Modified And Fabricated Tools - Show & Tell

[JohnD]

Ah! A development of the device that joins the sliding nut and the washer in one.   And one not beyond the capability of amateurs like me!   The Mk.II will join the others, next time I need a Rivnut!

Thank, you, Ed!

[Nick Jones]

crank damper holding tool for pretty much any Audi S5. They can be bought, at great expense, and are more model specific.

This one was made from things I had in the workshop. It doesn’t really need to be 5 feet long, that was the length of the box section I had.

The ring sits inside the damper with the gap in it engaging with the lug. Works a treat.

Just as well. 220NM +270deg is really tight and for various reasons I’ve had to do this part of the job more than once.

 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

3 minutes ago, Nick Jones said:

220NM +270deg is really tight

Chuffing right....

[Nick Jones]

Done it 3 times now. That’s it I sincerely hope!

[Escadrille Ecosse]

[Nick Jones]

Indeed. But now we are tired. Again.

[JohnD]

Ford Granada wheel hubs - 330Ft-lbs!

[RogerH]

Your Audi tool reminded me of my wire wheel adaptor tool.

It is used to torque the exposed adaptor nuts,

Two holes on two nuts. Supported by the ground - Easy.

It tightens and loosens the nuts.

Roger

[Gt64fun]

My tool for the crank bolt, which fixes to the fan boss.

Fabricated by a mate from scrap stainless.

(Available to borrow in Dorset if required)

[JohnD]

InThis may not qualify as a 'tool' but I hope it's a useful mod.    As you may have read, I've fitted a T9 gearbox, and to complete the job went to bleed the clutch.    It's a B1704 of a job, as access to the bleed screw is very limited!    So I ordered a remote bleed, that screws into the bleed port and via a length of flexible brake line, ends in a bleed screw on a bracket on the bulkhead, next to the clutch master.

As shown bleeding becomes  easy!

This would be useful in any Vitesse (or GT6?) as I'm still using the Triumph bell housing and clutch slave.

John

Edited April 6, 2023 by JohnD

[JohnD]

There is a theory about ideas, that they are somehow in the air and that several people may have them at once - EG Darwin and  Alfred Russel Wallace, Newton and Leibnitz.    So much so that papers have been written for, among other august orgs, The Royal Society: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2014.0172

So "Simultaneous discovery" strikes again!    I posted the above  two weeks ago, and two days ago, 'haggis' posted on the TSSC wanting to do this and asking for ideas, for which he was given several, including mine. Remote bleed hose for clutch slave cylinder - Gearbox & Overdrive - The Triumph Sports Six Club Forum (tssc.org.uk)

 Either great minds and all that, telepathy, or ....?

Joh

[Escadrille Ecosse]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

There is a theory about ideas, that they are somehow in the air and that several people may have them at once - EG Darwin and  Alfred Russel Wallace, Newton and Leibnitz.    So much so that papers have been written for, among other august orgs, The Royal Society: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2014.0172

So "Simultaneous discovery" strikes again!    I posted the above  two weeks ago, and two days ago, 'haggis' posted on the TSSC wanting to do this and asking for ideas, for which he was given several, including mine. Remote bleed hose for clutch slave cylinder - Gearbox & Overdrive - The Triumph Sports Six Club Forum (tssc.org.uk)

 Either great minds and all that, telepathy, or ....?

Joh

Confirmation bias in action

Matt Parker has an example here. Go to 47.24 in the video. PS my daughter gave me the book for Christmas and it is simply excellent.

 

[Mark]

Made this years ago to remove the chrome bezels off switches. An old box spanner of the correct diameter with two prongs welded on the end. Bezels can be very tight/seized, some you can carefully tap around with small screwdriver, but if they are seized you risk damaging the bezel or dash. Think there is a special tool available to buy now, but I made this long before I knew, and it's always works.

[JohnD]

As I think I reported, my old MiG had a sudden death, and I bought a new one.   It came with a handy handle and a pair of wheels for hauling around the workshop, but only with the manky, disposable gas cartridge that came with it.   So taking inspiration from its predecessor, I've built a trolley for it, that can carry a proper gas cylinder as well.

A pair of castor wheels, a shipment of 20mm angle iron, and I could use the welder to fabricate its own chariot!

John

Edited September 29, 2023 by JohnD

[JohnD]

I saw this on Facebook, but you know what that is like - cannot find it again!

Problem - reaching for an awkward bolt/nut with a U/j on your ratchet wrench, but it's loose, so as you line up bolt and socket, the joint falls over.    Solution - find a right-size O-ring that is tight around the U/j and will stabilise it, keeping it straight against gravity.

Picture worth a thousand words,  Little Grasshopper!  Hope these enough.

John

[PeteStupps]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:03 AM, JohnD said:

I saw this on Facebook, but you know what that is like - cannot find it again!

Problem - reaching for an awkward bolt/nut with a U/j on your ratchet wrench, but it's loose, so as you line up bolt and socket, the joint falls over.    Solution - find a right-size O-ring that is tight around the U/j and will stabilise it, keeping it straight against gravity.

Picture worth a thousand words,  Little Grasshopper!  Hope these enough.

John

Like this? Forgive the silly clickbait title:

 

[Nick Jones]

That is a nice simple trick. However, not a fan of UJs myself. I prefer wobble bars. Sure, they have less operating range, it’s enough in most cases.

[zetecspit]

I like that O ring idea. I have used tape around the uj, and I am sure they are available with a spring aropund them? But teh O ring is deffo worth a go.

Like Nick, a wobble bar is my go-to but sometimes a UJ is essential. And usually flops at the wrong moment (Yes dolomite downpipes, I am looking at you)

[Nick Jones]

Got to do a turbo swap on the Sootmonster at some point. There are some access issues there….. and the nuts/bolts have been in post a while…

[Escadrille Ecosse]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:48 AM, Nick Jones said:

Got to do a turbo swap on the Sootmonster at some point. There are some access issues there….. and the nuts/bolts have been in post a while…

Ouch! Unlikely to be anything but type 3 fun that.

Any chance of getting hold of another manifold beforehand to help things along?

[Nick Jones]

24 minutes ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

Any chance of getting hold of another manifold

Probably not. These things are now pretty exclusive in the Uk. Died or emigrated.

In theory (!) the manifold can stay on the head. There are only 4 bolts holding the turbo to the manifold and I can even see three of them. They actually look ok…. Spanner access though….. 

Plan is to remove the inlet manifold to (slightly) improve access and also allowing the opportunity to scrape the snot out of it and the inlet ports, which will likely be grim.

[Sprint95m]

On 10/31/2023 at 8:10 AM, zetecspit said:

 

Like Nick, a wobble bar is my go-to but sometimes a UJ is essential. And usually flops at the wrong moment (Yes dolomite downpipes, I am looking at you)

Two wobble bars together?

 

Ian

[zetecspit]

I will be honest here. I don't have any 1/2" wobble bars, only 3/8. I guess they may well be ok though. But a taped UJ seems to work despite the access issues.

[JohnD]

In another thread, we were discussing piston ring compressors and I mentioned the solid ring versions, that have an internal taper to let you  press the piston down into it, compressing the rings so that they go directly into the bore.   Much easier to use than those coils of steel spring that you tighten around the ringed piston.   Problem is, the tapered rings have to  be the right size for the piston/bore you have in the engine you're building, and bit of Googling found none in Triumph sizes.     But are we down hearted?  No !   I'll make one! 

As a proof of proposal, I ordered a short length of 4" aluminium round bar, enough for two, or a prototype and finished product.    In the lathe, I grooved it in the middle and drilled one end with the biggest drill I have, 20mm.   From there, I bored out the hole to a straight sided ring that would admit the piston crown, and cut that end off.   Then after some calculations to determine the angle, I set the lathe to cut the taper required and made it so.     In my hands, the internal surface of the  tapered bore was a little ridged, so I applied some emery cloth and WD40 to smooth it.   And it works!   At least, I can squeeze a ringed piston through it by hand.

 Another time, I'd make the taper slightly undersized and then completely smooth the bore with emery, opening it out to size.

A question for the Common Room!  The taper rings I've seen are in steel.   It took a few hours to make this in aluminium, I would expect a lot more in steel.    How durable would an aluminium ring be in use, and is it worth hardening it?     Apart from specific alloys, aluminium hardens with age and working, or by heating and quenching.   The last sounds DiY possible in a domestic oven for 24hours at 200C and a bucket of water.  Or, would anodising the surface make it harder?

Thoughts, please?     Thanks, John

 

 

Edited May 9 by JohnD

[RogerH]

Hi John

Aluminium is not good for what you have made as it will wear quite quickly as the piston rings have fairly sharp edges that will scrape.

Hardening Aluminium is not really a DIY home project.                                                                                 Sheet is easy(ish) using soap on the other side to see the temp.                                                                    Lumps more difficult.

Are you using pure Ali or an Ali alloy?  Pure Ali can't be hardened                                                             Some alloys do not harden very well

Anodising will give a slight hardness but is not the best way.

Making it in steel is the way to go (and cheaper) and lathe cutting time will not be increased much

Use 20/50 engine oil on the taper when sliding the piston down - WD40 is NOT a lubricant.

I made a piston ring Taper sleeve back in the 90's on my first rebuild (86mm)

I then had to open it out on the next build with 87mm pistons.

I was very proud of my invention not knowing that others were doing this.

 

Roger