Introducing the Stig Special

[jachady 130]

It's the little touches, like curving the fenders and sides on the three point (cover) that will have Wheel Horse guys in 75 years wondering if this was a factory job. 

[Don1977 604]

It just keeps getting better. Seat, light lens, more finishing of the sheet metal.  It would be great to see what you could do with an unlimited budget.   

[bowtiebutler956 650]

 Very nice work Ian! Your doing a great job with the sheetmetal, and I really like the seat!

 

Matt

[Stigian 1,234]

It's the little touches, like curving the fenders and sides on the three point (cover) that will have Wheel Horse guys in 75 years wondering if this was a factory job. 

 

That's a hell of a compliment dude, thanking you very much

The plan has always been to try and build it so it would look "factory", from your great comment I guess I'm succeeding.

 

Oh, and congrats on posting the 1000th reply to this thread

 

 

 

It just keeps getting better. Seat, light lens, more finishing of the sheet metal.  It would be great to see what you could do with an unlimited budget.   

 

Thanks Don, an unlimited budget would be very nice but unfortunately is never likely to happen..

 

 

 

 Very nice work Ian! Your doing a great job with the sheetmetal, and I really like the seat!

 

Matt

 

Bad news Matt!!   The seat won't be staying as it needs something with a bit more back support for those steep up hill moments.... But it will be getting a non falling apart seat

 

 

 

Before I do the final welding on the new gas tank I thought to see how and indeed if it would fit under the hood...

 

That's what you call a big tank

 

 

 

 

Well it did fit..... But only if the tank was pushed back far enough to touch the engine, but the front of it did still touch the hood!!

 

 

 

Then I noticed an even bigger problem.... With the tank in place there was no way to pull out the front trans dipstick!! 

 

 

 

 

Tackling the first problem first, getting the tank to fit..

 

The tank bracket thingy was trimmed down in height a little and the tank amazingly fitted under the hood in just the right place..

 

 

 

Plenty of clearance under the front of the hood and more than enough space to fit the Wh head light unit.

 

 

 

But the real bonus was finding I could now get the dipstick in and out 

 

 

 

I've just got to work out the best way to mount the tank now.. I keep toying with the idea of leather straps........

 

 

Andy... Just in case your wondering why I'm swapping out the tank you very kindly donated to this project for a different tank, part of the reason is now I know how much this beast drinks (Quite a lot you might say), I need a tank that gives me more range.

Also you tank is a bit too tall placing the fuel tap well below the level of the fuel pump which has been causing starting problems if the beast isn't started for a while, and there was no space to raise the tank at all..

The new tank solves both those problems..

Edited March 30, 2013 by Stigian

[Madcat 9]

Like everyone else I've been watching your build with much interest. Your gas tank location brings to mind an experience

I had with a home made tractor with a V4 air cooled engine. Tank was close to the exhaust manifold. Gasoline boils at a temperature between 100-400 degrees F 

depending on altitude and how the gas is formulated with additives. Good luck.

[Anglo Traction 761]

Nice work as usual Ian. So how many Gallons Imperial can you get in it?. Will you have to put a Heat shieId/Insulation layer under it?. 

[Stigian 1,234]

Like everyone else I've been watching your build with much interest. Your gas tank location brings to mind an experience

I had with a home made tractor with a V4 air cooled engine. Tank was close to the exhaust manifold. Gasoline boils at a temperature between 100-400 degrees F 

depending on altitude and how the gas is formulated with additives. Good luck.

 

Nice work as usual Ian. So how many Gallons Imperial can you get in it?. Will you have to put a Heat shieId/Insulation layer under it?. 

 

Thanks Guy's..

There will be an ally heat shield protecting the end of the tank to keep that nasty exhaust heat from causing and trouble. I don't think it will need anything under the tank as the front trans cooling fan will blow any heat away.

I'm not sure how much "move juice" the tank will hold, I'm guessing about 2 1/2 gals maybe a bit more..  

[dbartlett1958 96]

Like everyone else I've been watching your build with much interest. Your gas tank location brings to mind an experience

I had with a home made tractor with a V4 air cooled engine. Tank was close to the exhaust manifold. Gasoline boils at a temperature between 100-400 degrees F 

depending on altitude and how the gas is formulated with additives. Good luck.

 

>Nice work as usual Ian. So how many Gallons Imperial can you get in it?. Will you have to put a Heat shieId/Insulation layer under it?. 

 

Thanks Guy's..

There will be an ally heat shield protecting the end of the tank to keep that nasty exhaust heat from causing and trouble. I don't think it will need anything under the tank as the front trans cooling fan will blow any heat away.

I'm not sure how much "move juice" the tank will hold, I'm guessing about 2 1/2 gals maybe a bit more..  

 

Ian,

 

Volume in a tank shaped like yours can be deceiving. I am going to guess you will have more than you think. You will need all the reserve you can get!

[Stigian 1,234]

Ian,

 

Volume in a tank shaped like yours can be deceiving. I am going to guess you will have more than you think. You will need all the reserve you can get!

 

I can live with more fuel capacity than I thought

Your right about needing all the reserve I can get, the ol girl does like to drink..   I'd like to change it's favorite tipple from petrol to diesel, the problem is finding a powerful enough diesel engine that's small enough to fit under the hood!!

[Stigian 1,234]

Sorry for the lack of updates, welding up this fuel tank is taking far far longer than I thought it would!!

As you may of noticed by now my welding is not perfect by any means, which means any weld that looked even the slightest bit "non fuel tight" has been ground out and re-welded..... Quite a lot! 

The join under the tank I made a total pigs ear of and ended up welding a cover strip over yesterday!!

 

 

 

The other side looks a lot better..

 

 

 

Only a few small welds on the underside to grind out and re-weld, so fingers crossed I might even get the tank finished today!!

 

 

Yesterday was also spent giving the lawn it's second cut of the year..   have a photo of the 312 (now sadly missing it's roll bar but it did make it a lot easier cutting under the trees) with a rather low and bright yellow helicopter checking out the power lines in the background.

 

[Charlie Smith 142]

Great work, your still busy in the shed then... Wow I bet that new tank might cost a fair bit to fill up.. also lovely photo of the 312 and the helicopter, perfect timing right there. And you said a few posts up from this you where looking for maybe a small Diesel engine? Why not try look for a kubota Diesel engine? I'm sure they would fit under the hood

[bowtiebutler956 650]

 Looking good Ian. I do like the extra capacity gas tank, which should make for some nice long uninterrupted seat time. I agree a diesel engine would be better suited for this beast, but the little Kubota's, and Mitsubishi's, etc are quite expensive even used!   Anyway, can't wait for the next video.

 

Matt

[faster 11]

Ian great job as always.

PS. You do know your a youtube movie star now with 38,000+ hits.

[Stigian 1,234]

Great work, your still busy in the shed then... Wow I bet that new tank might cost a fair bit to fill up.. also lovely photo of the 312 and the helicopter, perfect timing right there. And you said a few posts up from this you where looking for maybe a small Diesel engine? Why not try look for a kubota Diesel engine? I'm sure they would fit under the hood

 Thanks Charlie, yep still busy in the shack, just not getting on as fast as I'd like.. Having a bit of trouble with my hands at the mo which makes grinding and welding quite painful after about 30 sec's!

Lol, your not wrong about the tank costing a fair bit to fill up, the other week it cost me £8.27 to fill up a gal can!!

The electricity people check the lines every 6 months I think, and they always make 2 passes. I didn't have a change to grab the camera for their first "fly by" but heard them approaching for the second and fell out the door just in time

I'd love a Kubota engine for this, but as Matt say's below they are expensive!

 

 

 

 Looking good Ian. I do like the extra capacity gas tank, which should make for some nice long uninterrupted seat time. I agree a diesel engine would be better suited for this beast, but the little Kubota's, and Mitsubishi's, etc are quite expensive even used!   Anyway, can't wait for the next video.

 

Matt

 

Thanks Matt, yeah the new gas tank should give me a bit of driving range now. I had a quick look on Fleabay the other day for Kubota engine, the prices range from "ouch" all the way up to "How much!!!"

The next vid is on the way very soon..

 

 

 

Ian great job as always.

PS. You do know your a youtube movie star now with 38,000+ hits.

 

Thanks Faster. The 38k+ hit's on YouTube is just for one video, my total views just clocked over 62,000 this morning so a BIG THANK YOU to all you guy's for watching them

 

 

 

At long last the new tank is finished, I'm so glad it was starting to drive me a bit nuts.. All I need to do to it now is treat the inside of it to some tank sealer just to make sure there are no pin holes left from welding to leak fuel through.

 

 

 

The start of the front mounts.

 

 

 

This used to be the front mount for the old tank, the tab below was only bolted to the trans in one place which made it kinda flimsy!

 

 

 

After some trimming and cleaning up.

 

 

 

It bolts back to the same place on the trans but this time it's only to provide a bit of forward/backwards strength and doesn't carry the weight of the tank and fuel.

Seen here ready for welding to the front uprights.

 

 

 

While this was going on I keep looking at the tank perched on the seat...

 

 

 

D-200 fitment anyone?

 

 

 

The front of the tank had a flange welded on underneath and this bolts to the uprights with a thick strip of rubber between to give the tank a bit of shock absorption.

 

 

 

The rear mount is about the same but the bolts go in a different direction this time.

 

You may of noticed one side of the tank has a bit more rubber than the other...

 

 

 

This is because the tank kinda got a big twist in it during fabrication!!!  The extra rubber levels the filler cap up but not the ends of the tank..

I'm sure if it is possible to "un-twist" the tank, something to think on.

 

 

 

But the good news is the tank is finally finished, mounted, and the hood even closes 

 

 

 

 

I told you the next video was on the way very soon Matt 

 

[bowtiebutler956 650]

 As always, nice work Ian! I'll try to finish the video later, as at about 12 min. into the video, it stopped, and said video temporarily unavailable. I really like the way you build. Everything you make looks very heavy duty, and this tank is no exception.

 

Matt

[COMMANDO6 20]

I've been reading along and I am really impressed with your work. Please let us know if this beast ever finds itself in the good ol' US of A

[Stigian 1,234]

 As always, nice work Ian! I'll try to finish the video later, as at about 12 min. into the video, it stopped, and said video temporarily unavailable. I really like the way you build. Everything you make looks very heavy duty, and this tank is no exception.

 

Matt

 

Thanks Matt, not sure what was going on with the video, it was working fine when I checked it! Just MooTube having one of it's moments I guess.

Is "heavy duty" another way of saying "over engineered"?  Hehe.  It certainly seems to be my building style.  

 

 

 

I've been reading along and I am really impressed with your work. Please let us know if this beast ever finds itself in the good ol' US of A

 

Thank you Sir, I'm not sure the beast will ever make it across the pond (though maybe take it on a world our when it's finished?) but if it does I will let ya all know.

 

 

Quite a bit of progress has been made since my last update, which is making me happy

 

A lot of measuring, drawing and making a template saw this bit of card being held down on a sheet of ally.

 

 

 

A quick spray to mark the outline.

 

 

 

 

And lot's of cutting, drilling, filing and a bit of sanding later we have a heat shield for the gas tank.

I just need to stock up on some new nut's bolts and washers so I can mount it.

 

 

 

 

Another job I have ticked off the list is to make covers for the sprockets.

A tool I haven't used for years was dug out of the shed.. A sheet metal folder..

 

 

 

Three of four end covers with two bend in.

 

 

 

One clamped on the outrigger.

 

 

 

Lot's of hammering later!!

 

 

 

 

I'm glad the sheet metal work is coming to an end, my hands and wrists have taken a real beating doing all this panel beating!!   Anyway, the corners done awaiting a little grinding to tidy the welds.

 

 

 

Speaking of grinding..

 

 

 

 

The middle two covers were easier to make, just clamp the steel in place and beat the top and bottom curves around the outrigger.

 

 

 

A bit hard to see but the covers fitted on the left side.

 

 

 

And the right side.. I couldn't resist giving them a quick squirt of paint to give an idea of the finished look.

All the covers will be bolted to the outriggers when I get some more bolts.

 

 

 

Oh, remember that large 8x4 sheet of steel I bought?   Well these three small bit's is all that's left... I think I managed to get as much use out of the sheet as possible

 

[Lars 526]

Great work as always Ian... starting to be ready now for the Red paint!!!!! lol hehe keep the good work up

[bowtiebutler956 650]

 Really first class work Ian!!

 

Matt

[Don1977 604]

Your going to need some Wheel Horse Decals on those outriggers to set them off. A couple of decals like is on the back fender of my C-120 would look great.

[dbartlett1958 96]

Ian,

 

That is an amazingly efficient use of that steel sheet!  Great work.

[Stigian 1,234]

Great work as always Ian... starting to be ready now for the Red paint!!!!! lol hehe keep the good work up

 

Thanks Lars, yep not far off splashing some red stuff about now.

 

 

 

 Really first class work Ian!!

 

Matt

 

Ta muchly Matt

 

 

 

Your going to need some Wheel Horse Decals on those outriggers to set them off. A couple of decals like is on the back fender of my C-120 would look great.

 

Hi Don, I don't think decals on the outriggers would last that long. They would get damaged quite quickly as the machine is forced through deep mud/bushes/crowds of lost ramblers...

Maybe some smaller decls on the sides of the fenders thought...

 

 

 

Ian,

 

That is an amazingly efficient use of that steel sheet!  Great work.

 

Thanks David, I like to get my money's worth out of something as much as possible..

 

 

Well, after getting distracted by the new fuel tank, heat shield, and cover for the outriggers I finally started on the battery box..

 

After getting a few measurements...

 

 

 

I went in search of a big enough bit of sheet steel to use..   After quite a bit of searching I spotted the top of this screwed to one of the shack walls... The rest of the sign was also screwed to the wall, I just couldn't see it behind all the clutter leaning against the wall!!

 

 

 

Quite a bit of time was spent doing some careful measuring and marking out. This is my last bit of sheet steel so I needed to get it right first time!

 

 

 

Chopped out and the first couple of folds added.

 

 

 

Masking tape is a wonderful thing.. For holding things together

 

 

 

Dig that funky interior

 

 

 

It fits!!

 

 

 

Now the part I was dreading.. Welding up the quite thin metal.. The first few tacks going on.

 

 

 

Not bad for a doddery old fart using a very old and knackered mig welder.

 

 

 

Done!!

 

 

 

After a quick weld clean up and a spray.. I need to clean the inside up a bit before painting it.

 

 

 

Of course there had to be a distraction going on.. While waiting for the welds to cool on the battery box I grabbed a sanding block and started flattening back the brown paint on the hood...

 

One thing lead to another and I now have an almost super smooth hood top... Only a little more work to do on it.

 

 

 

After a quick spray.

 

 

 

 

No more filler work today though, it's raining and I don't want to fill the shack up with filler dust.....   So I guess I might get the battery box mounted instead..

[Charlie Smith 142]

Great job on that battery box everything looks fab!

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Apparently there's a shortage of steel in the Southeast Ian, I wonder why? I keep watching ever more go into this project and wonder if you shouldn't run a sweepstake on the final finished weight of the beast you've created. Is there a weighbridge nearby perhaps?

 

The excellent work continues - I also hate welding thin sheet but I've never really got the hang of my MIG so more often than not even thin stuff gets the stick. Thin rod, low amps, strike plate, and a thick bit of scrap behind to take the heat away works for me but what wouldn't I give to have one of those modern electronic controled welders - a man can dream!

 

Looking forward to seeing it at Ardingly.

 

Andy

[Stigian 1,234]

Great job on that battery box everything looks fab!

 

Thank you Charlie..

 

 

 

Apparently there's a shortage of steel in the Southeast Ian, I wonder why? I keep watching ever more go into this project and wonder if you shouldn't run a sweepstake on the final finished weight of the beast you've created. Is there a weighbridge nearby perhaps?

 

The excellent work continues - I also hate welding thin sheet but I've never really got the hang of my MIG so more often than not even thin stuff gets the stick. Thin rod, low amps, strike plate, and a thick bit of scrap behind to take the heat away works for me but what wouldn't I give to have one of those modern electronic controled welders - a man can dream!

 

Looking forward to seeing it at Ardingly.

 

Andy

 

It's when there's a shortage of road signs in the Southeast you have to start panicking Andy

There might be a local weighbridge, I will have to ask about. At least the steel I'm adding now is quite light stuff

I would of used my arc welder if my hands were working better and I wasn't shaky that day.. Though the shaking probably made my mig welding better that day!

 

 

Hhhm..   Thinking on it there isn't much more steel to add.. A lid for the battery box and a panel to fit around the motion levers, parking brake etc, though I might make that out of ally...

Of course I'm not throwing the dozer blade into the weight quite yet...

 

 

Well, the battery box is not quite mounted yet as it only has one bolt holding it in at present but some more progress has been made on the hood..

The filler work is now done (although one bit may bug me enough to add a bit more filler to get rid of a very slight dip), apart from just a little skim on the front panel which was stripped back to bare metal yesterday before spraying.

 

 

 

 

To stop Matt getting withdrawal symptoms here Part 50 of my build videos...   

 

Edited May 1, 2013 by Stigian