How the Summer Went...
- JC
- Dec 13
- 12 min read
Here’s a list of projects of worked on this year summarized in chronological order, since I managed to forget about posting updates!
Prelude SH Radius Rod Bushings
What is it?
Replaces the OEM radius rod bushing with an NMB stainless spherical bearing in a billet aluminum housing and uses thick poly boots acting like torsional bushings to keep the arm from flopping around and camming out.
What happened?
Once the garage was warm enough to actually perform machine work that needed to be accurate to 0.005mm, I finally machined the housings to match the bearings and shipped them off.
What’s Next?
I need to machine and assemble my last 12 sets of billets. After those are complete I may redesign the housings to use a high quality joint used in OEM applications that would massively cut down on assembly and machining labor.
CB7 Front Bumper Brackets
What is it?
Replaces the OEM bracket that is often broke leading to the front bumper sagging away from the fenders.
What happened?
I designed a pretty cool looking bracket that functions exactly like the OEM bracket and replaces the broken tabs on the fender the bracket slides onto. The first proto I tested broke when I tried to use the plastic screws and then I got busy with customer work after.
What’s Next?
I need to work on the design to either use a stronger nylon material, or try to make from stamped metal, or possibly a carbon fiber option… This project is low on the list, but it’s still on the list.
SRT-4 Caliber Fog Light Brackets
What is it?
Replaces the OEM fog light bulb with a bracket that holds a JK Wrangler LED foglight. It should work with most JK LED foglights, but I will guarantee they work with a specific Make and Model.
What happened?
I designed the bracket to maintain the OEM adjustment location so you can adjust the pitch of the light beam from underneath the bumper without having to remove anything, just like OEM. I tested a proto set on Evans Caliber and ended up using a carbon fiber ASA for the final material. I need to redesign the adjustment mechanism as too much torque on the adjustment screw led to the bracket cracking.
What’s Next?
I need to redesign the adjustment mechanism to use a different screw and add material to that area to strengthen it. I’ll order a few sets of lights of different styles and have them ready to ship and install as is. Another low priority item, but it will get finished.
Shift Cable Jigs
What is it?
Make/Model/Version specific jigs that fit on a perforated steel tube enabling me to build shift cables consistently and accurate to 0.5mm of the intended design. It also sets the twist angle between the rod ends on both sides so they should show up perfectly set and aligned. I specifically made them for the CB7 Accord using the OEM shifter, the OEM/K-Tuned RSX shifter, and the Acuity RSX shifter.
What happened?
I built about 10 sets of CB cables with a majority being for the OEM shifter. They came out perfect, it worked great, and made cable assembly quick and easy.
What’s Next?
Up next will be jigs for the CD Accord and BB4/BB5 Prelude.
CB7/S2000 Rear Diff Subframe
What is it?
AJ Imports asked me to make an adjustable bracket set that adapts a wagon rear diff into an S2000 rear subframe. He sent me the mounts and jig he used to proto the setup along with some essential dimensions and I created the two brackets.
What happened?
I made the brackets as AJ requested, but it was put on hold for more pertinent work he needed to get the car running FWD.
What’s Next?
I will probably revisit the design to improve the weight and adjustability once AJ gets to the point of working on the back end of the car.
Mercedes 190E/W201 Spring Seat Adapters
What is it?
A coworker is building a 190E V8 track car and wanted aluminum adapters to allow him to run off the shelf coilover springs making wheel rate changes a breeze.
What happened?
I thought I would be a genius and make the spacers out of large cheap hollow slugs and smaller hollow tube to cut the price of material in almost half, vs working with a solid chunk of 4.5” material. I thought it would be a breeze to machine them to press fit together. That may have been feasible if my lathe was running right, which it hasn’t been doing in a long time. I spent way too much time machining them and trying to get them to fit correctly. He brought them back once to have me machine them slightly differently after he used them. Then brought them back again when the press fit failed… So I welded them together, which kept cracking, and took forever, and then I had to remachine them smooth again. I should have just started with solid billet...
What’s Next?
He may want adjustable spring seats next year. If so I’ll probably make adjustable spring seats for the W201.
Media Blaster Maintenance
What is it?
The media blaster was leaking and needed functioning evacuation hardware. It needs to work for constant production use!
What happened?
We disassembled the entire machine, reassembled it with silicone, which must have been expired because a lot of it didn’t seal at all… Then we installed a new light and Vevor media scrubber with a 1200W motor. Turns out the motor will blow the fuse in the garage when using the air compressor so we had to run an extension cord to the house to run it. It still leaks, go figure. And the scrubber motor overheats and blows the breaker (which I didn’t find out until October as it were. I thought we broke the motor…)
What’s Next?
Finish blasting all the Honda shifters, get them zinc plated, and get them built with my race kits and ready to ship! Then design a new media blaster from scratch that has none of the issues the HF one has and definitely put it up for sale.
Mini Lathe Upgrades
What is it?
I was really struggling to finish any projects or production using the mini lathe because it would constantly loosen up and stop cutting, something would break, random issues. So it was time to upgrade…
What happened?
I took the machine completely apart, every piece…
· I then reverse engineered the entire machine in about a weekend.
· I drilled a new hole in the bed way and head stock, tapped the head stock, and improved overall rigidity so the headstock was mounted at all 4 corners instead of 3.
· Replaced the deep groove spindle ball bearings with angular contact bearings for added stiffness and accuracy.
· Replaced the nylon gear to bearing spacer with a steel one.
· Replaced the torn drive belt
· Removed the gib adjustment of the saddle and machined the saddle way plates to fit when torqued all the way down. Hasn’t had to be adjusted since.
· Used a grinding compound on the saddle cross slide to wear in the gib strips to the saddle ways which vastly improved stiffness, friction, and consistency.
· Installed X and Z axis DROs which connect to a Bluetooth receiver.
· Have yet to install a tachometer.
· Installed the lathe on a 0.75” thick steel plate weighing roughly 70lbs.
· Used a 1.5” diameter rod from McMaster with a ground OD, a 0.00010” dial indicator, and steel shims between the lathe feet and the steel sheet to straighten the bed way to the spindle.
· Aligned all the lead screws dramatically improving forces and accuracy using the power feed. I must have tightened them out of alignment before as I was having issues using the power feed and didn’t think about it.
What’s Next?
Super Mini Lathe. I will be designing upgrades for the mini lathe that fix many of it’s issues. Ideally a bolt on solution to improving stiffness, using hardened ways, debris free lead screws, an adjustable transmission with a high and low gear for the lead screw, a higher power motor, and a power cross feed with gearbox for common angles. I want to manufacture American made lathes for hobbyist trying to go commercial. It will be roughly the same footprint, but production capable. I plan to complete the first proto summer of 2027 and hopefully use it as one of my tools to get a full time brick and motor shop.
CB7 H22 AWD Transmission Mount
What is it?
It’s a beefy transmission mount for the Accord that is lower profile to clear the K Series intake manifold swap and also doesn’t have the lower bolt hole allowing it to clear the AWD PTU. It’s also beefy enough to handle 800ft-lbf of torque and not break.
What happened?
AJ Imports sent me his chopped up proto version. I 3D scanned an OEM mount and designed a new one out of sheet metal. I then created a powertrain mount model of the Accord using my Hardpoint chassis model in CAD and reacted the torque of a stock F22, 400ft-lbf, and 800ft-lbf to get the forces going into the mount. I then ran FEA on the mount to ensure it would survive daily use hit with 800ft-lbf! I 3D printed an example for AJ to test out, he confirmed it fit, so then I had to 3D print some jigs to get the large smooth bends Send Cut Send wouldn’t bend, ordered the steel, had a heck of a time bending it, and a heck of a time welding it together because I was using the garage 120V, blowing the fuse, and thinking my settings were bad. Running 240V made it much easier to finish.
What’s Next?
I just to make some small adjustments to the design. Minor fitment concerns. I also need to be less aggressive with the bending jig, make a welding jig, and then pump out roughly 20 of these lol. This will get done sometime over the winter I suspect.
JK Transmission and Driveshaft Issues
What is it?
Jeep started making funny noises one day. Started getting really worse a few days later. Then I barely made it home one day…
What happened?
So after removing the driveshaft and transmission I found the driveshaft had a bunch of blown U-Joints. They were the yellow ones from Tom Woods. I decided to replace them all, but wondered why they were so much cheaper than everyone else’s. Did some research, seems the Tom Woods Yellow joints tend to go out a lot. Ordered Spicer HD replacements and full Spicer rebuild kit. After 3D printing a cover for the shifter to keep the crud out and disassembling the transmission I found the gear teeth in mostly good shape. Reverse gear and synchro teeth were worn, so I replaced those. All new bearings and seals are ready to go in. I replaced the nylon and steel shift fork alignment plate with a bronze one. The flywheel melted… so the Centerforce II clutch only lasted 10k on the boosted Pentastar before it started slipping. I need to resurface the flywheel and I’ll be installing their dual friction plate. I’ll also be installing the hydraulic throw out bearing and the full Synchrotech carbon synchro kit. Wildly enough, the bronze shift plate didn't fit due to not being designed correctly, you can learn all about it here- > Whitbread Performance JK Manual NSG370 Bronze Shift Fork Guide Rail Install
What’s Next?
Waiting on Torco MTF to come in so I can soak the carbon synchros for a day, then the transmission will be going back together. I do need to rebuild the tcase too apparently, the bearings sound worn and the seals keep leaking. Then rebuild the rear driveshaft and inspect the differential. It also sounded bit funny lmao. Coming up later will be a video on how I developed a customer 2-Lo shifter detent for the NV241 tcase!
NSG370 Gear and Shaft Shipper
What is it?
When rebuilding my Jeep transmission I decided I wanted to ship my gears off to Cali to get cryo and WPC treated. I decided to build a 3D printed box that stores all the gears and shafts in a secure box to allow safely shipping the gears and organization for the service team.
What happened?
I spent way too much time designing the box. Printed a proto, it worked great, needed a few adjustments, I redesigned the box, ordered 7kg of PLA to print it, then decided I didn’t want to get them coated. Finances are tight and the gears were in great shape. I probably need to focus my financial resources somewhere else.
What’s Next?
I like the idea of the shipper. I may make one for F/H transmissions as a rebuild guide! Essentially sell the box and it guides someone through the rebuild!
BB6 Heavy Duty Time Attack Cradle
What is it?
Cory Wells asked me if I could take a look at a cradle he had designed for his time attack Prelude SH and provide my engineering feedback.
What happened?
· Cory sent me the V1 model.
· I had to redesign it to be able to run FEA on it.
· The dimensions also weren’t symmetrical so I had to redesign the OEM cradle hard points and I 3D scanned my Prelude cradle to confirm dimensions.
· 3D printed jigs verified the geometry of the cradle and steering rack dimensions.
· Assuming 3G max lateral input to the suspension, I ran the loads analysis into the cradle and steering rack to get the design forces.
· Using the fatigue limit of roughly 1/3 the material ultimate strength the V1 cradle showed significant yielding.
· The FLCA hardpoint translated over 4mm significantly changing the kinematics and alignment.
· Started over from scratch and redesigned my own version ending up only a few pounds heavier than the OEM cradle.
· Hardpoint deflection is close to 0.5mm at max lat.
· Cory has since 3D printed the cradle and confirmed fitment on an AWD Prelude.
What’s Next?
Once all the geometry is confirmed, I’ll finish the steering rack bracing, make any needed adjustments, and send Cory and his fabricator a final CAD model. I’ll supply a model of the individual pieces and a complete and welded model for marketing. Along with that I’ll supply and FEA summary of the cradle in both T/A and Drag form, the Drag form having significantly less bracing.
Poor Man’s CNC
What is it?
I’ve pulled off some pretty cool things with my Amazon Anolex CNC router. However, open loop steppers, lead screws, and a lightweight frame aren’t ideal. So I ordered components to make a beefier version!
What happened?
I ordered closed loop motors one size up, an Acorn CNC controller, ball screws, and larger bed, and a slew of other parts. The plan is to redesign the router bigger, stiffer, heavier, smarter, sealed, and with some form of coolant for aluminum cutting.
What’s Next?
Once I get caught up and get the rest of the shifter plastic inserts machined, I’ll work on designing the new machine. I haven’t decided exactly how I want to do it yet… but the goal is to cut aluminum reliably indoors. I hope to have this complete by next summer. This will also be a proto for my business loan.
CB7 Air to Water Intercooler Mount
What is it?
Another AJ project! He needed to mount an air to water intercooler in his car so he asked me to mock up the design and have it ship straight from send cut send.
What happened?
I was able to get the drawing of the IC from the manufacturer website. I 3D printed a mock up of the IC to get general ideas of mounting locations. Since the tubing was going to be large OD and short, I decided to mount the IC to the powertrain so there’s no strain on the piping. That also means I needed to isolate the IC so the engine vibration didn’t fatigue the IC innards. After mocking up a design I sent 3D printed protos to AJ to fit. Some small adjustments later and AJ received 2 sets of anodized AL brackets with high temp silicone bushings!
What’s Next?
Probably nothing! He paid for the work. Though it may be a good option for a boost kit I want to make for the CB later. Who knows!
I bought a Bridgeport!
What is it?
It’s an old Bridgeport Mill with a 120V 1hp motor and it’s in pretty good shape! Just gotta get it home!
What happened?
A beautiful BP popped up on Marketplace one day and I went out to look at it cash in hand. I bought it, but wasn’t sure how to get it home. So I built a 250lb steel cart that can lift up the BP so it can be rolled around and set back down. That took entirely too much time! I went and installed it, only cross threaded a few bolts, and wouldn't you believe it? It worked wonderfully. Once the lift truck got it to my place safely, we then hooked my dead Jeeps battery to a jump pack, pulled the winch line across the garage, looped it through a snatch block hooked to the stiffest part of the garage ceiling, ran the winch line back out the garage, down the driveway, and hooked it to the cart. And vuala! Use the winch to carefully pull the 2800lbs of steel and iron up the 10 degree driveway and into the shop! I then cleaned it up with machine oil, Scotch-brite pads, aligned the head to the ways, and powered it by a 120Hz single phase VFD outputting 230V 3-phase using the original motor controller as the directional switch. This thing is mint!
What’s Next?
Over the winter I would like to fully disassemble it, do a rebuild, grind the ways and bed, and convert the spindle from a 3 deep groove bearing setup to a "5-pack" with two matched pair sets of angular contact bearings in the nose, and a deep groove at the top of the spindle while also regrinding the R8 taper to a fresh finish.
Well, that sums most of it up. There were other projects I didn’t post about, but one big one is coming! I’m actually going to make educational vehicle dynamics videos tuning a real car and not just discussing equations! You’ll get a calculator hosted on my website and hopefully a cool ass hoodie with some fun equations on it. It’s been a busy summer, but I’m excited for this winter. I’m finally at a point where I can start working on my own cars again.
Oh yea, I made a baby too. So there will be busy spring with a July 7th deadline for balls to the walls work on BIBs. Then balls to wall on baby stuff. Maybe some race car inspired baby products... Who knows...
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