The offroad rail project

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » February 1st, 2009, 7:08 pm

Rahab wrote:Love the pics of your son as well.

Thanks. This is for you then! We have better brakes now than the "air ones" he is applying in this silly photo. He's a ham for a good photo.

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » February 17th, 2009, 3:12 pm

btw.. the ride is SOO much better with just the addition of this small steering stabilizer ...

Now for the front end rebuild. :wink:

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 1st, 2009, 9:38 am

Unexpected SNOW on March 1st. We were caught off guard this morning when we woke up to a thick dusting of snow. This blew under and onto the rail.

Thanks Global Warming!

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 27th, 2009, 4:59 am

We've been testing and driving the Offroad Rail like crazy. Fun stuff. The brakes need further upgrading as the rear only brake system just isn't strong enough in my opinion. So I'm putting some front on this guy soon. I have some extra brake shoe 4 lug setups to rebuild and run some lines.

Honestly.... ( getting on Soap Box ) The worst problem I have really had is the 10% ethanol gasoline! If it sits in your tank for more than a week it starts breaking down and has to be treated with over the counter mixtures to get it working. I've even had to drain it out a few times. It effects everything from my weedeater, lawnmower, 4 wheelers, to Offroad Rail. Anything with a Carb. SOOO much hassle. I will go miles out of the way to find regular unleaded now. :roll:

RamboPreacher · Postby **RamboPreacher** » March 27th, 2009, 5:27 am

rant, comment...
interesting. I have never had that experience at all.

my generator has a 5 gallon tank that sits for months at a time and I only use it a couple or few tines a year, adn usually those days are all in the same month. works great.

I keep 3, 5 gallon tanks of gas (military-type gas tanks) in my garage for my snow blower, generator, mower/tractor and have never run into this issue. I don't keep them topped off and only go to fill them when they are all empty (usually about once a year).

macgulley · Postby **macgulley** » March 27th, 2009, 5:37 am

Do you have to do anything special to prevent corrosion in your aluminum fuel tank from the ethanol?

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 27th, 2009, 5:53 am

RamboPreacher wrote:rant, comment...
interesting. I have never had that experience at all.

You must be running some extraordinary blend if at all? The damage is coming.. if you continue and using real E10. Using ethanol as a fuel reduces cylinder lubrication, and the alcohol can also contaminate the engine oil, causing wear and damage to the engine.

E10 Gas Precautions and Tips
http://www.fuel-testers.com/ethanol_eng ... tions.html
Ethanol is alcohol and will attract/absorb water into gas resulting in phase separation of fuel. Due to the instability of gas containing alcohol, shelf life is less than 3 months.

Mechanics see ethanol damaging small engines
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25936782/
...Although the Web is rife with complaints from car owners who say ethanol damaged their engines, ethanol producers and automakers say it’s safe to use in cars. But smaller engines — the two-cycle utility engines in lawnmowers, chain saws and outboard boat motors — are another story.

Benjamin Mallisham, owner of a lawnmower repair shop in Tuscaloosa, Ala., said at least 40 percent of the lawnmower engines he repairs these days have been damaged by ethanol. “When you put that ethanol in here, it eats up the insides or rusts them out,” Mallisham said. “All the rubber gaskets and parts — it eats those up.”

So be careful. I've seen it first hand. Very irritating.

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 27th, 2009, 5:55 am

macgulley wrote:Do you have to do anything special to prevent corrosion in your aluminum fuel tank from the ethanol?

Seafoam combined with other fuel stabilizer mixes. If not for Seafoam.. all my engines would be DOA by now.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm

RamboPreacher · Postby **RamboPreacher** » March 27th, 2009, 10:23 am

E10? i dunno - I live in Iowa - it's Gasohol. It's not E85, that is marked on separate tanks. I have been using Gasohol for several decades now.

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 29th, 2009, 9:19 am

Not sure.. Maybe Iowa has better corn?
http://www.iacornfed.com/

Or better blends. Regardless it will shorten the life of your engines.

Susie Hamilton · Postby **Susie Hamilton** » March 29th, 2009, 1:13 pm

I just went back to look at the original pics. Could you post a side by side view of before and after, I would really love to see that. It does look much better btw. Thanks. Still love that pic of your son sitting in with the big eyes. :lol:

dolfan · Postby **dolfan** » March 29th, 2009, 5:45 pm

Ethanol is awful. Our gas doesn't have it (Phillips 66). I talked a couple of weeks back with the guy who works for the company that does the maintenance on our cash register and pump system. He had just met with a fellow who sells a filter that does amazing things with the ethanol fuel, but it still is ethanol fuel. It is even better on non-ethanol fuels, he says. Doesn't know if the oil company that supplies us will use them, though. They're expensive, but pay for themselves with less maintenance and fewer changes, he says.

I won't use ethanol fuels on anything, ESPECIALLY small engines.

RamboPreacher · Postby **RamboPreacher** » March 30th, 2009, 3:08 am

interesting. guess we Iowans must have better cornfed gasahol than you have. we have better cornfed steaks too.

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » March 30th, 2009, 3:53 am

Rahab wrote:I just went back to look at the original pics. Could you post a side by side view of before and after, I would really love to see that.

Most of the changes were not cosmetic as much as functional. The driving systems were upgraded and rebuilt as they were road hard in the past! I'm still in the process of reworking.. but will post to date

Before

After (to date)

Rebuild Examples:

Pedal Assembly - Before (non functional basically)

Same Pedal Assembly - After:

After new hard lines..

Rear Brakes:

Rear Brakes After:

Original Engine Before:

Engine Now (to date)

I still have several things planned to get it fully road ready and other essentials. Coming sooner or later.

MacUser · Postby **MacUser** » May 26th, 2009, 4:03 am

Starting the front brake rebuild.

Time for the Acid Bath. Soaked for two days!

After rinsing.. it was turning brown before my eyes! So I fixed it with Rust Cure - some great stuff. Missed a few spots as you will see.

After two days.. the adjusters were still frozen solid.. so I had to soak with WD-40 and push it out by using a longer stainless steel bold. It worked great. See the pictures.

Success! Now repeat on the rest.

Btw.. The acid bath literally made my adjusting clip just fall out. Any good ideas or clip that can keep this in? I will have to think of something.

Jude 2