CAD - Modeling and Manufacturing Prints

[Ray Cecil]

All,
  I am willing to help with small CAD projects. I don't always have time, but I will help you reproduce a part if you need it, when I do have the time.
  If you have a LARGE project, I will have to consider that on a case by case basis.

I have 10+ years in CAD. I have designed Metal Buildings, Robotics, Valves, Flame Arrestors, Firearms, Automation Equipment and now I am designing parcel sorting systems. You can see some projects I've done here, including a Bullnose F150 project flatbed:

https://grabcad.com/ray.cecil-1

Ray

 

[Gary Lewis]

Ray - That's an excellent offer.  And I'm taking you up on it by sending Bill's parts to you soon.

Thanks!

[Ray Cecil]

I know it took awhile, but I finally got one of Bills clips finished. The other two shouldn't take too long after this.

[Ray Cecil]

I'm not sure what printer Bill is using, but there is going to be a challenge printing these things off. They have no perfect orientation by which to print. Supports or extra material will need to be added to print them off, and then they'll need to be finished off with a rasp/file. The quality of the final part will be determined by the printer, and its resolution ability. There are some pretty small features on these clips.

[Gary Lewis]

Well done!!!

As for the printing, that is going to be an issue.  I think Shapeways will add them as and where needed.  But I think Bill is going to print them on his own printer, so....

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ray,
Do you have anything going with Gary to remake/upgrade the mechanical clutch pivots for the frame and bellhousing side?

I never had a >'83 truck myself, but Dave's (fuzzface2) recent snafu had me thinking about this again.
I understand these parts are unobtainium, so it would be a great resource for any early Bullnose owner.

We discussed SLS and infusion (brazing?) In another thread where Tom (OxTools, machinist from the Lawerence Berkley national laboratory) had a part made by Shapeways for a tool he had designed.

Iirc, he discovered he needed to account for some small amount of shrink because the lasers focus on X point, but the material shrinks a bit as it cools from fusion temperatures.

Since you pay by volume (or mass) and the parts are relatively small, they shouldn't be too expensive.
It's my understanding once you get a quote you can decide if it's worth it to you.

Just having the part file hosted there, or on thingyverse if you're willing to give it away, would probably help a lot of people keep their trucks on the road without resorting to questionable hacks like Dave did.

[FuzzFace2]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Ray,
Do you have anything going with Gary to remake/upgrade the mechanical clutch pivots for the frame and bellhousing side?

I never had a >'83 truck myself, but Dave's (fuzzface2) recent snafu had me thinking about this again.
I understand these parts are unobtainium, so it would be a great resource for any early Bullnose owner.

We discussed SLS and infusion (brazing?) In another thread where Tom (OxTools, machinist from the Lawerence Berkley national laboratory) had a part made by Shapeways for a tool he had designed.

Iirc, he discovered he needed to account for some small amount of shrink because the lasers focus on X point, but the material shrinks a bit as it cools from fusion temperatures.

Since you pay by volume (or mass) and the parts are relatively small, they shouldn't be too expensive.
It's my understanding once you get a quote you can decide if it's worth it to you.

Just having the part file hosted there, or on thingyverse if you're willing to give it away, would probably help a lot of people keep their trucks on the road without resorting to questionable hacks like Dave did.

Jim, thanks for looking out for me on the motor side clutch pivot and this would be for a 300 six manual setup as the v8's bolt to the bell housing face.

Now being I have broke 2 of the ones I repaired, first one I did not know was bad as I just fixed the area the plastic busing went on, the 2nd one was bad welding on my part.

Any way I don't know if a printed (plastic) part would be strong enough if I broke the metal ones?
If I had a lath I could turn one down from bar stock and then thread the end with a die to fit the motor side.

When I was in Tech high school, for the 2 weeks in Tool & Die we made little screw jacks and this pivot uses some of the same lath setup.
When it was out I should have gotten measurements and drafted up a blue print, yes did that is high school too, so I had them.

BTW that was not "hacked" it was getting "creative"
Dave ----

[ArdWrknTrk]

Selective Laser Sintering is not plastic at all.
Shapeways does a few metals (besides the precious ones for their lost wax jewelery)

The one Tom of the OxTool channel used was stainless, and he is a total geek about materials.
I guess you have to be if you're fabricating instrumentation for space telescopes and particle accelerators!

Shapeways also does one that comes out like sponge, and then it is oven brazed (essentially) and soaks up metal to fill out and consolidate the armature that was made.

Unfortunately, our drafting skills mean nothing in a world of CAD, CAM, and CNC.
Whatever dimensions you might have scribbled on paper don't really help with the code needed to drive the machines.
If you drew it in AutoCAD, Mach 4, or even SketchUp, that would be a different story.

You went to Wright Tech, over behind Scalzi Park?

[Ray Cecil]

Sorry guys. Been very busy.

I have a spare pivot. When I get some time, I will mic it up and make a 3d model and post it on my GrabCAD account. Might be awhile.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I went back and found Tom Liptons video where he discusses the printed quill feed lever he had made.

I stand corrected, it uses a conventional 3D printing process in 420 stainless, and is then infused with bronze (according to him)

You can go to Shapeways site for all the mechanical properties.

Anyway, my thoughts were, since we know the failure mode perhaps the part could be 'imroved' if the part --as is- were modeled then subjected to some FEA.
I'm not sure if they break from wear creating a stress riser, or they flex minutely and propagate a crack, or what.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ray,  we know you're a busy man.
And holidays, and ...

The fact that you offer to do this for the betterment of all early Bullnose owners speaks volumes.  

[Ray Cecil]

Jim, I am thinking....why not engineer a better solution? First we would need to try and understand the loads it sees. Not only from the zbar, but from the twisting of the engine. You cant do accurate FEA until you understand how to sim the loads.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ray,
I absolutely understand that, and that's why I started with the qualifier that I've never owned a mechanical clutch truck.
Obviously Ford's engineers knew it was a problem, or they wouldn't have gone with a more complex hydraulic clutch in '83 (for the reintroduction of the 460/diesel) and '84 for the Windsor bell patterns.

My thought was that IF a retrofit part could address SOME of the apparent fragility, anyone could use this 'upgraded' part without changing everything.

I mean, plenty of people have adapted the later hydraulic system.
Obviously a hose has no problem with the driveline v chassis movement.

This is why I suggested a failure analysis as a starting point.
Other than wear from neglect, what is it that causes these things to break?

I know the loads must be huge, given the length of the bar and the leg force applied to overcome the pressure plate.
Then you add some sloppy transmission and engine mounts, engine torque or driveshaft torque when trailing throttle....

Is it that these moments exceed the X degrees of freedom afforded by the ball and socket, and it just binds up or twists off?

I don't have one and I will be the first to admit, that part is beyond my ability to visualize due to unfamiliarity.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

I don't have one and I will be the first to admit, that part is beyond my ability to visualize due to unfamiliarity.

Here is what the "ball" looks like on the 300/6. This one was a very low mile original piece on a 1980...I think it just barely had 30,000 miles on it. Ray now has this piece. For reproduction purposes, it should be a pretty good example since the plastic bushing still remains...or at least some of it. Presume this means that the ball itself is still relatively intact.



Considering this part, and the whole linkage, is hanging under the truck exposed to all of the road grime, dirt, debris, and water it's no wonder they wear out the way they do.

I think the failure mode is that the plastic bushing wears away, then the metal on metal contact rapidly wears out the ball, and it breaks off. Somebody can correct me on this...I'm a hydraulic clutch guy after all...

[ArdWrknTrk]

Thank you Cory.

That's pretty much what I surmised, but as I said, I don't have any personal validation.

The plastic ball is still available, correct?

At least the pivot (perch?) won't be corroding and providing a beachhead for cracks to propagate if it is made in stainless and bronze.

Maybe some rework of the shape, reducing sharp corners and increasing radii will help?

As Tom said there is no cost for making the part more complex, only cost for volume.

I'm interested in seeing the ones for Windsor and 335 series engines as well!
Because that is essentially just a stud, as Dave said, above.

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Thank you Cory.

That's pretty much what I surmised, but as I said, I don't have any personal validation.

The plastic ball is still available, correct?

At least the pivot (perch?) won't be corroding and providing a beachhead for cracks to propagate if it is made in stainless and bronze.

Maybe some rework of the shape, reducing sharp corners and increasing radii will help?

I didn't think that there were any parts available for the mechanical clutch linkage, plastic or otherwise, but somebody can correct me if I'm wrong. As I said, I am a hydraulic clutch guy and greatly prefer that system, despite any issues it may have.

I'm not really familiar with the mechanical clutch system linkage, but a cheap "fix" for that ball and socket arrangement would be a straight shaft with a heim joint on it, wouldn't it? I'm just guessing of course...but a more rigid ball joint assembly (with a grease nipple) would be the bee's knees as they say.

My whole three-on-the-tree fiasco really jaded me on mechanical linkages...lol.

[Gary Lewis]

A few years ago I got the plastic parts from LMC, and while that was for a 351M's linkage our handy dandy parts list says they all use the same parts.

But I'm not seeing how a Heim joint would work on this.  We need a bushing or bearing inside of the Z-bar, and I can't figure out how to do the Heim joint.  Is there one that doesn't have the stud on the side of it?

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

A few years ago I got the plastic parts from LMC, and while that was for a 351M's linkage our handy dandy parts list says they all use the same parts.

But I'm not seeing how a Heim joint would work on this.  We need a bushing or bearing inside of the Z-bar, and I can't figure out how to do the Heim joint.  Is there one that doesn't have the stud on the side of it?

Gary,

Right you are! I didn't even notice that LMC had these parts...but then again, I've never looked for them either. Sorry for adding any confusion above.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary Lewis wrote

But I'm not seeing how a Heim joint would work on this.  We need a bushing or bearing inside of the Z-bar, and I can't figure out how to do the Heim joint.  Is there one that doesn't have the stud on the side of it?

There are plenty of joints that a stud fits through.
That stud could be an oval headed machine screw.

There are also spherical joints set in a lozenge shaped plate (or flange)
That can be bolted or welded to some kind of bulkhead.

[Rembrant]

Something like this joint below inserted in each end of the Z-Bar?

https://secure.chassisshop.com/categories/5325/