Above 1200 Sq/FT 86's 20HP shop

[86turbodsl]

I think i'm going to sandblast and repaint. I think the tire surface looks sketchy.

 

[86turbodsl]

checking out the wiring on the mower today. He made changes he didn't need to. Just a bad diode. I hate hacks....

 

[bimmer1980]

Just out of curiosity, and for comparison, what did you end up paying for the mower?

Kinda curious on how the used market for that type of mower...

 

[86turbodsl]

1800 usd

 

[86turbodsl]

I've checked out EVERYTHING on the wiring. Put it all back to stock, works fine. There seems to be zero reason to make changes. I hate hacks...

 

[86turbodsl]

In another tribute to "step away from the mower" hack, the "broken" fuel solenoid actually works fine. There's supposed to be a rigid cable sleeve on the solenoid which essentially shortens the travel of the solenoid. You want the fuel lever pulled back fully at full stroke on the solenoid so it doesn't burn out. Mine was plastic and broken in half. Not doing it's job. If you don't have this, you don't actually shut off the fuel when solenoid de-energizes. I used a section of "calibrated" brake line to sub for the plastic. That works fine. What doesn't, is the solenoid mounting doesn't line up with the fuel lever hole. More careful inspection of the bracket shows that it had cracked at some point, and had been welded back together, crooked, with a weld that would hold up a battleship. I'm sure it's a fatigue crack, but still, getting parts lined up is like welding 101. So i took that bracket off engine, cut it back apart, ground all the welds off, fixtured it properly and welded back together. Put back on engine, miraculously, it lines up again! Tonights task is to get it perfect and tack in position then full weld and paint.

In other news, Saturday i found a local guy on FBM, who had a Coats 1001 balancer. I snagged that for cheap, and it's even single phase! I can now do all tires at home, except the 18+ bigguns on the Audi. I think that will pay for itself in a year or so. The bigger issue is that it's in the bed of the truck, the loader can't grab it properly, needs to be forklifted out. The big forklift isn't moving yet, the little forklift can't get past the mower, the mower can't move without wheels/tires, the big forklift can't move the mower, etc etc etc. ARGH! I have until about Sunday until rain hits.

I'm so ready for the shop to be cleaned out...

 

[86turbodsl]

Not a good day.

 

[Strouty]

I think I have a few of those merit badges, sorry to hear about that, if it makes you feel any better, you aren’t alone.

Getting the wheels shipped is a good thing, sometimes all it takes is one small win to break the log jam.

 

[86turbodsl]

He shipped em, but the UPS tracking is still showing waiting. He said he would check last night, but didn't. Apologized for it. Said he would do it today. as of right now, i have no wheels coming and told everyone else to stand down.

I'm leaving in a few minutes to go to work and see if i still have a job.

 

[jbmatth]

You will really like having your own balancer, I don't actually use mine as often as I expected, but still use it often enough I wouldn't want to be without it. At the very least it has paid for itself in time and fuel running to the tire shop.

I wish you the best with your job, that is a sickening feeling I've been through a time or two myself.

JB

 

[86turbodsl]

Thank you. I just wish most of my issues weren't self-inflicted.

 

[86turbodsl]

I met with management this morning, it was a nothing burger. I'm far harder on myself than others. I feel intense guilt over any mis-step. I know it's in my head, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. I took a sleeping pill last night, and still only got about 4 hrs before i woke up thinking about it.

 

[kent_323is]

86, any more details you'd like to share? At the company I work at, you'd have to f-up pretty badly to have any risk of job loss.
I supervise a number of people (engineers and technicians) and lead large teams, so I see plenty of mistakes, most end up being a learning experience. So I might be able to add some perspective.
PM me if you don't want to post publicly.

 

[Strouty]

I think more of us run into very similar issues, at least the same feelings, maybe not the same situations.

 

[86turbodsl]

Kent, i'll PM you directly. Thanks everyone for the kind words.

 

[Johanfpa]

Great to hear you didn't lose your job and hope the wheels show up soon!

 

[jbmatth]

Glad to hear it wasn't anything to really worry about, I know from previous discussions you are a bit concerned for the future. I just hope for both of our sakes reality sets in before a new reality is forced upon us. Do you have an ETA on the new wheels?

JB

 

[86turbodsl]

Some good news, the wheels have kicked loose and are finally moving. Delivery tomorrow so i will be able to get them to work and sandblast them. Before anyone says "you have a sandblast cabinet now" it's not ready yet. I need to get gloves, glass and a dust vac. Thinking of finding a diy vac setup, but probably just wing it for now. My bro says i can't use a cabinet without one. I believe him. Dad had a borrowed cabinet for a while, no vac, and it was miserable blasting.

The bracketry for the forklift is done, and ready to be installed. the hose crimper should function at this point. Haven't done any test crimps yet though. Still not thrilled about barrel field crimps, but beggars can't be choosers.

 

[86turbodsl]

Glad to hear it wasn't anything to really worry about, I know from previous discussions you are a bit concerned for the future. I just hope for both of our sakes reality sets in before a new reality is forced upon us. Do you have an ETA on the new wheels?

JB

JB, i suspect that new reality being forced upon us is well underway. I am seeing some small pushback here and there, but the new religion is green and doesn't seem to be stopping. Delusion is here and was predicted.

We have a conference at HQ every year where papers about ongoing research is presented by engineers throughout the company. this year, only EV-focused papers were selected, in spite of great ICE work being done. All future work on ICE has been stopped. The green intelligentsia has decided this is what everyone will be doing, and if customers don't want to buy them, they'll legislate it to where you don't get a choice.

From where i'm seated, it's madness X10.

 

[jbmatth]

That is such a shame, I know for me and many people not living and working in a big city it just doesn't make sense to go the full EV route. No matter how many times I crunch the numbers the math just doesn't work out, maybe long term it'll help the case but doubtful. Just on a cost standpoint electricity at my house as an example is up from $.07/KWh to $.109/KWh in the last 5 years. Public chargers are ~$.38/KWh and up for fast chargers. At that rate it would be approximately the same cost as a gas vehicle but entry price is noticeably more. I just don't get it from a financial standpoint personally, that and I like to be able to fill up in the time it takes me to run in to a restroom and be ready to go another 300 miles.

On a green standpoint we seem to just want to outsource our pollution to other countries, oh well, I'll just keep buying ICE vehicles.

JB

 

[bimmer1980]

A couple of comments on the blasting.... In the short term, a simple shop vac hooked to the cabinet "may" be sufficient.

I'd probably use a wire cup wheel on the angle grinder and knock most of it off. Then use the sandblaster for the crevices, and clean up.

Personally, I find my sand blaster to be a pain in the rear to operate. it is a Harbor Freight cabinet that I did an upgrade to - bottom sand pick-up with a new gun and a foot pedal. Even after the upgrades, I'm less than thrilled with it.....

To be perfectly candid, I would punt on trying to set up the blaster at this point. 30 minutes with the angle grinder, wipe with acetone and get the paint on. In the interim, get the tires ready. The paint will need sufficient time to dry before mounting tires....... (Rustoleum seems to need a week.... automotive catalyzed paint may be a lot quicker, but you have the hassle of mixing and shooting it. Altho, I have used a small brush for some bargain Dupont paint for small projects and that worked reasonably well -- just have to be fast.)

Given all that you have going on, the most direct path to getting tires onto the mower and out of the shop, the better. The mower is for cutting grass, not a mower shine and show.....

 

[86turbodsl]

That is such a shame, I know for me and many people not living and working in a big city it just doesn't make sense to go the full EV route. No matter how many times I crunch the numbers the math just doesn't work out, maybe long term it'll help the case but doubtful. Just on a cost standpoint electricity at my house as an example is up from $.07/KWh to $.109/KWh in the last 5 years. Public chargers are ~$.38/KWh and up for fast chargers. At that rate it would be approximately the same cost as a gas vehicle but entry price is noticeably more. I just don't get it from a financial standpoint personally, that and I like to be able to fill up in the time it takes me to run in to a restroom and be ready to go another 300 miles.

On a green standpoint we seem to just want to outsource our pollution to other countries, oh well, I'll just keep buying ICE vehicles.

JB

It's really about control. They want to be able to keep you from driving. All EV's are hooked up to networks that allows remote shut down. It's baked into the software. They're starting to float the idea already. Google "15 minute city" oxfordshire UK is already a test case. "It's for the environment" Yeah ok buddy.

the numbers don't work for me either. We're near 12C / kwh here and it's only going to go up now that all fossil fuels are evil and they gotta pay for all those shiny new solar panels and windmills. I'm preparing for rolling blackouts.

 

[86turbodsl]

A couple of comments on the blasting.... In the short term, a simple shop vac hooked to the cabinet "may" be sufficient.

I'd probably use a wire cup wheel on the angle grinder and knock most of it off. Then use the sandblaster for the crevices, and clean up.

Personally, I find my sand blaster to be a pain in the rear to operate. it is a Harbor Freight cabinet that I did an upgrade to - bottom sand pick-up with a new gun and a foot pedal. Even after the upgrades, I'm less than thrilled with it.....

To be perfectly candid, I would punt on trying to set up the blaster at this point. 30 minutes with the angle grinder, wipe with acetone and get the paint on. In the interim, get the tires ready. The paint will need sufficient time to dry before mounting tires....... (Rustoleum seems to need a week.... automotive catalyzed paint may be a lot quicker, but you have the hassle of mixing and shooting it. Altho, I have used a small brush for some bargain Dupont paint for small projects and that worked reasonably well -- just have to be fast.)

Given all that you have going on, the most direct path to getting tires onto the mower and out of the shop, the better. The mower is for cutting grass, not a mower shine and show.....

I would just do that, but the one wheel looks pretty crusty. It's not going to get show quality paint. Just stop the rust, spray bomb it, and get the tires on. Plus i can shoot it at work with the spray bomb and let it sit for the day while i work.

 

[macgyver37]

These guys are investing more in ICE.... just bought $7+ million in new cnc machines and 60k sqft more floor....

Careers

We give you more than just an engine — but engineering at its finest. And those who drive it, know it. The fanatics. The families. The thrill riders. The joy riders. And everyone in between. No matter who we serve, we share a genuine passion that unites us all on these streets, strips, or any...

blueprintengines.com

 

[86turbodsl]

These guys are investing more in ICE.... just bought $7+ million in new cnc machines and 60k sqft more floor....

Careers

We give you more than just an engine — but engineering at its finest. And those who drive it, know it. The fanatics. The families. The thrill riders. The joy riders. And everyone in between. No matter who we serve, we share a genuine passion that unites us all on these streets, strips, or any...

blueprintengines.com

Not the same. Reman is not oem manufacturing.

 

[macgyver37]

I understand (I think). I think they are moving into more avenues than just a reman shop. I know one thing they are developing is a 4 cylinder that uses a GM LS head aimed at the hot rod and racing market. They do alot of industrial engine packages where they are designing and making new parts from the ground up. I recently saw a vid of a plant tour and they were talking about making new timing cover castings with the tensioner integral, head casting with other features integral etc. Probably old hat to you, but it may be worth investigating. I did see a couple 'engineer' positions on the list, what that really means idk.

I'd think that they are likely to be around for at least 10-15 years and that might get you to retirement while still playing with engines. May not be the latest a greatest cutting edge stuff, but it may still be interesting work. Seems like a company excited to play with engines. There is also a drag strip in town if you are into that.

Found the vid;

 

[86turbodsl]

Oh of course, not trying to disparage them at all, engineers are needed in aftermarket as well. My cousin used to do that for Dana. There is a big difference between changes such as you suggest and designing and developing a new engine though. We're talking big teams of engineers, and billions of dollars in development. An example is when Ford came out with the Modular, back in the early 90s, it was a 2B dollar project as i recall. Costs haven't gone down any. Just a data point.

Also, the sales engineer position looks interesting. It looks like a nice fit also. The amount of trivia on engines floating around upstairs is ridiculous. Lol.

 

[86turbodsl]

So yesterday, i got the cylinders for the forklift mounted. Both sides. The travel seems to be pretty much perfect. I'm excited to get hoses started.

 

[Strouty]

Now all you need is a crimper....




Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[86turbodsl]

I've got everything here already. Need to decide where to route the hoses though. I'm not seeing a lot of good places to put them.

 

[86turbodsl]

It now looks like the welded up steering box arm does not align with the spool coming off the other steering gear, so in addition to making hoses, i will need to change the rod end for the spool. It's got no built in mis-alignment capability, so i think i'm going to knock the end off and weld a rod end on it. there are no weld on rod ends around here, all over a week out, so i think i will go to the nearest family farm and home store where they carry a Cat 2 repair weld end, which will work perfectly and only cost me 15 dollars instead of the insane $102 dollar next day extortion fee for amazon to get me one by tomorrow.

 

[86turbodsl]

the wheels for the mower have arrived! they are a perfect fit. Onward and upward!

 

[Strouty]

Do you already have tires or are you using the old ones since they have tubes?

 

[86turbodsl]

No i have new tires. Brand new Carlisle. The old tires had to be cut off the old rims. The sidewalls were trashed from rubbing on the mower chassis.

Here's the current status:

Sandblasted all the rust this morning, threw a coat of primer on everything. The original coating is powder coat, and that sandblasts lousy, so i concentrated on the rusty spots and let the rest flake. If sometime down the road i get a wild hair, i can pull the tires off and completely blast them and powder coat.

Also primed and painted the fuel filter / solenoid bracket. I tested the new parts last night, it works perfectly.

 

[bimmer1980]

Good progress!! Great decision on only blasting the necessary parts and getting them into primer.

How are the deck spindles on the mower? and any idler pulleys? I've had issues with bearings in those on a variety of mowers - Kubota, JD, Troy-built, MTD, etc.....

 

[Strouty]

Glad to see things are progressing, it ***** when one little thing holds up progress.

 

[86turbodsl]

Good progress!! Great decision on only blasting the necessary parts and getting them into primer.

How are the deck spindles on the mower? and any idler pulleys? I've had issues with bearings in those on a variety of mowers - Kubota, JD, Troy-built, MTD, etc.....

I had one bad spindle, which i yanked apart, measured bearings, got new bearings and pressed back together. New belts. New blades. Ready to go. I think wheels are ready today, tires on tonight, and we'll have everything ready except the radiator. I'm very hesitant to put the old radiator back in. It holds fluid, but there's no shroud. And the radiator is jammed right up behind the operator seat, so minimal airflow. I can see there used to be a shroud. The bottom tank on the radiator has been bent quite badly. I can't believe it doesn't leak but it doesn't. I have the parts to build the new aluminum radiator though. I may just hork through that this saturday and get it done.

 

[86turbodsl]

Glad to see things are progressing, it ***** when one little thing holds up progress.

Yes, yes it does.

 

[kent_323is]

Does the mower have a temp gauge that you could run the existing radiator for a bit while you build the new one? Seems like it would be good to run the mower a bit and see if anything else turns up as issues.

 

[86turbodsl]

It does have a temp gauge, which i have never seen move. And a light too. I need to test that. I get what you're putting down. I could probably take some measurements and finish the new rad while i run the old. I need to test the gauge first i think though.