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simonr

Long Term Forum Financial Supporter
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Everything posted by simonr

  1. That car looks really cool! It ought to be Electric though 🙂.
  2. Interesting idea. IIRC, the one in Belgium lifted the treads of the trailer above the axles + hitch giving access to the underside in the same way as a 4 post lift. You still had to step over the axles and the sides were partially occluded by the lift scissor mechanism - so access wasn't as good as a regular lift but way better than lying in the mud!
  3. There was someone at the Belgium National (many years ago) with a trailer mounted lift. I thought it was a great idea - particularly as their vehicle arrived on top of it as it served as a trailer too. It wouldn't be particularly hard to build.
  4. Initially, that's how I did it just because it's simple. However, it needs a bigger / more powerful pump than using a vacuum pressure switch and a vacuum reservoir. My original solution was to use a 750W motor from an electric scooter driving a vacuum pump, IIRC from a diesel Series LR which was belt driven? Eventually the pump gave up and I replaced it with an electric brake pump from a modern vehicle, with the switch & reservoir. This worked much better as even with a high power pump, you can feel the delay when you press the pedal.
  5. OT - but in case you were wondering. They were incorporated into a missile with a wire through the middle, fired with compressed air. Used for 'wand strikes' in a jungle on Fantastic Beasts 3. Everyone probably assumed they were CG - but rendering all the light reflecting off trees & leaves plus the shadows was too much.
  6. I use a collet chuck if I need to machine something to really high precision. I have a 4 Jaw, but very rarely use it. One of the most useful tools for holding on to unfortunate shapes has actually been a 3D Printer. I had a job to bore a diagonal hole between two opposite corners of a cube. It sounds easy - but when you come to figure out how to hold the cube, it's surprisingly difficult. The solution was to print a sort of collet allowing it to be gripped in a 3 Jaw chuck - and it worked beautifully. It became a carrier / heatsink for 6 hyper-bright LEDs.
  7. IMHO, this seems to be a scam! I rented a car in Berlin. When I went to collect, I rejected it because it was some sort of Micro-Car and I just couldn't get in to the drivers seat. They couldn't offer anything bigger - so we went our separate ways & I thought no more about it. I took my 110 out there instead - which was probably more fun. Then, six months later (it was going to be a 6 month hire), I received a bill for damage to the vehicle! The 'computer error' was sorted out quickly & easily - but it made me wonder if they just do this as a matter of course to business hires as I suspect in most cases, it just gets rubber-stamped by the company hiring the vehicle - and the employee gets the blame. I wonder if it's part of their business model to lower the apparent headline rental cost?
  8. At one of the Model Engineering shows, years ago, we saw a guy with a perfect imprint of a chuck-key in his forehead! It had obviously happened years before - but it was so obviously a chuck key! That left a lasting impression on me (and him too 😂). I've since bought chuck keys with a spring on the square drive so they spring out of the chuck - just in case!
  9. A Lathe is definitely more useful than a mill! It's years since I even switched my Mill on - and I suspect it will be on eBay before too long! I've found the combination of my DIY CNC Plasma & a 3D Printer have made everything I previously would have milled - just by thinking about a different way to solve the problem.
  10. My go-to mod on all my Land Rovers is a 35mm cable from the battery -ve to one of the starter motor mounting bolts. The braided connections from the battery & engine to the chassis are not great at the best of times & the chassis is a poor conductor. I've left these in place, more to ground the chassis than provide a ground to the engine. The starter draws the most current - and benefits the most from this.
  11. Replacing the seals etc isn't that hard - but there is some skill in getting it back together without damaging any of them! Also, when you remove the cylinders, you're bound to find one of the pipes perished or a fitting which breaks when you try to unscrew it. Like Steve, I just don't think it's worth the effort considering what the mobile repairers charge. Fine as a project for yourself - but if you need it, having it out of action for a morning with someone who can fix all the other problems they might encounter is the better option IMHO. I replaced the seals on my forklift - and they leaked just as badly afterwards! I swore, next time, I'd get a grown-up to do it!
  12. One of the things to watch though is the seals in connectors have a rated life. For the commonly used Tyco Econoseal connectors I believe it's only 3 years. I don't know for the Bosch connectors though. Generally, they are long enough for the warranty of whatever vehicle they are fitted to - to encourage unhelpful electrical gremlins after the warranty. Anything you want to last longer - it's worth considering something secondary to keep moisture away from the contacts.
  13. In most applications, my feeling is that it's better to allow a path for water to drain out than try to fully waterproof it - as often it just keeps water (condensation possibly) inside. In other cases, my go-to's are: RayTech Magic-Gel https://www.raytech.it/en/product/low-voltage/fillers/gel/magic-gel This is amazing stuff! Fill a void in an enclosure or connector shell & it renders it completely waterproof. However, it's easy to remove (just tears off cleanly) and if you poke a multimeter probe through it, for example, when you withdraw the probe it self-heals the hole! You can get small bottles from Toolstation. It has good dielectric properties - but sadly is a poor thermal conductor - In your case, this doesn't matter though. When there isn't a void or shell to fill, I use Conformal coating which is normally used to coat PCBs. It has a long life, it's waterproof and provides strain & vibration relief. https://www.amazon.co.uk/MG-Chemicals-419D-55ML-Premium-Conformal/dp/B07B8RY7M6/ref=sr_1_2 It's available as Silicone, Polyurethane and Acrylic. I've found Acrylic sticks the best to most things - but can be brittle. In a connector shell without really good strain relief, I'd probably use the Silicone type. I've used it like paint on insulating tape! Lastly, there is real paint on insulating tape! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spray-Insulation-Coating-Electrical-Transparent/dp/B01G4ABSVY Which is OK but a bit messy, doesn't always stick that well long term and as a result, sometimes you get wateringress through capilliary action. OK for electrical insulation - but not so great for long term waterproofing. I've used this on things like terminals to avoid accidental contact. One thing it's fantastic for is making 'dipped' plastic handles for tools & things. Mechanically, it's very robust.
  14. @Peaklander That's awesome! It's confusing enough just driving around the UK with the different LEZ's operating at different times - it could almost have been designed to be confusing & generate income in fines! (Note that I agree with the intent of it - I just wish there was a standard way of expressing the info. You can't just stop next to the sign to read it & often by the time you're at the sign, there's no option but proceed)
  15. I went though this in Berlin. My 2003 Td5 was not listed - so I had to get it tested & received a Red sticker (meaning I could not enter central Berlin). In Paris it's fairly similar - the colour of your sticker determines where you can go. I suspect you'll get a Grey sticker (equivalent of Red in Berlin) The stickers are cheap in France https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/ For Berlin it ended up being expensive as I needed an emissions test - but still not terrible. I didn't find it made any difference to where I wanted to go.
  16. Good point. A double wheel castor will steer more easily than single - because it doesn't have to scrub as it steers. We have a couple of pieces of heavy equipment at work mounted on double, pneumatic castors. While the pneumatic wheels have a tiny bit more roll resistance than solid, they will roll easily over uneven or even dirt floors.
  17. It looks like you're using the chain block upside down & reversing the direction of the chains - to increase the lifting height under the beam? Good idea if the chain runs nicely over the idlers - and there's no reason it won't. It also looks like you've incorporated ratchet straps to raise the overhead beam - also a clever idea. My only reservation (if that's the case) is how you would lower it in a controlled manor? I guess they could be strap winches rather than ratchet straps?
  18. I was thinking of a defender - but the D2 must have the same relays even if not in the same place. It's likely LR would have used the same carrier - so it could easily manifest the same problem. For the expense of 5 minutes work, it's worth a look.
  19. There are two yellow relays under the drivers seat. Try wiggling them to see if that helps. It's a common Td5 'feature' where the terminals which connect to the relays develop an intermittent contact with the wires (vibration?) which can either manifest as difficulty starting or sudden power loss while driving (sometimes with the engine temperature appearing to spike). Either just re-crimp the terminals or re-crimp and apply the tiniest bit of solder to the crimp - and the problem will miraculously vanish.
  20. I had the same issue, years ago, on my 90 with Megasquirt. The insurance asked for a Cat [something] alarm & immobiliser. My solution was to add a pair of wires (nicely) into the loom which immobilised via Megasquirt. I took it to RoadRadio as it happens - and showed them the wires which were to be used to disable the ECU. They were happy enough to connect to them (and wrap it all in nasty insulating tape). The Insurance were happy - and I was happy once the Insulating tape had magically transformed int self-amalgamating tape.
  21. Well done Andy - that looks great! I like the little step at the front - presumably as easy access storage for all the bits & bobs. Also, it's the first time I've seen someone using a Surge Coupler, hydraulic braking system. I presume it facilitates auto-reversing somehow? Does it have a park-brake?
  22. That shows how subjectively we view cars! People clearly like them - as they buy them!
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