Rob

I worked on the E2C's Radar(s) when I was in the Navy. During one of the plant tours, I actually watched them weld a Tomcat wing box together through the little portholes in the side of the welding booth. Pretty damned neat. I remember the green liquid pool there. I also ran the bender for a couple of hydraulic lines, and bucked a few rivets too. Real nice people to talk with. I especially liked seeing aircraft being built in plywood jigs and sections rolled around from one station to the next. Both times I visited there was not enough time to go through the paint shop. I wanted to see the paint booth/room, or building, (whatever it was). The last time I was there was during the rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The Navy promotional photo taken that day is a plane myself and three others painted at Norfolk where I was stationed. That photo got a lot of exposure for the E2C community as was all over NAS Norfolk for a spell. Are you saying they moved the mural? There was talk of that happening but uncertainty if it could be done and not destroyed. It really was something to see. Rob

Well, I tore into this thing today to see what makes it tick. A relatively simple contraption once you see how it all works. As I mentioned earlier I got the input shaft out but it was near dark, the trans was hanging on the forks of my skid steer, and I was outside, so really didn't get to look at anything. I set the trans back onto it's pallet and did no more with it. Today I looked at the main input shaft and this trans had the bushing that is pressed into the back side of the input shat that centers up the transmission mainshaft coming apart. This bushing is actually sintered metal and was pushed too far into the bore closing the oiling hole that is provided. The grit was packed inside the front roller bearing that supports the input shaft. The bearing is actually turning blue from lack of lubrication. The mainshaft stub is "down" about .008 on one side, and .004 180 degrees over. The drive splines on the input gear that mesh with the first gear inside the transmission are defective as one can see marks in them from floating metal being "squished" between the gear teeth. The inside of this gear where the sliding clutch engages was loaded with grindings so something is grinding apart rapidly. I removed the rear section also. When I removed the rear countershaft cover on the left, the cover was almost chewed through from this shaft walking back. The bearing was not staying in it's respective bore so something in the auxilary section has went south also. Looking at the gearset: on the right side I could push the gear back and forth about 1/4". I suppose a snap ring has let go as I'd found parts of one stuck to a magnet. Also stuck to the magnet in the auxilary section was a poppet ball spring from the shift cover someone at one time must have dropped. All springs were in the cover I took off and still are. This spring was near completely encased in grinding dust from wear of the transmission. The syncronizer appears to be in good shape as per my inexperienced eye. There is plenty of friction material present and no gouging to the tapered surface the syncronizer bears against when engaged. This transmission never had a problem shifting even given the wear internally. All the gears are very, very shiney; like a mirror surface. A couple of the low speed gear actually are worn "concave" and getting sharp on the edges. All in all a really nice learning experience for me. Never had a Roadranger apart before, but think I could rebuild one of these quite easily now that I've seen one and analyzed it for operation. Pretty ingenious design no matter if it's liked or not. I started to build up the flywheel and clutch assembly but stopped to clean up for the day. I may carry on tomorrow, or Monday. Depends on what "Momma" has in store for me. I mowed yesterday and this morning so good to go for another week there. The flywheel trued up nice with new drive dogs, a new "easy pedal" clutch, pilot bearing, throwout fork and bushings, along with all new seals and gaskets that were disturbed are going in. Hopefully this will be seamless from this point on. I don't plan to keep this old trans now that it's apart. It will go to my truck parts supplier. They don't have any cores for 12513 series any longer and I'd rather they get some parts if anything rather than it just going on my scrap trailer. I'll be keeping the syncronizer as I have two more of the transmissions just in case. Anything else I should retain? I'll post photos when I find my extra camera cord. My primary cord is at work. Rob

Congrats on the aniversary but be very, very careful with one of those "Momma" characters. You know what happened to me. Rob

I've done that trick a lot through the years when smacking the arm from the side isn't practical. Rob

Soda blasting is unexcelled at paint removal on a soft substrate like fiberglass, or greasy metal. We used to do a lot of forklifts and soda is the way to go with a grease buildup. It is worthless on a rusted part as it won't even lighten the metal. Aluminum oxide, or silicone carbide are best for removal of paint and rust to not ruin the surface when appropriately used. Plastic media does a good job of paint removal, but will destroy the finish on fiberglass and will not cut grease buildup. CO2 blasting does great paint removal and you don't even need to mask glass as it won't hurt it unless you dwell in an area. It then either explodes, implodes, or cracks, (if laminated). Used and performed all these processes through the years and they all have there benefits, and detractors. Media blasting is best done indoors with good lighting and recycle capability to keep the cost in check. You cannot reclaim soda however. Rob

Think I'd have to have it no matter the consequence at home before letting that happen. Rob

You are correct on both accounts. When the flex head ratchets came out I had to have some. They have since been returned due to breakage constantly. Don't own a set now. Rob

You have a basic idea why this operation went sublet. Rob

I'm actually looking to purchase a 40" square pressure blast cabinet with a 36" rotary table for automated parts cleanup. I have a 150# pressure pot that I used to blast with, but it's not been used in about 14 years. I sold the "Sullair" compressor when it was decided to sub the blasting work due to EPA concerns. I kept the pot thinking I may build a cabinet someday. Hasn't happened yet. I have a small suction blast cabinet and that is going by the wayside sometime. "Momma" is actually an accountant. I don't think I can spend a nickel and get it by her. That girl can "smell" money and her sense of hearing is so acute that a penny dropped from six blocks away on sand during an air raid drill would probably be heard. Rob

I never could get along with the varying Snap-On tool vendors that stopped by the shop. I've never carried a balance on any tool truck and maybe that is why. The displayed arrogance of what is seemingly prevelant with that company's route drivers has precluded me from making purchases from them. My main wrench set is S-K and I've had it for years since everything started switching to metric on automobiles around 1977. My SAE set is actually "KAL" branded which was an american company and the wrenches were forged in Japan. Never have broken anything in either set. My impact deep well sockets are all S-K and I've never found fault with them except difficult to read for sizing. I favor Mac sockets overall except cost. I also have some "Wright" tooling which I really like well and would continue to purchase the brand but the only somewhat local dealer is a fraud, (my opinion). What they did to my father in law will not allow another "Craftsman" tool purchase in my shop, EVER. Armstrong was always another good tool provider but there is no representation for them here. I do wish PROTO had a rep around here as I'd purchase tools from them. They too make some good ratchets the seem to hold up well. I still prefer my 60 tooth S-K ratchets for everyday usage and hopefully there will be some warranty recourse as I've got a couple that are just worn out from use over the years. The tool trucks have stopped coming to the shop due to nobody here during the day, (and not wanting to deal with me probably) so I've primarily switched to mail order. I ordered a set of 3/4 drive impact sockets from Grey Pneumatic and have been exceptionally pleased with them. I plan to order a full set of 3/4" deep sockets from them also but the $1100.00 price needs to be budgeted for. I've ordered several impact wrenches online, and rebuild kits for the same without problems. It's amazing what can be purchased through the internet; you just need to know what you are after. Rob

Well, I got these chemicals from ZEP out of Chicago sitting here in containers. I went out back and grabbed my 250 gallon removable lid oil tank that is going to be converted into a "hot tank". I bought chemical that when kept between 185-190 degrees will remove grease, grime, dirt, rust, and paint. The same thing machine shops use to hot tank engine parts. This tank measures 30" deep, 28" wide, and 68" in length. This will be great as it is deep enough for partially submerging doors, fenders, and the likes of old trucks. Been thinking of building something like this for a couple of years. By submerging parts I can eliminate/remove the rust that forms in panel laps such as where an inner, and outer shell of a door are put together. Besides separating the panels, there really is no other way. I have a couple of old water heater burners that can be used for the heating source, just have to build a fire box under the tank. This can go inside my storage garage in the rear yard which will keep it out of the shop. If all works as evisioned, I'll have a tank built large enough to submerge a complete cab assembly as there is room in that garage. Rob

Hi Gregg, I'll be there on Thursday and Friday for certain. I'll be driving a teal colored Jeep Cherokee if not my Mack winch truck which is white. Incidently, I did locate my nuts but couldn't find the 2-3/4 socket needed for it so I ordered a new one. It arrived yesterday afternoon so hope to slip the trans back in sometime this evening and get everything attached tomorrow for a test run. Be great to meet you and any other participants. Rob

I'd certainly like to have it for parts but I really don't know how I'd justify it on the home front. "Momma" is at odds with me on the current number or iron around here that doesn't seem to get worked on quickly.Seems the house that has been put off for about 15 years whist we were getting kids educated has become a priority for her........ Rob

Last night I loaded up my brake drums, (all six of em), several B series grille shells, shutters, sets of fenders, fuel tanks, truck rims, (several) and two tubs of small parts and headed for the blaster to get everything cleaned up. I drive up to the back door and although it's a bit warm, all the door and windows are shut. Thinking this is odd I walk up to the back door, pull the handle and it's locked. Looking into the building through the glass door I can plainly see the interior is devoid of any form of business entity. Figuring they must have moved I call the number listed on the sign in the parking lot and the number is diconnected. Damn, now I got to find someone new cause these folks closed on short order and evacuated. I told them in mid June I would be bringing a lot of parts in the first couple of weeks of July and they didn't even call. Rob

By all means that would be the way to do it. Stress relief is the key to making the repair last. I was through the Bethpage plant a couple of times during the 1980's. What part did you work in? I remember them uncovering the wall mural of the F7F production line that had been covered for many years and forgotten about. Rob

Typically air cleaners are meant to flow only one direction. Some incorporate steering vanes internal to the unit to lessen restriction. Causing the airflow to route in reverse of design criteria cannot be good. Rob

Stationary engine air cleaners typically flow better than their "on road" counterparts because they are not silenced. They are usually louder also. I would ensure they are not resticting the airflow. I suppose I assumed that was already ruled out with the amout of work you have put into the rebuild. Certainly mean no offense cause we all forget sometimes. Rob

While "stop drilling" will accomplish the desired goad of ceasing a crack from running in a frame, I prefer another method to repair cracking. I like to use a thin slicing wheel, (3/32, or .045 thick) and groove out the crack. You don't have to go all the way through the frame but get pretty deep into the parent material, and grind past the end of the crack. After using the slicing wheel, open the thin grinding trough up a little with a little wider wheel to allow thorough penetration of your welding. Grind the area free of rust or corrosion and then using a 1/8th, or 5/64 7013 welding rod and about 135-150 amps weld up the crack. I prefer to start at the opposite end of the crack where you would have drilled a stop hole. Weld the complete trough you have made closed. Allow the welded area to cool to about 350 degrees and using a temperature marking crayon, keep the weld zone warm at about 350 degrees for a couple of minutes using a torch and neutral flame. Back torch up a bit and keep the temperature warm for a couple more minutes, then allow the weld zone to cool. This last heat treatment will give a little ductility to the frame repair and it won't be so brittle. Fishplating the outer, or inner rail is not a bad idea as a follow up. You could also box the rails as mentioned but I really don't see that truck getting the workout in the future it has in the past. Myself, I think a bolted fishplate will do you well. If you have an exceptional amount of frame cracking, you may be more cost and time effective to replace the bad section with a donor unit. Rob

No, they are quite different. The turbochargers on the V8's are quite loud with quiet exhaust and you should hear it pretty good under a load. Rob

They've been doing that for years. Rob

I'm guessing you need turbocharger attention. Plenty of black smoke tells me the fueling is adequate at this stage but 12psi boost pressure seems a bit low. Rob

I have several different items that are S-K branded purchased through the years. I always preferred their ratches over most others and have never broken one myself even with the use of a "cheater pipe" over the end. Their screwdrivers on the other hand have never been of very good quality or could have been better. The only ones I've found worse are Craftsman, even their "professional" line due to inadequate heat treatment, (they are brittle and break the tips easily). I've also never broken one of their wrenches although have bent several when using the box end inside the open end of another for leverage. My deceased father in law sold hardware for Sears & Roebuck for over 33 years and knew everything they offered through the mid 1980's when he retired. We used to talk of who was vendoring all hand tools, (both electric and manual) in those days and had seen quality slip from a high when Proto, and Easco were producing hand tools, with Skil producing the bulk of electric tools, to other vendors replacing them and the forthcoming reduction of quality. I don't recall any off shore manufacturers involved at the time but he retired in 1986. Corporate restructuring forced his retirement leaving him bitter and maintaining no contacts afterward. I have an old tool box with the original name of the S-K tool brand logo, I think it is "Sherman-Klove" if I remember correctly. I'll have to look. The company was originally based in Chicago and manufactured everything there. The tool box is from the 1950's or earlier and I've had it for several years. I'll have to look it up and post a photo. Kind of a neat "hip roof" type of box. Rob

I think I remember where that diagram is now. I'll look tonight at the shop. Rob

Yup, no complaints neither. Been through hell and back and still married 33 years now. Never have lived in a truck but we was "trailer trash" for a spell. Didn't need "the boys" no longer after daughter came along 26 years ago, and I've been pretty mellow since. Rob

You got a "momma" too? I hope yours treats you better than mine does me. I get no respect at all. Rob