CMP restoration tools

[Jacques Reed]

Thought people might find this of interest.

I know whenever I need an extra pair of hands nobody is around, or your mates have bad backs, are working, or have a golf match to go to, etc, etc.

Frankly too At 65, I am past heavy lifting anyway, and to eventually reinstall the cowl I came up with this solution to be able to do it by myself. I would really need two others plus myself to do it otherwise.

The base is made mainly of 75mm x 75mm RHS and has attached to the vertical posts horse jump keyhole channel. This allows the cowl (or another heavy object) to be placed at 50mm spacing. Any minor adjustment in height can be done with shims under the casters (or even letting a bit of air out of the front tyres).

The arms that attach to the cowl at the radiator support bracket holes are made of 25mm x 75mm RHS. This lifting frame is then positioned on the keyhole channel with 1/2" bolts and provisions are made to be able to slightly adjust the angle with the bolts for aligning the cowl to the cabin.

The steel horse jumps, which were made from the 75mm x 75mm RHS and keyhole channel, and the casters were donated to me so a couple of days work, and $30 worth of bolts was the total outlay.

I figured I would just need two people to lift it onto the right height keyholes and then the rest of it is a one man operation. I actually used my engine lifter to do it so it was a one man operation all the way.

Cheers,

[chris vickery]

In my opinion, the two most important tools in my restoration shop are an electric welder and a set of oxy-acetylene torches.
Preference goes to a MIG machine as my all around go to.
Hopefully my new shop will see both MIG and GTAW (TIG) / SMAW (stick)
setups for total versatility.
A good quality cutting/welding/brazing outfit for the oxy/acetylene is a must.

Outside in the real pay cheque world as a Field Service Tech, one of the handiest things I use daily is a simple 20L plastic pail. Nothing fancy, even an old oil pail or whatever is handy. Good for garbage, scraps, tools, oil or whatever the task requires. I keep a stack handy in my service truck.

Every good resto shop also needs at least one engine stand, a few axle stands, a couple dollies on casters and either a shop crane (engine lift) or suitable chain fall.

A decent workbench with a hard surface top for beating on stuff coupled with a good 6" swivel base vise.

Then there is a good compressor, air tools chucks and hoses to go along with it etc.

Chop saw, drill press, hand grinders, clamps

Toolbox filled to the brim with every possible combination of sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers, prybars, chisels vise grips, pliers

And then there are the specialty items....

[chris vickery]

Further to my last, check out good quality used tools for excellent deals on normally pricey items.
Some of the best values I have ever come across have been found at garage and auction sales or merely through networking with people or replying to adverts on places like Kijiji or buy and sell.
As far as I'm concerned, I would rather buy someone elses high quality name brand used tool than a piece of crap from China.
Truth is, often times the used items can be had for a fraction of the price of new and cheaper than the cheapest imports.
I would even hazard a bet that a guy could put out a couple grand if he shopped carefully and end up with quite an assortment of tools and equipment.
As always, it is buyer beware.
I know there are lots of guys out there that just have to have something and then never use it and sell for pennies on the dollar.
Over the years I have bought lots of great used stuff to outfit myself with that would have cost thousands if I was too picky and had to have brand new...
Afterall, it is used as soon as it comes out of the box...

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Jacques

Like your nose assembly tool, your roll around stand looks like it would be very adaptable too the problem of positioning heavy and award parts.

As I've gotten older it is a matter of being craftier vs. stronger working on CMPs. So many of the lifting jobs in my shop are done with a jib crane which is adjustable in sever axis.

This weekend when I was looking for pictures of the side view of C60S to answer Hanno's question. Found lot of old pictures two of them show and alternative method of positioning the nose on a CMP another CMP.

C60S Restortation -13.jpg

C60S Restortation -14.jpg

Cheers Phil

[Barry Churcher]

Now that's thinking Phil!!

[Jacques Reed]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Hi Jacques

Like your nose assembly tool, your roll around stand looks like it would be very adaptable too the problem of positioning heavy and award parts.

Cheers Phil

Hi Phil,

Yes, I made it as much for holding and moving large bulky items to work on them as for positioning the cowling. The nose needs a few repairs: a few spot welds redone, a few dents removed and a few holes welded shut. I can actually mount it upside down on the rack at a nice comfortable height for working on it especially for welding.

I find if I dump something in the corner of the shed it just sits there.
I can also move it around now when space is at a premium.

Like your jib arrangement. Found the balance point of the cowling was close to the radiator support bracket holes on the 25mm x 75mm RHS so probably could have got by with just the engine crane to position it with fabricating a support bracket to attach to those holes.

Like you suggested it will come in handy for other things and I greatly improved my accuracy on the drill press building it. Can honestly say I did not have to elongate any holes to make the bolts fit!

Cheers,

[Mike K]

Since I bought a lathe, it has been so useful . I've made bolts - bushes - pins shafts and heaps more , even a ACME thread lead screw . And having a small milling machine is great, I made a 24 tooth gear out of cast iron , using a dividing head .

Pics of the broken gear . I machined off the broken gear and made up a new gear blank .

The Gear being made Mike