1955 Chevrolet Front Bumper

Meet Lucille, my 1955 Chevrolet 4 door custom sedan.  I bought her 23 years ago as a bone stock 210 with a 235 "Blue Flame" straight six with the original interior in perfect condition.  The engine seized up on me while I was in college.  So when hurricane Floyd hit in 1999, she was stuck and I was living too far away to get her to safety.  She ended up in about 4 feet of water practically ruined.  I came very close to selling her when I realized how much work (and money) it would take to restore her but just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Since I couldn't sell her the only choice I had left was to bring her back to life.  Well, with lots of help from friends and family, she's getting there.

The latest addition was a one piece "smoothie" bumper from Danchuk.  The standard bumper is a 3 piece unit.  The two seams are hidden by vertical bumper bars and mounting bolts are visible on the ends of the bumper.  I wanted the cleaner look of the smoothie version; no seams, no bumper bars, no visible mounting bolts.  The new bumper came with all the necessary mounting brackets and hardware which bolted to stock locations on the frame.  No drilling or welding required.  Installation took maybe 45 minutes by myself.

I love the clean look of the new bumper.  Overall I'm pleased with the product, but I don't know who packed the nuts and bolts for this thing.  I had two extra bolts and I was missing two nuts, and at least four washers.  No big deal but Danchuk is usually pretty good with stuff like that.  Quality of the chrome is very good but it looks like the surface prep on the bumper could have been better.  If you look closely you can see slight vertical lines in the bumper and a mild wave where one of the brackets was welded on the back.  So it may not win you any trophies at Pebble Beach but it looks perfect from 5 feet.  Lucille's no trailer queen, she doesn't mind.  Next up is the rear bumper.  I've got something custom planned for that too.  Stay tuned.

Knife Throwing Target

For some strange reason, I've always wanted to learn how to throw knives.  Unless you have aspirations for the circus, it is a completely useless skill.  (Seems I have a penchant for useless skills.)  So I purchased a set of Gil Hibben competition throwing knives many months ago.  Well you can't do much with throwing knives unless you have something to throw them at.  Any wood will do, 2x4's, plywood; but tree sections are ideal.  A friend of mine gave me a beautiful 36" diameter piece from a fallen tree.  I assembled the stand from scrap wood I had laying around.  I screwed a pair of eyebolts into the stump and the top of the support.  Spring links join the eyebolts together.  On a side note, the three knives stuck in the target were the fourth, fifth and sixth throws of my life.  Must have been beginners luck as the next three throws all bounced off the target.  After that, the 25 degree weather chased me inside.  Can't wait for a warmer day to try again.

Kitchen Cabinet

the empty space

When we purchased our house, the kitchen was a nightmare!  I won't go into all of the gory details but the soffits were built without any framing, cabinets were mismatched, glass on some cabinet doors was broken, there were three floors on top of each other, etc.  So before we even moved in I tore the kitchen down to the bare studs and remodeled it.  The only thing I saved from the original kitchen were the granite countertops.

I ordered the cabinets from Cabinet Liquidators.  Their prices were fantastic and the quality is excellent.  They are constructed out of furniture grade plywood with solid maple faces.  To get that same quality from a name brand like Thomasville or KraftMaid you have to upgrade to their premium line which is ridiculously expensive.  Their standard stuff is made out of crap particleboard and is still expensive.  The only downside to Cabinet Liquidators is they have a limited selection of styles and cabinet types.  You are not going to find any odd shaped or custom cabinets.

#%*@ angles!!!

That presented a problem since I was reusing the original countertops.  I had this stupid end piece cut at an odd angle.  The previous owner simply took a skinny cabinet and placed it sideways under that counter, exposing the unfinished side of the cabinet.  It looked terrible.  I wasn't sure what to do with the space, so it sat empty for about two years!  We needed a little more storage so I knew it was time to build a cabinet for that space.  Luckily Cabinet Liquidators sells the cabinet faces by themselves.  I figured I could purchase a face frame and just build the cabinet to fit.  Sounds easy enough, right?

side panel, face frame, kick panels, and shelves from Cabinet Liquidators

First I started off with an easy warm-up project.  I added a piece of trim below the cabinet over the refrigerator to finish that off.

before

trim added

Next it was time for the cabinet.  All of the angles required some very careful measuring and planning.
I had grand plans of rabbet joints and special routered lock joints for the box...but after the first few hours with very little progress, I gave in to butt joints with lots of screws and glue.  After the first day of work (yes, I said FIRST day) I had the cabinet completed but not installed.  I didn't have the courage to try to fit it in place before bed because I knew it wouldn't fit and I wouldn't be able to sleep out of pure frustration!

What did Norm Abram say? Measure six times then run back and forth to the saw until it fits?

the humbling result of about 8 hours of work

the end of day one

The next morning I anxiously tried to slide the cabinet into place.  It fit!  Just required a little sanding in one corner.  I spent the rest of day two getting the cabinet fastened in place, fitting the shelves, installing the door, and adding the finish pieces.

inside view

finished

I am happy with the result but this project sucked!  Took way too long and beat me up.  I haven't been that exhausted after each night since Tough Mudder.  I probably spent about 20 hours building and installing the cabinet.  And now that it's done, I have no idea why it took so long.  It's really only four pieces of wood!  Sixty percent of the time was probably spent measuring and planning.  Getting those mitered edges to line up just right also took a long time.  Oh, and now I remember why I work with metal and not wood.  Metal shards may slice through your skin, but sawdust gets EVERYWHERE!

Bosch jig saw

PS - This project reminded me of how much I love my Bosch jig saw.  It cost way more than you think you should pay for a jig saw but it was worth every penny.  It impresses me every time I use it.  When your jig saw cuts straighter than your table saw, you know it's good.

How to get a $600 radio for $39.99.

Turnigy (aka FlySKy/Imax/Eurgle) 9 channel radio

Uh...wait.  Let me rephrase that.  How to turn a $40 radio into a $600 radio.  Make that a $65 radio.  Hold on, $89.  One more part, $135.  Forgot shipping.  What about the battery?  OK.  How to turn a $193 radio into a $600 radio.

OK, let me explain the prices.  I originally ordered this radio from HobbyKing for $39.99.  That was on backorder so I ordered the same radio shipped from the US from HobbyKing for $64.75.  That was on backorder too.  So then I ordered the same radio off of eBay for $159.95 (I was on a deadline and desperate). Guess what?  Backorder!  I finally found the FlySky (same radio, different name) at HobbyPartz for $89.  Paid an extra $29 for rush delivery.  Then I spent another $53 with shipping for the smartieparts board.  Add 23 more dollars (with shipping)  for a rechargeable battery and you're there.

I have been posting a lot about modifying my FlySky FS-TH9X radio (aka Turnigy 9X) to improve its form and function.  With a few simple modifications, you can give this cheap, yet capable radio the features of a radio costing hundreds more.  This blog is just a list of links to those posts with a brief summary.

1. Upgrade the firmware - The weakest point of this radio is the buggy and complicated firmware.  Install a board that allows you to upgrade the firmware to a better version.  Bonus, you get a backlight too!
2. Move the USB plug - Relocate the USB plug on the upgrade board for easier access.
3. Fix the trainer port - This radio will not work with flight simulator software unless you unplug the TX module.  Adding a resistor will fix this.
4. Move the antenna - The TX module is hard wired to the antenna.  It should be removable so you can swap in a new module.  See how to move the antenna from the radio to the TX module.
5. Fix the LED - The indicator LED on the RX is almost impossible to see.  Cut the label and see the light!
6. Add a rechargeable battery - Who wants to keep replacing 8 NiMH disposable batteries?  Add a rechargeable LiPo battery for economy and longer radio life.

Smartieparts USB Plug Mod

easy access

I covered the installation of the smartieparts board here.  The board has a USB jack that inserts into a slot in the battery compartment.  To program your radio, you open the battery compartment and plug in your USB cable.  This isn't so bad but I thought I could make it a little more convenient to access the USB jack.


charging jack

The radio comes with a charging jack on the side.  Ironically, the radio does not come with a rechargeable battery...or a charger...nor have I ever even seen one available as an option.  So while it seems like a nice feature, it is useless.  Since the charging jack just slides into a slot in the case I figured it would be easy to remove it and put the smartieparts USB jack in its place.

charging jack removed

I pulled the jack out of the case and cut the wires where they were soldered to the circuit board.  The USB jack almost fit right into the hole in the case.  I used a file to open up the hole just a little.  If you go slow, you can get a nice tight snap fit for the USB jack.  I mounted the front of the jack flush with the side of the case.

USB jack fitted to case

The jack needs to stay in place under pressure as the USB cable is plugged in and out.  So I used some epoxy on the bottom of the jack to glue it in place and fill the hole in the case.  I covered the front of the hole with tape to keep the epoxy from running out.  Gave it a few hours to set, added a black marker paint job, and she's done.  Now I can plug my radio into my computer easily without having to open up the battery compartment.  It also opened up some space in the battery compartment which will come in handy when I swap the NiMH battery pack for a rechargeable LiPo.

finished USB jack

FlySky FS-TH9X LED mod

LED next to the "Y" in "SKY"

I have been having some trouble getting my radio to bind with the receiver.  During the process, you need to be able to see the status of a red LED inside the RX case.  Although the case is translucent, the top of the case is covered with a decal.  So to see the LED you need to look through the sides of the case.  It is difficult to see and very inconvenient, especially if the RX is already installed in something.  Since I have been trying to bind my radio over and over for the past few days, that little light was starting to tick me off.  So I looked through the sides, guestimated where the LED was in the case, and cut a window through the decal.  Much better!  The LED now appears nice and bright and I don't have to contort to see it.

FlySky FS-TH9X Antenna Mod

FlySky radio, note antenna on top

When you make a copy of a $600 radio and then sell it for under $60, obviously you have to cut some corners.  One of the most annoying things about my budget FlySky radio is that the transmitter module (TX) is hard-wired to the radio antenna.  On just about any other radio, the TX is removable so you can swap out a different unit if you want.  Well on the FlySky (and the other Turnigy/Imax/Eurgle clones) the TX module can be pulled out of the radio case, but then it remains attached by a very thin coaxial wire.  Many aftermarket TX modules have the antenna mounted on the module itself, rather than the radio case.  I figured I could solve the problem on my radio by moving the antenna to the TX, making the module truly removable.

stock TX module

TX removed, note cut wire in upper right

I started by pulling the TX out and cutting the coax wire.  Then I opened the radio case and removed the antenna.  I also opened up the TX case and desoldered the two tiny leads of the coax wire and removed the cut piece of wire.

one screw holds antenna

coax wire inside TX

The next step was to figure out how to securely mount the antenna on the TX case.  I searched my shop and found a fiberglass tube from an old umbrella that fit the inside diameter (9/16") of the antenna base perfectly (and my wife wonders why I keep all of this "junk").  I cut a piece 1 5/16" long, shoved it inside the antenna base and used the stock screw on the antenna to hold it together.

antenna and tube

Next I drilled two holes through the TX cover and into the fiberglass tube for mounting screws.  One more hole was drilled in the TX cover to feed the wire through.

cover and antenna drilled

If I mounted the antenna flush with the TX cover, the antenna would hit the radio case when the module was reinstalled.  So I placed two washers between the TX cover and the antenna for clearance.  Then I grabbed two plastic screws I had laying around and screwed everything together.

antenna mounted

clearance washers

rear view

To make the installation even more secure, I globbed some PC7 (man's best friend) around the antenna mount and onto the TX cover.  I let it set for 24 hours.

PC7 epoxy

The next step was to solder the coax wire back the TX circuit board.  For those that are not familiar with coax wire; there is a single lead through the center of the wire surrounded by a plastic tube.  Around the plastic tube is a woven metal sleeve of wire as a shield.  That is then covered with typical wire coating.  As you can probably tell from the pictures, the wire is tiny.  Stripping and separating the two wires was difficult, even for my favorite stripper!  I ended up cutting the plastic tube off the center wire with an X-Acto and a jewelers loupe.  Both leads then needed to be soldered to two tiny pads on the circuit board that were about 2 mm apart.  Actually, the stripping was a lot harder than the soldering.  I added a little hot glue to the wire to relieve any tension on the solder joints.

coax wire soldered back on

ready to assemble

Finally I reassembled the TX module and plugged it back into the radio.  It is a tight fit under the metal bar on the back of the radio, but once installed there is plenty of clearance.  The antenna still articulates as before.  I tried it out with the receiver and everything still works.  With this mod, the resistor mod, and new firmware installed, my cheapo radio now has all of the capabilities of a much more expensive model.

finished and installed