Michael Trew wrote:

> On 5/3/2022 15:19, Andy Burnelli wrote:
>>
>> Do you do any woodworking? That's a hobby that also takes up floor
>
> I don't, aside from rough furniture repair and refinishing (to sell at
> the antique mall). Lots of old furniture in the garage. Although, for
> some reason, I'm subscribed to rec.woodworking

No problem. You have the garage to die for, not only for automotive use,
but also for woodworking (where a table saw, drill press, lathe, planer,
grinder, sander, jig saw, etc., take up room).

Once you have a wood shop, you can make all the furniture you like, e.g.,
you could build a round kitchen table out of oak that would sell on the
market for thousands but only cost you hundreds in material.

>> There's also the bay concept (you dig a hole, put in steps, and voila!).
>
> Tempting for the dirt floor side; I'll have to consider that.

Assuming safety concerns are met (it has to be built well), it's one way to
get around the height restriction you mentioned.

>> Yup. If the tires are small (less than about 17 inches perhaps) you can use
>> the bead breaker that comes with the manual tire changer. I'm assuming, of
>> course, that you have compressed air and all the necessary air fittings.
>>
>> There are six beads involved, the first & last being the hardest.
>
> I don't foresee owning a vehicle with larger than 15" rims in the near
> future, so good to know that I'd only need the balancer and manual tire
> changer.

You can get away then with the smallish bead breaker tool on the manual
tire changer, although it's _always_ nicer to have the dedicated bead
breaker - but you can work up to it - like everyone does - with tools.

>> At this point you _position_ the new tire (by the dots)... e. Then you
>> set the lower bead of the new tire (using the tire changer).
>> f. Then you set the upper bead of the new tire (using the tire changer).
>
> I'm still confused on how the dots come into play. The only tire I've
> ever changed myself, was the little 12" Geo Metro tire (by hand).

The theory is explained in the articles I previously cited on the topic.
HINT: R-> R-> R-> R (rim -> red -> radial -> runout)

Remember I harped previously on the required knowledge of _three_
indicators which usually take priority in _this_ very specific order)
a. The rim match mounting mark (alloy wheels vs steel)
b. The red dot (roundness)
c. The yellow dot (weight)

Also remember I had previously advised to vist a tire shop and _look_ at
how _they_ aligned the dots to the valve stem, as explained here:
<https://www.tires-easy.com/blog/what-are-the-red-and-yellow-dots-on-my-tires/>
"If the valve stem is located at the heaviest point on the tire,
it will be lined up with a yellow dot on the sidewall. When a red dot
is lined up with the valve stem you can assume that the valve is at
the tire��s lightest point."

If you forget the theory, you simply choose one of the marks to take
precedence, and then you put _that_ dot next to the valve stem. That's it.

Here's the _simplest_ practical flow-chart I can find for you:
*How to balance a tire properly: use the yellow and red dots*
<https://www.rtsauto.com/how-to-balance-a-tire-properly-use-the-yellow-and-red-dots/>
On a rim, naturally the spot that is the ��heaviest�� is where the
valve stem resides as the stem adds weight to one side of the rim.
On a tire... Yellow indicates the lightest spot on the tire.
Red marks the high point for the radial runout/radial force variation.
The former is a measurement of weight, while the latter is a measurement
of roundness.
Yellow dot only: Align to valve stem
Yellow and Red Dot: The red always takes priority if the rim has a white
dot or dimple; in such case align red to white. The white dot indicates
the low point for radial runout/radial force variation of the rim.
If there is no white dot or dimple forget the red dot and align the
yellow dot to the valve stem.

Most outfits assume you can't find the rim match mounting mark, so the dots
take priority in this order, red over yellow, like it says here:
<https://www.tireget.com/blog/red-and-yellow-dots-on-my-tire-what-do-they-mean>

However, bear in mind the rim match mounting marks depend on the material:
<https://hollisbrothersauto.com/are-your-tire-dots-where-they-should-be/>
"On an alloy wheel, the valve stem marks the heavy point of the wheel.
By matching the light point of the tire with the heavy point of the
wheel it��s likely to give the best initial balance.
On a steel wheel the low point dimple marks the thinner part of the
wheel �V so it makes sense to match the red dot to the wheel dimple."

Fun question: What's the _best_ balanced starting point tire you can find?
a. Is it when the dots coincide, like this?
<https://www.rtsauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sidewalltirereddot.jpg>
b. Or when they are in some other configuration, like this?
<https://hollisbrothersauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/tiredots.jpg>

HINT: Remember your vowels AEIOU (rAdial->rEd->rIm->rOundness->rUnout)

>> Fun fact: Plenty of pads are EE which is just about the same coefficient of
>> friction as steel on steel... which says a lot about how reliable brakes
>> are when you think about the braking being barely better than no pad
>> material left for _some_ pads sold on the market today.
>
> I rarely wear out brakes, even cheep steel fiber pads, because I'm just
> light on them. I'm used to a spongey petal and some-what unreliable
> brakes.

That's not the brake pads most likely - but the fluid, or leaks.

> The upside, I don't panic if the brakes go out (it's happened a
> couple of times). The older 2 and 3 speed automatics are geared in a
> way where you rarely have to brake on hills or otherwise; just let off
> of the accelerator. Same as many manual cars.

Depends on the situation, but my point is that I buy pads by the specs.
If you don't know the specs, you can't buy them by the specs.

Bear in mind most people are stupid.
They buy pads by the advertising.

Or worse... by the warranty.
(People always want a number line to make decisions by.)

> In my '83 F150 with the three on the tree, that thing kept a steady 45
> MPH on my whole 2-lane highway commute into work. I didn't have to
> touch the brake on the 40 minute commute except for one red light and
> pulling into the parking lot. Of course, that transmission (especially
> with the rear end gearing) really didn't like the highway. Forget about
> much over 60 MPH.

The way I buy brake pads is by the spec.
If the vehicle manufacturer specifies FF pads, I don't buy less than that.

Many inexpensive pads nowadays are FF, GG, and even HH.

>> I recently replaced a five speed transmission clutch and decided to replace
>> the flywheel where it was $60 to turn it and about the same to buy a new
>> one online but I ended up paying about $80 (as I recall) since I needed it
>> pronto so I picked up the one at the local auto parts store.
>
> I've only done a clutch in a Geo Metro. Still, not a fun job, but it
> was nice to drive the car afterward. Even though the friction pad was
> worn to nothing, the flywheel looked fine, so I just threw the clutch
> kit on and mounted the transmission back up. Been working good as new
> since (except for the failed headlight wiring that has the car parked).

You probably did the pilot bearing (at the center of the flywheel).

A clutch is "easy", for the most part, but as you noted, not fun.
The only special tools needed are a set of long ratchet bars,
and the plastic alignment tool that usually comes with a new clutch.

Otherwise, you can use an old drive shaft (if you have one handy).
It helps to have a pilot bearing removal tool (but it's not required).

The steps are (from memory)...
a. Support the transmission
b. Disconnect stuff (e.g., slave cylinder, odometer, gearshift, etc.)
c. Disconnect stuff in the way (e.g., crossmember, exhaust, etc.)
d. Unbolt the bell housing from the engine
e. Inspect the flywheel & replace the pilot bearing
f. Replace the diaphragm, throwout bearing, seals & clutch plate
g. Align it up perfectly and bolt everything back together
h. Adjust the master cylinder & clutch pedal & maybe the springs
i. Take it for the test drive
>> The Stealer was something like $300 or so (as I recall).
>> They don't call them the Stealer for no good reason.
>
> The stealer? You lost me.

You'll learn the first time you need a part which is $100 mail order and
$500 at the dealer.

>> Fun Fact: What is the _main_ cause of the uneven deposition?
>>
>> HINT: It's your foot doing what your brain instinctively tells it to do;
>> but if you train your foot to do the right thing instead, you won't ever
>> get "rotor warp" again (at least not the pad deposition type anyway).
>
> I'm assuming that you are talking about riding the brakes. I have a
> tendency to drive cars without very good braking systems, and especially
> older 4-wheel drum systems; I know to always pulse the brake. Also,
> take it easy in general. No need to speed up a hill just to ride your
> brakes down.

Most people don't know what I'm about to tell you...

What happens (based on most theories I've seen) is there's a chemical
reaction that occurs when you brake where if you _hold_ down the pedal
_after_ stopping, then a tiny bit of pad is deposited (as a footprint) onto
the hot rotor.

Over time, due to the way chemicals bond, that tiny bit of pad material
builds up into a less tiny bit of pad material, where it takes an
infinitesimally small amount of increased pad deposition over time to cause
the shudder that most people think is brake rotor warp.

It's easy to prove (the test is always free), but that's for another day.
--
Every post to Usenet should be purposefully helpful to add value,
where the ones that aren't are those responding to the iKooks who,
themselves, can't add value (all they can do is argue about nothing).