Well I thought I would share a couple recent ideas/tools I came up with. Nothing earth shattering but, both are very handy. I started cc'ing my chambers the other night and couldn't get the right combination of block/shims to get them level (in a timely manner). I decided I needed to make some stands to hold the head so I can measure, port, modify and not have to worry about holding or repositioning. The stands allow me to rotate the head 360* and lock it in and position. I usually use air tools to do my port wrk but, decided to try an electric die grinder this time. The problem is it only had one speed (way to fast). The cure was to make a variable speed foot control. I have about $60 into the whole deal including the grinder. The head stands were made out of metal I had on hand and I spent about $7 on bolts, nuts, washers. I didn't paint the stands yet (probably never will) so, excuse that. Nothing special just thought the ideas might come in handy for some of you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001189.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001190.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001191.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001193.jpg

Nice job Royce.A simple fixture that works.Thanks for sharing your idea.Appears the honkin big intake port will see some forced induction knowing you.lol.:D

Like it....foot pedal idea is sweet:bow: Now just where did you get the parts for that? and how did you hook up the pedal?....

Inquiring minds want to know!:D

Very cool Royce!
Let us know how the Fried Turkey turns out BTW.
LOL

Nice job Royce.A simple fixture that works.Thanks for sharing your idea.Appears the honkin big intake port will see some forced induction knowing you.lol.:D

Thanks!

These heads are 230cc and going on an 8-71 blown 400ci SBC. That engine will be going into my 70 Nova. I hope to have the engine done in the next week or two.

Like it....foot pedal idea is sweet:bow: Now just where did you get the parts for that? and how did you hook up the pedal?....

Inquiring minds want to know!:D

The foot pedal cost me ~$15 if I remember right. I bought it off of e-bay. the "secret" is to search for sewing machine foot controls. If not you will get a bunch of over priced foot controls that will do the same job. You want a universal two wire control. Wiring it is simple take either leg of your 120V (hot or nuetral) run it into and out of your foot control wire up the outlet like you normally would (hot to brass, neutral to silver, ground to green). In my case I used the neutral (white) wire so I ran the wire from the wall outlet (via extension cord) into the foot control and back out to the silver screw in the outlet that the grinder plugs into, the black wire goes directly to the brass screw in the outlet and the green wire goes directly to the green screw. Make sure you used strain reliefs or cord savers to keep from damaging the wires.

I know it sounds confusing but, it's very simple if you decide to make one and need help let me know (I'll talk you through it). Originally I thought I could probably sell a few of these but, that's not my style I would rather help people out.

Very cool Royce!
Let us know how the Fried Turkey turns out BTW.
LOL

Will do, the fried turkey is the easy part, smoking the other turkey is going to be the time consuming part. I managed to get a few dishes prepared this evening and still snuck a little garage time in to finish up my head fixture :hurray:

I know it sounds confusing but, it's very simple if you decide to make one and need help let me know (I'll talk you through it). Originally I thought I could probably sell a few of these but, that's not my style I would rather help people out.

Naw...makes total sense to me....as I just happen to have an old sewing machine around....with a foot Pedal....Thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving....:beers:

I like those head stands, attaching bracket with male threads through the leg allowing free rotation, nut locks it. Good idea. Was finding center a drag?

I made a speed pot quite a few years back with an AC wall dimmer. My need was driven by needing to get a recip saw calmed down on cutting some flimsy deal. It kinda worked, and that was all I needed at the time. It's been hanging around ever since. I was kind of afraid it might burn up an electric motor, but just used it a little under very low load. A dimmer is missing some critical things for motor control iirc, but I had one on hand know what I mean. The beauty of the dimmer is you just use 12-3 Romex and push the wire in the holes, use wall boxes and AC ends for terminations. I just tried it on my variable speed Dremel and it will achieve much slower speed than the lowest setting of the Dremel but I have to set the Dremel on high and use the dimmer to crank it down. Don't keep too many sewing machine pieces around the bachelor pad and Deb would probably not understand if I went over to her place and swiped her foot feed:). But I may do that some day when she ain't watchin:D. Note to self - remember to take dikes to GF's today(oh heck yeah pun intended) note 2 to self - remember to unplug before whacking off Foot Feed :D:D.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

I like those head stands, attaching bracket with male threads through the leg allowing free rotation, nut locks it. Good idea. Was finding center a drag?

I made a speed pot quite a few years back with an AC wall dimmer. My need was driven by needing to get a recip saw calmed down on cutting some flimsy deal. It kinda worked, and that was all I needed at the time. It's been hanging around ever since. I was kind of afraid it might burn up an electric motor, but just used it a little under very low load. A dimmer is missing some critical things for motor control iirc, but I had one on hand know what I mean. The beauty of the dimmer is you just use 12-3 Romex and push the wire in the holes, use wall boxes and AC ends for terminations. I just tried it on my variable speed Dremel and it will achieve much slower speed than the lowest setting of the Dremel but I have to set the Dremel on high and use the dimmer to crank it down. Don't keep too many sewing machine pieces around the bachelor pad and Deb would probably not understand if I went over to her place and swiped her foot feed:). But I may do that some day when she ain't watchin:D. Note to self - remember to take dikes to GF's today(oh heck yeah pun intended) note 2 to self - remember to unplug before whacking off Foot Feed :D:D.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

Dimmer switch is the same idea, and will work I just wanted to be able to keth hand on the grinder especially in tight areas (near the valve seats). As long as you are not loading the motor up (applying too much pressure creating lots of drag) you aren't going to hurt the motor.

I just took center off of the hole in the end of the head. I measured over the same amount. One end of the head is different so I had to modify the plate on one end. Let me know if you want a template I can trace it out on construction paper. The studs are not centered in the head but, they are centered from one end to the other.

I had to chuckle about the part of remembering to unplug the foot pedal before cutting the wires. As a kid I was over at a friends house and we needed a cord so I decided to take a hack saw and whack the cord off of a shop light while it was still plugged in :noway:
Who would have guessed I would have grown up to make a living playing with electricity.

I like it a lot!

considering if you look at some of the stands you see in the mags, they are nothing more than a couple pieces of metal, and they want 35-45 dollars!

I'm in the process now of making my own cause' i cant see paying that kind of money for something that looks like a towel holder.

nice work...

Good work, Royce!

"White to silver, black to brass, green to ground to save your ass"!

"White to silver, black to brass, green to ground to save your ass"!

l:) way too good! its only 120.....gives you that nice tingly feeling in your arms!!

I like it a lot!

considering if you look at some of the stands you see in the mags, they are nothing more than a couple pieces of metal, and they want 35-45 dollars!

I'm in the process now of making my own cause' i cant see paying that kind of money for something that looks like a towel holder.

nice work...


Thanks. Feel free to copy the design. I used 1 1/2" tubing, I capped the ends which is not needed. The vertical tubes are 5 1/2", I drilled the hole 1" from the top (before capping the tube). The hole was 3/4" and I installed tubing in the hole for a inside diameter of 5/8". I used 5/8 fine thread bolts (2 1/2" long) which are welded to the plate that bolts to the head. Overall it was very simple and something I just whipped up real quick. I'm sure there are easier ways or even more fancy ways to get the job done. Please share your ideas if you make a set. I didn't even know they sold them and never thought to look. If you want any measurements let me know.

Good work, Royce!

"White to silver, black to brass, green to ground to save your ass"!

Thanks

Thanks. Feel free to copy the design. I used 1 1/2" tubing, I capped the ends which is not needed. The vertical tubes are 5 1/2", I drilled the hole 1" from the top (before capping the tube). The hole was 3/4" and I installed tubing in the hole for a inside diameter of 5/8". I used 5/8 fine thread bolts (2 1/2" long) which are welded to the plate that bolts to the head. Overall it was very simple and something I just whipped up real quick. I'm sure there are easier ways or even more fancy ways to get the job done. Please share your ideas if you make a set. I didn't even know they sold them and never thought to look. If you want any measurements let me know.



http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q218/merlinpro69/710-620801.jpg

Dont' know if you have seen these, but this is what i was talking about.

Almost $40 for the pair...thats why im going to make some as you did!

Thanks for all the info, when i get some made, i will post! Thanks again.

Nice Royce, Heads are looking good too!

Big Dave,
Yes, I have seen those before. If they can get $40 for those I should have no problem getting $50 for a set like mine. They probably cost me about $25 to make. I thought you saw some for sale that were similar to mine.

Jeff,
Thanks. I am just getting started on the heads. In the picture they are pretty much right out of the box. The castings are very nice. They're Dart Pro 1 Platinums. I'm just going to do a little clean up work on them. After talking to Dart they did not recommend changing the shape of the ports of valve stem bosses at all. A lot of R&D went into them and they are designed around "wet flow" so, you have to be careful when playing with the ports.

[QUOTE=camaroman7d;1111183]Big Dave,
Yes, I have seen those before. If they can get $40 for those I should have no problem getting $50 for a set like mine. They probably cost me about $25 to make. I thought you saw some for sale that were similar to mine.

I think you could get the $50 no prob!

Maybe make a few sets and sell here and on E-Bay!

Look at the guy with the seat extenders on E-Bay! Nothing fancy, but its a wanted item at a resonable $$...so $40 for some door hooks, or yours for $50 or so dollars...I know what I would be getting!

Nice Royce. I have used a Dremel in the past, you can use them effectively but they are as slow as heck, detail work is nice though. Wish I had a set of those head stands when I did my last set.......
I was thinking of using an electric grinder like that next time, and I love the foot control set up! So the sewing machine pedals hold up pretty well? What kind of amperage @ 120 are they rated?
After meeting you and seeing some of your projects I wish we were neighbors.....but then again it's probably good for both of us that we are not ;) . It's bad enough I live 5 minutes away from Trevor......

Well I thought I would share a couple recent ideas/tools I came up with. Nothing earth shattering but, both are very handy. I started cc'ing my chambers the other night and couldn't get the right combination of block/shims to get them level (in a timely manner). I decided I needed to make some stands to hold the head so I can measure, port, modify and not have to worry about holding or repositioning. The stands allow me to rotate the head 360* and lock it in and position. I usually use air tools to do my port wrk but, decided to try an electric die grinder this time. The problem is it only had one speed (way to fast). The cure was to make a variable speed foot control. I have about $60 into the whole deal including the grinder. The head stands were made out of metal I had on hand and I spent about $7 on bolts, nuts, washers. I didn't paint the stands yet (probably never will) so, excuse that. Nothing special just thought the ideas might come in handy for some of you.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001189.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001190.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001191.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/camaroman7d/IM001193.jpg
Can you make me a big block set, Mark 719 650-1609

Nice Royce. I have used a Dremel in the past, you can use them effectively but they are as slow as heck, detail work is nice though. Wish I had a set of those head stands when I did my last set.......
I was thinking of using an electric grinder like that next time, and I love the foot control set up! So the sewing machine pedals hold up pretty well? What kind of amperage @ 120 are they rated?
After meeting you and seeing some of your projects I wish we were neighbors.....but then again it's probably good for both of us that we are not ;) . It's bad enough I live 5 minutes away from Trevor......


Sean the grinder pulls 4.3A at 25,000RPM. The switch came in a generic box and didn't have any info with it (you guessed it probably made in China), shouldn't be surprised for $15?. I would hope it would be rated for at least 10-15A. I only tested it out to make sure it works if, it smokes I will let you know. I'm pretty sure it will be fine. If we were neighbors we would always be in trouble for something. Sounds like fun to me, lol.

Mark,
If I can get my hands on a set of big block heads to take some measurements, we will work something out. I think a friend of mine has a set of BBC heads that are not attached to an engine. Give me a few days, I work 12 hour shifts, Monday night is my last night so, Tuesday or Weds I will have some free time.

If we were neighbors we would always be in trouble for something. Sounds like fun to me, lol.

Thats what I was was thinking.......heheh

I'll bet that switch will be fine, I might have to try it out myself on a grinder.
The other reason I ask is a guy at work has been picking my brain about a couple of things, one is a speed control for a squirrel cage fan he uses with a furnace he built, he put this small furnace together fed by propane that he uses to melt and cast aluminum parts, kind of a hobby of his. He wanted a control to adjust air intensity into the furnace. I think I got him dialed in with a fan control with a rotary dial, one with a max high/ low adjustment on it for that.
The other thing he has going is he bought a small lathe that has a 1/2 horse 120v motor driving it (belt drive, 1:1 probably), and he wants a speed control for that. The sewing machine pedal would be sweet for that, but I wonder if he would smoke it or not. I figure he is working on aluminum and as long as he doesn't load the motor too much it might just work. Hmmm. What do you think?

It should work. You just want to find a pedal that is rated at some higher amps. I am sure that the mini lathe will require a little more current than that little grinder.

15-20 amps should be pretty good though. You can always just wire a fuse directly inline when you wire the pedal up that way you would be sure.

The other thing he has going is he bought a small lathe that has a 1/2 horse 120v motor driving it (belt drive, 1:1 probably), and he wants a speed control for that. The sewing machine pedal would be sweet for that, but I wonder if he would smoke it or not. I figure he is working on aluminum and as long as he doesn't load the motor too much it might just work. Hmmm. What do you think?


I think what you have in mind for the furnace is a a great idea, it would stink to have to sit there with your foot on the pedal trying to control the heat.

As far as the lathe goes a foot pedal would work, you would need to be fairly coordinated, using both hands to operate the controls on the lathe and one foot to control the speed. Personally I think some sort of variable speed knob would be better, once you get the speed for the tool and material you are using you really don't need to vary the speed. If you want the part you are machining to have a uniform finish you will have to have a real steady foot. With my grinder I will want to speed up and slow down on the run for different areas and keep both hands on the tool so, that's why I went with a foot pedal. I will see if I can find the rating on this switch, I have no idea how many HP a typical sewing machine is, I know the motors are larger than the one on this grinder.

Good point about the foot control Royce, that would make you one skilled individual with the lathe, hands and feet going at the same time while turning a part. I think you are right about a variable speed controler like a dial, that would be easier for sure.
He asked me about ideas for it, and of course it's tough not to get too carried away, as with everything you start overthinking and going for the 'cool' factor. The guy he bought it from said to just buy a fractional horse VFD, he changed his mind when I told him what they cost....it's just a little hobby lathe and even if he has to buy a new 20$ switch every now and then it would take awhile to pay for the VFD.
Thanks for the input!

Good point about the foot control Royce, that would make you one skilled individual with the lathe, hands and feet going at the same time while turning a part. I think you are right about a variable speed controler like a dial, that would be easier for sure.
He asked me about ideas for it, and of course it's tough not to get too carried away, as with everything you start overthinking and going for the 'cool' factor. The guy he bought it from said to just buy a fractional horse VFD, he changed his mind when I told him what they cost....it's just a little hobby lathe and even if he has to buy a new 20$ switch every now and then it would take awhile to pay for the VFD.
Thanks for the input!

No problem Sean. I agree it will take quite a few switches to pay for a VFD. If he wants to spend a few more bucks he could get an industrial speed control, I was trying to do my project on the cheap and it won't see much use. After this manifold and heads it will probably sit on the shelf for a year or two until I decide to build something else.

Here is a variable speed Router control, that should also work.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060

Nice idea's !

Here is a variable speed Router control, that should also work.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43060

Nice idea's !

Excellent find and that would work perfect for what Sean was talking about. The price is right and so is the rating. Thanks for sharing.

Yes that would work perfectly for him, 15a will cover the little motor he's running and that's a pretty convenient package. I'll have to show him, I think that would be just what he was looking for. Great find, thanks!

Great find thats exactly whats needed. I might have to pick up a couple myself.