rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[rattle_snake]

I used an insulated 3/8 stud to distribute power to the amplifiers instead of old school set screw type distribution block. The amps use set screw type terminals but they only pinch a part of the wire braid. Should have a crimp ferrule, but I didn't have any '3 gauge' ones... The hydraulically crimped lugs (if done correctly) hold the entire braid really well and with adhesive shrink are sealed to corrosion while still being removable. The sub amp is fused for 90 Amps so any additional connector resistance is bad.

I could have used a 2nd isolated stud on the speaker box for GND to make things more similar/symmetrical. But I think it crowed the wiring and makes for a 2nd grommet through the sheet metal. I spend too much time contemplating the most mundane details.

Made a patch panel for the fuel filler hole/smugglers compartment in the cab corner. Stuck it on with double sided tape.

 

[rattle_snake]

Having issues getting briquettes going with chimney for awhile. Humidity has an impact, but still same problem in bone dry conditions. Maybe the briquettes themselves have changed. It takes 2-3 newspaper starter cycles to get things going. Using chimney down on the charcoal grate makes for an odd downward air intake flow. Use on cooking grate has better convection flow but the ash makes a mess. So I rounded up some junk and came up with this.

The tabs are to hold the chimney and contraption in place when relocating the cooking apparatus on it's wheeled base, with flames and embers shooting out the top. Why does it only need to be moved in least safe state? The smoke can build up under the shade structure. This is why larger tires even on a BBQ is important, for safety.

Does it work better? Yes. Does it solve the original problem? Not sure yet. Have to do some more 'research' with appropriate cuts of meat and beverages to obtain a statistically significant data set.

 

[zmotorsports]

Damn you do good work Justin. That speaker box and surrounding upholstery turned out stellar.

 

[Ohmthis]

And the Cobra A/C refrigerant leaked out within 2 days of repair. I'm beginning to think I had two leaks. The hose probably had a slow leak for long time, and somewhat recently something else happened, that I have not found yet.
I have inspected the system twice and cannot find any trace of a leak. The engine is clean from the last round of searching for a leak. I looked on lift with UV. Went back and looked thoroughly again, pulled off any insulation or covers on all the hose connections. I think I have touched and inspected every connection in the system. At somewhat of a loss how to move forward. I would think that if the evaporator in the dash had a leak, the interior would stink of refrigerant.

I use Nitrogen and Big Blue Bubbles (an HVAC heavy leak detection fluid). The BBB will hang around for a long time and can catch very minute leaks. I’ve brazed line sets and pressure tested those with Argon and CO2 in a pinch, but those aren’t mechanical connections. Yes, a big enough leak and you will smell the refrigerant.

 

[Ohmthis]

I would NEVER do this, but when I was young the old timers would use propane.

R290 (refrigerant 290) is essentially propane. It’s obviously not used now because of its flammability. I worked with a pipe fitter that checked his NG piping with a lighter!

 

[Ohmthis]

Finished out the speaker box and all the wiring for the audio system. I waffled on colors for awhile and eventually just had to pick something to move forward. The amp recess is body color white over two coats of Kilz. I body worked the box in prep for paint but ended up going with vinyl.


The cab back wall is ugly with holes and weld burns so I made a panel to cover it out of corrugated plastic. I try to avoid press board or wood in general except for speaker box itself.


Vinyl selection local to me is very limited. The old school fabric shops on my side of town are gone. So I got what I could find. Doesn't match seat very well, will probably recover when I find something better.


Only four sides of speaker box need to be covered. I made a pattern from the box and adjusted it smaller so the material would be tight.


Only needed two short seams on the corners.


Glued the vinyl on and installed the equipment for the last time.


Connected the signal, speaker and power wiring and did a basic tune.


System performs as expected. A single shallow 10 can only do so much, it has plenty of power and won't clip. It's loud enough for windows down at speed. The door speakers sound OK, the tweeters up high definitely help. The head unit connects reliably, but has to be turned 'on' each time the key is cycled.

Justin, how heavy is that vinyl? What model machine are you using? I’m in the research phase for a machine to do the interior of our boat and the seat of my 66 f100. I’m curious about your set up.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Not to step on Justin's toes for a response, but Sailrite.com might have some insight for you. Their machines are designed to be compact and used on a boat. Could save you a bit of time when trying to fit pieces without having to climb in and out of the boat all the time.

Sailrite: Fabric and Sewing Supply Store

Your fabric and sewing supply store. Shop top-quality fabric, leather, sewing machines and more. We provide everything you need for your projects.

www.sailrite.com

They also have some decent DIY info on their site.

 

[Ohmthis]

Not to step on Justin's toes for a response, but Sailrite.com might have some insight for you. Their machines are designed to be compact and used on a boat. Could save you a bit of time when trying to fit pieces without having to climb in and out of the boat all the time.

Sailrite: Fabric and Sewing Supply Store

Your fabric and sewing supply store. Shop top-quality fabric, leather, sewing machines and more. We provide everything you need for your projects.

www.sailrite.com

They also have some decent DIY info on their site.

Thank you! I have looked. I’m looking for budget options. Justin does a lot with a little it seems. This place is a wealth of info. Thank you, I will check the site out.

 

[senlow]

I worked with a pipe fitter that checked his NG piping with a lighter!

My dad used to check for leaks that way.

 

[SilverJimmy]

When I worked at the Navajo Generating Station we had a Fire Chief that was pretty crazy! The inert gas that was used inside the generator to keep the brushes from burning up was, drumroll please….. Pure Hydrogen! Our Fire Chief would also find leaks with a Bic Lighter! His reasoning was that it was very much lighter than air and was only explosive if it was in a confined space with lots of hydrogen and a little bit of oxygen. He’d find a small leak, pull out his lighter and spark away. Made a pretty cool little flame! Leak found, mild heart attacks all around!

 

[larry4406]

When I worked at the Navajo Generating Station we had a Fire Chief that was pretty crazy! The inert gas that was used inside the generator to keep the brushes from burning up was, drumroll please….. Pure Hydrogen! Our Fire Chief would also find leaks with a Bic Lighter! His reasoning was that it was very much lighter than air and was only explosive if it was in a confined space with lots of hydrogen and a little bit of oxygen. He’d find a small leak, pull out his lighter and spark away. Made a pretty cool little flame! Leak found, mild heart attacks all around!

Hydrogen cooled generators are quite the norm in large power stations.

 

[ntsqd]

It isn't just for cooling. Hydrogen has a corona suppression effect. We use it in some of work's hermetically sealed contactors to help with arcing during make/break actions.

Downside to hydrogen is that it is flammable over a very wide range. Something like from a 5% concentration to a 97% concentration. There's a power plant in the Mid-West somewhere that about 10 years ago let the concentration in their generator dip too low and it launched the rotor out of the building and into the parking lot something like 500 yards away. This was a 300 to 500 MW, single generator station, so that rotor was, what, 50 tons?

 

[SilverJimmy]

We were told that we had enough hydrogen on site that if it all exploded at once it would be like the Hiroshima bomb! Don’t know if they were exaggerating, but it did get our attention!

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, how heavy is that vinyl? What model machine are you using? I’m in the research phase for a machine to do the interior of our boat and the seat of my 66 f100. I’m curious about your set up.

Typical automotive weight stuff. I use a 1950's Singer machine. It is not a heavy duty upholstery type, but a normal one of it's day. Today's normal duty machines are plastic and much less robust. They have all kinds of useless features and patterns. I run the largest needle the machine can use, and the heaviest thread. The machine will do 2 layers of vinyl easily. Real leathers not so much. Also does fine with seatbelt type webbing. I originally got the machine to do my boat interior. Simple corners can be done inside out and hide less than perfect stitching.

 

[rattle_snake]

Made a trip to the west side for a real fabric supply. They probably have 500 rolls of vinyl in stock, labeled with samples. I bought what I thought was the best match, but I think the 2nd choice was the actual color. Cost more in fuel than the fabric.
I re-wrapped the cab back wall piece. The brown I found locally wasn't a good match.


More better now. You can actually see the seat colors when the seat is folded forward. I plan to make a back cover for the seat, out of the lighter sand color.


The door panel repairs I had made previously were not sufficient. The epoxy let go in the same cracks. This time I epoxied small metal plates across the cracked areas and should be much more robust.


I found a better matching spray paint, Khaki flat, instead of the sand color I tried first. Ironically they are both 'camo' paint colors. I made inserts out of corrugated plastic. Foam would be better but I didn't have large enough pieces at the time. The panel is adhered with double sided tape as a test. So far so good.


I left the arm pad black for now to provide some more contrast.


The left door panel was in much worse shape. The part of the plastic that is attached to the armrest was almost completely broken off, again. Part of the issue is that the tab that secures the panel to the door cup bracket was gone. So shutting the door was pulling on the panel. This also causes the cup screws to pull the panel downward off the clips before they get tight. My solution was to epoxy a metal loop to connect the tab in two places. Then a spacer to set the cup height correctly. Needed seven reinforcement plates over all the damage. Now the center of the panel, pad and cup are secured tight to the door itself.


I used the remaining sand color paint as a primer on the left door. Then left it that color and installed to see how it looked in natural light. The darker color looks better.

 

[Jgaz]

Where did you get the vinyl? Fabric Depot?

 

[PugetDude]

Where did you get the vinyl? Fabric Depot?

Haven't found a good supplier in the East Valley since Mesa Sales burned down...

 

[plain2car]

Agree.. I ended up finding a very similar place on the west side "H-R fabric sales" I was able to find my red/blk houndstooth cloth, foam, and blk vinyl to use on my '86 C10. they carry anything/everything related to fabric/material (auto or home). as well as adhesives for the mentioned. now back to the regularly scheduled programming.... sorry justin

 

[rattle_snake]

I went to H-R of 35th ave & I-10. I immediately realized I should have brought a carry piece for that part of town.

Mesa sales was my go-to for a long time. They still exist doing flooring and high end curtain fabric, but nothing automotive. There was also Tempe sales, they had decent vinyl selection but long gone.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Hit me up if you still need a nitrogen bottle. I can pop my shock filling regulator on and see how much I've got in the bottle. It had plenty last time I used it.

 

[plain2car]

I went to H-R of 35th ave & I-10. I immediately realized I should have brought a carry piece for that part of town.

....

aahh it's not that bad ... ofcourse I actually work about 10 minutes due south of that area... but I do understand the initial perception

 

[MadeByMiller]

I went to H-R of 35th ave & I-10. I immediately realized I should have brought a carry piece for that part of town.

Mesa sales was my go-to for a long time. They still exist doing flooring and high end curtain fabric, but nothing automotive. There was also Tempe sales, they had decent vinyl selection but long gone.

I worked just north of there on 35th Ave and Osborn for a year in 2014. Not the best part of town, but I never experienced anything too out of the ordinary. Hated the commute from Mesa though.

 

[Ohmthis]

Typical automotive weight stuff. I use a 1950's Singer machine. It is not a heavy duty upholstery type, but a normal one of it's day. Today's normal duty machines are plastic and much less robust. They have all kinds of useless features and patterns. I run the largest needle the machine can use, and the heaviest thread. The machine will do 2 layers of vinyl easily. Real leathers not so much. Also does fine with seatbelt type webbing. I originally got the machine to do my boat interior. Simple corners can be done inside out and hide less than perfect stitching.

Thanks Justin for the reply. I started a thread over in the tool section. I’ve gotten a lot of good responses. The interior of your truck is looking very nice!

 

[rattle_snake]

Starting to prep the truck for A/C install. The coil needed to move to make room for the compressor, so it slid itself over and lengthened it's wires.


Ironically I had cut the coil mount bolt tab down to make it fit and look better on the driver side. So I welded some material back on to make it work on the other side.

 

[rattle_snake]

Started on mounting solution for the A/C pump. I had been fighting some Z axis control issues with my plasma table. I wiggled some connectors and it seemed to be OK. I dialed in the pierce parameters better to make consumable last longer and have a better cut. I made a swoopy adapter bracket to fit the cylinder head but it didn't fit properly. Took me awhile to figure out that my digital angle meter was in % not degrees. Making the second version was easy with plasma.



The front of the pump is supported by a simple bracket that bolts to the water pump, in a direction similar to the belt loading.


After some test fitment with random spacers I cut some DOM and welded the spacers and nuts captive.


Bracket bolted up to head. I chose to make it contoured to the pump back plate although it doesn't have to be. On the 72 Ford I used spacers on both sides to avoid special machining of the pump.


Also needed to come up with a belt tensioner setup. I copied the design I came up with on the 72. To make it clear the water pump body across full range the adjustment slot needed to be curved. Good application for the plasma table. I cut the tensioner parts out of 1/4. I made a 1/4 spacer out of aluminum on the lathe, well because.


With pump and tensioner done I test fit for a belt.

 

[zmotorsports]

Very nice setup that you fabricated Justin. Well done.

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks Mike. It went pretty quick the second time around. Found a belt that will work OK after a few attempts.

 

[rattle_snake]

With pump mount and tensioner done moving on to the condenser. But in order to do that right, the trans cooler needs to be addressed. The existing cooler was the factory aux air/liquid unit, and someone had bypassed the radiator loop. In my opinion the small aux cooler was too small to be used on it's own in AZ. I bought a cheap parallel plate type of a larger size. Of course it uses 3/8 fitting and the trans is 5/16.


To mount I attached to top of core opening with some studs and some simple brackets on the sides. The native connection was 5/8 inverted flare for 3/8 tube. I used the supplied fittings to go to 3/8 TOC hose and crimped on some Oetiker clamps. I kept the hoses short and went to a pushlock 1/2-20 inverted flare to adapt to 5/16 steel tube. The cooler can be disconnected easily there.






Reworked the hardline extensions for the new cooler. Added a clamp on the frame and another on the core for the longer section.

 

[zmotorsports]

Justin, just a thought, these stacked plate coolers work best having the fluid enter the top on one side and exiting out the other top side or the second-best option is having the fittings come out the side and having the fluid enter the bottom and exit the upper fittings. By having the fluid enter and exit the bottom has a tendency to allow gaps to be introduced into the flow which can impede cooling characteristics.

 

[rattle_snake]

The dentside hood latch support bracket is somewhat oddly shaped. It has a hump in the middle that eats into the available room for the cooler stack. So I hacked it up to make more room.




Welded in a scab to restore the structure.


Grind and slick out the patch




Now the piece is flat between the mounting points and won't rub the condenser.

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, just a thought, these stacked plate coolers work best having the fluid enter the top on one side and exiting out the other top side or the second-best option is having the fittings come out the side and having the fluid enter the bottom and exit the upper fittings. By having the fluid enter and exit the bottom has a tendency to allow gaps to be introduced into the flow which can impede cooling characteristics.

Thanks for the info mike. Most of the Fords I've had the factory coolers with bottom connections. But I could see how that would be a problem on a Chevy.

 

[rattle_snake]

Reworked the trans cooler brackets. Welded a stud for a smooth face, and welded a bolt captive for core side


Bent up some A/C condenser mounts. Needed a slope built in to get core at the right angle.


Tapped threads into the condenser to secure the brackets.


Simple and secure. The condenser mounts to the trans cooler bracket's captive bolt.


Enough room between rad->trans->condenser and the hood latch brace.


Next is to cut the core support for the condenser hoses to transition into the engine compartment. Then drier mount. Need to go back to the A/C shop to swap some fittings and have some custom ones made up. Then hoses, vac/leak check, wiring, interior duct work.....

 

[rattle_snake]

Removed the grill and cut some holes for the condenser hoses. Wasn't enough room to mount the condenser in front of the core support like the original. Instead used a hole saw to make openings that went through the core/radiator support at an angle.


Removed the brace on the radiator mount.


I put a patch panel in the original hose hole and touched up a few other areas. Goal is for my modifications to NOT make things more ghetto/hacked than before.


Same for right side. Welded up unused holes, and made some patch panels. Beyond looking better, it reduces hot air cavitation from fan, and wastes a lot of time.


Cooling stack installed with plenty of clearance. I realized the headlight buckets were adjustable and only attached with one bolt. On reassembly of grill I adjusted them and installed the rest of the fasteners. I was hoping that was my mystery rattle, but it was not.


Mounted the dryer on radiator support mostly out of sight. Stopped by the AC shop for fittings, having some custom ones made for evaporator to go from #10->#8 hose and #8->#6 hose.


I did finally find the annoying rattle that eluded me for a while. One of the leaf spring retainers was loose on the pack. Cut it off. Didn't see one at all on the other side.

 

[ntsqd]

Being a life-long Ford guy I'll say that Ford does aux cooler plumbing dumb.
[EDIT] They aren't alone though, I've seen GM's plumbed the same way in what is clearly an OEM install.[/EDIT]

 

[rattle_snake]

Unsealed the components to fit-n-cut the hoses, clock the fittings.


Ready to crimp the fittings on. In general the install is very close to that of the 72. The Evap has been open to elements for a long time considering a flush.

 

[ntsqd]

Are you going to have to take the hoses somewhere to have them crimped?

 

[rattle_snake]

So back to the cooler plumbing methods. The pressure line basically comes out the the converter, and is always under pressure when engine running so won't have any air or vacuum gaps. The return goes into the fluid cavity/pan and is subject to atmospheric pressure thru the vent.
After shutdown, the cooler fluid could drain into the pan as air goes into return line from the vent. Given the system holds gallons, the cooler and lines are only a few % of the capacity. On startup it would purge the small amount of air out the vent. In reality the cooler lines form a u-trap so I doubt air can ever get to cooler. I understand that this scenario is avoided plumbing in from the top.

Thoughts?

 

[rattle_snake]

Are you going to have to take the hoses somewhere to have them crimped?

I'm going to have the A/C shop do the crimps, they have a professional level machine. The owner has been very helpful so I'll give him the business. One of my employees has an A/C line crimping tool I could have borrowed.

 

[ntsqd]

With the way that Ford plumbs them I'd say roughly 1/2 of the fluid in the cooler plus all of the fluid in the return line will flow into the pan after shut-down. With the exit of the cooler at the top, only a small percentage of the fluid at the top of the cooler and all of the return line volume will flow into the pan. I don't think any of that matters.

What matters is that with the exit at the top the fluid coming in from the bottom pushes any air out and the cooler becomes 100% saturated with fluid. With both the exit and the entry on the bottom it is very possible and highly likely that some of the cooler has air trapped in it, reducing it's cooling effectiveness. An inverted 'P' trap that traps air in part of the cooler. Every engine re-start also re-starts the air bleeding process.

Sharpie stripes to indicate the correct clocking of each hose end in case they get bumped or twisted by accident?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'm going to have the A/C shop do the crimps, they have a professional level machine. The owner has been very helpful so I'll give him the business. One of my employees has an A/C line crimping tool I could have borrowed.

Justin, what A/C shop do you use?