home made tools and equipment...

I meet Kris Elmer at B'ville this year and got a look at his homemade speed parts. Well I dusted off is GREAT tech post about casting your own bellhousing, and I've started building a refactory furnce from an old air tank. Can't wait to start casting.

 

love this thread.....keep em comming

 

When using HotHeads adapter for 331hemi-to-727xmsn, there's very little room to get at the torque converter bolts. In fact, it's near impossible from the bottom area; so the next best place is where the starter mounts. Even then, I couldn't get the bolts started. (dexterity and fingers not being what they used to be)

Had a piece of heavy banding material laying around. I think it was 1" wide and fairly thick. Made a notch in one end that held the bolt firmly and made a slight bend about 1 1/2" down. With the bolt in the notch, I fed the "guide" down through the starter opening, then held onto it while using the other hand to start the bolt. When it was turned a few revs, the handle was pulled down and out of the way for a short socket.

The notch can be done by drilling a hole first, then snip the middle out; as long as the result will capture the bolt but not too hard, so that it can still be turned. Helps alot to buck the material while drilling.

BTW.....There was only one position for the 4 holes of the flex-plate and TC to line up. Best to establish this and mark somehow beforehand; else be cussing like a sailor.

 

At Good Will found some heavy Aluminum cast bowls. Ground the bases off and mounted them to plywood bases. Neet shaping dollies for aluminun and light steel, Ray

 

People say the HF model has 22mm shafts and a 3/8" thick main body. I can only go by what I've read about the HF models, but the Woodward I have has 25mm shafts and a 1/2" main body.

A member here is going make me a stg wheel adapter and he may make more for people who have China bead rollers they're modifing. I'll leave it up to him if he wants to post about it but personally I'd rather have an adapter to mount a stg wheel and keep the hand crank.

 

Yes, THE HF beadroller is 22mm shafts.

 

Here is an Ewheel I made about 3 years ago and I keep adding to it. I have both the upper and lower wheels on dovetails as well as the height can be adjusted up or down as they too are on dovetails . I also came up with an air opperated lower post devise for changing the anvils and releasing a panel that has a flange . Alot quicker and easier than letting go of the panel to manualy releasing . Today I made tool holders for the anvils and extra holders ,but need to send them to the powder coater .Tired of having wheels spread out all over the place .

 

Works good Dan but it was ment to be a simple machine lol... Don't make a rack for my 1" wheels yet. Forgot them again..... I don't think most members on the HAMB know just how much Dan and his wife Lou give to support the metalshaping comunity. 2 times a year they host a metalshping gathering that rocks!!! Thanks Dan for all you do, and your wheel works great.
Jeff

 

This gadget may be too simple for this thread, but here is my offering..
I dont know about the rest of you, but I always have a problem of holding two wires, solder and the gun with only two hands, so I made this easy helper to do half the job. Its is a couple of aligator clips, spaced about 1'' apart, soldered onto a curved ( U shaped) piece of 1/8'' bronze welding wire, each clip holds the wire ends to be soldered, where I want them, absorbes excess heat when soldering diodes etc. and dosen't move until you let the clips go.

 

-You know, if you filled those with concrete or something, they'd stand up to heavier use. Just an idea.

Doc.

 

It may be simple, but as soon as I make one it will be one of the most important tools in my eletcrial box. Thanks for posting.

 

how in the hell did I not ever think of this!!Cool..

 

I will make 4 as soon as I get out into my shop. One for me and each of my sons and son in-law.

By the way, you forgot to put the shrink tube on first.

 

Genius is usually simple stuff no one else could see.
Sweet!

 

Just an idea you might want to consider - I used to have a steering wheel on the gear end that I was able to use by dis engaging the spool on the winch motor but I found it was a little awkward reaching over and trying to feed the work at the same time. I recently slowed the feed rate down by installing a 48 tooth sprocket on the shaft replacing the 29 tooth that I had before giving me 6 - 7 rpm vs 11-12 rpm. While I was doing that I used the 29 tooth and a 15 tooth I had extra to move the handwheel closer to the rollers. It is much easier to use that way. The extra sprocket had a 1" bore so that is the shaft diameter I used and mounted it in a couple $9 pillow blocks from Northern tool. The 29 tooth sprocket was already mounted to the bead roller shaft so I just bolted the 48 tooth to it. Whether you motorize or not, having the wheel closer to the work makes the machine much easier to use.

 

Hey gearheadsQCE.. I thought I'd get away without anyone spotting the heat shrink missing, But this wiring was scrap, I had to use something for the pic..

 

Can't tell you how many times I finished the last wire in a bundle and realized that I forgot the ST.

 

Yeah, find it lying on the bench after you do a perfect solder joint, or put it on the wire too close to the heat, only to find its shrunk and cant be moved.. Lol.

 

Old screw driver bits are high carbon steel and make good center punches....
Modified vice grips to go over larger flange...
My welding cart, has 2 110v receptacles fused separately. Power comes from the welder supply. If you don't understand how this is done don't try it ....get help.

 

yip i'm stealing this idea too.great idea-cheers for posting!

 

I made new storage areas for wheels and accesories

 

Really like your 'Slap-on' decals!

 

Subscribed

 

Here are some jigs that I made to drill out broken exhaust bolts.

I'm sure they would work for other applications where the bolt is broken flush with the surface.

Here's how I use them for broken manifold bolts:

1. Remove exhaust manifold

2. Tap a thread in the manifold hole to match jig thread

3. Re-install manifold

4. Screw jig into threaded hole

5. Drill through broken bolt

6. Repeat process with graduating hole sizes in your jig until most of the seized bolt is removed.

7. Chase the hole with tap.

8. Yo, problem solved (vanilla ice)

 

Now that is pretty damn clever!

 

as jim said: "pretty clever."

question - how did you drill the bolts to make the jigs? mill?

 

Used a metal lathe to make these...but you could probably find the center on the bolt head and drill it with a drill press...

 

Good idea,

Okay.. I am confused as normal.. if you have a metal lathe, why tap the manifold? why not make a dowel that is a press fit in the exhaust manifold hole?

That would be like a tapping block to hold the drill-tap square to the face of the work.

Gun-drilling on a lathe is a art in itself, getting a straight hole that does not wander as you drill, A resharpened bit is a nightmare on a deep hole. I had a loupe borrowed at one time that had a angle etched into it, you'd look across the end of the bit and check cutting angles on both sides. My eyes watered up when I had to return it. No clue where you buy them. I am no machinist. (retired electrician/tech)

I started making a home-made edm to burn out bolts. Bought a book on them and "he used" a vibrating engraving pen, a rod, fluid and reverse polarity on a stick welder to "burn out a center hole" in a broken bolt. USING your idea on centering that'd make a guide if you made if of UHMW, Nylon or other non-conductor. My home-made edm makes the lights flicker in the house next-door, as everything else I do it is overkill.

 

Dawai,

I would like to hear more info on your home made EDM.Sounds interesting.


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