rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[rattle_snake]

Decided to use epoxy to fill all the voids in the speaker's mounting ring. Used some foil tape underneath to make a little reservoir and filled with JB clear epoxy.


Once set, made a face side gasket out of some foam weather strip


Installed the drivers. Still waiting on the port rings to show up.

 

[rattle_snake]

Also working on the audio wiring on the cobra. Extended the speaker wires and built a new power harness for the DSP. Finally decided on a mounting location and scheme for the DSP. Made some brackets out of steel.


Chose to tuck it up behind the nitrous bottle. Installed some rivnuts in the sheet metal to secure to.

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the wiring on the cobra despite my back issues. Worse if I sit in a chair is my excuse. Should get some longer RCA cables today and can secure them to the box and it will be ready to install. It's already heavy, I may install the subs once the box is in the car. I think the setup is 100 lbs, about 30 lbs more than before for the 2nd sub and box. It will squat the rear and slow the car.

But the subs are up at the ceiling in another heavy box. I need to find a safe way to get them down, or at least not get caught. Removing them from the box in place is not a good option.

 

[rattle_snake]

Shiny parts showed up from CSC. Looks like plasma cut, quality is good. Ground the outer edges smooth, and beveled the inside to get a slip fit on the pipe. Cut countersinks in the mounting holes. The 304 stainless is hard, and hard on my tooling and abrasives.


Put a series of spot welds on the back side and ground the flange flat.




Added a gasket to seal the port extensions to the box.


All finished and ready to go.

 

[rattle_snake]

My daughter pulled her new car in the shop for a cleaning. The dealership didn't clean it very well, had no wax on it. My wife and daughter saw the car come in on trade and bought it before it was even listed. There are very few 2015+ used mustangs for sale, the Ford dealer had none.


The hood style looks familiar.....


I suggested to clay bar before wax, so my daughter went to work and did the whole car in one go. She was very happy with the improvement. She takes pride and very good care of her things, which makes me proud.

 

[rattle_snake]

Got the new 15" sub boxes hung up. Sketchy but done.






Fiddled with the tuning a bit. Noticeable step up in SPL as expected. Happy with the results.

 

[rattle_snake]

Also finished car audio installation. I need to buy a different mic or adapter to tune it again.








I connected the LEDs to the amp remote enable wire. It sags the voltage to about 7v and amps won't detect that as 'on'. So I need to add a relay, but hesitant to cobble a third one in. Maybe time to start over with a multi fuse/relay box.

The copper wire, 2nd driver, 3x the sub power and better position/venting really stepped up performance. It is impressive now, on the verge of painful, so I think that should be enough.

I think the aluminum wire acted as a signal limiter in that the amp/sub would not clip or reach mechanical limit before. Probably current starved.

 

[rattle_snake]

Went out early on Sunday morning to finish sighting in the four rifles I had worked on and the recently acquired BAR. The BAR action seemed weak and slow. It wouldn't set the ejector over the case lip on first round.

I spent 4 hours cleaning 7 guns afterwards. I figured the BAR was gummed up and needed a full cleaning. I located a field manual and went to work.


It was dirty. Especially the gas pressure regulator. Once clean and back together, the action is crisp and slams home hard, as expected.

The Simmons scope is came with isn't very good. Or at least compared to anything else I have. Can't make out a hole in the paper at 100 yards, even though it is 10x. It will work as a backup for my hunt coming up in a few weeks. Ruger M77 in .308 is still my go to for 30 years now.

 

[plain2car]

Justin, amazing job on the shop speaker box!!!... although I am wondering how you can hear the subs with them mounted the wrong way!!.... ... side note... I have a very old JL audio 12" sub that I am not able to use anymore........ interested?? it yours if you think it is any good...

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks. WHAT?
I did have to wire the 15s that are basket out of reverse polarity to the rest, since the cone moves in the opposite direction.

In general, a positive voltage applied to the + terminal will move the cone forward (away from basket).

No thanks, but thanks for the offer on the 12.

 

[slodat]

Justin - highly recommend Audiofrog's mic and tuning setup. Andy (the owner) is the real deal and knows what's up. His tuning guide is foolproof if you follow it.

 

[rattle_snake]

@slodat, thanks for the recommendation.

 

[rattle_snake]

I have been searching for my next project vehicle. I don't have any money or a place to put one, but still shopping. I want to build a 1973-1977 F100 short bed 2WD into a mod-rod, hot street truck. There are very few for sale within 500 miles. Lots of bumpsides, no dents. I finally found one that checks the boxes, but a day late it seems.

 

[rattle_snake]

My quest for bigger tires on my utility trailer has failed. at least for now. The wheels (not Rimz) are only 5" wide and locks me into a 215 max width. There was only one AT tire that was available, 4 ply, load C. The intent was to get a tire with less sidewall bulge loaded, and this wasn't it. So I decided to get regular highway trailer tires in 6 ply. My friend owns a tire shop and had some older date code tires cheap, so I did that as I need the trailer again soon for my deer hunt. Perhaps in the future I can find a set of used offroad wheels/tires in the right bolt pattern.

Still want to lift the trailer so it sits level and doesn't drag the tail so bad. An axle flip is +4-1/2" and is too much. I need 2". The best plan I see at this time is to lower the forward spring hanger 4", to net 2" at the center/axle. Leave the rest alone.

 

[ntsqd]

Pictures of the trailer?

 

[Bodj Built]

I did an axle flip on our pop up camper and was shooting for 4-5". Ended up making the spring perches taller and got 8.5" and I love it. I don't drag it anywhere. Be cautious lowering your front spring hanger that much. Leaf springs still need to have proper geometry. It might change how it tows. You can always spend $120 and get a leaf spring kit from amazon that converts from slipper springs to shackle/springs. Then you can lower both front and rear eyelet the amount you want.

 

[rattle_snake]

Pictures of the trailer?

here

rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

When I moved to Flagstaff in 93 after one ride out in the Cinders on my XR600 I knew it wasn’t the correct tool for them. Bought a 1994 CR500, or as my buddies called it “The Behemoth that Screamith”! Even without a paddle tire I could climb the wall in the Motordrome! Did you get to ride that...

www.garagejournal.com

I did an axle flip on our pop up camper and was shooting for 4-5". Ended up making the spring perches taller and got 8.5" and I love it. I don't drag it anywhere. Be cautious lowering your front spring hanger that much. Leaf springs still need to have proper geometry. It might change how it tows. You can always spend $120 and get a leaf spring kit from amazon that converts from slipper springs to shackle/springs. Then you can lower both front and rear eyelet the amount you want.

I don't know leaf spring geometry as well as you do, but most I have seen have main hanger at or below the shackle end. This trailer is made simple and uses a compression shackle. Lowering the main hanger will level out the spring. The shackles are 4.5".

I drew up some boxed drop hanger brackets in Fusion. I went to fill the plasma water table and found that the filter housing had broken, and all the fluid had slowly leaked out and evaporated. Need to replace pump and filter with something of better quality.

Squirrel!

 

[WoodsTruck]

I bought a Courier bed pickup trailer years ago and it towed miserably. The tires were scruffing off and it would wag the tail going down the road. A boiler maker had made it so the welds were done really well but the axle had the appropriate arch in it and fortunately was not welded to the perches. I was able to loosen the U-bolts and turn the axle to create a slight toe-in condition and it towed so much better. I'm wondering if you change the spring perch conditions if you would be changing the toe of the tires which would cause towing issues.

 

[ntsqd]

Looking at that front spring eye it Should be lower. Am guessing that the trailer was 'born' with much shorter shackles. Trailer springs do not deflect much, they are the anti 'long travel' spring. I'd set the spring eyes level by making the front mount longer and see what that gains you.
BTW, the shackle hanger looks to be a little too far rearward. Instead of nearly pointing at 6:00, the shackle should be pointing at about 4:30-5:00

If that is not enough, then I would look into using a 235/85R16 trailer specific tire ("ST" rating). Be careful with the weight rating, go too high and you won't be happy with them. They will be so stiff of a sidewall that if you do need to air them down for really soft surface that won't actually increase the footprint. These are about 32"-32.5" tall. They are really skinny and I've yet to see a good reason to need a wide tire on a trailer.
ST tires are designed to be abused on a trailer. Sit in the hot sun, be pulled sideways, be pulled over curbs, catch all of the potholes that the TR was driven around, all of the normal sorts of things that happens to trailer tires that doesn't usually happen to car & pick-up tires.

 

[Bodj Built]

Looking at that front spring eye it Should be lower. Am guessing that the trailer was 'born' with much shorter shackles. Trailer springs do not deflect much, they are the anti 'long travel' spring. I'd set the spring eyes level by making the front mount longer and see what that gains you.
BTW, the shackle hanger looks to be a little too far rearward. Instead of nearly pointing at 6:00, the shackle should be pointing at about 4:30-5:00

All of this is correct, however I believe that trailer probably had slipper leaf springs, which would require front and rear mounts to be the same height. Someone along the way may have converted to shackles.

 

[ntsqd]

That would explain the not great shackle hanger placement and the excess length of the shackles w/o a matching length in the spring mount.

Generally trailer springs want to be level. When they are not, then compression of one spring only tends to "steer" the trailer in one direction or the other. Vehicle OEMs do this on purpose to promote specific handling characteristics, but it is generally undesirable in a trailer.

IMHO slipper leaf springs should be made illegal and banned from the planet.

 

[rattle_snake]

The spring picture above is how the trailer was manufactured from PJ. Yes not ideal. I considered re-drilling shackles to lower a bit.

The wheels are only 5" wide and cannot accept a tire wider than a 215, which is what I bought.

I double checked my measurements and found I had made an error. To level the trailer I need 4" not 2" @ the axle. This is close enough to axle flip, so I went ahead with it. The Dexter axle has camber built in by a bend in the middle of the tube. So I can't just bolt it back in upside down. Well I could but I won't.
I cut the perches off and welded them back on on the 'top' of the axle. The HW was really rusty. I soaked the U-bolts and nuts in a stout mixture of acid, and blasted the spring plates. Hit with paint, ready to go back in.


I have seen some axle flips where the camber is backwards, it looks odd like a bearing is shot.

 

[ntsqd]

I have been searching for my next project vehicle. I don't have any money or a place to put one, but still shopping. I want to build a 1973-1977 F100 short bed 2WD into a mod-rod, hot street truck. There are very few for sale within 500 miles. Lots of bumpsides, no dents. I finally found one that checks the boxes, but a day late it seems.

Not at all what you're asking for, but.....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2459859014221794

 

[ntsqd]

More like one of these?

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[Bodj Built]

Nice job on the axle flip. They're quite easy and help a ton for clearance.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

More like one of these?

Facebook

www.facebook.com

Facebook

www.facebook.com

I like the blue one!

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the axle flip project.
I wasn't fully happy with spring angle


So I re-drilled the shackles 1-1/4" from existing hole


Improved but not ideal. On to other things in life.


My neighbor has identical trailer and flipped the axle (it is upside down with negative camber) and left the fenders alone. It looks odd. I decided to lower the fenders 2" by bolting them onto the bottom of the brackets. I had to cut off the license plate mount and move it.




Not a fan of white wagon wheels so I painted them a bronze color. Scuffed the finish, primered and a few coats of color.


I did the spare also, even though it will have a cover, as the back side is still visible. I painted over all the white pin striping with black to clean up the look.
The side rails are removable, bolt on, and not rigid. I put a tack weld on the rear-most post that has the gate latches on it. Now the gate is less sloppy and noisy. I wish the gate would fold down on deck so it could be stored under my cab over camper, but the hinges would have to be moved to do so. Future project. I also want to treat the deck wood with something.

 

[rattle_snake]

Took the kids and friends out boating for my older daughters 18th birthday. We went to Roosevelt and weather was perfect. Not to hot, no wind, nice water temp. Lake was glass all day. I made cheeseburgers on the tailgate after we pulled the boat out, so the teenagers wouldn't starve on the 2 hour trip home. I decided to wakeboard against better judgement, my back didn't like it so somewhat of a setback on healing...

 

[rattle_snake]

I got a message late on Friday evening from the guy with a truck for sale. Evidently the potential buyer who was coming to look at it Saturday flaked (imagine that) so I made plans to go see it Sunday down in Tucson. No time to make it to the bank for full amount, so I hit ATM for a deposit. The seller had a few older fords in nice condition. The truck condition was what I expected. Complete, survivor, a bit rough in places. I drove it around the block. Negotiated a deal and plan to drive back down tonight to drive it 100 miles home. What could go wrong?

1976 F100 shortbed. 351W/auto. A/C. Power front discs. Custom trim, so no moldings. Checked all the boxes for a resto candidate.


Plans for the truck are open. Long term goal is a hot rod resto-mod. Short term plans are to clean it up and drive it how it is. There is no A/C compressor so maybe by next summer it will come apart. Pull motor and inspect to see if it is a candidate for a performance build, reseal. Plan to paint it at some point. Eventually a 4-link rear, mustang II front.

 

[ntsqd]

If you're going to stay in the Windsor family I'd just drop a Blueprint 408 in there, top it off with SEFI + Exploder DIS bits and call that good.

Are you going to make the drop I-Beams, or buy them?

 

[zmotorsports]

Looking forward to the resto-project Justin.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

7.3l Godzilla and a Whipple, tubs with some meats tucked, and a bitchin' stereo...and GO!

 

[rattle_snake]

If you're going to stay in the Windsor family I'd just drop a Blueprint 408 in there, top it off with SEFI + Exploder DIS bits and call that good.

Are you going to make the drop I-Beams, or buy them?

Well the BP 408 is $8k. I like the Windsor family and parts are much cheaper than FE, 385. If the bores are in OK shape and not a worn out 100k junkyard engine, I plan to install aluminum heads, cam, decent valvetrain components. Gap the rings for nitrous/boost.
But the truck is heavy (4k+ lbs), and really needs something like 600 hp to keep up with modern cars.
back to reality, I'll have to be happy with what I have and address some of the other items like tran$, tire$/wheel$. Maybe another 6R80 6 sp auto.

Not sure for phase 1 suspension. I'll have to look into what it takes to make beams. Don't want to invest much in that design. Maybe just bend what I have to work with a few inches of drop from springs. Phase 2 is likely mustang II IFS and coilovers.

Looking forward to the resto-project Justin.

Me too. The main goal is to have fun building it. Not be in a hurry to finish. Apply lessons learned from the last one.

 

[rattle_snake]

7.3l Godzilla and a Whipple, tubs with some meats tucked, and a bitchin' stereo...and GO!

That is a fantastic plan Marc.

I'd be temped to put the 7.3L 'Zilla in the 72 and the Nitrous 466 into the 76.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

This "nascar" build was fun to watch...I'd bet for Point A-to-B transportation, it would be fun in town.

 

[ntsqd]

A friend in the PNW is now DDing a F1 sheet metal on a Crown Vic chassis build. That would be a good option as well.

That F-100 is rad, but it needs at least one more gear.

 

[Mark_17]

a 5.0 and a 10 speed would be sweet. Easy supercharger upgrade when funds allow

 

[plain2car]

nice pick'em up Justin, you can hit fat fender garage for some input or tech info I bet... not that you would need any assistance. keep us posted on it.

 

[rattle_snake]

This "nascar" build was fun to watch...I'd bet for Point A-to-B transportation, it would be fun in town.

Ya I bet. Cool truck. I do want something that will handle OK. I like the look of pro street, big and littles but somewhat limited.

A friend in the PNW is now DDing a F1 sheet metal on a Crown Vic chassis build. That would be a good option as well.

That F-100 is rad, but it needs at least one more gear.

I guess I like the look of the older stuff inside and out.

a 5.0 and a 10 speed would be sweet. Easy supercharger upgrade when funds allow

Yes it would. Open to all options at this point. I think this truck will not really be driven far out of town so trans could be more simple.

nice pick'em up Justin, you can hit fat fender garage for some input or tech info I bet... not that you would need any assistance. keep us posted on it.

They have some nice stuff. Not cheap.

 

[rattle_snake]

I made it home with the truck last night. 100 miles surprisingly without any issues. Roadkill style. Insert key and go. Ignore all noises and vibrations.

Picked up the truck from owner. First hit a shady gas station. Hookers, bums with shopping carts, but that's Tucson. Drove to Barrio Brewery for some provisions and hit the road. Once on I-10 at speed the sloppy steering was sketchy. Truck went 65-70 no problem and would accelerate easy from there. Door and windows are missing most of the felts and seals so it was loud, slightly quieter with windows open.