can offer advice based on my experience, in order to better satisfy a customer's needs.
I'm sure there are more but these are things I've been told from customers themselves and I'm always grateful that they're willing to support me.
So yeah, SCS is a great resource along with that other one you mentioned, but there are still a lot of people wanting to keep it old school. In short, I don't think either of us are really going to go out of business anytime soon. I'm not hurting their customer base, and they're not hurting mine.
customh
Well-known member
First, sorry- I wasn't implying at all that you should have outsourced, only curious about what they would have charged. I work in a shop that has similar equipment to SCS but a far more demanding customer base so it's all the more interesting to me how we/they make a good profit on all of it.
In doing design work for internal jobs I have also been educated on what it takes to turn a CAD model into the piece of sheet metal you want.
I guess this is a secondary part of what I was suggesting- given the right situation you could design/engineer the job and send it off to SCS. Unfortunately, I think to most people/customers the value is in the final part and what gets them in the door is knowing you're a "full solution" so they're willing to pay. If they knew you were just creating/manipulating files and someone else was "making" the part it gets more difficult to explain the value of your CAD time.
To wrap it all up- in your case I was referring to SCS as more of an estimating tool for you than an alternative solution.
Applicable for anyone considering a CNC table of any sort- and loosely related- a 3D Printer or CNC Machining center (on the far end of the scale)
In doing design work for internal jobs I have also been educated on what it takes to turn a CAD model into the piece of sheet metal you want.
The worst part of this is people who try to circumvent either the cost of good CAD software or the learning process.
I guess this is a secondary part of what I was suggesting- given the right situation you could design/engineer the job and send it off to SCS. Unfortunately, I think to most people/customers the value is in the final part and what gets them in the door is knowing you're a "full solution" so they're willing to pay. If they knew you were just creating/manipulating files and someone else was "making" the part it gets more difficult to explain the value of your CAD time.
Agreed- the ability to cut a sample for approval with no shipping lag in the middle is an important capability, among other things.
To wrap it all up- in your case I was referring to SCS as more of an estimating tool for you than an alternative solution.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
@KwikFab , well said. I completely understand your mindset, especially about looking at is as adding a tool to the shop to increase workflow, not build the entire business model around said piece of equipment. I have a similar mindset with my shop equipment.
I am often asked why I don't have a plasma table and although my son and I have thought about it on occasion, the truth is, as much as I love fabricating, it is only a small part of the services I offer and what I enjoy doing. There is such a wide range of tasks that I like to do in my shop that I don't want another piece of equipment sitting the vast majority of the time. I already feel guilty having the lathe and mill sitting there while I'm doing a wrenching job. Then there's the real estate larger equipment takes up in the shop. I really waffled over the powertrain lift table I purchased last year, but it's been a great addition to the shop even though it sits unused most of the time. That being said, when performing a standard wrenching job and I need to remove a few thousandths from something, having the ability to walk to the lathe or mill is a game changer, much like you having a plasma table I'm sure.
I am often asked why I don't have a plasma table and although my son and I have thought about it on occasion, the truth is, as much as I love fabricating, it is only a small part of the services I offer and what I enjoy doing. There is such a wide range of tasks that I like to do in my shop that I don't want another piece of equipment sitting the vast majority of the time. I already feel guilty having the lathe and mill sitting there while I'm doing a wrenching job. Then there's the real estate larger equipment takes up in the shop. I really waffled over the powertrain lift table I purchased last year, but it's been a great addition to the shop even though it sits unused most of the time. That being said, when performing a standard wrenching job and I need to remove a few thousandths from something, having the ability to walk to the lathe or mill is a game changer, much like you having a plasma table I'm sure.
Don't even trip! I didn't take it that way.
I've only ever gauged SCS once or twice, and it was very recently when another member in this forum asked me to cut some parts to make a sign from. I was actually a few bucks cheaper, but I knew I also pretty much did the labor part of it for free to get to that price point. I didn't mind it as the drawing took around 5 minutes total to do and he was a new-to-me customer.
So really, no real profit in that one and it'll be like that sometimes. In return, they either come back to me or send customers my way (sometimes).
What's funny is that I've had maybe just 1 customer balk at my price before. We weren't even that far off, I think less than $50, but the design work is where I mentioned I'd be adding on.
The issue being that, like you said, they were not educated on the CAD portion of it and thought I was just a button pusher loading an image and pressing "print".
With metal, you have to bridge letters, turn loops into open chain cut paths, and more in order to retain detail and not allow pieces to fall out. Unlike a sticker or a print on a shirt, letters are attached on said image where as on a solid object they'll fall out.
While the sign below is indeed a simple design, it did take me falling back on what I know to edit it in a manner that retains all the elements of the logo.
Not something that happens often, but I have actually shipped a part or two on my dime as a "rough mock-up fit" for customers out of state where hard dimensions were difficult to obtain. More specifically on vehicles where bends and other such obstacles come into play.
That or a simple lack of understanding of how to appropriately measure things.
Here, a customer had a custom bumper that had a proprietary fog light setup. He wanted to upgrade his fog lights to a premium setup but the mounts for his new fogs were a "top mount" style meant to be used in popular brand-name bumpers. You can see where I'm getting at.
Here's the proprietary mount for said bumper.
And since he didn't want to screw any part of the process up, he had shipped not only that mount, but also the mount for the new fogs and here's what I came up with.
I didn't do estimates on any of these though, but the one time I did add a "bend" on an SCS quote, the price starts to go up quite a lot!
One last thing I hadn't mentioned until now, SCS and other such companies are buying their raw material for significantly less than I am. That by itself is what makes them come close (or even cheaper) to what a lot of us have to charge.
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
@zmotorsports Mike, I am currently suffering thru that thought process, been 2 years since the bridgeport was turned on and almost as long between work for the old south bend. I have given thought to letting them go away to gain floor space. I do not do need to turn projects around so quickly that vending it out would be an issue.
@KwikFab your abilities and work deserve to be paid for by the customer. If they quibble the price, tell them to have a nice day. I'd much rather deal face to face!
@KwikFab your abilities and work deserve to be paid for by the customer. If they quibble the price, tell them to have a nice day. I'd much rather deal face to face!
@zmotorsports
@bugnut
Man, you guys with a lathe and mill and all...if only I had the shop space and funds for such tools!
But I also haven't pursued such things as well because like both of you mentioned, they hardly get used.
I've had a desktop CNC mill on my mind as well, and while I think a manual setup would be awesome, I'm already proficient with CAD.
There's the Shariff CNC mill I've had my eye on for awhile, but realistically it's hard to justify as I've only had 1 request for parts milled.
Then there's also the Woodward Fab tube bender, another tool I almost bought on several occasions with no real reason for owning one
Too much cool **** out there, and I have to ask myself each time "is it just for me, or do I want it to pay me back?"
I'll buy myself something, one of these days.
@bugnut
Man, you guys with a lathe and mill and all...if only I had the shop space and funds for such tools!
But I also haven't pursued such things as well because like both of you mentioned, they hardly get used.
I've had a desktop CNC mill on my mind as well, and while I think a manual setup would be awesome, I'm already proficient with CAD.
There's the Shariff CNC mill I've had my eye on for awhile, but realistically it's hard to justify as I've only had 1 request for parts milled.
Then there's also the Woodward Fab tube bender, another tool I almost bought on several occasions with no real reason for owning one
Too much cool **** out there, and I have to ask myself each time "is it just for me, or do I want it to pay me back?"
I'll buy myself something, one of these days.
rd65
Well-known member
Your young, got lots of time to expand or crossover to different types of work as you get less challenged with your current duties.@zmotorsports
@bugnut
Man, you guys with a lathe and mill and all...if only I had the shop space and funds for such tools!
But I also haven't pursued such things as well because like both of you mentioned, they hardly get used.
I've had a desktop CNC mill on my mind as well, and while I think a manual setup would be awesome, I'm already proficient with CAD.
There's the Shariff CNC mill I've had my eye on for awhile, but realistically it's hard to justify as I've only had 1 request for parts milled.
Then there's also the Woodward Fab tube bender, another tool I almost bought on several occasions with no real reason for owning one
Too much cool **** out there, and I have to ask myself each time "is it just for me, or do I want it to pay me back?"
I'll buy myself something, one of these days.
It's intentional!
I won't cross into other types because I've outweighed the pros and cons of many tools already (including those mentioned above).
There are a lot of tube bender owners in my county, often posting on marketplace. I did have maybe two total requests but that's in +3 years.
Absolutely no requests for lathe work, milling, etc.
It's one of those "if I buy this, I have to accept it's for me and it won't make my money back" sort of things.
Press brake is the closest thing to getting that money back but not as quickly as everything else I own.
But yeah, I'll venture into new things but strictly as a hobby!
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I could probably benefit from a CNC plasma table, I have the room and the power for one but I have absolutely no interest in learning how to program it or the burning desire to turn it into a business. I would rather be cutting, welding, and grinding than sitting at a desk tearing my hair out (metaphorically, I don't have any) trying to overcome my lack of interest in computer science. I can format a spreadsheet, compose a Word document, and do a PowerPoint presentation; had to use them when I was working, seldom any more. That's pretty much the extent of my computer skills and they have served me well up to this point.
Kudos to those of you who have the interest and skillset for CNC. For me it's a question of Will vs. Skill.
Kudos to those of you who have the interest and skillset for CNC. For me it's a question of Will vs. Skill.
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
My mentor tried to give me his FADAL CNC Milling center with a 5th axis for FREE! Told him thanks, but no thanks! The last thing I want to do is try to figure out FANUC or SolidWorks just to drill a hole into a piece of metal! I love Rock n Roll but I don’t want to know how to play a guitar like Eddie VanHalen. It took me years to realize that if I really wanted to do something I probably already knew how and the rest would just be a waste of my time and my treasure.
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
Maybe you don’t get requests for lathe and mill type jobs because your customers know you don’t do that?
Naw I don't share exactly what I do, and the requests come in as -
"Can you do this, or do that?"
That's when I share if I can or can't.
But there's a catch to that, because I don't look for customers or advertise at all. They all came from seeing posts on various forums I've made for different reasons, and that's where the private message comes in.
I'm a hobbyist first, with the ability to make stuff for others for pay. But I'm not at all an actual business of any sort
I do have my business license though, to cover my ***.
But it's why 90% of my business is online, and the local stuff is word of mouth. But I did look into stuff offered around me and being as industrial as it is, I'm way over my head trying to make real money. With the exception of "being affordable" and "doing small, one off jobs" that bigger shops either over estimate, or flat out reject.
If I had a better, larger press brake and say a tube bender, then maybe I could look into advertising myself out here. This way I can be much more of a one stop shop but there's a **** ton of people constantly posting "offering CNC services" as well. Many of those are the people I described above though...the cookie cutters lol
Watching your P&Q's for space planning and actual needs ain't a bad thing. I always did the opposite, I wanted, therefore I needed and therefore I got. Now I've got one hell of a collection that needs a decent sized footprint. It's cool having everything at your fingertips but it also means possibly being a slave to your possessions too.
BUT- /me whispers in Kwiks ears - you know you need a mill and a lathe
I started off with a mini lathe and even a mini mill would have done 60% of the whatever's I ever made. They don't take up much room and it'll blow your mind how many things come up that have a little bit of accuracy makes a world of difference. They don't need to be full on CNC by any means.
Just saying
BUT- /me whispers in Kwiks ears - you know you need a mill and a lathe
I started off with a mini lathe and even a mini mill would have done 60% of the whatever's I ever made. They don't take up much room and it'll blow your mind how many things come up that have a little bit of accuracy makes a world of difference. They don't need to be full on CNC by any means.
Just saying
Watching your P&Q's for space planning and actual needs ain't a bad thing. I always did the opposite, I wanted, therefore I needed and therefore I got. Now I've got one hell of a collection that needs a decent sized footprint. It's cool having everything at your fingertips but it also means possibly being a slave to your possessions too.
BUT- /me whispers in Kwiks ears - you know you need a mill and a lathe
I started off with a mini lathe and even a mini mill would have done 60% of the whatever's I ever made. They don't take up much room and it'll blow your mind how many things come up that have a little bit of accuracy makes a world of difference. They don't need to be full on CNC by any means.
Just saying
My guy, you're dangerous
Trust me, I did consider the cheaper Grizzly or Harbor Freight mini mills. I've found videos and threads covering them.
Naturally I'll read into all the "here's where they ****, and what you should upgrade" so now we're talking from cheap, to now spending as much on upgrades as the setup itself!
Yep let's upgrade the collet, replace the plastic gears, add a DRO, the list goes on lol
As old as I am, and ever since I retired and opted to be a stay at home dad, I told myself I want things to be done/made as easily as possible.
Having started off with a small, cheap CNC table, then moving on up not once but twice, has taught me to just go big or go home!
IF a mill does make it to my shop, it'd have to be a CNC setup. If it's manual, it better be free
rd65
Well-known member
I'll just leave this right here. Some good deals to be had sometimes.
www.publicsurplus.com
Public Surplus: Government Surplus Auctions
Public Surplus is the best government surplus auction system available. Find great deals on heavy equipment, cars, buses and even airplanes.
www.publicsurplus.com
I'll just leave this right here. Some good deals to be had sometimes.
Public Surplus: Government Surplus Auctions
Public Surplus is the best government surplus auction system available. Find great deals on heavy equipment, cars, buses and even airplanes.
You need money to even start looking on there
I don't have space for anything anyway other than anything larger than a desktop factor.
rd65
Well-known member
Living on the edge with that so close to your car.You know it's done right when it can stand on its own.
Space, or lack thereof
I had mentioned owning a truck that doesn't run in the What'd You Do thread.
Well I inherited an F250 about a year and a half ago. It's freaking mint too, only like 150k miles and the interior is immaculate.
Issue being that it developed a no-start issue and in less than a week, my FIL passed away.
He normally shares things with me, or got me involved in a lot of stuff as I was his go-to son-in-law.
Unfortunately, I don't know what the issue was exactly and since it sat at my MIL house for months, both batteries died. She says the EGR or something went out and that was it.
I'm assuming it'd be about $3-4k to get it up and running but that's probably overestimating just to be safe. I know vehicles very well, but not diesel trucks so that estimate is getting it towed to a mechanic and getting it worked on.
Truck had been meticulously maintained but I don't have the funds to throw at it so it takes up half my driveway parking. Otherwise, the 300ZX would sit in its place and I'd have the whole garage.
Wrench97
Well-known member
EGR should not make it not start, run bad, derate etc but should still start. What year which motor?Space, or lack thereof
I had mentioned owning a truck that doesn't run in the What'd You Do thread.
Well I inherited an F250 about a year and a half ago. It's freaking mint too, only like 150k miles and the interior is immaculate.
Issue being that it developed a no-start issue and in less than a week, my FIL passed away.
He normally shares things with me, or got me involved in a lot of stuff as I was his go-to son-in-law.
Unfortunately, I don't know what the issue was exactly and since it sat at my MIL house for months, both batteries died. She says the EGR or something went out and that was it.
I'm assuming it'd be about $3-4k to get it up and running but that's probably overestimating just to be safe. I know vehicles very well, but not diesel trucks so that estimate is getting it towed to a mechanic and getting it worked on.
Truck had been meticulously maintained but I don't have the funds to throw at it so it takes up half my driveway parking. Otherwise, the 300ZX would sit in its place and I'd have the whole garage.
It's a 6.0, think it's an '04? Or '05, think the last or second to last year of the 6.0 in this platform.
To add, it's 100% stock and old-man owned.
My FIL was a truck driver for +20 years and only drove it on trips and on weekends. Always maintained the whole time he's owned it as he got it pre-owned when it was 1 or 2 years old.
Wrench97
Well-known member
By far the most common no start issues with the 6.0's was the HPOP system, it uses high pressure oil to fire the injectors orings leak and cause the pressure to drop to the point it won't start, double check it's full of engine oil, and has fuel in it, past that it takes a lot of climbing up and down and being in awkward positions to get to any part of the HPOP system. A scan tool with data is needed to see real time pressures and desired pressures. For example desired pressure 2000 psi actual pressure 800 psi tells you there is a low pressure issue then you have to find the internal leak or sort out if the pump is bad.
I remember also reading something about low-voltage can go messing something up in that system (the only time I ever heard it mentioned before). Can you confirm?
Otherwise, no nice scan tool any more though, and definitely don't have a back suitable to do such work.
I need to hire it out.
To add, it took me about 9 hours to replace the starter on my GX470 this last year. If you've never worked on a 1UZ or 2UZ, the entire intake manifold has to come off, along with multiple coolant and fuel lines, and whatever else to get into the valley where the starter sits. Worst part? On a GX470, there's less room between the firewall and wiring harness compared to a Tundra in order to get to your starter bolts.
Anyway, I couldn't stand up or walk correctly for two or three days after that job from all the leaning over and wrenching. I can wrench, and have for lots of different powertrains, but my back is not up for the task like it used to be.
Definitely a job that needs hiring out, or just selling the truck as is.
Wrench97
Well-known member
Yep take a wild guess where the HPOP lives...same place as the GX470 starter only the intake and turbo are on top of it....
Yes voltage issues exist as do injector driver issues but can shorted out fairly quick with a scan tool.
Yes voltage issues exist as do injector driver issues but can shorted out fairly quick with a scan tool.