ZMotorsports Shop Projects 2.0

[zmotorsports]

Mike, we had a large bearing packer at my last job, for doing big AG bearings on spindles. Sure made short work of it.

At home my stuff still gets the old fashioned "palm pack", my grandpa taught me how 30 years ago...always brings back a good memory when I do it!

Agreed Marc. That is a technique taught to many of us at an early age and if only a bearing or two still the technique I use. That's all we did on the farm and all I knew how to do until I got a job as a mechanic. When I began my career we had one of these Alemite bearing packers and I swore one day I would have one. Found this one at an estate sale, brand new still in the box while the wife and I were in Montana on vacation many, many years ago. I don't think the people knew what it was so I bought it and used the hell out of it over the years. I used to do a lot of these front axle bearings plus trailer bearings, a LOT of trailer bearings. Between boat trailers, snowmobile trailers, flatbed trailers and enclosed race trailers is seems like there was nearly always a trailer in front of my shop getting bearings done there for about a 10-15 year span.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

When my wife was still racing dirt track, I would repack the trailer bearings at least once a season on our car trailer. I'm sure it saved A LOT of headaches over the years. After racing, and before I bought my new trailer last year, the first thing I would do when I borrowed a trailer was repack the bearings...some of what I found was scary!

 

[zmotorsports]

When my wife was still racing dirt track, I would repack the trailer bearings at least once a season on our car trailer. I'm sure it saved A LOT of headaches over the years. After racing, and before I bought my new trailer last year, the first thing I would do when I borrowed a trailer was repack the bearings...some of what I found was scary!

Agreed Marc. Many of the trailers I tore apart were down right scary and the owners had absolutely no idea. Probably why I was so persistent about my wheel bearing regiment.

I didn't pack mine as often as you did but still more than most. I would tear trailer bearings down every other year and repack them, check brakes and usually touch up the paint under the wheelwells. I had an enclosed race trailer, enclosed snowmobile trailer and a flatbed trailer at the same time and NEVER in all my years of dragging trailers around the western U.S. and even up into western Canada did I ever have a bearing nor even a tire failure or flat tire on trailers when towing. Lucky? Who knows, but I chalk it up to my ****-ness.

 

[Jarhead0408]

I’m always up for shop grade equipment in our little home shop. I’ll have to keep an eye out for a used Alemite.

It looks like they’re still made in versions to fit either a 35 or 125 pound drum. The price looks to be north of $550 from what I can see.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, you seem to have a cool tool for everything, what do you use to pump in differential fluid? I've just used the cheap plastic hand pumps from the parts stores but "know" you have a much cooler solution. Oh and I've got to fill a trans and diff in the next few weeks so why not take the opportunity to get something better.

JB

So a page back JB had asked what cool tool I used to fill fluids with. I responded with nothing cool but thought I'd snap a few pictures while I was working in the shop last week.


This is just a siphon/pressure canister that uses a similar body as a grease gun. I use this quite a lot as it is easy to use and especially easy to clean afterwards. Looks like I need to replace the hose as it's getting a bit stiff and aged.


I bought a couple of these 200ml syringes about 6 months or so for smaller quantities.


My funnel assortment.




This is the most used adapter for gear oil that I use. It's merely a tip from an over the counter gear oil bottle that has a section of fuel line glued to the tip.


This works great, it's cheap, quick to use and switch from bottle to bottle and easy to clean.


Sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture of my Mityvac tank. If memory serves it is a 2.5 gallon tank and can be used as an extractor or dispenser but seeing as how I have an air activated extractor I only use the Mityvac as a dispenser but I use it sparingly due to it being a pain to clean so I don't cross contaminate fluids.

 

[zmotorsports]

I've been away from the forum for a few days as I was trying to get the square body done and caught up in the shop so I could go into the New Year with a clean shop.

I was hoping to have the square body Chevy completed well before New Year's Eve but I had to spend 3 hours each day last Thursday and Friday clearing the couple of inches of snow each day from my concrete. Thursday night I thought I'd finish the truck up after completing the hubs but as I was replacing the front brake hoses with extended reach stainless steel lines, the driver's side didn't want to cooperate as it was frozen/rusted into the fitting. After screwing with it for over 45 minutes the fitting on the rigid line broke off in the OE hose fitting. Well ****, that was after my local NAPA was closed so I was dead in the water until Friday.


Assembling the hubs. Spindle being installed onto the knuckle after installing the front axle shafts.



Outer axle shaft grease seals installed.



Spindle installed and ready for backing plate.



Backing plate installed and fasteners torqued to spec.



New Spicer Locking nut kit. This pin on the inner nut needs to be facing outboard.



So the locking washer can engage with the locking pin before the outer nut goes on and torqued in place.



Inner nut installed and locking washer installed. Here you can see the pin is orientated into a hole. IF the pin does not engage with a hole try flipping the washer over as they are not drilled symmetrical and see if the pin will engage. If it still will not you will have to adjust the inner nut one direction or the other. Err on the loose side vs. too tight however. I generally install the inner nut to 30 ft/lbs. then back off 90-degrees. This will allow a very, very small amount of play in the hub/rotor assembly, barely enough to feel. Then when the outer locking nut is installed and torqued to spec the play just barely goes away yet is not so tight to create heat.



Torque the inner locking nut to 30 ft/lbs. then back off 90-degrees. Locate the locking washer on the pin then install and tighten the outer locking nut to 150 ft/lbs.



Hubs installed and brake calipers installed. Here you can still see the rubber brake lines and how tight they are at full droop.



More pictures to follow......

 

[zmotorsports]

As I was trying to get this completed Thursday night I found that the driver's side front brake hose was corroded to the rigid line and I fought for over 45-minutes to separate them before the fitting snapped at the bulkhead fitting for the brake hose. My local NAPA was closed by this time so it had to wait until Friday morning.

My wife and I took our son and DIL to breakfast Friday morning as we wouldn't see them New Year's Eve so on the way home we stopped by NAPA and I purchased a 40" length of 3/16" brake line. I then had to spend 3 hours clearing snow AGAIN from my driveway. This was the second time in two days and was getting old. All I could think about was how much time I was wasting clearing snow when I could have had this truck done and back to the owner.


New 3/16" brake line at the ready. Time to duplicate the old line, less the broken fitting.




I started by marking the first bend, then the second and so on.



Until all of the bends were duplicated and then measuring for length of the last leg so the flare could be made.



Tubing cut and deburred in preparation for the flare. I also cut the fitting off of the old line so I could use the shorter OEM fitting.



I used my Mastercool flaring tool for this job.



Line completed with fitting installed and ready to snake back into the chassis.






Rather than put a union in the line I opted to go all the way up to the proportioning valve to avoid any more potential leak points.






Brake line completed and installed. Brake lines bled and all new brake fluid throughout the truck.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Mike, pics didn't show in the first message about the axle/square.

 

[zmotorsports]

Lastly, after completing the brake line, bleeding the brakes, installing front tires/wheels and steering stabilizers I was able to set it back down on the ground for the first time in several weeks. Torqued the wheels on and took it for a test drive.

New stainless steel hoses installed.



Brakes being bled and new fluid throughout.



Tires/wheels installed.



New Fox 2.0 steering stabilizers installed using BDS bracketry.



On the ground backed off the lift.



After returning from the test drive. Damn this thing has a great stance.












Loaded up on the trailer and heading home.




I finally finished up the truck late afternoon on New Year's Eve and called the owner to see when he wanted to pick it up. He eagerly stated he would be right over.

Truck loaded up on his new trailer and heading home just after dark on New Year's Eve.

Owner text me a couple hours later to inform me that he and his wife had been out driving it and was very happy with the way it turned out.

Now if I can just convince him to swap in that 5.3 liter LS and 4L65 he has sitting in his garage.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, pics didn't show in the first message about the axle/square.

Which post # Marc. All the ones I posted today are showing up for me.

Thanks.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

#5926 & #5929

 

[zmotorsports]

#5926 & #5929

How about now?

 

[rattle_snake]

Nice work on the old chevy, looks great. Nice wheel choice looks familiar...
Why the dual steering stabilizer? Highly debated subject just wondering.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Sorry for the late reply Mike...looks to be working now.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Both working now, thanks

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Nice work on the old chevy, looks great. Nice wheel choice looks familiar...

You're truck actually popped into mind when he first posted pics of the wheels. For whatever reason, they just work so well on this era of trucks!

 

[zmotorsports]

If I remember correctly a question came up a couple years ago on my thread about bending and flaring of various lines such as brake lines, fuel and hydraulic.

I thought I would post up a few of the tools that I have purchased and used over the years on race cars, street rods, sandrails and now Jeeps and other vehicles.

Here is my small tubing bender drawer. Hands down my favorite benders are these Ridgid HD versions. I have only had them about 10 years or so now but after fighting with some of my earlier choices these are my "go to" benders. I have them in 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8" and 1/2". My 1/2" I used for thin wall chromoly tubing when I was building sandrails and ATV sand drag chassis to fine tune or tweak tubing for various component mounting. I usually use my 1/2" dies in my JD2 tubing bender but for tweaking of small bends these work well.


The tools I grabbed to bend the 3/16" line. Most of the time I use exclusively the Ridgit bender but I also will use the Snap-on screwdriver handle style for fine tuning of bends if needed. The bender on the right was an older Eastwood bender for 3/16" and 1/4". I also have that same bender for 5/16" and 3/8" with dual groove dies.


My assortment of flaring tools. Hands down my all time favorite flaring tool is the Imperial Eastman FS2000 on the right. I have had this set for at least the past 25 years and it works great. I use it for most double flares (45-degree) and 37-degree stainless steel lines. The Blue Point in the middle was a set I bought at an estate sale about 20 years ago and is a higher quality version of the el-cheapo versions you can buy everywhere. This one is quite nice with higher quality materials used but I don't dig it out of the toolbox much. The set on the left is my Mastercool set and I love this hydraulic flaring tool. I have most of the dies to do brake lines as well as some fuel lines. I also purchased the accessory set that had the 37-degree flaring dies and presses.














A couple of various tubing cutters.


Thanks for looking.

 

[zmotorsports]

Nice work on the old chevy, looks great. Nice wheel choice looks familiar...
Why the dual steering stabilizer? Highly debated subject just wondering.

Thanks Justin. Not sure why the owner wanted a dual steering stabilizer other than maybe to make it more period correct. Seems like there were all kinds of people running dual stabilizers back in the 70's and 80's. They're definitely not a personal choice of mine. My theory is that it is ok to use a steering stabilizer as most OEM's do, but if you have a handling issue rather than adding stabilizers, find the freakin' issue. My local Jeep club seems to be under the philosophy that if you are experiencing any wandering issues or worse, death wobble, then the very first thing you need to do is replace your steering stabilizer with a better shock and if one doesn't work then throw another one on there.

I tell ya, I'm about done with my local Jeep club. Many of the newer members over the past year or two are so immature and idiotic that even trying to explain things to them is frustrating. They've been wheeling for a year now with their new Jeep and they know everything there is to know about going off-road. Sorry for the rant, it's just that I about done with the group. I haven't been to a meeting all year and only been on a couple of monthly runs with them. Being January, dues are now due and I am waffling on whether or not I even want to renew my club membership. There are a few couples I like that seem to be more like my wife and I but the rest are a joke and much too immature for me.

You're truck actually popped into mind when he first posted pics of the wheels. For whatever reason, they just work so well on this era of trucks!

Thanks Ryan. Yeah, those wheels definitely fit the era of truck and I think they were the perfect choice.

 

[signcrafter]

That's a beautiful picture with the mountains in the back.

Just curious but I keep a roll of 3/16" and 1/4" nicop line in the shop along with a plane tackle box of fittings. I do a dew brake line replacements every year and got tired of running to the store for a fitting or two. My napa had SURR 3/16" kit so I got that and added to it as needed. Got tired of running to store for a bleeder also when they were stuck and had to mangle them out. So bought a kit for them too. They have saved me many times when I run into an issue and dont want to run to the store or the store is closed.

I'm going to look into those ridgid benders. I have the usual multi size contraption and never liked it. I picked up the mastercool hydraulic flaring tool about two years ago and love that thing.

The fun of living in the salt belt. Have also used the induction heater on bleeders to get them loose. Try not to with the brake fluid but usually when opening a bleeder I'm replacing fluid anyway.

 

[zmotorsports]

That's a beautiful picture with the mountains in the back.

Just curious but I keep a roll of 3/16" and 1/4" nicop line in the shop along with a plane tackle box of fittings. I do a dew brake line replacements every year and got tired of running to the store for a fitting or two. My napa had SURR 3/16" kit so I got that and added to it as needed. Got tired of running to store for a bleeder also when they were stuck and had to mangle them out. So bought a kit for them too. They have saved me many times when I run into an issue and dont want to run to the store or the store is closed.

I'm going to look into those ridgid benders. I have the usual multi size contraption and never liked it. I picked up the mastercool hydraulic flaring tool about two years ago and love that thing.

The fun of living in the salt belt. Have also used the induction heater on bleeders to get them loose. Try not to with the brake fluid but usually when opening a bleeder I'm replacing fluid anyway.

I don't do enough standard lines to speak of but I definitely like the idea of having supplies on hand. I have a variety of 37-degree fittings, T's, 90's, sleeves and nuts as I used to mostly use stainless steel with 37-degree fittings on the various custom projects I did. If I do more brake lines going forward I may have to look into getting a variety such as those. That second picture looks exactly like the Warner Brake assortment that I sold out of when I worked in an auto parts store in high school.

Thanks for the pictures.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Mike,

Good job on the old square body. They were always my favorite when I was growing up and I can’t say much has changed. I still own the ‘85 that was my first vehicle. I bought it from an old Navy SeaBee who used it as a fishing truck and for a twice yearly commissary run. We burnt up a lot of miles together while I was in the Marine Corps, it led a couple of convoys for visiting units that didn’t know their way around, and even ferry’d all of our sea bags down to the buses when we deployed to Iraq. I drove it down loaded and handed the keys to my Dad for what would be the next 14+ months. My brother kept it clean and running while I was gone and my wife and I used it for our honeymoon getaway vehicle after the wedding. It’s one of those that you’ll never sell due to the memories we’ve had with it.

Regarding flaring tools, it looks like I’ll have to add a few more tools to the arsenal based on your kit. I have the Mastercool set and have had great service from it. Those Rigid benders look a lot better than the multi sized bender I’m using now.

I’ve got a similar frustration with the local Jeep clubs here in North Carolina. Not to knock them too much, but we’ve got different mindsets to say the least. I don’t mind using a vehicle close to its limits off-road, but when it becomes abuse because you’re willing to thrash it, scrap it, and buy another, I’m no longer interested. There seems to be a lot of egos ******* with Jeeps for some reason. It can be a great community, but finding the right people is key.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike,
I’ve got a similar frustration with the local Jeep clubs here in North Carolina. Not to knock them too much, but we’ve got different mindsets to say the least. I don’t mind using a vehicle close to its limits off-road, but when it becomes abuse because you’re willing to thrash it, scrap it, and buy another, I’m no longer interested. There seems to be a lot of egos ******* with Jeeps for some reason. It can be a great community, but finding the right people is key.

Yeah, our local Jeep club has people that can't afford to pay attention yet they take their Jeeps out and flog on them. Then when (not if but when) they break they are reaching out on our club's message board asking for people to come to their rescue to help with the repairs because they're broke and need someone to help them fix it "cheap". I simply despise that mentality.

When my wife and I were first married and had our son on the way and money was tight I sure as hell didn't go beating on my vehicles. Hell, during those times nothing left the pavement because I couldn't afford to fix them. These people just rely on others to bail them out of stupid situations and I am sick of it. I told my wife I'm keeping my mouth shut and not saying **** at any of the functions IF I go. I was trying to help a few people during the heat of the summer because they were having heating issues and they simply wouldn't listen then when it goes exactly the way I thought it would they are reaching out for help. I have a hard time helping those who won't help themselves and are creating their own messes.

Last trail run I went with the local club there was an obstacle that several were trying and they were not being gentle on their Jeeps. With each attempt the right foot got heavier and heavier and I literally saw their brains falling out. Sure enough a snapped axle shaft later and the whole group was standing around watching me pull the axle shaft and then follow them down to the pavement to make sure they got down ok. I'm all for not leaving anyone behind and making sure everyone gets off the trail safely but when they do stupid **** at that point I want to say "you're on your own and no longer my responsibility".

Our other club, the FMCA 4-Wheelers, which is our RV'ing friends are a completely different story. While there are a few that still need their egos filled, for the most part most are very considerate and just out to enjoy each other's company and the scenery. I love wheeling with that group and we've driven half way across the country to wheel with them at various gatherings because they are so much fun. Those are the types of people I think of when I think of Jeep community.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Yeah, our local Jeep club has people that can't afford to pay attention yet they take their Jeeps out and flog on them. Then when (not if but when) they break they are reaching out on our club's message board asking for people to come to their rescue to help with the repairs because they're broke and need someone to help them fix it "cheap". I simply despise that mentality.

When my wife and I were first married and had our son on the way and money was tight I sure as hell didn't go beating on my vehicles. Hell, during those times nothing left the pavement because I couldn't afford to fix them. These people just rely on others to bail them out of stupid situations and I am sick of it. I told my wife I'm keeping my mouth shut and not saying **** at any of the functions IF I go. I was trying to help a few people during the heat of the summer because they were having heating issues and they simply wouldn't listen then when it goes exactly the way I thought it would they are reaching out for help. I have a hard time helping those who won't help themselves and are creating their own messes.

Last trail run I went with the local club there was an obstacle that several were trying and they were not being gentle on their Jeeps. With each attempt the right foot got heavier and heavier and I literally saw their brains falling out. Sure enough a snapped axle shaft later and the whole group was standing around watching me pull the axle shaft and then follow them down to the pavement to make sure they got down ok. I'm all for not leaving anyone behind and making sure everyone gets off the trail safely but when they do stupid **** at that point I want to say "you're on your own and no longer my responsibility".

Our other club, the FMCA 4-Wheelers, which is our RV'ing friends are a completely different story. While there are a few that still need their egos filled, for the most part most are very considerate and just out to enjoy each other's company and the scenery. I love wheeling with that group and we've driven half way across the country to wheel with them at various gatherings because they are so much fun. Those are the types of people I think of when I think of Jeep community.

I think the pattern of the first group can be found nationwide. That’s exactly the type I don’t want to be around. The second group sounds like a great group of Jeepers.

You can have a much better experience overall if your ability to hit the dirt is backed up by the willingness to invest in good tooling, good parts, knowledge, and in the ability to be humble. It’s a cumulative thing. If you’re willfully ignoring one of those components you, and everyone around you is in for a tough time of it.

I’ve learned a lot by trying to help others. I’ve become very careful with who I help, or even what conversations I have with others. Some people think that you’re under some kind of moral obligation to do everything for them because they don’t have the knowledge. Well, I didn’t either at first. I had to seek it out and it’s been a decades long education that I wouldn’t trade away if I could. For those that I allowed to abuse the privilege of my helping them, I’m still grateful for the lesson learned. At least now I know who to stay away from. For those I’ve been able to truly help, it planted seeds and those are the people I liked helping the most as they truly embraced the spirit in which the help and education were given.

I have young children (12, 10, and 7), as well as a few younger male relatives who are starting families of their own. I look forward to helping them as I can…but the amount I can help is determined by how they choose to participate. If they abuse the privilege then they’ll have to go their own way. If they want to learn and can value it properly, I’ll be happy to teach them what I know for the rest of my life. It’s no burden if they’re the right type.

 

[signcrafter]

Holy cow are those ridgid benders expensive. Looking like 130-140 bucks for the 3/16"model. Are they that much better then the other options out there? I'm assuming so otherwise you wouldn't have posted them. I mostly only use a 3/16" bender, the 1/4" stuff I can get by with my other benders since most of what I do is 3/16". Plus I use the nicop line which you can pretty much bend by hand, but I still like to use a bender to get a nice radius when doing lines. I hate crawling under a vehicle to do work and seeing a brake line that somebody replaced and just ran it wild or bought a pre flared line too long and just did a bunch of bends to get it to fit.

 

[Monza Harry]

I too have the Rigid benders, and they were $50+ each nearly 40 years ago. They now build one for 1/8" tubing but more like the Imperial Eastman style which allows a more easy back to back bends than my early Rigid's. Nice well built tools for sure. I bought these as they were what the machine builder hydraulic guys used, in hind sight the Imperial Eawould have been better for my automotive use. I se the new ones are like the Imperial Eastman design. Those are nice flaring tools you have, I have a 40 year old Gray flaring tool kit of similar style your S O it has started to slip now, not enough life left in me to justify a nice set like your " Master" sets, I was considering the Eastwood set(s), but I don't see me using it enough for my few remaining projects to buy this now should have ten years ago but I didn't need it then. Thanx for sharing that nice truck project and tool **** with us! Harry

 

[steves_001]

As usual, excellent write ups and pics. I enjoy living vicariously through your adventures! The photo of the truck with the mountains in the background was awesome. That must put a smile on your face everyday to walk out to that view. Very nice. As for the snow, I do think you need the LS snowblower upgrade. lol. We don't even get that much snow here anymore. (MN) Anyway, thanks for posting your adventures.

 

[zmotorsports]

I think the pattern of the first group can be found nationwide. That’s exactly the type I don’t want to be around. The second group sounds like a great group of Jeepers.

You can have a much better experience overall if your ability to hit the dirt is backed up by the willingness to invest in good tooling, good parts, knowledge, and in the ability to be humble. It’s a cumulative thing. If you’re willfully ignoring one of those components you, and everyone around you is in for a tough time of it.

I’ve learned a lot by trying to help others. I’ve become very careful with who I help, or even what conversations I have with others. Some people think that you’re under some kind of moral obligation to do everything for them because they don’t have the knowledge. Well, I didn’t either at first. I had to seek it out and it’s been a decades long education that I wouldn’t trade away if I could. For those that I allowed to abuse the privilege of my helping them, I’m still grateful for the lesson learned. At least now I know who to stay away from. For those I’ve been able to truly help, it planted seeds and those are the people I liked helping the most as they truly embraced the spirit in which the help and education were given.

I have young children (12, 10, and 7), as well as a few younger male relatives who are starting families of their own. I look forward to helping them as I can…but the amount I can help is determined by how they choose to participate. If they abuse the privilege then they’ll have to go their own way. If they want to learn and can value it properly, I’ll be happy to teach them what I know for the rest of my life. It’s no burden if they’re the right type.

Agreed. When I was in my first and second car clubs and racing I got roped in to a lot of various projects that I really didn't want to do. The first car club I was in was older guys and I learned a lot but then ended up doing a lot of "freebie" work so I left that club. I took a break for a few years than joined another local car club and my hell they were worse. They were a much younger crowd for the most part and had no problem taking advantage of people. I only remained in that club for a few years then left it as well. I did meet some nice people in the club that I stayed in contact with and continued working on their cars and even built a couple of completes but most of the members I had no problem never seeing them again.

It had been nearly 15 years until I joined the Jeep clubs that I belong to. The first one was because many of our RV'ing friends are in it and I really like wheeling with them. The local club was merely to have someone to go wheeling with when we are not traveling. It was great at first in 2015 when I joined but the dynamics have changed over the past couple of years and more and more entitlement attitudes are prevailing. It's like they expect to be helped because they are fellow club members. One contacted me a few weeks ago about a re-gear. When I quoted them a price I got the "oh, you are going to charge me? I thought I could just come over and help." NOPE! I do this for a living and my shop is not a communal gathering place to come and hang out while I work on your **** for free.

They can take it to their buddy and have it done half-assed or they can pay to have it done correctly.

Sorry to be so blunt but I spent the first 25+ years of my life giving services away on occasion and one day I realized that I am not getting any younger and my skills are worth something so I need to think about me and my wife and our retirement. I have enough **** to work on for free that I don't need to fill the shop up with more.

As for wheeling with those who beat on their ****, I've actually distanced myself from most of them now and enjoy the smaller more relaxed and humble group that we wheel with currently.

 

[zmotorsports]

Holy cow are those ridgid benders expensive. Looking like 130-140 bucks for the 3/16"model. Are they that much better then the other options out there? I'm assuming so otherwise you wouldn't have posted them. I mostly only use a 3/16" bender, the 1/4" stuff I can get by with my other benders since most of what I do is 3/16". Plus I use the nicop line which you can pretty much bend by hand, but I still like to use a bender to get a nice radius when doing lines. I hate crawling under a vehicle to do work and seeing a brake line that somebody replaced and just ran it wild or bought a pre flared line too long and just did a bunch of bends to get it to fit.

Yes, they are expensive but from my experience they are about the best ones out there. Pisses me off that I can't find anything close in quality that is made in the USA but these are about as good as I have found and I have experimented with quite a few various brands and styles over the past 30+ years.

 

[zmotorsports]

As usual, excellent write ups and pics. I enjoy living vicariously through your adventures! The photo of the truck with the mountains in the background was awesome. That must put a smile on your face everyday to walk out to that view. Very nice. As for the snow, I do think you need the LS snowblower upgrade. lol. We don't even get that much snow here anymore. (MN) Anyway, thanks for posting your adventures.

Thank you and thanks for following along. Yes, I LOVE the view of the mountains from my back yard. Although I much more appreciate the view when I am mowing my lawns and looking at them or sitting on the deck enjoying my morning coffee on weekends than I do when blowing snow off my concrete.

 

[zmotorsports]

Last night I had to rebuild my 30+ year old slide hammer. While extracting an outer rear axle wheel bearings and seals a couple of weeks ago I noticed that the nut on my slide hammer had come loose. Upon attempting to tighten it I discovered that the nut had stripped and didn't want to tighten very well. I didn't have time to mess with it at the time so I used it as it was then wrote the item down on my white board so I would remember.

Well last night when I walked into the storage bay to turn the air on I noticed it on my white board and figured I would take a few minutes to address my slide hammer issue and cross it off the to do list. It turned out to be a little more than a few minutes but I like the way it turned out and it will probably outlive me now.

If I'm being honest, this isn't a high dollar slide hammer but it has sentimental value to me. It is more of a hodge podge of pieces I threw together at the beginning of my career to make this slide hammer. I acquired a slightly used 3-3/4 pound weight from my Snap-on dealer at the time and then I used an old shank that a co-worker was throwing away in which I made a new handle that just threaded on with a large washer and nut.

Probably my biggest pet peeve about this old slide hammer was that the shank was 5/8" diameter and the bore in the Snap-on slide weight was 3/4" diameter so the weight slopped around quite a bit on the shank.



Nut is stripped and rather than just replace the nut I opted to start over.



I grabbed a length of .750" O1 drill rod off my shelf and single point threaded 16 TPI on the lathe.



Grabbed a 5" length of 1.125" diameter round stock from the drawer as well as a piece of 1.5" diameter 1" long to slice a piece off .375" thick as the contact point.



Welded the 1.5" diameter piece to the handle.



At the business end of the shank I drilled and tapped a hole for a piece of grade 8 threaded rod to be inserted.



All of the components completed and ready to assemble.






The 3/4" shank is soooooo much nicer with the fitment of the weight. It slides so much smoother now and no flopping around. I should have done this about 3 decades ago rather than merely put up with it each time I used it because I didn't want to take the time to fix it properly.



Placed back in the slide hammer and attachment drawer.



Thanks for looking.

 

[lilscorpion]

This is just a siphon/pressure canister that uses a similar body as a grease gun. I use this quite a lot as it is easy to use and especially easy to clean afterwards. Looks like I need to replace the hose as it's getting a bit stiff and aged.

What kind of fluid can you move with this particular kind of unit? Is it a modified grease gun or is it an actual product designed for the task? If a product, what's it called?

Matt

 

[zmotorsports]

Matt, it is an actual tool that I purchased many years ago. I remembered it was made by Lincoln. I found a link but it appears to be a newer version of mine.

Lincoln Industrial G150 Suction Gun

Buy Lincoln Industrial G150 Suction Gun with an everyday low price and fast shipping! JB Tools

www.jbtools.com

 

[LXCam]

Holy cow are those ridgid benders expensive. Looking like 130-140 bucks for the 3/16"model. Are they that much better then the other options out there? I'm assuming so otherwise you wouldn't have posted them. I mostly only use a 3/16" bender, the 1/4" stuff I can get by with my other benders since most of what I do is 3/16". Plus I use the nicop line which you can pretty much bend by hand, but I still like to use a bender to get a nice radius when doing lines. I hate crawling under a vehicle to do work and seeing a brake line that somebody replaced and just ran it wild or bought a pre flared line too long and just did a bunch of bends to get it to fit.

SC, aircraft spruce has decent pricing for these. You could also try zoro if you catch a good sale. I’ve got the whole collection and all though they were never cheap, it’s a buy once cry once deal.

Lever Type Benders | Aircraft Spruce ®

Lever Type Benders Each tool bends one size. Open side type slips over tube at any point.

www.aircraftspruce.com

 

[signcrafter]

SC, aircraft spruce has decent pricing for these. You could also try zoro if you catch a good sale. I’ve got the whole collection and all though they were never cheap, it’s a buy once cry once deal.

Lever Type Benders | Aircraft Spruce ®

Lever Type Benders Each tool bends one size. Open side type slips over tube at any point.

www.aircraftspruce.com

That's a lot better. Thanks.

 

[Graham08]

Yes, they are expensive but from my experience they are about the best ones out there. Pisses me off that I can't find anything close in quality that is made in the USA but these are about as good as I have found and I have experimented with quite a few various brands and styles over the past 30+ years.

The Ridgid benders are actually copies of Swagelok's design. If you think the Ridgid ones are expensive, sit down when you start looking at the Swagelok's. I have the Ridgid's in 3/16", 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" and I'm really happy with them. They're great for stainless and thin wall 4130.

 

[lilscorpion]

Matt, it is an actual tool that I purchased many years ago. I remembered it was made by Lincoln. I found a link but it appears to be a newer version of mine.

Lincoln Industrial G150 Suction Gun

Buy Lincoln Industrial G150 Suction Gun with an everyday low price and fast shipping! JB Tools

www.jbtools.com

Thanks Mike. I’m going to need more storage (again)

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, I wanted to run new fuel lines in the Corvette and decided to bend my own 1/2" stainless hard line for the supply. Had no problem putting a 37° flare on the end with the Imperial Eastman but boy did I screw up trying to bend that stuff with a cheap bender. The Ridgid bender was like night and day and reminded me that some tools are worth the higher price.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Agreed. When I was in my first and second car clubs and racing I got roped in to a lot of various projects that I really didn't want to do. The first car club I was in was older guys and I learned a lot but then ended up doing a lot of "freebie" work so I left that club. I took a break for a few years than joined another local car club and my hell they were worse. They were a much younger crowd for the most part and had no problem taking advantage of people. I only remained in that club for a few years then left it as well. I did meet some nice people in the club that I stayed in contact with and continued working on their cars and even built a couple of completes but most of the members I had no problem never seeing them again.

It had been nearly 15 years until I joined the Jeep clubs that I belong to. The first one was because many of our RV'ing friends are in it and I really like wheeling with them. The local club was merely to have someone to go wheeling with when we are not traveling. It was great at first in 2015 when I joined but the dynamics have changed over the past couple of years and more and more entitlement attitudes are prevailing. It's like they expect to be helped because they are fellow club members. One contacted me a few weeks ago about a re-gear. When I quoted them a price I got the "oh, you are going to charge me? I thought I could just come over and help." NOPE! I do this for a living and my shop is not a communal gathering place to come and hang out while I work on your **** for free.

They can take it to their buddy and have it done half-assed or they can pay to have it done correctly.

Sorry to be so blunt but I spent the first 25+ years of my life giving services away on occasion and one day I realized that I am not getting any younger and my skills are worth something so I need to think about me and my wife and our retirement. I have enough **** to work on for free that I don't need to fill the shop up with more.

As for wheeling with those who beat on their ****, I've actually distanced myself from most of them now and enjoy the smaller more relaxed and humble group that we wheel with currently.

Glad you’ve found a better group to be with. It makes for a much more pleasurable experience.

Good job on that slide hammer btw.

 

[zmotorsports]

Mike, I wanted to run new fuel lines in the Corvette and decided to bend my own 1/2" stainless hard line for the supply. Had no problem putting a 37° flare on the end with the Imperial Eastman but boy did I screw up trying to bend that stuff with a cheap bender. The Ridgid bender was like night and day and reminded me that some tools are worth the higher price.

The Ridgid benders are actually copies of Swagelok's design. If you think the Ridgid ones are expensive, sit down when you start looking at the Swagelok's. I have the Ridgid's in 3/16", 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" and I'm really happy with them. They're great for stainless and thin wall 4130.

Agreed. I messed around with a variety of small tubing benders until I bit the bullet and purchased the Ridgids. Night and day is a good way to describe them. It was a hard pill to swallow on the price but oh so worth it after the first time using them. Buy once, cry once philosophy comes through again. Now it seems like I look for a reason to use them they are so nice to work with.

 

[zmotorsports]

Glad you’ve found a better group to be with. It makes for a much more pleasurable experience.

Good job on that slide hammer btw.

Thanks John. Yes, they are a great group to wheel with. I pick and choose the activities with the local club but now that annual dues are being collected, I'm really waffling on whether to continue with this group or not. I may go on this month's run and see how I feel.