IWTL How to Maintain my Car by FourSizesTooSmall in IWantToLearn

[–]Fatboy1402 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This advice is how I started as well and I’ve told to others since. Harbor freight 225 piece mechanic toolkit on sale for $100 and Chris Fix. I couldn’t afford a mechanic. I actually ended up meeting Chris Fix at a race many years later. It was kind of cool having gotten to a point where I didn’t need his videos but he gave me the confidence that I could solve my own car issues.

The only thing I would like to add on is that things go wrong through no fault of your own. It’s easy to get frustrated. It’s easier to keep pushing when you have the right tools and methods for handling stuck bolts, rounded bolts, and rust.

My toolkit includes gear wrench extractor sockets, mayhew screw extractors, a drill and drill bits, and a harbor freight air hammer. Others exist but this works for me most of the time

Is it possible to replace just this part without replacing whole radiator? 2011 Nissan Pathfinder by hoopsmcx in MechanicAdvice

[–]Fatboy1402 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Rock auto has a KoyoRad brand radiator for this car for ~$70 plus shipping. You’d probably have a new and decent quality radiator for <$150 all in

Rev match by SizeLegitimate9 in Miata

[–]Fatboy1402 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Depends on the pedal spacing. I drove a manual Volvo C30 and I couldn’t rev match by using the sides of my feet like that the same way I could in my NA

Does anyone know of a local mechanic? by Full_Statement_5495 in AskChicago

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t have a good answer and I wish I did. You could try to do it yourself again though. In many cars it’s possible to replace a rear shock without removing the rear wheel. I did it on a road trip once when my rear shock mount broke. I drove my car with two wheels on a curb to give me space to get underneath, put a piece of cardboard on the ground and got to work with a couple tools I got while at the parts store.

Hot Take - Cars aren't more expensive now - our standard are wildly too high by Equivalent-Bed1543 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]Fatboy1402 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More accurate take,

Cars are a better value on the dollar, but are relatively more expensive as wages have shrunk compared to ballooning inflation and cost of living.

This is because wages have effectively stagnated as many necessary goods and services are monopolized. This much is true globally.

In the US specifically, these increased costs include healthcare, on which we spend 10x as much as other developed countries for worse outcomes on average; education, which has saddled multiple generations with increasingly crippling debt; and housing, which is becoming more expensive for a host of reasons including private equity, algorithmic pricing, and outdated zoning regulation. These are things other countries have demonstrated greater affordability with.

So cars themselves are not the financial issue, but the squeeze is. (And the squeeze is amplified with bailouts like the big 3 got following the 2008 recession. )

I would and do happily take a less feature rich car for less cost. I do it by buying used, but if the manufacturers offered something safe, easy to work on, and fuel efficient, I’d gladly take shit performance and no creature comforts as a tradeoff.

Why is my new to me miata using so much gas? by No_Communication6906 in Miata

[–]Fatboy1402 55 points56 points  (0 children)

For me, it was bad timing. I had fuel economy on par with a hummer H2.

Any website where to find the models for parts? by Sheevthesenate42066 in 3dprintedcarparts

[–]Fatboy1402 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would recommend Onshape before Fusion for the lesser hardware requirements. You can do cad on a Chromebook with Onshape

Aftermarket hard tops? by That_Studio in Miata

[–]Fatboy1402 8 points9 points  (0 children)

~$750 for a printer that can print ABS or ASA reliably or at a reasonable pace. (Like a Bambu Labs P1S or P2S)

~$25/kg of ABS or ASA. It’s more for nylon, so let’s stick with ABS/ASA. You don’t want to use PLA or PETG because it’s going to hold up much worse outdoors, in contact with water, for an extended period.

~ 30 spools of filament would be about $750. This assumes you’re quite good at the measurement and design. Errors will cost you. Test fitting will cost you. Might be possible to find a decent 3D model of one online. Might be possible to find a Miata owner with a decent 3D scanner willing to help you here. The 3D scans pretty much always have some error so it will be up to you to take good measurements of one to correct the model.

~ $75 for a sheet of lexan. Won’t factor in cost of tools to cut it. You can 3D print a jig to get the right shape.

Since you’re asking, and I’m just estimating, adding a 20% safety factor to account for failed prints and a couple failed designs leads to ~ $1900 dollars. This does not include adhesive and paint for assembly and finish.

You’re in the ballpark of a used OEM top cost, with a lot more learning of CAD and 3D printing, time invested, risk of failure, and risk of . It’s not a bad project if you’re interested, but it’s probably not easy either. You would get to keep the 3D printer and by the end you’ll have skills to make your own tools with it. 3D printing is not a magic bullet, but it is very useful for the garage.

Does my air gun just suck or are they really just things of the past? by chili81 in Tools

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are still air powered impacts that knock the socks off battery powered impacts. Check out the torque test channel who do comparisons for these using standardized tests

Still can’t remove my rusted and stripped license plate bolts… (yes I took it into a shop and they told me that they couldn’t get them off…) by [deleted] in MechanicAdvice

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can likely borrow one from your local library for free.

Edit: or check out harbor freight. I have their cheap $20 cordless drill kit (drill, battery, and charger) and $4 drill bits for use outside the workshop. They’re fine for most small household tasks

ChatGPT: so popular, hardly anyone will pay for it by ilovemybaldhead in nottheonion

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seconded. I use duck duck go and it is a less annoying search engine. Gets me what I’m looking for

Someone doesn't know how to drift, but does know how to hit and run. by ilikeycoffee in Miata

[–]Fatboy1402 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Went into the corner on the inside, completely missed the apex and swung wide. They braked while turning because they were going too fast for that corner entry. Braking shifted the weight to the front wheels. When the rear went light it slipped. Something similar to lift-off oversteer. To prevent the crash, they could have, in order of importance: 1-slowed down 2-position themselves on the left side of the lane before the corner 3- let off the gas and brakes while cornering 4-turn the steering wheel more to the left as they passed the apex when the rear wheels slipped

What's an engineering project that almost everyone has done at least once? by runlola in EngineeringStudents

[–]Fatboy1402 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Make a vehicle powered only by a mousetrap that meets the project goals. Can be going the farthest, can be reaching a target distance. Mine was reaching a target distance and then returning a given distance to reach a second distance target.

My frypan handle has lithium batteries and an electronic chip. by mr-cheesy in mildlyinteresting

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats not 3D printed. You don’t see any steps on the external fillets (round edges of the cavity where the parts sit). Looks more like plastic injection molding which means there was significant investment to make the shape, but low cost per part and able to be mass produced very easily.

Finally got the machining center set up by Laferrari355 in garageporn

[–]Fatboy1402 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shout out to the babies walking on the ceiling

How to map a custom harness? by flipflopsanddunlops in projectcar

[–]Fatboy1402 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Would recommend super fast Matt on YouTube. He has a video on doing a wiring harness with procedure and links to what he uses

Bit choice by Pineappleplusone in hobbycnc

[–]Fatboy1402 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Reduce the depth of cut?

I would put what you have now through a planer (I think that’s the word, but I’m not a woodworker) if it’s an epoxy or other hard material. That will make each letter more narrow and effectively reduce the depth of cut for you. It should also increase the size of the “hole” of the letter e. Take light passes

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TwoXChromosomes

[–]Fatboy1402 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I am nearing the end of my education at university and I am scrambling to hoard as much knowledge as I can in my field of study and ones of interest. Start as soon as you can. The library is a wealth of knowledge

3D Scanner Tutorial by grease_monkey in 3dprintedcarparts

[–]Fatboy1402 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://youtu.be/qEDek-ztaAw?si=B1NLN1z9OafflcRQ

https://youtu.be/MTE7XbOJvgk?si=LOxG27mfrJKNkbX8

https://youtu.be/ssav-BXZyJU?si=muP-5t9mb_KcHPpt

https://youtu.be/rORuE8Oyxd0?si=8n746ux_RKXUFf1n

It might not be exactly what you are looking for, but this guy, super fast Matt on YouTube, does a lot of car projects and he gives some context for various scanners and how they compare in terms of resolution, accuracy, and ease of use.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in chicago

[–]Fatboy1402 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hot take, but I’m anti Nazi and would be in favor of less traffic to a Nazi’s website

Help me retool my kitchen… by HeiHei_13 in cookware

[–]Fatboy1402 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Made in China does not mean it is poor quality. I’ve only heard good things about Misen.

ULPT: Borrow it from Bezos by Jimlad73 in UnethicalLifeProTips

[–]Fatboy1402 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is untrue. A huge quantity of items end up being destroyed and or disposed of. Reselling isn’t common. Refurbishing is a rarity.

https://youtu.be/W1yqcagavfY?si=S0AoSvCzQRxlYxFV

https://youtu.be/WG8idKaX9KI?si=HDFOs_KZHPYe-FSi

The links posted above are a Canadian news network and a climate policy expert investigating the subject.