HOWTO: build a VR sensor bracket

[tyrannix]

****************************************NOTE- THIS IS A DOWN AND DIRTY HOWTO****************************************

this will get you going on howto make a bracket for a VR sensor for your standalone of choice (mine is megasquirt)

I will add better pics and clean it up alot after i build another, better one.

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items needed and possible prices

1: VR sensor $2 at junkyard?2: flat stock or home depot bracket $5 ish (get 2.5mm thickness)3: cutting tool (i used my new Ridgid 18v one.... way better than an air cutting wheel)4: Drill (i used the Ridgid one that came in the set with the sawzall... $230 for both home depot)5: welder (i paid $100 on ebay for a Chicago electric mig welder shipped)

other useful items: vice grips, table vise, welding gloves, wrench, sharpie

the steps arent hard, ill just post the pictures for steps

.... wheres the attach? ....

dammit

got to post them on cardomain now (too many pics on there... takes too long to page thru them)



i used a $3 bracket from home depot (2.5mm)just held it up to the alt bolt, and roughed out the lengths for both the part, and where the "i" would connect to it (used a sharpie to color parts to cut off or lines to weld to)

my ugly welds arent as ugly anymore, i think i got good penetration (the backside of the weld was glowing fiercely

and its a halfway decent bead, whereas my older ones were all gloppy and really gross looking, with stupid amounts of slag (it all just practice)

althought i was a dumbass and didnt use my welding gloves, so i got some slag on my hand, and on my wedding ring (dumbass)

Next, i bolted back up to measure the distance for this portion (the connector part)then marked it at the distance it needed for the sensor to be lined up + 2.5 mm (to give space for the mount plate)



more pics coming as cardomain lets them upload

one thing, i am making another one. see how the nuts for the sensor interfere on the weld? I am going to make another one with the connector bar in a different spot, to fix that problem, and do alot of cutting down to make it prettier - but this part is now usable (making a new one after i get a bench vise.... a few days away

CJ

PS somebody please delete the "sor" on teh title?

Modified by tyrannix at 10:50 PM 2/10/2007

Modified by tyrannix at 11:06 AM 2/11/2007
Modified by tyrannix at 9:47 PM 2/11/2007

[float_6969]

Looks good for a functional mockup!

I also fixed the "sor".

[ca18datsun510]

what are you welding with?

[Bwana]

Galvanized doesn't weld very nicely anyway. I assume it's a flux core setup? Looks functional anyway, good job!

[tyrannix]

Galvanized doesn't weld very nicely anyway. I assume it's a flux core setup? Looks functional anyway, good job!

my next one will be from some normal flat stock, i think its mild steel

I dont think it has any flux - its a Chicago Electric wirefeed mig unit, no gas, runs on normal 110 ... has an adjustment dial for wire speed, and a "max"/"min" switch for heat

Looks good for a functional mockup!

I also fixed the "sor".

thanks -actually, i was going to use this one and pretty it up if that crossconector part didnt interfere with the sensor bolts ... but the next one will be adjustable and have some posts on the rear to prevent any possible rotation (its clamped in there pretty well with just the alt. bolt

-CJ

[ca18datsun510]

I dont think it has any flux - its a Chicago Electric wirefeed mig unit, no gas, runs on normal 110 ... has an adjustment dial for wire speed, and a "max"/"min" switch for heat

if it doesnt have any gas its a not mig. its a flux core wire feed welder. the flux is in the wire.

are you using the high heat setting? turn down the wire speed a bit and take your time. you welds arent penetrating and are just building up on top of the piece.

[tyrannix]

i thought if it was heating up the backside that much, it must be penetrating (for some reason i was worrying about burning through the metal)

good to know, ive only heard things here and there, little tips on how to weld.

after another project or 2, im thinking manifold.

all this twin turbo talk latly has me thinking about it, and i might take a stab at a twin turbo CA manifold... with just 2 CA stock turbos to start... then if it works out, some better ones (with the smallest turbing housings i can get.... probably end up being .48, but im going to look for smaller... or those t2/t3turbos Dee was talking about

thats just an idea in the back of my head tho.... need to finish up other stuff first (like this)

CJ

[Bwana]

Learning to weld with a cheap flux core welder is pretty much an effort in futility... The first time you get a chance to use a 250 amp Miller/Lincoln/Thermal Arc with a nice cO2/argon mix on some clean steel you'll never go back. You'll be spending all your money on a new welder. I know, it happened to me... lol

[ca18datsun510]

well it sounds like the one he has is adaptable to mig.

the problem with the cheap ones though is the lack of heat control

high and low kinda suck. you can actually lay pretty nice beads with flux core if you can get better heat control, but the mig will always be nicer since the flux leaves a nasty slagyness look.

[float_6969]

It's the flux core that makes it look like poo. That same welder with a gas feed would make a much better looking weld.

One of my next purchases will probably be a gas fed mig w/adjustable feed.

As for building a manfold with your welder, you had better plan on getting some argon/CO2. You'll have to purge the inside of the pipes to get any sort of decent beads with that welder you've got.

[Bwana]

If you're serious about building manifolds then get a tig. I use a mig to tack my manifolds together (easy) but all the finish welding is done tig.

[ca18datsun510]

i wish i could tig. try and try and i just cant cant the coordination of my foot and hand together.

[float_6969]

I've never had the opportunity to tig. I've done a fair amount of arc and flux/gas mig.

[tyrannix]

***holes

seriously, i dont need you guys telling me theres something better out there that i need. Now I am going to start looking for a better unit .... teamkilling ****tards

also, i put a disclaimer on the top of my writeup.... i will clean it up, spelling mistakes and format - and add better pics once i make the next bracket

this one is just a down-and-dirty howto for now, after its done, id like a link in the sticky, right under teh megasquirt writeup, and if a mod can edit the MS wirteup, a link at the very end of that too. (where it will be useful)

CJ

[float_6969]

Aww, we're just givin you trouble buddy!

Lemme know when it's ready and I'll get a link stuck in the Mega Squirt writeup.

Oh, and maybe some measurements?

[Bwana]

No problem on that tool envy prompt.

[tyrannix]

Aww, we're just givin you trouble buddy!

Lemme know when it's ready and I'll get a link stuck in the Mega Squirt writeup.

Oh, and maybe some measurements?

i was going to put in measurements, but it will vary, depending on how far back the tooth wheel is mounted

...I could put up measurements of everything... and have teh howto include putting the wheel on - little problem is that i can only post pic of teh final wheel, as i had a machinist with lathes and boring tools and all kinds of neat machines do it for me.

No problem on that tool envy prompt.

if what i have is really that bad, and i cant build anything i want, then i need something better

but you didnt have to let me now that now ... it could have waited 6 months- a year easily, as i wont be making any manifolds for awhile still

boo

-CJ

[Not_a_sr]

rofl, just wait until you buy a nice welder... then it will be damn i need a bandsaw, chopsaw, portaband,pipe bender/expander, bridgeport, belt sander , metal brake, shear, plasma cutter, torch... then before you know it you have an entire shop in your garage..

[float_6969]

Is that coming from experience Jon?

[tyrannix]

dont know what a bridgeport is (too lazy to wiki it)

but for a single bay garage i think i have it pretty shopped out (3 assembled engines, bits that would make another 3, engine stand, cherry picker, drill press, air compressor, welder, work bench, i just got a second tool chest (just one of teh crappy walmart ones for now)

and this is all in a military housing unit that 'doesn't allow oil changes'

(the funny part is that the people who run the housing complex see me working on stuff with my garage door open in summer. with a whole wall shelf full of new bottles of fluids that would be 'illegal' for me to use in my garage. the maintenance guys come and check on my progress.

not that i do anything illegal of course, and i keep stardust to clean up any hazmat spills (and bring my old fluids to base and dump em in the bilge drums)

i still hate you guys, I am probably going to end up getting something better alot sooner now

(waiting for when we buy the new house, and i get my dream garage. plenty of storage, at least 5 usable bays, one of which will fit an RV or trailer. at least 1 lift.. Jason gave me the idea for a pit too. with a deck on the roof with chairs and BBQ stuff for friends to come over and watch (i want to have ~30 acres, and build a really small circuit track in my back yard to practice whenever i want) .... That is teh american dream

CJ
Modified by tyrannix at 6:25 PM 2/13/2007

[Not_a_sr]

sorta. except i didn't actually pay for most of my equipment. its long story about a bankruptcy plan, shady previous owner, me making a financially retarded decision, and whala i got a fully equipt shop with a reputation that ive gone completely broke trying to rebuild and bring the shop name to the national stage.

[Not_a_sr]

bridgeport its a great machine to have. i use it on all kinds of stuff, i make alot of prototypes of stuff i send off to CNC.

I wouldnt even worry about a pit, a lift is the smartest buy ever... we have two very well know shops here in town and they dont have lifts and i don't know how they can do it. does your base have a hobby shop? i know the base guys around here do.

dont know what a bridgeport is (too lazy to wiki it)

but for a single bay garage i think i have it pretty shopped out (3 assembled engines, bits that would make another 3, engine stand, cherry picker, air compressor, welder, work bench, i just got a second tool chest (just one of teh crappy walmart ones for now)

and this is all in a military housing unit that 'doesn't allow oil changes'

(the funny part is that the people who run the housing complex see me working on stuff with my garage door open in summer. with a whole wall shelf full of new bottles of fluids that would be 'illegal' for me to use in my garage. the maintenance guys come and check on my progress.

not that i do anything illegal of course, and i keep stardust to clean up any hazmat spills (and bring my old fluids to base and dump em in the bilge drums)

i still hate you guys, I am probably going to end up getting something better alot sooner now

(waiting for when we buy the new house, and i get my dream garage. plenty of storage, at least 5 usable bays, one of which will fit an RV or trailer. at least 1 lift.. Jason gave me the idea for a pit too. with a deck on the roof with chairs and BBQ stuff for friends to come over and watch (i want to have ~30 acres, and build a really small circuit track in my back yard to practice whenever i want) .... That is teh american dream

CJ

[tyrannix]

We dont even have MPs here, much less an auto hobby shop (only 250ish permenant personnel)

Used to be able to use the Heavy Equipment or Motor T bays (no lifts there either)

but now (after i pulled an engine, and built my first CA in their bays) they only let you change your oil, or mount rims .... like 1hour jobs only) (MT has a tire mounter and balancer tho.... can put new rubber on and balance it right there... if they have time for you)

the MotorT guys really only fix SusVs (look like 2 shoeboxes on treads) we use em mostly for traveling over snow up on the hill .... no Humvees here (HMWVV?)

and teh HE guys use graders and all kinds of goodies mostly to improve the trails through the mountains

and yeah, i really want a lift, especially with my back all messed up, it kills me to get down on my creeper with the car on jackstands. Definatly cant get a lift until we move either

the sooner i get the surgery, the sooner we get a real house and i get a garage (and start making more money, i will probably need to sell my AE86 before i even get a chance to race it.... if thats the case, i will probably get an AW11 for track (unless i can afford a canadian r32 GTR, new GTR, or a V8 Esprit.... or if im *really* ballin, one of the new Ferrari Dinos... >$100k tho )

CJ