New BLOG Site

 I have a new blog site now active, with all the original content found here transferred to it.

The address is: http://www.stclairtech.tech/grassrootsmechanicmovement

Or simply click the link below.

New Blog

Thank you for following along on this little journey!

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Intro:

Date Written: April 3, 2020 Welcome to the Grassroots Mechanic Movement Blog:  All other posts (not this intro) follow the project's timeline. Most of the contents here are my personal notes & pictures, placed here as a record of my journey. It is not a written for anyone in particular.  Comments are encouraged, even if only to say that you were here. Thoughts, notes, or suggestions are welcome.  Some visitors will undoubtedly wish to tell me how foolish and impossible this is, please do not bother, as flaming and/or  non-constructive  criticism will not be well received here. I am B. I am a professional Auto Tech with more than 35 years in the automotive mechanical industry. I am currently a garage manager responsible for the maintenance & repair of more than 20 vehicles in the Northeastern U.S. "Rust Belt" and I am looking forward to retirement. I can be a grumpy old fart with little patience for closed-mindedness, so no apologies are of...
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Vol 2, Page 4, Dual Weight PIE Bench Test & Making the Drive Jackshaft

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Dual Weight PIE Bench Test & Making the Drive Jackshaft Dual Weights (Maybe I'll take a pic without all of my workbench clutter in the background someday) Two days ago, as I was finishing up for the day, I decided to put both new weights on a single flexplate assembly at the same time. I really did this as a way to see the action and make observations of any interference between them. I was pleasantly surprised when the interaction appeared to be complimentary in nature. I was so pleased with the interaction that I decided to “spin” it up with the cordless drill. The amount of power being transmitted to the bench was remarkable, and because the flexplate was “balanced” out with the second planet assembly, I was able to run it at a somewhat higher speed without further modification. I observed the weights each contacting a stop (one inner, one outer) at virtually the same time and producing complimentary pulses. I was so pleased that I immediately cobbled together a way to...
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Vol 2, Page 11 - Getting Back To Work & Another Approach to Planetary Gears -FAILURE UPDATE AT END OF POST-

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Next Gen Test Gear After some unexpected personal business (death in the family) to be attended to, I am excited to pick up where I left off with the PIE 2.0. I had to remove the test rig from the test vehicle in order to transport several loads of “rubbish” from a deceased family member’s apartment to be delivered to either a charity donation center or a dumpster for disposal. The Pie 2.0 is fastened back into the test vehicle, testing routs are mapped out for highway speed testing, and I am ready to start recording data. As seen in the photo above, I have also been working on an improved method of obtaining and making planetary gears. The latest idea on this front is an inside-out chain drive/sprocket assembly. I don’t think that it is a long-term production solution, but it seems to present a reasonably inexpensive alternative to making gears from scratch. The nice people at www.RollerChain4less.com (Nitro Power Products, LLC) have 17-tooth idler sprockets wi...
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