At Last!. I have started on my car ;-) PART 2

Day 335 - Cut out blank for second damper fulcrum bracket. Video taken on new phone :) (thanks again, Paul)

 
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Dry build of front suspension, just to check that everything fits. I still have to make bottom ball joint bolt before I can finally put it all together (the adjustable spring seat hadn't been lightened when photo was taken):

 
Day 337 - I guess once you get hooked it is very difficult to break the habit, whether it be drugs or titanium bolts :)

Just ordered $370 worth of UNF bolts from the States to be delivered to my sister-in-law in Anaheim, in time for her to bring them over on Christmas Day - probably my bestist xmas present for many years.....geez I am sad.

I am buying from the States as getting imperial bolts over here is difficult and the ones you can get are expensive. The site I am using has every size and head style I want.
 
old-git said:
Just ordered $370 worth of UNF bolts from the States to be delivered to my sister-in-law in Anaheim, in time for her to bring them over on Christmas Day - probably my bestist xmas present for many years.....geez I am sad.
Click to expand...



Yes you are sad! Does your young lady know that her Xmas presents to you, which she has no doubt been planning since September, mean absolutely nothing compared to some bolts? :blink:


Go and stand over there in the corner with your head bowed down in shame :sad2:
 
MOT question

I am planning to use 12 titanium bolts and 12 dowels on the rear CV joints, instead of the normal 24 bolts.

Is this an MOT fail? The wording in the tester's manual regarding front drive shafts is:

an insecure or fractured fastener securing a drive shaft coupling bearing



The bolts and dowels are secure. The dowels are cut down bolts so could this be construed[FONT=&quot][/FONT] as fractured?


Talking to my MOT man yesterday, he wasn't sure but reckoned he would pass it.


Bolts in photo aren't titanium:


 
Anal alert!!

I think I might be taking things a bit too far:

Just reduced an aluminium bolt from 4.11grams to 2.10 :)

 
Looking for aluminium screws:

M5 x 10mm min length
Dome head
Allen key type if poss
Black

Not interested in paying Pro-Bolt prices :)
 
One of my problems with getting a decent finish on my milled items (apart from a total lack of skill) is not knowing the spindle speed. The speed in controlled by a rotating knob with no graduations.

I looked for an Android app with no luck so bought a digital laser tach:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/HDE-Digital...749866&sr=8-1&keywords=non+contact+tachometer

This will arrive in the new year so I will update you on whether it was worth it then :)
 
My kind of price :). I am happy to pay £10 for something solid but baulk at paying ANYTHING for an App :)
 
Christmas Eve - Saved £38 on nuts for plastic windows. I wanted to fix a thread into the new windows in order to avoid trying to hold them in place. Got a quote from my tame CNC man at 45p each. Need approx 100.

Thought about it and bought 100 M4 aluminium nuts for £7.55 including postage. Then spent just over an hour machining them on my lathe.



 
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Off to Heathrow tomorrow (25th) to pick up my titanium and aluminium bolts..........Oh, and also my sister-in-law :)
 
Titanium bolts arrived :). Now for a few hours lightening them:



Front suspension parts ready for assembly:

 
Day 363 - Spent afternoon and early evening making a start on dry assembling rear suspension.

As I suspected, the devil is in the detail. Spent a fair time making spacers, sorting out which bolts go where, making a list of bits still required. etc.

Then call to dinner. Even I am not daft enough to consider operating machinery after half a bottle of red, so I will continue on Tuesday (off to see parents and sister tomorrow) with photos.
 
Day 264 - nothing

Day 365 - Well, I didn't manage to keep my new year's resolution of doing something on the car every day, but I did pretty well. Therefore I am making the same resolotion for 2014 :)

Continued on the dry build of the rear suspension today.

Sorted out a few bolts I still require and will be ordering them tomorrow.

Putting together a standard suspension is easy, even if using upgraded parts, this is a PITA.

This is were I am on the OS. The NS will be quicker as I will have ironed out the wrinkles.



It is small jobs like this spacer that takes the time:



Everything will be stripped and repainted prior to final assembly.
 
Spent Friday at the Autosport Racing Show at the NEC.

Spent some useful time speaking to Harry on the Image Wheels stand. He confirmed that they could remove a fair bit of weight from their Billet 18 slot mag due to their initial strength compared to spoke designs.



Never liked spoked wheels that show the suspension. I liken them to tarts showing their underwear through their clothes. You wouldn't mind, how can I put this politely?, a short dalliance but not a long term relationship.

We then got on to wheel nuts. Although you can get aluminium nuts for Porsches so strength isn't an issue, he didn't recommend them for racers due to the frequent doing and undoing.

He then got me thinking as he said, obvious when you think about it, a wheel nut is just a long nut, nothing special about material. He suggested either buying standard steel nuts and machining the excess metal off or simply making my own. The 60 degree taper will be no problem on the lathe so I will look into this. Titanium wheel nuts appeal, if I can ameliorate[FONT=&quot][/FONT] the galling issue between titanium and aluminium :)
 
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Various domestic and work issues have prevented me from working on the car this year. So, in order to cheer myself up, I ordered another T-shirt from VistaPrint :)



 
Very small box ticked.

Just ordered a set of 20 (although I only need 16) aluminium wheel nuts:

M12 x 1.5
Tested to 270lb/ft torque
Made from cold forged and heat treated 7075 aluminium.

Weight 13gms each, which equates to a 300gms saving compared to the smallest steel nuts.
 
Aluminium wheel nuts arrived today.

Actual weight saving compared to comparable steel nuts is 496grams.

 
Some days just suck.

Went to my workshop to make some more bits for the car. Bloody PC that controls the CNC mill refused to fire up!

Took it to my local computer shop to discover that the motherboard was US. As it is quite old I will need a board and CPU :-(

As I don't need anything fancy to run the mill, just one USB, one parallel port and one RS232 port I am on the lookout for an old machine hiding in someone's shed waiting to the thrown out.

I have started asking around before I buy one because what used to happen to me was "you should have asked me, I have one I was about to throw out!" just after I buy something. I have finally learnt to ask first. Wish me luck.
 
OG, I have tons of motherboards you can use. Don't purchase anything from a PC shop. Anything you need, its yours. Take a quick picture of your motherboard and processor and I'll see if I can match it with something I have got. :)
 
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davalav said:
OG, I have tons of motherboards you can use. Don't purchase anything from a PC shop. Anything you need, its yours. Take a quick picture of your motherboard and processor and I'll see if I can match it with something I have got. :)
Click to expand...

Same here, I'm sure one of us will have a suitable Motherboard for you.
 
A little more investigation today revealed that it seems to be the graphics card. So, Davalav (as you are a short drive away),if you have one that will fit in either of these slot types (removed card from blue slot for clarity) that would be great :)



Wasn't asking for help, but offers grasped with thanks.

A little more investigation today revealed that it seems to be the graphics card. So, if you have one that will fit in either of these slot types (removed card from blue slot for clarity) that would be great. The card doesn't need to be anything special as it doesn't have to do anything other than display pretty basic screens.
 
OG, considering the environment that these machines are usually in, might I suggest that you try (with the PC powered down off course) spraying some fast evaporating contact cleaner into the graphic card socket and onto the graphic card contacts. Leave it for an hour or so then try and reseat the card back into it's holder; certainly worth a try! I have had similar issues on some of my motherboards for Trend controls before and this has worked for me.

Good luck ;)
 
A lot of motherboards also have onboard graphics, I take it that there isn't a monitor port by the ps2 (Keyboard and mouse) ports?
 
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