ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[mercracing]

Thanks for the detailed explanation! Very helpful in learning how you do it! It’s great being able to put your descriptions with your pictures!


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[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the detailed explanation! Very helpful in learning how you do it! It’s great being able to put your descriptions with your pictures!


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Thank you.

I edited my original post to put the descriptions with the corresponding pictures so I hope that helps.

 

[casmurbax]

That is one thing never lacking in this thread, detail.

Having been down a similar road, you make it look easy.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Based on your info, it seems this is not a technique for an amateur to try with a MIG welder. Particularly an old fart like me that does not have a very steady hand!

 

[Monza Harry]

I call the technique Mike used for the bolt extraction, "Building Snow Men" this is also commonly used for broken tap extraction, usually in steel for us, very little Aluminum used for our kind of tooling now. The computer and other prototyping techniques have replaced aluminum prototype tooling now. Some guys use nuts but I find with taps that they seem to break down the length [like one of the four flutes], and as a result the newly applied end breaks off after only a small part of a turn, [the broken ear tries and lock it up with "cam action"] until you can get it above the mating face and you can get the pieces better fused together, so I grab a fubared screw and weld that on so I can re-attach multiple times, the nuts are a onetime thing. Also useful is to heat let cool then as Mike said Lather, Rinse, Repeat, the heat cool process crushes the rust and or chips to make the fight a little easier. I am just trying to add another use for the process he highlighted above not steal his thunder, (like we could ). Harry

 

[Duker]

Mike just wanted to drop in and say Merry Christmas. I hope you and your family have a great holiday and an even better New Year! Looking forward to next year’s projects!


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[gearhead1960]

Mike,

As always your thread it a wealth of knowledge. Thank you! I hope you continue to spread the wealth and have a Merry Christmas and a properous New Year!

 

[LXCam]

Just wishing you and the whole family a Merry Christmas Mike

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

 

[zmotorsports]

Tonight I made more progress on the White Mountain ice cream maker.

Made a collar to grasp the splined shaft in the 6-jaw chuck.




Facing the splined shaft to length.


Machined to length and turned down to the minor diameter. I left the minor diameter slightly oversized to compensate for the wear in the housing.


Perfect fit with no play.


This part is completed and ready for assembly.


After welding up the output gear with silicon bronze I chucked it up in the 6-jaw and turned to diameter and faced.






Ready to start cutting teeth.


Scrap piece to make a mandrel to space the gear out away from the chuck in the dividing head.


Mandrel faced, drilled and tapped to hold the output gear.




Set up in the dividing head on center and to the correct depth.


Now to calculate the tooth count and I’m ready to cut some teeth and finish this project up and return to owner.

 

[quadrcr87]

Wow, this better be some good ice cream!

 

[indisguise]

Simply amazing work. Thanks for sharing the process on this. Great build.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks guys. I love little projects like this when they come through the door of the shop. This one allowed me the opportunity to learn to cut gears and even get a new tool that I've been wanting for a while.

 

[Balor]

Outstanding

 

[zmotorsports]

Outstanding

Thank you and thanks for following along.

 

[Bodj Built]

Hah this is something you'd see on This Old Tony! I'm always fascinated by lathe work, and he makes it seem like the work goes quickly (yes I know it's sped up in his videos lol)

 

[zmotorsports]

Hah this is something you'd see on This Old Tony! I'm always fascinated by lathe work, and he makes it seem like the work goes quickly (yes I know it's sped up in his videos lol)

Thank you although I’m no Tony. I do like lathe work however.

Thanks for following along.

 

[zmotorsports]

I finished up the ice cream maker project today so I can get it returned to its owner.

I then did a thorough deep cleaning of the shop before calling it a day and year.

Final cut on the output gear.


Deburring and cleaning the teeth up with a little hand filing.


Test fit and turned by hand to ensure everything spins smoothly.


Old grease removed, housing cleaned, new grease applied to gears and reassembled.


Test ran for over ten minutes to make certain no issues and ready to return to the owner.


Next was a deep cleaning of the shop including the workbenches and machinery.












Thanks for looking and I would like to wish everyone a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year.

 

[larry4406]

Nice save on the ice cream maker!

I hope customer makes you several batches of choice!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Happy New Year Mike, shop looks amazing!

 

[Finallygotit]

Happy New Year Mike!

 

[DennisK]

Thanks for getting my shop cleaned.NOT!!!!!!!! Can I post your clean hop pic?

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the comments guys and I hope everyone has a great new year in 2021.

 

[zmotorsports]

Today I tore into the dash on my Jeep.

On Christmas Eve as I was leaving work and started the Jeep I heard that ugly Chrysler click, click, clicking sound coming from under the dash.

I have replaced several of the blend door actuators on the Jeep JK’s so I swung by my local NAPA and picked one up but haven’t had time to tear into it until today.

After pulling it into the shop and cycled the blend door and realized it wasn’t the blend door actuator. I switched the modes and it wasn’t the mode door actuator either. I then hit the recirculating switch and BINGO, there’s the noise. ****! That’s the hardest one to access.



Access is less than ideal, especially for a big guy with large hands. I don’t know why they didn’t mount the actuator on the left side of the HVAC box where there’s plenty of room. But NO, they put it on the right side between the HVAC box and the right kick panel where there’s a whopping 3 inches of space.

Start by removing the glove box and the right dash speaker.


And this is where the culprit resides.


After a long removal process I opted to open the original one and see which gear is stripped.


Sure enough, there’s the broken tooth. See pick pointing to the broken gear.


Reassembled, cleaned, wiring put back in place and new cabin filters installed.


Project completed and dash functions properly and quietly again.
Thanks for looking.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Mike, it's kind of like the blower fan resistor on an 88-98 GM pickup...takes small hands even if you hold your tongue right

 

[quadrcr87]

I wish I lived in Utah so I could drop of my wife’s Jeep GC for some door lock actuator replacements. These are the type of jobs I try to avoid.

 

[Temaweaver]

Mike. Have you had issues with plugged heater cores? My son in laws had issues. It was replaced 4 yrs ago, and now once again there was little heat on the drivers side. I did a simple reverse flow with a garden hose. It’s about 50% better now. I saw some have done a clr flush. What do you think?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I did one on my F150 a few weeks ago. I got lucky that it was the "mode" door actuator and actually accessible without dismantling anything.

 

[protegeV]

Anyone else as shocked as me that Mike didnt just machine a new gear out of aluminum?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, it's kind of like the blower fan resistor on an 88-98 GM pickup...takes small hands even if you hold your tongue right

I wish I lived in Utah so I could drop of my wife’s Jeep GC for some door lock actuator replacements. These are the type of jobs I try to avoid.

Thanks guys. Yes, those small jobs can be a PITA but I especially despise interior work for some reason.

 

[zmotorsports]

I did one on my F150 a few weeks ago. I got lucky that it was the "mode" door actuator and actually accessible without dismantling anything.

Go ahead Ryan, rub it in.... I wish mine would have been the mode door as it is staring you in the face as soon as you pull the glove box out. No such luck though.

Anyone else as shocked as me that Mike didnt just machine a new gear out of aluminum?

That's what my wife said. She said you should be a pro at machining gears, why did you buy a new actuator. For the $25 dollars and piece of mind, I just bought one and stuck it in. Call me crazy.

 

[jalbrecht55]

Mike, random question for you, what brands and models of screwdrivers do you use and prefer? I’m tired of the crappy old craftsman ones I have (mine are even the old USA variety) and ready for an upgrade—but not sure what to get or where to get it.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike. Have you had issues with plugged heater cores? My son in laws had issues. It was replaced 4 yrs ago, and now once again there was little heat on the drivers side. I did a simple reverse flow with a garden hose. It’s about 50% better now. I saw some have done a clr flush. What do you think?

I haven't had cooling system restriction issues for quite some time now. Many years ago on the farm we had issues but that was solely due to neglect to the cooling systems. My dad was under the philosophy if it ain't broke, don't fix it which also went towards preventive maintenance. Once I started exchanging coolant on a regular basis and using distilled water I ceased having many cooling system issues.

Any of the modern plugged cooling systems that I have worked on over the past decade or so have been due to neglect, ie. lack of coolant exchange.

 

[ttpete]

Thanks guys. Yes, those small jobs can be a PITA but I especially despise interior work for some reason.

There's an old joke saying that all under-dash metal was made by Wilkinson Sword. The one I remember most was replacing the dash wiring harness on a 1961 Lincoln. My hands were a mess for a few weeks afterwards.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, random question for you, what brands and models of screwdrivers do you use and prefer? I’m tired of the crappy old craftsman ones I have (mine are even the old USA variety) and ready for an upgrade—but not sure what to get or where to get it.

My go-to screwdrivers are the Snap-on with the Instinct handles. Those are hands down my favorite followed distantly by a toss up between my Proto Duratek's, old plastic handled Snap-on and my really old MAC screwdrivers.

 

[Jehannum]

Anyone else as shocked as me that Mike didnt just machine a new gear out of aluminum?

Having done a few of these jobs for cars that don't have ready replacements available anymore (think 90s Japanese cars), if you do that and replace a gear with one that isn't likely to break under strain, you chase the problem to the next weakest place.

In my case, it's likely that the gear stripped because there's a jammed or corroded mix door hinge somewhere that needs attention paid before I chase another mix actuator down the tubes.

I've done acceptable replacements with FDM nylon 3D prints though. They're about as strong as the originals, and likely not to damage other parts before they strip out themselves.

 

[zmotorsports]

I thought I would follow up with some tips for anyone replacing a recirculation actuator in a Jeep Wrangler.

First I hate interior work but I’ve found that this little 1/4” extended length ratchet is the magic bullet for interior work. It has the long neck allowing access without the body of the tool getting in the way, it allows one handed removal of fasteners and has enough torque to perform the job but not so much that it strips the plastic bosses out nor too fast where it over-runs the threads pulling plastic threads out.


When installing the new actuator it is critical for proper spline alignment or the HVAC actuator will not calibrate. This is why I had to pull mine back out and re-clock the splined last night as it wouldn’t calibrate.

Upon removing the actuator from the package this flat spot on the output shaft should line up directly with the raised line on the body.

See two pictures below.




To do that the recirculation damper door must be fully raised (open) before installing the actuator assembly. Mine was raised but dropped slightly as I was engaging the splined originally. It must be pushed upwards then instal the actuator into the splined damper door for proper positioning.

Lastly after replacement a bi-directional scantool will make life easier by running a calibration cycle.


For the Snap-on tools the test is under HVAC system, then special tests and lastly actuator recalibration. Thus will run all actuators through their range to calibrate. After a successful calibration or passed message you can complete reassembly of the dash.

Lastly here is the part number for the Jeep actuator motors.


Dorman also makes one that is popular but the NAPA one is made by Echlin and I prefer it.

***On EDIT, I would advise against using aftermarket actuator motors. I had hear horror stories about the Dorman ones so I used the Echlin from NAPA and also had issues. Within a couple of weeks of replacing it the HVAC module would not be able to get consistent current reporting feedback from the actuator and therefore would have to re-sink with nearly every ignition cycle.

I replaced the Echlin with an OEM Mopar actuator and problem solved. OEM Mopar actuator part number is 68018109AA.

The Mopar OEM actuator does cost more but save yourself some time and frustration by only doing the job once. It's not worth it using an aftermarket and gambling on whether or not it will work on this job.

Thanks for looking.

 

[komalakustoms]

Hey Mike,

Long time viewer, first time commenter. Always loved following your shop build and projects. I love the craftsmanship and quality you put into your work. Hard to come by these days.

If you don't mind me asking, what trade is your career in? I took a 4 year tool and die apprenticeship and worked in the field for about 7 years before moving into engineering at my "day job". I love seeing other do this kind of stuff as well. My new shop being built will include machinery to better broaden the work scope of my business since moving to a new home with no shop and nowhere to move all my equipment.

Keep up the good work!

Alex

 

[zmotorsports]

Hey Mike,

Long time viewer, first time commenter. Always loved following your shop build and projects. I love the craftsmanship and quality you put into your work. Hard to come by these days.

If you don't mind me asking, what trade is your career in? I took a 4 year tool and die apprenticeship and worked in the field for about 7 years before moving into engineering at my "day job". I love seeing other do this kind of stuff as well. My new shop being built will include machinery to better broaden the work scope of my business since moving to a new home with no shop and nowhere to move all my equipment.

Keep up the good work!

Alex

Thank you for the comments and for following along Alex. Congrats on your new shop, hope the build goes well and you can get everything you want out of it.

My full-time job is in the Industrial Maintenance industry, followed by my second job that was running my speed shop for 20 years out of our previous home's shop.

I started as an Apprentice Industrial Maintenance Mechanic back in 1988 at the ripe 'ole age of 19 and worked up to Master Mechanic by around 1992. Then continued wrenching throughout my career up to lead and then Supervisor. I finally brought my tools home in 2015 when I stepped to a Maintenance Manager's position and stopped wrenching at my full-time job but still continue to wrench at my home shop. I am heavily involved in all aspects of Maintenance in my current position but on a larger scale in terms of projects.

My wife, son and I had a speed shop/business at our home shop from 1997 through the beginning of 2017 when I closed it down after moving.

Basically I am a mechanic who learned how to fabricate/weld and do some machining, still learning actually.

 

[JasonJ]

I swung by my local NAPA and picked one up but haven’t had time to tear into it until today.

I thought we were going to see another lathe project and some new gears... but NOooooooo you go to NAPA.