Aussie Mike's machine shop

[leroy17]

Awesome work there mike, machined alloy never gets old.

The above pics are metal porn, and those Penske shocks are class.

[750hp]

Brakes look great!

Mike have you considered isolating the handbrake? Not sure if it was only my car, but I had my handbrake mounted on my M22 in the Arntz and it vibrated like crazy.

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by 750hp

Brakes look great!

Mike have you considered isolating the handbrake? Not sure if it was only my car, but I had my handbrake mounted on my M22 in the Arntz and it vibrated like crazy.

That thought has crossed my mind Craig and it is something I'm concerned about. I shouldn't be any worse than the shift lever. I figure if it does vibrate too much I can re-bush the pivot pins in the mechanism to take all the play out. The mechanism is pretty tight though so hopefully will be OK.

Cheers

[Zedn]

I mounted mine over the gearbox, but I just welded in a small shs frame to the chassis to mount to. I don't think the vibration would matter on yours too much the locking mechanism on the hand brake is pretty solid.

[Aussie Mike]

Just a small update. I haven't made much progress on anything for a while. I've had some health issues. I'm better now so getting back into the shed.

Here's another brake conversion. This time it's Modena's rear brakes.

Ben's CR uses VE Commodore rear uprights. We've adapted Ford territory rotors from DBA which are 328mm in diameter which is a good fit inside a 17" wheel. Converting the rotors just meant re drilling the bolt pattern and machining a small spacer ring. The ring is to make sure the rotor's larger center bore is centered over the slightly smaller Holden hub spigot.

Ben sourced some very nice AP calipers to match his front ones however adapting them to the Holden hub proved tricky. The location of the mounting lugs on the hub means that a conventional dog bone mount wasn't going to work. Dave W had done the same conversion and hit the same issue. I ended up machining some L shaped brackets similar to Dave's to get around the clearance issues.



These started as a block of 38mm square 1020 cold rolled steel bar stock. The normal hot rolled bar stock you buy from the steel merchant is the same 1020 steel but the cold rolled version is a significantly stronger material. I had to make them from steel since they wouldn't have been strong enough in aluminium. Just not enough material there.

To get around the clearance issues the brackets use countersunk head cap screws to attach the caliper. I'm a bit of a fan of countersunk bolts as I like how they spread the load over a larger area and self center. It's just more work to machine parts to suit.



You can see from these pics why it was tricky to mount the calipers to the existing lugs.



Still got to trim the bolts to the right length.



Despite being made from steel the brackets turned out to be surprisingly light weight. There's a huge pile of swarf on the mill though as probably about 70% of the original block has been milled away to reveal them.

Now to get stuck back into my own projects.

Cheers

[deano59]

very impressive i wish i had your skill and ability to think outside the box to sort out a problem . if i ever need machining done your the man lol pity you don't live in Adelaide

cheers dean

[750hp]

Glad to hear you're on the mend Mike.

Looks like a cool way to get some impressive brakes in place. Dean, I totally agree that simply being a good machinist is only half the story. The ability to problem solve and create strong/practical solutions is critical. I have neither the talent nor the vision...

[leroy17]

I never get tired of seeing work like this.

Can you imagine how many workshops that one may go to and be told 'nah mate, cant be done' or a host of other responses.

Good to hear that you are back in the shed, I am sure updates on your build will be not far away and look forward to more from the Aussie Mike shed.

[mando s]

[quote=leroy17;1344818]I never get tired of seeing work like this.

Can you imagine how many workshops that one may go to and be told 'nah mate, cant be done' or a host of other responses.



I don't think it's a case of not being capable of doing the job, but more that most people don't want to pay what it's going to cost!

Regards.

[Aussie Mike]

This post is probably a little premature but I'm pretty excited. I just acquired a CNC milling machine. I've been wanting to upgrade to a CNC mill for some time as it opens up lots of possibilities for things to make.

I had been investigating bringing in a machine from China but for the size of machine I wanted I didn't have the budget. A lot of the more affordable machines don't have a very big table or a lot of working area. Most of the cheaper used machines are huge or need a lot of work as they are flogged out. I found this very tidy 2nd hand machine locally which is about the same size as my current manual mill. I can also run it as a manual machine so I'll be able to sell my old mill and have one machine that does the lot.

Picking it up in a couple of weeks.

[indianamoon]

Hi Mike.


can't see which prototrak control your mill has. If it is one of the later ones, and you are able to input a .dxf file, that is definitely the way to go. I have two prototraks in the shop but sadly neither can do that. I do however have an Anilam control that will. We now use that machine more than any other mill in the shop and it is FAST and accurate. If your machines can take a dxf file, e-mail me and I will give you a few hints on making it work faster and smoother. Good luck with the new toy!!!!

[Aussie Mike]

Thanks Indianamoon. I'll take you up on that. This unit has a prototrak MX2e on it. It's only 2 axis but I figure it has the ball screws and the drives so it shouldn't take me too much work to modify it for a more modern controller. I've seen several retrofit kits for the 3rd axis too.

My current mill is a great machine but this one has a bunch of extra features that are a step up. It has a power draw bar and variable speed head. The plan is also to run the motor off a VSD.

I think it'll be a fun project just getting the whole thing set up and working how I want.

Cheers

[Dimis]

Even if you gave that to me for free, I wouldn't know how to use it, or even what to do with it. I'm glad it's in your capable hands, I can feel the buzz of excitement in your post.
Congrats & enjoy!

[muzzza]

Mike....you sure have got all the toys, and then some !! Good Stuff.
All sorts of possibilities now !! Muz

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by Dimis

Even if you gave that to me for free, I wouldn't know how to use it, or even what to do with it. I'm glad it's in your capable hands, I can feel the buzz of excitement in your post.
Congrats & enjoy!

Yes I am excited about it. My mind is abuzz with ideas and possibilities. The frustrating thing is I'm half a world away from the shed at the moment. Working over in the UK for a couple of days.

One of the reasons for wanting to go CNC is its another skill I'd really like to learn. There is a ton of info out there on the web and YouTube to help pick things up.

I've always maintained that people should have a go at machining. Its a very rewarding hobby.

[Modena]

That machine, right there, looks like a reason to pull the Cobra apart again Mike

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by Modena

That machine, right there, looks like a reason to pull the Cobra apart again Mike

LOL. Don't tempt me.

[indianamoon]

Mike,

That control does not take dxf files, but you can program it at the control for all sorts of stuff. I have MX3's at my place. The only problem that I have had with the Prototrak controls is that e\any time anything goes wrong with it, they want $1000 to replace the control box. I replaced each of mine once, and then started fixing them myself. The most commnf problem is the screen going bad. There is an outlet for a remote monitor and you can set a separate monitor on the top if you want. I have a customer with a half dozen that way. I found a bolt in lcd screen replacement, and both of mine have those now. I will try and remember to dig that info out and send it to you. There is actually some color programmed in the output, but of course the supplied screens are only mono. Good luck with it.

Pat

[Aussie Mike]

Thanks Pat.
I'm sure I'll be asking you a bunch of questions as i get set up. (I hope you don't mind)

I found a YouTube vid of the LCD screen replacement. I think if I have problems with it I'll just adapt a more modern controller. I'm fairly good with electronics and wiring so should be able to adapt something up. The biggest hassle I've seen with doing any conversion is the Prototrak uses the scales to determine position where most controllers use the drives. I'll probably need to change the drive motors for servos.

Cheers

[stephen low]

Mike

No no no, don't be tempted - all you'll be doing now is writing machining files instead of working on the car!!

But it is great to see you are back on your feet and the passion is firing again.

Get into the car and get it on the road - ok!!