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Chris - I don't need a new adapter, so probably don't need to find it in a catalog. But, thanks.
Bruno - Thanks, but no thanks.
Jim - Looking at some other cabinets on-line I see that they have the media pickup at the very bottom - as well as a blend valve. Need to look into that for mine.
OK, I took a quick look in the 73-79 truck parts catalog (I have copies of all of Bill's PDFs) and didn't find it in the 5.8L/6.6L engine section (text)... there is a chance that a part like that is listed elsewhere, in a place common to several engines - generally at the start or end of a section... so that will take some more work.
Having the computer search these gigantic PDFs takes a LONG time and doesn't work real well in my experience....
Chris, I'm betting on probably 75-79 with a 460 and 4WD, the 351M/400s weren't foisted on the trucks until 1977, but the 460s were installed in F-150s starting in 1975. It may even have been on the FE engines w/4WD, they may have had different pans.
Gary, where does the part leak? Around the 4 holes or the whole part? Is there a way you could fit them in your lathe to groove the part/parts to accept an O ring?
Don't newer cars seal the thermostat housing that way now?
Some thoughts. I was going to build a homemade version of the RCBS sidewinder rotating vibratory tumbler out of 5 gallon bucket and an old dryer motor.
The vibration option was what I was exploring. There are several different types of industrial vibratory motors out there to purchase. The issue I see with it on the blast cabinet would be if it would shorten the life of the already short lived light bulbs?
Chris - I have a sheet of gasket material and thought about using that. But, having read quite a bit about the anaerobic gasket makers I think that's a better solution. They are said to be more flexible over time than sheet gaskets and handle temp variations and vibrations better.
Kyle - I think the leak was due to one of the rivets being loose. So, with good sealant and tight fasteners I think it'll seal fine.
Brandon - From my testing of the blast cabinet yesterday I don't think a vibrator is going to fix the problem. I learned that placing a large part in the cabinet, like the pan I was working on, causes the used media to be directed to the corners rather than to the center of the hopper. So I could shake the cabinet pretty seriously before getting media to the pickup tube - regardless of where I put it.
Jim - I'm thinking a fluorescent tube down the back at the top, with a plastic or maybe expanded metal protector over it. The point-source incandescent or fluorescent bulbs I've been using are both in the way as well as provide poor lighting.
And, more media might cure the feeding problem. But, this looks to be a much better approach than the pipe that came with mine:
Plus, this bit describes exactly the problem I've always had with this cabinet. So, either it is time to add the valve or.....
Siphon machines are the most common type of blast machine found in the market today. All Media Blast siphon machines include the abrasive media-mixing valve for proper adjustment and flow of the blast media to the gun. Consider this feature the same as a mixing control on any painting system; beware of units that claim “No mixing valve necessary”. Machines operating without mixing valves cannot regulate the amount of media being delivered to the gun assembly. Because not all applications use the same abrasive type and or size and siphon systems operate best with a 20-25% abrasive to air mixture, a mixing valve is required. This eliminates the troublesome abrasive surge associated with units having no abrasive mixing valve, often called the “Splotch Blast” or “Splatter Blast” with no abrasive behind each pulsing surge!
I've been installing a lot of T8 LED retrofits lately.
They have their own reflector so they direct all the light in one direction (if I had to guess I'd say 200* spread) and they don't have any glass to break.
Do you have room for a 3' tube in your cabinet?
I don't think a metal screen is going to do a thing to save a bulb inside a blast cabinet.
I've been installing a lot of T8 LED retrofits lately.
They have their own reflector so they direct all the light in one direction (if I had to guess I'd say 200* spread) and they don't have any glass to break.
Do you have room for a 3' tube in your cabinet?
I don't think a metal screen is going to do a thing to save a bulb inside a blast cabinet.
Plastic will probably get obscured pretty quick too.
My cabinet is 36" wide, outside, so I won't be able to get a 3' tube in. As for a metal grille, the intent would be to protect the tube from the part being cleaned as I turn it around, not keep the abrasive off the tube. It might be that I'd not hit the tube if it were up in the very top of the peak of the cabinet, but it worries me.
Concerning the type of light, I'm leaning to fluorescent as it has a glass surface that the abrasive won't degrade very rapidly. But, I think the LED's may have a plastic outside surface, which would degrade pretty quickly. (NB: I just installed four "75W" LED bulbs in our family room fixture which held two 60W incandescents and two "60W" fluorescents. Man, what a huge difference!)
Didn't get to do any blasting today as we wound up going to into T-Town. I got some 1/4-20 button head cap screws w/a hex drive for the oil pan adapter. And, I got two 50 lb bags of abrasive to test the theory that enough abrasive will keep the suction tube supplied.
Got the extra media in the blast cabinet today and it helped significantly on the issue where I have to keep moving the pickup. But, it didn't help at all with the issue where the media pulses, as previously described. So, I've started a new thread in the Garage & Workshop forum, and would invite you to got there to provide input.
But, in spite of the issues with my cabinet, I was able to get the pan and adapter blasted today. They are now clean and ready to be married.
And, toward that end I got the thread locker and gasket maker today. As you can see, the thread locker is the red/permanent kind. I reasoned that the adapter was originally put in with rivets, which are designed to be permanent, so let's make the screws permanent. And, on the gasket maker, there are soooo many different kinds that I finally picked one. I debated between ones like The Right Stuff that set up very quickly vs ones like the Ultra series that take fully cure in 24 hours. In the end I wanted the flexibility that the long-cure gives - especially when installing something like an intake manifold that can be fiddly. So, I went with Ultra Black that says it is good for many things, including intake manifold end seals - and none of the others say that.
Ok, I think I see the error of my ways. Ultra Whatever is not going to work for the dip stick adapter. The issue is the thread-locker - if I put it on when I initially put the Ultra on I won't be able to torque the screws down after the Ultra sets up. But, I don't want to take the screws out after the Ultra sets up in order to put the thread-locker on as that'll break the seal between the screw and the Ultra and it can leak at the screws.
So, I'll use The Right Stuff as it sets up even more quickly than the thread-locker.
I'm glad more media is helping your pickup problem.
That sales pitch seems like it may be the solution to your pulsing problem.
I already mentioned I'm not a fan of RTV for things like this.
TRS is good for china wall sealing because of its fast setup you can make book and get it out of the shop.
If I was going to use silicone I would use it for both threads and flange but my opinion of 'lock washers' sits with Carrol Smith', in the words of Mr Sunshine here on the forum "JUNK!"
Get some all metal prevailing torque lock nuts, use a hardened washer. (M6 is nice on 1/4" because the fit on shank is good and the OD reduced due to ISO spec)
Anerobic sealants should not be used anywhere near plastics including nylon lock nuts.
