rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[SRU1436]

Modified the Hayden 2747 fan clutch to come on at a lower temp by adding preload to the bi-metallic spring. Once aftermarket temp gauge is installed can see how it operates.

That’s an awesome idea!

 

[rattle_snake]

Got a free set of used Rigid D series lights to fill the empty holes in the bumper. Round hole square peg. Diffused white floods, and amber floods now. Hand-me-downs. I may swap the diffused for spots.


Installed up-fitter switches in my '14 F250. Not much to it but a PITA. I have one set of lights on the factory fog light circuit and added the 2nd to the up-fitter. Used another switch for high idle.

 

[rattle_snake]

When I bought the new carpet I also did matching floor mats and an extra $56 yard of carpet.
Cut some carpet to make kick panel covers.


Mats have rubber ****** gripple backing


Cleaned and re-sealed the drive side foot vent. I had previously cleaned out the cavity, as it was completely full of pine needles.

 

[ntsqd]

Looks sharp!

 

[rattle_snake]

Added carpet to the rear cab corners. Used some flooring threshold product for transition. Adhesive backed. Painted the box brackets the matching tan color and swapped out the carriage bolts for a riv-nut and a machine screw.

 

[rattle_snake]

Fourth version of upper door insert. The lighter sand color was plain and didn't match very well. Due to the window crank, can't really add any height to foam stack-up to make additional shapes or contours. So I made the wrap two-tone. Measured the existing angle used and made the lighter strip same angle but opposite direction.


Cut a groove to hide the sew seam in, so material lays flat. I add 1/4" to patterns to sew, then trim down to make seam fit in 3/16 foam.


Had to make a new foam panel for right side, then cut the wrong side of it. I keep finding new ways to screw things up. Adapt and overcome.


I've been using 3M double sided urethane adhesive tape to hold the foam on the door panel. Seems to work well enough. About destroyed getting the previous ones off. Doors are now good enough to move on to the dash.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Justin, the upholstery is looking good, I like the blend of colors. Very clean.

 

[M.Brane]

You are clearly the best thing that has happened to that old pickup since the OPs took possession.

 

[bugnut]

Justin the truck is looking sharp!

 

[plain2car]

sooo, when can I swing by to get some development leadership on my audio install for my truck??? .... .....

nice job on the carpet Justin!!

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, the upholstery is looking good, I like the blend of colors. Very clean.

Thanks Marc. I'm not an artsy type and have to make a specific effort to make color combinations work together.

You are clearly the best thing that has happened to that old pickup since the OPs took possession.

Thanks. The old truck is getting much love but also some 'hard use' as well.

Justin the truck is looking sharp!

Thanks Joel. It has a new feel on the inside. One more major piece to go.

sooo, when can I swing by to get some development leadership on my audio install for my truck??? .... .....

nice job on the carpet Justin!!

Any time. I can always help other spend money. You may need some new tools also.

 

[rattle_snake]

I tried capping the ends of the exhaust tips. It made things quieter, and emphasized the hissing of the gasses. So I cut them back off, back to mean, nasty and snarly.

In the process of acquiring parts for a fuel system. Removing the mechanical pump from crowded area will make access to everything else much better. The fuel log will have to be reconfigured, and supply line routed from back of the engine down to frame rail. Going to replace the hacked up fuel line front to back with a single piece of 3/8 steel and 6AN fittings. I bought a carter p4070 electric fuel pump, and a barbed in-line fuel filter as a pre-filter. Going to drop tank slightly to replace the rubber hose from pickup to the new filter. Pump will be wired with it's own relay, but kludging yet another relay forces rework of all the whole area. Going to a 6 circuit fuse/relay box.

 

[rattle_snake]

Last major item on interior is the dash. The old cracked up pad is blue, but nothing else is.


The cracks manifest as ridges where the top layer has delaminated from the foam and curled up.


Damage from tach mount. The top layer is very brittle.


Used a few layers of epoxy to fill the cracks and stabilize the damaged areas.


To prevent the tach from crushing the pad again, I used some cable ferrules as spacers and epoxied them in.


Pad repaired, cleaned and prepped for cover.


I didn't have enough vinyl to cover in one piece, so I improvised and continued theme of the seat to the dash pad. I used a cutoff wheel to cut grooves for the seams to sit in. Corners aren't perfect, some seams could help there. Overall I give the job a B-. The pad is basically trash so can't mess it up.

 

[ntsqd]

Those cracked pads have always baffled me as to what to do with them. I'd pondered something like what you've done, but never been brave enough to try it.

 

[zmotorsports]

Great job on the dash Justin. I've repaired steering wheels in a similar manner with epoxy and had good results. I like the two-tone dash covering to match the seats. Unique yet clean.

 

[rattle_snake]

The chrome trim on the instrument cluster bezel had faded away, so I partially painted it.


disassembled two of the vents and cleaned all the pieces.


I was going to cover the whole dash area, but after simply cleaning it was in OK shape so I left it alone.

 

[rattle_snake]

Those cracked pads have always baffled me as to what to do with them. I'd pondered something like what you've done, but never been brave enough to try it.

I figure the pad is already junk so nothing to ruin. For the amount of time spent it probably makes more sense to just buy a new one, but it would look just like everyone else's.

Great job on the dash Justin. I've repaired steering wheels in a similar manner with epoxy and had good results. I like the two-tone dash covering to match the seats. Unique yet clean.

The epoxy worked pretty well to stabilize the dash pad. I used a quick dry liquid type, which gets under the top layer and adheres it to the foam. Then can be sanded down below the top layer. I was concerned the cracks would continue after being covered.

 

[PugetDude]

That looks great, Justin.
What an improvement.

 

[ntsqd]

Agree, huge improvement.

My first such challenge was a '67 Ranchero and at the time there just wasn't anything known for them. Screwing up meant trashing the only part that I had.

 

[rattle_snake]

Circling back to the electrical system to add provisions for an electrical fuel pump. Instead of kludging on relay #5 I started over on the power distribution system. Hack, simplify and use a 6 position fuse/relay box.


Made decision to move forward with 3G alternator and loose the external regulator and associated wiring harness. Old alternators can have a lot of ripple/noise and can cause some things to not function properly. For example, causes fuel pump can have erratic pressure, and issues with EFI injector control. Not so much the case with carb fuel bowls. Electrical system will now be up to the task of the audio system, sensitive things like EFI, and additional loads like electric fans.


Needed a mounting solution for the relay/fuse box. I moved the solenoid deeper into the cavity to make room. After CAD template process made a sketch and burned out on plasma.


Using a brake makes for consistent and sharp bends. Can make a decent corner now.


Basic shape in 16 ga with cut out for wiring.


Paint and some riv-nuts.




Pre-wired relay box as much as possible.


Longer version of the previous cover.


Everything connected


Reworked main harness a few times to integrate wiring for A/C, line lock, fuel pump and so on. Made it long enough to work on.


1 Fuel pump
2 A/C clutch
3 Line loc
4 -spare-
5 horn
6 HVAC power
I was able to remove the fusible link from HVAC and use one of the fuse positions for it. Also integrated the horn into the box instead of the janky wiring through the alternator harness and it's own relay. With alternator fusible link and shunt gone, ammeter wiring can be used for something else. In this case the line lock signal, and a spare.


Next is re-route heater hoses.

 

[zmotorsports]

Very clean work Justin.

 

[bugnut]

Justin, interior looks awesome. Matching and making it look good goes a long way! And then the new six pack, so very nice!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I didn't realize you guys needed heater hoses down there

 

[plain2car]

Marc, heater hoses are a VITAL system we need down here, .... just as wiper blades are as well!!

Justin, great job on the dash.... I am pretty sure I am going to do similar on my truck dash as well...

 

[rattle_snake]

Very clean work Justin.

Thanks Mike. I'm good at spending time and money on things that don't change functionality much. But it's my way, appeals to my OCD. Apply lessons learned, better techniques and materials. Challenge myself to raise overall build quality.

Justin, interior looks awesome. Matching and making it look good goes a long way! And then the new six pack, so very nice!

Thanks Joel. Truck has a totally different feel inside now. Need to circle back to my 1972 F250 and do the doors and dash.

Marc, heater hoses are a VITAL system we need down here, .... just as wiper blades are as well!!

Justin, great job on the dash.... I am pretty sure I am going to do similar on my truck dash as well...

Heater and supporting components are for that one morning I might want to use it.

 

[rattle_snake]

Working on a few tasks from the bottom side. Started removal of the original fuel system. Pulled the lines, broken clips, hoses and the mechanical pump. Cut out a pump block off plate and sealed off the opening in the block. Need to address the too short PS tensioner and the oil pressure plumbing now that they can be accessed easier.


fab'd a mounting bracket for the new electric fuel pump. Simple things like this and FP block off are quicker done by hand than on the plasma. I try to use only one size of bolt everywhere to limit the number if different wrench sized needed to remove one thing.


Mounted the pump/filter assembly on the forward fuel tank cross member. Replaced the short hose going to the tank the stupid way. On a stool, elbows over axle. Difficult to access the worm clamp so I tugged the old hose hard enough for it to come off and blast my face with fuel. Luckily I'm vigilant about wearing eye protection. Then I removed the (supposed to be vented) cap to burp the pressure out.


I ended up re-sleeving the entire chassis harness while adding the fuel pump wire. The old split loom was greasy and the older corrugated style, can't have that. All the plastic wire and tube clips are broken, so have to deal with all three of those. Used a p-clamp to strain relief the pump power wire in close, and used clamp bolt as GND for the pump.

 

[rattle_snake]

New alt arrived. 200A big case 3G, self excite (aka one wire). I had made provisions for the 'run' (well actually 'run' is 'crank/run') to enable the alternator but not needed for self excite. Guess I didn't read sale description well enough. Anyhow less clutter, it would be the only wire from fender area to alt.


Although the cases are essentially the same and bolt right up, the belt alignment was off a little bit. I shaved down the custom 3/8->7/16 adapter/spacer until just right. Opened up the wrench flats to use a big dumb adjustable wrench.


The Ford 3G alternators have a relatively small (m6) output stud. To support 200 A, a big *** cable is needed. I found some robust but narrow 1/4" lugs that fit with minimal trimming to the shield. Output of the alternator goes to the PMGR starter B+ lug, and is the 'main terminal' of the system.


The starter B+ lug now has 3 large cables, the third being the run to the solenoid/main harness/fuse box. The existing 4 ga cable is now too short. I have enough cable and crimps to make a longer one, but it wouldn't match. Ordered some more 4 ga in the same brand/jacket color, well because.


I re-routed the starter-to-battery cable from dangling under to over the exhaust.


Over the top of the starter and down the opposite side so the cable can't really move or sag down to hot exhaust.


Started on rework of the fuel system. Reversed the fuel log and started on best route for the hose down to the frame rail. I think the existing hose will be long enough as-is. Hope to get the new hard line fit, bent and flared tonight.

 

[rattle_snake]

Didn't get much time to work on the truck last night, but I made a crooked tube out of a curly one. Switching over to zinc plated hardline instead of the green PVF. I typically trash the PFV coating from excessive remove/replace cycles while fitting the lines. There is cheap **** tube out there with minimal descriptions. I bought Allstar brand tube and it's copper lined which I think is important as modern fuel contains ethanol that is hydrophilic, which can rust the inside of the tube.
I noticed how overly complicated with bends the EOM fuel line was as I tossed it out back. Simple straight shot down frame rail....
I started the new line as a single 10' piece and got it kinda fitting ok-ish until I did the bend up to the motor. Now PITA to get on/off truck due to the one crossmember is goes through. There was no hope of being able to improperly apply my OCD of 'tweak that bend just one more time' so I cut the run in half at the cross member same as the brake line and the old fuel line. The rear half has many obstacles to deal with where as the front half has none. After basic fitment I put in two offsets to snuggle the tubing up to the frame to secure with a double humper clamp.

 

[rattle_snake]

This weekend was fleet service time. Worked on six different vehicles. One item was worn out door checks on 2006 Honda, door won't stay open. I pulled the door panel and the check out to replace. Didn't find one locally enough so looked into repair instead. The catch is non-serviceable, so I ground off one pinch seam open it up. I found that the nylon followers were broken and allowed the ball bearing to ride up inside the coil spring instead of pushing on it. I added a washer in between and proceeded to compress/assemble, and weld the seam shut. Worked like a champ. Free and no time wasted getting parts. The pass front door is next.

Evidently you should disconnect battery before unplugging the door electronics. The car thinks theft is in progress and sets off alarm, and lock the radio.

My older daughter wanted a cell phone mount removed from dash. Had to pulled some parts and dig to get at it. This also set off some type of alarm. Had to cycle battery power to recover. Also no power to left vanity mirror lights. Didn't get that solved yet.

 

[rattle_snake]

Finish out the wiring job on the 6 F100. The hidden guts of the new configuration.


Rummaged through wall of hoses at local parts store and found a pair of molded hoses with a 45*-ish bend, and another slight bend that went the right way.


New heater hose arrangement


Added a 60A breaker to the main harness power wire. Not everything is fused at the fuse box, such as ignition, head lights, and so on. Modern vehicles do.


New fuel line and retainer clips. I like these over P-clamps. If I need to add a 3/8" return line they will get used for that. For now, the brake line.


Unions


Front half

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the fuel and wiring along the frame rail.


Hardline to 6AN hose along back of engine block.


Made a longer P/S pump tensioner with more adjustment room.


Modified the oil sensor extension to work in the space available. Cut off the end and welded the hole shut. Tapped 1/4 NPT at 90* to existing 1/8 NPT.

 

[zmotorsports]

Excellent work Justin.

 

[bugnut]

Justin, i'm hurting from just watching what you've been doing. All looks good!

 

[rattle_snake]

I had a co-worker who told me it was stressful just listening to me describe all the problems and solutions I had going at any given time.

The next round of projects will have some pain. Trenching for pipes, concrete, welding.

 

[rattle_snake]

Made another effort on my daughter's mustang sun visor vanity light issue. Figured out how to put the unit off and measured voltage at the plug so broken on the inside. The visor assembly isn't serviceable and is replaced as an unit. But I ignored that and opened it up anyhow. I was able to unscrew a few fasteners while still under the fabric to open the casing. Wires broke off at the slide mechanism.


No room for crimps so soldered some extension wires on to connect to the exposed wires


I had found a schematic, and just tapped into the wires. The light wouldn't turn off, so moved to the other side of the switch to function properly.


Fixed!

 

[rattle_snake]

I've been avoiding getting my bandsaw to cut straight for a long time now. I tried 2 new blades and never got it quite right. Easy to just touch up on belt sander. The current blade finally broke so time to try again. No point in adjusting for a used blade. I've been researching the mods and methods to achieve a better cut. I think I have a plan.

Start from beginning on pivot, fence square
Inspect wheel runout, machine as needed
Tune blade tracking
Add captive nut and adjustable stop to fixed fence
Take slop out of movable fence
Add set screws to guide adjusters
secure downfeed spring better, improve adjuster.
Additional cutting depth below deck
revisit wedge blocks and retainment.
v-block retainer.

I've come to the conclusion that a pneumatic or hydraulic downfeed is not worth the money, and I don't want to deal with liquid coolant.

 

[rattle_snake]

One of the resources I found mentioned that the fixed fence was not square. I checked mine and it was off the typical amount expected from cheapest turd of a tool.


I clamped the fence in mill vice, adjusted, and milled the smaller surface (that bolts to deck) with a few passes of 3/4 end mill. Cleaned up a bit on belt grinder. Now it is much closer to 90*.


I ran a 120 grit pad over the deck surface and found a few high spots along the edges that prevented the fences from laying flat. The fixed fence pivot bolt/hole has slop, and even with a stop on the other end it won't end up in a consistent position. I drilled out the m8 threads and tapped to 3/8-16, and drilled the fence holes to 0.372.

In general I never move the fixed fence because I'm too lazy to set it up each time. I use wedges to to cut common angles, which aren't secured well. So to make moving the fixed fence easier I copied a special nut for the slot bolt. The tang rides in the slot so only one tool is needed. I built up the tang with weld instead of milling the rest off.


Welded a nut captive on the bottom. Problem is the curved slot isn't wide enough for the larger 3/8 hardware.

 

[ntsqd]

My little ~40 year old Rong-Fu (HF) band-saw came to me with a bunch of that work already done. They got it to where it will hold .005" fairly reliably if the blade is any good. If it's not holding at least .01" then the blade is used up and I replace it.

The down-feed adjustment is stuck and never has adjusted easily. I noticed that leaving the saw down when not in use was slowly causing the spring to stretch and I kept needing to tighten it up to get a decent feed rate. I now leave it up when not in use.
I have given more than passing thought to using one of the pneumatic cylinders that I acquired with a bunch of other stuff when my previous employer went under to build a pneumatic down-feed rate controller in place of the counter-spring. Included in that haul are fittings that meter the airflow in one direction (needle valve) and free-flow in the other. It would be simple enough to replace the spring with a cylinder fitted with such a fitting.

I also want a good adjustable stop for multiple pieces of the same length. I started to make that and the angles of the base casting meant that it wasn't going to be fast & simple. Which stalled it at the time, and I haven't gotten back around to it.

 

[rattle_snake]

Continuing on with the fence mods. The casting where the bolts go through is stepped at one of the holes and uneven at the other. Why I don't know, but I milled them flat so that a bolt can be torqued properly.


Made a crude 90* stop for the fixed fence. The pivot bolt is snugged and has a nut below the threaded casting base to hold it stationary. So the fence can pivot without having to loosen/tighten. Still have to do the other so maybe for nothing.


I has always left the fence jaw loose because it would bind when opened up far enough. Flattening the deck helped, but the fence itself was rough so I milled the bolt surface like the other to get a consistent clamp force. The jaw itself was square and didn't need ant touch up. Tooling is too short to machine the other way, so radially it is.


The vice slide mechanism sits below the deck by about 0.020. I believe the intent was for it to be above the deck slightly, so the fastener can be tightened, but no. Loose bolt makes jaw crooked when clamping force is applied. I made a shim out of 26 ga (0.023), then thinned out with a hammer until I had a nice fit. The bolt can now be torqued and jaw can travel the whole length smoothly.


All that work to get this


These saws are know to have issues cutting down to or below the deck level. On my machine, at some point the castings began to hit and makes stop bolt useless.


So the question is why, typically the pivot. Looking closer I see that when the saw is vertical, the casting touch in a way such that the arm is displaced sideways along the pivot shaft. When arm is down the whole thing can move side to side, which is bad. So need to address that, but at least something to fix to make the saw perform better.


Moving on to the wheel alignment. I pulled the guides off and fiddled with the adjustments. The lower guide bearings are in rough shape, and definitely a cause of error. I ordered a new set of 6000 bearings and can continue when they arrive. I feel that I have identified the cause of my problems and can get them solved easy enough.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I've got the same saw Justin...I'll just bring mine down when you're done and swap you out