Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Are those copper brake lines, or just copper-coated steel? I'd be very wary if solid copper - it can work harden and crack suddenly. I have no direct experience, but have seen it discussed when people use it for fuel lines.

Looks like your Cobra is coming along nicely!

They are copper coated steel lines, I intended to get nickel copper lines but missed that part when ordering, since then I replaced one of them with a steel line and the other with a better run copper coated steel line and bled the brakes again. It is coming along just slowly, I seemed to have lost a little steam knowing I won't have the wiring harness for an unknown amount of time.

That order number would have Herb “BugThug” salivating, he loves anything 666 especially number plates.


Speaking of BugThug, he has not been here for a while, and I did send him a PM and not had a reply.

Anyone know anything.


Progress looks great JB.

You never sit still, do you.

Thank you Grizz, I haven't heard from Herb in a while either, I'll try to remember and give him a call this afternoon, I know he likes to stay up pretty late at night and don't want to wake him before noon.

No rest for the wicked,

JB

 

[MrPink]

nevermind

 

[racer-john]

I totally agree with the comment about solid copper brake lines. They are a TOTAL No, No, don't go that direction!

J.S.E., C.E.T., rtd: Lic Auto Tech.

 

[jbmatth]

I totally agree with the comment about solid copper brake lines. They are a TOTAL No, No, don't go that direction!

J.S.E., C.E.T., rtd: Lic Auto Tech.

Concur, I guess I should have mentioned this earlier in my initial post. Steel lines also work harden but have a lower propensity for fatigue cracking when exposed to the equivalent forces. I was trying to find a fatigue comparison of copper to steel but came up empty handed after 30 seconds of searching so it must not exist.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I did do a little work on the cobra last night, but mostly thinking ahead to what will come. Found out this intake won't work even with an intake elbow for the throttle body so I'm going to have to order a new intake manifold for it. To make it more complicated the throttle body Mast used is an LSA style throttle body which is 87mm (3.425") vs the stock Godzilla intake at 80mm (3.15") and uses a different bolt pattern. Also I found out today the MAP sensor they use is a friction fit rather than bolt on complicating things even more. What all this means is I'll have to ship my throttle body and MAP sensor into the intake manufacturer in order for it to be built to spec. Good news is this will allow me to raise the engine enough so I don't have to worry as much about ground clearance.

In other news the temp sensor for the gauges will need to plug into where this was removed:


M10x1.5 thread, I have one sensor on order from VDO (gauge manufacturer) that may work...may not, time will tell. Still lots of little loose ends to tie up.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I did a bit of work on the cobra over the weekend, but didn't take any photos, I'm still fighting the clutch, but am working toward hopefully solving this issue, more to come. I spent most of the weekend finishing up clearing trees in the horse pasture, tons of work but yet again no photos, apologies.

It seems a few have been doing mower maintenance of late and I was in the same boat, oil and filter change, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, deck belt, hydrostat support bolts, and discharge deflector were all replaced. I sharpened the old blades and have new ones ready when the time comes this summer, I also picked up a new spindle just in case I have a similar failure like last year.

The hydrostat bolts are probably the biggest weak link on this mower and the design was updated a year or two after I bought mine. What I've decided to do is just replace them every year and so far so good with only one bolt failure since starting this regimen but luckily it didn't eat the belt when it broke. I did take a photo of the work in progress though:


I feel a little bad, I bought this mower brand new and it has seen a rough life. From mowing ~5 acres of previous horse pasture it gets beat up, lots of trees, mud on occasion, and the inevitable limbs and rocks. But after 6 mowing seasons and ~500 hours it still runs strong and cuts great.

While I had a little clear shop floor I backed The Lemon in to fix a slow leak in the rear tire and reattach the muffler. It has a slip on style band clamp from the factory that has a tendency to work itself off over time driving on the rough gravel roads. All in the two jobs took 15 minutes and I was back on the road ready for more miles:


JB

 

[XJSuperman]

JB, whats going on with your airtank support shelf behind the Lemon? It looks like its collapsed?

 

[jbmatth]

@XJSuperman, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. That was so the water that collects in the tank runs down to the drain... Still not believing me? When building that support platform I had some design challenges and using the 2x4 on flat was the best option I could come up with at the time. Well now I need to go back in and add a support leg under it, the board is fine, just a little warped.

JB

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice work JB. That Hustler looks like a nice mower. I would love to put smoothies on both the front and rear of my ZTR to help alleviate tearing up grass on the turns. The whole point of a zero turn mower is to do 180-degree turns at the ends/corners but I can't or it will tear up my grass so for me a ZTR is really quite worthless. I end up doing 3-point turns to avoid that but think smooth tires might help a little.

 

[jbmatth]

@zmotorsports, I know what you mean, I was pretty sad when I realized the destruction the turf tires do when making a pivot around small obstacles. Unfortunately I don't think I could get away with smooth tires, too often I have to mow when it is a bit damp to wet and have a tough time not getting stuck as it is. I managed to get stuck in mud that was not even 1" deep, it just wouldn't get itself out, pretty sad really. It is really nice to make quick turns vs a traditional lawn tractor though, even making 3 point turns like you'd mentioned which is what I found myself doing as well.

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

Morning JB,

I think that your mower is an example of how tools should work.

Hard, but with maintenance, allowing for one to feel that it offers value for money.

Yesterday Mickey asked if he could use on of my battery chargers, his new, digital unit died a week after he bought it.

I bought a Silverline brand angle grinder years ago off Ebay, always kept a new machine spare as backup to the three I keep in use. One Sunday afternoon one machine died and when I tried the new standby machine, it refused to work.

Ebay seller refused to discuss it because it was near 2 years old.

Hope you get the Cobra sorted soon.

 

[jbmatth]

Morning, well just barely afternoon for you now @Grizz1963.

The mower certainly has been put through its paces in my ownership and at this point owes me nothing (but I still want it to keep running for a while longer). It still has the original battery and cranks it over just fine every time I need to start it.

I usually 3 angle grinders set up at all times, two are cheap Harbor Freight grinders one with a twisted cupped wire wheel, one with a flap sanding disk, and the last is a Craftsman with a cutoff wheel as it is just smoother than the HF ones. I pretty well drive by HF everyday after work so no big deal to stop in and pick another one up.

I hope so too, I have the MAP sensor now and will be sending it and the throttle body off to get patterned for the new intake manifold.

JB

 

[HSpencer]

Hey there JB. Herb Spencer here. I just ran your thread up to date and looks like you got it all going on as usual!
Lotza projects as usual. I needed a wizard to figure out this new garage journal tech, but I got in and read some threads.
Very good to see you doing well. Hope to be back and see you in a few days. Things kinda tough on my end but am getting by best I can.
Again good to see you!!!
Herb

 

[Bob Heine]

Things kinda tough on my end but am getting by best I can.

Herb, good to see your post. I gather you have been dealing with your wife's health issues. I doubt I can do more than mention her to my invisible friend but if you need to vent or just hang out, we're here for you. Also, you're doing just fine figuring out this new GJ tech.

 

[jbmatth]

Hey there JB. Herb Spencer here. I just ran your thread up to date and looks like you got it all going on as usual!
Lotza projects as usual. I needed a wizard to figure out this new garage journal tech, but I got in and read some threads.
Very good to see you doing well. Hope to be back and see you in a few days. Things kinda tough on my end but am getting by best I can.
Again good to see you!!!
Herb

Long time no talk @HSpencer , very glad to hear from you. I do try to keep from letting any grass grow under my feet and keep moving forward. I sure hope anything tough you are dealing with will work out for the best, I'll keep you in my thoughts. Life has been great hear, plenty of projects to keep busy with and not enough time to do them all.

Herb, good to see your post. I gather you have been dealing with your wife's health issues. I doubt I can do more than mention her to my invisible friend but if you need to vent or just hang out, we're here for you. Also, you're doing just fine figuring out this new GJ tech.

You are right there Bob, he seems to be managing the tech quite well, it was a bit cumbersome for me as well the first few times getting on the new site.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Still no word on the wiring harness which has caused me to loose a little motivation on the cobra, should be soon though. The weekend was nice so I spent a bit more time cleaning up downed limbs and trees. Made one nice big fire in doing so:


Some of the logs in this fire were close to 2' across, the tractor made short work of it though.

Back to work yesterday I get a call I had a few boxes waiting on me, picked up two of them:


3 weeks from order to delivery on custom offset wheels, WOW!!! Well done American Racing, I'm a fan. I test fit one front and one rear:


Wow they look big. View from the back:


Compare that to when the tire was test fit with the wheel fitment tool:


And inside clearance is dead on 1" (25mm), the tire will take up some of that clearance though:


The tires are getting mounted and balanced today, this should add a bit of motivation I suspect.

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

Loving it.



winner…!

 

[Finallygotit]

NICE!!

 

[XJSuperman]

Wheels look nice, should be a good fit.

Im waiting for the post where JB fixes the neighbor's tractor.

 

[jbrentd]

I need to clean up and burn some downed limbs myself, but on a smaller scale.

Those wheels look awesome and hard to believe one can get custom wheels in that timeframe these days.

 

[jbmatth]

Loving it.



winner…!

Thank ya

NICE!!

They look similar to others I've seen recently for some reason...

Wheels look nice, should be a good fit.

Im waiting for the post where JB fixes the neighbor's tractor.

You won't see that post anytime soon, I want the space back, but not enough to do his job for him. I don't think I'll volunteer the space again anytime soon though.

I need to clean up and burn some downed limbs myself, but on a smaller scale.

Those wheels look awesome and hard to believe one can get custom wheels in that timeframe these days.

I have a few in the yard I need to attack too, but haven't had the drive to get to them just yet. I was very impressed, they actually arrived last week (3 weeks after ordering) but the salesman I purchased them from was out sick and no one else knew who they were for. I'll be glad to get them installed on the car though. I'm having them put on threaded valve stems that will need to be ordered so hopefully I'll get them tomorrow.

JB

 

[MrPink]

Wheels look good, glad they had a quick turn around.

 

[jbmatth]

@MrPink Quick turn around, I see what you did there.

JB

 

[Finallygotit]

Yours look very similar. Mine are Team III wheels.

 

[jbmatth]

@Finallygotit, Yes indeed, it appears as though mine are a little darker and more polished on the center section. I'm digging them and can't wait to get them put together and on the car.

JB

 

[racer-john]

I'm anxious to see the rubber mounted on those rims, and onto the car.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Are you done yet. Heath wants a ride.

 

[jbmatth]

I'm anxious to see the rubber mounted on those rims, and onto the car.

@racer-john I am as well, the screw on valve stems are set to arrive today, then they can assemble. You can bet I'll be installing them this evening and share with ya'll tomorrow.

Are you done yet. Heath wants a ride.

@mybigwarwagon, Not quite, the rubber will hit the concrete tonight and I'll get some photos. No word yet on the wiring harness so not really much progress there either sadly. Tell Heath he can have the first ride, but you'd have to come out here to do it, promise I'll take it easy.

JB

 

[bj383ss]

Wow I need those wheels on my Camaro.

Bret

 

[jbmatth]

@bj383ss, I could find a photo of them on a 1st gen, but not a 4th gen, might look pretty sweet though. VN427's from American Racing.

JB

 

[bj383ss]

I just looked them up. Didn't realize they were Shelby Cobra. That might not work on a Chevy.

Bret

 

[jbmatth]

I just looked them up. Didn't realize they were Shelby Cobra. That might not work on a Chevy.

Bret

Any bolt pattern is available as well as pretty much any backspacing. I say go for it and see if you like them.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Well a little bit more progress, I installed the original master cylinder for the clutch pedal along with the bracket I made for it and the remote reservoir, by the time I had it all installed my fingers said no more and I called it a night.


I just got the call that the wheel are fully assembled and balanced and I'll pick them up after work, I requested the threaded valves stems and there was a little delay getting them delivered, but ready now. Woo Hoo Next Photo will be with them all mounted on the car and on the ground.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

There was a bit of a delay in getting the new rims and tires all together and happy but they were done Friday so I picked them up on my way home. Quick test fit without the center caps and the fit just about perfect:






One thing I noticed while test fitting these is that the rear suspension is much stiffer than the front. I have single adjustable coils in the front and may turn them up a couple clicks, if the funds allow I my get adjustable for the rears as well and lower it a touch. Time will tell I suppose.

The weather was great this weekend with almost no wind starting Saturday morning so I decided to burn one more brush pile in the pasture and one behind the shop. The one in the pasture went great and was just finishing up when I decided to add a couple more trees that needed removed. I used the tractor to roll them on a little different and then the fire spread when the wind shifted and picked up speed. I tried to old reliable stomp it out method but wasn't going to keep it under control. Called out the big guns:


This is up by a different pile I wasn't planning to burn, obviously I wasn't successful at that. In total about 5 acres burned, mostly grass and one smaller brush pile besides this one above and the one that started it all. Oh well, live and learn...

The last tree where the old concrete pile was behind the shop came down and I burned it all up. Now all that is left is to deal with the stumps that likely have wire or rocks in them. Cat got curious and wanted to try out the leaf blower on Sunday to get the coals on the stumps going again, she seemed to have a good time playing with the fire:


JB

 

[jbmatth]

Wow, 8 reactions on that last post, ya'll must have enjoyed reading about my victories and defeats.

After work yesterday with absolutely amazing weather I decided to try to bleed the clutch in the cobra for the 1,314th time...I am darn close, I can spin the rear tire by hand with the trans in gear but can hear the clutch disc a little. I figure without the engine running this is normal to hear it, but can't verify it is acceptable without a bit of help and getting the wiring harness.

JB

 

[MrPink]

I am unsure of what the tolerances should be, maybe talk to who manufactures the clutch and ask? They may be able to point you in the right direction of if you should hear the clutch rubbing a bit.

 

[jbrentd]

The new wheels look awesome JB. Glad to see they got that fire under control for you. You should have some nice grass coming up in a few weeks.

 

[jbmatth]

I am unsure of what the tolerances should be, maybe talk to who manufactures the clutch and ask? They may be able to point you in the right direction of if you should hear the clutch rubbing a bit.

I'll have to get a second set of legs to push the clutch so I can measure true slave throw but should be awfully close as is now. I am using a cut down 2x4 wedged against the seat when I go under the car to bleed at the slave and have a little pushback on the pedal when I do wedge it in. I'll try bleeding it again after work a bit more now that it has sat for another day and see if it is any better.

The new wheels look awesome JB. Glad to see they got that fire under control for you. You should have some nice grass coming up in a few weeks.

Thank you and I am as well, I wasn't too worried about getting my house or shop but could have taken out quite a bit I didn't want gone. I am looking forward to some nice green grass there this spring.

JB

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Glad you got the fire out before the Warthog got roasted!

 

[jbmatth]

@mybigwarwagon I had some pulled pork yesterday at lunch, I too am glad it wasn't the Warthog. Wind was going the other direction and would have had to cross a big dry creek to get there. Anything is possible I suppose.

Clutch is bled and I believe will be great, started working on a few other odds and ends but nothing photo worthy at this time. I did hear a few parts should be shipping this week for me I'd ordered back in November. Sadly the harness isn't one of them.

JB