About two months ago the Super Stalker start behaving badly. The engine was misfiring constantly under heavy load. The ECU was showing a “3X reference circuit” diagnostic trouble code. A quick review of L67 information showed this was normally attributed to a failed crankshaft position sensor (CPS). As this engine has about 80K miles on it I didn’t think a failed CPS was that far fetched so I replaced it. This is not a really difficult job, but does take some time, especially when I need to squeeze mechanical work around family commitments. After I replaced the sensor, the engine ran perfectly and I went on a few long drives, total of about two hours running time, then the problem came back with a vengeance. I couldn’t even get out of the garage. (more…)
Buzz Kill
The side panels on the stalker are 0.065 inch thick aluminum held with a few fasteners at the front and rear ends of the panel. There are flanges bent in at the top and bottom, so the panel is fairly stiff along its length. But from top to bottom it can flex, which allows it to bang into the vertical legs of the frame. My Stalker demonstrated by having an incredibly annoying buzz from the right side panel when the engine was near 3500RPM.
Adding captive nuts to the windshield.
My Stalker windshield is held to the scuttle by 10 bolts. To remove the windshield I have to remove the scuttle to access the accompanying nuts. Removing and lifting the scuttle is non-trivial. I would like to be able to easily remove the windshield so that I can start trying to fit my new windscreen design.
New Band Saw Tires
The old tires on the very used Bandsaw I bought literally fell off once I removed the duct tape holding them on. I replaced them with new urethane bandsaw tires from Rockler. These tires were a perfect fit, but did require special technique to fit them. The instructions provided were dead on.
Stalker Wind Wings
Pretty simple project: add wind deflectors to the side of the windshield. The current windshield allows a huge wind blast to shoot right at my face. This isn’t a problem until it starts to get cold, then it actually gets hard to breath, especially in crosswinds from the drivers side.
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Power Plants: Build, Baby, Build…
The recent spike in gasoline prices (the subsequent crash in prices is temporary) amplified the interest in alternative energy sources for transportation. Many of the proposed solutions involve “electric cars”, that is, cars that store and use electrical energy as their primary source of energy for conversion into mechanical drive. This contrasts with “hybrid” drives like the Prius uses, which primarily use energy stored in gasoline with electrical augmentation to improve efficiency.
Score!!!
Well, after months of looking around I found an old bandsaw, and it happened to be about half a mile away. It is an old Taiwan made 14″ bandsaw that needs a through going through, new tires, new blade guides, new belts. It is only 3/4HP and singel speed, but there is a good foundation for adding a larger motor and a transmission to reduce the speed. It cost $200 cash, and will probably be another three hundred before I have it doing everything I want, but I am pretty happy with it…
eBay Frustration
I have been waiting for a week to close an auction on some 16″ bandsaw wheels and I only won one of them. I have been waiting for slightly less time for auctions to close on some Delta bandsaw tilting table trunnions. I only one one of them…Scrounging is not going well.
Bandsaw drive
The speed range required for my combination metal/woodworking band saw is huge: 3300FPM down to 60FPM, a 55:1 speed ratio. This is made more complicated by the fact that AC motors are single speed devices. The transmission is going to have to provide all of the spread. I could use a Variable Frequency Drive, but the torque characteristics at low speeds aren’t ideal for a saw. (more…)
