vintagebike
Well-known member
SR must have an Apple Watch to be on top of this?
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Astro van cat conversion
- Thread starter Snowy Rivers
- Start date
why not dry sump it and run a remote oil pan.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
ONLY ONE REASON
MONEY $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
For now the standard Chevy V8 oil pan will do...Be fine for cruising....Steep inclines/declines or side hills might be tough....
A wide gated pan that is standard depth will work sweet (Pan is only 1/2" off the bottom of the bilge)
I wanted the engine as low as possible to keep the mounted elevation of the van body as low as possible.....
GUYS....I DO NOT OWN AN APPLE WATCH....Sorry :th_lmao:
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Went after the grunge on the sides and washed things down with prepsol.
Gave the front section where I have been welding a nice shot of satin flat black paint.
That will keep the rust away...
Flat black outside and a light gray inside...
Nothing at all fancy....as most of things will not be seen.
The van will cover most of it.
The exhaust parts are on their way...be here tomorrow...I do hope they are right this time....
But Summit speed shop sent me a CALL TICKET to return the other stuff.
That's really good service AND NO BS...Just polite and prompt service...
Somebody at Hedman blew it when the kits were put together...
Ah well
Gave the front section where I have been welding a nice shot of satin flat black paint.
That will keep the rust away...
Flat black outside and a light gray inside...
Nothing at all fancy....as most of things will not be seen.
The van will cover most of it.
The exhaust parts are on their way...be here tomorrow...I do hope they are right this time....
But Summit speed shop sent me a CALL TICKET to return the other stuff.
That's really good service AND NO BS...Just polite and prompt service...
Somebody at Hedman blew it when the kits were put together...
Ah well
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
All poking fun aside.....
This project is actually not going to be that hard.
Trying to do it on a budget makes it such that you have to get very creative.
Such as buying half a Camaro for $325 and high grading the engine and trans...and then selling whats left of the half a Camaro for $350....
Engine and Trans for FREE....
Once I get the remainder of the stuff on the engine and such ready....drive shaft cut to length and mounted and then the OC12 done....All the hard part is done then.
Mounting the van is pretty basic stuff
Very little to do of major consequence from then on.
The steering air control panel is pretty much done.
Run some air tubing and some wiring.
I am not at all intimidated by this thing..
One little piece at a time...then pretty soon it will be ready for prime time.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
olympicorange
Active member
....... the more parts you order, the more common it seems to be,..right box ..wrong part. or missing pieces. funny they never send two in one box ( or give you double for your buck). happened to me ystrdy... went to john deere for a w/p for a 450G... parts guy walked out with it in one hand...''here you go''... I just laughed at him... Wrong. I've been buying parts from him for 30 yrs.... so making him blush is a high lite some days....
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Yes indeed
Back in my trucking days it happened a lot...
The 95 Western Star we had was ordered to my specs (500hp Cat...heavy 18 speed Fuller, 48000 pound Eaton rears...extra heavy frame.. yada yada yada
I always had to give the parts guy the serial number and then pray that he looked it up right..
I miss that 500 Cat....."LOTTSA POWER" (Local truck shop outlawed it and bumped it up to a touch over 600 ponies)
That beast handled the 105,500 stuff with ease...
Did get blown off once on a steep grade by a fella outta the great white north running a Big Pete with a 3412 Cat in it.... OMG that thing really hauled the mail...
I was not amused though to get 4 complete boxed sets of those connectors and all be wrong...
Ah well...such is life.....
Hopefully today I can get after welding the couplers into the system.
Back in my trucking days it happened a lot...
The 95 Western Star we had was ordered to my specs (500hp Cat...heavy 18 speed Fuller, 48000 pound Eaton rears...extra heavy frame.. yada yada yada
I always had to give the parts guy the serial number and then pray that he looked it up right..
I miss that 500 Cat....."LOTTSA POWER" (Local truck shop outlawed it and bumped it up to a touch over 600 ponies)
That beast handled the 105,500 stuff with ease...
Did get blown off once on a steep grade by a fella outta the great white north running a Big Pete with a 3412 Cat in it.... OMG that thing really hauled the mail...
I was not amused though to get 4 complete boxed sets of those connectors and all be wrong...
Ah well...such is life.....
Hopefully today I can get after welding the couplers into the system.
vintagebike
Well-known member
another option
Maybe mount something on the Thiokol tub that can haul more castaways? Might me rough sailing for awhile here in the USA, for a lot of reasons.
Maybe mount something on the Thiokol tub that can haul more castaways? Might me rough sailing for awhile here in the USA, for a lot of reasons.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
CUTE......
I did my thing with boats....not this time.
My son in law has been stumping for a crew cab with a flat bed on the rear.
I still like the 8 passenger Astro though.....
I did my thing with boats....not this time.
My son in law has been stumping for a crew cab with a flat bed on the rear.
I still like the 8 passenger Astro though.....
olympicorange
Active member
.... ,... that's when TV was worth watching,... actually been to Oahu & seen G.Island,... it was sold to the marine corp. for training , after the series,.. then sold to a private owner.... well , the big ponies are nice to haul the mail,... little thirsty ,.. but make sure you trade it before the first overhaul.... it's nothing to spend 15K on a rebuild,... 
,... that's when TV was worth watching,... actually been to Oahu & seen G.Island,... it was sold to the marine corp. for training , after the series,.. then sold to a private owner.... well , the big ponies are nice to haul the mail,... little thirsty ,.. but make sure you trade it before the first overhaul.... it's nothing to spend 15K on a rebuild,...
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
I bought that 95 Star new and it had 625K on the clock when I retired and sold it.
Only thing major was a fresh set of injectors and injector seals at 590K
The sucker was a great engine.....
The first 18 speed fuller went 500K and was just used up
The power divider broke the input shaft about 6 months before I retired.
That was actually an easy fix....the shop dropped the divider and flushed out the diffy....NO JUNK IN IT
Clean break on the input shaft right in the inter axle differential unit.
They rebuilt the power divider with a fresh shaft, divider unit and bearings and seals.
That is a huge shaft on that big Eaton box.
I had bogged the truck down loaded one time and I really horsed on it getting it to roll out....
Likely had something to do with it.. but who knows.......
The ring and pinion were pristine and zero metal junk on the magnet.
Oil tests at 5900K showed perfect on the Cat......(An injector seal was leaking antifreeze into the fuel tanks and were wanted to check for oil contamination.... Lucky shot....
Can't remember exactly what the numbers were, but the shop called me and said my kitty was healthy....
Only thing major was a fresh set of injectors and injector seals at 590K
The sucker was a great engine.....
The first 18 speed fuller went 500K and was just used up
The power divider broke the input shaft about 6 months before I retired.
That was actually an easy fix....the shop dropped the divider and flushed out the diffy....NO JUNK IN IT
Clean break on the input shaft right in the inter axle differential unit.
They rebuilt the power divider with a fresh shaft, divider unit and bearings and seals.
That is a huge shaft on that big Eaton box.
I had bogged the truck down loaded one time and I really horsed on it getting it to roll out....
Likely had something to do with it.. but who knows.......
The ring and pinion were pristine and zero metal junk on the magnet.
Oil tests at 5900K showed perfect on the Cat......(An injector seal was leaking antifreeze into the fuel tanks and were wanted to check for oil contamination.... Lucky shot....
Can't remember exactly what the numbers were, but the shop called me and said my kitty was healthy....
Last edited:
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Yes indeed
We always watched Gilligans Island and all those other shows of the time.
Laughed our azzes off and had a great time..
Where did all those good times go ??????
Now we have reality TV shows .....
We watch Curse of Oak Island, Survivor, NCIS and a few others.....
Ice road truckers....I used to love to pick that show apart.....
Butttttt, cinematic license is certainly useful to keep the folks on the edge of their chairs.
Driving a big rig is/can be boring.....
I had a day job running local stuff mostly..
I stayed as far from asphalt as possible....never hauled that crap...
Did a lot of water treatment filter sand (Drinking water)
Hauled a lot of sand and round rock to the concrete plants..
My last few years was private hauls for my own clients....
Landscape suppliers to the public...
Sandy loam, 3/4-0.....1-1/2-0 and on occasion would haul big round rock
2" to 8" washed river rock....also hauled the Red cinder for the landscapers.
One really lean winter we hired to a dairy hauling cow chit from the washout pond out to another area where they mixed it with water and pumped it on the pastures.
Stinky...but paid good..
With the big heavy haul I got a lot of fairly distant hauls.
Still Intrastate though...never did long haul interstate stuff...Home every night by 6 or 7 pm....some times I would load up and bring my load home if it was going east towards The Dalles, Pendleton, Baker or other east Oregon spots and leave a 2 or 3 am and beat the traffic through Portland....
Get on the big slab and set the cruise control and crank up the tunes.....
Drive half a day, and be on site less than 10 minutes to unload and head home...
We always watched Gilligans Island and all those other shows of the time.
Laughed our azzes off and had a great time..
Where did all those good times go ??????
Now we have reality TV shows .....
We watch Curse of Oak Island, Survivor, NCIS and a few others.....
Ice road truckers....I used to love to pick that show apart.....
Butttttt, cinematic license is certainly useful to keep the folks on the edge of their chairs.
Driving a big rig is/can be boring.....
I had a day job running local stuff mostly..
I stayed as far from asphalt as possible....never hauled that crap...
Did a lot of water treatment filter sand (Drinking water)
Hauled a lot of sand and round rock to the concrete plants..
My last few years was private hauls for my own clients....
Landscape suppliers to the public...
Sandy loam, 3/4-0.....1-1/2-0 and on occasion would haul big round rock
2" to 8" washed river rock....also hauled the Red cinder for the landscapers.
One really lean winter we hired to a dairy hauling cow chit from the washout pond out to another area where they mixed it with water and pumped it on the pastures.
Stinky...but paid good..
With the big heavy haul I got a lot of fairly distant hauls.
Still Intrastate though...never did long haul interstate stuff...Home every night by 6 or 7 pm....some times I would load up and bring my load home if it was going east towards The Dalles, Pendleton, Baker or other east Oregon spots and leave a 2 or 3 am and beat the traffic through Portland....
Get on the big slab and set the cruise control and crank up the tunes.....
Drive half a day, and be on site less than 10 minutes to unload and head home...
have you seen the summer edition?
https://www.facebook.com/TheBrassKnuckleTrucker/videos/1961766053922231/
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
No thanks..
Boating in the big rig is not my idea of fun..
Back in the winter of 97 IIRC we were working on a water treatment plant (Sewage) and the river came way up....the contractors were building this huge pad out of crushed rock.
The entire area had been ringed with tall orange poles (Like snow poles) and we had to drive onto the pad and stockpile rock.
Looked like the video....water in all directions....
About 18" where we were working, but beyond the poles...ABOUT 8-12 FEET
Spooky out there for sure....
Best party was we could leave our trailers out in the "Laydown yard"
On this job they only used the slam bangs.....simply no room for a truck and pup out in the pond....
Finally the water got high enough that nobody would go in....getting water into the diffy's was gonna be an issue.
I thought about adding rubber hoses to the vents, but the rock supplier decided not to send us back in until the water dropped.....
some pics for anyone who does not know how the slam bang works
Boating in the big rig is not my idea of fun..
Back in the winter of 97 IIRC we were working on a water treatment plant (Sewage) and the river came way up....the contractors were building this huge pad out of crushed rock.
The entire area had been ringed with tall orange poles (Like snow poles) and we had to drive onto the pad and stockpile rock.
Looked like the video....water in all directions....
About 18" where we were working, but beyond the poles...ABOUT 8-12 FEET
Spooky out there for sure....
Best party was we could leave our trailers out in the "Laydown yard"
On this job they only used the slam bangs.....simply no room for a truck and pup out in the pond....
Finally the water got high enough that nobody would go in....getting water into the diffy's was gonna be an issue.
I thought about adding rubber hoses to the vents, but the rock supplier decided not to send us back in until the water dropped.....
some pics for anyone who does not know how the slam bang works
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Back to the 2100 Packer.....
More exhaust work today....
DO NOT BUY A HAND OPERATED EXHAUST PIPE EXPANDER...JUNK
I tried in vain to expand the intermediate pipe enough to insert the ball and flange units for welding..
Ended up taking the pipes down to my buddy's exhaust shop and he expanded them on his hydraulic exhaust tube machine.....
Got everything all assembled and leveled up well and started tacking the pipe sections together along with the ball socket sets.....
Formed the hanger unit and made a bolt block and got it welded to the cross member.
Tomorrow the LH side will get cut and expanded....then welded together.
Looking long and hard at things late this afternoon.....bringing the pipe under the rear cross member (New channel bolt in unit) and up at a 45 degree angle is the ticket me thinks.
Weld the ball flange on and attach a hanger just behind the cross member.
Next the last piece of pipe can come across the top of the tub frame from the rear and angle down into the ball flange.
Thinking strongly about adding a 2 foot long 4" pipe on the 2-1/2" and finish it with 45 slice at the rear of the cat.
I have some BIG flat washers that will fit the 4" pipe and can be bored out to allow the 2-1/2" pipe to adapt into the 4"
The 4" will give a really deep throaty sound....
The additional tube frame that will be the attaching point for the van will be high enough off the cat tub to allow the exhaust to protrude out the back over the OC12 AND STILL ALLOW ACCESS TO THE DIFFY.
Coming together for sure.
Good news
My exhaust guy has landed a new building fairly close and will be moving in there in the next couple months.
I was glad to see him being able to stay in the area....
One thing for sure...
Welding the exhaust tubing is a real pain with OLD EYES AND TRIFOCALS (Variable lenses)
Light the mig and then try to focus on the right spot and not burn a hole in the pipe.
The heavy stuff is pretty easy...thin stuff......gotta move fast and try to focus quick....Arrrrrrgh
More exhaust work today....
DO NOT BUY A HAND OPERATED EXHAUST PIPE EXPANDER...JUNK
I tried in vain to expand the intermediate pipe enough to insert the ball and flange units for welding..
Ended up taking the pipes down to my buddy's exhaust shop and he expanded them on his hydraulic exhaust tube machine.....
Got everything all assembled and leveled up well and started tacking the pipe sections together along with the ball socket sets.....
Formed the hanger unit and made a bolt block and got it welded to the cross member.
Tomorrow the LH side will get cut and expanded....then welded together.
Looking long and hard at things late this afternoon.....bringing the pipe under the rear cross member (New channel bolt in unit) and up at a 45 degree angle is the ticket me thinks.
Weld the ball flange on and attach a hanger just behind the cross member.
Next the last piece of pipe can come across the top of the tub frame from the rear and angle down into the ball flange.
Thinking strongly about adding a 2 foot long 4" pipe on the 2-1/2" and finish it with 45 slice at the rear of the cat.
I have some BIG flat washers that will fit the 4" pipe and can be bored out to allow the 2-1/2" pipe to adapt into the 4"
The 4" will give a really deep throaty sound....
The additional tube frame that will be the attaching point for the van will be high enough off the cat tub to allow the exhaust to protrude out the back over the OC12 AND STILL ALLOW ACCESS TO THE DIFFY.
Coming together for sure.
Good news
My exhaust guy has landed a new building fairly close and will be moving in there in the next couple months.
I was glad to see him being able to stay in the area....
One thing for sure...
Welding the exhaust tubing is a real pain with OLD EYES AND TRIFOCALS (Variable lenses)
Light the mig and then try to focus on the right spot and not burn a hole in the pipe.
The heavy stuff is pretty easy...thin stuff......gotta move fast and try to focus quick....Arrrrrrgh
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Exhaust done through the mufflers.
Got done withe the last weld on the LH pipe and and the spool of wire ran out..
Been a long time on that spool......
Now it's on to getting the rear pipes bent and installed
One pipe from the rear of the muffler to just aft of the rear (New cross member) weld in the ball unit.
The last pipe goes up and out the back.
3 sections each side
Head pipe from manifold to the ball flange ahead of the muffler.
Intermediate pipe goes to muffler and out of muffler with flanges on both ends.
Aft section goes from rear ball flange up and out the rear through the "boom tube"
Easy to unbolt all the pieces to be able to work on stuff...or R&R the power pack as a unit..
This has been a slow slog, but is coming out well....should be a good set up....
Got done withe the last weld on the LH pipe and and the spool of wire ran out..
Been a long time on that spool......
Now it's on to getting the rear pipes bent and installed
One pipe from the rear of the muffler to just aft of the rear (New cross member) weld in the ball unit.
The last pipe goes up and out the back.
3 sections each side
Head pipe from manifold to the ball flange ahead of the muffler.
Intermediate pipe goes to muffler and out of muffler with flanges on both ends.
Aft section goes from rear ball flange up and out the rear through the "boom tube"
Easy to unbolt all the pieces to be able to work on stuff...or R&R the power pack as a unit..
This has been a slow slog, but is coming out well....should be a good set up....
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Got a slow start today.
Been having troubles with the welder....thought it was just old eyes and not much else.
I would pull the trigger on the wire machine and start a weld and was getting a crappy weld off and on....other than welding outside and battling wind off and on.
Yesterday things got even more hinky.....decided to open the welder wire spool compartment...."Maybe the spool is empty" ??????
Well now....then things got real crazy.
Open the side door and find a mouse nest.....and the mouse had been peeing on the wire.
Rusty piss coated wire does not feed well or weld good...not even.
Cleaned up the mess...cleaned out the feed drum grooves and also cleaned the liner in the feed cable assembly.....
Wow...what a difference....still does not make up for old eyes and trying to focus after tripping the trigger...
Anyway.
Measured and designed the rear pipes from the mufflers back to the rear most ball flange units.
Muffler shop was a bit busy today so I was not able to get going on the rear pipes until later this afternoon.
But did manage to get the LH side put together.....
Got some pix
Also scared up the 4" pipe for the tail pipe " BOOM TUBES"
One more set of pipes to get bent that connect to the rear ball flange and go over the tub and out the back.
I need to get some good measurements on the Van from front bumper to rear bumper and see exactly where the van will sit on top of the 2100....and how long to make the "Boom tubes"
Once this is done I can figure the length of the last 2-1/2" pipes to get bent.
A 45 degree bend....to get the pipe aimed out of the belly..... then machine some big washers to allow the 2-1/2" to fit inside the 4" pipe.
Just hope this beast sounds halfway decent
Looks like there is just enough 4" pipe in the chunk that was in the corner...
Been having troubles with the welder....thought it was just old eyes and not much else.
I would pull the trigger on the wire machine and start a weld and was getting a crappy weld off and on....other than welding outside and battling wind off and on.
Yesterday things got even more hinky.....decided to open the welder wire spool compartment...."Maybe the spool is empty" ??????
Well now....then things got real crazy.
Open the side door and find a mouse nest.....and the mouse had been peeing on the wire.
Rusty piss coated wire does not feed well or weld good...not even.
Cleaned up the mess...cleaned out the feed drum grooves and also cleaned the liner in the feed cable assembly.....
Wow...what a difference....still does not make up for old eyes and trying to focus after tripping the trigger...
Anyway.
Measured and designed the rear pipes from the mufflers back to the rear most ball flange units.
Muffler shop was a bit busy today so I was not able to get going on the rear pipes until later this afternoon.
But did manage to get the LH side put together.....
Got some pix
Also scared up the 4" pipe for the tail pipe " BOOM TUBES"
One more set of pipes to get bent that connect to the rear ball flange and go over the tub and out the back.
I need to get some good measurements on the Van from front bumper to rear bumper and see exactly where the van will sit on top of the 2100....and how long to make the "Boom tubes"
Once this is done I can figure the length of the last 2-1/2" pipes to get bent.
A 45 degree bend....to get the pipe aimed out of the belly..... then machine some big washers to allow the 2-1/2" to fit inside the 4" pipe.
Just hope this beast sounds halfway decent
Looks like there is just enough 4" pipe in the chunk that was in the corner...
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Looking at the axle spindles on the front axle of the 2100 last night.
The plastic (nylon) bushing that goes in side the assembly where it slips over the square tube is miising...and the snap ring is gone too.
Where can I find these parts ?????
The plastic (nylon) bushing that goes in side the assembly where it slips over the square tube is miising...and the snap ring is gone too.
Where can I find these parts ?????
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Weather is gonna turn crappy late today and into next week....
Got busy and finished the exhaust back past the mufflers and to the rear ball flange.
Just need to work on getting the last bent pieces so the big boom tube tail pipes can be fabricated.
Ahhhhhh...just and FYI
The welder is working fabulous now the wire is clean and free of mouse pee and rust.......
Only Caveat is the working outside and the wind blowing the gas off the weld...
The "Rice Crispy syndrome"........Arrrrrrrgh
May get a bit of time today before the weather turns ugly....if so I will get the last two pipes figured out....
I hate exhaust work......not hard, just not handy when ya have to run to town for every little tweak and bend....Luckily the shop is close....(6 miles)
I am getting some nudging from a couple buddy's to start thinking about scaring up a small block 400 for the kitty after we get the bugs worked out....
Nice part is EVERYTHING that is here now will all bolt right onto the 400....
"Plug and play" or "JUST LIKE LEGOS"
Brought the van around late yesterday and snuggled it up close to the cat to get some real time ideas on the best length for the tail pipes.
Thinking about extending the big pipes out to withing a foot of the rear bumper of the van and then add a 5" chrome tip to extend just beyond the bumper.
NOT TOTALLY SURE YET......
Got busy and finished the exhaust back past the mufflers and to the rear ball flange.
Just need to work on getting the last bent pieces so the big boom tube tail pipes can be fabricated.
Ahhhhhh...just and FYI
The welder is working fabulous now the wire is clean and free of mouse pee and rust.......
Only Caveat is the working outside and the wind blowing the gas off the weld...
The "Rice Crispy syndrome"........Arrrrrrrgh
May get a bit of time today before the weather turns ugly....if so I will get the last two pipes figured out....
I hate exhaust work......not hard, just not handy when ya have to run to town for every little tweak and bend....Luckily the shop is close....(6 miles)
I am getting some nudging from a couple buddy's to start thinking about scaring up a small block 400 for the kitty after we get the bugs worked out....
Nice part is EVERYTHING that is here now will all bolt right onto the 400....
"Plug and play" or "JUST LIKE LEGOS"
Brought the van around late yesterday and snuggled it up close to the cat to get some real time ideas on the best length for the tail pipes.
Thinking about extending the big pipes out to withing a foot of the rear bumper of the van and then add a 5" chrome tip to extend just beyond the bumper.
NOT TOTALLY SURE YET......
Attachments
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Wheel...Wheels...Wheels
Still thrashing trying to come up with wheels for the cat.
The Aluminum wheels are just stupid expensive and I need several to really fix Kitty up well.
I found a company in Kansas called HEY WHEEL (Hey Wheel .com)
The make stuff for FARM and off road use.
The will sell me a 12" wheel blank and a 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern center with the proper pilot hole for $175 per pair.
I will need to jig the wheel up and locate the center for proper offset and then weld them.
Fella told me to be sure of the lug nut taper...Automotive is normally 60 degree and Agricultural is 90 degree.
This might explain why so many lug holes in my wheels are messed up.
Wrong taper and they will not stay tight.
Several of my lug holes are Fubar'd bad.
So....this seems like a grand idea......
I will post more on this as it happens
Fella says their wheels are designed for "Rough service" we shall see!!!!
Still thrashing trying to come up with wheels for the cat.
The Aluminum wheels are just stupid expensive and I need several to really fix Kitty up well.
I found a company in Kansas called HEY WHEEL (Hey Wheel .com)
The make stuff for FARM and off road use.
The will sell me a 12" wheel blank and a 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern center with the proper pilot hole for $175 per pair.
I will need to jig the wheel up and locate the center for proper offset and then weld them.
Fella told me to be sure of the lug nut taper...Automotive is normally 60 degree and Agricultural is 90 degree.
This might explain why so many lug holes in my wheels are messed up.
Wrong taper and they will not stay tight.
Several of my lug holes are Fubar'd bad.
So....this seems like a grand idea......
I will post more on this as it happens
Fella says their wheels are designed for "Rough service" we shall see!!!!
personally I like the one piece wheels I like the ones with the oversize bearings even better. what I hate are the stupid foam filled tires what a pain when the carcuss falls apart.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
I would love to have a complete set of the aluminum one piece hub/wheels..
Beyond my paygrade.....
The original Thiokol wheels are probably fine for most operators other than heavy groomers...
Mine are just beat....lug holes wobbled out, some wheels cracked and welded up.
A few of the wheels have the rims dinged and dented....I wonder how you do that ????
The outfit I contacted make mostly Agricultural equipment wheels....and the odd ball weird stuff for weirdo's with Snow cats and truck toy's
The urethane fill on the front ones does give you a tad bit of a stop gap when the tire goes away.
One of my front ones has a tear in the sidewall, but the urethane is still keeping things round....
Gotta be a pain to get those wheels apart and the urethane peeled off.?????
Beyond my paygrade.....
The original Thiokol wheels are probably fine for most operators other than heavy groomers...
Mine are just beat....lug holes wobbled out, some wheels cracked and welded up.
A few of the wheels have the rims dinged and dented....I wonder how you do that ????
The outfit I contacted make mostly Agricultural equipment wheels....and the odd ball weird stuff for weirdo's with Snow cats and truck toy's
The urethane fill on the front ones does give you a tad bit of a stop gap when the tire goes away.
One of my front ones has a tear in the sidewall, but the urethane is still keeping things round....
Gotta be a pain to get those wheels apart and the urethane peeled off.?????
Snowcat Pat
Active member
http://www.millertire.com/products/wheels/front-tractor-imp/blank/12x-3-rim-blank/
The 3 inch width is best.
-Pat
The 3 inch width is best.
-Pat
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Thank you for posting the wheel info
I am curious as to what 1/2" on a side difference will make ???
Does it take some of the load/stress off the sidewall ???
A local fella here is running modified wheels in the 4" width with radial tires
(145/80/R12)
I am curious as to what 1/2" on a side difference will make ???
Does it take some of the load/stress off the sidewall ???
A local fella here is running modified wheels in the 4" width with radial tires
(145/80/R12)
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
The weather has made any serious outdoor work pretty much tough sledding.
So have gone inside and working on some designs for mounting the Van up top of the cat.
Yesterday the Right Front Door handle on the Van came apart as I went to open the door.....Arrrrrrrrrrrgh
FOR ANYONE WITH AN ASTRO OR A SAFARI
The outside handles can be replaced easily without tearing the door panel off and ripping the guts out of the door.
There is a plastic plug in the door by the latch.....THIS GAINS ACCESS to the lower nut on the handle.
The top nut is the Booger.
The picture shows the two black Gorilla tape patches.
The upper hole location can be located by looking at the handle and using a sharpie to mark the location.
Drill with a 1-1/4" hole saw
You need to leave about 1/2" or so of material between the outer edge of the hole and the edge of the door lip.
Be aware the latch mechanism will stick out into the hole....SO DON'T CUT MORE THAN THE DOOR SKIN.....
Debur and life is good.
The nuts have a wide washer built onto them..
Carefully remove the lower washer.
Stuff a piece of paper towel into the upper hole to keep the nut from falling into the door.
Box wrench gets the upper nut loose...
Wiggle the handle out of the hole in the door and pry the little actuator rod loose from the old handle.
Now life gets interesting.
Place the new handle in the open position and put a suitable object between the part you pull and the mounting plate that fastens to the door.
This keeps the little lever that pulls the rod in a position that will allow the new handle to snake back into the door and get around the lock rod.
Once the new handle is in the door and sitting properly replace the lower nut and snug it up......
Now wiggle the latch rod into the lever and replace the keeper.
Some handles have a plastic part with a snap over retainer....others have a metal clip that you press the rod into and it snaps in.
Once the rod is in place check the function of the door...
Now..
Stuff paper towel back into th top hole and pack it such that the top nut can be put on the stud.
I used a medical gripping tool (Forceps) to grab the washer on the nut and insert it in the hole and onto the stud.
Hold the nut with a finger and slip the tool off carefully..
Gently turn the nut with an open end wrench or as I did used a small screw driver to gently pull on the nut flats to get it started on the stud..
Once the nut is started on the thread things are golden.....
Snug up the nut and the job is done.
I ordered up some rubber plugs to fit the large hole.
Hole ends up at 1-1/2" after it's cut and debur'd.
The lower hole came with a plug but mine was cracked...
Gorilla tape is fine for now.
Removing the door panel is nasty on these old rigs even with the proper tools due to the plastic being brittle and prone to breakage....
And for our folks that wonder what this has to do with snow cattin...
I was heading into the rig to yard off the dog house cover to get good accurate dimensions as to the location of the back edge of the house.
This to allow proper placement of the van FORE/AFT on the cat chassis.
The dog house access needs to be such the the engine distributor can be removed if need be and other items on the top of the engine accessed EASILY (Subjective)
The door handle broke and so went my time between rain showers...
I did later get the house off and got a few measurements....but Ma nature pretty much wasted the rest of the afternoon... WET
So have gone inside and working on some designs for mounting the Van up top of the cat.
Yesterday the Right Front Door handle on the Van came apart as I went to open the door.....Arrrrrrrrrrrgh
FOR ANYONE WITH AN ASTRO OR A SAFARI
The outside handles can be replaced easily without tearing the door panel off and ripping the guts out of the door.
There is a plastic plug in the door by the latch.....THIS GAINS ACCESS to the lower nut on the handle.
The top nut is the Booger.
The picture shows the two black Gorilla tape patches.
The upper hole location can be located by looking at the handle and using a sharpie to mark the location.
Drill with a 1-1/4" hole saw
You need to leave about 1/2" or so of material between the outer edge of the hole and the edge of the door lip.
Be aware the latch mechanism will stick out into the hole....SO DON'T CUT MORE THAN THE DOOR SKIN.....
Debur and life is good.
The nuts have a wide washer built onto them..
Carefully remove the lower washer.
Stuff a piece of paper towel into the upper hole to keep the nut from falling into the door.
Box wrench gets the upper nut loose...
Wiggle the handle out of the hole in the door and pry the little actuator rod loose from the old handle.
Now life gets interesting.
Place the new handle in the open position and put a suitable object between the part you pull and the mounting plate that fastens to the door.
This keeps the little lever that pulls the rod in a position that will allow the new handle to snake back into the door and get around the lock rod.
Once the new handle is in the door and sitting properly replace the lower nut and snug it up......
Now wiggle the latch rod into the lever and replace the keeper.
Some handles have a plastic part with a snap over retainer....others have a metal clip that you press the rod into and it snaps in.
Once the rod is in place check the function of the door...
Now..
Stuff paper towel back into th top hole and pack it such that the top nut can be put on the stud.
I used a medical gripping tool (Forceps) to grab the washer on the nut and insert it in the hole and onto the stud.
Hold the nut with a finger and slip the tool off carefully..
Gently turn the nut with an open end wrench or as I did used a small screw driver to gently pull on the nut flats to get it started on the stud..
Once the nut is started on the thread things are golden.....
Snug up the nut and the job is done.
I ordered up some rubber plugs to fit the large hole.
Hole ends up at 1-1/2" after it's cut and debur'd.
The lower hole came with a plug but mine was cracked...
Gorilla tape is fine for now.
Removing the door panel is nasty on these old rigs even with the proper tools due to the plastic being brittle and prone to breakage....
And for our folks that wonder what this has to do with snow cattin...
I was heading into the rig to yard off the dog house cover to get good accurate dimensions as to the location of the back edge of the house.
This to allow proper placement of the van FORE/AFT on the cat chassis.
The dog house access needs to be such the the engine distributor can be removed if need be and other items on the top of the engine accessed EASILY (Subjective)
The door handle broke and so went my time between rain showers...
I did later get the house off and got a few measurements....but Ma nature pretty much wasted the rest of the afternoon... WET
Attachments
Snowcat Pat
Active member
To keep the tire guides and wheel rims from wrecking each other.
-Pat
-Pat
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Yesssss...I can see that could be an issue.
Snowy Rivers
Well-known member
Here is a closeup picture of the tracks, tires and wheels on a 2100.
I am not sure where the interference between the wheels and tire guides is going to happen ??????
Running a tire flat can and will trash the wheel rims as the edge crashes into the tire guides.
About half of my factory 3 inch wheels have the edges of the wheels dinged up in many places.
I wondered how that could happen....flat tires....
Also a piccy of a 2100 with a flat tire.
Use 5.30 x 12 tires to get as much sidewall as possible....Foam them suckers to help stop flats
The cat with the flat tire belongs to our member "THE FATSQUATCH"
Pat...you have solved the mystery of why my wheels are dinged up
I wondered how the previous clowns beat the wheels all to hell....
Now we know
With tires inflated and or foamed the issue of thrashed wheels and track guides should not be an issue.
Checking the tires should be a standard procedure before taking off on a run and post run walk around me thinks....
Looking closely at the bottom picture the flat tire has dents in the rim right behind the one guide....
I am not sure where the interference between the wheels and tire guides is going to happen ??????
Running a tire flat can and will trash the wheel rims as the edge crashes into the tire guides.
About half of my factory 3 inch wheels have the edges of the wheels dinged up in many places.
I wondered how that could happen....flat tires....
Also a piccy of a 2100 with a flat tire.
Use 5.30 x 12 tires to get as much sidewall as possible....Foam them suckers to help stop flats
The cat with the flat tire belongs to our member "THE FATSQUATCH"
Pat...you have solved the mystery of why my wheels are dinged up
I wondered how the previous clowns beat the wheels all to hell....
Now we know
With tires inflated and or foamed the issue of thrashed wheels and track guides should not be an issue.
Checking the tires should be a standard procedure before taking off on a run and post run walk around me thinks....
Looking closely at the bottom picture the flat tire has dents in the rim right behind the one guide....
Attachments
Last edited:
Snowcat Pat
Active member
By way of explanation. Track twist.
Snow is not always level or soft. Seen tracks tweek to 45 degree angle and tire guides snip off tire valve. Then the gouged tire guides tear up the tire sidewalls. Or dent the wheel enough to puncture tire and/or tube.
The narrower the track the worse the tweek.
Thiokol aluminum wheels are 3 inch wide and the wide aluminum bead is kinder to tire guides.
I would like to try modern aluminum rims someday. Even though they are 4 inches wide they still might be nicer to the tire guides.
OK this was fun I guess.
-Pat
Snow is not always level or soft. Seen tracks tweek to 45 degree angle and tire guides snip off tire valve. Then the gouged tire guides tear up the tire sidewalls. Or dent the wheel enough to puncture tire and/or tube.
The narrower the track the worse the tweek.
Thiokol aluminum wheels are 3 inch wide and the wide aluminum bead is kinder to tire guides.
I would like to try modern aluminum rims someday. Even though they are 4 inches wide they still might be nicer to the tire guides.
OK this was fun I guess.
-Pat
