What is your (most) valuable "made it myself" PART! and most valuable lesson learned about Z-cars!

[Jeff Berk]

Don't forget about green and purple Loctite:

Edited August 5, 2021 by Jeff Berk

[dutchzcarguy]

So guys, what is your most valuable selfmade part? 

I once made a steel construction for in between the 300zxtt balancer and the undercarriage (my translator says stabilizerbar) , a service part i invented myself hihi..  normally you have to take off the starter to service the belt in the engine. With my tool you don't have to and that saves A LOT of time and hassle!  If someone is interested i can make a pic of it and put it here. (Don't have one made yet..ever..) The part i made hooks into the balancer holes (twice) and fits against the stabilizerbar under the car.

[Jeff G 78]

8 hours ago, dutchzcarguy said:

So guys, what is your most valuable selfmade part? 

I bought my 260Z out of a barn and turned it into an endurance racer over the course of 11 weeks.  We had a list of a few hundred things to do before it was finished and we had very little time to get it all done.  The night before we left for the race, we had everything crossed off the to-do list except for one item and it came back to bite us in the arse.  The first time the car moved under its own power in 20 years was onto the trailer for a 24 hour road race.  Six hours into the race, the R180 diff grenaded due to a lack of oil which was the one thing we never got to on the list.  The race was over 200 miles away from my house where I had a spare R180, but I'd lose 8 hours just in travel time plus the repair time.  My dad lived only one hour away and I still had a lot of Z parts stored there including a R200.  The problem was that I had no R200 mustache bar at his place.  Again, I did have one hanging on the wall at my house which did me no good at the time.

I sent a teammate to my dad's house to retrieve the R200 diff and I got busy pulling the failed R180 from the car.  It was 40°, raining and now getting dark.  We had the car on an open trailer as the once grass paddock was now 4" deep mud after days and days of steady rain.  Once the R200 was on site, we took measurements of the R180 and R200 and made a drawing on an old cardboard box of how we would have to modify the R180 mustache bar to fit an R200 diff.  We then walked around the paddock looking for scrap steel and somebody with a welder.  By now, it was 1am and a teammate managed to find a guy with a welding truck at the track.  

We had him weld spacer blocks on either side of the mustache bar to get the depth correct and then weld a plate across the spacers.  Once we had that done, we transfer punched the original holes to the new plate.  Once we had reference marks, we cut the original center section out of the mustache bar.  Finally, we measured over from the punch marks to get the new hole positions since the R200 studs are not in the same left/right location as the R180 studs.  Once Marked, we drilled the new holes.  This was by far the worst part of the job.  The R200 studs are M14, so the holes had to be 5/8" if I remember correctly.  Drilling through the spring steel that the welder had proved all but impossible.  He burned up drill bit after drill bit.  No matter how small the pilot holes, the steel was destroying his bits.  After about an hour of drilling, we had a really ugly, but perfectly fitting R200 mustache bar.  

We fitted the newly fabricated bar and differential and we got back on track at 8am after working all night.  We finished the last four hours of the race.  The fabricated bar worked perfectly and we actually left it in place for the next race before we swapped a real bar into the car.

[Racer X]

50 minutes ago, Jeff G 78 said:

I bought my 260Z out of a barn and turned it into an endurance racer over the course of 11 weeks.  We had a list of a few hundred things to do before it was finished and we had very little time to get it all done.  The night before we left for the race, we had everything crossed off the to-do list except for one item and it came back to bite us in the arse.  The first time the car moved under its own power in 20 years was onto the trailer for a 24 hour road race.  Six hours into the race, the R180 diff grenaded due to a lack of oil which was the one thing we never got to on the list.  The race was over 200 miles away from my house where I had a spare R180, but I'd lose 8 hours just in travel time plus the repair time.  My dad lived only one hour away and I still had a lot of Z parts stored there including a R200.  The problem was that I had no R200 mustache bar at his place.  Again, I did have one hanging on the wall at my house which did me no good at the time.

I sent a teammate to my dad's house to retrieve the R200 diff and I got busy pulling the failed R180 from the car.  It was 40°, raining and now getting dark.  We had the car on an open trailer as the once grass paddock was now 4" deep mud after days and days of steady rain.  Once the R200 was on site, we took measurements of the R180 and R200 and made a drawing on an old cardboard box of how we would have to modify the R180 mustache bar to fit an R200 diff.  We then walked around the paddock looking for scrap steel and somebody with a welder.  By now, it was 1am and a teammate managed to find a guy with a welding truck at the track.  

We had him weld spacer blocks on either side of the mustache bar to get the depth correct and then weld a plate across the spacers.  Once we had that done, we transfer punched the original holes to the new plate.  Once we had reference marks, we cut the original center section out of the mustache bar.  Finally, we measured over from the punch marks to get the new hole positions since the R200 studs are not in the same left/right location as the R180 studs.  Once Marked, we drilled the new holes.  This was by far the worst part of the job.  The R200 studs are M14, so the holes had to be 5/8" if I remember correctly.  Drilling through the spring steel that the welder had proved all but impossible.  He burned up drill bit after drill bit.  No matter how small the pilot holes, the steel was destroying his bits.  After about an hour of drilling, we had a really ugly, but perfectly fitting R200 mustache bar.  

We fitted the newly fabricated bar and differential and we got back on track at 8am after working all night.  We finished the last four hours of the race.  The fabricated bar worked perfectly and we actually left it in place for the next race before we swapped a real bar into the car.

So.

After all that, what was your finishing position?

[Jeff G 78]

25 minutes ago, Racer X said:

So.

After all that, what was your finishing position?

I believe we finished 102nd out of 120. We did not want a DNF so it was all worth it. 

[dutchzcarguy]

15 hours ago, Jeff G 78 said:

The R200 studs are M14, so the holes had to be 5/8" if I remember correctly. 

Nice story! 👍  The above..  i find that funny, 5/8 inches.. It's in metric so simple, M14 is 14mm drill M6 is 6mm drill, that's metric! 😉 

Oh and i guess that 40 is 40F  not 40Celsius? 😁

A Datsun not finishing would be NO option!  So well done!

[Racer X]

22 minutes ago, dutchzcarguy said:

Nice story! 👍  The above..  i find that funny, 5/8 inches.. It's in metric so simple, M14 is 14mm drill M6 is 6mm drill, that's metric! 😉 

I went to work for Boeing eight years ago, as an aircraft structures mechanic. During the three month training period I was surprised that, as a world wide, multinational corporation, Boeing has stuck with inches and feet, 100%.
 

Everything is built to the nearest 0.001”. Holes for rivets and bolts are drilled to decimal sizes in inches. Parts are located in inches. Locations on the airframe are given a by 3 point location system, in inches, from a point just ahead of the nose of the airplane aft to the tail for fore and aft, from the water line for up and down,  and from the buttock line (centerline) for right and left, all in inches.

Interesting to note that given a 777 commercial airliner has a wingspan around 200 feet, and  is around 200 feet long (freighters are shorter than passenger planes), yet everything is located in inches.

I was disappointed that engineering hadn’t embraced the metric system. Given that math is not one of my better skills, I thought that metric would be easier than fractional and decimal inches.

*sigh*
 

Oh well, it didn’t take long to get used to it, and now I’m very well versed in everything we do there. Everyday I machine the specialized aluminum alloys, titanium, and (only rarely) stainless steel. The hole sizes are small for the most part, nominal sizes of 0.125” for pilot holes and small rivets, up to 0.375” for larger rivets and bolts, which covers most of the fasteners used. Sure, there are larger fasteners, up to 1” and 1.5” for wing attachments (the titanium bolts that attach the wings to the fuselage cost several thousand dollars apiece).

Holes for rivets are sized slightly larger than the rivet, which swells to the finished hole size when it is driven.

Holes for most bolts (called “permanent straight shank fasteners) are sized slightly smaller than the bolt, which is forced into the hole (transition fit) using a rivet gun.

The specifications call out for the hole sizes of various fasteners, with tolerances in the thousandths of an inch.

Even the final assembly jigs and tooling are built in inches. The FAJ (final assembly jig) for each part of the build are massive steel structures set on concrete piers that go 30 feet into the factory floor. The FAJ for the 777 Wing Majors is 4 stories tall, and covers the area of a US football field, and 4 pairs of wings are built simultaneously. The forward and aft fuselage sections were also assembled inside massive FAJs, but the new 777-9 fuselage is now built on giant crawling cradles.

The 767 freighters and KC-46 tankers are built in similar tooling, but the fuselage is still done in FAJs set on huge concrete piers.

The 747 is also done with large FAJs, but those will be getting torn down soon, as the last airplanes are being manufactured this year, after more than 50 years. 

I started in 777 Wing Majors, then worked building the wing spars for 777. After a summer working on the flightline)also 777), I have been on the 767 Freighter/KC -46 tanker program in forward bodies (everything forward of the wings).

 I plan to retire at the end of the year. From the FAJ I work in on the 767/KC-46 program I can see the wing/body join and final assembly areas of the 747. The last pair of wings was loaded into the 747 wing/body join FAJ the other day. In another part of the factory the 747 spar FAJs have already been torn down after more than 50 years of manufacturing 747 wing spars. The 747 Wing Majors tool will be torn down soon to make room for the next chapter of Boeing in Everett, Washington,

And as always, in inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Namerow]

Here in Canada, we gradually switched to the metric system over the course of the 1970's.  Since this period coincided with my entry into the engineering profession, I got to witness the changeover as a consumer, an engineer, and as someone living in a country right next door to the US (which, to this day, has never really embraced the metric system). 

Despite the many positive aspects of the metric system, you will still find that Canadian grocery stores advertise prices in both $/kg and $/lb -- although, curiously, we've gone pretty much 100% to metric when it comes to volumes (no more gallons, quarts or pints... unless you're buying berries or small fruit).  Outside of the food store, we still have difficulties applying the metric system for real estate (lot frontages and depths are still quoted in feet and property sizes are better understood by most when stated in acres rather than hectares).  Gas, however, is uniformly sold by the litre, temperature levels are almost always quoted in degrees C (except for the kitchen oven), and fuel economy is pretty much always stated in litres per 100km (I still like mpg... but only if the 'g' is measured in Imperial gallons).

In the technical work that I was involved with in the 1970's, there was also a mixture of metric and 'imperial' measures.  Railways in North America were tied to a track gauge system measured in feet and inches (4 ft. 7-1/8", IIRC) and that seemed to find its way up through the rest of the vehicle and infrastructure layouts.  Steel rails were -- and I believe still are -- categorized by weight per unit length, measured in lb/ft.  Buses and trucks were an odd mix of metric and imperial (trailers, for example, are still often categorized as 45-footers and 53-footers -- the latter oversized to accommodate two extra rows of 4-foot pallets).

Despite the prevalence of metric fasteners, you have to work hard to find a set of metric drill bits (for your 1/4" or 3/8" electric drill).

Metric lumber?  Not gonna happen in North America.  Which means that the residential homebuilding industry still has to accommodate fps.

It was interesting to watch how the US auto industry tried to deal with the metric system during the 1970's.  The vehicle engineers and designers really wanted to go metric (note: 'designers' are not 'stylists', although stylists sometimes like to be called designers), but the sunk costs in fps-based tooling, infrastructure and support equipment made it difficult.  And the American consumer would have problems dealing with a speedometer calibrated in km/hr.  I believe that it was decided to start by going metric with the engine design only.  The rest of the vehicle systems' designs gradually followed suit afterwards (except for the speedometer calibration and the diameter of the road wheels). 

Which is why most of us have two sets of socket wrenches (to fit our 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2"-drive ratchets).

[Racer X]

2 hours ago, Namerow said:

Here in Canada, we gradually switched to the metric system over the course of the 1970's.  Since this period coincided with my entry into the engineering profession, I got to witness the changeover as a consumer, an engineer, and as someone living in a country right next door to the US (which, to this day, has never really embraced the metric system). 

Despite the many positive aspects of the metric system, you will still find that Canadian grocery stores advertise prices in both $/kg and $/lb -- although, curiously, we've gone pretty much 100% to metric when it comes to volumes (no more gallons, quarts or pints... unless you're buying berries or small fruit).  Outside of the food store, we still have difficulties applying the metric system for real estate (lot frontages and depths are still quoted in feet and property sizes are better understood by most when stated in acres rather than hectares).  Gas, however, is uniformly sold by the litre, temperature levels are almost always quoted in degrees C (except for the kitchen oven), and fuel economy is pretty much always stated in litres per 100km (I still like mpg... but only if the 'g' is measured in Imperial gallons).

In the technical work that I was involved with in the 1970's, there was also a mixture of metric and 'imperial' measures.  Railways in North America were tied to a track gauge system measured in feet and inches (4 ft. 7-1/8", IIRC) and that seemed to find its way up through the rest of the vehicle and infrastructure layouts.  Steel rails were -- and I believe still are -- categorized by weight per unit length, measured in lb/ft.  Buses and trucks were an odd mix of metric and imperial (trailers, for example, are still often categorized as 45-footers and 53-footers -- the latter oversized to accommodate two extra rows of 4-foot pallets).

Despite the prevalence of metric fasteners, you have to work hard to find a set of metric drill bits (for your 1/4" or 3/8" electric drill).

Metric lumber?  Not gonna happen in North America.  Which means that the residential homebuilding industry still has to accommodate fps.

It was interesting to watch how the US auto industry tried to deal with the metric system during the 1970's.  The vehicle engineers and designers really wanted to go metric (note: 'designers' are not 'stylists', although stylists sometimes like to be called designers), but the sunk costs in fps-based tooling, infrastructure and support equipment made it difficult.  And the American consumer would have problems dealing with a speedometer calibrated in km/hr.  I believe that it was decided to start by going metric with the engine design only.  The rest of the vehicle systems' designs gradually followed suit afterwards (except for the speedometer calibration and the diameter of the road wheels). 

Which is why most of us have two sets of socket wrenches (to fit our 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2"-drive ratchets).

My toolbox has a full compliment of SAE and metric wrenches and sockets, from very small (I think the smallest is 5.5mm) to very large (2 1/2”, and a 4 foot pipe wrench. All my hammers are sized in ounces or pounds.

Most of my machinist tools are in fractional inches, but I do have a couple of calipers that read in inches and millimeters.

All of my torque wrenches are in inch pounds or foot pounds, if I need to torque something in metric (kilograms centimeters squared),? I do the conversion.

I have two sets of taps and dies, inches and metric.

None of my screwdrivers are metric.

But I do have several Oklahoma Micrometers (crescent wrenches) that are inches on one side and millimeters on the other. 

 

I’ve been working on my 1995 F150 Eddie Bauer the last few weeks. Very aggravating that some fasteners are metric, others SAE.

[Jeff G 78]

12 minutes ago, Racer X said:

I’ve been working on my 1995 F150 Eddie Bauer the last few weeks. Very aggravating that some fasteners are metric, others SAE.

That's when Ford switched over from SAE to Metric.  They designed the all-new modular engine family with all metric dimensions and fasteners, but they installed it in carryover and mildly refreshed vehicles which were still all SAE.  The F150, Econoline, Mustang, and Continental all used the Modular engine family in SAE-based platforms.  It really sucked to work on them and it was several years later before all of the platforms were refreshed.  

As for tools, @dutchzcarguy, are your socket sets still 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive or are they the metric equivalent?  I'm pretty sure that ALL machining in the US is still 100% SAE.  No matter what the drawings state, everything is converted to SAE for the actual fabrication.

[dutchzcarguy]

16 hours ago, Jeff G 78 said:

are your socket sets still 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive or are they the metric equivalent? 

Yes.. My socket sets are 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive! (I don't have any inches sockets, as i'm always and only working on Japanese cars i don't need them (except for some sensors or so..) if i find a screw/bolt that has a inches size... i throw them... in the bin!!

Overhere in europe we have still a lot of things that are in inches, tubular steel for example (although more and more are in mm like the warm and cold copper pipe.. (12mm cold, 15mm warm water) 

And a 2 by 4 in woodwork is also known but often is given in centimeters (5x10 cm.)

 

22 hours ago, Racer X said:

The specifications call out for the hole sizes of various fasteners, with tolerances in the thousandths of an inch.

1/1000 of a inch that's a low tolerance for rivets.  I think i told this before but i've worked with Studer ReVox equipment, it's studio (sound) equipment from the top shelf.. I've seen parts that were made to a tolerance of 1/1000 of a millimeter. (!)   The capstanshaft (that gives a tape the perfect playing speed) is made on 1/1000 mm exact and then they lay them for about a year in a warehouse and after that it land's on a (Don't have/found the correct word) measurement-bench ??  to see if it's within the dimensions it should have, if not.. it's scrap! 

19 hours ago, Namerow said:

temperature levels are almost always quoted in degrees C (except for the kitchen oven),

Hahaha, that must be confusing!!  everything but the oven.. reminds me of the (southern) indian guy in: Oh Mother what is it HOT!

(Tell this in a Indian way of english in your mind haha )

We are going to make a curry.. so you have to bake your curry for 2 hours at onehundred and eighty degrees.. (Yes Celsius!) OR  if your not in such hurry with your curry.. you cán cook it for 180 hours at 2 degrees!!   

It was SO funny, especially with the way he turnes his head constantly in theire special way, while saying that!

 

I'm not only learning to write english i also get a lot of nollidge ?? huh?  oh.. knowledge (why not write what you hear? haha)  of how the american world works.. (or does not work hihi..)  

Oh well..  If you look in the past we had also totally crazy length and content/capacity measurements like EL.. (Elbowslength?) or Mut (often used with coals (for your heater or in a steamengine haha)  got an old almanac from 1948 or so and there are many i never heard of..

Very interesting guys!!

Mart

[dutchzcarguy]

19 hours ago, Namerow said:

4-foot pallets).

We have Europallets, don't know the dimensions, but they should be in cm..