The GDS Skunkworks, 4 FN 27's Shop Projects
- Thread starter 4 FN 27
- Start date
Thank you!
What an awesome spring we are having this year. Nice cool weather with a bit of rain here and there to green things up. Been busier than a cat covering chit on a glass top table!!!
On the rainy days I have been working on reverse engineering the Quick Attach on the Backhoe and Excavator. They use the same attachments. Started with the Bucket.
Then moved on to the Quick Attach:
Now that I have this data I can design a few attachments to build. Need to make a Rake and a Ripper.
On the nice days I pulled/cut a few trees that were trying to knock me off the Mower.
The Mongo Attachments High Inertia Head Mower showed up. Man this thing rocks!!!
Started knocking the Buckthorn back. Mulches everything under 6 inches to dust for the most part. Took a little bit to get use to it to make it real productive. I have been working my way around the property when the ground is dry enough. 8K lb machine with tracks and soft wet soil don't mix well. I am trying not to mess up the yard too much.
Have a few projects going for the Ford Racing guys. Need to make a Blower Drive System for a new motor they are having built. While waiting for the rest of the parts to come in I have reverse engineered what I can. The Blower and the Throttle Body.
While waiting on parts I made a few mods to the Logan. Never like the Shelves in the Pantry. Flimsy 1/4 Plywood with no lips to contain anything while rolling down the road.
Measured up the Cabinet and found the usual Trailer Builders lack of attention to detail. 3 of the 4 Shelving Standards were installed straight up and down and the 4th was in the correct position near the bottom and off an inch at the top. Had to fix that!!!
Made 3 Shelves from .100 5052-H32 AL. Covered then with Tacky Tool Box Drawer Liner.
They dropped right in. And now nothing moves and the door doesn't get pushed open in transit.
While I was at it I added a Shelf in each of the Overhead Cabinets in the Garage Area. Took the time to line these too and lined the bottoms of the Cabinets too.
To be continued:
On the rainy days I have been working on reverse engineering the Quick Attach on the Backhoe and Excavator. They use the same attachments. Started with the Bucket.
Then moved on to the Quick Attach:
Now that I have this data I can design a few attachments to build. Need to make a Rake and a Ripper.
On the nice days I pulled/cut a few trees that were trying to knock me off the Mower.
The Mongo Attachments High Inertia Head Mower showed up. Man this thing rocks!!!
Started knocking the Buckthorn back. Mulches everything under 6 inches to dust for the most part. Took a little bit to get use to it to make it real productive. I have been working my way around the property when the ground is dry enough. 8K lb machine with tracks and soft wet soil don't mix well. I am trying not to mess up the yard too much.
Have a few projects going for the Ford Racing guys. Need to make a Blower Drive System for a new motor they are having built. While waiting for the rest of the parts to come in I have reverse engineered what I can. The Blower and the Throttle Body.
While waiting on parts I made a few mods to the Logan. Never like the Shelves in the Pantry. Flimsy 1/4 Plywood with no lips to contain anything while rolling down the road.
Measured up the Cabinet and found the usual Trailer Builders lack of attention to detail. 3 of the 4 Shelving Standards were installed straight up and down and the 4th was in the correct position near the bottom and off an inch at the top. Had to fix that!!!
Made 3 Shelves from .100 5052-H32 AL. Covered then with Tacky Tool Box Drawer Liner.
They dropped right in. And now nothing moves and the door doesn't get pushed open in transit.
While I was at it I added a Shelf in each of the Overhead Cabinets in the Garage Area. Took the time to line these too and lined the bottoms of the Cabinets too.
To be continued:
The Kitchen Area is really small in the Logan and they put a Stove that sticks up about 2 inches about the Countertop with this awkward Cover on on it making it impossible to use the space. Since we do all the cooking outside on eith the Weber or the Balckstone I made a full cover that is removeable and allows us to use that space more effectively.
In between all that we made progress on the Mustang Project. All the parts arrived and I was able to finish up the new Fuel Cell design and build the parts.
Everything cam together nicely.
Bending the Acute Angle was a bit of a challenge. Adapt, Improvise and Overcome!!! Had to hang the tooling off the end of the Brake. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!!!
It was a challenge to counterbalance the other end of the tool. It worked.
Made a few changes to the bed of the Dually to make life a little easier. Made a box to put the Fuel Jugs in and contain the extra Water Tank.
Wood is not my specialty...when a Fabricator works with Wood we apply the same techniques as building a Weldment...lol...
And being a practicing Machinist...I was working in +/-.005 Tolerances. Thus during assembly into the box required a few taps with a Dead-blow Hammer.
With all the work on the Logan and Truck it was time to head west. We left on a Tuesday, a day earlier than planned because of the weather forecast.
Loaded up the Can Am with the Golf Bag of Rifles.
Then loaded up the Trailer.
To be continued:
I left the house at 6 am, picked up my buddy Wes about an hour away and we arrived at the Ranch at 4 pm.
We venture down the big hill and once we hit the bottom and talking to the Ranch Hand he suggested that we stay on top of the hill. I was going to rain for 2 days straight. He didn't think we could make it out of the driveway turned to mud...we weighted in at just over 28K lb. I agreed.
We hunted until dark that day, then on Wednesday we hunted all day, then Thursday and Friday it rained and we had 40-50 MPH winds. It was so Windy we had to retract the Slide-out concerned the awning on it would get ripped off. 1 Radio Station, no TV Channels and poor cell reception...as humans we learn to communicate again. The Ranch Hand hung out with us all day.
Cooking became a challenge. The only solution was to crack the back door of the Trailer open and a window or 2 and cook in the Trailer.
We enjoyed Filets every night!!! First time cooking Filets on the Blackstone. Worked awesome!!!
On Saturday the skys cleared and we were able to do some limited hunting. It was muddy everywhere and we didn't want to tear up the pastures. We ended up getting 387 Prairie Dogs between the 2 of us. Not the best count but OK. Our average was 63.4% which is about 20% lower than normal but considering the wind and having to shoot longer distances while staying on the 2-Track. We were hitting then out to 400+ yards.
We got up Sunday and took the Can Am down the Gravel Road a couple of miles to make sure the roads were passible. They looked ok so we loaded up and headed out. 21 miles of gravel and mud. Thankfully it rained on the way home and that got rid of most of the gumbo.
Once home it was time to wash everything.
1 whole day washing!!! The Can Am good the worst of it.
While I was gone for almost a week, the grass grew about a foot. We had 2 days of rain so I bought the JD997 and X749 in for their annual PM's. Oil Change, Filters, Sharpen Blades and a good going over.
The Engineer at JD that designed this thing has never changed oil on the X749. Takes a 10mm Wrench and there is about an 1/8 of an inch of clearance to the Frame. Can't get a Ratchet Wrench on it and you can only get about a 1/4 turn each time. It took about an hour to get the Oil drained.
The 997 on the other hand was a piece of cake. This thing was designed around service.
On Wednesday it dried up enough I was able to get stick picked up, the Lawn mowed and the trimming done. The grounds and Maintenance Equipment is good to go for the summer.
Friday I pulled the Z28 out of hibernation.
Bought it over the the Shop and checked all the vitals and took it for a 45 mile cruise. Runs like a Swiss Watch...when I pulled into the Driveway there were 2 County Sherriff Deputies parked in the Driveway. I am thinking what did I do??? So happens a motion detector went off in the Basement of the house. My Wife was at her Mothers and she got the call. She told them to dispatch.
The Deputies said all was clear.
Normally we would just cancel the call but the other night we had somebody banging on the front door at 2:30 am. I got up and started turning on lights and they vacated. Probably casing the house to see if anyone was home. Video shows a few figures moving about. Time to upgrade the systems here again...and move some Night Vision equipment up to the house.
Time to go get busy in the shop!!!
We venture down the big hill and once we hit the bottom and talking to the Ranch Hand he suggested that we stay on top of the hill. I was going to rain for 2 days straight. He didn't think we could make it out of the driveway turned to mud...we weighted in at just over 28K lb. I agreed.
We hunted until dark that day, then on Wednesday we hunted all day, then Thursday and Friday it rained and we had 40-50 MPH winds. It was so Windy we had to retract the Slide-out concerned the awning on it would get ripped off. 1 Radio Station, no TV Channels and poor cell reception...as humans we learn to communicate again. The Ranch Hand hung out with us all day.
Cooking became a challenge. The only solution was to crack the back door of the Trailer open and a window or 2 and cook in the Trailer.
We enjoyed Filets every night!!! First time cooking Filets on the Blackstone. Worked awesome!!!
On Saturday the skys cleared and we were able to do some limited hunting. It was muddy everywhere and we didn't want to tear up the pastures. We ended up getting 387 Prairie Dogs between the 2 of us. Not the best count but OK. Our average was 63.4% which is about 20% lower than normal but considering the wind and having to shoot longer distances while staying on the 2-Track. We were hitting then out to 400+ yards.
We got up Sunday and took the Can Am down the Gravel Road a couple of miles to make sure the roads were passible. They looked ok so we loaded up and headed out. 21 miles of gravel and mud. Thankfully it rained on the way home and that got rid of most of the gumbo.
Once home it was time to wash everything.
1 whole day washing!!! The Can Am good the worst of it.
While I was gone for almost a week, the grass grew about a foot. We had 2 days of rain so I bought the JD997 and X749 in for their annual PM's. Oil Change, Filters, Sharpen Blades and a good going over.
The Engineer at JD that designed this thing has never changed oil on the X749. Takes a 10mm Wrench and there is about an 1/8 of an inch of clearance to the Frame. Can't get a Ratchet Wrench on it and you can only get about a 1/4 turn each time. It took about an hour to get the Oil drained.
The 997 on the other hand was a piece of cake. This thing was designed around service.
On Wednesday it dried up enough I was able to get stick picked up, the Lawn mowed and the trimming done. The grounds and Maintenance Equipment is good to go for the summer.
Friday I pulled the Z28 out of hibernation.
Bought it over the the Shop and checked all the vitals and took it for a 45 mile cruise. Runs like a Swiss Watch...when I pulled into the Driveway there were 2 County Sherriff Deputies parked in the Driveway. I am thinking what did I do??? So happens a motion detector went off in the Basement of the house. My Wife was at her Mothers and she got the call. She told them to dispatch.
The Deputies said all was clear.
Normally we would just cancel the call but the other night we had somebody banging on the front door at 2:30 am. I got up and started turning on lights and they vacated. Probably casing the house to see if anyone was home. Video shows a few figures moving about. Time to upgrade the systems here again...and move some Night Vision equipment up to the house.
Time to go get busy in the shop!!!
Damn Pat, that really *****. I don’t know what you have for a camera system but I’d suggest some with a built in microphone and an external speakers. So when you or the wife are remote you can have a little conversation 
I’m trying to end a much too long project this weekend but I’ll dig up a model for you that we use occasionally in the jails. They are damn effective and not all that expensive.
I’m trying to end a much too long project this weekend but I’ll dig up a model for you that we use occasionally in the jails. They are damn effective and not all that expensive.
WoodsTruck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 1,018
Chateau Slate 66
Well-known member
Damn... if those guys banging on your door had any idea how bad of a choice they were making they would leave you an apology note and get the F out.
Damn Pat, that really *****. I don’t know what you have for a camera system but I’d suggest some with a built in microphone and an external speakers. So when you or the wife are remote you can have a little conversation
I’m trying to end a much too long project this weekend but I’ll dig up a model for you that we use occasionally in the jails. They are damn effective and not all that expensive.
I'll take you up on the offer...I have been considering upgrading for a while. Let me know. I'd appreciate it.
It is going on an 4 ton machine so not too big. Probably about 36 inches wide and long enough that the pinch point for the Thumb works out. It will be for light debris not grubbing out roots.
Last thing I/you want to do. In MN you need to retreat first (Duty to Retreat Doctrine). You cannot protect personal property.
Other than my daily carry in the closet at night and the "his and hers 1911's" in the Nightstands next to the bed, everything else is locked up in the Vault.
My Wife's 1911 in 9mm is unloaded, mag out but full...that at least gives me a chance should I make her mad.
On a lighter note, The Vette came out of hibernation today.
Not sure which is more fun?
The Z28 is AC and Radio Delete...the L68 has AC and the factory AM/FM Stereo.
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OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
We don't play that game in KS! Don't show up at my house that late unannounced
While I love a good LS powered joy ride...I'd take that L68 powered ride any day!
customh
Well-known member
Always good to see an update out of the Skunkworks. Your fuel jug solution may be part of an answer to a problem I saw at the in-laws cabin over the weekend.
Had no idea the castle doctrine was so... "well defined".
We don't play that game in KS! Don't show up at my house that late unannounced
While I love a good LS powered joy ride...I'd take that L68 powered ride any day!
Had no idea the castle doctrine was so... "well defined".
We don't play that game in KS! Don't show up at my house that late unannounced
I hear ya...SD/TN are sounding better everyday.
Seriously it is a toss up...now if you could put the C2 body on the Gen 5 Z Chassis...
I guarantee you will have "the Club" stuck in the Steering Wheel.
Never in my wildest dreams did I know I would someday own this Vette. I grew up seeing it in White Bear Lake sitting out in front of a house on South Shore. The only house on the Lake with a 4 Car Garage at the time. The seventies and eighties.
As fate would have it...I ended up with the Car, 4 Machine Guns and 1 new friend out of the deal. Still miss the prior owner and wished I had met him years ago. He had foresight and purchased tons and I mean tons of GM High Performance Parts back in the 60's and 70's. He had a ZL1 427 Block Date Code 1969 in the Crate...not to mention a warehouse full of GM stuff new in the box which has been for the most part, sold off by the "team" of friends he had. He was a hermit and did not get close to very many people.
I am blessed and grateful.
Today I am checking everything out under the hood...since it is raining out and that put a stop to my whipping the yard into shape.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Great looking car and awesome looking workspace Pat. I'll bet it's a pleasure to hunker down in there for hours.
They also fail to realize you have a nice sized burn pit and a backhoe. . . . probably access to a concrete grinder for the bones if need be.Last thing I/you want to do. In MN you need to retreat first (Duty to Retreat Doctrine). You cannot protect personal property.
Other than my daily carry in the closet at night and the "his and hers 1911's" in the Nightstands next to the bed, everything else is locked up in the Vault.
My Wife's 1911 in 9mm is unloaded, mag out but full...that at least gives me a chance should I make her mad.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
They also fail to realize you have a nice sized burn pit and a backhoe. . . . probably access to a concrete grinder for the bones if need be.
Eric...that's referred to as the 3 S's...shoot, shovel, and shut up
Don't know what you're talking about. . .Eric...that's referred to as the 3 S's...shoot, shovel, and shut up
Unless it's a collared grizzly.....then you need to be more.....creative....Eric...that's referred to as the 3 S's...shoot, shovel, and shut up
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
They also fail to realize you have a nice sized burn pit and a backhoe. . . . probably access to a concrete grinder for the bones if need be.
Eric...that's referred to as the 3 S's...shoot, shovel, and shut up
LOL...you guys are on to me.
This sign is next to the Entry Door:
This sign is inside next to the door:
A friend of mine works...opps I mean, he puts in his time as a MN State Employee and had access to have this sign made in the State Sign Shop.
The signs are good for a laugh...but should the situation rise, these can and will be used against me as advised by my good friend, the local County Prosecutor told me...in his county I will not have issue so long as he is a live and in the seat. He passed in 2022 and my "get out of jail free card" expired.
Thank you Mike!!!!
It is where I spend the majority of my time now. No Internet and piss poor Cell reception.
Hammering away on the Rake today.
The Mustang left the Shop today. Everything fit...had to slot 1 hole due to welding distortion on the Tank.
6.1 Gallons and fit right where it is supposed to.
The '67 got an Oil Change/Lube and took it to the N St Paul, MN Car Show. Lots of people and lots of Cars.
The Funnel I use is about the same vintage as the Vette...maybe even older. It is my favorite Funnel.
Tried to get a picture heading into the Show from the top of the hill...didn't turn out that well.
Only saw a handful of Cars. Ran into some old High School buddies, gearheads I had not seen for 40 years. And they still have their cars they had then. All were asking about my Chevelle. I told them it was Mothballed in 1998. Might be time to get it out again.
Enjoy the weekend!!!
No Internet and poor cell service ?
While I understand it can be a distraction, don't you find it hard to communicate with yourcustomer base ?
Parts shopping online or research capabilities ?
If I need the Internet I can create a Hot Spot and leave my phone in the window.
Phone calls I can step outside. Phone works ok in the front part of the shop but in the back not so much.
Communication???
Customers tend to leave the problem solving to me. Thus they drop the package and run. Guess that is what they pay for.
I usually don't ask questions. I have found things get done faster by creating solutions.
If I commit to a deadline, I make it. Saves the phone calls to inform or the customer to hound.
We all have those friends, who while driving need to pick up the phone and call somebody. I know who they are. Voicemail becomes the filter. In most cases I am using both hands doing what I am doing and cannot answer the phone...nor do I make the time for idle chitchat. Just how I roll.
Texts? while convenient I despise them. Again it takes 2 hands. I do respond typically when I am done with a task and sometimes I forget...which reminds me a guy contacted me last week about doing a Transmission Tunnel. I had better get on that.
I enjoy the quiet hum of the Shop running!!!
I've heard hogs eat everything but the teeth.
Starting a new project for the Excavator. A Buckthorn Puller. The Buckthorn is getting a little to thick around here. Hoping this does the trick.
Adding the Hydraulic Fittings to the model today. Should have parts cut by the weekend.
The Ford Project is starting to take shape as the parts roll in. They finally got me a Block to reverse engineer. That will make things a little easier.
Adding the Hydraulic Fittings to the model today. Should have parts cut by the weekend.
The Ford Project is starting to take shape as the parts roll in. They finally got me a Block to reverse engineer. That will make things a little easier.
I had the Plant cut the parts for me on the 10KW Laser. Equipped with a Sheet Lifter...why not and save myself the headache of hauling the material home and muscling it into the Water Jet by myself risking damaging the machine.
Snapping the Jigsaw Puzzle together it looks like the design.
Spent this morning cutting a number of parts for my Shooting Partners side gig. Did some 5/8, 3/4 Stainless and a hunk of 2 inch thick 6061-T651. Cut like butter. 8.070 diameter with a 3/8 thru hole in the middle. 16 minutes.
He will turn the OD in my old Lathe I sold him years ago. He needs to make it 8.000. The .070 was for clean up. We were not sure on the tapper from the cut. Was only .013 from top to bottom. I am impressed @ .0065 per side.
Full day of activities starting at 0600 tomorrow, Coffee and Doughnuts with my buddies, Neighbors kids Graduation Party and a friends 80th Birthday party. Sunday is one of my ol'buddies/racing teammates 50th Anniversary...another party. I am not into these kinds of things but duty calls. The welding will have to wait until Tuesday.
Snapping the Jigsaw Puzzle together it looks like the design.
Spent this morning cutting a number of parts for my Shooting Partners side gig. Did some 5/8, 3/4 Stainless and a hunk of 2 inch thick 6061-T651. Cut like butter. 8.070 diameter with a 3/8 thru hole in the middle. 16 minutes.
He will turn the OD in my old Lathe I sold him years ago. He needs to make it 8.000. The .070 was for clean up. We were not sure on the tapper from the cut. Was only .013 from top to bottom. I am impressed @ .0065 per side.
Full day of activities starting at 0600 tomorrow, Coffee and Doughnuts with my buddies, Neighbors kids Graduation Party and a friends 80th Birthday party. Sunday is one of my ol'buddies/racing teammates 50th Anniversary...another party. I am not into these kinds of things but duty calls. The welding will have to wait until Tuesday.
Awesome update Pat. Just wish there were more of them..... thinking you might be busier now than when you were working full-time at the Plant.
Best part though, you're doing what you love....so it's not "work."
Best part though, you're doing what you love....so it's not "work."
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What he said
Not sure if I am any busier or less busy? On thing I do know, I do not Internet Access in the building thus I am not online as often or hardly at all some days except in the early morning and later evening.
I have noticed a lot of people here post Mon-Fri? I wonder...Hmmmm...
I'll see if I can be more active.
Great question @Chris F
99% of the time I add .002 on the thickness and +.010 on the Slot Length.
Example: .060 Cold Rolled Steel I would punch a .062 or .0625 or .063 wide slot and use a whole fraction to create the length. Then make the Tab -.010 from that. Punch would be .062 x .500 and the Tab would be .060 x .490.
Why a whole fraction for the slot length and subtract from the Tab? If I was punching the part(s), punches are typically specified at common Fractions. If I made the Tab .500 long the the Slot would be .510. I would have to use a .500 long punch and hit it twice to get .510. Or I could use a .3125 long punch and hit it twice or a .250 and hit it 3 times taking more time. Another issue that comes up punching "partial hits" is the slot, the piece punched out can pop up and embed itself into the Stripper Plate putting a dent when ever it makes a hit next.
Yes I am using a Water Jet and a Laser...but I drive everything using the punching theory in case the part gets moved to a Turret Press. Saves the time of redoing all the geometry and forward backwards compatibility it is none-issue.
Tab size varies based on what you are trying to accomplish??? The Longer the Tabs the more heat it takes to weld it. Shrinkage and warping can be the issue. The question is. are you using the Tab and Slots for alignment or to weld assemble the parts?
The depth the the Tab penetrates into the slot is based on design too. Some I do below flush slightly to eliminate grinding (Metal Finishing). Some I run flush, sometimes grind and sometime leave as is? Some I leave material hanging out so the extra material becomes the Filler Material. These welds too are left as is or finish grind. Depends on the Customer requirement.
With all that said, I did none of that because it is 1/2 inch material. I used .520 x 1.000 slots and the Tab is .500 x .980. .020 all around and the Tabs are .125 below flush. The forementioned applies to TIG Welding and I am planning on MIG Welding these. In this case I am plug welding them, however their main function is to fixture the parts. After the plug welding I will be welding the assembly complete.
Some of the Plug Welds will be metal finished and most will remain as is.
Hopes that makes sense.
Had a great time at all the parties this weekend. Good to see old friends...some I had not seen in 40 years. The most asked question was: Do you still have your Chevelle? I do...however it was mothballed in 1998. Good to catch up with all.
Today when we were leaving I started down the driveway and got to the road, look at my Wife and said "I wonder if I closed the Garage Door?". I back up and watching the front end of my Truck so I don't clip the tree I f'ing side swiped the old Red Shed. That is a first!!!
So far we are at $665.84 in parts arriving in a week. Bumper is OK, Pad and Footwell junk and the Tail Light Housing and Quarter too.
Tailgate is fine...need to look inside the Shed yet.
The damage to the Shed just adds character to the all ready banged up siding.
Have a $5k deductible so I am not turning it in. Working on a few of my Body Shop buddies to see if they will do it. I would, I love bodywork but hate the mess...
I feel horrible...never done anything like that before. You guys might have to take my Man Card.
On a bright note I took this pic of the Corvette when we got home from my buddies 80th B-Day Party with my Wife's Flowers in the background.
Lumpy102
Well-known member
You've waited till retirement to do this, you've done well! I caught the officers side mirror of a firetruck backing into a firehall many yrs ago. Welcome to the club, and I think your mancard is safe.
Yes it does, and your thought process on it all was an added bonus!
$665 & change. That is cheap... I believe that was less than the tailgate shell for my old F250... total estimate was about $2800.
If it makes you feel better, my step dad has backed into the bedside of his Ranger with his 5x10 trailer....3 times I believe...
If it makes you feel better, my step dad has backed into the bedside of his Ranger with his 5x10 trailer....3 times I believe...
moab11
Well-known member
Love the explanation of the tab and slot thought process and that vette pic is beautiful!
***** about the truck, but mistakes happen and sounds like you should get out without too much cost other than some pride.
***** about the truck, but mistakes happen and sounds like you should get out without too much cost other than some pride.
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Truck hurts, small pain. Appreciate the tab/slot discussion.
Yeah, small pain till he trades it in and gets a new payment schedule.