rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[rattle_snake]

Committed to a guitar finish for the flying V. It has an inlay, so transparent finish. But it comes with R/Y/B/black die so you can make any color. Or all the colors. So still not sure what color...
Black gain filler. Gloss, water based. $90

 

[rattle_snake]

Spent Friday night attempting to get transmission out of the car. Simple job but many of the items are a PITA, just as I remembered. Driveshaft is really tight fit and won't come out without removing the custom driveshaft safety loop. Exhaust is hammered but not leaking yet. Spent an hour on one starter bolt. Spent another hour on the last bellhousing bolt, but couldn't get it. Don't have the right tools.


Saturday morning I shopped for a replacement 1/2 impact. The existing one has had an intermittent issue where it barely operates, but after a few trigger pulls it has done the jobs for years. But it's not performing to it's specs. I have resorted to using my old pneumatic impact at times. Interestingly the local Ace HW had the same price as HD, Lowes and AMZ, so I bought it there. Then down the street to Autozone for a 1/2 drive 20" long extension. With the right tools, same bolt came out in 2 seconds. New unit is 600/800 ft*lb.


With trans ready to come out I spent a little time making a custom adapter for the trans jack. Get it to sit decent on jack instead of chaining it or ratchet straps. Well worth the time.


Finally able to get the trans out, the easy way.


No oil contamination or signs of problems.


Inspected the aftermarket 26 spline input shaft for clutch disc spline wear. Looks good to me. I don't remember who manufactured the input shaft. The OEM was a 10 spline.


The old clutch parts cleaned up for inspection. All used up. Some friction pads down to zero on outer edges. All 4 steel friction surfaces showing signs of high heat stress, some cracks. TOB worn. Did it's job well. McLeod can rebuild the clutch for about 1/2 the price of a new one, not including the flywheel. How long that takes, not sure.


New setup in comparison. New stuff only comes with a new matching flywheel, instead of the gold colored ring used to located the floater plate. Probably cheaper to make/buy a flywheel than the adapter. The rest looks the same.


Installed the new flywheel and torqued the bolts. Next step is to check the bottom disc endplay. Must be 0.020 to 0.025 or call tech. I measured 0.047 all around. So hard stop.
I measured the shim stack on all three floater posts. A 0.200 spacer, two 0.010 shims and one 0.005. Math would indicate that removing all three shims (0.025) should net endplay of 0.022 which is in spec.


So instead of rushing back together I cleaned the transmission and painted a few of the parts that are raw steel.


Called Mcleod and explained the situation. Tech didn't seem surprised, said shim or bend tabs as needed.

 

[rattle_snake]

Spent some time on trying to get CNC router to run a program. Did some research, still not successful. The controller should run on generic G-code. I tried 4 different post-processors others have used. The G-code is similar, and looks OK. I tried hand editing the files. It appears that I can load the file into memory from memory stick. Successfully copied a file to it's own memory and opened it. The machine moved once like it started but that was it. Not really any information out of controller as to what is the issue. The program is simple, just one circle.

Not really sure what to do next. The controller manual lists the G commands, might try making a super simple program using only that. The real issue is that I haven't taken the time to understand the whole system. CAD/CAM/G-code/controller interpreter. Once I understand all the details and limitations, I bet the issue would be clear and easy to solve.

 

[stinkity stoink]

all of the CNC stuff you are doing is very foriegn to me, but I’m rooting for you to get it and following along

 

[rattle_snake]

Thanks. Foreign to me too!
I'll eventually get there, just have to be patient. Trying to get the machine running before moving on to the next project....

 

[rattle_snake]

Last time I fought getting the transmission back into the car. Couldn't get the pilot lined up. Eventually modified the alignment tool and then it went right in. This time even with a lift and trans jack, I decided to spend 5 min and do the same. The issue is that the alignment tool has a lot of movement. So I drilled one hole and made a ring that fits over the alignment tool.


This centers the alignment tool in the pressure plate perfectly, and the bolts can start to be tightened up to hold the bottom disc.


Last time I had put in a new TOB retainer sleeve so it was in good shape. The TOB bearing was OK but put in a new Ford unit. Left the fork pivot height as it was.


Trans went in without an drama. Such a difference with a lift. Had everything back in within an hour except for the exhaust, as one manifold gasket was damaged.

Since I couldn't rush it back together I put some work into the exhaust. Removed the unnecessary ball and socket clamps and welded up the joints. Smoothed out some weld in other places.


Added a skid plate to the area that drags over speedbumps. Such is life with a lowered vehicle. Long tube headers are cool but they would drag and be damaged in the same place.


Touched up the ceramic coating.


The left side exhaust manifold is intended for 2.25" pipe and the mid-pipe is 2.5". It came with a sleeve adapter which works fine, but a compromise. Made the exit end bell shaped but might do something different.

 

[rattle_snake]

Got the Cobra clutch job finished out. Checked all the fluids and topped off the battery. Went for test drive, seems good. Clutch is on/off but to be expected in first use. Adjusted the linkage/pedal height to my liking with the firewall adjuster. Moved all the vehicles back to the summer parking places. On to the next project.

Ran the lawn mower this morning and it seemed happy and did it's thing. No leaks. Ready for service.

 

[rattle_snake]

I really like fire. As a kid my parents were somewhat terrified just how much I was fascinated with flames. Now as an adult with a chain saw, my wife and kids are mildly terrified how much I like playing with fire. Latest adventure is using a battery powered blower to make a regular fire into a blast furnace. No gasoline needed.

Planning on taking family camping soon and fire restrictions are in place at this time. Restrictions are common, enough of my friends have propane based fire pits that I haven't needed one. Tank is heavy, empties quickly, more stuff.

I looked at the available setups and seeing them in the $300 range immediately made me pucker. I could build one for free with junk I already have. Or invest minimally in an adjustable reg/hose/quick connect setup long enough to put tank out of the fire circle.

There are several popular DIY methods so I based my design on existing. Yes something totally custom would be more cool. With CNC plasma and break I can make any type of design cut out in a box type object. But I like wood fires and a propane rig is plan B.

I worked as an RV tech for a short time and that included propane systems. Everything from filling tanks, repairing appliances, and installing tanks. Also got some safety training, and an understanding of the chemistry and physics involved.

I had some old 50 cal ammo boxes, so went that route. Unfortunately, the can will not fit in my CNC table, so making cool cutouts on the sides of an ammo can wasn't feasible.

 

[ntsqd]

Here in KA the fuel source has to be a liquid or a gas so that it can be turned off immediately.

I'm assuming that you've seen WFO's design? Nearly that $300 price tag.... Might be easy enough to copy?
I'd be tempted to build a coil of copper tubing inside a 1/2 height washer drum partially filled with cinders, but then I have the method/means to semi-easily transport such a thing.

 

[rattle_snake]

I'm not a jeeper but that is a cool piece.

 

[rattle_snake]

Thinking of how @86turbodsl would construct a burner...

 

[86turbodsl]

Let me review the thread and get back to you

 

[rattle_snake]

Sorry not asking you to do anything, just enjoyed following your shop heater project.

 

[ntsqd]

I made our patio firepit gas manifold from 10' of 3/8" soft copper tube that has a Ø0.03" hole drilled in it every 4" or so. Buried it about 3" down in pea gravel with some black glass & mirror glass crumbles mixed in. Flattened the end in the press, then folded it over 2 times before pressing that flat-ish to seal off the end of the tubing.

Running it 3-4 hours a night for several days in a billing cycle doesn't even move our already low Nat Gas bill. I'd expect such a burner to decimate those little bottles, but a bbq tank should stand it for a while.

I know some might get wrapped around the axle over the differences between pro-pain and nat gas, but IME for something like this there isn't enough difference to worry about. The more important thing is what pressure regulator is used with the pro-pain source. Nat gas down-stream of a home's regulator is only 11" of H2O where there are two different common psi regulators for pro-pain: ~10psi (natural colored regulator cap) and ~20 psi (red regulator cap). (I may not have those propane pressures exactly right, it's been over a decade since I worked on a IR Patio Heater R&D project.) I'd suggest starting with the std pressure regulator.

 

[rattle_snake]

My version of a 50 can fire pit, out of junk.
Goal: produce a big bright flame by controling mixture and distribution of fuel and oxygenator.

made a screen to prevent lava rocks (if used) to not block the incoming fresh air supply.




Made a burner out of a chunk of 1/2 black pipe that had mangled threads. Welded the bad end shut. Used a coupler, washers and a brass reduction fitting to make a bulkhead connection. Welding the washer captive to the union allow it to be assembled/disassembled with one wrench. Drilled a hole in the front upper area to stick a lighter in.


Drilled 8 0.100" holes in single line format.


lava rock dam


/spacer stand


or food heater. Was scrap so might make something that fits properly.


Air intake strategy was to keep the flame off the walls. Drilled four 5/8 holes on both side, down low.


Setup a test range and begun test and tuning. The fitting that came with the hose/reg has an orifice, 0.040. Too small. Went to 60, 80, 100. 100 too much, 80 was nice.


One way to make an orifice smaller. Put two wires in to get back to good balance.


12' hose, adjustable reg fit in box with lighter and stand.


Next step is a quick connect fitting.


From here I think that to burn more fuel, I need more air.

 

[rattle_snake]

Forced induction seems like next logical step. Or an oxidizing gas of some sort... hmm

 

[rattle_snake]

Drilled the existing hole larger to 13/16 I believe, that helped then to 1". Re-bend the stand/gate thingy to fit both inside and outside.


Tried moving the burner up into the light hole, since without rocks the whole thing doesn't need to be tall, or deep. Windy today and flame blows over easy so not an improvement over the bottom location. Have to expect windy conditions camping.

 

[ntsqd]

I can see it now, yours will be the only NO2 injected fire pit!

That IR patio heater project that I mentioned above. It used propane and had an EBM-Pabst fan for the combustion air. To keep the AFR in the range that didn't produce NOx (emissions is a concern with those when used commercially) or CO (inside use was a requirement) we used an electronic gas metering valve and had a custom PCB with a circuit on it that varied the speed of the fan proportionately. EBM-Pabst fans usually use 0-10VDC input separate from their power supply to control their speed. Some supply the 10VDC, you just run it thru an appropriate pot to get the desired speed range. We fed it from our board instead, which works fine. The whole system could run off a wall-wort. The gas valve signal vs the fan speed signal relationship was non-linear, and that's where my knowledge of the system stops. I'm thinking that it probably could be done now with a Pi or an Arduino for a lot less. That was a project with a lot of promise. In 2011 it was all shipped to Borla's warehouse in TN. I wonder if its still there or what became of it.

 

[bugnut]

Latest adventure is using a battery powered blower to make a regular fire into a blast furnace.

a while back @ODIS shared a pick of a leaf blower with a section of metal pipe, I think downspout, aimed at a small growing fire. I have used the idea and it works well, also great for getting a fire percolating the following morning.

 

[86turbodsl]

i was wondering if we were making a burn pit / box or a burner. seems like both. if you want lazy flame, don't add air. If you want a blowtorch, get some air blowing in there. all depends on what you're after.

 

[LXCam]

all depends on what you're after.

He's gonna need a bigger box

 

[Boosted1]

Another alternative to the sloppy plastic clutch alignment tool would be to find a scrap trans and cut the input shaft off.
I have done that and use the OEM input shaft as the alignment tool. Works way better than the crappy plastic tools.

 

[senlow]

Another alternative to the sloppy plastic clutch alignment tool would be to find a scrap trans and cut the input shaft off.
I have done that and use the OEM input shaft as the alignment tool. Works way better than the crappy plastic tools.

Why cut the input shaft off? The gear makes a great handle. I powder coated the gear on this one with nylon in a fluidized bed process.

 

[WoodsTruck]

I still think there is merit to the collar that Justin machined to act similar to a double shear fastener so the clutch disc is centered using the inside and outside parameters and not being subjected to the slop in the spines.

 

[senlow]

I still think there is merit to the collar that Justin machined to act similar to a double shear fastener so the clutch disc is centered using the inside and outside parameters and not being subjected to the slop in the spines.

Absolutely! It's a well-engineered quick and easy solution.

 

[rattle_snake]

The first collar was comprised of electrical tape and plastic pipe.
Put some miles on the car, it has a slight exhaust leak, I assume the left side with the janky sleeve I messed with.

Took an extra vacation day last Thursday to prepare for camping trip. Spent 12 hours cleaning and fixing gear. A minor issue with most everything, or at least some maintenance.
Propane fire pit worked well. Ran it for about 4 hours, two nights. Used about a half a tank.
Cooked six meals on a single 1 lb tank of propane. I bought an adapter that goes quick connect to 1 lb male, to use the fire pit hose. I could make a dedicated hose setup for BBQ, but I don't think it would get used much. More stuff. Instead, refill the little tanks and not have hoses going everywhere.
Kinda want to make a tall stand for the little Weber BBQ. But it was windy, 25-40 the whole time. BBQ kept blowing out so I made a blockade on the deck of the trailer. Works too well to make more stuff to pack.
More gear to clean, repair and maintenance to be done. Trying to put everything away in good shape for next time, instead of having to put in time and effort in the limited time before a trip.

 

[rattle_snake]

Did some repairs to my R/C crawler. My custom steel rear bumper ripped the screws out of the crossmember. Added two more fasteners and through drilled all four and used nuts. Should be ready for more abuse. The body is getting pretty hammered.

Finished out replacing all the screws for the d-ring tie downs on my utility trailer. Half the screws were broken or spinners from the wood dry rot. I paid $3 for them in '21, now they are $15, so moved a pair that don't get used into useful locations. I shortened most all of the cam straps and bought some more rubber straps. Ready for next use.

 

[ntsqd]

Just stumbled onto this: https://www.howlcampfires.com/products/the-howl-r4mkii Um, Yeah.... No!
Not paying $1500 for a fire pit thing. Jeeminy crickets!!!

 

[rattle_snake]

The overlanders in general will pay any amount of money to have the latest and highest-end gadgetry. I guess no different than a Rolex or a Lambo. I like gadgets and gear, but I like to make it myself for cheap.

Toyotas everywhere outfitted with tens of thousands of dollars of gear. Include the price of the vehicle, well over $100k to look like you can go car camping at any moment.

But I have heard that propane is over, no longer cool. All electric heating, to go with the $10k solar and battery setup. $1000 fridge, and so on.

 

[ntsqd]

yeah, my "custom user title" on Expedition Portal has been "Heretic Car Camper" for years.

I know a couple guys testing all electric without spending cubic dollars on solar and battery(ies). It's early yet, but I'm not a fan.

Being in SoCA I see several of those trucks every day. I fail to understand it. When Chevy LUV trucks first came out in 4WD some guy that an old friend of mine worked with bought one. He was crowing about how well it worked and challenged my friend to going fishing at a semi-difficult trail's end. The whole way his ego was taking a beating because Bob's dune buggy was following him with less effort. Then they get in there and there's a guy there, already fishing. His camp is set up. He'd towed a tear-drop in with a 2WD PL521 Datsun pick-up.
I tend to think those guys with all of that gear hanging out where it will seriously degrade their aero are like the guy in the LUV truck. Won't be able to understand how someone with less gear than they can go places that they can't.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Toyotas everywhere outfitted with tens of thousands of dollars of gear. Include the price of the vehicle, well over $100k to look like you can go car camping at any moment.

And also jeeps with every doo-dad known to man, including a dash full of duckies yet it’ll never see anything more extreme than the drive-thru at DooBros! (Dutch Brothers if you don’t have one or a dozen yet in your town!)

 

[ntsqd]

^^^ "Mall Rated"!!!!

 

[rattle_snake]

I try to see both sides of the situation. The mall crawlers and overlanders spend stupid money on their hobby, but it supports the off road and outdoor industries. Innovates them, and new vehicle capabilities. Puts used stuff on the market for us poors.
But they go so far that you know they have no clue. You don't need all that **** to get to camp or stay the night. It makes it more comfortable, but so much more work to set up and break down a mini-city on wheels. They appear to enjoy the same outdoor activities as me, so I try not to judge.

I still camp in a tent when it makes sense. It is so much easier than loading my camper or cab over. Throw **** in the bed of my old truck and go. Wife and girls another story.

This last weekend I went to a new area closer to the 'edge' of the rim, not as far. I figured there would be more 'city folk' (like me), but not really. Didn't camp to far off main road as my wife drove her car up next day and had to find me. I was amused at the SxS peeps as they ride in a cloud of dust blasting their music loud enough to hear from a half mile in either direction. Must be the same dudes that ride Harleys and blast music at stoplights thinking other people think they are cool for doing so.

 

[rattle_snake]

Chipping away at post-camping cleanup and maintenance on my 20+ year old stuff. 2005 CRF 450 was due for service. Washed the bike, changed engine oil/filter, trans oil, and put in a fresh air filter. The old air filter tore apart when cleaning so into trash and buy another. Cleaned and lubed up the chain. Nice to have a petcock that works and keeps carb empty for storage. Bike fires immediately and performs well at any temperature or altitude. I enjoy riding in the forest, but can't open throttle for more than 1 second. 450 is a beast and will go over the top of any terrain at high speed. Gets you places really fast, but have to focus on riding/not crashing and not so much enjoying the scenery. My quad is more enjoyable to putter on, as I become an old man.

I couldn't find a maintenance log for my 2004 Polaris 700, need to start one. Figured it is time for service as well. Washed it and ordered the fluids and filters. Otherwise the machine is in good shape. The new tires are so much better on the trail, at any speed.

Left the 2004 cab-over camper on the truck to thoroughly clean it and fix the broken stuff. I put in a new kitchen faucet recently, and it flows basically no water. Removed and broke it down to see where the problem is. Found a plugged restrictor on bottom end of the spout, tossed it out and now it works properly. The fresh water tank drain was plugged. Put a small amount of compressed air in a portable tank and gave it a back shot into drain. It worked without blowing the hose off the fittings inside the walls. The escape hatch/vent opens itself while driving, and is slowly falling apart. Crank quit working again. Tightened up the hardware and put loctite on this time. Added a gasket to reduce the vibration at speed. The front window is cracked and leaks water. The window is actually a bad thing, don't want the light in my face, so I made a solid cover for it. Have to decide how to move forward on this deal.
My camping audio system uses a lot of power, my kids enjoy playing their music on it. The amp gets more than just warm, so I know it's using a fair amount of current. The isolated camper battery is enough for more than 2 days of music without charging, however the battery voltage goes below 12 V. I can start the truck engine, or run generator (only if I bring it to run the A/C) but I think a cheap/small solar setup is the answer. I bought some strip LED lights to put on the camper long ago, time to actually install and figure out how to best wire them. Should keep me busy for awhile....

 

[zanyad]

I was amused at the SxS peeps as they ride in a cloud of dust blasting their music loud enough to hear from a half mile in either direction. Must be the same dudes that ride Harleys and blast music at stoplights thinking other people think they are cool for doing so.

Gawd, I hate that. I understand the need to blast going down the highway, but I don't want to hear your **** otherwise. Same thing with the subs that shake the whole damn car.

Now get off my lawn!

 

[ntsqd]

After asking @zmotorsports about them, I put a pair of Maxxair roof vents with fans in them in our camper after one lid broke when we were up in the San Juans and I had to go to Gorilla tape and two layers of trash bags to keep the rain out. Couldn't be happier, but a point that might interest you is that the knob to open & close them locks by pushing it up. Close the vents, push the knobs up, never had one open back up unlike the cheesy vents that the camper came with. They didn't lock and they did open up on occasion. I used a dicor product to seal them to the roof.

First camper I put a single 100W panel on the roof and ran that with a PWM solar controller. This camper has something like 240W worth of panels and a Victron MPPT controller. Converted all lights except for the 4 halogens that I can't easily get to and that we rarely use anyway to LEDs. I'm nostalgic for that first camper in some ways. It was a lot simpler.

 

[zmotorsports]

The overlanders in general will pay any amount of money to have the latest and highest-end gadgetry. I guess no different than a Rolex or a Lambo. I like gadgets and gear, but I like to make it myself for cheap.

Toyotas everywhere outfitted with tens of thousands of dollars of gear. Include the price of the vehicle, well over $100k to look like you can go car camping at any moment.

But I have heard that propane is over, no longer cool. All electric heating, to go with the $10k solar and battery setup. $1000 fridge, and so on.

We see the same thing here Justin, with all of the decked-out Jeeps and Toyotas on the freeway each morning loaded with their RTT, propane bottles and Rotopax tanks mounted to the bumpers and spare tires along with Hi-Lift jacks and stoves. I then follow them into work.

Not sure why all of the extra gear is necessary to let the vehicle sit in the parking lot all day, every day. Personally, I only carry the Rotopax fuel tanks on a couple of our trips where I know fuel stops are a bit more scarce and they don't get put on the Jeep until the night before we leave and they are removed the second we arrive back home. No sense in carrying all of that stuff when not needed.

In Ouray each year we see every new product released to the overlanding crowd like it is a requirement to be on the trails. Kind of funny actually, but to each their own. I get criticized because we still carry a Yeti cooler and I grab a bag of ice every other day. I can buy a LOT of ice for what some of that stuff costs, so I just smile and take the abuse. While some things make the trip a little more enjoyable, I don't necessarily need all of that stuff to enjoy the trails and outdoors. Sometimes less is more in fact.

 

[ntsqd]

In 2004 I stored a vehicle for John Thawley (automotive book & magazine writer), and he 'paid' me for that with an ARB fridge that he'd done an article on. We have a Yeti cooler, I prefer the fridge for longer trips. It has been transformative. One of the very few "Overlanding" toys that I'm willing to embrace. They're not cheap, but there are some chinesium models that appear to work and last. And once you try one it's very likely that you'll be a convert. I've been toying with replacing the center console in our CTD/camper rig with one.

 

[zmotorsports]

In 2004 I stored a vehicle for John Thawley (automotive book & magazine writer), and he 'paid' me for that with an ARB fridge that he'd done an article on. We have a Yeti cooler, I prefer the fridge for longer trips. It has been transformative. One of the very few "Overlanding" toys that I'm willing to embrace. They're not cheap, but there are some chinesium models that appear to work and last. And once you try one it's very likely that you'll be a convert. I've been toying with replacing the center console in our CTD/camper rig with one.

I'm not knocking the fridges, just don't need one based on the way the wife and I travel. We're not off-grid for multiple days in one stint. We come back to the coach every night and a standard 7 lb. bag of ice will usually last two days, so I'm just emptying the water and refilling with ice 2-3 times in a week or so trip and ice is easily obtainable where we come back to camp each day.