My "custom" coolant crossover cap

98lincmk7lsc

98lincmk7lsc

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I had some dead time at work today, so I fired up the lathe and learned myself how to use it. This is the first thing I've done on the lathe by myself. I grabbed a piece of stainless steel bar stock off the metal rack and set off to make a new coolant crossover tube cap.

I've always hated the design of them. A square hole as a means of removing it?!? Dumb. It's way too shallow, so if the cap's stuck/corroded, it either rounds out the hole, or breaks the 1/4" ratchet nub.

Anyway, here's what I've got so far. Right now, it's just round on the top, but I'll be milling a hex into the top of it so I can use a wrench, or a 6-point socket, and never have to worry about rounding it off or using a set of vise grips on it.

I'm getting the crossover tube powdercoated wrinkle black, and one thing I was thinking of doing was getting this powdercoated the way it is right now, and THEN machining the hex into it, so the top of it will remain wrinkle black'd. If I don't do that, then I may just leave the machined finish on the whole thing to contrast more against the crossover tube.

Let me know what you guys think and what you would do about the finish of it.

IMG_1697.jpg

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Heck with a top that size I'd drill a hole straight through it to fit a screwdriver THROUGH it.

Looks great. Don't know what the powder coating would do besides improve the aesthetics.
 
Yeah, aesthetics would be the only reason for it. I'll most likely be making the top of it a little more low-profile, I just wanted to ensure that I had enough material to work with when I decide what I'm doing with it.
 
I love seeing someone do the stuff I used to do on my lunch at the shop I used to work at in the late 80's :D

I would take the surgical stainless scraps and make myself Custom Polished Lug Nuts and any other parts that I needed at the time? Of course I was driving anything from a 1939 Plymouth, SS BBC Chevelle, 71' 440 RT Challenger all the way to a VW Beetle.

Damn thems were the days :p
 
philly0420 said:
And now your rockin a WRX *shakes head*

At least you have a mark, even if its a gen 2
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Yeah but AWD is addicting and the thing did 12.5's on pump gas with AC on @ Englishtown so I still love it :p

Do miss my 96' but the 98' is just a bit more comfortable to drive ;)
 
2002WRXSTi said:
Yeah but AWD is addicting...
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Amen brother. I haven't got the hot rod version, just a lowly 2.5i, but all I was looking for was a dependable daily driver that wouldn't be so scary in the winter. For the first time in my (driving) life I'm looking forward to a really good blizzard this year.

The Mark finally gets a nice comfy cover and garage space for the winter. She deserves it.
 
Wow, completely hi-jacked.....in only 5 posts. Good job guys.

Anyway, just in case anyone's interested in the future and happens to want to know the thread pitch, its 7/8"-14.
 
If that was your first time using a lathe I give you mad props for doing those threads :D

I hated doing such small threads that come to an abrupt stop cause my one lathe just wouldn't go slow. So you had to be on split second timing so you didn't crash it at the end :mad:

If I still worked on my Mazatrol Turning center I would blow out a bunch of those blanks during lunch and then take them home and do the Hex on my Bridgeport later.

Considering I only took mine off once the entire 100k I guess it didn't strike me as something I needed. I would do it now just cause :cool:
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
Wow, completely hi-jacked.....in only 5 posts. Good job guys.

Anyway, just in case anyone's interested in the future and happens to want to know the thread pitch, its 7/8"-14.
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LOL

Nice work.
Is it 303ss?

At the shop we call that "government work" :)
 
2002WRXSTi said:
If that was your first time using a lathe I give you mad props for doing those threads :D

I hated doing such small threads that come to an abrupt stop cause my one lathe just wouldn't go slow. So you had to be on split second timing so you didn't crash it at the end :mad:

If I still worked on my Mazatrol Turning center I would blow out a bunch of those blanks during lunch and then take them home and do the Hex on my Bridgeport later.

Considering I only took mine off once the entire 100k I guess it didn't strike me as something I needed. I would do it now just cause :cool:
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You have a Bridgeport at home?
You bastage.


:D
 
ford nut said:
You have a Bridgeport at home?
You bastage.


:D
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Yeah and no, I have a MoriSeiki Lather that can turn 18" without the gap bed removed and a Bridgeport Mill at the shop I built 7 or 8 MOD engines?

I went in with the owners son on buying a Lathe and Mill both with DRO's but his father passed on years ago and the property was sold. He now has a new shop that is about a mile from my house but has not set up the equipment yet. So it is all a bunch of my investment sitting doing nothing :mad:
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
Anyway, here's what I've got so far. Right now, it's just round on the top, but I'll be milling a hex into the top of it so I can use a wrench, or a 6-point socket, and never have to worry about rounding it off or using a set of vise grips on it.
Click to expand...

That's what I was going to suggest.. I'm glad I re-read your post.. ;)

It looks damn nice
 
So, I just tried cutting the hex into the top of it and the tool that was holding it allowed the cap to twist slightly during the machining of the second flat. Luckily, I noticed before I was too far into it and was able to straighten it out and make it parallel. I've got another option (should be much easier) for cutting the hex that I'll try out on another one. I may just leave this one with the 2 flats, and go for the hex on attempt #2.


I should have said so before, but I didn't do the threading on the lathe. I was able to thread it using a die instead. Much easier.


Also, if I were to make them for people: 1. I'd have to get much faster at it. 2. I'd probably want at least $40 for the time required to do this.
If that doesn't sound too expensive, let me know and I'll consider making a couple more of them.
 
98lincmk7lsc said:
I should have said so before, but I didn't do the threading on the lathe. I was able to thread it using a die instead. Much easier.
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Was gonna say your a wiz if that was your first time on a lather and you pulled off that threading ;)
 
Or...why not just weld a nut to the top of the original and call it quits?

Almost any lug nut would work, use one with the bevelled end, use the bevel to fill in more weld, then fill in the center of the nut, it'd be a near 100% weld
 
Sapperfire said:
Or...why not just weld a nut to the top of the original and call it quits?

Almost any lug nut would work, use one with the bevelled end, use the bevel to fill in more weld, then fill in the center of the nut, it'd be a near 100% weld
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Thats no fun to a Machinist :D
 
And would defeat the purpose of a new cap.
And fine.....

40 bucks.

Give me a couple weeks and I'll paypal ya. My new engine is going in at the beginning of the year.
 
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