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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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Busy day today. Drove down to Rustngton to collect my wheels that had been zinc'd and powder coated.
When I got home I was pleased to see that the nice man had delivered my new Avon tyres.
This means that I can finally get rid of the "monster truck " wheels that are fitted.
Took the wheels and tyres to the tyre place for tehm to fit, where it turned out that the modern valves on the new inner tubes were too small for the wheels and required a reducing bush (maybe thats an enlarging bush) which the the shop didnt have .
Im too impatient to wait for that sort of thing so went home and fired up the lathe and knocked some up from black acetal rod.
went back and left the wheels with them then went back an hour later to collect.
I wanted them to fit the wheels but they were busy so I went home and fitted them myself.
Its been raining most of the day and ive been in and out of the truck which means that the carpet and all my clothes were a bit damp. I wanted to go for a test drive but the windows keep fogging up making it impossible to drive safely.
Next job to do should be to get a demister fitted and working.
Last edited by Miken on Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:56 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2020 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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This shows where the old tyres have been rubbing.
Hopefully the new wheels will improve matters
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2020 9:57 am Post subject: |
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The rain stopped yesterday evening and because more rain was forecast today I went out in the truck last night at 10.00pm for an hour because I put it away wet and I wanted to dry it out.
Thats what I told my wife, but of course I really wanted to try out my new wheels.
The first thing i noticed was that with new round tyres, the steering wheel oscillations had disappeared.
Steering and maneuvering at low speed was heavy but now much lighter.
My speedo now displays an accurate speed when compared to my satnav, I forgot to check the odometer but thats going to be better too im sure.
A long steep hill that I normally ascend in 3rd gear was climbed in 4th. |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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It finally stopped raining last evening so I went out for another nocturnal tootle around the Sussex countryside for a couple of hours.
After a while I realised that with my new smaller wheels my brakes are now noticeably more efficient. |
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Rick Site Admin
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22446 Location: UK
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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I fabricated a new clutch actuator rod in Stainless steel to replace the worn out rusty original item.
Just noticed that the chassis looks really rusty in the pic. Its actually in very good condition but I sprayed it with thick brown protective waxy gloop which makes it look rusty.
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Ive spent a very satisfying t last few days.
I had a couple of small holes in the bottom rear corners, both side of the cab so I have cut them off and tig welded in some new corners that I fabricated.
After sanding off the welds I surprised myself with how well the lead loading went considering it was on a vertical surface.
A bit of filing with the dreadnought file and they hardly need any more work.
Unfortunately Im not clever enough to get a butt welded "metal" finish like the pro's with no added lead or filler.
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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You are using a Tig welder. Is there an advantage over using a Mig welder? |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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Probably not Ray.
I think body shops all use mig, They are probably quicker and easier to use than a tig but I don't own one.
Tig is nice when you are sitting comfortably (preferably in a chair) at a bench joining metal. You can get you head up close to observe what's going on and manouvere the torch accurately. This is difficult lying on my back under a car in my tiny garage.
Tig is also pretty hopeless outside in any sort of wind. |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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The other day I had the the float bowl off my carb and I noticed a fair bit of sediment in the bottom.
I decided to have a look in the mechanical fuel pump on the side of the engine and was rather alarmed to discover that the top chamber was almost completely full of muck from the fuel tank even though Ive had the tank off and thought I had got it clean. I certainly got loads of flaky old crap out.
Last time I looked in there was about 7 months ago. Ive since done just over 3000 miles.
So, while the epoxy primer on my welded repairs was hardening (it takes a while) I decided to fit a fuel filter to protect the carb. I will sort out the fuel tank later.
After reading about Vulgalours problem with a stripped thread on his Lanchester, which has the same carb as my Austin, I decided to make up an alloy fitting for the banjo bolt to screw into to save wear on the thread on the carb. See second pic.
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2021 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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Now THAT is a neat idea. Well done.! |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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My truck has a rod that stretches from just in front of the front bulkhead to the back axle that actuates the hand brake.
On mine the end of the threaded portion had been sawn off for some reason and the adjusting nut was right on the very end.
This gave me an excuse to fabricate a new rod from my favourite metal, stainless steel. While i was at it I made a new swinging link with clevis pins as the old one was a bit ratty too. S/S split pins to finish the job.
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Ray White
Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 6312 Location: Derby
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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It keeps getting better and better! |
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badhuis
Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 1390 Location: Netherlands
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Very nice work!
Miken wrote: | my favourite metal, stainless steel. |
For these applications it may work well.
However my pet hate using SS bolts and screws is that they have the tendency to snap quite early. At least it is much easier to break SS compared to mild steel. _________________ a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment |
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Miken
Joined: 24 Dec 2012 Posts: 544
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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badhuis wrote: | Very nice work!
Miken wrote: | my favourite metal, stainless steel. |
For these applications it may work well.
However my pet hate using SS bolts and screws is that they have the tendency to snap quite early. At least it is much easier to break SS compared to mild steel. |
I'm surprised to hear that.
Over the years I've used countless stainless nuts and bolts on various motorbikes I've owned. I've made loads of wheel spindles, girder fork spindles engine/gearbox mounting studs and brake rods for myself and friends old bikes and never had any problems.
Although I draw the line at cylinder head studs! |
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