ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

I like the relay holder for the Fass. What would it cost to make one of those to hold 2 relays side by side in that same spot?

Thank you.

PM me your shipping information please.

 

[zmotorsports]

What a great weekend. The weather was absolutely fabulous and I was able to get a lot done in the shop as well as some yardwork and relaxing with the wife. Took the wife to dinner Saturday night for her birthday and was able to sit on the deck and relax some over the past couple of days.

Saturday morning I started on the Jeep by swapping over from my Freedom Tops to my Sunrider soft top front section. I love having the ability to flip the top back and enjoy the sunshine and air.

In addition to a standard LOF service, tire rotation and overall check up on the chassis I have also wanted to relocate my front lower shock mounts outboard a bit. With maximum droop and the front axle hanging on the limiting straps my front shock bodies were just barely coming in contact with the frame rails. I have seen people bend shock rods and have other shock related issues due to this so I wanted to compensate by moving my lower shock mounts outboard but haven't had time until now. I was going to fabricate some lower mounts but Nemesis Off-Road already had some nice relocation brackets available at a reasonable price so I purchased some last fall and decided to install them.

With all the comments about cordless impacts on my thread lately, I thought I'd give my Milwaukee 1/2" another try. Still not completely sold on them.


Oil and filter at the ready.


Jeep racked and tires/wheels removed for rotation as well as a good overall inspection of all things chassis.


The Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's are wearing well. My dial gauge wouldn't quite reach the bottom of the tread.


Had to switch over to my old school tread depth gauge to read the proper tread depth.


This tire had 1/32" more than the others as it was the spare for the past couple thousand miles.


While working I threw a few batteries on the chargers. I try not to leave batteries on the chargers over night so Saturdays seem to be charging day when I'm in the shop for extended time.


More to follow.

 

[zmotorsports]

Preparing to remove the lower shock bolt and mock the new brackets into position.


Here you can see a faint scratch in the shock body where it very lightly comes in contact with the frame rail at full droop when the axle is articulated out. My situation was nowhere near as severe as I've seen but I still thought I'd address it to prevent any contact, no matter how little.


Here is the Nemesis lower shock relocation bracket. I like this design as it also turns the lower shock mount 90-degrees to prevent binding of the bushing which should prolong the life of the lower bushing greatly.


Paint knocked off the areas which will be welded.


Mill scale knocked off the bracket for welding.


Using a bolt to mock into position for welding.


Lower shock relocation bracket fully welded and sharp edges knocked down in preparation for paint.


Couple light coats of Eastwood Extreme Chassis Paint applied. I really need to redo the entire chassis at some point.


Shock bolted back in place then the brake and ABS lines secured into the old shock bolt hole.


More to follow.

 

[zmotorsports]

The shock relocation actually moved the lower shock centerline outboard 2.5". Probably a bit more then necessary but I like having the shocks angled outward and down as I feel it provides a more positive feel both on and off-road.


The upper body of the shock now has just over 2" of clearance. Should be more than enough to avoid contacting the frame rail.


Here you can see the much more dramatic outboard angle of the front shocks.




Prior to commencing on the shocks, I cleaned the air filter thoroughly using cleaner and warm water. I then let is sit in the sun for several hours before oiling and reinstalling. Here it is oiled and ready for installation.


Tires/wheels reinstalled and torqued to spec. Oil changed and clean air filter installed. Also checked other fluids while it was in the shop and checked the battery and charging system.


Ready to go. I feel bad as I really haven't done anything but drive the ole' girl since the last service clear back in October of 2021.



Can't wait to get her off-road and start doing some traveling this season.

Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

It ended up being a service weekend.

While the wife was doing some housework Sunday morning after breakfast, I thought I would be nice and take her car to fuel it up. While driving to the fuel station I noticed that the service was coming close to due and knowing I had some other work to do around the yard and in the shop in the near future I thought I'd just pull it in the shop and perform the service on it.


Oil and filter at the ready.


Replacing the oil drain plug seal/washer.


Torqueing the oil drain plug to spec.


Reinstalling the tires/wheels after rotating them. I use a speeder to spin the lug nuts tight by hand.


Next I torque the wheels on in 2-3 step increments.


Oil filled, fluids checked and battery/starter system checked.


Her car is ready to go again. Keeping her daily driver in pristine condition is priority one. One less thing to stress over knowing her car is in perfect running condition at any given time.

Thanks for looking.

 

[casmurbax]

How is your wife liking the tires?

I put a set on my car back in July and have around 14,000 miles on them. I have been happy with them.

 

[zmotorsports]

How is your wife liking the tires?

I put a set on my car back in July and have around 14,000 miles on them. I have been happy with them.

She has no complaints. We had a couple of pretty good snow storms here this past winter and they did great. They appear to be wearing well also.

 

[casmurbax]

That's good news.

I always enjoy seeing your work and I appreciate that you take the time to share your thought process as to why you chose to do things a certain way.

 

[zmotorsports]

That's good news.

I always enjoy seeing your work and I appreciate that you take the time to share your thought process as to why you chose to do things a certain way.

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to follow along.

 

[signcrafter]

Mike it looks like your 1/2" impact isnt a fuel? The fuel high torque is a monster. Or try the 3/8" mid torque fuel. Think it has around 600 ft/lbs. That and the 3/8" stubby are next on my list. The mid torque will do most suspension and brakes and lug nuts. I went battery and havent used my air impacts in a few years.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike it looks like your 1/2" impact isnt a fuel? The fuel high torque is a monster. Or try the 3/8" mid torque fuel. Think it has around 600 ft/lbs. That and the 3/8" stubby are next on my list. The mid torque will do most suspension and brakes and lug nuts. I went battery and havent used my air impacts in a few years.

No, my 1/2" Milwaukee isn't the Fuel line. It works well but I'm just not on the cordless bandwagon and don't see myself going there. I do like a couple of my Snap-on cordless ratchets and really like my Snap-on 3/8" impact but for the most part I'm old school and prefer my air tools over anything cordless. I'm just not one for battery powered anything over my pneumatics. Hell, I don't even use my auto darkening welding helmet and still much prefer my old Jackson or Huntsman over anything auto darkening.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

No, my 1/2" Milwaukee isn't the Fuel line. It works well but I'm just not on the cordless bandwagon and don't see myself going there. I do like a couple of my Snap-on cordless ratchets and really like my Snap-on 3/8" impact but for the most part I'm old school and prefer my air tools over anything cordless. I'm just not one for battery powered anything over my pneumatics. Hell, I don't even use my auto darkening welding helmet and still much prefer my old Jackson or Huntsman over anything auto darkening.

Next you're going to tell us you walk up hill in the snow, both to and from work each day......


I get it; we all like what we like. I still prefer corded power tools when I'm in the garage. I've adopted the M12 and M18 tools though.

 

[customh]

No, my 1/2" Milwaukee isn't the Fuel line. It works well but I'm just not on the cordless bandwagon and don't see myself going there. I do like a couple of my Snap-on cordless ratchets and really like my Snap-on 3/8" impact but for the most part I'm old school and prefer my air tools over anything cordless. I'm just not one for battery powered anything over my pneumatics. Hell, I don't even use my auto darkening welding helmet and still much prefer my old Jackson or Huntsman over anything auto darkening.

The technology advancement that has happened since that impact came out is crazy Mike. I'd bet my M12 Stubby 3/8" at work has the same specs as your 1/2". I bought my M18 kit at the Branerd NHRA Nats back in 2010 or something and using the new stuff it's easy to see the difference.

 

[Boosted1]

I have a few battery guns and like them.
I have a Ingersoll Rand 1/2" drive that will remove almost anything I have ever thrown at it.

Nice job on the shock mount relocation. Was the shock body indented any where the paint was scratched?,,,

 

[zmotorsports]

I have a few battery guns and like them.
I have a Ingersoll Rand 1/2" drive that will remove almost anything I have ever thrown at it.

Nice job on the shock mount relocation. Was the shock body indented any where the paint was scratched?,,,

Thank you.

No it wasn't dented or deformed, just scratched.

 

[zmotorsports]

I had intended to do a few things in the yard last night but the wind was blowing like hell and it was sprinkling on/off so I knocked out a couple of small brackets for mounting relays.

I dug through my scrap drawer, found a couple pieces of .125" 6061 aluminum. Then grabbed a couple of relays for measuring width and mock up.


Drilling the holes prior to welding. This is the dual relay bracket.


Single relay bracket.


Mocking up on my GMT800 chassis for fitment. The support bracket from the fender to the cowl doesn't allow much space for a double wide relay bracket but with a little maneuvering and repositioning it will fit.


Welding the brackets.


Brackets welded and metal finished.


Tapping the relay mounting holes to 10-32.


Mocking up the dual relays.


Single relay.


Dual relay mocked up on the truck's engine bay.


After completing the brackets I cleaned up the shop and relaxed until the wife got home from work. I sat in the doorway of the shop with some tunes on and watched it rain for a bit.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Duker]

I am the Dr. Kevorkian of electronic repairs.

LOL... I think I was trained by you...! To me, an electric meter is only good to know if I can use wood or metal ladder...

 

[Duker]

I had intended to do a few things in the yard last night but the wind was blowing like hell and it was sprinkling on/off so I knocked out a couple of small brackets for mounting relays.

I dug through my scrap drawer, found a couple pieces of .125" 6061 aluminum. Then grabbed a couple of relays for measuring width and mock up.


Drilling the holes prior to welding. This is the dual relay bracket.


Single relay bracket.


Mocking up on my GMT800 chassis for fitment. The support bracket from the fender to the cowl doesn't allow much space for a double wide relay bracket but with a little maneuvering and repositioning it will fit.


Welding the brackets.


Brackets welded and metal finished.


Tapping the relay mounting holes to 10-32.


Mocking up the dual relays.


Single relay.


Dual relay mocked up on the truck's engine bay.


After completing the brackets I cleaned up the shop and relaxed until the wife got home from work. I sat in the doorway of the shop with some tunes on and watched it rain for a bit.

Thanks for looking.

One day I am going to have Mike's level of organization.... I know I have the piece of scrap to use in a project I just don't know where it is... Guaranteed ... one day after I have bought a piece of metal and finished the project the ideal piece of scrap magically appears.

 

[zmotorsports]

One day I am going to have Mike's level of organization.... I know I have the piece of scrap to use in a project I just don't know where it is... Guaranteed ... one day after I have bought a piece of metal and finished the project the ideal piece of scrap magically appears.

Thanks Duke. I must say that it is much nicer keeping small drops of material in drawers, even being somewhat sorted by material and shape. This speeds up fabrication process immensely compared to my last shop where all of my small drops were in milk crates under my fabrication table. I knew I had small drops in there somewhere but which milk crate and how far to the bottom they were was a mystery and many times not worth the time searching. Buying these larger metal drawer cabinets from the local university for metal storage was probably one of the best ideas I had for the new shop. I can't even begin to count how much time they have saved me just in the five short years I've been in this shop.

Thanks for stopping and commenting Duke.

 

[bigdave_185]

That’s garage door open and tunes siting this weekend was 100% on point for the weather we had. Boy it was nice!!
Clean instal on your shock brackets and the relay mounts

what ya gonna put the relays on for? Just further growth?

 

[zmotorsports]

That’s garage door open and tunes siting this weekend was 100% on point for the weather we had. Boy it was nice!!
Clean instal on your shock brackets and the relay mounts

what ya gonna put the relays on for? Just further growth?

Dave, the single relay bracket was for my truck when I install my FASS fuel system. That is how we mounted my son's relay.

The dual relay bracket was for a fellow forum member.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Question on the engine air filter on the Jeep. K&N? Any issues with debris getting through it?

I used to run one on my woods truck and had too much fine material getting by so I dumped it.

 

[Jagmandave]

Now that it's ready for the road where's the first trip in the coach going to be?

 

[zmotorsports]

Question on the engine air filter on the Jeep. K&N? Any issues with debris getting through it?

I used to run one on my woods truck and had too much fine material getting by so I dumped it.

The filter I am using is a Volant, similar to the K&N. Nothing is getting through but I am **** about keeping it cleaned and when off road I install an Outerwear if I am anywhere but leading. I carry two clean Outerwears in the Jeep with me at all times and an extra cleaned/oiled filter in a zip-lok baggy in the coach when we travel.

I am NOT a fan of open air filter elements and much prefer an OEM style of air filter and air filter box but unfortunately space is so tight that this is about my only option. When I first bought the Jeep back in 2011 the original owner had replaced the stock air filter, air filter box and duct with an Cold Air Intake and I searched and bought an OEM system and installed it. I ran the OEM air intake system for 90k and 8 years until I swapped in the LS engine.

When I service the Jeep I thoroughly inspect the intake duct and no fine particles are getting through so at this point what I am doing is working but I am not a fan of these style of air filters. I ran the open filter elements on most of our powersports toys back in the day from snowmobiles to sand toys but did the same thing with keeping clean filters at the ready and used Outerwears. In our dirt bikes I usually ran the OE style of foam filters so I could enjoy riding them and not cleaning air filters every day. Many of my clients ran open air filters and did not keep them clean or maintained which made me a LOT of money over the years rebuilding dusted engines.

 

[zmotorsports]

Now that it's ready for the road where's the first trip in the coach going to be?

We have a couple of trips coming up so that is why I've been getting the Jeep and coach ready for the travel season. Trying to take off here in the next couple of weeks if work will allow.

 

[bigdave_185]

We looked at a fall trip to moab this year and I couldn’t stomach the cost they wanted for full hook ups!!

 

[zmotorsports]

Dave, I don't know of any RV parks that are getting any cheaper. Most all of the ones we have been to over the past couple of years have had price increases each of the last two years in particular. My thoughts are because of how easily they are becoming booked to capacity, I think most are trying to cash in while they can and get what they can. I guess I look at it in terms if you want to play you have to pay, and I want to play.

 

[PugetDude]

Mike, We're always amazed at how small the difference is between a 10-10-10 park and a half- gravel parking lot with a green pool.
Usually $10-20/ night.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, We're always amazed at how small the difference is between a 10-10-10 park and a half- gravel parking lot with a green pool.
Usually $10-20/ night.

I completely agree Scott. It didn't used to be like that as there used to be a much more pronounced price difference. Seems like about 15 or so years ago we'd stay at a very nice upscale resort for around $45-$50 per night and a "standard" run of the mill campground would be between $28-$33 per night. When we travel we wouldn't always seek out the higher end RV Parks as it depended on what we were doing. If we were going for a week long rally we might splurge a bit and get a nicer RV park with sometimes even a Premium site if a better view was to be had or slightly more room. On trips where we were just hop, skip and jumping around between various areas or as a stopover to a long distance destination and we didn't necessarily need all of the amenities and really didn't even care about restrooms as we pack ours with us, so we'd stay at a lesser or smaller campground which could be considered a borderline "dive".

Over the past few years with the prices being closer together we've started staying at nicer places because even the dives are $65+ a night and the high end RV Resorts are $68-$70 per night. Hands down one of the nicest RV parks that we stay at is in Spearfish, SD and they are $42 per night. That is one of the least expensive RV parks that we stay in each year and hands down the nicest, by far.

 

[PugetDude]

When we were making the trek from WA to AZ every year, our favorites were Seven Feathers and Winchester Bay in Southern Oregon, Durango and Bakersfield RV Resort in California. All of the were first class operations and probably $10-15 bucks a night more than some of the sketchy parks nearby.

We’ve found the parks that limit or don’t allow long term rentals are the most well kept and well maintained.

 

[bigdave_185]

Mike,

do you have any favorite spots in moab that you would say are worth the expense for four five night stay?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,

do you have any favorite spots in moab that you would say are worth the expense for four five night stay?

Dave, for about 10+ years we stayed pretty much exclusively at Portal RV Park just after you cross the river from the north heading south into Moab. Doug and Jane were great people and took good care of us as we hosted rallies there for several of those years and they allowed us to use their pavilion for happy hours and cookouts plus each year during our rally they actually hosted a nice breakfast for our group which was awesome of them. One year their kids were all there and they played music for us as their kids are quite talented.

However, after they sold it about a two years ago we haven't been back. The new owners were less than accommodating and more focused on building those huge monstrosities called casitas in the back section and they block much of the views, so we've moved on.

Our group now stays at either OK RV Park or Spanish Trail at the south side of town. This works out pretty well as my wife and I have found we run a lot of trails to the south of town these days to avoid the more popular ones that are getting overrun. Neither are as "fancy" or upscale as Portal but they are clean and the staff are pleasant. A little less expensive than Portal but not by much. We have some friends that prefer the KOA and said they have made some nice improvements around it but we have no personal experience with the Moab KOA.

I know most fill up fast with reservations. We made our reservations for October when we were there last October and we almost didn't get a spot. Didn't get the one we wanted anyways.

Sorry I couldn't be of much help.

 

[zmotorsports]

I didn't get much done last night after getting home. It was starting to rain a little so I pulled the Jeep in the shop, gave it a good once over and took care of a few house keeping items in the shop before the wife got home from work.

She had given me a cooking pan from the coach as the Teflon was starting to peel and she purchased a set of cast iron pans for the coach so I spent a little time removing the handles and smoothing them out for use as parts trays, then put away some fasteners that I purchased at the local Bolt & Nut Supply to restock some drawers.

Lastly, my new replacement rubber pads for my Ammco 10k pound 2-post lift arrived so I popped the old ones off and new ones on. They were getting pretty beat up, torn and we got some POR15 on them a couple of weeks ago so time for replacement.


New ones installed.



Sorry, not much exciting last night.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

They can't ALL be super productive nights!

 

[XJSuperman]

Sometimes its the little things.

 

[bigdave_185]

I was having a talk with our truck shop mechanic who needed some of my receipts from the tire shop to scan for the truck records, as we talked about his day of out in the field in the dirt and rain and how crumby his day was and such….. I reminded him that hey it might have been a rough day but at least we got the paperwork for the day straight lol
Even if it’s just a win because we got the receipts located and scanned in, it’s till a positive note to end the day

little things right?

 

[zmotorsports]

They can't ALL be super productive nights!

Sometimes its the little things.

I was having a talk with our truck shop mechanic who needed some of my receipts from the tire shop to scan for the truck records, as we talked about his day of out in the field in the dirt and rain and how crumby his day was and such….. I reminded him that hey it might have been a rough day but at least we got the paperwork for the day straight lol
Even if it’s just a win because we got the receipts located and scanned in, it’s till a positive note to end the day

little things right?

^^Agreed. Little things add up for certain. It's just that some days/nights feel a bit more productive than others.

Plus I think I'm getting a bit burned out and need a vacation to bring things back into perspective. I've been pounding out the work in the shop and haven't had a vacation since first part of November. Then hopefully I'll be ready to get back after it again.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Damn.......I have tossed a bunch of pots and pans over the years, never even thought of taking the handles off and using as parts holders etc. Learn something every day I guess!

 

[zmotorsports]

Damn.......I have tossed a bunch of pots and pans over the years, never even thought of taking the handles off and using as parts holders etc. Learn something every day I guess!

I have one that is about 10 inches in diameter and about 3 inches deep that I have used for soaking transmission clutch disks in and there is no way I'd be without it. Found it at a yard sale nearly 30 years ago and my wife thought I was nuts when I offered a buck for it.

 

[lilscorpion]

Torqueing the oil drain plug to spec.

Uh.....WHAT?! Thought you just use a stubby wrench and get it teenager muscles tight...now I'm gonna have to use a torque wrench.