Got the parts in and started messing around w/ideas.

- On the 90 elbow I ordered a 3/8" brass elbow and I was able to cut 2 barbs off one end and barely grind down the edge of the last 2 barbs by hand to the right size needed to thread it to the correct size. Port OD is perfect, works perfect, not too hard to make. But like I said removing the small elbow can be tricky w/o breaking the old one and it is hard to get out the plastic piece if it brakes off in the unit so still not sure if this will be worth it every time.

- On the straight port, the only size barbed brass piece I could find large enough to be able to machine down and thread was a 3/4" brass coupling. I cut off 3 barbs on one end and machined it to the correct diameter to thread it. Threading turned out great. On the other end I machined it down to as small of a diameter as I felt comfortable with w/o getting the port walls too thin. It is still slightly larger than the old OD, but the OD of the new one is about the same as the barb OD on the old one so I think the rubber hose will slip over ok and not be too stretched. Again, on this port, it is probably not necessary to replace the plastic one since it is large and strong and will most likely never break off.

Here's some pics of the process (click to see full size):









As always comment on what you think. Is the new OD of the large port close enough to the old one or do you think the hose will be too stretched? If so, we can probably (hopefully) source annother hose from the auto store specifically sized for it like I did for the radiator hose to prevent it from being an issue.

Is the small 90 worth the effort to remove the old one, clean out the threads (so far 1 out of 2 I have tried broke off and I had to drill the plastic out till it was just threads left, scrape the plastic out of the first couple threads, and use a tap to remove the rest of the plastic out of the threads)?

The obvious benefit of this is since the units will be used over and over the whole life of the jeep and I may not be around to make these fittings for you guys in the far off future if they break, etc, maybe it should be done now since the plastic fittings (or metal ones) cannot be bought for replacement (at least that I have found).

I do have to admit, all said and done, it looks nice and I know they would be strong and hold up for a very LONG time.

This would leave nothing to ever need replacement on the unit except the thermostat and radiator hose if it goes out which will always be available new and possibly the gaskets if they get old several Several SEVERAL years down the road and those can be cut by hand by anyone out of material later on down the road if necessary.

As always, share your thoughts freely, I love the feedback you guys have given me. I really feel as though you guys put as much thought into the project as have.

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

Well when you put it that way, I say let's use the brass fittings. How much do you figure it would add to the final cost of the housings?

Maybe it would be an option that each person could choose for their order - keep the plastic fittings, or pay the extra for the brass replacements.

They sure look nice and will not ever break so depending on the price I'm willing and would foot the extra for stoutdog since he is an impoverished grad student. One piece of advice though on the elbow is to get rid of most if not all of the barbs as they make hose removal without cutting nearly impossible.

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Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs

The cost difference is a factor, definitely, as well as the delta to production time. I'd love to have something that will last forever, but not if it takes forever to get it

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2005 Silver CRD Limited
245/75R16 GoodYear Duratracs
Fumoto drain | ProVent CCV Filter
Stanadyne FM100 filter | Cummins fuel pump
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Danke.

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2006 Jeep Liberty CRD, Limited
GDE Eco Tune, GDE TCM Tune, Bauer 203* Tstat, Amsoil EaA 201 Filter, Clean MAP, Samco CAC Hoses, Magnaflow Muffler #12226.
New Mopar Fuel Filter, K&N Filterminder, Fumoto Oil Drain Valve
225/75R16 Hankook Dynapros

Agreed, I was leaning this direction.

I definately don't want to force this idea or the additional costs on anyone. Both parts I use to make them are ordered (not local) so I have to pay shipping, etc so unless I find a lower cost option for starting parts, I would like to get $24 for the brass upgrade (both ports), or $12 for either one seperately if only one is needed or desired (if your elbow is broken and needs replacement, or you do not want to chance breaking the elbow down the road and want that replaced only, etc).



I completely agree...actually thought of this myself...just not sure how at the moment. To thread it, I cut off 2 of the 4 barbs, and hand ground the tops of the last 2 barbs to be roughly th size of the outside diameter of the threads, not critical on only part of a thread. So far I have not been able to chuck on it in any way that would let me machine it, so I would have to hand grind and it would look crappy. I could possibly machine a piece of metal that I can slide it on to (make it fit a little tight) and attempt to machine it this way, but might be hard w/o it slipping on
the metal piece and not letting me machine it. I will have to experiment w/ this more.



Also completely agree. Probably the best option is to leave it tup to the customer, but even so if everyone goes for the brass upgrade, production being pushed back is amplified for everyone more and more as I go down the list.

The good news is I am getting more cores in the mail and will have a much larger batch this next time around. Currently, I am getting close to finished on the last 2 cores I have from the first batch, one of them had to have the elbow replaced at a minimum anyway since it broke during the removal attempt. Most of them are personal cores, not donated, so they are spoken for, but most will donate their old core after receipt of the modded unit so the batch after that will have a lot of rolling cores which is good and this will get amplified as time goes on. There was even one person that bought a new unit from jeep and sent it straight to me for reman because they wanted it so bad - also will donate their old unit to me after receipt of their new unit.

It will be slow starting, but I expect things will speed up as I get more cores at a time and can do a little more mass production and a little less one-at-a-timers.

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

I have never worked a lathe before but couldn't you chuck the 2 barbs that you later cut off, lathe the inner barbs and then cut off the outer two?

Couldn't you screw the threaded end of the straight piece into a coupling with some kind of soft washer (to ease in removal) between then chuck up the coupling to work the barbed end?.....HJ

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Count me in on the brass configuration.....

I have not put in an order yet but my temp is getting low. I will buy a new thermostat so I will have a core to send to you....

Mark, do I just PM you to put in my order?

When do I send money?

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2005 CRD Limited
SEGR
WEEKS Kit (removed EGR, FCV),
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ARP studs
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F37
Kap 193 thermostat
Carter Lift Pump (Modified wiring harness)
Fumoto (CRD-108)
Bypass oil filter (2 micron)
Samco
Provent
Sears P-1 Battery
Secondary 2 micron fuel filter

The 90º piece is the one that needs to be machined further to remove the barbs.



If I chuck on the end I end up threading, the other end of the 90 is the one that needs the barbs to be machined flat for easy hose removal. This may work for getting the correct diameter on the threaded end, but that end is not the issue since the 2 barbs are nearly the exact diameter needed for threading and I just need to remove a small ammount of material on the top of the 2 barbs to thread it. The issue is trying to find a way to machine the end that the hose will go on. Good idea for the threaded end though...might be easier than hand grinding the the dia.

That does give me another idea though...

I am thinking of making a piece of steel w/ the diameter on one end the same as the OD of the barb on the barbed 90º piece, and the other side of the steel piece stepped down to the diameter of the ID of the inside of the barbed 90º piece. Then I could slide the 90º piece over the steel small end giving me one piece (2 pieces toether) the same diameter. Then chuck on the steel and one barb of the 90º piece at the same time. This would give enough grip to machine the rest of the 90º barbed end. Then the one sharp barb that is left could be rounded slightly by hand on the grinder.

Where there is a will, there is a way...

Thanks for the imput guys.

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

Yes, please PM me to get on the list.

I do not accept payment until unit is ready to ship out to avoid having money hanging out there w/o a product ready for you.

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

Taroo
If you think your existing thermostat can make it through the winter, you don't need to buy a new one. Your old core can be sent after you receive the refurbished one.

Or just under sized to get a better grip on the brass.

Are you gluing the brass in place or just relying on the seat seal?

Mark, have you seen these Anderson Metals Corp 3/8 inch elbows:

#57020-0604



#57065-06



They are in the $2-something to $3-something range.

Also, if the the threads are close, you could reconsider re-tapping the aluminum for a tapered pipe thread (top pic). I don't believe that much stock would actually need to be removed.

Just throwing some ideas out to reduce your machining time.

Just clamping on the brass (no glue)...a little pressure on the brass end will help it grip against the steel on the inside of the brass. I do not think I will need much grip at a high speed adn slowly coming in w/ my bit. Won't take long since its so small of an area to machine. Just though of this...make the steel piece smaller than the id of the brass, enough room to sandwich 2 orings that are on the steel, slide the brass over them rolling them as they go so they are compressed in between the steel and the brass piece. this compression of the o-rings will provide grip and will run true on the lathe as long as I move the bit in slow...will have to take a photo of this when I get it going...I think this will work really well and be quick!

Thanks for firing my brain up this morning Squeeto!



Both good ideas, but I looked at a couple examples and ruled them out...here's my thoughts -

Harder to find, but we need the doubble barbed 90 so I have enough metal there to thread or the threads will be too short so the bottom pic is a no go.

The top one I've seen also somewhere or at least a similar one, but could not find a matching thread. Same issue here, a already threaded one of incorrect threads will eventually skip threads when the different threads overlap and the thread is completely removed when cutting new ones in the spot where the threads do not match. This will leave alot of threads/partial threads missing and be loose and hard to seal if I rethread it. As far as rethreading the unit itself, same issue unless the brass piece is larger than the bottom of the threads in the unit. If that is the case, then MORE material will have to be removed from the unit and make that wall even thinner - scary - the wall, in my opinion, is already thin enough to crack under a tapered fitting that applies pressure from the inside. You probably didn;t notice, but take a look at the pic where the threaded 90 goes in, very thin there. It doesn't take much pressure to crack aluminum from the inside like that at all. If we make it thinner it will be really iffy and could crack just messing with the hose that goes on that port and we'd be better off with the plastic fitting. I think that is why BEHR originally went with non-tapered fittings and used sealant, to avoid cracking the housing. Especially the case with a 90º elbow that if its not in far enough it has to rotate a full turn more and as doing so puts more pressure out on the small sides of the housing it threads into. I want to avoid chancing this since a broken area on the housing ruins the whole part.

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

Great progress! Your almost there Mark! If you meet Joe Romas don't forget to use the magic expression "Open, Simsim" before getting in is cave! I have seen all is "Girls" in pictures...

I'm pretty sure Joe IS "Ali Baba"

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2005 CRD Ltd/Tru-Cool 4454 LPD
/Filter bleeder CRDBV/Fumoto F102/ProVent 200/Euro TC
/Hayden HY2905 Viscous clutch with OEM 52079654AE fan mod
Samco/OME/Bilstein/JBA4.5/Mattech BTA Machined trans valve body
/BF rugged terrain 245/75/16 on MOAB

Thanks for the encouragement and the WARNING!!! lol

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

**UPDATE**

Just went through my inbox - was maxed at 100 messages, took a long time to go through all that! lol

Anyway I updated the waiting/request list again:

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=50940&p=566488#p566488

I have a pile of shipped cores sitting in my basement, after I make a gasket and buy a couple more thermostats I can assemble the last 2 units from the 1st batch and get them shipped out and start on the 2nd batch...gonna be a bigger one.

Gonna sort out the people/usernames on all of them soon, so I may request some help sorting those out so that can be updated on the list there.

- Mark

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Previous-05 CRD KJ;Current-2010 Taurus SHO Twin Turbo (450HP), 2014 Subaru Forester Turbo (stock)

Sorry, two separate points. I meant under sized steel so that you can get a little bite on the soft brass (but you knew I meant this). The second (question) was aimed at the final product - will you glue the finished brass fittings into the aluminum or rely on the seat to seal? But after reading your last post I am guessing that you will glue as was originally done.

Another option to save you some time:



High flow banjo bolt 10mm x 1.25 Thread
Fits 1990-1994 Mitsubishi DSM Turbo oil feed line to head

eg. forcedperformance.net = $7.50 (although you still need to factor in the cost of the banjo and washers)

This would ensure that the fitting is perfectly vertical as well.
Looks like something that could be made.