Introducing the Stig Special

[Ole MN 11]

Ian, You must be very excited to be this far. I would imagine you hope you can get your first ride in before your move. As always thank you for sharing your build. Also I would like to thank you, Massey and all of the others you supply us

with these wonderful inspirations. Which led me to go out and buy a welder to try and do some of the things I have been dreaming about. I hope to be able to share something I have build or modified that might spur someone else

to try. You and the other builders, restores and others who help each of us keep our dream machines running are the best. I can't thank you all enough. :text-thankyouyellow:

[Stigian 1,234]

That's very exciting Lan, I'm ready to see that thing in action!!!

Matt

Thanks Latt sorry Matt, yep exciting times are most certainly here, can't wait to get behind the steering er.. levers.

Looking great Ian.

Thank you Sir.

Its looking good! looking forward to seeing you drive it. Jake

Thanks Jake. I have the video all planned out, just not sure if I can get everyone who should be in the vid here on the same day..

[Stigian 1,234]

Ian, You must be very excited to be this far. I would imagine you hope you can get your first ride in before your move. As always thank you for sharing your build. Also I would like to thank you, Massey and all of the others you supply us

with these wonderful inspirations. Which led me to go out and buy a welder to try and do some of the things I have been dreaming about. I hope to be able to share something I have build or modified that might spur someone else

to try. You and the other builders, restores and others who help each of us keep our dream machines running are the best. I can't thank you all enough.

Thanks for your very kind words Brad, glad we have inspired you to buy a welder and have a go.. I look forward to seeing your first creation.. Something wild I hope

Not much to report this time, it's been a few days since I last went out to the Shack but managed to find some time today.

The not much to report is actually an even bigger step in the right direction.. Today, Ladys and Gents, I'm proud (and rather happy) to report that project 6X6 can now once again hold itself up!!! Yep it's on it's wheels

It's a bit hard in my small shack to get any good photo's, so have one of the side that went on today and one from the back.

[neil 2,409]

:flags-wavegreatbritain: :party: :party:

Congratulations Ian

[Anglo Traction 761]

:woohoo: Good news Ian. I bet that Workshack Floor is going to give a sigh of relief when you roll it out !.

[bowtiebutler956 650]

Good to see your baby's got her shoes on!!

Matt :flags-texas:

[Steve B. 30]

Oh man! That looks awesome. I'm itching to see it run, likely not as much as you are to run it.

Congrats on a great build.

[Stigian 1,234]

Congratulations Ian

Thank you SIr.

Good to see your baby's got her shoes on!!

Matt

Lol, yep she's much happier now her undercarrage is off the cold bench

Good news Ian. I bet that Workshack Floor is going to give a sigh of relief when you roll it out !.

Hi Richard, the Workshack floor is coping quite well, it's the bench that's showing the strain.. It needs some serious reinforcment to make it strong enough to get the project off it..

You might say the bench is a tadon the wobbley side at the mo!

Oh man! That looks awesome. I'm itching to see it run, likely not as much as you are to run it.

Congrats on a great build.

Thanks Steve, yep she certainly looks better wearing some rubber and with more bit's bolted on. lol, yep your right I am really itching to finally be able to drive it.. Not long now

Well, I wish I had more of an update for you all but I've been a tad busy in the shack doing something else..

After quite a battle I think finally all the air is out of the steering brake system, they have been a right pain to bleed!!

I have measured up and ordered all five drive belts, two each side between the wheels and a rather long engine to trans belt.

I have also spent a little time er.. sorting a couple of mistakes on a couple of the drive belt tensioners.

There is not much left to do to get it running under it's own power, infact I'm going to stick my neck out a bit and say I hope to do the test drive next weekend!!

Well, that's the plan anyway...

To pad this lack of update a bit, here what I have been upto in the shack for a few days..

A local mower repair chap is building a racing mower, this one in fact.

He asked me if I could help him out with a bit of lathe work.

He had had an ally top hat shaped er thingy cast to drop the height of a pulley, and could I machine it to the correct size and give it a tidy up.

Starting with this rough looking casting.

The inside after a tidy.

Finished..

And with pulley which will be welded (not by me, I wish I could ally weld) to the machined bit.

It was nice to be machining ally for a change, but now I can't wait to crack on with my project.

I Almost forgot, here's build video number 23 for you guy's.

Edited April 13, 2012 by Stigian

[Raider10 3]

:woohoo: Have only just looked at your 6x6 thingamiwotsit!! Looks awesome! Dont know where you find the time for all the pics and vids. I got back from my easter hol monday and have projected my lawn ranger non stop everyday since. No time at all to play on computer and fiddle about with photos. Just having a go with photobucket now to see if its any easier. Good luck with the rest of the build and hope to meet at Ardingly.

Ian.

[bowtiebutler956 650]

Looks like your making steady progress Lan. So you think your going to be test driving it by next week. I hope so.

Matt :flags-texas:

[WH Raider10 17]

Looks great as always Ian. I'm looking forward meeting you at the show and seeing the 6X6 in person.

P-J

[wheeledhorseman 574]

Comin' on great Ian - you must surely get a bit fed up with taking it apart, putting it together again, only to take it apart again.

Still, at least more bits go back on and in place each time heading for that eagerly awaited test drive.

Andy

[can whlvr 993]

yep cant wait to see the trial run

[smoreau 658]

Looks like it's going to be ready soon! My be you could use the 6x6 to pull the shack to its new home Ian, you do some great work and looking forward to the trial run!

[Stigian 1,234]

Have only just looked at your 6x6 thingamiwotsit!! Looks awesome! Dont know where you find the time for all the pics and vids. I got back from my easter hol monday and have projected my lawn ranger non stop everyday since. No time at all to play on computer and fiddle about with photos. Just having a go with photobucket now to see if its any easier. Good luck with the rest of the build and hope to meet at Ardingly.

Ian.

Thanks Ian (cool name by the way). I normally sort out the pic's and vid's in the evenings when there's naff all to watch on tv or when my Wifes watching her garbage er.. programs

Yep it will cool to meet you at Ardingly.

Looks like your making steady progress Lan. So you think your going to be test driving it by next week. I hope so.

Matt

Hey Latt, how's tricks? Yep next weekend is looking good for a test drive, just waiting for the last parts of the puzzle to arrive.. Drive belts and oil for the trans.

Looks great as always Ian. I'm looking forward meeting you at the show and seeing the 6X6 in person.

P-J

Thanks P-J, it will be cool to put a face to a name at the show.

Comin' on great Ian - you must surely get a bit fed up with taking it apart, putting it together again, only to take it apart again.

Still, at least more bits go back on and in place each time heading for that eagerly awaited test drive.

Andy

It sure feels like all I've been doing is taking bit's off then putting them back on again. At least next time they come off they will be going back on for good (after a good tidy and painting) of course.

yep cant wait to see the trial run

Thanks Don, I know that feeling well

Looks like it's going to be ready soon! My be you could use the 6x6 to pull the shack to its new home Ian, you do some great work and looking forward to the trial run!

Thanks Scott, using the 6X6 to move the Shack could be interesting.. Hhhmm.. Maybe it could be the first of the "Mini Monster Moves" series. Time to give the Discovery channel a call me thinks

I managed to get a few hours in the Shack this morning and got a few more bits sorted.

The throttle and choke cables are now connected to the engine, I put in a few missing wheel bolts that I could not find when the wheels went on.

I also make a start on the wiring including a safety switch so the enigine can't be started without the parking brake being on.

To check the charging system I thought a Ammeter would be a good idea, but where to put one

As a quick fix a coil bracket, some rubber pipe, and the cap from a tin of brasso were put into service. I will be making a proper "Amipod" for it, but for testing this will do.

A view from where the drivers seat should be, it's looking a bit busy in the control department now

[COMMANDO6 20]

Very nice. I'm going to be looking forward to seeing it drive all week now!

[Stigian 1,234]

Very nice. I'm going to be looking forward to seeing it drive all week now!

Thanks, the good news is all is (mostly) going to plan (apart from the weather which looks like rain for the weekend!) so come Saturday it should be "Thunder Birds Wheel Horses are go"

Lot's to say in this update but as I'm feeling rather knackered I'm going to try and keep it short.

I dived in and resorted the wiring loom with a much better gauge of wire, at the mo it's just taped together to check if it works (more on the "works" bit in a mo).

Have a photo of lot's of wires and the back of a new (but strange) ignition switch.

I thought it might be wise to move the starter solenoid away from the drive belt and (soon to be coming) belt cover both of which would of made it a lot harder to get access to the starter solenoid.. It's now snuggling up (although not too close) with the brake pedal.

A big smelly parcel turned up yesterday morning.. Ahhhh, you can't beat the smell of fresh rubber in the morning

It's a shame the I managed to order not quite the right size belts!

The four belts that connect all the wheels together were a tad too long, so after much messing about including getting the tensioners to push the belt up instead of down, the only way forward other than ordering more belts was to make the tensioners a bit bigger, or fit some pulleys.. Not sure how long the plastic part will last, time will tell on that one!

The main engine to trans belt I'd managed to get wrong as well, this time it was way too small!!

Lot's of farting around and remeasuring only resulted in more confusion, so I bit the bullet (as they say) and sliced up two spare (but new, yep I'd ordered wrong at some point in history) belts, stuck em together with superglue and made the right size belt and thus got the right measurements and ordered the right size belt!

Throw (strap down) a temporary gas tank.

Bolt the battery in..

Turn the key........

Nothing happened!

A quick check showed it was the parking brake safety switch that would work just fine with a test meter but didn't want to know when plugged into the loom!!!

So.. Bypass the switch, turn the key and the engine sprung into life.... but only if the key was in the start or off position..er.....

Lot's of testing of the ignition switch was followed by even more confusion and a conclusion that the switch has an internal fault, that or they labeled the terminals totally wrong!!

Best change the switch to an old one.... and thus the engine sprung straight into life just as it should. I need to install an engine stop switch so I can stop the engine without having to short out a wire, but over all I'm very happy with how the engine starts now, it even produces a charge

And to finish here's build video part 24, it's slightly behind what you have just read, that's only because I've not had a chance to edit today's footage.. Enjoy the vid guy's.

[whfan74 2,066]

I appreciate you taking all the time to show us the progress of the build. It definitely has been an interesting ride and one that has been anticipated for quite a long time. Good luck wrapping up the few loose ends and then sending that beast on it's maiden voyage. Keep up the great work!

[COMMANDO6 20]

But when you ordered the new engine to trans belt, did you order correct wheel drive belts so that you don't have to fit pulleys or make bigger tensioners?

[meadowfield 2,570]

Well... Just been to see Ian and the 6x6 ! It's every bit as mean as it looks. Brakes, transmission linkages hooked up - just waiting for that elusive final drive belt.

Started first flick of the key or me - good job tranny belt is missing or it might have been off that bench.

Looking forward to seeing the vid after this weekend....

No pressure Ian :D

[fabricator2009 48]

Ian, you are an inspiration to everyone who has been following your build. Thank you and keep up the fantastic work. Ken.

[Stigian 1,234]

I appreciate you taking all the time to show us the progress of the build. It definitely has been an interesting ride and one that has been anticipated for quite a long time. Good luck wrapping up the few loose ends and then sending that beast on it's maiden voyage. Keep up the great work!

Hi Scott, thanks for your kind words and thanks for following this build through it's ups and downs. All you fine chaps have been great and I really appreciate all the comments, advice, and enthusiasm for this build over the past 2+ years, it's kept me going when times have been hard and when the lathe work has got really boring

Not many loose ends to tie up now, it should all be tied up by tomorrow evening (Fingers crossed).

But when you ordered the new engine to trans belt, did you order correct wheel drive belts so that you don't have to fit pulleys or make bigger tensioners?

Nope.. I managed to order the wrong wheel to wheel drive belts as well , it was easier (cheaper) to fit the pulleys than order some slightly smaller drive belts..

I might get belt measuring lark worked out one day!!

Well... Just been to see Ian and the 6x6 ! It's every bit as mean as it looks. Brakes, transmission linkages hooked up - just waiting for that elusive final drive belt.

Started first flick of the key or me - good job tranny belt is missing or it might have been off that bench.

Looking forward to seeing the vid after this weekend....

No pressure Ian

Thanks Mark, it was cool to catch up with you last night, my wife thinks were nut's for spending 3 hours in the shack chatting about Wh's etc

Have photographic of Mark and the 6X6, and the always important hot beverage.

Ian, you are an inspiration to everyone who has been following your build. Thank you and keep up the fantastic work. Ken.

Thank you very much Ken. If I have inspired anyone just to "have a go" at building/making something then I'm very cool with that.. Have a go guy's, you might be a natural or get addicted to welding

Just a very quick update as this week has taken it's toll on me and I'm almost asleep at the pc..

Job's left to do before test drive..

Fit drive belt (it should be here tomorrow)

Top up the oil in the trans and bleed the system (with wheels off the ground)

Test the steering brakes work (nothing in brackets)

Make a foot plate for the right side.

Make sure the hood can't fall off.

Have a restless nights sleep wondering if it will all work once on the ground!

For those that need a video fix, here's part 25 which has some cool bit's with the engine running

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,281]

Great fick! The motor sounds awsome.

Mike.............

[312Hydro 474]

Thanks for the vids,Ian. I've been following on YouTube and just had a chance to read your posts. The Kohler sure sounds great! I;'ll be looking forward to the weekend now! Hope the belt comes in for you. Rich

[bowtiebutler956 650]

Great video, as always Lan! Your getting closer.

Matt :flags-texas: