Dome light repairs... How Ford should have done it

LANCE65 · Post by **LANCE65** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 9:17 pm

WOW! I have a ways to go. I am on page 6! Thats ok though

, I still dont have FORD!

Post by **Ranchero50** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:45 pm

Worked on the second batch a little bit again tonight, but must have been pushing a little bit because I snapped off two 1/4" end mills in the same peice... I'm doing the steps in different order this time, trying to do all of the inside cuts first and then doing the outside cuts last so I don't have to worry about dinging them during the later processes. I also decided to use a stop block and vise to hold the part vs the fixture I used last time. It's working out better with more cut time vs parts swapping time. As this is a learning process I found out the hard way that the band saw isn't cutting straight because when I flipped the part over to do the step cuts on the bottom the reference stop isn't at the same spot on all the parts. The resulting shift kept the lenses from seating correctly so I increased the feed speed while reworking the part for more clearance. Took a couple parts to finally toss the thin stop bar and replace it with something full width and that worked great for 23 parts. On the 24th I was off again so I sped up the feed rate to 15IPM again to chase the part (reset it in the vise a couple thousandth of an inch off the stop). Only problem was on the 25th part I forgot to slow it back down to 10IPM and snapped off the new mill bit from overfeeding. Luckily it didn't damage the part so I put the old bit in the holder and reset the Z reference, but it was too dull to run a 10IPM and snapped off about three inches further than the first (I didn't even think about slowing it down)... Figured it was a good stopping point so I cleaned up and walked away.

I figure on the next batch I'll mill one end off of the blanks for a good refernece and 99% of the problems will go away.

Jamie

1971ford · Post by **1971ford** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:46 am

i cant understand "mill talk"

i guess me being on the end of the list is a better thing, since there is less slight imperfections

keep up the good work

I cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **Ranchero50** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:41 am

I'm just exploring different ways of doing things to find the most efficient way. Using the fixture required me to bolt down each piece before machining, figure a minute in and a minute out vs 30 seconds to blow the part off, loosen the vise, make sure there are no chips on the parallels (that the part sits on in the vise) and lock it back down. Only problem is with the vise you have to have something for the part to rest against so the part's center matches the mill's center or the X dimension gets offset. The right side of the part was referenced against the stop for each process and since the right sidebandsaw cut wasn't perpendicular when I flipped the part over the X reference was off on the bottom cut. The tolerences are probably too tight because a couple thousands of offset kept the lens from fitting. It's nothing you'll notice from a foot away, but it's still too much for the lens tolerance so I had to rework it. It's all a learning process.

Jamie

Supermike · Post by **Supermike** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:46 am

Sounds complicated to me...

How did those lenses come out of the sandblasting??

Post by **Ranchero50** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:49 pm

The lenses turned out really nice. I shipped off the first batch this morning. Rode by the post office yesterday and they were swamped so I was waiting when the doors opened. I'll try to get the second batch done before Christmas.

Jamie

nadams · Post by **nadams** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:51 pm

I can't wait! I hope that I'm in the next batch. Keep up the good work Jamie.

sideoilerfe · Post by **sideoilerfe** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:06 pm

I think I'm in the 2nd batch. It's gonna be great.

basketcase0302 · Post by **basketcase0302** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:44 pm

Dang Ya'll!

Got my Ranchero50 deluxe dome light lens in the mail today!

These thing are the cat's meow!!!

Jamie, you really oughta' do this:
http://www.uspto.gov/

Excellent job, thank you so much!

Jeff

Supermike · Post by **Supermike** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:32 pm

Hopefully I'll get mine tomorrow, then!

Fake Name · Post by **Fake Name** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:46 pm

Got mine today, looks great, thanks!

fn

PS: Anyone researched an LED solution for the light itself? A little brighter would be good...

BobbyFord · Post by **BobbyFord** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:21 pm

Too late to put me down for two???

BobbyFord · Post by **BobbyFord** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:23 pm

Fake Name wrote:Got mine today, looks great, thanks!

fn

PS: Anyone researched an LED solution for the light itself? A little brighter would be good...

LED replacement bulbs are available for just about any automotive light including dash bulbs...

http://superbrightleds.com/1157.htm

1971ford · Post by **1971ford** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:29 pm

maybe one of these? i dont know, i havent looked to see what exact bulb is in the domelight.

http://superbrightleds.com/BA9S6_specs.htm

Post by **Ranchero50** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 7:25 am

That's great that they are showing up, thanks for the comps. I worked on the second batch from 7-9:30 last night and should have the machine work finished tomorrow. I'm surprised you want brighter bulbs, I thought it was blinding when I put the lamp on a charged battery for the picture.

Jamie

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Dome light repairs... How Ford should have done it

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