[The Car Thread]

Yeah an Italian tune up will soon sort that! Good work Mike!

[The Car Thread]

What's the difference? I've got no idea about all these sensor thingys

[The Car Thread]

Liquid Gasket, exhaust paste, heat gun for stubborn nuts and bolts and your best swear words.

[Work and what to do next...]

On 2/5/2017 at 0:17 PM, Tom Booth said:

Just make up a job Paul and stick to your guns, if you wanna produce 3d printed replica swords and paint them to match some film props (wild example there) just go for it and hold your nerve. A guy I used to work with left his job to build stage props for theatre and film, started off making enough to get by, then in a years time was sub contracted to build darleks for Dr Who. His job was so unnecessary, but it came up trumps for him!

I think people look at jobs wrong, if you offer a service, or can build something, even if it's so stupid it seems like it won't work, it will as there will be an audience out there for you to exploit. Whatever your idea there's always someone else thinking the same/similar. Nobody needs an iPad, nobody needs a TV, nobody needs a £5000 watch but there's always a demand and audience.

Just do what you enjoy and it'll fall into place. My jobs bullshit really but it's opened up loads of avenues for me to explore and enjoy. Just gotta point yourself in the right direction and bite the bullet.

Have you any ideas Paul?

You make a very good point Tom, I'm fortunate that I have some basic income to keep me going so at least trying stuff out and just going for it won't make too big an impact if it doesn't work out. I do have a few ideas in my head for potential quirky places to stay to fit in with the glamping scene but I fear that market is already saturated however the potential to create my own site may be a possibility as we have some suitable land and therefore my ideas can come into fruition and I just have to hope people like them!

22 hours ago, Tony Harrison said:

You could always advertise several different lines of work under different trading names, see which work out best.

I am going to advertise myself for property maintenance/handyman jobs as I know that will be relatively easy and that may open up some doors for me as I get to know local trademan.

17 hours ago, crashbanggg said:

Is there much market for agricultural machinery refurbishment? I've just started working for a company that primarily refurbs ag/construction equipment (albeit working on the CAD side of things) and we are pretty flat out with jobs coming in. We also do a fair amount of bespoke metal work for individuals and companies. I don't really know any exact figures, but it seems very lucrative for the numbers I've heard kicking around and you appear to have the full skill set to setup something similar!

I already do quite a lot of refurbishment, modifications and repairs on our own machines, there are several local companies who already offer that sort of service although they seem to charge rather well for it! So yes that is also a possibility and as you say I don't have to really invest anything into it.  I've upgraded our larger machines with screens and cameras with I think may be something that will interest other farmers as well as it being rather easy to do! Kits aimed at farmers are available but again they are overpriced.

14 hours ago, forteh said:

Small jobbing fabricator is ideal, get friendly with a laser cutter and go from there. Grab yourself a TIG setup and broaden your horizons. With your CAD capacity you could also offer design work as well, consider architectural as well as mechanical.

If it doesn't work out then shift direction to something else

I really do need to get a TIG welder, as well as learning how to weld aluminium and stainless as that will open up a few doors. I've made a few bespoke structural parts for houses and they were quite fun to work on as well as paying well.

13 hours ago, SamKidney said:

Some close family friends started their own business in metal work/fabrication and its really taken off. If you have the CAD know how, talented/equipped with the correct tooling and most importantly ENJOY that kind of work, you're onto a winner straight away really. 

What specifically do they do?

11 hours ago, Greetings said:

Love Tom's idea. You can do a lot with the skills you have if you think laterally and combine them into a completely new thing.

My first thought after reading your post was motorsport accessories. Not the type where you have massive competition but things that drivers need but can't buy. Supposedly low volume but if you branch out internationally - quite the contrary. For example, 5 years ago the chap who built my rally car would frequently make a small mod to the bimmer shifter extending it around 15-20cm and reducing throw. The ergonomics of this were great but eventually the shifter would break or develop massive play. Fast forward 5 years and a small Lithuanian company called IRP has a long, short throw shifter for various cars. It's a whole assembly with cartridge bearings, reverse lock and it feels amazing. I think that was one of their first products - well priced and so successful, they've now branched out and are a well known brand. That's just an example but I wouldn't be surprised if there were voids in the market waiting to be filled in. You'll probably find answers by reading through forums.

With my interest in transaxle Porsches I have a mountains of ideas for them and yet when suggested/when you show them to other owners, especially the 924 owners club I'm a member of you only ever seem to meet resistance. For instance I found a way to offer gearbox mounts for £40 instead of £90 for aftermarkets and yet nobody was interested even though all they ever did was moan about how expensive aftermarket ones were! They also weren't happy about me starting to use an Arduino to control some of the CIS system, weird. However maybe I should look past them, a guy in the states (Ideola) seems to be doing very well with his aftermarket parts. Doing the sorts of mods to cars that your friend did and the IRP chaps do would be great, I love that problem solving and finding various solutions to fit a customers needs.

Thanks for the positive and encouraging feedback guys, it really does mean a lot. For various reasons I have lost my confidence and my way a bit in recent years and I'm hoping by exploring the things I love doing and finding my niche that maybe I'll start to feel better about things. Lots of research to do now and food for thought!

[The Car Thread]

I use a similar gas rental thing from SGS, I used to pay for BOC but it was raping me

[The Car Thread]

Makes so much difference Dan, are you using disposable bottles?

[Work and what to do next...]

Hello guys and girls,

 

Life/career advice required!

 

After finishing teaching in July last year, I moved back to my parents farm with the intention of going self employed. I spent my summer creating a rather splendid workspace to house all my equipment that I have built up over the years and to become my space to create in. Since then I have been gradually taking on the role of an arable farmer (my dad is slowly retiring) and sorting my workshop out further to ensure storage is ample and the layout is pleasant. Due to the nature of arable farming I also want to fill my free time with other work as the farm alone is not enough to live comfortably on as it's quite small. I love to design and make, I have a well equipped workshop and I'd like to combine these things to make me happy and also allow me to earn some extra money.

 

What I am struggling with most of all is being able to define what I do/can do, because I like to think myself as being rather multi talented and very able, this may sound cocky but I am able to apply myself to most things very well and create good outcomes. I don't want to limit myself to just one trade exclusively as I love variety and also challenges but I know this could also be my downfall as I could be seen as a Jack of all trades and a master of none.

 

A basic summary of my skill set and tooling/facilities includes:

Very able mechanic, including modifications and welding. I have restored a few cars including painting them.

Proficient fabricator, welding ability is improving massively recently and I have a well equipped metal workshop.

Competent carpenter, I am good at first and second fix, I am learning and enjoying furniture building processes more recently. I have a well equipped wood workshop.

CAD skills and a 3D printer, intention of building a large format CNC mill at some point this year.

Teaching ability is very good, I have 4 years of teaching experience in Design and Technology.

I recently completed my own full house refurbishment, of which the outcome was well received and apart from the boiler installation and rewire I did all the work myself, this included fitting a new bathroom and kitchen with some bespoke units.

 

So as you can see, all the gear and some idea. I like the idea of offering property maintenance as that gives some variety but I'm a little confused as to what I can offer when it comes to electrical and plumbing, as well as what courses I can take to ensure what I do is legal and can be insured. The issue with pursuing this is that I'm not available at some points of the year and this may have a negative impact on me and may make doing such courses not viable. The other option I considered is jumping on the Etsy/online selling bandwagon but without the ridiculous prices that people are asking, this allows me to get creative and do some bespoke work potentially but may also end up with me being stuck with lots of things that I can't sell...

 

What would you do in my position? What tips can you give? Especially interested to hear from people who have ventured into property maintenance and Etsy stuff or similar.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[The Car Thread]

Mine passed with a faulty one recently

[The Car Thread]

Well it's kind of straight through, the centre silencer and back box are both perforated tube jobbies so don't really restrict it. I finished it last night, it's more raspy than I would have liked but it'll do for now. Ground clearance has increased hugely so hopefully it won't scrape much and I won't have to keep getting the car on ramps to repair it!

[The Car Thread]

This exhaust has been a total swine, although I've been doing other jobs in between it has taken most of the day! I've been trying my best to get everything as tucked up as possible but also have had to make new brackets and stuff too. 

Collector modified and a flexi added along with a joining bracket which I still need to make a gasket for.

You can see the old exhaust in situ, it was only half an inch higher when connected before so I've gained some clearance!

Old section removed, fairly worn and dented!

Frustratingly I don't have enough room for two centre boxes as it has before, can I run just one without too much bother or run another literally just before the rear box, would that be ok or pointless?

[The Car Thread]

That's the collector done with, I needed to raise it up nearly an inch but the tubing is quite tired out which meant I was getting blowing holes occasionally and fairly untidy welds due to thatso a fresh one will be made at some point in the future, hopefully it'll last until engine/turbo happen and then I can make something more suitable. The tubing I'm using is 5mm larger OD overall which I'm hoping won't make too much difference noise wise (A slightly deeper tone potentially).

Before, large gap between collector and bell housing

Choppy:

After, less of a gap but still enough I hope to prevent excess heat build up there, I've seen less space on other cars that are stock.

 

[The Car Thread]

A rummage in my pile of old crap found me a bunch of parts that'll be suitable to cobble together a lower profile exhaust, the tubing is slightly larger but that may make it better for when I go turbo. I have a new flexi section on order as that one has a hole and I need to make some ends for the exhaust so that sections can be bolted together but other than that it should be quite straight forward, there also some alternative silencers beside that I may fit if there is room as they are larger and may be a touch quieter which would be nice.

@george_seamons I think some bits were off your 1.8T, the Toledo and lugs VR6... 

Some wire brush treatment and a lick of VHT will hopefully preserve them long enough to last a few years although I know some exhausts rot from the inside out.

[The Car Thread]

Yeah 150k really shouldn't be a problem, just keep it well maintained. Even if it does fail finding another engine won't be hard.

The 924 is in the workshop and I have collected up lots of bits of exhaust, I'll see what I can do with the hammer and melty stick. 

 

[The Car Thread]

But I still get to hit it with a lump hammer don't I?

[The Car Thread]

3 hours ago, forteh said:

No reason not to go with oval or rectangular tubing, your issue will be with connecting the different shape sections.  Changes in section profile will negatively affect gasflow/backpressure especially if there are any steps rather than smooth transisitons.

On the whole though, it's a road car and unlikely to realistically affect performance

Side exit not an option? Roof exit it is then

A lump hammer will convert the end of a round tube to oval won't it? If the negative affects will be fairly negligible then meh, I'm not chasing HP figures!

[The Car Thread]

My Porsche exhaust just broke in the middle, fortunately it was 15 miles from home so after a very loud and slow drive home with lots of horrid scraping I may actually be forced to do something about it...

I don't want to raise my car if I can help it therefore I need to raise my exhaust as much as possible as it scrapes rather a lot on the country roads I live along. Is there any disadvantage to oval tubing? There's a point where my exhaust has to go around my rear beam and ARB which has been flattened somewhat and therefore something lower profile would be handy. I'm also fitting some chunkier tyres which will raise me up a touch (and fill the arches), every little helps! Unfortunately a side exit exhaust is not an option....

[The Car Thread]

In that case go for it, even cheese metal will last a few squashes! Alternatively get a spare hub (they must be pretty cheap now) and have a new bearing fitted on a hydraulic press and then it's a straight forward swap, I paid a tenner to have it done before I built my own press but if you know a local garage they may do it for beers or biscuits

[The Car Thread]

On 1/2/2017 at 11:22 PM, Pete.M said:

@CurtisRider E39 525d can do 2000kg in auto form, but only 1800 in manual. 

Wicked, thanks Pete! I'm kind of warming towards the idea of a pick up truck alternatively but I really would rather have a car than a land going boat

[The Car Thread]

You could make a small hydraulic press for less than £40, it can be bench mounted so it's not in the way. I'made a similar press sort of thing to what you have posted and it worked well however the threads wore quickly and it was only any good for a few presses before needing replacement although I guess threaded rod/bolts are cheap consumables anyway 

[The Car Thread]

I figured those would be the kinds of cars i'd have to look into, do you happen to know which generation 5 series it is? It's unfortunately looking like I might have to buy a tosser wagon otherwise

 

[The Car Thread]

Unfortunately the pokey tool has revealed more holes in the T25 and therefore i'm going to have to admit defeat  A shame but at least it's worth something in bits unless I can find another shell for a reasonable price (they are getting a bit silly expensive so I doubt it).

I now need to find a replacement vehicle and have decided that actually a decent sized car with a tow bar and a trailer would be a sensible option as I don't always need the extra load capacity (but when I do I need it to be decent). Ideally a diesel estate would fit me but i don't know which ones have a decent towing capacity and even if they will be enough, I want to be able to transport cars potentially and there may be a need to take some farm equipment. I need to also do another test to allow me to drive with a heavier load as currently I'm capped to 750kg on a standard license from what I understand. I would really rather not have to buy some massive 4x4 if I can help it although I fear i'm entering that territory which the weights i want to pull, does anybody have any advice/car suggestions?

Oh and budget is important I suppose! Ideally around 2k, I could save more if needed though.

[The Car Thread]

Another step in the right direction, the Commer has been moved out of the wood workshop and into the metal workshop. This is good for two reasons, one as I now nearly have the wood workshop clear ready to actually get it functioning and two because that means the Commer may get some love soon.

It hasn't moved for quite a few years...

Temporary home until I reshuffle stuff, It'll go on a rotisserie when I get round to making one.

Other than that some more wiring has been done and the new separating wall is in but I forgot to take photos.... I really need to get this place finished and functioning

[The Car Thread]

@skoze Yep I used some Creative 5:1 speakers, although it's just the sub now. Ideally need to find a 12-13V set up as then it'll run straight off your battery without an inverter. You just need to either have a switch for it or run a relay so it all turn on and off with the ignition. You can get little bluetooth adaptors so you don't need to even plug it in which makes it even more discreet!

[The Car Thread]

I'm gonna fit fork mounts in the floor  It's going to stay fairly rough round the edges as it'll actually be used for moving farm stuff and building stuff mostly. I will need some big lights on the roof as work lights which may make me look like a wannabe off roader with teeny tyres...

[The Car Thread]

That's just underneath Mike, the top is absolutely ruined