I took the three boxes back to my supplier today. He made them out of a goofy grade of aluminum that wouldn't polish. I tried quite a few times, and even took them to a shop with a professional polishing setup. The aluminum wouldn't even polish to a full shine, much less hold a shine over time. Before I ever got to the polishing problem, I noticed that the sheet wasn't bent into perfectly square boxes, as I requested. After I cut the welds down I could see it. I did better by hand, than he did with top notch equipment.
He claims three new ones will be ready tomorrow, but I don't believe it. The last time it took a week longer than promised. Honestly, I am really tired of trying to deal with the local-yocal suppliers I have here. It took a month for me to get to the point where I even wanted to deal with this again, because I am so freakin frustrated with incompetence! I really wanted to let him know exactly what I think about his work, but took the business high road and just discussed the problems with polishing them.
I am going to model a billet cover eventually and get a quote on them; but the price will be quite a bit higher. It's the only way I can have the quality I insist on. I don't really know what I am going to do about the welded boxes.
------------------ toddshotrods.com - wanna ride? crazy projects, features, articles, art & more
[This message has been edited by toddshotrods (edited 10-15-2007).]
IP: Logged
07:46 PM
F-I-E-R-O Member
Posts: 8410 From: Endwell, NY Registered: Jan 2005
He claimed the three boxes were made from 3003; and he was going to make three new ones from 5052. I called this morning and told him not to make the new ones from 5052. I want them made from 6061 so I know what to expect, now and over time.
3003 This is the most widely used of all aluminum alloys. It is essentially commercially pure aluminum with the addition of manganese which increases the strength some 20% over the 1100 grade. Thus, it has all the excellent characteristics of 1100 with higher strength. It has excellent corrosion resistance. It has excellent workability and it may be deep drawn or spun, welded or brazed. It is non heat treatable. Applications: cooking utensils, decorative trim, awnings, siding, storage tanks, chemical equipment.
1100 This grade is commercially pure aluminum. It is soft and ductile and has excellent workability. It is ideal for applications involving intricate forming because it work hardens more slowly than other alloys. It is the most weldable of aluminum alloys, by any method. It is non heat-treatable. It has excellent resistance to corrosion and is widely used in the chemical and food processing industries. It responds well to decorative finishes which make it suitable for giftware.
5052 This is the highest strength alloy of the more common non heat-treatable grades. Fatigue strength is higher than most aluminum alloys. In addition this grade has particularly good resistance to marine atmosphere and salt water corrosion. It has excellent workability. It may be drawn or formed into intricate shapes and its slightly greater strength in the annealed condition minimizes tearing that occurs in 1100 and 3003. Applications: Used in a wide variety of applications from aircraft components to home appliances, marine and transportation industry parts, heavy duty cooking utensils and equipment for bulk processing of food.
6061 This is the least expensive and most versatile of the heat-treatable aluminum alloys. It has most of the good qualities of aluminum. It offers a range of good mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. It can be fabricated by most of the commonly used techniques. In the annealed condition it has good workability. In the T4 condition fairly severe forming operations may be accomplished. The full T6 properties may be obtained by artificial aging. It is welded by all methods and can be furnace brazed. It is available in the clad form (“Alclad”) with a thin surface layer of high purity aluminum to improve both appearance and corrosion resistance. Applications: This grade is used for a wide variety of products and applications from truck bodies and frames to screw machine parts and structural components. 6061 is used where appearance and better corrosion resistance with good strength are required.
------------------ toddshotrods.com - wanna ride? crazy projects, features, articles, art & more
IP: Logged
11:25 AM
Dec 3rd, 2007
toddshotrods Member
Posts: 1177 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Aug 2004
I didn't want to post again until something changed. I stopped work on all the custom parts I was developing (including the Fiero intakes) because I just didn't trust the suppliers I was working with. I had been searching for, and testing, new suppliers the whole time but never found what I was looking for. What I decided to do was shut the business down for a while, sell my house/shop, and move. I am now located in Columbus, Ohio. I am in the process of getting myself settled in here, and restarting my business. As soon as I find the suppliers I need, I want to get back to work on these intakes. I have been itching to do them, and hoping there is still a market for them when I do.
As before, there will be no financial risk to anyone except myself. When I get everything ready I will start producing them and offer them for sale.
I know this has probably been frustrating for you guys, because a lot has been promised to the Fiero comunity and little is often delivered, so I hope you understand that it has been an hundred-times as much so for me because this is my occupation. I am a perfectionist and I would rather starve (almost did - literally) than put out inferior, inconsistent, undependable, products. I am willing to make minor compromises to see tangible results but I have to be able to sleep at night knowing my name is out there, somewhere, on something. Unfortunately, there are already too many compromises out there with my name on them that I can't take back, so I am determined to do things right from here on out - or die trying.
Stay tuned...
As soon as I figure out what box it's in I am going to ship the prototype cover to Randye. I want to see, and want others to see, what it looks like on an actual Fiero. The same goes for the MAP sensor covers as for the intakes, as mentioned above...
Happy Holidays!
IP: Logged
01:26 PM
Jan 12th, 2010
yellowstone Member
Posts: 9299 From: DĂĽsseldorf/Germany Registered: Jun 2003
Well, there was no prototype cover in the boxes I brought with me; and the rest of my stuff is still in storage (including the cover). The guy who bought my house/shop said he located the box with the cover and other Fiero stuff, and was going to bring it to me on one of his trips here but that never happened.
As for new covers, and Fiero parts in general. I have the supplier shops I need, I have the money, but don't have the time. I am working a full-time job, working my business full-time, and going to school full-time - meaning 100-hour (minimum) weeks. I could probably do a bunch of the MAP sensor covers easily, but since I don't have the prototype or the MAP sensor I don't have the measurements. I wanted to send Randye the prototype to make sure they fit and look right first. Honestly, life just got in the way - there's just not enough hours in the day... I never thought about looking to see if they're in this thread - I'll try that later.
I'll chime in again later, my lunch break is almost over...
[This message has been edited by toddshotrods (edited 01-12-2010).]
IP: Logged
12:33 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 25247 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
I hate to get off-topic, but can I ask what you used to paint your thermostat neck? It looks pretty thick. I'm wondering if it was powdercoated or something?
I hate to get off-topic, but can I ask what you used to paint your thermostat neck? It looks pretty thick. I'm wondering if it was powdercoated or something?
Thanks!
What thermostat neck?! Or, are you asking someone else? The pic that you included in your quote is just the prototype MAP sensor cover.
[This message has been edited by toddshotrods (edited 01-12-2010).]
IP: Logged
08:19 PM
toddshotrods Member
Posts: 1177 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Aug 2004
I just looked back over this thread. No measurements, but an idea I had jumped out - casting them. I was going to set up an aluminum foundry in my shop before I decided to sell out and move. Here, I have some expert casting guys in my current biz circle. I will try to remember to ask them about casting thin parts like this the next time I see them - possibly this weekend. If they can cast this covers, I can build a wooden plug.
I would suggest not bothering with casting...or machining for that matter. After you disappeared and never sent the cover you promised me, I eventually contacted Loyde Rascoe and he is now in full production of very nice CNC machined, (and "engraved") covers. Several members here on PFF, (including myself), already have one of Loyde's excellent parts installed. I believe that one of Loyde's MAP sensor covers was even installed on the Tyler Project car. I seem to recall "Synthesis" offering a rave review of the part some weeks ago.
The market waits for nobody Todd, sorry.
IP: Logged
09:49 PM
toddshotrods Member
Posts: 1177 From: Columbus, OH, USA Registered: Aug 2004
I would suggest not bothering with casting...or machining for that matter. After you disappeared and never sent the cover you promised me, I eventually contacted Loyde Rascoe and he is now in full production of very nice CNC machined, (and "engraved") covers. Several members here on PFF, (including myself), already have one of Loyde's excellent parts installed. I believe that one of Loyde's MAP sensor covers was even installed on the Tyler Project car. I seem to recall "Synthesis" offering a rave review of the part some weeks ago.
The market waits for nobody Todd, sorry.
Not a problem. I'm glad someone made them. I wasn't doing these parts to make a profit. I was just trying to give something back to the community, but life got in the way. I make more in an hour behind my computer than a handful of of these parts could provide, so I didn't actually miss my market. Sorry you seem to be a little bitter about it. I purposely never took a dime from anyone here, so none of you could lose anything. The original thread that started it was for custom parts but they were beyond the budget of the average Fiero enthusiast, so this idea and the dual plenum intakes came up to see if there was enough volume to cover the cost of making them.
Starting to remember why I pretty much stopped posting on automotive forums now...
