making engine mounts, bushings etc.

What do you folk normally do when you need to make up some rubber bushings or mounts for an engine (or other piece of equipment)?

I just made some new ones for our ancient lawn tractor using various off- the-shelf rubber discs and bits of reinforced hose (which just happened to be the right diameter for what I needed) - but it remains to be seen if they last for long without wearing out.

I wondered about using the rubber from the treads on an old tractor tyre that I have laying around, then somehow turning it to the right profile - or maybe casting using a mould and some sort of suitable compound is a better way?

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules Richardson
Loading thread data ...

I've done a similar improvisation before, but for an electric bell (long story), not an engine. Is there any chance you could adapt some kind of large rubber grommet? (This is just an idea off the top of my head; I haven't thought it through.)

Hope you're well.

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Wasn't it here that someone posted a link to a video of a chap in Africa turning rubber bushes from old lorry tyres, on a treadle lathe using weight lifting weights as the flywheel?

AJH

Reply to
andrew

formatting link
Not something I've ever had the need of for an engine, though I do remember 'repairing' a clonky upper shock-absorber mount on a Hillman Imp with tap washers!

NHH

Reply to
NHH

Yes - I remember that vid, but couldn't remember the source. Maybe that's something to mess with if my homebrew mounts don't work out (I don't have a lathe, so it'd be another one of those "build the tool to make to product" projects :-)

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Well, so far my "bodge" seems to be doing the intended job - I'm just not sure if the rubber reinforced hose is as durable as the stuff they normally use for the real thing (the engine baseplate's 1/8" thick, which means there's a lot of engine vibration focused on quite a small part of the rubber).

Yep! Just bought a van that had argued with a deer, so I have another project on the go now :-)

Still keeping eyes peeled for an old row-crop tractor to putz around with. Hope things are good with you.

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Is it something cool like a Chevy step van?

I'm especially happy tonight. I've been putting off welding a cast exhaust for nearly a year because I was convinced it would go wrong on me. But when I actually tried, it turned out nice. Here's a picture:

formatting link
Just trying to decide if painting an exhaust is a lost cause (it was last time I tried)...

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

Motor factors and car accessory shops sell a high temperature paint in spray cans, used for exhaust manifolds on cars. Should work.

Reply to
crn

No :-(

2008 Chevy Uplander, so modern and boring. It'll keep the wife happy, though :-) I've got a list of needed replacement parts as long as my arm, but when I'm done with it we'll have paid around 20% of book value, so can't really complain. All the rear seats come out easily, so it's got a reasonable covered load space for hauling interesting things around in ;-)

On that note, I passed a Leyland tractor for sale yesterday (not a row- crop) - can't be that many of those around on this side of the Pond.

Yeah, you can get high-temp paints, but even they don't seem to last (I think it's nasties in the exhaust gases in combination with the temperature that cause a lot of the problem, rather than the high temperature alone).

For something with few bends like what you have there, I might be tempted to try making some kind of metal shroud which sat around the exhaust with an air-gap (or rockwool) inbetween; hopefully that would stay nice. That or wrap the pipe (not to everyone's taste), or live with repainting it every couple of years.

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules Richardson

For I moment I was thinking you could have it fitted out with spy gear in the back, like that movie "Sneakers". Now that's a van.

I guess the locals are thinking "Why buy a Leyland when you could have one of these?" :-)

formatting link

I found a tin of etch primer on Wednesday that will withstand 220 deg. C. And I already have a tin of black paint rated at the same temperature. I figure this is most promising, as when I used VHT paint on cast iron, it all fell off. If it won't stick it cast iron, I doubt it'll stick to galvanised steel for more than a few minutes.

Best wishes,

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

When you said step van I immediately thought of the Sneakers one :-) I always think of them as bread delivery trucks for some reason (maybe they remind me of something I used to see on the streets back in the UK). Lots of them still around over here - I'm keeping an eye out for a junker just as a source of sheet steel panels to cover my benches in the workshop with.

I've never seen a single MM around here, which I suppose is quite surprising! Just about all the old stuff in this region are John Deere, International Harvester or Oliver. There are a few Allis Chalmers and Fords, but not many.

Worth a try, then - I suppose if it doesn't work out then you're not looking at a huge amount of effort to try something different.

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules Richardson

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.