rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[custombuild]

And if there is damage to either surface and it isn't replaceable there are soft metal gaskets made for 37° fittings. Last that I looked Pegasus Racing carried them, and Summit might.

ETA: Sympathetic to fighting PS system leaks. Currently battling one myself and I've concluded that it must be the rebuilt steering gear. Sent the original off to Lee PS for a real rebuild. I'll see what that gets me.

Normal use they should not be necessary. The AN 37° system is intended to function without a gasket. It is only in extenuating circumstances, like an unreplaceable fitting with a buggered sealing surface, that the gaskets/sealing cone washers are used.

Agree with the above.. usually the flared fittings will not require a seal.

Just don't overtorque them because the aluminum isn't very strong .. I'm sure everyone knows but FYI.

If they leak, we often use these https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/hapages/del37fittings.php

 

[rattle_snake]

Some different wire wraps, aluminum.

 

[rattle_snake]

Still thinking about how to deal with the CCV system. I made the restrictor smaller by area factor of 1/4. I drilled and tapped one valve cover, probably do the other then I can swap the pieces out and see where the problem is. Inlet, suction side or both.

 

[rattle_snake]

Resolved the CC oil issue. Smaller jet, moved suction to the valve cover instead of the exhaust crossover deal.

 

[rattle_snake]

Awhile back I bought a set of Dewalt pole tools. One a kit with handle, extension and chainsaw, and a bare tool hedge trimmer. This allowed me to use the extension on the trimmer, whereas in the Kit form it wouldn't come with one. Long reach works great.
The tools are also useful on the ground but cumbersome with length. Yes I could buy two more tools intended for ground use, but I'm cheap so I bough another handle and cut it up.


Now I have options. Trimmer is comfortable to use now. And an electric chainsaw


Hmm, the safety latch fell out.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Awhile back I bought a set of Dewalt pole tools. One a kit with handle, extension and chainsaw, and a bare tool hedge trimmer. This allowed me to use the extension on the trimmer, whereas in the Kit form it wouldn't come with one. Long reach works great.
The tools are also useful on the ground but cumbersome with length. Yes I could buy two more tools intended for ground use, but I'm cheap so I bough another handle and cut it up.


Now I have options. Trimmer is comfortable to use now. And an electric chainsaw


Hmm, the safety latch fell out.

I have the same handle. The safety switches in them are janky. Keep falling out!

 

[Bob Heine]

Just don't overtorque them because the aluminum isn't very strong .. I'm sure everyone knows but FYI.

@custombuild, thanks for that link. I have a lot of braided stainless PTFE lines with steel fittings as well as stainless hard lines with aluminum fittings. I believe the chances of those leaking are higher so an aluminum liner might save me a lot of grief. Now I have that item bookmarked.

 

[Bob Heine]

Resolved the CC oil issue. Smaller jet, moved suction to the valve cover instead of the exhaust crossover deal.

Justin, thank you. I feel much better about my AN fitting PCV investments.

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, thank you. I feel much better about my AN fitting PCV investments.

Hey Bob,

AN fitting are a great way to spend a lot of money where a simple hose could work. Hydro boost plumbing looks great too.

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the PCV/CCV system. Baffle installed on right valve cover under the suction fitting.


Exhaust crossover as CCV suction port was a failure. Plugged and moved on. Why? The two small holes on the bottom of the crossover aerated the oil badly. I believe there is a continuous film of oil splashed onto the bottom of the intake, feeding the two holes. Small holes make high velocity. To do again, more larger holes, or something else.




Added a restrictor to the inlet side of the CCV. Turned down a Holley jet OD to fit ID of 6AN. Slightly smaller than the restrictor at the manifold.


I had ordered a cheap, $25 catch can/separator before I had replumbed and resolved the oil issue. Since rings are new decided to go ahead and use it, see what it captures. Made another clamp type mounting bracket.


Tucked the canister back on firewall behind the brake booster. It is plumbed in-line with valve cover inlet and the manifold.


With oil contamination issue resolved, the truck runs so much better. I think at low RPM there was a mis-fire due to oily plugs and oily mixture that wouldn't light. Now with some clean miles the carburetor has fixed itself. Different AFR behavior. Glad I stopped trying to 'tune' the inconsistent behavior, was never going to get there. $2000 in EFI would mask the issue somewhat, but not solve. The lean tip-in is mostly gone once warmed up, and the overly-rich conditions are reduced.

The carb tune isn't perfect, or as good as it was before the heads and cam, but it's OK, drivable now. It fires immediately and idles smoothly stone cold, with no choke. It struggles a bit in gear cold, but the high idle takes care of that. Hit the switch and all is well, can drive off without waiting. Leaving the high idle on does negatively effect tip in, as the transfer slots are too far exposed and fuel circuit feeding them is being consumed already. Not a big deal though, once rolling the inertia removes need for high idle.

After months of work the motor is finally running like it should, and I can enjoy the results. I pulled the motor July 12th, and had it running again beginning of September. Then almost two months of chasing my tail on carb issues and carb tuning for an oil issue. Some self-inflicted just trying to make things custom and complicated. I'm glad I didn't run it completely out of oil, or trust the false dipstick readings. I was probably 1.5 qts low when I changed the oil and added the equalizer tube.

So now I can move on to other things. Going to see if it tolerates 87 octane fuel with 35* total timing. Not sure it needs 35 but no pinging now with 89. Can also revisit accelerator pump tuning. Try #1 cam screw position. Maybe epoxy the nozzle and go down to 0.031. WOT is mid 12s fairly consistently so I think that is good enough. Have an odd jet split, 72/65. The motor seems to start to roll over at 5200 RPM, which is as expected.

 

[XJSuperman]

AN fitting are a great way to spend a lot of money where a simple hose could work. Hydro boost plumbing looks great too.

AN lines are certainly an expensive way to eliminate hose clamps. I'm learning this firsthand right now. The first order wasn't what I remembered ordering, but appears to be an upgrade of sorts, so I kept it. Second order was to allow for a greater margin of error, but I made the mistake of ordering both PTFE-lined and CPE style lines. So now I am mixing lines and fittings as they don't interchange. Sounds messy, is definitely more confusing, but at least I'll be able to easily decipher what each line's purpose is on the vehicle later.

 

[ntsqd]

I tend to use the Push-lock/Barb-tite type of hose ends more than anything else. I've found that I can use locally sourced quality fuel (EFI emissions barrier type) and A/T - PS cooler hose on these fittings and reliably meet my goal of very, very few hose clamps on the vehicle.
Not inexpensive, but less than either version of the braided SS hose.

 

[rattle_snake]

AN fittings and hose have some type of allure that make buying them seem justified.

To me there are two types, high quality and cheap junk.
For anything fuel, I use only name brand fittings and high end hose that is ethanol rated. The hose is very expensive now. Hard lines and minimal hose.

For most other things that don't need to be AN anyhow (but the look...) I buy cheap **** on Amazon. P/S return line, trans cooler, PCV, nitrous purge, etc. Some percentage of the fittings have **** machining on the seal face. Others use odd wrench sizes. But they do the job.

Oetiker clamps are another way to avoid typical worm clamps, but are not roadside reusable. I use worm clamps pretty much only on the cooling system.

 

[XJSuperman]

I am hoping the key here is to stick with one brand all the way through, but that could very well backfire.

 

[rattle_snake]

The brands mostly interchange within a style of hose. I use summit racing AN stuff, but it's just re-branded from someone else.

For an in-between in quality and price I've had good luck with Evil energy. They have a full line and usually deliver next day.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm not a fan of the rubber lined braided SS hose. It might be OK for ATF/PSF but not at all for fuel. Either teflon lined braided SS hose, or EFI Emissions Barrier hose on Push-lock/Barb-tite hose ends for fuel and trans/PS cooler hose on Push-lock/Barb-tite hose ends for those needs.

Oetiker clamps for the win on hose to hardline connections that do not need to be easily disconnected. They're also great on CV and drive-shaft dust boots. Spring for a quality Oetiker clamp installing tool.

 

[XJSuperman]

The brands mostly interchange within a style of hose. I use summit racing AN stuff, but it's just re-branded from someone else.
For an in-between in quality and price I've had good luck with Evil energy. They have a full line and usually deliver next day.

Evil Energy is who I've got. I would expect brands to interchange, but hoping there's a better guarantee of fitment and compatibility by sticking with a single source. The CPE (rubber lined) stuff says its ok for most fuel, but we all know there's a finite lifespan there, especially if ethanol fuel of any kind is involved. In my case it'll be return line to start with.

 

[rattle_snake]

I'd say all pump fuel has some or a good deal of ethanol in it. I think AZ winter fuel is around 20%. I would not use the cheap hose.

 

[rattle_snake]

I'm not a fan of the rubber lined braided SS hose. It might be OK for ATF/PSF but not at all for fuel. Either teflon lined braided SS hose, or EFI Emissions Barrier hose on Push-lock/Barb-tite hose ends for fuel and trans/PS cooler hose on Push-lock/Barb-tite hose ends for those needs.

Quality rubber AN hose is same as the other flavors of SAE fuel rated hose, just with a jacket. Designed, tested and approved for that use.

Summit premium hose is SAE 30R9, fluoroelastomer. 20 ft is $150 now, ouch.

Summit Racing SUM-240620BP Summit Racing™ Premium Braided Nylon Hose | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Premium Braided Nylon Hose with qualifying orders of $109. Shop AN Hose at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

 

[ntsqd]

Unless that is the "Emissions Barrier" type of hose I won't even consider using it. The more common plain fuel hose just doesn't last.

 

[rattle_snake]

Just finishing up a wood project for the general, CFO. She wanted a stand for a rat cage. Yes, the kind that snakes eat whole. The zoo (aka our home) somehow came to include a ball python. I guess it's easier to get a few meals at a time.
Anyhow, I could whip something together but instead spend a little more effort and build something decent since its going in the home. Multi purpose so when it's original purpose is gone, it's just another cabinet. Something like the rest of the stuff I built. Used some leftover 2x4/2x6s from the shop build 9 years ago that have some character. Marked and saved them for something 'cool'. But I can't use them for anything, because there could be something better to use them on in the near or distant future. A conundrum it seems.

Simple four legger design. Lower shelf, toe relief, overhang on back to clear the baseboard. Getting lazy and used an nail gun in addition to glue to build it quickly. Stained everything even though you don't look at the bottom, back or inside much.


Cobbled together some doors with the last of my stash of black 'reclaimed' oak re-sawn fence boards. Didn't have enough long boards but made it work.


One adjustable shelf. A mish-mash of materials. Fir, oak, pine. I left the top open as it will have a fishtank covering most all of it. In it's next life I can fill in with whatever. Glass, tile, rocks, leather, wood, metal, epoxy. Dunno.


Put one coat of Polycyrlic matte clear on the outside for stain protection. I also added a back out of 1/4" plywood, mostly for stability, but also keeps stuff from falling off the back of the shelves.

 

[Mr.N]

Some different wire wraps, aluminum.

Justin, have a link to that battery terminal, cover and wires? What gauge are the wires? I like your setup.

 

[rattle_snake]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JJKVHD1?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01068FSJI?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KBF34WQ?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[rattle_snake]

With F100 going down the road again working on some other projects I have put off for a while. One project is the sliding doors of the upper shop shelf. Originally I had used silicon to glue in 1/8 panel into the steel frame. That failed quickly so I went back and fixed eight of the ten doors. First fix to one overhead door was tabs and bolts. As the panel expands and contracts from moisture it was wavy and looked like ****. So for the next 7 welded 1/8x1/2 flat steel around the perimeter, and glued panels to that. Worked well. Each door perimeter is about 20'. Guessing I ran out of steel, then bought more and that was many years ago. Some of the steel then got used for something else.

 

[rattle_snake]

This summer we got a Pacific weather system that lasted 4-5 days of 100% humidity and inches of rain. The panels expanded, tenant annoyed. The last door that was never re-worked came further apart. At some point the panel will fall out of frame from up high. Statistically speaking the probability of it falling on someone is low, but it being me is high.

The other change was adding more speakers and power to the audio system. The system induces high pressure on the door panel close to the speakers, turning it into a large speaker cone. I tried some bracing, it didn't work very well. Vibrates and make noise. Problem is I can't tell if the noise is speaker damaging itself or not.

So it was time to go back and rework the last two doors, and build the one next to the audio system more robust. I pulled the braces off the door near speakers and slid it over to a new home where the unworked door was. Took that door and welded in the perimeter flat bar. Used some construction adhesive to glue in the existing panel and let it dry overnight. Then used some rope to lift and hang the door.

For the last door next to speakers, I added some vertical bracing out of the 16 ga 1x3 rec tube the frames are made out of. I made reinforcement spacing same as height, square panels. The idea is to cut surface up into smaller pieces to raise resonant frequency. By the time I had welded three in I figured I should have made the spacing equal across the door, however anything longer than shortest dimension is not ideal. Also the pressure isn't constant or even linear with distance, it is inverse square. So I guess I should have done that. Would any of it matter? No.

For panels, increased the thickness by 6x, to 3/4. The increased rigidity raises the amount of energy needed to vibrate the panel. So off to home depot to grab some white faced particle board. Whole sheet is only another $5, fine. Put sheet in F100 tailgate down, drive slow. Well it slid out the back anyhow. I heard it go, and saw in rear view. I used the brakes to match my speed to that of the sheet sliding down the pavement. Luckily it went slightly right and not out into the other lanes of traffic. Now I know which side of the sheet to use as front.

To make things match I went with no fasteners, just adhesive. Cut the panels small to allow for a glue gap. To fit the panels I put the door face down and uses 1/4 spacers to set the height. Then foil tape to hold position.


The idea was to then fill the gap with silicon, foil tape becoming the bottom of the trough.


But the fitment was too tight to get the silicon down that far from the top. So I let it set long enough to flip over, removed foil tape and put another bead in from the back side. Once it cures I can hoist it up and see how it performs.

 

[rattle_snake]

Put an aftermarket steering wheel on the F100. Initially I bought the most common and cheapest (chevy) hub. Spline info is hard to find. I knew I had a 3/4-36. I did some modifications and got it to work, but just not the right hub. No way to get horn to work, too short. Did some more research and found some Ford hubs, picked one. The kit came with two small split dowl pins for the turn signal cancel. Aftermarket steering wheels are know to damage the turn cancel arms. Instead of the tiny dowls I used the OG Ford cam.
Why?
Ramp rate. The original cam has a smooth and shallow ramp. The tiny 1/16 dowls present basically a wall/ledge to the plastic followers. I kept the slice I removed earlier to shorten the cam, turns out it's just right for the new hub.




The setup come with a ring to bridge the gap from hub to the shift collar. Upside is you can see the contact height of the cancel cam and the clock spring before installing the cover ring.


Stylin' now with my $50 wheel. The reach is improved and wheel is in a comfortable position.


Getting the bottom of the wheel up away from my legs was one of the goals of the smaller diameter wheel. The spool makes for drifting and need to be able to whip the wheel for counter steer. Better control.

 

[WoodsTruck]

Is there enough room between the top of the wheel and dash for a tilt column?
I did that in my Bronco and it solved a lot of problems for me.

 

[rattle_snake]

Yes I think so. I didn't really go down that path but I see cheap import tilt columns for a few hundred. Preplacement parts? No sure how that would go. I think they are chevy based columns adapted to Ford.

I believe the 78/79 trucks could have had them but long gone in junk yards. No 70s or older anything in junk yards here.

 

[PugetDude]

I believe there is a small wrecking yard in Apache Junction that has some older Ford stuff. I will try to remember to swing by there the next time I am over that way.

 

[MrPink]

I believe there is a small wrecking yard in Apache Junction that has some older Ford stuff. I will try to remember to swing by there the next time I am over that way.

There is i bought the tailgate for my 85 F150 there almost 10yrs ago, i regret selling that truck....

 

[lugnut71]

I always wanted to put a 80-86 tilt column in my 78 F150 ......... 25 years ago ha

 

[rattle_snake]

My dad has a neighbor in WA that has his own Ford/dentside junkyard. My dad is working on two dents, a 75 F250 and a 73 F150. They trade mustang and truck parts.

 

[lugnut71]

bad in the day i thought the 80-86 version would be cool with the ignition in the column

 

[MrPink]

bad in the day i thought the 80-86 version would be cool with the ignition in the column

My 85 had the ignition on the column.

 

[Bob Heine]

Getting the bottom of the wheel up away from my legs was one of the goals of the smaller diameter wheel. The spool makes for drifting and need to be able to whip the wheel for counter steer. Better control.

Justin, If you want even better control, consider a steering wheel spinner. Not the decorative ones on Amazon but the ones intended for handicapped drivers. They are stupid expensive but built like they are part of the steering linkage. I drove without one from 1966-1989 but was required to have one to be allowed to drive a car in Australia in 1989. The ******* Center in Sydney charged $84 for the one they imported from the US. I brought it home with me and put it away in a place that has been a mystery ever since.

A few years ago I decided a spinner would be helpful when making the K-turn in my driveway so I didn't have to back out of the driveway into traffic. All three of our cars now have spinners on the steering wheel, which Liane doesn't like. Fortunately the knob comes off with a push of a button with the same kind of sturdy feel as a Prevost air coupler. The shaft goes through a high speed (I assume ball) bearing and is very smooth. Because the '87 Corvette and PT Cruiser have wood accents, I sprang for the wood knob. The Cadillac has very dark Sapele wood trim so I went with the cheaper black knob.

Mere mortals like me have to settle for clamp-on spinners but with your fabrication skills I believe you could make a quick release spinner mount for the outer hole of the left side steering wheel spoke. A low profile knob wouldn't interfere with 10-2 driving. I mount mine in the 4:00 position.

I found these spinners at Sportaid:

Sure-Grip Spinner Knobs With Base | Sportaid

Price is not the only factor to consider when buying Sure-Grip Spinner Knobs, the fast delivery from Sportaid is a crowd pleaser! Sure-Grip Spinner Knobs provide a secure way for users to turn a steering wheel with one arm, leaving the other hand free to operate gas and/or brake pedals.…

sportaid.com

 

[rattle_snake]

Justin, If you want even better control, consider a steering wheel spinner. ....Mere mortals like me have to settle for clamp-on spinners but with your fabrication skills I believe you could make a quick release spinner mount for the outer hole of the left side steering wheel spoke. A low profile knob wouldn't interfere with 10-2 driving. I mount mine in the 4:00 position.

Hey Bob,
Thanks for the interesting idea, I like it.
I know them as 'suicide knobs'. Super handy on a forklift, boat or really anything with a wheel.

 

[ntsqd]

Not as easy to implement, or as inexpensive as Bob's suggestion, but I'll toss this out there for consideration anyway:

Howe Racing Enterprises 5225 Steering Quickeners Or Reducers 1.5:1 Ratio 3/4" 36 Spline Both Ends - Kartek Off-Road

Howe Racing Enterprises 5225 Steering Quickeners Or Reducers 1.5:1 Ratio 3/4" 36 Spline Both Ends for offroad racing in the King of the Hammers, New Zealand Taupo 1000, Dakar Rally, Tatts Finke Desert Race, Score International Baja 500 or Baja 1000, NORRA 500, NORRA Mexican 1000, Mint 400, Vegas...

www.kartek.com

Coleman Race Products ProLite Steering Quickeners Or Reducers 2:1 Ratio 3/4" 36 Spline Both Ends - Kartek Off-Road

Coleman Race Products ProLite Steering Quickeners Or Reducers 2:1 Ratio 3/4" 36 Spline Both Ends for offroad racing in the King of the Hammers, New Zealand Taupo 1000, Dakar Rally, Tatts Finke Desert Race, Score International Baja 500 or Baja 1000, NORRA 500, NORRA Mexican 1000, Mint 400, Vegas...

www.kartek.com

 

[rattle_snake]

Those are pretty reasonably priced. Currently has a 4 turn gear, 1.5x would be 2.6 or 1.3 each way.

 

[rattle_snake]

Got the reworked door hung back up. It's heavy now. No more noises.

 

[ntsqd]

Those are pretty reasonably priced. Currently has a 4 turn gear, 1.5x would be 2.6 or 1.3 each way.

Downside is that they aren't the whole cost, going to need a U-J or a coupler at each end. Might also need a support bearing and structure for it? That would add more to the project hard parts cost.