ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

Mike, good to see you working in the shop again! Always fun to see what project comes out of the shop.

Thanks Duke. Yes, it is SOOOO nice to be working in the new shop and just plain working again. I didn't realize how much I had missed it.

My wife made the comment the other night that she realizes now how much my shop and what I do out there is a part of me rather than just something I do for fun. I thought after being married to me for 28 years she would have already known that but she said she didn't fully realize it until this move and shop construction to see what a fish out of water I have been.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

****, I spot a new workbench. Now I have to go back to the other thread and catch up. . . . again.

Yep, you'll have to get caught up again Eric. The benches turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. I also posted up some final pictures of the shop, yard and home after the gates have been installed and everything completed.

Mike

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Subscribed.

 

[C_F]

Your two test pieces sure look like duplicates of the original from my vantage point, nice work! Is the original made of aluminum, or just a weak steel?

 

[zmotorsports]

Your two test pieces sure look like duplicates of the original from my vantage point, nice work! Is the original made of aluminum, or just a weak steel?

The original was a cast aluminum piece with the flats machined and pin hole drilled.

Thanks.

Mike

 

[bullnerd]

BTW, I probably missed it, but where in UT are you located now?

I hate NJ anymore and always thought UT looked nice.

Love the mountain views everywhere you turn.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The original was a cast aluminum piece with the flats machined and pin hole drilled.

Thanks.

Mike

Mike, it's had to believe with what that box costs and the issue they seem to be having with breakage that they would skimp on such a little part. A simple part that could probably be run on a CNC machine by the hundreds, quite easily I would think.

I guess most would blame it on the bean counters.

 

[Ohmthis]

Mike, Very nice shop! My wife has seen in me what your wife now sees. She can tell I start to get an itch so to speak. It's funny how I totally feel tools, projects, and just creating something fulfills me. I joke that I'm just a worker bee and I can't helpnit. We are building a new house and I've been without my "shop" for some time now. I do have a lot of my tools at my dads house so I'm not completely lost.

 

[zmotorsports]

BTW, I probably missed it, but where in UT are you located now?

I hate NJ anymore and always thought UT looked nice.

Love the mountain views everywhere you turn.

We live in the Ogden area. Love my mountain views from my new home and shop.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, it's had to believe with what that box costs and the issue they seem to be having with breakage that they would skimp on such a little part. A simple part that could probably be run on a CNC machine by the hundreds, quite easily I would think.

I guess most would blame it on the bean counters.

I completely agree Eric. In Mac's defense, I think they buy the handles/latches bulk and just add them to their box. I am surprised though that they don't insist on a better quality latch vs. keep replacing them under warranty. Although maybe there aren't as many having issues as me. I know I have my toolbox loaded quite heavy with tools but I know Jeepers and I know I can't be the ONLY one loading it that heavy. My friend has lost one now but he has had his almost six months longer than I and I have lost three already.

I actually knocked out a third last night because another friend called me as he heard from friend #1 that I was making a modified piece and he just lost one as well so I will have three test pieces in the field being tested. We'll see how they hold up. I hope I didn't just design in a different failure point but it really ***** when that latch breaks and the drawer comes open and bangs against my tailgate. I don't want it scratched or dented so I hope this solves the issue.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, Very nice shop! My wife has seen in me what your wife now sees. She can tell I start to get an itch so to speak. It's funny how I totally feel tools, projects, and just creating something fulfills me. I joke that I'm just a worker bee and I can't helpnit. We are building a new house and I've been without my "shop" for some time now. I do have a lot of my tools at my dads house so I'm not completely lost.

Thanks for the comments. I wish you the best while building your new house and get your shop setup. You are fortunate to have your tools readily accessible as I had mine stuffed into my attached garage and the only thing I could get to easily was my actual toolbox. That was a long time to be without my shop and tool access. I feel my shop and using my tools is my stress relief and I was about to pop if I didn't get the shop done soon.

Mike

 

[bullnerd]

We live in the Ogden area. Love my mountain views from my new home and shop.

Mike

Thanks, looks beautiful.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks, looks beautiful.

Thank you.

For the record, I love living in Utah. Even in all our travels I still love coming back to my home in Utah.

Mike

 

[readhead]

I've always liked Ogden, especially the very wide streets in the old part of town. It seems like a very nice place to live.

 

[zmotorsports]

I've always liked Ogden, especially the very wide streets in the old part of town. It seems like a very nice place to live.

I'm kind of partial to it. Grew up just outside Ogden on my parent's dairy farm, then moved to Davis County in 1991 shortly after my wife and got married and now have moved back full circle.

The old 25th street has some really good restaurants that my wife and I like and has been restored quite well, kinda cool to walk through the old area. Some of the eastern benches can get a bit rough and the neighborhoods have declined quite a bit but still a very rich history in Ogden.

I can say a lot less traffic and congestion compared to Davis County which is very nice.

Thanks for stopping by my thread.

Mike

 

[racer-john]

Hi Mike, just stopped by to see your new shop and projects.
It's great work you are doing.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hi Mike, just stopped by to see your new shop and projects.
It's great work you are doing.

Thank you, I appreciate the comments and thanks for following along.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Just arrived home from a week long trip to Ouray, CO with RVing and Jeeping friends. Six days straight of Jeeping, doesn't get much better than that.

Our Jeep after coming over the water fall on Black Bear Pass and looking down on Telluride.


Still some spots of snow on Imogene Pass.




Arrived home last night, this morning I washed the coach and backed her back into the garage. It is so awesome being able to clean the coach and back it inside to keep clean and protected.


Coming through a small town on our trip I heard a slight sound coming from the curbside rear so I had to jack the rear of the coach up and locate the noise. Turns out it was a faulty wheel balancer on the drive axle right side so I had to replace it.




Put everything back together and torqued the wheels back on


We've had a slight leak off and on in the shower head for a while now in the coach's shower so I finally disassembled it so I could clean it, inspect and reassemble with new O-rings.


Thanks for looking.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[macgyver]

Hey Mike we just missed you by a week in Ouray!

 

[readhead]

I never get tired of that view. Many years ago I was the trail leader for the Black Bear run during the Telluride 4x4 Tour. That weekend only we were allowed to run the trail west to east. When you do that you find out why Black Bear got its reputation. Doing the steps by the mill uphill in the morning with the sun in your eyes is quite an experience. I led the first Hummers over that trail and it was a challenge.

I bet you had a great time. The weather has been cool and of course the scenery is fantastic.

 

[zmotorsports]

Hey Mike we just missed you by a week in Ouray!

That's too bad. Would have loved to run a trail or two with ya.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

I never get tired of that view. Many years ago I was the trail leader for the Black Bear run during the Telluride 4x4 Tour. That weekend only we were allowed to run the trail west to east. When you do that you find out why Black Bear got its reputation. Doing the steps by the mill uphill in the morning with the sun in your eyes is quite an experience. I led the first Hummers over that trail and it was a challenge.

I bet you had a great time. The weather has been cool and of course the scenery is fantastic.

We have a few from our RVing group that have ran it backwards with the Western Slope 4-Wheelers a few times but I've never done it backwards. We led the trails everyday but one during the week and had a great time, although I much prefer tail gunner to leader.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Griff93]

Man sometimes it's a small world. We rode black bear week before last. Also went over Imogene and Opher. Ate lunch at the Ouray Brewery on main street as well while we were in the area.

 

[zmotorsports]

Man sometimes it's a small world. We rode black bear week before last. Also went over Imogene and Opher. Ate lunch at the Ouray Brewery on main street as well while we were in the area.

Awesome. My wife and I love Ouray. Been going there for nine years now and can't ever seem to get enough of it.

Mike

 

[bullfrog123]

Still love the shop and good to see you getting to use it!!!!

How much lift do you have on your Jeep? Getting ready to do something to wifes 08 JK Rubicon. Stock for the last 9 yrs is long enough lol. Not looking for much but just enough to make it a real Jeep

 

[zmotorsports]

Still love the shop and good to see you getting to use it!!!!

How much lift do you have on your Jeep? Getting ready to do something to wifes 08 JK Rubicon. Stock for the last 9 yrs is long enough lol. Not looking for much but just enough to make it a real Jeep

Thanks for the comments.

My Jeep has 4" of lift and I am running 35's. It is also long armed which makes the ride fantastic but to be honest, really isn't needed on JK's until you go well over the 4 inch lift threshold.

You can get away with 35's quite easily with about 2.5 inches of lift. I would trim the rear of the Rubi-rails/sliders a bit though.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

My Onan 10kW watt diesel generator in our coach has had a slight hunting issue for the last little while. It was causing the frequency and voltage to fluctuate slightly so I wanted to address it before it got severe enough to damage electrical equipment. During our Ouray trip last week was the first time my wife could detect it so I knew it must be getting bad.lol

I ordered the governor actuator a couple of weeks ago so I ran and picked it up today on my lunch hour.

After returning home this evening I stuck the generator out the front of the coach. Access to the component was quite easy.

Onan part # 150-2700.




Here is where the governor actuator threads into the block.


The guard needs to be removed in order to thread the actuator out.


Old actuator removed and new one ready for installation.


After removal.


Old sealant removed and surface cleaned up with some Scotchbrite.


The FSM states to apply some Loctite 587 blue sealant but I am more fond of the GM ES sealant, also I already had some open. You want to apply it to the seat only, not on the threads.


New actuator installed and connected.


She's purring again and has 2940 hours on the clock.


Thanks for looking.

Mike.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shortykorte]

Wow you have a shop?

Nice seeing you making chips. What is a RV wheel balancer?

Looks like a great way to spend the week. Thanks for sharing the views.

 

[zmotorsports]

Wow you have a shop?

Nice seeing you making chips. What is a RV wheel balancer?

Looks like a great way to spend the week. Thanks for sharing the views.

Thanks Shorty. Yep I "finally" have a shop.[emoji3]

The wheel balances I'm running are a ring filled with fluid that not just balance the tire/wheel, they balance the entire rotating assembly going down the road. The ones I run are Balance Masters. Years ago there was a brand called Centramatics that used steel balls to balance the assembly with similar results. The bad thing about the Centramatics were at slow speeds you could here the steel balls "swooshing" around the ring. [emoji53]. Made a terrible sound pulling through a campground so I swore I would never be caught running them. Then I stumbled across the Balance Masters around early 2000's and had to have them.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SiGmA_X]

Mike, congrats on project completion. It's great to see you back in action!

Thanks Shorty. Yep I "finally" have a shop.[emoji3]

The wheel balances I'm running are a ring filled with fluid that not just balance the tire/wheel, they balance the entire rotating assembly going down the road. The ones I run are Balance Masters. Years ago there was a brand called Centramatics that used steel balls to balance the assembly with similar results. The bad thing about the Centramatics were at slow speeds you could here the steel balls "swooshing" around the ring. [emoji53]. Made a terrible sound pulling through a campground so I swore I would never be caught running them. Then I stumbled across the Balance Masters around early 2000's and had to have them.

Mike

Weird! Is that common with large trucks? This feels like a really dumb question (coming from a [retired] ASE master tech none the less ) but you do balance the wheels themselves too, right? I will be the first to admit I've never once worked on a large frame vehicle. I stick with small German vehicles.

E: I gave it a google. So strange!

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, congrats on project completion. It's great to see you back in action! Weird! Is that common with large trucks? This feels like a really dumb question (coming from a [retired] ASE master tech none the less ) but you do balance the wheels themselves too, right? I will be the first to admit I've never once worked on a large frame vehicle. I stick with small German vehicles.

E: I gave it a google. So strange!

Thanks Roman. It's great to have a shop to be working in again.

These Balance Masters are not what I would call common with large trucks as they can be a bit pricey. I just want my coach to ride and handle the absolute best it can which is why after researching these I installed them and have been very pleased.

That being said, I still balance each of my tires/wheels independent of each other as I feel this in conjunction with the balance rings I get the absolute best balance I can. I also run a product called CrossFires that equalize tire pressures between the inner and outer duals. I love these things as they also help to compensate for road crown on duals.

Mike

 

[jackson1701]

I love following your threads, your work, detail, and ability to document and share your knowledge is outstanding. Your new shop turned out amazing. I can't wait to see all that you will do in there.

I work on a fleet of 15 tractors. I have been using Equal wheel balancing beads for the past year. I have gained a small amount of mpg's as well as have seen better wear on the tires. The drivers say they can also tell a difference in the handling. I have since did away with the centramatics as they do eventually wear out/clump up and defeat the purpose. I may have to look into the set you have that are liquid filled and potentially do some testing. I like the equal tire beads but they do have to be replaced every time a tire is changed.

 

[Zeke]

Thanks for the link the Balance Masters. I've been familiar with the ball bearing versions since the late 50's (or maybe 60's, can't really be sure). The idea of using a viscous liquid ups that game for sure. Wish I'd thought of that.

 

[C_F]

That's pretty neat, I didn't know about the Balance Masters before today.

 

[zmotorsports]

I love following your threads, your work, detail, and ability to document and share your knowledge is outstanding. Your new shop turned out amazing. I can't wait to see all that you will do in there.

I work on a fleet of 15 tractors. I have been using Equal wheel balancing beads for the past year. I have gained a small amount of mpg's as well as have seen better wear on the tires. The drivers say they can also tell a difference in the handling. I have since did away with the centramatics as they do eventually wear out/clump up and defeat the purpose. I may have to look into the set you have that are liquid filled and potentially do some testing. I like the equal tire beads but they do have to be replaced every time a tire is changed.

Thank you for the kind words.

As for the balancing beads, I have a lot of RVing friends that use them with great results and feedback. Many use the beads because they don't know about the others or because the beads are less expensive, but I have run across very few people using the Balance Masters in my travels when the subject comes up.

Thanks for following along.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the link the Balance Masters. I've been familiar with the ball bearing versions since the late 50's (or maybe 60's, can't really be sure). The idea of using a viscous liquid ups that game for sure. Wish I'd thought of that.

Your welcome Zeke. Yes, the ball bearing type have been around a long, long time but if you are saying 50's that even before my time. I wasn't even a twinkle in my father's eye back then.

I too wish I would have thought of the heavy fluid version though. I'd be sitting somewhere relaxing earning dividends.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

That's pretty neat, I didn't know about the Balance Masters before today.

Glad to help.

Thanks for checking in on my projects thread.

Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

WoooHooo![emoji3] My ProRock 44 axle housing just showed up. Got a call just before lunch from the truck driver so I ran home on my lunch hour to unload the housing.


Looks like my work is cut out for me this weekend gutting my stock housing and switching everything over.

Mike


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zmotorsports]

Ooops. Sorry about the sideways pictures.

Mike

 

[LXCam]

Check that beast of a housing out. Do you need to do the center section as well or did it come with the dif, ring and pinion installed......just add axles kinds of deal?