ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[LXCam]

Cam, based on your story, I think you can relate.

We're the same in this respect fur sur. I will never let my guys ever do anything sketchy....that's my job and I never think twice about jumping in with both feet - so to speak.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, most of my working life was in an office and the time I worked in the overhead door factory was before there was an OSHA. Safety training was "Don't set yourself on fire, hold your breath when they are spraying red lead and don't put your hand in the punch press." My time as a computer repair tech (sorry, Customer Engineer) in 1964 (also before OSHA) the safety stuff was "Keep your tie and hands clear of moving parts and don't drink or sniff the carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethelene."

I don't mind climbing a ladder but I like to hold on while climbing. Lifting a sheet of drywall while climbing said ladder makes me real nervous but most of my fear is the aftermath of a mistake. SWMBO will verbally abuse me for the rest of my life and happily brings up every failure to thrive incident from the past. I hate the smell of a pile of beaten dead horses.

And I share your joy being able to grab an ancient tool when it's needed. Sadly, I can't always remember what they are called so it's doubly important I know where they are (couldn't remember what to call the solder sucker but I know which tool chest drawer it's in).

 

[red94chev]

Thanks for the info about the differential spreader. My truck is in need of a new setup and I did not know that was a thing.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, my son likes to help me but I feel bad he has to drive 70 miles to do it and take him away from his 7 children. Now that the youngest is 18 and most of the older ones have moved out, I don't feel as bad. My 30- and 21-year old grandsons are now keeping my son from roofing work and did my shed roof while my son and I handed stuff up to them.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, most of my working life was in an office and the time I worked in the overhead door factory was before there was an OSHA. Safety training was "Don't set yourself on fire, hold your breath when they are spraying red lead and don't put your hand in the punch press." My time as a computer repair tech (sorry, Customer Engineer) in 1964 (also before OSHA) the safety stuff was "Keep your tie and hands clear of moving parts and don't drink or sniff the carbon tetrachloride or trichloroethelene."

I don't mind climbing a ladder but I like to hold on while climbing. Lifting a sheet of drywall while climbing said ladder makes me real nervous but most of my fear is the aftermath of a mistake. SWMBO will verbally abuse me for the rest of my life and happily brings up every failure to thrive incident from the past. I hate the smell of a pile of beaten dead horses.

And I share your joy being able to grab an ancient tool when it's needed. Sadly, I can't always remember what they are called so it's doubly important I know where they are (couldn't remember what to call the solder sucker but I know which tool chest drawer it's in).

I hear ya Bob, although OSHA was very much a thing when I started my career in the industrial world, it was much more laxed than it is now. And wouldn't you believe it, we have MANY more injuries and accidents now than we EVER did 30+ years ago.

My first day in the warehouse, I was shown an electric pallet jack and told "this is forward, this is backwards and try not to run yourself over". THAT was my safety training. Guess what? I never got hurt on a pallet jack nor did I injure anyone else. We spend 2+ weeks onboarding new associates today and the entire first week (40 hours) is spent solely on pallet jack safety. We even had to turn several of the pallet jacks down to a crawl about 3 weeks ago because the injuries are getting out of hand. These kids will put themselves between a rack and a moving pallet jack and not think twice about it then can't figure out when they get their foot smashed or ran over. Common sense is NOT very common anymore.

That being said, I grew up on a dairy farm and between jumping off of hay stacks and climbing around on moving equipment it's a wonder myself or any of my siblings survived. Not a single injury during my childhood involving equipment. The only real injury I had growing up was a hand sickle that I was using to cut ditch banks with found its way into my calf and I needed a few stitches. The ditch bank was muddy and I slipped and still had the sickly was still in my hand when I tried to catch myself. That's it, no broken bones or crushed fingers because we were taught to respect machinery. I remember on the potato digger my dad grabbed a carrot and dropped it in the tines and after watching it get demolished he simply looked at me and said "that machine doesn't know the difference between that carrot and your fingers so keep you damn fingers out of their". That was my lesson.

As much as it pains me to say, last night I violated my teachings.

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks for the info about the differential spreader. My truck is in need of a new setup and I did not know that was a thing.

You're welcome. Glad to have been able to share some information and thanks for following along.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, I made it through my childhood by some miracle. Went swimming (more like bathing) in a lake all alone a quarter mile from grandma's house and I didn't know how to swim. Strung ropes in a huge tree so my brother and I could 'walk' the plank 20 feet off the ground. **** slipped and rode one of the ropes to the ground. Problem was his neck did the riding. Didn't go to the hospital but we were asked to take the ropes down (seemed even more dangerous). One summer I built a fort at an abandoned slate quarry. Stacked the walls and laid some dead branches on top. Piled a few tons of slate for a roof and hung out there all summer. Next year I was disappointed that it had collapsed so I rebuilt it with even more slate over my head. Doesn't everyone do hay bale diving from the loft? Nine days before my 21st birthday I was in a hospital for the second time (first time involved me and my mother screaming). I don't think OSHA would have helped me avoid that second visit (OK. maybe a "Do not try to board moving train" in really big print).

I have noticed a phenomenon with a lot of young people that's related to video games. I don't think it's the violence, I think it's the lack of consequences. Might also be the "Don't put beans up your nose" syndrome. Very soon after saying that, you are guaranteed to be in a doctor's office having a bean removed from your 5-year old child's nose.

I apologize for hijacking your thread. I am trying to survive another ten days before I can 'return to normal activities.'

 

[losdudes]

Thanks Justin. Yeah, I work with risk avoidance and reliability engineering all day long and as I was in my "predicament" with the flag stuck on the ladder rung it hit me that this was a stupid move on my part all because I was in a hurry and wanted the flag hung NOW, not tomorrow when my son could help. I tell my mechanics at work that there is nothing worth getting hurt over and then I go and do something stupid like that. Not my best moment for sure.

Cam, based on your story, I think you can relate.

Looks like you need to do the Safety Topic tomorrow. I have given a few along the same lines, remember to take safety home with us.

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like you need to do the Safety Topic tomorrow. I have given a few along the same lines, remember to take safety home with us.

Yep, I actually shared my story with the crew in this morning's huddle. Not something I was proud of but something I wanted to share to show just how easily we can take being safe for granted if we let our guard down for even one moment. That was a hard topic to cover this morning for sure.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Mike, I have the same tool, maybe not the same brand, but its even still in the original plastic case it came in. Hasn't been used in decades.

I have a bad habit of being impatient and not calling for help, a lot of times it involves a ladder and a chainsaw...everyone needs a little excitement in their life...right?

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I have the same tool, maybe not the same brand, but its even still in the original plastic case it came in. Hasn't been used in decades.

I have a bad habit of being impatient and not calling for help, a lot of times it involves a ladder and a chainsaw...everyone needs a little excitement in their life...right?

I am NOT a patient person Marc and I think that was the exact scenario I was confronted with. Rather than wait for help I just figured I'd lift it up there and be done with it. I quickly regretted my decision. When the wife came home and chewed my *** I REALLY regretted my decision.

 

[zmotorsports]

I don't purchase many new tools these days but on occasion I do purchase one here and there as I see the need.

I stopped by my local NAPA a couple of days ago and picked up a set of triple square bits made by Carlyle. I have a VW coming in the shop in the near future and they love their triple square fasteners. I had thought about VIM because they get great reviews but I like being able to run to my local NAPA and swap one out in the event of a failure, not that I am planning on them failing. The few reviews I had read about the Carlyle triple squares were very favorable. I contacted my Snap-on rep last week about his but I simply can't justify spending $230 on a set when I don't know how often they'll get used. That would be nearly my entire profit margin off of this one job so buying a set of sockets and then working for several hours to pay off that one set of sockets with the possibility of not using them again didn't seem like a good idea. That would be more of a zero sum game for one job, I'd be better off sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee and not doing the VW project. So these lower priced yet good quality sockets will still allow me to make some money on the project.


I also received my 1/2" stubby impact gun yesterday. I had been waffling on this for nearly a year now. When I was replacing my air springs under the coach last year my 1/2" Ingersoll Rand impact was just a bit too large to get in to reach the upper mounting bolts. I thought to myself the stubby would work great there but didn't want to wait on completing the project. I priced out the Snap-on stubby but again, I don't think this is something I will use all that often, just for those tighter situations so I hated to spend over $500 on a new impact. I had read good reviews on the Astro Onyx 1/2" stubby and although it doesn't have quite the torque as the Snap-on, it came in at 20% of the cost so I thought I'd give it a try. Worst case scenario is I'll sell it and buy the Snap-on. Best case, it works and I saved a few bucks yet still get the work done easily.


Less than 1/2 of the overall depth of the IR gun.


Here is the latest scenario that made me think about this gun again.


This worked much better being able to get straight onto the nut and still have enough room for the gun to raise up as the nut comes off the fastener. Worked like a charm.


I picked up the oil, oil filter and coolant filter for the Cummins ISL engine in our coach a couple of days ago so I can get to doing the fall service on her before putting her to bed for a few months.


This was the last part I was waiting on to do the LOF service on the coach. When I changed the oil last time I noted in my logbook that the drain plug was showing some wear and I used the last sealing washer from my drawer. Well I forgot to order them last year so I ordered them earlier in the week and they arrived last night. New drain plug and several new sealing washers for the 8.9 liter Cummins.


Now if I could just shake this head cold I could have a bit more energy to get back at it and make some money on these projects stacked up in the shop.

 

[Graham08]

Did you have a hard time finding oil? I went to three different places last week to get three gallons of 15W-40 Rotella T4 to change the oil in my truck. One of the parts store guys told me that their Shell rep was saying it will be after January 1 before they get more.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Did you have a hard time finding oil? I went to three different places last week to get three gallons of 15W-40 Rotella T4 to change the oil in my truck. One of the parts store guys told me that their Shell rep was saying it will be after January 1 before they get more.

5w40 T6 Rotella is almost impossible to find around here.

 

[WoodsTruck]

I imagine you are still pleased with the short air wrench? I need to upgrade the cheap one I have and like the logic of a smaller unit.

 

[zmotorsports]

Did you have a hard time finding oil? I went to three different places last week to get three gallons of 15W-40 Rotella T4 to change the oil in my truck. One of the parts store guys told me that their Shell rep was saying it will be after January 1 before they get more.

Yes I did have trouble finding it. My son serviced his 02 Duramax while the wife and I were in the Swell last month and he used 2.5 gallons of my stash. I was going to replace that plus get the 7-gallons I needed for the coach. I called my local NAPA and had them set the filters I needed out plus I asked for the 7-gallons of Shell Rotella. He laughed and said it was on backorder and probably wouldn't see it until after the first of the year. Well ****, that isn't going to work.

I called around later that day and as a last ditch effort I called an Autozone down the road from where I work. I hated to make that call but wouldn't ya know it, the guy said he just saw some in the back and said he would check and see how many gallons he had. He came back on the phone and said they had 4 cases (12 gallons) so I said I'd be right there.

I showed up and he had just sold 2-gallons so I took all 10 gallons he had left.

 

[zmotorsports]

I imagine you are still pleased with the short air wrench? I need to upgrade the cheap one I have and like the logic of a smaller unit.

I'll report back on if I like it or not. I just got it last night and only used it on a couple of fasteners as a test run. Right now it is too new to me to give an accurate review of it.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on tool purchases. For me, not paying someone to do work I could do myself justified buying tools to make that work easier. If I were being paid to use the tools or could write the tools off on my business, paying top dollar for the best quality tools would make sense. In retirement, it makes even less sense. On the other hand, I have cut down on the number of tools purchased at Harbor Freight. Their hand tools have been fine but too often they switch power tool suppliers and the battery or the old version repair parts aren't available. Lately I've been sucked into the battery-powered Milwaukee tool rabbit hole. Between the lithium batteries and the Fuel (brushless) motors, I'm hooked. While I'll never come close to your skills and abilities, you have helped me do better work and be more careful (in spite of some sketchy ladder work).

 

[zmotorsports]

Thanks Bob. When I had my speed shop I could write them off but even then I carefully weighed the decision of how much I would use the tool with price I was willing to pay. For me I never have skimped on quality and don't plan on it in the future, which is probably why I avoid HF but I know they have a lot of followers so I'll just leave it at that.

Even high end tools such as Snap-on, MAC, Matco, etc. have tools that lack somewhere in their lineup. I've been let down on a few occasions when I've purchased a Snap-on or Matco tool because it was something I simply didn't want to deal with a failure but then ended up having a failure anyways. The decision comes down to is the cost benefit there or not and I have always tried to look at purchases in that manner. When researching these triple square socket sets I had read and watched a few videos from VW trained mechanics who use them a LOT every day and even some of them responded stating the less expensive sets made by a certain few suppliers were every bit as good or some even better than the name brand tools so that weighed into my decision.

I don't beat on my tools and take care to use the proper tool for the proper job (read as use a hammer for a hammer and not a ratchet, lol) so I don't have many failures to have to deal with but I still want the best bang for the buck when purchasing. I have a couple of co-workers that I swear could break a ball bearing with a rubber hammer and seem to constantly be on the tool trucks having their tools warrantied. Their response is "that's why I buy Snap-on". I explained that I had that same exact set of ratcheting wrenches and don't seem to break them. I use a standard box or extended box to break the bolt loose and then grab the ratcheting wrench as I don't think they're designed to break that kind of torque loose. It simply didn't register with them. I have the tool that fits, I use the tool and if it breaks I'll warranty it. To each their own, that's just not something I can do knowing failure is inevitable.

 

[Pressingonward]

That stubby impact wrench looks super handy! Wish I had one of those back when I was wrenching full-time; never seen one before.

Enjoying your content as always!

 

[bigdave_185]

I had a good bit of catch up reading in here mike!! Lots of great posts. How do you like the new rubber on the jeep/ trail performance?

Also had to giggle at the osha talk as I’m still nursing my back after flat back falling onto one of our D8 dozer tracks while riding passenger ( learning how to run the GPS unit). I’ve Known better most my life but figured I couldn’t get hurt in a flat lot going forward and backwards with the seasoned company owner driving. Well….. reverse button and out the door I went and he fumbled to get the machine stopped as I was dragging the tracks fighting to not get sucked off the back and be squished like a fat guy jumping on a toothpaste tube!
Very terrifying experience for me and him, and one I won’t soon forget.
Never fails. No matter how much experience or trust or knowledge you think you have stupidity will always show you wrong

 

[gearhead1960]

Mike,
I can appreciate the Snap-On vs. cost benefit argument. Years ago when I was in the automotive trade, I bought a lot of of Snap-On tools. I still use them on a regular basis and appreciate the quality and utility they provide. However, I could never justify spending that type of money for the little amount of mechanical work I do for others. When I do have the need for new tools, I also do the research and find out what others are using and/or recommending as alternatives to Sanp-on. I also don't hestitate to jump on vintage working tools when I go to Estate Sales when the price and opportunity presents itself. Reading some of the other threads on this forum about the quality vintage tools people look for, helps to know what to look for. Although, my aim it to find tools to use, not collect dust, as some of the fellows do....

Like Bob H., I too have fallen into the Milwaukee tool rabbit hole. They certainly come in handy as I found out this past weekend. My wife's friend who's husband was out of town had a flat tire and didn't have reliable road service. Loaded up the tool bag with the usual tools, the short stubby Milwaukee M12 impact, jack, air pump, breaker bar, etc. Wife asked how long it would take...told her 10-15 minutes. Well one of the lug bolts (this being a Volvo) was put on by a 300lb Gorilla and the Milwaukee M12 impact just didn't have the guts to for this one bolt. Good thing I always carry my trusty Snap-on 24" breaker bar. This did the trick. Oh and it took me 20 minutes. The point is, no matter who's tools you use, as long as they are good and you have them, you can get the job done.....

Sorry to hijack your thread, but thanks for all your stories and wisdom.....

 

[zmotorsports]

That stubby impact wrench looks super handy! Wish I had one of those back when I was wrenching full-time; never seen one before.

Enjoying your content as always!

Thank you for following along. That stubby impact worked out very well so far.

It actually has more "umph" than I thought it would. It removed these 3/4" bolts from the upper leaf spring brackets with ease. These were on a 1977 Chevy truck so not anything new but I did soak them with some PB Blaster just a bit before removing them.





After removing the sway bar bolts I moved on to the upper U-bolt nuts it made short work of them as well. I don't see this as something I will use a lot but in tight situations I am impressed so far.

 

[zmotorsports]

I had a good bit of catch up reading in here mike!! Lots of great posts. How do you like the new rubber on the jeep/ trail performance?

Also had to giggle at the osha talk as I’m still nursing my back after flat back falling onto one of our D8 dozer tracks while riding passenger ( learning how to run the GPS unit). I’ve Known better most my life but figured I couldn’t get hurt in a flat lot going forward and backwards with the seasoned company owner driving. Well….. reverse button and out the door I went and he fumbled to get the machine stopped as I was dragging the tracks fighting to not get sucked off the back and be squished like a fat guy jumping on a toothpaste tube!
Very terrifying experience for me and him, and one I won’t soon forget.
Never fails. No matter how much experience or trust or knowledge you think you have stupidity will always show you wrong

Damn Dave. Glad you are ok, that could have been deadly. I agree about having to keep your wits about you as sometimes even with a lot of experience we have stupid moments. Like I always told my son "stupid hurts". Then I go and do something stupid.

Dave, on edit, I forgot to answer the question about the new tires.

So far, I love them. They are quiet on the pavement and did exceptional off-road. I did much of the driving off-road down in the Swell in 2 wheel drive and even when going up and over minor obstacles, they gripped well and didn't slip much at all. There were a few larger obstacles that I did put the Jeep into 4-low to keep the front tires climbing up and over them but more importantly to keep the front from slipping off the rocks to either side and coming down on my axle. They never slipped a bit in the couple hundred of off-road miles.

About the only thing I haven't tested them in is snow packed roads so far so time will tell.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
I can appreciate the Snap-On vs. cost benefit argument. Years ago when I was in the automotive trade, I bought a lot of of Snap-On tools. I still use them on a regular basis and appreciate the quality and utility they provide. However, I could never justify spending that type of money for the little amount of mechanical work I do for others. When I do have the need for new tools, I also do the research and find out what others are using and/or recommending as alternatives to Sanp-on. I also don't hestitate to jump on vintage working tools when I go to Estate Sales when the price and opportunity presents itself. Reading some of the other threads on this forum about the quality vintage tools people look for, helps to know what to look for. Although, my aim it to find tools to use, not collect dust, as some of the fellows do....

Like Bob H., I too have fallen into the Milwaukee tool rabbit hole. They certainly come in handy as I found out this past weekend. My wife's friend who's husband was out of town had a flat tire and didn't have reliable road service. Loaded up the tool bag with the usual tools, the short stubby Milwaukee M12 impact, jack, air pump, breaker bar, etc. Wife asked how long it would take...told her 10-15 minutes. Well one of the lug bolts (this being a Volvo) was put on by a 300lb Gorilla and the Milwaukee M12 impact just didn't have the guts to for this one bolt. Good thing I always carry my trusty Snap-on 24" breaker bar. This did the trick. Oh and it took me 20 minutes. The point is, no matter who's tools you use, as long as they are good and you have them, you can get the job done.....

Sorry to hijack your thread, but thanks for all your stories and wisdom.....

Thanks Mark. I don't buy many tools these days even though most of my tools are Snap-on but from my early years when I was wrenching 8+ hours a day then another 2-5 hours each night. Now I just wrench in the evenings but every night for the most part and I still want quality tools, it's just that I already have most of them. Like you when I do need something I look to see what others are using that seem to be working well before just automatically getting from my Snap-on dealer. As for the cordless rage, I'm not there. I still use and trust my gool ole' air tools for the most part and only have a few battery powered tools. Something about having tools that require batteries that I just can't wrap my head around so I have only barely dipped my toes into the cordless tool category.

 

[signcrafter]

I often take on jobs and work for "free" because I spend the money on new tools. Doing a bathroom remodel now for a client and bought the m18 9" cut off saw to remove the old cement pre sloped shower floor. Then bought the m18 mixing drill because the house doesn't have power and I didn't want to be bringing my generator everyday. I usually plan on purchasing a few new tools each job so write that into the bid a little bit. As long as I can afford it I don't mind "working" for free because usually new tools makes the job quicker and easier. Just part of the "game". But like you I weigh how much the tool will be used and don't always buy the most expensive tool if it will sit most of it's life on the shelf. For that bathroom job I'm using my wet saw I bought 15 or so years ago for around 1000 bucks and my snap cutter I bought 10 or so years ago for a few hundred bucks. Didn't make money on my first job but now each time I use them they are profit.

Doing a fuel pump on a rotted out silverado. The ******* going into the quick disconnects on top of pump just snapped off. I could dig them out and try to reuse the old disconnects but I feel more comfortable putting new quick connectors on the lines to go on the new fuel pump *******. The lines are available and the bad section is only a few feet long but they would be around 200 bucks for them. So I decided to order the dorman fuel line repair kit for 250 or so bucks. Will put new ends on the nylon lines and then have the kit to use in the future. I can bill most of the kit to the job since the lines would be about the same price. But since I'm just replacing the ends I don't feel right billing the same as all new lines. So will eat a little of the kit price on my labor. But next time I use the kit it will be all profit. Got lucky and the bed came off with no issues.

I've been looking at a stubby impact for a while now but can't decide if I want to go with astro or the milwaukee cordless. Love my cordless tools but the astro has more torque so still trying to decide.

Funny story about the napa triple squares. About a month ago the manager of our napa texts me on a sunday and asks if I have triple squares. I said I have the stubby and the long sets and ha asks if he can come over and borrow them. He was working on a VW axle and didn't have any and his store doesn't stock them so he couldn't get them till Monday. He treats me well so I help him out when I can and he knows I'm a tool guy.

 

[zmotorsports]

Friday night I had a bit of time since I haven't been mowing the lawn on Friday evenings for the past couple of weeks now.

I thought I would get the front axle out of the Chevy K10 project so I could have my son help me lift it onto the fixture on the fabrication table Saturday when he came over to service my DIL's car.


Started by disassembling the hubs, spindles and axle shafts from the Dana 44 front axle.


Then positioned the axle cradle under the front axle so I could lower it from the truck. I sure enjoy having this cradle that mounts to the transmission jack. I should have built this a decade or two ago.


Axle is out and axle fixtures mounted to the fabrication table.


Before closing up the shop for the night I popped the cover off of the rear axle to allow the fluids to drain.


I noticed that the front hubs were different side to side. One appears to be the OEM GM/Spicer hub and the other is either a standard Warn or a Mile Marker knockoff. I contacted the owner and he ran and picked up a new set of Warn Premium hubs for the project when it goes back together.



Saturday morning as I was walking out to the shop with coffee in hand I noticed how much better the frost looks on the roof. No more loss of heat over the RV bay door.


While I was waiting for my son to come over to service his wife's car I thought I would work on a welding job that came into the shop last week. A client needed some bungs welded in this stainless steel keg for his rat rod project. Rather than spend the time machining the bungs they were only a few bucks each through McMaster Carr so I thought I'd save him a few bucks and just order them vs. me spending an hour or two machining them.

I began by marking where he wanted the bungs and drilled the holes. The large hole was for a 2" NPT bung.


Drilling a couple of holes in the opposite end of where the tap went. The Rotokut annular cutters made short work of these holes.




I had to cap off the end where the tap went and it just so happened to be about the same diameter as the slug that I cut out for the large 2" hole. All I needed to do was fill the hole in the center. I set it on my shop made purge block to weld up the center hole.


More to follow......

 

[zmotorsports]

Here is the tap end capped after metal finishing the slug where I welded the center hole closed.


Next it was time to venture over to the lathe to machine some steps in the bungs. This step probably wasn't necessary and I could have just set them over the holes but I thought it was a nice touch to add the step and locate them properly into the holes previously drilled.





Test fit before wiping everything down with acetone and welding.


Machining the same step into the large 2" NPT bung.




Bungs on the end of the tank welded in place.





I forgot to take pictures of the large bung and the bottom one so I will have to snap a couple of pictures tonight when I get home.

Thanks for looking.

 

[gearhead1960]

As for the cordless rage, I'm not there. I still use and trust my gool ole' air tools for the most part and only have a few battery powered tools. Something about having tools that require batteries that I just can't wrap my head around so I have only barely dipped my toes into the cordless tool category.

Mike,
I was of the same school of thought for awhile, but got I got the M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Stubby 1/2 in. Impact Wrench for a present and have been very impressed with it's power. I know it's no real substitute for air tools, but when you don't have air available, in most cases, it sure beats the old lug wrench or even a breaker bar.

 

[jhn9840]

Love the purge block. Bet it makes a job like that quick and easy.

jhn9840
John

 

[zmotorsports]

Love the purge block. Bet it makes a job like that quick and easy.

jhn9840
John

Thanks John. Yeah, I was staring at it figuring out how hard it would be to weld that hole closed and then I remembered I fabricated several argon purge blocks about 6 years ago when I was in the old shop. I haven't had a lot of opportunities to use them and was glad to be able to open the drawer and grab one from my selection and go to town closing up the hole. I did use a drop piece of 1/4" thick, 2" DOM tubing to space the disc up off of the purge box to keep from welding the disc to the screen.

 

[gmcgeo]

That stubby impact is awesome, I will look into one of those.

 

[bggrnchvy]

Maybe helpful for future, but when I have a need to plug a hole in stainless, tri-clamp caps are hard to beat. I can get most sizes for cheaper than I can buy a disc of 304 in of similar size. Our cost at work for a 1"/1.5" TC (same size OD) cap is $3 for a 2" OD 1/4" thick polished piece of 316. 304s are even more readily available, probably for the same or near cost as 316 when you don't have our buy in.

 

[zmotorsports]

Maybe helpful for future, but when I have a need to plug a hole in stainless, tri-clamp caps are hard to beat. I can get most sizes for cheaper than I can buy a disc of 304 in of similar size. Our cost at work for a 1"/1.5" TC (same size OD) cap is $3 for a 2" OD 1/4" thick polished piece of 316. 304s are even more readily available, probably for the same or near cost as 316 when you don't have our buy in.

Thanks for the info. I don't do a ton of work in stainless steel but I'll keep those in mind for next time.

 

[bggrnchvy]

That stubby impact is awesome, I will look into one of those.

Milwaukee has a 3/8 M12 version I find very useful.

Thanks for the info. I don't do a ton of work in stainless steel but I'll keep those in mind for next time.

I've collected a pile of useful stainless tricks working around sanitary stuff. In fact I utilize kegs like that for batching tanks in our bench top alcohol removal trials machine. A 2.5" ferule fits the sanke fitting really well for a process connection.

 

[gmcgeo]

Milwaukee has a 3/8 M12 version I find very useful.

For the price and the fact that i have air tools, the onyx looks to be a better deal

 

[bggrnchvy]

For the price and the fact that i have air tools, the onyx looks to be a better deal

I just hate cords.

 

[rattle_snake]

Links and coilovers would complement the new tires and gears on that 77 chev..... Slight scope creep.

 

[zmotorsports]

Links and coilovers would complement the new tires and gears on that 77 chev..... Slight scope creep.

Yeah, I don't know about that Justin, that's a bit more scope creep and maybe I can talk him into those down the road. Currently I'm trying to convince him a good salvage yard 5.3 LS and either a 4 or 6 speed auto would be sweet in this and make it a nice driver due to doubling the available power and also increase his fuel economy.

 

[lugnut71]

The hub on the right is what the late 70's and early 80's fords used from factory