Projects Tired of Looking for wired stuff and parts or making your own.

Another topic that picks a scab. Building an O/T 33 Ford, the only Ford parts are the engine and trans. Everything on this car seems to be a short term solution, or the same temporary bullshit we'd cobble up in prototype shops to get by a show or presentation. A whole car like that? Yes. Power windows, wiper motor/transmission, the motherfuckin Fink 3 pc hood, work on it too long and I'm liable to go postal. We call it the "fat chick" because of how we feel about ourselves that we had our way with her under the bleachers (!). The best part of this whole rant? Fix one thing and it's like old plumbing in a house, most times it's better start at the meter. So no, I don't have any quick solutions or hi-tech fixes, but if it helps I've felt your pain for a few years now. And, you'd think that at least the sheetmetal stuff would be ok, right? Fuck no. Repop 33/4 fenders, so light I can curl a front fender up n down with my fingers they're so light. Had a minor dent in the top and I rolled it out with my thumbs. Yes, took my thumbs and pushed it out, how well are those Asian imports gonna hold up to stones? As if you couldn't add insult to injury, I found out how much additional it would cost to make em out of .040-.045 steel vs the .028-.032 it is now. About $5.00 more. Yet I take parts from 33-4, 28-9, hell even 1914 and they can be simply fixed or restored.

 

GM part # 1994168.
Got one ? And the little parts to make it work? Obsolete. Probably EBay only if you're timing is great.


Chances of finding a early to mid 70s GM in a rust belt bone yard is like finding a diamond ring in a Cracker Jack box. They built them out of rust and they rotted on the showroom floor.

 

I will admit I didnt know what this referred to, so I Googled it...and came up with this thread :
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/neutral-safety-switch-th400.404161/
Thanks Randy for the info on what to look for and the pics.

 

Tired of the pesky brake line leaks? Try this. www.koultools.com/SurSeat.html

 

I've got one and it works ok on punching holes, but enlarging holes is a different story. Getting things centered may take the scrap punch out slug that matches the to be enlarged terminal as a centering tool. Bob

 

Quality is gone for the most part, nobody takes pride in anything they sell. I bought a Champion Rad and shroud with twin electric fans for my chevelle, fit great and everything looks real nice. I know it's probably china, so I bought the wiring harness kit from Jegs, relays went first, then the sending unit. Put 3 master cylinders on it before I got a good one. It was installed last fall, the 3rd one, and it went south last week. Got a GM one, AC delco, we'll see how long it last. Anything I buy with the Dorman name on it is a piece of crap. It's a crap shoot anymore buying parts.

 

I chose to mill down the valve, but I caught that one before the installation.

 

Why the hell do all after-market switches look like they came in Xmas crackers??? I've tried several 'kit car' suppliers in the past, and everything is feeble, weak Chinese junk!

Be nice to adapt a production car steering column switch, if I were clever enough. Lights, turn signals, hi-lo, horn, all in one neat switch that will last the life of a car.

 

Here's my NSS fix.
It took me a while to figure out the best way, the best switch, the gear throw, and a super clean set up. Next one should take 30 mins & I bet it works on every Lokar shifter. No bullshit brackets, wild wires and an all in one switch.

 

I'm with 33 and a 3rd on the Model A parts being crap.

• Add Model A (and other make) sheet metal panels and patches that are not even close.
• Anything from the Hoffman group
• Shitty plating quality on repro parts
• Crappy fasteners with poor thread sharpness and fit
• Shops/individuals that take years (or never) to send you your parts after they've already been paid in full (no names, but we know who the flakes are)

The answer is to take the parts pack to the auto supply or ship them back for a refund. Throwing away or reworking parts and tools that don't fit properly or don't work isn't the answer. If they never take any returns, they'll never bring quality back to the table. As a consumer you have that right.

I started taking stuff back some years ago after I had our daily in for a minor front end fender bender. The repair required the hood to be replaced. The body shop sent back 3 new hoods for replacement before the dealer finally sent one that was close to paint ready. The owner told me he told the dealer that he gets $100 hr. to do body work and wasn't about to put a free hour or two into their brand new $400 hood in order to make it straight enough to paint it.

Lost the starter in the daily recently-on a Sunday. Usually, I would drop it at the decades old auto electric rebuilder in town and pick it up the next day, but the Wife had to have the car Monday AM for work. $90 for a new (not rebuilt) made in Mexico starter from O'Reilly's goes in Sunday PM. 3 weeks later it's belly up. Take it down to O'Reillys, get a full refund and take my original core off my garage work bench down to the rebuilder. Lesson learned.
I take back broken tools too including Harbor Freight.

 

Not tired of it yet, it fills in the times that I'm feeling lazy (which is a bit lately). Always modifying parts to work or just finding good used (or NOS). I go to a lot of swapmeets (big and small) and also use Ebay. I understand that I want stuff done to my tastes and most likely no one sells it, plus when I make something work for me I feel better that I'm not wrecking a good used or NOS part.
It's par for the course, that is why my stuff takes so long......that and my brain likes to argue with itself.

 

I too prefer to repair or restore vs replace. Sadly on new shit that's not gonna happen. I bitched to friend about my ills on that O/T. "Welcome to the aftermarket." was his reply. Seriously? I guess I really am old...

 

Do you guys recommend factory ignition switches, reverse lock outs, headlight switches off certain makes, models that adapt easily into our builds.

Looks like I need to start stripping that stuff off any parts cars I come across and just saving it.

 

Well, the 'adapt easily' part will depend, but using OEM stuff is IMO a better choice over the mostly crappy offshore typical aftermarket stuff you see. I'll save any functioning headlight switch that looks even remotely useful, and am planning on using a late-model 'automatic' headlight switch in a future project if I can hide the photocell. This will allow me to totally hide the switch and have the headlights come on/off by themselves.

Probably the one exception is ignition switches. In-dash units have been out of regular car production now for over 40 years now, and most are getting thoroughly worn out. For durable switches, check out Cole-Hersee; they have a extensive line of OEM-quality switches. All kinds, and they also list the amp rating of their switches, something the aftermarket rarely does.

 

I have an answer for the grommet situation - (and a personal interest in it - sorry !...)

We make a product called Versimold - basically it is a silicone rubber that has the consistency of Plah-Doh(tm). You form it however you want, then hit it with a heat gun for a few minutes (or drop it in boiling water), and it "crosslinks" or "cures" into about a 55 durometer rubber part (medium grommet or a little softer than a pencil eraser). the finished part is highly chemical resistant, tough, incredibly strong, high dielectric value, etc.

If you Google the term Versimold, you will find all kinds of cool things you can make with it. It is available from Grainger, Ebay, or from our website versimold.com...
I mentioned the personal interest since I am the co-inventor and I run the company that makes it - don't know if that is allowed here, but I thought you guys would really find some incredible uses for it, and it was invented by car guys... If you do use it and make something cool, send me some pics and info - if we use any of your photos, we'll send you free stuff..... apologize again for the infomercial... feel free to delete if it is outside of the rules..
JD

 

Interesting product. I can see where it'd be great for reproducing one-off gaskets like at door handles or taillights where the originals are dried out and hard. One question though; is it paintable or can it be dyed to a specific color?

 

I have had one for a long time and only wrecked one punch, .045 SS a no-no!

 

Good question - it is not printable or paintable, however, it does come in colors, one of my buddies has all red rubber parts, grommets, etc. on his red mustang... Keep in mind that the color "is what it is", so to speak - Crayola engineering does not apply, you can't mix blue and yellow to get a green, you physically can't mix it hard enough to make it happen unless you happen to have a rubber mill !!!
It does not stick to anything, meaning you can use a metal form to make a part, cure it, then remove the form. You can also put a cover on an existing part if you make it an interference fit, but it otherwise will not adhere...
TIPS: To form thin parts, use a silicone mold release agent (PAM cooking spray works well) and VERY thin forms can be made by rolling the material between two sheets of wax paper. The material is very extensible (300% +), so to make a hold-down for a hood or toolbox, etc., make the part shorter or smaller, then cure it and stretch it in to place. The material makes one hell of a tough hinge, bumper, or gasket - BUT is way to soft for suspension components or motor mounts...

 

My gripe is with the item write up/description in the catalogues or seller sites..Example a fuel pump rated at at 7.5 # only makes it to 6#...I call on it and get told that 6# is enough; I know that but why is it advertised at 7.5# ? I get told that is what it can do but not necessarily what it will do...

 

They call it 'advertising' or putting their product in the best light, and truth is rarely a part of it. When have you ever got a burger at a chain outfit that looked like the one on the menu board?...

 

Sometimes if I have time and can tell the counter has a good sense of humor I send it back and tell them It's not what I ordered & show them the pictures.

 

I this case I find the part I need to use, find it at a company that's been in business awhile in the US and look everywhere for a old (NORS) part. Take panel lights and dash switches for example (assuming your not going stock), I wanted some warning lights and a headlight switch. I ended up with an old made in the USA Cole Hersee headlight switch and some glass jeweled Dialco panel lights. Most of the companies make their new products overseas or in Mexico now, but their older stock was made here and IMHO made better. I also like to get multiples if I can, plus don't forget to look into airplane and marine parts for things to use.

It does take time, but it's all part of what I like doing.....I think I like building more then driving sometimes.

 

A lot of stuff these days is designed more around profitability than longevity...I sometimes experience parts that break after a year or two rather than wear out over the course of years. I used to work for a company that outsourced some of our plumbing and refrigeration components; more often than not we'd throw them away and just make them ourselves because they weren't usable. Funny thing was, management was all about quality, but instead of designing to a quality standard and look for cost improvements, we were designing to a cost standard and spent a lot of money dealing with quality issues.

 

Good one!

 

You'd think I'd learn .
Drilling P clamps is scary. This one turned the drill press vice into a helicopter wannabe.
they ought to make them with a bigger hole.



So, I took the shock bolts out. Chucked them up in a lathe and drilled them, tapped them to take a 1/4-20 bolt. Put the stuff back together.



I'm getting to the end of this one, it's in its last days and every single thing little thing is a fight. That's one hell of a fight for a p clamp to keep the headlight wires away from the steering arm.

Ok now making special bolts to get the bullet turn signals to work as the "nut" , well that was kinda fun and rewarding. Also less of a fight than the P clamps.

 

Normally for me, drilling these clamps is an exercise in testing the durability of my fingers. They never do so well.

geez brilliant. One of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. Thanks for the tip!

 

You got it...One of the uni-bits makes hole enlargement easier cause of existing size piloting...The hinge use is a very good idea..

 

A tapered reamer is better than a drill when enlarging holes in P clamps.

 

CrazySteve the dash mount switches are still used in Mack trucks I worked in sanitation most of my life and I don't recall the ignition switches giving us much trouble and as for burgers many years ago on my friends farm they were filming a McDonalds commercial there was a person preparing the burgers trimming lettuce with scissors and using a brush dipped into a cup to make them look moister. Truth in advertising...

 

i dunno;
a) i guess if a product doesn't sell, it will be discontinued.
b) If "management" is stupid, they'll discontinue a part anyways even if it does sell. (Lately GM and VW seem to be fitting this mold........)

i mean i would love to have a some lightning rods, but they never moved for Hurst, thus cancelled.

Oh, wait, someone has stepped in to fill the void:


Cottage industries, with their much lower overhead may just be able to fill the voids;
i think with 3D printing, ability to purchase high end machinery, some brainpower (that excludes me....) and just as important, ability repeatedly make the product exactly the same on a consistent basis are the keys here.

Knowledge of materials is big too, but let's start with the first 4.