Quote:
Originally Posted by dogbone
Let's file this one under: yep, old dog----new tricks!
So, you gotta understand----I grew up playing piano. I didn't do lots of hobbies and crafts. I didn't build stuff. I have never been overly handy around the house. Don't know a darn thing about electrical or plumbing. My dad didn't have tons of tools.....just the basics. I have never owned any cool shop tools. Never even really had room for any of that stuff.
But you put a guy in a big garage with a race car that needs stuff and all sorts of stuff starts to happen!
This week I took on two projects: 1. install a winch into the trailer. 2. Build new air dams for the splitter. And I'm happy to say that I'm the proud owner of a drill press and a table saw now!
The winch: The trailer already had a winch but the solenoid kept dying and Superwinch no longer sold parts. I refused to trailer to Texas without a working winch. So, I decided to get a Warn VR EVO8 winch. It's far more than I need with 8000lbs capacity. But it was the same price as a 5000lbs utility winch and included a wireless remote, and most importantly, it was in stock locally. The mounting footprint was quite a bit larger than the previous winch and now there were 4 holes instead of the 2 on the prior winch, so there was going to be a lot of drilling----all new holes into the mounting plates, all new holes in the trailer, a new support plate underneath the trailer. And the drilling had to be spot on because there wasn't much room for error. Enter the drill press!! Very excited to have this thing! The winch sits on three 1/2" thick aluminum plates with a total thickness of 1.5" to get it off the floor of the trailer. The drill press went right through that. First time in my life that I've been able to drill accurately. So happy. The install went well and now I have an awesome new winch in the trailer!
[IMG] http://www.epicscore.com/online/Warn-01.jpg[/IMG]
Air dams: I wanted to take a crack at making my own air dams with a different material than what's already on the car. When it gets warm, the current splitter material relaxes and the air dam sags. I've been wanting something a bit more stout. (I also wanted to have a full backup set in case the air dam gets damaged on track.) I had a template for the air dams. Found some garden edging on Amazon, and Chris gave me the link to some plastic material at McMaster/Carr. I've been practicing with the garden edging----saving the McMaster stuff for later. But I had no way of cutting it with any accuracy. So, I went to Lowe's and found an inexpensive portable table saw called the Bladerunner X2. This is the coolest damn tool ever. And voila! I have new air dams that look pretty darn good for a guy who has no idea what he's doing!! Of course, I have no idea if they fit because the car is at a shop at the moment.
[IMG] http://www.epicscore.com/online/BladerunnerX2-01.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG] http://www.epicscore.com/online/BladerunnerX2-02.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG] http://www.epicscore.com/online/X2-airdams-01.jpg[/IMG]
Anyway, this old dog is definitely learning new tricks! And now I'm just LOOKING for stuff to cut with my new table saw! |
Careful, this is how roastbeef started...
Serious note, can I place an order for a set of air dams?