I remember an old story from a newsprint mill near where I live. A machinist/operator had started work there after finishing school and worked there till retirement. He new the production line like the back of his hand and could fix any breakdown that occurred. After his retirement there was a problem with the system and none of the workers there could identify the problem which was costing the company expensive down time. Someone suggested they get "Old Bill" back to see if he could fix it. After half an hour he identified that a $5 seal was the problem and got the system back up and running. He then invoiced the company for $2000 for the repairs. The Production Manager was shocked at the price for the fix and queried the bill as the part was only $5. "Old Bill" sent a new itemized invoice; Replacing broken part - $5. Knowing what and how to repair production line - $1995.
Checking your headstock bearings would be a really good series to watch I for one would be watching with great interest Pleased to hear you faired well in the storms We here in the UK are getting our fair share of Atlantic storms right at this moment You take care Matey Pete (UK)
I just found this channel , I subscribed quickly as it didnt take very long in watching 1 episode to see the very high knowledge, integrity and excellent work ethic shown in this shop . The explanations of the tools , the work to be performed including the lathes , the equipment , and use thereof , is of a very high caliber individual and extremely capable machinist . The explanation of the depth mic squeek for example shows the attention to detail for the viewers . I am a 45 year auto shop mechanic tech , old school and new , I am in total agreement on the cost of ALL work , let alone the custom jobs such as the Porsche hubs / spindle modification being performed here . Yeah customers think it should be free ... almost . Your look8ng at an honest man on this channel . Very happy to have found this channel
Lord preach about people not understanding the amount of time it takes to do something, especially if it's a one-off thing I do a lot of Custom Fabrication and race car work over in Fort Walton Beach and sometimes people just don't understand that it can take up to 7 hours just to build a bracket system to hold something
Build new spindle shafts .. No spacers is safer and better to service in the future. To adapt a different caliper never weld on a hub carrier, build an adapter plate that bolts to the existing holes, and provides new holes at correct spacing and offset for the new caliper. Hub carriers are heat treated to a specific balance of hardness and tough ductility. Welding will disturb that. It might be cheaper to get proper caliper mounts from Stop-Tech, Brembo, or any other of the aftermarket brake builders.
Right on point whith NOT welding to the hub, way to much LIABILITY there, If it gets in a wreck an someone sees a custom made part that failed O-boy the lawsuit can reach far an wide !!!
I was a little worried about that myself, but I have limited welding experience and zero cast iron experience. Maybe mill off the bolt bosses and the c b performance logo area? You'd have enough room for a steel bracket w/3 solid mount points.
You explained the custom work perfectly... i work at a custom automotive shop and people always think its an1 hour worth of work but in reality its a couple days of work and people are always shocked at the time and money it takes to do something custom...
You are the most pleasant low key u tube hustler alive. It obviously comes to you naturally. If there are any Alaskans that need ice next winter you would be the guy to convince them that buying it from you is a much better idea than just walking out the door and filling a bucket with natures ice, for free. You da man!
@ 19:30 man, in our shop, I repeat it like a mantra...it's the hardest part of our job. Help people understand what mean to make a single stuff rather than a million. Thanks for sharing, you are not alone. 👍
Nice work, Adam. In the past I have done the pressing the opposite. The bushing presses to the spindle and if any damage occurs from a bearing seizure then the bushing gets damaged, can be removed and remade. In this case, if the bearing wears out, then you have the extra time and effort of pressing the sleeve out and repressing in a new bearing. Six-of-one, Half-dozen of the other. Either way, Great work!! Glad you're safe from the storm as well. My oldest sister is in Lynn Haven. Fortunately they are all OK and the house didn't suffer any major damage, but, I may actually be wintering over in Lynn Haven this winter.. Beats the HELL out of -40 up here in NY around February!!
When I see your videos I get a great feeling. It's awesome to see someone who takes pride in their work, specializes in their trade, and works hard. There's no replacement for the old school hard working person. Some guys focus so much on trying to 'work smarter' that they forget to also work hard. Sometimes hard work and determination is all you need. No secret shortcuts. Just hard work. Thank you and great work.
Adam, you are exactly correct about charging. A lot of that charge is based on your vast knowledge of the planning, processing and problem solving, just to list a few items. My neighbor, who was a small engine mechanic in his retirement, used to say "that's one dollar for hittin' it, and nine dollars for knowin' where to hit it". He always got small engines to start in no more than 2 pulls of the starter rope. What made him worth the price, was his knowledge and ability. He worked out of his back yard. I spent many an afternoon watching him. Good times; I learned a lot. I kept my mouth shut, and my eyes and mind open.
Any simple setup on my CNC, just in program, model, CAM Etc.. Is at least an hour min. You're in $100 before I've even touched the job. Sometimes I do jobs at cost that interest me or are for a local guy or maker who needs little tidbit that isn't too involved but then you get those guys who bring you some simple looking part that's actually 5 ops and expect it for $50. Thing is it probably IS a $50 part but unless I'm running off 1000 of them I can't do it.
I'm a journeyman welder in Alberta Canada and one of the first things they teach you when you are in school is you cannot weld any suspension parts unless it is engineered and approved by a licensed Mechanical Engineer. If you do you are liable if the unit fails and causes an accident.
Thank you. The liability issue is not stressed enough. Automotive brake and suspension modifications are risky business. The shop is supposed to "know better" than to get involved with these things.
Have to admit I enjoy seeing you doing custom automobile machining jobs, since it makes you so grumpy ;) It does show that you're genuine, which was the reason I got interested in your channel in the first place, I wish you good luck with the project.
So few understand that you aren't paying the big bucks because of time, but for the schooling and the time it spent to learn all that, along with tools like you said. The job I had while in university asked if I'd come work for them as an engineer after I get my P.eng (since they had no engineers) for good pay. I asked what was good pay and they said 24$/h. That may seem good, but the range for just out of school engineers who don't have p.eng make 18 to 26 $/h with p.eng jumping to over 30.
Adam, as a hobby machinist, using very small scale machinery, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see you having trouble parting off too! Keep up the good work man.
Adam, In the future an easy way to set up where the caliper goes on the rotor is to put a Schroeder valve in the caliper, then after the rotor is installed on the spindle all you do is put the caliper where you want it on the rotor an hit it with some air. The then you can tap the caliper to center it up on the rotor and align it where it needs to go. Basically your using the caliper as its own clamp. Don't forget to put some pads in it or the same size wood blocks on either side. Then all you have to do is build the mounts to the caliper.
I am sure glad you and yours are ok. I can now see a big difference in your carriage my friend ! Lookin good fella ! At a point in my youth I ran a big shaft/roller grinder in a kraft pulp mill in Mackenzie BC. It was great doing the 22 in rollers.Soooo many years ago but the lathe looked very much like your big old Monarc. LOL on the 30 min for the VW work. That breaks me and you I am sure up. These one off jobs are the best to do but folks have to understand and appreciate what is involved.Just like yer dad said. You want to play You pay or you don't get your pieces, , , SIMPLE ENOUGH EH ! THAT IS ONE SWEET CALCULATOR FOR CONVERTING.! It is always a pleasure when you post. Many thanks fella !
Adam, Those of us with smaller lathes have the parting difficulties all the time. I have my tool mounted upside down in the front tool post and run it backwards for parting but even this doesn't seem to work for larger pieces and I end up using the power hacksaw. I have tried faster slower HSS carbide inserts locking saddle, tightening cross slide gibbs so they are almost locked, above center, below center, positive grind, negative grind and eating all my vegies but the chatter keeps a coming back! Keep safe. Mike
Hi Adam .... I wanted to thank you for the heads up on Kyle and R & R Buildings. With such high praise from you, I checked him out. Glad I did... I watched a couple of videos and sub'd. He is every bit the craftsman as you and thanks for another good SNS. .... Russ
Hi Adam! I’m glad to see you AND your shop are still there, and not blown all the way to Tucumcari, NM! Anyway, just tell whiny customers, “I can do it right, or I can do it right now, but not both” I’ve found this applies just as much to job shop machining as it does to computer programming. People forget that just because professionals make it look easy, doesn’t mean it IS easy. Just think of how much time and effort it takes to win an Olympic gold, or the Super Bowl, or an M.D. degree, or a Nobel prize! That’s why I don’t mind taking my pick-em-up truck to the shop, and paying them to fix whatever; on the other hand, for that price, I expect them to do the job right; if it takes an extra 30 minutes to check the oil seals, then I’ll wait the extra 30 minutes in the waiting room; but those oil seals better not leak! Anyway, do you know if Keith Fenner is okay? Did the Hurricane affect him (or his shop)? I’d hate to see anything happen to any of my RUclips machinists!! You just keep doing good work at a fair price, and don’t let (internet) trolls get you down. There’s always one (or 2) idiots who just have to complain, just to hear themselves speak.
The pulp and paper mill I worked in on Vancouver Island when I was a callow youth had a full set of shops. The entry level job for the machine shop was the roll grinderman. He had a lathe with what amounted to a tool post grinder and the idea was to grind the roller smooth. I don't know how often this had to happen but he seemed pretty busy. The rolls were for a newsprint machine and for a craft paper machine. The newsprint machine made a 24 foot wide sheet so the rolls were a bit longer than that.
Man Adam you explained that job cost to the T and you are right that most people just don't know or understand the cost an TIME that goes into a job Like that, I'm a welder fabricator an people just think your trying to rob them ! I got burned 1 time on a job, Got stuck with the cost of the material, so from then on the customer has to supply the material or $cash$ upfront.
Hi Adam , glad your safe and sound .... watched the weather from over here in the 🇬🇧... I’m a one man operation doing veteran and vintage bike and car parts made me smile when you were “discussing” the rates that need to be charged .... my take on it is quote for the work give the customer the choice and from my experience the work finds it way into the shop . Cheers Robert PARTSMADE
Hey Adom great job on vw project, I notice that I didn't see the grease seal in the mix it appears that the inner bearing bushing you make should also combine a seal wear land depending on the id of the seal used and be made to press on to the spindle so that the bearing is a slip fit onto the bushing. Great job love to see your ideas. Ben.
Glad you are all ok. Thoughts and prayers for those affected by the hurricane. I like the work on the bearings. I remember trying to fit a heavier duty rotor on my stock car. I was able to find a bearing after much searching. Never thought of something like that. I really liked the talk about figuring the cost of a job. I got that a lot at the welding shop. I will remember this when dealing with that on future jobs.
The cutting is usually the easy and fastest bit, correct measurment and how to setup is what takes the time and knowledge, you usually only get 1 shot or you buy another one and start again.
I'm totally with you about people wanting one off custom items. I'm a fine woodworker and I don't know how many times someone came to me asking for a one off china cabinet 'cheap'. "I saw one in the furniture store, but they wanted $3000! Can you make one for me for less?" Me, "Sure, but it'll cost $5000." Them, "Why so much? You are only making one!" Me, "That's why. Only one, while they make 1000 of them all the same in a big sophisticated factory."
Hey Adam - glad you were spared from damage. I'm at very close to ground zero where Florence hit on September 12th and it was BAD. Our area was damaged by flooding more than wind although the number of roods ripped off and trees downed was extreme. I personally was also spared thank God. "One off" work, as you stated better than I can by far, is work that should ONLY be performed by folk that know what they are doing. Anyone looking for a bargain for a one off job hasn't got a clue about what's involved for one BUT, most importantly, what a machinist has to have in their experience arsenal to efficiently pull off one off work. Yes the results may not look complicated but the operations, machines required and the knowledge needed to provide a quality result isn't found by talking to a random guy shopping for a bench grinder at Lowe's or Home Depot. You do a lot of shafting in that huge lathe and it is super interesting to view. Thanks for the se videos.
Wow Adam your looking good mate. You have lost so much weight. Glad the storm didn't affect you. It's sad how much devastation it caused with So many homes lost & gone.. love that calculator Adam where can I find one.
you are either using a very different camera lens Or you have lost a Lot of weight... good to see, this will keep you around and healthy for a bit longer.
I write software for a living. I'll never forget some guy who was an acquaintance years ago coming up to me and asking me to write and support an insurance accounting system for him for the princely sum of $300. This is something that probably amounts to at least a man years worth of effort excluding change requests and support issues. I suggested buying something off the shelf for that price and seeing whether it fits his needs (obviously it wouldn't). I declined the request nicely and chalked the exchange up to experience and a life lesson. It's amazing how many people conveniently overlook the bigger picture.
Imagine taking a cab to the airport, the price per mile in the cab is brobably 300-500 x the price per mile for the plane. The same is with custom jobs. Cheers, love the show!
Having an automotive performance background and knowing that the rotating assembly is a larger high performance version of the original design hub/spindle design I would have opted to make larger spindles and press them into the modified spindle plate. nothing wrong with your bushing the bearings, just a different solution for a car guy that probably doesn't completely understand the dynamics of where he is headed, right along with the lack of understanding the cost of custom 1 off parts fabrication. still good stuff and enjoy the machine work and precision
paul iossi Agree... new spindle shafts to fit bearings/hub length. Spacers are wrong way to accomplish this. When I did VW brake and hub enlargements we also upgraded with matching hub carriers. .... Stronger and easy to service at any time in the future.
No matter how good the weld I'd never be happy with a brake caliper attached to anything but the original mounts. A new hub carrier designed with all the right attachment and pickup points would always be a better option. The best option being a Porsche to attach the Porsche bits to and leave the antique with the VW bits designed for it.
Part of being a "Job Shop" is some critical thinking, In this case you have to ask: 1) Are we trying to stop a Semitrailer (a.k.a. 18 wheeler) weighting in about 80,000 lb's plus (36287.39 kg) or are we just trying to stop a VW Bug? Now I know your a lot smarter then me, but I don't care how much you play with the math, including Einsteins "E=MC2" relating to the weight of the VW bug. "No matter how good the weld," in this case what is known as "Farm Welding" (just your average Joe who can keep an arc going) would be sufficient enough, just as a starting point. The better the welder, the more confidante of the end product. Now if you were trying to stop a Semitrailer (a.k.a. 18 wheeler) that's where X-RAYING your welds would come into play. Bet you didn't know that welds are sometimes X-RAYED, depending on the job at hand. "A new hub carrier designed with all the right attachment and pickup points would always be a better option." Earth to Martin, their's no such animal in this case.
You nor Adam do not know the parent material or any heat treatment it has had, so any welding may degrade the original component. The extra loads imposed may cause premature catastrophic failure It's modifications like this, no matter how good intentioned that kill people.
Parent material???????? That's why you do a grind{ing}-test. Heat treatment????? On the backing plate????? I'll bet without knowing, at best its just dropped forged. On the spindle itself, no question its heat treated. Remember what your Mom should have told you, don't take a chance, keep it in your pants.
Martin E Well Martin I believe that attitude is a bit comical when applied to VW group. As they have never lied to the public right? No OEM has ever made a mistake or recalled a product right? I suggest you look at things like this; all things can fail, All people make errors, and all men lie. With the bar set in this position what else is odd here? Why is the hub aluminum? A material that has cyclic limits, ultimate properties affected by heat, and is hollow to boot. Even with all those deficiencies it seems to not fail. My bet is a dye penetrant inspection will show that part cracked, and we are not up in arms about that, so is the caliper ear that scary?
Wouldn’t the sleeve work better installed from the others side this way it’s on the load side and when preload is set it won’t change any? Oh and glad to see your ok
If we didn't trust you, we wouldn't watch the channel! Congratulations ED Hendrickson! Tom Knopp is good people. Time=money. The burden rate, per hour, charged by the machine shop has to pay the machinist, pay the shop overhead such as utilities, insurance, employee benefits, pays for consumables, tooling and machine tool repairs/replacement, and that is just what I can think of off the top of my head. Great machining!
I've been watching you and the duckman for some time now. Glad to see you two collaborating on a project. I saw that the hurricane was missing you guys, but am glad to hear all is well Regards, Solomon.
That storm on the radar looked so huge that I was sure Pensacola would get something. That's amazing that there was nothing but that's good for you. The pictures of Mexico beach are staggering. What is really weird is that the wind and water seemed to take a lot of the wreckage away so the houses are just GONE. I figured even if it did hit you the Monarch and K &T and shaper would be right where you left them!
Impeccable work as always, but in my opinion you pressed the sleeves in from the wrong side, they should have been pressed in from the outside of the bearing, so that it is caught by the anti rotation washer and the spindle nut, and cannot come out under any circumstances . By the way, this is the solution, to a problem I foresee having down the road. Keep up the great work.
I like to see all your project, but this is something I can imagine doing in my small home shop. Amazing you have problems parting off sometimes, it a constant battle on my tiny lathe. Thanks Adam best regards Chris.
One question in case they need replacement he would be unable to find the same sleave you did... So.. In case of emergency this may pose as a problem? Wouldn't it be better to be mounted for ever on the arm (the part attached to the car) and keep them un pressed, so incase you need a new paring to just visit any store that has auto parts? Instead of needing to un press the sleeve from the old bearing and so forth? I am looking forward for your response 😊
Good to hear your safe! We have a condo and uncles house down in panama city beach, and got lucky either didnt get destroyed, both a mile from the beach. Man it was rough down there. Also finally ordered a shirt! Been meaning to for a while to help support!
Have been thinking of you with the awful weather - glad you were OK. This looks a pretty complex and time consuming project. I've had that part-off problem before - and had to go super slow.
Hi Adam re brakes job. I live on Vancouver Island BC Canada and had a chat with a couple of friends who run jobber shops. They said (remember this is BC Canada) they wouldn't touch a mod like that for all the tea in China - not even for free. If anything went wrong and it could be blamed on brakes they would be sued for everything. Having said that both have done brake mods to their own vehicles with no problems. Your comments re time and charges are right on. Rod
I wonder if there's bearings available to fit the two together, I kind of recall something like that at one point when we were playing with vw's for rail buggies. it wasn't yesterday though, so I could be way wrong :))
I had my older Booth Machine Shop shirt on over the weekend. I am hoping to maybe make the Heart of the Land event. I was already looking at being in the Dallas area that week to visit a friend, so hoping everything works out.
Was there a reason you pressed bushings into the bearings instead of onto the spindles? I would have thought it would be a lot less complicated in the future if the bearings ever need replaced. I can see someone tossing the old bearings and not pulling those bushings out for the new ones.
Machine the sleeves to be a slip on the bearing but press onto the spindle. That maintains the original fit, form, and finish of the design without adding the possibility of damaging the sleeves during routine maintenance. I'm curious if there's another consideration I'm unaware of.
Do you have no security concerns to do this kind of modifications on parts of the brake system? Here in germany it would be highly illegal to drive a car on the road(Outside from private property) with thtis kind of modifications. I do not mean the sleeves for the bearings. It is more about the mounting holes for the brake calipers. All parts of the brake system are security relevant. I would not trust a widen hole and some welded on metal to stand the massive forces when i hit the brake.
On a FolksVagen? I know der TUF is strict but really? He's putting Porche brakes on a VW bug! Not going on the Autobahn... If der TUF saw what *I* did to my '66 beetle they'd shiesse!
I'm from the UK, and although we don't have the same level of control on homologation/certification by a government body as Germany, but any safety critical item would certainly be inspected during the annual vehicle inspection for vehicles 3 years old. It is known as a M.O.T, (Ministry of Transport), and any modifications would fail this test. Vehicle modifications in the USA can be very scary and not at all safe, which considering the very high safety level of design for their market by all manufacturers, is negated by individuals. American driving is mainly straight roads at a maximum of 75 mph ( 120 kph), with slow corner speeds, obviously Germany needs to have very strict control standards for vehicles (PKW) to utilise the full potential of both vehicles and roads.
Man that´s the USA style, they do not care about that stuff, like we do. As a machinist, Adam simply does what he was asked to do and that´s propably it. Of course welding on the steel casting may have good quality, but the complete suspension links aren´t made for the resulting braking forces.
Well you may have some misconceptions regarding vehicle modifications in the USA. Some can be poor but most of us know what we're doing. *I* for example have two Mechanical Engineering Degrees. I have three cars that will go well over 135 mph and have no issues at 90 or so in the rain. And cornering is no problem with upgraded tires. Half Million miles with no mishaps...
welding a support onto cast iron, in a critical braking system, to attach what looks like an over sized break caliper that will exert more stresses on that casting than it was even designed for un-modifyed. sounds like a terrible idea. I'm no car expert though.
Customer says "What do you mean it's $200!? It only took you 15 minutes to fix that!" Professional says "You're not paying for how much work I did. It's that I knew what to do."
Hi Adam, your Machinery's Handbook giveaway is one of the coolest I've seen. I have a copy of the 21st edition I picked up at a used book store for $5 (it was 1/2 price day) about 10 years ago. Whoever A.C.Speer was, he owned it before me and I use it all the time!
I wondering how the seal is going to work. I know you haven't shown the completed modifications yet. Did you make a sleeve for the sealing surface to make it fit the inside of the seal? The Porsche seal has an inside diameter that is bigger than the VW one.
Asked the same question. It could be sleeved but, it's sometimes possible to find the part that'll fit that's meant for another vehicle. A seal with a larger OD with the smaller ID to fit that spindle might already exist.
High skill doesn’t come cheap, us Engineers that do manual repair work /make custom parts, know your worth. This stuff takes yrs and yrs to master. It may look easy but it ain’t. Keep up the great work you do.
There is a good reason the the spindles those discs fit to are a lot large that I suspect is lost on the guy who wants the job done. And metric imperial conversions is inviting a world of trouble, we converted to Metric in Aus when I was an apprentice mechanic so I had to juggle both for some years, it took some time to realise that the only way to avoid mistakes and hassle was to simply use one or the other and never convert. Converting adds complexity to what is a simply task and doing that is inviting error. If its metric parts and you have imperial machines then just measure the part with imperial measuring devices and don't even think about metrics. conversely if the parts are imperial and you have metric machines then measure the parts with metric tools and don't even think about imperial.
Agree on the calliper replacement. It is entirely possible to go overboard with brake "upgrades". Fitting brakes intended for a vehicle of much greater mass to a light vehicle will result in the brakes never reaching optimal operation temperature and much like a selecting and dressing a grinding wheel it is important that the pads are constantly shedding material to expose fresh friction material.
Good point, the best thing when machining is to work in the measurement system your part is, and do no conversion. Think metric or think imperial. If you're used to both systems, it becomes second nature and you do it easily. Imperial is dying hard, but it will eventually, it's obvious. It's best to get used to it and be proficient. No brainer.
Aside from having to have 2 sets of tools for a while as a mechanic the main agony was doing conversions because we just didn't realise that was a good way to make life hard, it seemed intuitive to convert to a scale you are more familiar with but after some years we finally saw the error in doing that and from that point on using Metric was a snap once we just forgot about imperial and stopped using conversions.
You inspired me with that mm to inch converter calculator, research could not find it so I looked and found a free app for the android phone with no ads for other viewers it is a great solution too. Keep up the great work I am learning a lot from your talent of showing us different ways..
Adam, I'm sure you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it. What is the green cutting oil you brush on from the tipproof container? I assume it is your preferred general purpose cutting oil. thanks in advance. --Jerry
I remember an old story from a newsprint mill near where I live. A machinist/operator had started work there after finishing school and worked there till retirement. He new the production line like the back of his hand and could fix any breakdown that occurred. After his retirement there was a problem with the system and none of the workers there could identify the problem which was costing the company expensive down time. Someone suggested they get "Old Bill" back to see if he could fix it. After half an hour he identified that a $5 seal was the problem and got the system back up and running. He then invoiced the company for $2000 for the repairs. The Production Manager was shocked at the price for the fix and queried the bill as the part was only $5. "Old Bill" sent a new itemized invoice; Replacing broken part - $5. Knowing what and how to repair production line - $1995.
Thank you for all your great content, looking forward to every single video always!
As long as he not starting to hustle other people's welding carts... 😋
Checking your headstock bearings would be a really good series to watch I for one would be watching with great interest Pleased to hear you faired well in the storms We here in the UK are getting our fair share of Atlantic storms right at this moment You take care Matey Pete (UK)
I just found this channel , I subscribed quickly as it didnt take very long in watching 1 episode to see the very high knowledge, integrity and excellent work ethic shown in this shop . The explanations of the tools , the work to be performed including the lathes , the equipment , and use thereof , is of a very high caliber individual and extremely capable machinist . The explanation of the depth mic squeek for example shows the attention to detail for the viewers . I am a 45 year auto shop mechanic tech , old school and new , I am in total agreement on the cost of ALL work , let alone the custom jobs such as the Porsche hubs / spindle modification being performed here . Yeah customers think it should be free ... almost . Your look8ng at an honest man on this channel . Very happy to have found this channel
Lord preach about people not understanding the amount of time it takes to do something, especially if it's a one-off thing I do a lot of Custom Fabrication and race car work over in Fort Walton Beach and sometimes people just don't understand that it can take up to 7 hours just to build a bracket system to hold something
Build new spindle shafts .. No spacers is safer and better to service in the future. To adapt a different caliper never weld on a hub carrier, build an adapter plate that bolts to the existing holes, and provides new holes at correct spacing and offset for the new caliper. Hub carriers are heat treated to a specific balance of hardness and tough ductility. Welding will disturb that. It might be cheaper to get proper caliper mounts from Stop-Tech, Brembo, or any other of the aftermarket brake builders.
Spot on comment and analysis.
Right on point whith NOT welding to the hub, way to much LIABILITY there,
If it gets in a wreck an someone sees a custom made part that failed O-boy the lawsuit can reach far an wide !!!
I was a little worried about that myself, but I have limited welding experience and zero cast iron experience. Maybe mill off the bolt bosses and the c b performance logo area? You'd have enough room for a steel bracket w/3 solid mount points.
Good comments, you will also uppgrade spindle strenght to match bearing sizes, assuming you have enough "meat" in the hub carrier
Thank God, and prayers for those that where in the path. Glad to hear that you and your family are well.
You explained the custom work perfectly... i work at a custom automotive shop and people always think its an1 hour worth of work but in reality its a couple days of work and people are always shocked at the time and money it takes to do something custom...
Glad to know you and your property are ok.
You are the most pleasant low key u tube hustler alive. It obviously comes to you naturally. If there are any Alaskans that need ice next winter you would be the guy to convince them that buying it from you is a much better idea than just walking out the door and filling a bucket with natures ice, for free. You da man!
Glad you, your family and shop are safe. Can't imagine what it's like to live in a hurricane region.
SNS. The highlight of my Saturday night. Glad you didn’t suffer any storm damage. Cheers from the UK.
@ 19:30 man, in our shop, I repeat it like a mantra...it's the hardest part of our job. Help people understand what mean to make a single stuff rather than a million. Thanks for sharing, you are not alone. 👍
Damn, Adam! You're looking great my man! Can really see it in your face. Love your work, it always warms my heart.
Nice work, Adam. In the past I have done the pressing the opposite. The bushing presses to the spindle and if any damage occurs from a bearing seizure then the bushing gets damaged, can be removed and remade. In this case, if the bearing wears out, then you have the extra time and effort of pressing the sleeve out and repressing in a new bearing. Six-of-one, Half-dozen of the other. Either way, Great work!! Glad you're safe from the storm as well. My oldest sister is in Lynn Haven. Fortunately they are all OK and the house didn't suffer any major damage, but, I may actually be wintering over in Lynn Haven this winter.. Beats the HELL out of -40 up here in NY around February!!
When I see your videos I get a great feeling. It's awesome to see someone who takes pride in their work, specializes in their trade, and works hard. There's no replacement for the old school hard working person. Some guys focus so much on trying to 'work smarter' that they forget to also work hard. Sometimes hard work and determination is all you need. No secret shortcuts. Just hard work. Thank you and great work.
Adam, you are exactly correct about charging. A lot of that charge is based on your vast knowledge of the planning, processing and problem solving, just to list a few items. My neighbor, who was a small engine mechanic in his retirement, used to say "that's one dollar for hittin' it, and nine dollars for knowin' where to hit it". He always got small engines to start in no more than 2 pulls of the starter rope. What made him worth the price, was his knowledge and ability. He worked out of his back yard. I spent many an afternoon watching him. Good times; I learned a lot. I kept my mouth shut, and my eyes and mind open.
Great explanation about time, costs etc. I am an electrical contractor and customers never expect to pay for the time it takes to do odd tasks.
Any simple setup on my CNC, just in program, model, CAM Etc.. Is at least an hour min. You're in $100 before I've even touched the job. Sometimes I do jobs at cost that interest me or are for a local guy or maker who needs little tidbit that isn't too involved but then you get those guys who bring you some simple looking part that's actually 5 ops and expect it for $50. Thing is it probably IS a $50 part but unless I'm running off 1000 of them I can't do it.
Damn Adam, you're looking thinner and healthier with each new video.
I'm a journeyman welder in Alberta Canada and one of the first things they teach you when you are in school is you cannot weld any suspension parts unless it is engineered and approved by a licensed Mechanical Engineer. If you do you are liable if the unit fails and causes an accident.
Thank you. The liability issue is not stressed enough. Automotive brake and suspension modifications are risky business. The shop is supposed to "know better" than to get involved with these things.
Have to admit I enjoy seeing you doing custom automobile machining jobs, since it makes you so grumpy ;)
It does show that you're genuine, which was the reason I got interested in your channel in the first place, I wish you good luck with the project.
Great to hear you survived unscathed, Adam! Hope to see you this winter!
Rich
So few understand that you aren't paying the big bucks because of time, but for the schooling and the time it spent to learn all that, along with tools like you said. The job I had while in university asked if I'd come work for them as an engineer after I get my P.eng (since they had no engineers) for good pay. I asked what was good pay and they said 24$/h. That may seem good, but the range for just out of school engineers who don't have p.eng make 18 to 26 $/h with p.eng jumping to over 30.
Adam, as a hobby machinist, using very small scale machinery, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see you having trouble parting off too! Keep up the good work man.
Adam,
In the future an easy way to set up where the caliper goes on the rotor is to put a Schroeder valve in the caliper, then after the rotor is installed on the spindle all you do is put the caliper where you want it on the rotor an hit it with some air. The then you can tap the caliper to center it up on the rotor and align it where it needs to go. Basically your using the caliper as its own clamp. Don't forget to put some pads in it or the same size wood blocks on either side. Then all you have to do is build the mounts to the caliper.
I am sure glad you and yours are ok. I can now see a big difference in your carriage my friend ! Lookin good fella ! At a point in my youth I ran a big shaft/roller grinder in a kraft pulp mill in Mackenzie BC. It was great doing the 22 in rollers.Soooo many years ago but the lathe looked very much like your big old Monarc. LOL on the 30 min for the VW work. That breaks me and you I am sure up. These one off jobs are the best to do but folks have to understand and appreciate what is involved.Just like yer dad said. You want to play You pay or you don't get your pieces, , , SIMPLE ENOUGH EH ! THAT IS ONE SWEET CALCULATOR FOR CONVERTING.! It is always a pleasure when you post. Many thanks fella !
Adam,
Those of us with smaller lathes have the parting difficulties all the time. I have my tool mounted upside down in the front tool post and run it backwards for parting but even this doesn't seem to work for larger pieces and I end up using the power hacksaw. I have tried faster slower HSS carbide inserts locking saddle, tightening cross slide gibbs so they are almost locked, above center, below center, positive grind, negative grind and eating all my vegies but the chatter keeps a coming back!
Keep safe.
Mike
But have you been drinking your ovaltine?
John,
That'l be my problem I don't like the stuff and I prefer English marmite to vegemite!
Mike
Glad yall did good and you can really see the loss. Good job!
You should look into pressing out the vw spindle and modify the Porsche spindle and or vw bracket.
Hi Adam .... I wanted to thank you for the heads up on Kyle and R & R Buildings. With such high praise from you, I checked him out. Glad I did... I watched a couple of videos and sub'd. He is every bit the craftsman as you and thanks for another good SNS. .... Russ
Great guy! He’s the one who built Jimmy Diresta’s new shop. 👍🏻
Hi Adam! I’m glad to see you AND your shop are still there, and not blown all the way to Tucumcari, NM! Anyway, just tell whiny customers, “I can do it right, or I can do it right now, but not both” I’ve found this applies just as much to job shop machining as it does to computer programming. People forget that just because professionals make it look easy, doesn’t mean it IS easy. Just think of how much time and effort it takes to win an Olympic gold, or the Super Bowl, or an M.D. degree, or a Nobel prize! That’s why I don’t mind taking my pick-em-up truck to the shop, and paying them to fix whatever; on the other hand, for that price, I expect them to do the job right; if it takes an extra 30 minutes to check the oil seals, then I’ll wait the extra 30 minutes in the waiting room; but those oil seals better not leak!
Anyway, do you know if Keith Fenner is okay? Did the Hurricane affect him (or his shop)? I’d hate to see anything happen to any of my RUclips machinists!! You just keep doing good work at a fair price, and don’t let (internet) trolls get you down. There’s always one (or 2) idiots who just have to complain, just to hear themselves speak.
My large motor for my Milwaukee Mag Drill came from Warren Jones. A solid guy. Very nice of him to take care of the community
Really starting to see that weight loss in your face Adam. Way to go!
Love your videos You are so right about the cost of work and how people can`t seem to understand it.
The pulp and paper mill I worked in on Vancouver Island when I was a callow youth had a full set of shops. The entry level job for the machine shop was the roll grinderman. He had a lathe with what amounted to a tool post grinder and the idea was to grind the roller smooth. I don't know how often this had to happen but he seemed pretty busy. The rolls were for a newsprint machine and for a craft paper machine. The newsprint machine made a 24 foot wide sheet so the rolls were a bit longer than that.
Man Adam you explained that job cost to the T and you are right that most people just don't know or understand the cost an TIME that goes into a job
Like that, I'm a welder fabricator an people just think your trying to rob them ! I got burned 1 time on a job,
Got stuck with the cost of the material, so from then on the customer has to supply the material or $cash$ upfront.
Hi Adam , glad your safe and sound .... watched the weather from over here in the 🇬🇧... I’m a one man operation doing veteran and vintage bike and car parts made me smile when you were “discussing” the rates that need to be charged .... my take on it is quote for the work give the customer the choice and from my experience the work finds it way into the shop .
Cheers
Robert
PARTSMADE
Hey Adom great job on vw project, I notice that I didn't see the grease seal in the mix it appears that the inner bearing bushing you make should also combine a seal wear land depending on the id of the seal used and be made to press on to the spindle so that the bearing is a slip fit onto the bushing. Great job love to see your ideas. Ben.
Glad you are all ok. Thoughts and prayers for those affected by the hurricane. I like the work on the bearings. I remember trying to fit a heavier duty rotor on my stock car. I was able to find a bearing after much searching. Never thought of something like that. I really liked the talk about figuring the cost of a job. I got that a lot at the welding shop. I will remember this when dealing with that on future jobs.
CLASSIC! Time and Material! I did that years ago in the Pipefitters union; $5 in fittings and $125 to know how to use the fittings. Love it!
The cutting is usually the easy and fastest bit, correct measurment and how to setup is what takes the time and knowledge, you usually only get 1 shot or you buy another one and start again.
I'm totally with you about people wanting one off custom items. I'm a fine woodworker and I don't know how many times someone came to me asking for a one off china cabinet 'cheap'. "I saw one in the furniture store, but they wanted $3000! Can you make one for me for less?" Me, "Sure, but it'll cost $5000." Them, "Why so much? You are only making one!" Me, "That's why. Only one, while they make 1000 of them all the same in a big sophisticated factory."
Hey Adam - glad you were spared from damage. I'm at very close to ground zero where Florence hit on September 12th and it was BAD. Our area was damaged by flooding more than wind although the number of roods ripped off and trees downed was extreme. I personally was also spared thank God.
"One off" work, as you stated better than I can by far, is work that should ONLY be performed by folk that know what they are doing. Anyone looking for a bargain for a one off job hasn't got a clue about what's involved for one BUT, most importantly, what a machinist has to have in their experience arsenal to efficiently pull off one off work. Yes the results may not look complicated but the operations, machines required and the knowledge needed to provide a quality result isn't found by talking to a random guy shopping for a bench grinder at Lowe's or Home Depot.
You do a lot of shafting in that huge lathe and it is super interesting to view. Thanks for the se videos.
Should the inner race of the wheel bearings be a press fit on the stub axle?
Wow Adam your looking good mate. You have lost so much weight. Glad the storm didn't affect you. It's sad how much devastation it caused with So many homes lost & gone.. love that calculator Adam where can I find one.
I uses a digital caliper for MM conversions a lot of time. :)
I work in a custom cabinet shop so I completely understand where you’re coming from.
Great example of what perceived value is VS Reality when it comes to custom work 👍
Glad to hear that you and yours came through okay Adam, we were praying for you and everyone in it's path!
Ii wanna see a Cockford Ollie sticker on that cabinet.... AvE get on it sir.
Set up is what costs in custom work good to see you and the shop are ok
Well said Adam, about the time and effort it takes to complete any custom work
Well said regarding the custom work. How many times do you hear 'can you do this little job for me?' Custom jobs are very rarely easy, little jobs!
Was glad to see your SNS post come up and hear you had not received any damage.
Can't wait til Fabtech!! Looking forward to seeing you again!
The piece on custom mod costs was beautifully presented Adam. Love your work.
you are either using a very different camera lens Or you have lost a Lot of weight... good to see, this will keep you around and healthy for a bit longer.
I have the same issue with my lathe parting off. Its very frustrating and slow. Sometimes breaks parting tools too.
Colin Riley have you tried thinner parting blades /tips, I normally use 3mm tips which are fine but sometimes a 2mm blade/tip is needed.
Hey Adam.......Glad you guys are ok after the terrific hurricane. Enjoy watching the channel!!!!!!
I'm 14 years old and I love this stuff
Right on owen dyer!
Glad to hear it!
I'm here hoping you remember to incorporate a fit for the lip seal on the bigger bushing
I write software for a living. I'll never forget some guy who was an acquaintance years ago coming up to me and asking me to write and support an insurance accounting system for him for the princely sum of $300. This is something that probably amounts to at least a man years worth of effort excluding change requests and support issues. I suggested buying something off the shelf for that price and seeing whether it fits his needs (obviously it wouldn't). I declined the request nicely and chalked the exchange up to experience and a life lesson. It's amazing how many people conveniently overlook the bigger picture.
Wo wo wo brother! Looking good! You are shedding those pounds!
Imagine taking a cab to the airport, the price per mile in the cab is brobably 300-500 x the price per mile for the plane. The same is with custom jobs. Cheers, love the show!
Having an automotive performance background and knowing that the rotating assembly is a larger high performance version of the original design hub/spindle design I would have opted to make larger spindles and press them into the modified spindle plate. nothing wrong with your bushing the bearings, just a different solution for a car guy that probably doesn't completely understand the dynamics of where he is headed, right along with the lack of understanding the cost of custom 1 off parts fabrication. still good stuff and enjoy the machine work and precision
paul iossi Agree... new spindle shafts to fit bearings/hub length. Spacers are wrong way to accomplish this. When I did VW brake and hub enlargements we also upgraded with matching hub carriers. .... Stronger and easy to service at any time in the future.
No matter how good the weld I'd never be happy with a brake caliper attached to anything but the original mounts. A new hub carrier designed with all the right attachment and pickup points would always be a better option. The best option being a Porsche to attach the Porsche bits to and leave the antique with the VW bits designed for it.
Part of being a "Job Shop" is some critical thinking, In this case you have to ask: 1) Are we trying to stop a Semitrailer (a.k.a. 18 wheeler) weighting in about 80,000 lb's plus (36287.39 kg) or are we just trying to stop a VW Bug? Now I know your a lot smarter then me, but I don't care how much you play with the math, including Einsteins "E=MC2" relating to the weight of the VW bug. "No matter how good the weld," in this case what is known as "Farm Welding" (just your average Joe who can keep an arc going) would be sufficient enough, just as a starting point. The better the welder, the more confidante of the end product. Now if you were trying to stop a Semitrailer (a.k.a. 18 wheeler) that's where X-RAYING your welds would come into play. Bet you didn't know that welds are sometimes X-RAYED, depending on the job at hand. "A new hub carrier designed with all the right attachment and pickup points would always be a better option." Earth to Martin, their's no such animal in this case.
You nor Adam do not know the parent material or any heat treatment it has had, so any welding may degrade the original component. The extra loads imposed may cause premature catastrophic failure It's modifications like this, no matter how good intentioned that kill people.
Parent material???????? That's why you do a grind{ing}-test. Heat treatment????? On the backing plate????? I'll bet without knowing, at best its just dropped forged. On the spindle itself, no question its heat treated. Remember what your Mom should have told you, don't take a chance, keep it in your pants.
Martin E
Well Martin I believe that attitude is a bit comical when applied to VW group. As they have never lied to the public right? No OEM has ever made a mistake or recalled a product right? I suggest you look at things like this; all things can fail, All people make errors, and all men lie. With the bar set in this position what else is odd here?
Why is the hub aluminum? A material that has cyclic limits, ultimate properties affected by heat, and is hollow to boot. Even with all those deficiencies it seems to not fail. My bet is a dye penetrant inspection will show that part cracked, and we are not up in arms about that, so is the caliper ear that scary?
Wouldn’t the sleeve work better installed from the others side this way it’s on the load side and when preload is set it won’t change any? Oh and glad to see your ok
If we didn't trust you, we wouldn't watch the channel! Congratulations ED Hendrickson! Tom Knopp is good people. Time=money. The burden rate, per hour, charged by the machine shop has to pay the machinist, pay the shop overhead such as utilities, insurance, employee benefits, pays for consumables, tooling and machine tool repairs/replacement, and that is just what I can think of off the top of my head. Great machining!
I've been watching you and the duckman for some time now. Glad to see you two collaborating on a project. I saw that the hurricane was missing you guys, but am glad to hear all is well Regards, Solomon.
That storm on the radar looked so huge that I was sure Pensacola would get something. That's amazing that there was nothing but that's good for you. The pictures of Mexico beach are staggering. What is really weird is that the wind and water seemed to take a lot of the wreckage away so the houses are just GONE. I figured even if it did hit you the Monarch and K &T and shaper would be right where you left them!
We were right on the outside edge, very little wind and rain.
I fully agree. Just work a piece of cheap steel long enough to have the value of gold.
Impeccable work as always, but in my opinion you pressed the sleeves in from the wrong side, they should have been pressed in from the outside of the bearing, so that it is caught by the anti rotation washer and the spindle nut, and cannot come out under any circumstances . By the way, this is the solution, to a problem I foresee having down the road. Keep up the great work.
Those sleeves will never come out
I like to see all your project, but this is something I can imagine doing in my small home shop. Amazing you have problems parting off sometimes, it a constant battle on my tiny lathe. Thanks Adam best regards Chris.
AllTheGearNoIdea Haha the struggle is real for everyone. No need to hide mistakes! Embrace them to learn.
One question in case they need replacement he would be unable to find the same sleave you did... So.. In case of emergency this may pose as a problem? Wouldn't it be better to be mounted for ever on the arm (the part attached to the car) and keep them un pressed, so incase you need a new paring to just visit any store that has auto parts? Instead of needing to un press the sleeve from the old bearing and so forth? I am looking forward for your response 😊
Good to hear everything is well at your place, we were thinking of you and hoping you were OK.
Good to hear your safe! We have a condo and uncles house down in panama city beach, and got lucky either didnt get destroyed, both a mile from the beach. Man it was rough down there. Also finally ordered a shirt! Been meaning to for a while to help support!
Don't know what diet you are on, but it's working very well!! Looking good! We can see the weight just melting off weekly.
just was thinking the same
Yes Adam were is the other half of you looking amazing man!
Have been thinking of you with the awful weather - glad you were OK.
This looks a pretty complex and time consuming project.
I've had that part-off problem before - and had to go super slow.
Hi Adam re brakes job. I live on Vancouver Island BC Canada and had a chat with a couple of friends who run jobber shops. They said (remember this is BC Canada) they wouldn't touch a mod like that for all the tea in China - not even for free. If anything went wrong and it could be blamed on brakes they would be sued for everything. Having said that both have done brake mods to their own vehicles with no problems. Your comments re time and charges are right on. Rod
I wonder if there's bearings available to fit the two together, I kind of recall something like that at one point when we were playing with vw's for rail buggies. it wasn't yesterday though, so I could be way wrong :))
Glad to see your post was worried about the weather 🙏🙏🙏🙏
I had my older Booth Machine Shop shirt on over the weekend. I am hoping to maybe make the Heart of the Land event. I was already looking at being in the Dallas area that week to visit a friend, so hoping everything works out.
Was there a reason you pressed bushings into the bearings instead of onto the spindles? I would have thought it would be a lot less complicated in the future if the bearings ever need replaced. I can see someone tossing the old bearings and not pulling those bushings out for the new ones.
Machine the sleeves to be a slip on the bearing but press onto the spindle. That maintains the original fit, form, and finish of the design without adding the possibility of damaging the sleeves during routine maintenance. I'm curious if there's another consideration I'm unaware of.
I ordered my t-shirt today. Gonna wear it with pride! Keep up the good work Adam.
Glad to hear your ok. Hurricane came kind of close.
Very close! Could have been my town
Do you have no security concerns to do this kind of modifications on parts of the brake system?
Here in germany it would be highly illegal to drive a car on the road(Outside from private property) with thtis kind of modifications.
I do not mean the sleeves for the bearings. It is more about the mounting holes for the brake calipers. All parts of the brake system are security relevant. I would not trust a widen hole and some welded on metal to stand the massive forces when i hit the brake.
On a FolksVagen? I know der TUF is strict but really? He's putting Porche brakes on a VW bug! Not going on the Autobahn... If der TUF saw what *I* did to my '66 beetle they'd shiesse!
I'm from the UK, and although we don't have the same level of control on homologation/certification by a government body as Germany, but any safety critical item would certainly be inspected during the annual vehicle inspection for vehicles 3 years old. It is known as a M.O.T, (Ministry of Transport), and any modifications would fail this test.
Vehicle modifications in the USA can be very scary and not at all safe, which considering the very high safety level of design for their market by all manufacturers, is negated by individuals.
American driving is mainly straight roads at a maximum of 75 mph ( 120 kph), with slow corner speeds, obviously Germany needs to have very strict control standards for vehicles (PKW) to utilise the full potential of both vehicles and roads.
Man that´s the USA style, they do not care about that stuff, like we do. As a machinist, Adam simply does what he was asked to do and that´s propably it.
Of course welding on the steel casting may have good quality, but the complete suspension links aren´t made for the resulting braking forces.
@@PhilG999 TUV.
Well you may have some misconceptions regarding vehicle modifications in the USA. Some can be poor but most of us know what we're doing. *I* for example have two Mechanical Engineering Degrees. I have three cars that will go well over 135 mph and have no issues at 90 or so in the rain. And cornering is no problem with upgraded tires. Half Million miles with no mishaps...
welding a support onto cast iron, in a critical braking system, to attach what looks like an over sized break caliper that will exert more stresses on that casting than it was even designed for un-modifyed. sounds like a terrible idea. I'm no car expert though.
Customer says "What do you mean it's $200!? It only took you 15 minutes to fix that!"
Professional says "You're not paying for how much work I did. It's that I knew what to do."
Except in this case its not going to be 15 minutes its going to be hours and hours
Hi Adam, your Machinery's Handbook giveaway is one of the coolest I've seen. I have a copy of the 21st edition I picked up at a used book store for $5 (it was 1/2 price day) about 10 years ago. Whoever A.C.Speer was, he owned it before me and I use it all the time!
I wondering how the seal is going to work. I know you haven't shown the completed modifications yet. Did you make a sleeve for the sealing surface to make it fit the inside of the seal? The Porsche seal has an inside diameter that is bigger than the VW one.
Asked the same question. It could be sleeved but, it's sometimes possible to find the part that'll fit that's meant for another vehicle. A seal with a larger OD with the smaller ID to fit that spindle might already exist.
I was thinking that could be a possibility. I have sold auto parts for 23 years and I don't have access to the information to find that kind of seal.
High skill doesn’t come cheap, us Engineers that do manual repair work /make custom parts, know your worth. This stuff takes yrs and yrs to master. It may look easy but it ain’t. Keep up the great work you do.
Glad to see you got through the hurricane and well done on the weight loss.
Can you not press the stub out of the hub then machine a new one?
T&M TIME AND MATERIALS. Charging yourself out fairly when your a small guy on your own is the hardest part of running a small business.
I don't know what you do with your cutters, but Ive barely seen such a nice finish after cutter passes the shaft. Amazing.
There is a good reason the the spindles those discs fit to are a lot large that I suspect is lost on the guy who wants the job done.
And metric imperial conversions is inviting a world of trouble, we converted to Metric in Aus when I was an apprentice mechanic so I had to juggle both for some years, it took some time to realise that the only way to avoid mistakes and hassle was to simply use one or the other and never convert.
Converting adds complexity to what is a simply task and doing that is inviting error.
If its metric parts and you have imperial machines then just measure the part with imperial measuring devices and don't even think about metrics. conversely if the parts are imperial and you have metric machines then measure the parts with metric tools and don't even think about imperial.
Agree on the calliper replacement. It is entirely possible to go overboard with brake "upgrades".
Fitting brakes intended for a vehicle of much greater mass to a light vehicle will result in the brakes never reaching optimal operation temperature and much like a selecting and dressing a grinding wheel it is important that the pads are constantly shedding material to expose fresh friction material.
Yes good point on the braking, there is also the potential of adding unsprung weight.
Good point, the best thing when machining is to work in the measurement system your part is, and do no conversion. Think metric or think imperial. If you're used to both systems, it becomes second nature and you do it easily. Imperial is dying hard, but it will eventually, it's obvious. It's best to get used to it and be proficient. No brainer.
Aside from having to have 2 sets of tools for a while as a mechanic the main agony was doing conversions because we just didn't realise that was a good way to make life hard, it seemed intuitive to convert to a scale you are more familiar with but after some years we finally saw the error in doing that and from that point on using Metric was a snap once we just forgot about imperial and stopped using conversions.
You inspired me with that mm to inch converter calculator, research could not find it so I looked and found a free app for the android phone with no ads for other viewers it is a great solution too. Keep up the great work I am learning a lot from your talent of showing us different ways..
Very nice!!!! Time to get some new T-shirts @Abom79 the one you are wearing is way too large!! Congraats on the weight lost!
Adam, I'm sure you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it. What is the green cutting oil you brush on from the tipproof container? I assume it is your preferred general purpose cutting oil. thanks in advance. --Jerry