Drunk adventures in Dev’s shed.

[77Devil]

I am starting to get in top of a few things in my life and feel like there may be more shed time coming up and I am often unsure where I should post my adventures. These aren’t adding to my hoard and they aren’t really progress on either, the Angry Ant, Morton or the Postie Moke. So here it is ‘ Dev’s Druken Advetures in the Shed’.

Stage tuned for very random updates.

[77Devil]

Progress update No1

Started the other day stripping an old subframe I was given. It was so badly rusted, I classed the subframe a write off and am only looking to salvage what I can from it.



Correct me if I’m wrong but I think this has spent too much time in the elliments.

So after destroying my Ball Joint Tool over the weekend, today I set to fixing it. Purchase of one high tensile bolt, to replace old stripped bolt.



Grind and shape new bolt.



Re commence ball joint removable, with now functional tool.




Have another beer



Did I mention, “I like a beer!”

Slot the subframe for easy removal of a stubborn lower control arm pin.



Here is the reason that the pin/bolt wouldn’t slide out of the control arm. One very sad and sorry bush. Well make that two pairs of sad and sorry bushes the other side was no better.



The pins just don’t seem to like to slide out of these bushes.


Anyway subframe stripped and ready for scrap. The parts I wanted are now soaking in degreaser ready for cleaning at the weekend.

So until I enter the shed next, 


This is Dev over and out

[77Devil]

Gee I’m having a good run on shed time this week! 

This project started about 5 years ago when I scored this Cast Iron Machine base, when I got it I thought it would make a great heavy steel work table. (This was before I got my anvil). Since then I’ve kept my eyes out for the right piece of steel to go on top. I wanted this to be a tough, no nonsense bench.




 Last week following a lead, I was chasing through one our local steel fabricators, I found a piece just right but he would sell it. But he did let me know that he saw another piece about this size at our local steel recycling plant. First chance I had to follow this up was between shifts yesterday.

The piece of steel was still there and it was the right width for my job, just a bit longer than I needed.
They grabbed a forklift, we weighed this piece of steel.  159kg. Once we knew the weight we negotiated a price. I raced home to drop the Moke of and grab OV and trailer. ( wasn’t game to have 159kgs of steel sitting next to me in the moke.)





One mighty impressive work bench coming to Dev’s Garage soon.

Sorry but as I was working, both morning and evening shift yesterday there were no beers consumed in Dev’s Garage on this stage of the job.

[Moke 71]

Nice piece of steel but not sure if I would trust cast iron with that sort of weight on top, but as the title says .....drunk adventures

[Pete Power]

but as the title says .....drunk adventures

we need a like button 

[77Devil]

Oh dear, another rather sober post from Dev’s shed today.
It maybe the drunken adventures of Dev’s shed but I do have respect for my own wellbeing at times.  Times like when I am driving a car, using a chainsaw, playing with guns and like in this case, I’m in control of a widow maker.  You’ll see my choice of beverages change.



I had this task of cutting a piece out of my new bench, to fit around the vice mount. I needed to cut a piece 212*22mm out of this 40mm bit of steel. I’d looked the job and set a timeline of cutting it out by December 2nd, my next day off work. I planned to try and spend an hour or two on it every second day, this week and next.

So yesterday was a very early start to go fishing with a mate. On the road just after 4am an on the water before sunrise. Morning went well, though the fish were few and far between. An enjoyable morning was had. Home a bit after lunch gave me a few hours to start on my bench. And a productive few hours it was.



Now I’ve got a few planned shed hour to work out how I’m going to secure the top to the base.

Progress is happening, even when sober.

Dev

[77Devil]

Not to disappoint, today I found more time too work/play in Dev’s shed.
And of corse there was a beer or two involved. It is a bit sad when you find it easier to build a new bench than clean an existing bench to have enough room to sort out the nuts and bolts from the last subframe I disassembled, ready to put in the shaker/cleaner.
Oh by the way the bench is ready for final assembly, when I work out how I’m going to join the top to the base.  I’ll get the two bits welded, if the two bits are comparable, otherwise weld some brackets to the top and bolt to the base.







It is all looking and working just like I was hoping

Cheers

Dev

[ozmini]

Dev - you mentioned a "Shaker & Cleaner" for the nuts and bolts. Interested in one of these for cleaning small parts for Zinc plating - Any chance of a picture or 2 - Thanks. John K.

[77Devil]

Hi John
Can’t tell you a whole lot about this particular cleaner. It was in dad’s shed and you know what sons are like. Well I think he has finished with it for now, so I’ve borrowed it. Mind you if he needs any clean nuts or bolts, he pinches them from my shed. Good thing we both play with BMC cars.

Sorry this ones is sideways but it is the drunk adventures in Dev’s shed ,



This is how all the bits sit when you turn it off, they just shake around in the grit.



This lot is my previous batch that I took out. They’ve had about 24 or 36 hours just vibrating away in the shed. It pays to degrease them first, as the grit doesn’t move grease.



So easy to use though.

Cheers
Dev.

[ozmini]

Thanks Dev - have ordered one online - see how it goes. JK.

[77Devil]

Oh boy, I think my shed has started drinking too.
I thought I had stripped and cleaned ALL my old spare ‘drum brake’ hubs, then tonight I stubbed across this one.  Damn



Anther one to strip and clean, well this might be it.  Then I look down and what do I see looking straight back up at me.



Another one, then I find another. At this I start a proper stock take.  4 full subframes, that means another 8 hubs to strip and clean.

The unfortunate thing about all these is that they are drum brake.

If anyone ever needs a good clean drum hub. I know where there are a few.

I still have 11 more to strip and clean, but even at this stage, my collection is growing.



Dev, the hoarder at large

[Newie]

Working hard there Dev... 

Just a tip to help sort out the ones that are worth keeping from the ones you'll keep anyway  . When I was looking through my collection a while back trying to find a replacement for a faulty one on Cool Breeze, I found that most of them had suffered from "spun" bearings to some degree or another - quite a few of them to the point where they were not really usable 

You can check pretty easily by test fitting a bearing into them. As you know, they should be a very snug fit and a lot of mine could be pushed in and out pretty easily by hand. A couple of them basically fell in 

I still have the ones that failed in the shed of course - just in case 

Newie

[77Devil]

Thanks Newie, good advise. Though here is the thing, every one of them, I’ve had to either press the old bearing out or if I was feeling lazy or aggressive, into the vice, then use a drift and hammer and belt the old bearings out. Will this be a sign that the old hubs are good or just that the old bearings had been in there for forty years?

Cheer
Sober Dev

[77Devil]

I needed another excuse to take my trusty cooler bag to the shed after work today. Apart from another batch of bolts, nuts and washers, in the vibrating cleaner. I thought today, might wreck a couple of flap disks on my new bench. You have all seen what I have and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that bit of steel but today I decided that it should be oiled. If I was going to oil it then I really would be better off cleaning the rust off first.
Before the first beer




After a beer has been enjoyed



And oil has been rubbed in and I’m being called for dinner.



I just need to secure the top to the base now.

Cheers

Dev

[Halfpint]

After a beer has been enjoyed



I just need to secure the top to the base now.

Cheers
Dev

Not sure why you need to secure the plate to the base Dev, gravity will do that for you  its one mother of a piece of steel   
I'd be more worried that the base will collapse as soon as you "get the funk out " and start belting something into submission on it 

But seriously, its a ripper bench, one that can take welding things onto it without moving anything at all.

HP