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Unkel Kunkel

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Posts posted by Unkel Kunkel

  1. Can we finally bury this nonsense about car batteries on concrete?
    I goes back to the 1920’s  - before even Bakelite.

    Battery casings were made form Vulcanite - hard pressed and treated rubber.. There may have been a theoretical argument about  earth leakage via dirty vulcanite casings.

    Batteries  are little chemical plants  and the rate of reactions  are very much influenced by temperature.- reduces substantially by by each 0.5C drop.

    Ie ..keep 'em cool..but not  too cool ..

    There was a. legitimate concern about  the effects of the battery acid on the concrete during storage or charging i.e.Sulphuric acid, H2SO4 “ dissolves” concrete, fizzing off CO2.

  2. Have 2  x CTEK  5.0.

    I think if you are  going to plug something in like this, and then just leave it on for months and months on end, you  have to have a high degree of confidence in  what you have chosen.

    They aren’t cheap, ( and I did have one fail, years back, which was annoying)  but considering they are on all the time, the daily cost  isn’t going to be high.

    And

    ..batteries are quite expensive.

     

     

  3. This is a bit late, but if you still have your old bits of vinyl covering, hesitate before throwing them out - carefully removed, not only useful as templates  but in the case of the bits that attach to the over the wheel arches, 

    I found it to be so much a challenge to replicate  the compound curve despite heat and stretching, and swearing etc. that I ended up cleaning up the original bits ( which now suddenly appeared  fine) and re- fitted them.

     

  4.  

     

    On 18/09/2022 at 09:35, Badwolf said:

    My Dad once went to his GP. She waved her fag in his direction and said, you really need to give up these. Pot and kettle I think.

    Assuming she was much older older, then perhaps  it would have been quite reasonable for her to add, “If If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself”

  5. 1 hour ago, daverclasper said:

    So just flat?, as appose to turning for the locating shape. Can someone explain please?

     

    The top hat or Jesuit hat shape should stop them sliding out though the 2 lower outer ones need to be positioned carefully before weight is on the spring or they can come out  of place whilst the spring is “hanging”.

    The bump seems to be of different diameters.The “hat” brim  is the width of the spring.

    Some “”replacement”  springs don’t seem to  have them at all.

    Loads of things tried with laminated springs over a century A hollow central bolt with  a grease nipple to squeeze grease between the leaves on ancient Fords, grease - filled gaiters enclosing the spring  the spring, people greasing the spring  then spending a long and messy  time winding “ Denso”tape  round them.

    They used to squeak in the summer otherwise

  6. 37 minutes ago, daverclasper said:

    Maybe a daft idea, thought could black boot polish (or something similar) help to preserve my tired window rubbers , that do see the sun often?

    No, it might  be absolutely fine but there are quite a few ingredients  in there and probably some variation with different manufacturers   - several solvents such as  naptha, turpentine  etc might be a bit much for aged rubber -it would be those rather than the waxy stuff ingredients like guar gum, gum arabic etc..

    I would tend to stay with  propriety products  of which there are many.

    listening  to other people’s  experiences can be very useful - someone, somewhere will swear by Kiwi or something 

  7. 21 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

    Good job he wasn't a Triumph owner, we'd have ended up with trunnions.

    Up until Charnley, it was generally held that the “  oil” in the joint, the synovial fluid.. (the EP 90  continuing the analogy! ) was the most significant limiting factor to consider in  joint replacement and this would present  such a major problems for any possible joint replacement  as to make it  unworkable.

    He was the first to look at the problem in a very different way -   forgetting trying to provide some sort of system  for synovial fluid, oil/  EP90 whatever and  focus first on the  coefficient of  friction of the respective wearing surfaces and then work from there.

    Charnley’s “trunnions” would presumably be of some sort of self- lubricating polymer construction presumably  oil-less.That’s not an entirely absurd idea.

  8. 3 hours ago, rlubikey said:

    My thinking is that the original rubber buttons undergo shear stress / deformation and there's no slip involved. The relative movement of the spring leafs must be quite small under normal suspension conditions, but I have to admit I haven't checked! I think they're making pattern part buttons out of the same material as track rod boots, engine mounts, bonnet cones etc. hence why they're failing in no time.

    Richard

    Forget rubber - within little time they will be  squeezed flat, torn , or squashed so as not properly in their locating holes.It is just not a suitable material to use in this situation.

    Using another material also has the bonus that it can compensate for a degree  of spring “sag”.

    ( They can also made too thick, though).

    A tangent,  but  of some relevance - Prof John Charnley’s first artificial hips at Wrightington  were “Teflon” ie PTFE .

    Welcomed as miraculous, they did have one very significant problem -  they wore out rather quickly, sometimes in as little as a year as patients enjoyed their new mobility and freedom from pain.

    A  rep from Hoescht had been visiting nearby textile factories in the area  with UHMPE  samples ( promoting its use in bearings and gear trains in looms etc)  and persuaded  Charnley’s chief technical advisor to wear test a sample in their lab.

    Charnley, who was becoming quite despondent  over the hip failure rate at this time, agreed.

    Both were surprised that in the severe wear test in which the PTFE  was  finished in less than a day, the UHMWPE just kept  going,  hardly worn well after a week.

    Hence UHMWPE.

    A very talented orthopaedic surgeon, a lot of the original work on the  stainless steel femoral “ball” that joins the spikey bit ( that fits into the femur - thigh bone part of the “ball and socket”  joint) was  done on a lathe  in his garage. The lathe was financed from royalties from several previous successful inventions.

    (After the prototypes,  manufacturing was undertaken by Thackrays   in Leeds )  

    • Like 1
  9. 19 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

    I would have thought a lighter color would be better but what do I know I have a degree in French and German so I must be qualified to talk about everything... 😄

     

    If there was a rule that talking required qualifications, I would be rendered  mute. 

    I’ll ignore it..Here is my (totally unqualified)  explanation: 

    Many  polymers have a weakness, they degenerate in UV B light - sun light. = photo-oxidative generation.

    There are various ways of protecting against this  -adding a pigment is one to act as an UV absorber and screener.

    I agree - at first sight it does seem counterintuitive to have an absorber of  UV light  such as a black pigment but it means that UV light is restricted to the very outermost very thin layer where it’s energy is effectively “used  up”  and dissipated  resulting in the  the inner structure screened.

    This characteristic will be there  no matter if the polymer is cut, turned or moulded i.e you don’t have to coat it or paint some sort of UV protection  onto it.

    Carbon black is cheap.It also contains other compounds such ethers and other organic groups , hydroxyls, quinones, ethers which help by combining  with some of the destructive oxidative products - “free radicals” effectively   “ mopping them -up” and stabilising.

    ( Titanium dioxide - the “white of the “whitest”  of practically all “white paint” everywhere  made  is used sometimes in polymers where  the natural white colour is required.)

     

     

  10. I have used acetal, polyoxymethylene, POM, for anther purpose.

    On the lathe, it proved to be a pleasant surprise, turning very nicely in contrast to my experiences with UHMWPE.

    Apparently acetal can deteriorate in UV light, so available in black for outside use ( though can’t think much daylight gets between the leaves of a spring under a car)

    There are so many polymers around -it looks like we will be seeing more of PEEK - poly ether ether ketone  everywhere from orthopaedic implants and fracture plates  to light weight car components.

     

  11. There was a lot of conversation on here re this subject in February under  “Rear Leaf Spring Refurbishment” 

    I didn't know Superflex did them …otherwise I might not have struggled to make some! 

    If do you want to make your own, probably the  best material for this is UHMWPE- “ultra high molecular weight polyethylene”

    Cheap. available in bar form

    DC9530E2-4A83-4A72-9E15-A7E5EC3F3C8D.thumb.jpeg.e73d87cb86b41c8704f741fb6f899943.jpeg

    It will last longer than Teflon  and polyurethane, rubber etc.Very tough, “ slippy - self-lubricating” 

    It is very  frustrating to turn on a lathe - I made quite a pile of failures to get a few accetable ones.

    A4ECD665-E5B5-426C-A9A6-7884D5F1A4FA.thumb.jpeg.b1a52e97f7fb5cbfe69b357de7f0e748.jpeg

    It seems to be a material that shrugs off pretty much anything ( except high temperatures) 

  12. Like everyone else,  I found door fitting both long  and …frustrating.

    Now I am not saying this will work for you, - don’t rush out and buy them, I already had two in..

    -  but I resorted to two “ Winbags” *

    31AE81D8-98BD-4D5B-B041-64B82F954565.thumb.jpeg.e37fdf1a4ba93be5d7fe259659a0d79b.jpeg1613DF55-44CC-4AB8-8F5A-15082F645DD8.thumb.jpeg.daa4aceb66aa614d66f3ae3dc5f06b9b.jpeg

    Used completely flat and then  with  very small amounts  of air puffed in-  one under  the door between door and sill  and one between the door and the B post, this allows  positioning and holds  things whilst the hinge bolts are fiddled with.

    This id certainly no magic answer - It still needed moving them about and much inflating /deflating,

    -but it seemed to help, suited for the “sole” operator,and it avoided paint damage.

    * “Winbags” - ( there are other makes..I have no interest in the company! ) - simple, useful things for all manner of “single-handed” jobs -fitting  house doors and windows, shelves , cupboards  etc

    Bit  like a “blood pressure cuff” sort of thing - but much more robust.

    • Like 1
  13. Coincidentally, I’ve just done a brake fluid change late this afternoon on my Freelander 2.

    I often use the basic “two man system”..( “two person”,I should hastily correct my self).

    (I did try a vacuum system many years ago. Disappointed.Can’t recommend). 

    Today though,I  used a Gunson Eezibleed- I do this when my very experienced  pedal pusher/ assistant is unavailable doing far more important things.

    I find a slightly modified Eezibleed very easy to use.

    - I use a compressor rather than a spare tyre,  with a regulator to adjust it down to  around 25-28 psi - about 2 bar, with scrap pressure gauge from an old inflator , some 8mm micro bore  fittings and an 8mm B&Q LPG  type gas valve.

    8B1C34B2-6F89-4AE8-80C5-000CD023E430.thumb.jpeg.037b379819d15b2307ae611c27f00327.jpeg

    To avoid those really messy sprays of brake fluid, It is essential to turn up the pressure.. slowly  - whilst  all the while carefully checking for leaks  at the master cylinder’s  eezibleed temporary  “top”.

    Also,  after each  “bleed” - it is important to first turn the lever  valve “off “ then slowly release  the pressure above the brake fluid in the master cylinder by very slowly releaing the top of the Eezibleed container.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  14. Something to consider:

    The rubber   seals on the complex VW Eos hood  respond well to  an unusual sort of grease -“ Krytox” -.It works really very well.

    It does revitalise and “plump up” flattened, tired,   dull- looking seals - it is not needed very often.

    - Which is just as well as it  isn’t cheap, - shop around the “official” VW product is  very expensive. 

     

  15. 19 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

    Paint is like smelly candles, they have some weird ideas. I saw candles recently called 'Moonrise', 'Dawn' and 'Sadness'. What on earth does Moonrise smell like? Round here it depends on what they've sprayed on the fields. I know sadness is an empty box of Maltesers, but it may vary from person to person.

    Emulsion Paint also comes in Dead Salmon, Cats Paw, Pigeon and Mouse's Back. Ford had car colours called Freudian Gilt and Anti-Establishment Mint, but Opel had one called A Star Is Brown and Rolls Royce called their brown New Sable.

    For house interiors, grey in its  many shades,  still seems to be  “ In” (to use a very out- of- date expression)

    One of the most popular is,  to my unsophisticated eye,  a sort of beige/ grey that goes by the name of  “Elephant’s breath”

    That  doesn’t convey a colour  to me.

    More an image of being engulfed in an enormous cloud of hot  splattery halitosis.

     

    PS .. Returning to the topic ( and I must say a very reasonable question to ask in my opinion!)

    Definitely.. Red.

    taxis - black

    Buses, post boxes, Royal mail vans ..red.

    Sports cars .. Red

     

  16. 46 minutes ago, clive said:

    I hav never seen one with wiring oles, and had several 1500 OD cars through my hands over the years.

    I would be careful about that blue connector, it will create a stress point on the wire where it exits the connector. I have had best results using extra flexible wires, a nice loop between fixed points, and the connectors after the fixed points. 

    Thanks, Clive  - I’ll make an alteration re loop as you advise

    I have a natural aptitude  for things    “loopy” 

  17. Thank you Colin, 

    - luckily I managed to get the metal retaining ring part but appreciate the EBay refernce.

    I was wondering if there was a  rubber/plastic gaiter specific  for the overdrive wiring -May be  with a piercing of some sort for the wires to go through.

    What I have done, is using   the gaiter I have, is route the wires between gaiter and the extension housing, keeping the connectors topside of the gaiter  with a fairly loose loop, thinking might flex less and ease access for any future wire replacements.

    EF590102-688F-4110-9083-272070036BCE.thumb.jpeg.5b80c2b6226fcc14bb1025137144732f.jpeg

     

  18. Nearing completion changing from a 3 rail  non- overdrive to a single rail with overdrive  in a  ‘73 Spitfire.( mainly because a single rail was available with overdrive). 

    Re the gear lever gaiter..

     I haven’t been able to find much about these and they don’t seem to be stocked by the usual suppliers.

    They  seem quite rare - I please can you advise re one I have acquired? 

    I am puzzled by the parts listing.

    For part 82 ( Moss) It gives two an overdrive one = YKC 1481, and a non- overdrive type = YKC 1482

     

    25B7AC34-4E04-4863-8D2A-CA9257035296.thumb.jpeg.d43c1b08c9a6e149ba4640f1880ac252.jpegA704F867-E32E-49E6-BBAD-8FEC527EA2A3.thumb.jpeg.f8f65b23e32921c54fde2c0fde0652f0.jpeg

    I don’t know how they differ - Different internal diameters ?

    Am I correct in thinking the one I have is the “YKC 1482 , “ overdrive Models “one ?F3622BD8-252D-45F9-907B-2C232147799D.thumb.jpeg.4dfcbcd86ed540f92bbdb1cb49054529.jpeg

    And, when fitted do the overdrive wires just tuck inside the  gaiter?

    Thanks.


     

     

  19. Reluctant to lend tools.

    don’t   like -

    1.The feeling of disappointment and frustration when someone fails to return  them, and the embarrassment and annoyance that it can also be felt having to  ask.

    2.The concern that such an “occasional user” might: 

    - a.harm themselves

    - b. fail to do the job right resulting  in harm to themselves and/ or others which might, somehow ,implicate me -  or result in  me trying to  sort  the mess out.

    3.Return the tools  clearly damaged claiming, “They don’t work”

    4.Not least..the thought that  a tool/s might be hard to get returned  when I need them myself.

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