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Each year for the past 7 years Kyle has made me a tank for Christmas. As you can see in the photo to the right the progression over the years as his woodworking skill have increased with time. Not last year, but the one before, he made a tank on a trailer with a truck to pull it and then he also built a boat with a trailer that could be pulled by the truck. They are neat to display. This last year he built me a P-51 mustang. This is the first one that was stained.
Below is a snake that happened to slither up on the driveway some random Saturday when we were headed out to the shop. It was cool outside and so the kids picked it up and played with it for a while. I believe that the snake wasn't too upset with the arrangement as it warmed up enough to slither off when they were finished playing with it. I am not certain, but it looks like some common garter snake variety.
Above is my parts washer. It is just a 10-gallon Rubbermaid bin that is filled with diesel fuel. When I took the transfer case apart I put all of the pieces in this bucket for a few days and then cleaned them up. This worked very well in softening the grease to remove. It also took the most of the paint off of the components, so repainting is necessary. Currently the transmission cross member is soaking (half at a time).
To the left is the painting of the components from the Jeep. When I took the drive train apart, the transmission & transfer case were painted the original Peacock Blue. I took the bell housing into Finish Masters in Tucson and had them match the paint with their camera and then they mixed me some "peacock blue". I only purchased 4 oz, partially because they recommended it, and partially because on didn't have much to paint. It looks more green than blue to me however.
Below is the basket of transfer case/emergency brake parts. After paint I and cleaning I put the larger pieces in this basket to keep them together prior to assembly. I also ordered a book that details how to put the transfer case back together. There are a number of bearings and shims that need adjusted correctly. I don't really want to mess it up as it is a lot of work to do it over.
Above is the comparison of the bell housing to the emergency brake plate. The colors look very similar, although the bell housing looks blue and the painted parts look green when the parts are viewed individually. I cannot explain this oddity. On the table to the right is the transfer case housing and the assembled (and painted) transmission. I forgot to paint the two oil plugs (one drain and the other fill) and ran out of paint, so they ended up black. Below is what the plugs looked like before I painted them black. Again, the color match seems correct (at least I cannot distinguish a difference), but again the color looks blue when by itself, and green when next to the larger painted objects.
This past weekend, Terra went up to her parents’ house to help out with her dad. He recently fell and broke his right knee (for the 11th time) which will again require surgery. His knee joint has come apart and they will need to put the broken pieces back together again. When I went out to the shop I found Serra's shoes & socks on the ground next to the couch. She loves to go out to the shop, but when no one is looking she will remove her feet clothing and run around bare foot. This has caused a number of forign objects being lodged in her feet, but she has yet learned keep the protection installed.
As Terra was out of town, I brought the transmission inside after painting for the final assembly. It was getting cold outside and the kitchen table looked like a great place to put it together. I'm sure Terra wouldn't have minded...
The T-90 transmission has an input shaft that is roughly 0.020" larger in diameter than the Ford transmission that was originally behind the 2.5L engine. As such, I had to remove the busing in the rear of the crank shaft and install a different bushing of a different diameter. The one on the right is the Ford bushing - it has needle bearings for the two components to spin at different speeds - the one on the left is the new bushing I installed for the T-90. It is brass or bronze, so I need to remember to grease the shaft prior to mating the engine to the transmission.
Unfortunately, after I installed the busing in the crank shaft, I could not get the fly wheel to mount to the back of the shaft. The OD of the bushing is 0.025" too big. I spent about 2.5 hours hand sanding, using a palm sander and filing the bushing down such that the flywheel would fit. Currently it is close, but still will not so all of the way on. The best way to perform this task would be to simply start the engine and hold sand paper around the OD of the bushing when the engine idles. Since I don't have the wiring harness to make this happen, I get to look forward to another hour of hand work. I may try using a Dremel with a sanding drum on the end of it and see if this is any easier. I have some fears that I may induce a small amount of out of balance to the bushing, but since it is very close to the center of rotation, this small amount of uneven mass distribution hopefully is inconsequential. Time will tell.
Kyle has both been a large help, and enjoyed the process of rebuilding the different components on the Jeep. I have tried to get Ethen also involved, but he doesn't have the same enjoyment of mechanical systems. Rachel has exhibited some of the enjoyment and she also helped clean up the transfer case out of the diesel vat. Maybe with Landen behind her, there is still time to do another car after this one.
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Each year for the past 7 years Kyle has made me a tank for Christmas. As you can see in the photo to the right the progression over the years as his woodworking skill have increased with time. Not last year, but the one before, he made a tank on a trailer with a truck to pull it and then he also built a boat with a trailer that could be pulled by the truck. They are neat to display. This last year he built me a P-51 mustang. This is the first one that was stained.
Below is a snake that happened to slither up on the driveway some random Saturday when we were headed out to the shop. It was cool outside and so the kids picked it up and played with it for a while. I believe that the snake wasn't too upset with the arrangement as it warmed up enough to slither off when they were finished playing with it. I am not certain, but it looks like some common garter snake variety. |
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Above is my parts washer. It is just a 10-gallon Rubbermaid bin that is filled with diesel fuel. When I took the transfer case apart I put all of the pieces in this bucket for a few days and then cleaned them up. This worked very well in softening the grease to remove. It also took the most of the paint off of the components, so repainting is necessary. Currently the transmission cross member is soaking (half at a time).
To the left is the painting of the components from the Jeep. When I took the drive train apart, the transmission & transfer case were painted the original Peacock Blue. I took the bell housing into Finish Masters in Tucson and had them match the paint with their camera and then they mixed me some "peacock blue". I only purchased 4 oz, partially because they recommended it, and partially because on didn't have much to paint. It looks more green than blue to me however. Below is the basket of transfer case/emergency brake parts. After paint I and cleaning I put the larger pieces in this basket to keep them together prior to assembly. I also ordered a book that details how to put the transfer case back together. There are a number of bearings and shims that need adjusted correctly. I don't really want to mess it up as it is a lot of work to do it over.
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| Above is the comparison of the bell housing to the emergency brake plate. The colors look very similar, although the bell housing looks blue and the painted parts look green when the parts are viewed individually. I cannot explain this oddity. On the table to the right is the transfer case housing and the assembled (and painted) transmission. I forgot to paint the two oil plugs (one drain and the other fill) and ran out of paint, so they ended up black. Below is what the plugs looked like before I painted them black. Again, the color match seems correct (at least I cannot distinguish a difference), but again the color looks blue when by itself, and green when next to the larger painted objects. |
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This past weekend, Terra went up to her parents’ house to help out with her dad. He recently fell and broke his right knee (for the 11th time) which will again require surgery. His knee joint has come apart and they will need to put the broken pieces back together again. When I went out to the shop I found Serra's shoes & socks on the ground next to the couch. She loves to go out to the shop, but when no one is looking she will remove her feet clothing and run around bare foot. This has caused a number of forign objects being lodged in her feet, but she has yet learned keep the protection installed. As Terra was out of town, I brought the transmission inside after painting for the final assembly. It was getting cold outside and the kitchen table looked like a great place to put it together. I'm sure Terra wouldn't have minded... | |
| The T-90 transmission has an input shaft that is roughly 0.020" larger in diameter than the Ford transmission that was originally behind the 2.5L engine. As such, I had to remove the busing in the rear of the crank shaft and install a different bushing of a different diameter. The one on the right is the Ford bushing - it has needle bearings for the two components to spin at different speeds - the one on the left is the new bushing I installed for the T-90. It is brass or bronze, so I need to remember to grease the shaft prior to mating the engine to the transmission. |
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Unfortunately, after I installed the busing in the crank shaft, I could not get the fly wheel to mount to the back of the shaft. The OD of the bushing is 0.025" too big. I spent about 2.5 hours hand sanding, using a palm sander and filing the bushing down such that the flywheel would fit. Currently it is close, but still will not so all of the way on. The best way to perform this task would be to simply start the engine and hold sand paper around the OD of the bushing when the engine idles. Since I don't have the wiring harness to make this happen, I get to look forward to another hour of hand work. I may try using a Dremel with a sanding drum on the end of it and see if this is any easier. I have some fears that I may induce a small amount of out of balance to the bushing, but since it is very close to the center of rotation, this small amount of uneven mass distribution hopefully is inconsequential. Time will tell. Kyle has both been a large help, and enjoyed the process of rebuilding the different components on the Jeep. I have tried to get Ethen also involved, but he doesn't have the same enjoyment of mechanical systems. Rachel has exhibited some of the enjoyment and she also helped clean up the transfer case out of the diesel vat. Maybe with Landen behind her, there is still time to do another car after this one. |