CR3171 Finally going back together!

[Modena]

if you can make the top linishing look as smooth as the bottom then do it!

[Modena]

double post

[gjkrv8]

Originally Posted by Modena

if you can make the top linishing look as smooth as the bottom then do it!

I'm with Ben , The problem is that you showed us the better option - now we want it :-)

[guye]

Yep. Shows us the skills Mike. Linish it off!

[Dimis]

I say keep the welds and move on.
Get this car finished!
No one but you will ever know if it ain't perfect!

If in future it grates on you knowing it ain't perfect, you can pull it off and weave your magic.

Whoops... Don't mind me... for some reason, I can't see you taking this advice.

[Aussie Mike]

Thanks for the feedback Dimis. Probably good advice LOL

It's 3 votes to 1 for linishing the weld and polishing so far.

Here's a couple of pics of the PS reservoir. I knocked up a simple bracket to bolt it to the end of the foot box using nutserts. I'm not completely happy with the hoses. I found I had to swap to a 45 degree angled hose end for the return line so it wasn't rubbing against the inner guard but it looks kind of odd next to the straight hose end for the #10 feed line to the pump. I'm thinking I'll swap back to a straight hose end and secure the hose to the inner guard.



I'm liking how even though there are hoses and ancillaries going in the motor is still the center of attention in the engine bay.



Cheers

[leroy17]

I vote for linish..... you know you want to.

Also, it will look like its a one piece job, kind of aerospace look or left over shuttle part.

Are you still going to run the coil packs in the foot box with the leads through the holes. I always thought that was a neat set up that way.

[Aussie Mike]

Sounds like linish finish it is.

I'll be repairing those holes in the foot boxes for the ignition leads. I liked the idea too but the problem was clearance on the drivers side. My toe would snag the coil packs occasionally when working the clutch and I couldn't mount the coils any higher because of the steering column.

The coils are now mounted down on the chassis rails. It's pretty neat and tidy and you can't see the coils and leads unless you look for them.



Cheers

[jcraigau]

Originally Posted by leroy17

Also, it will look like its a one piece job, kind of aerospace look or left over shuttle part.

I've seen space shuttle parts, there's no way they look this good!

Great work Mike, will you be releasing a catalog soon?

[Aussie Mike]

Thanks jcraigau, No catalog till my car is on the road LOL

A little bit more plumbing last night. This is the setup to purge air/steam out of the heads. I replaced the ugly steel crossover tube with a braided setup. You can buy an adapter kit to run AN fittings but I found it was easy enough to just drill and tap the original holes for NPT to AN adapters.



Swapped out the #10 fitting on the PS reservoir for a 45 degree one. I think the hose run looks a bit neater.



Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

like these fun machining jobs. This one is the idler pulley for the serpentine belt tensioner setup.

It starts out as a piece of 75mm diameter billet. Machine the outside down and face the end square. Then drill the center before switching to a boring bar. With the boring bar the center bore is enlarged and the various internal diameters turned. The center hole is machined to a close tolerance for the bearing to press fit into.

The edges are all chamfered before the pulley is cut away from the billet using a parting tool. The pulley is then flipped over and the back side machined.



With the lathe work done the pulley goes onto the milling machine. The part is mounted to the rotary table and that lets me accurately drill a ring of holes to reduce some weight. The edges of the holes are chamfered for a neat finish.



Here's the finished pulley with the bearing pressed in place. The part is as machined, it hasn't been polished.



A couple of relaxing hours in the shed not thinking about work, just concentrating on making something. Very Zen.

Cheers

[leroy17]

I have said it before and will say it again, this never gets old.

Each update is almost like a tafe course and the results bring you one step closer.

Working on a car and switching off from work, yep, not many better way to 'escape'.

[Gav]

What parting tool do you use Mikey? I don't think mine would make it through a 70mm billet.
I think I need a rotary table next...

[Dimis]

Kirkham are shaking in their boots!
You just need to register the "M" logo and etch it in to the final product!

Its amazing that you're producing this level of stuff in your back yard.

All credit, and more power to you Mike!
Only in my wildest dreams could I imagine making anything like that...

[Aussie Mike]

I don't think Kirkham have anything to fear from me LOL

Don't dream it, do it. I've always maintained that people should have a go on a Lathe and a Mill. They are very satisfying to use and you would be surprised what you can do with a little trial and error. There is so much good info out there on the net to help get you started or teach you about near anything you would want to do on one of these machines.

There are also plenty of reasonably priced machines out there now that wont break the bank and are more than capable.


Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by leroy17

Each update is almost like a tafe course and the results bring you one step closer.

Oh dear... That's my day job creeping in. I write and present technical training courses for a living

Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by Gav

What parting tool do you use Mikey? I don't think mine would make it through a 70mm billet.
I think I need a rotary table next...

Parting was one of those things I had a lot of trouble with initially. I had a tool steel parting tool. The type that has a thin blade of tool steel mounted on its edge. I always had trouble with grinding the tip to get it to work properly. Unless you get the end spot on the blade will wander sideways or bind up and then grip in the slot resulting in a ruined work piece and bits of broken parting tool flying around.

These days I use an indexible tipped parting blade and a decent parting tool holder..

Parting Blade

Tool holder

The important thing is to get the tool height spot on and the blade square to the work piece. You don't want any tool chatter at all. You can use the face of the chuck to square things up. Lastly keep the coolant or cutting oil up to it. You don't want the tip of the tool to pick up or gall on the material cause it'll grip in the slot and then look out.


Parting larger pieces off is no problem. I was running the lathe at 770 RPM when I parted the pulley off. Easy.


Cheers

[Gav]

I have s 26x2 blade, I have been making loads of bushes ect for the suspension and have been parting off 25mm stock dry.
I had a go before on a price of 70mm I have and it worked fine as long as the coolant is kept up to it.
Like other things in life, you can't force these things when they are dry...

[DaveW]

ahhhh Gav,
Nothing like a dry partying tool is there.

I'm fitting up coolant to my mill at the moment, hope it helps with the chip clearance and finish.

Great post Mike, i get something from everything you share on here, especially the tip on the tips.....i've been using the tool steel and grinding away....my parting comment...

[Aussie Mike]

Glad you have got something useful out of it.

I'm an ISO tungsten tip convert. For novices like me it takes all the guess work out of grinding tooling.

I still use and grind my own tool steel but more for specialized jobs like cutting V groves or radiuses etc. For day to day machining you can't beat the ISO tool holders and tips for consistent performance.

I've been using the Synthetic coolant that Hare and Forbes sells. I used to use the old coolant that was milky white. The synthetic stuff is way better. It stays clear so you can see what's happening at the cutting face. It also doesn't seem to go off like the old stuff. If you've ever had to clean out the sump of an old milling machine you'd be a synthetic convert too.

Cheers