Need press?

[ChevyKev]

Last Friday Ryan and I started the great gear swap - goin to 4.56 in his beast. I got a dial indicator but we ran into big difficulties not having a press. (Being it has been 2 years, I forgot how vital the press was.) So we ended Friday with me thinking of buying a shop press. Sat AM the one at AIH looked cheap - but was $289 - I thought, I could build it for less. SO I then mentioned my plans to Eric, who had a disk with plans for one he got from Nate.

Sunday I was busy, Monday I started cutting metal to build one but needed help - so I went in for lunch and was going to call Ryan to have him come lend a hand.

While eating and watching Around the Horn, Ryan calls and I ask if he can lend a hand and he says, I beat you to it. The night before he spent 6 hours building me a shop press for doing his gears! :cool: (Great minds think alike!) All we had to do was pick it up and drill out the holes big enough to hold a 1" metal stock! It is awesome. I have a few new tools, and Ryan has gears installed.

BTW - putting 350 lbs of torque on a pinion nut by vice, socket, pipe wrench, and 8 feetof pipe is not real fun! But it all went together very well.

This press is an awesome design an fairly simple - if anyone would like to copy the design swing on by!

Thanks again, Ryan.

Also thanks to George who called with the round stock I needed to make my press with - even though it was not needed I appreciate the offer!

[AKLJ8]

Can you send me a copy? I have a bottle jack and have been wanting to build one for awhile...

[AK20]

Gear install was somthing else, as usual with a old Chevy nothing ever goes as planned:confused: Shop press definetly made life easy though, it was also relatively easy to make...just a little time consuming, I fabbed it up solo but with an extra hand or two it could be done in a couple hours. Kevin and I had talked about it, and I did some searching on Northern Tool and Grainger, looked at there presses and thought dang I could make one of those!!! All the metal was free scrap I found, the only real cost was buying the 1" drill bit for the pins holding the table($40), the only other cost would be a bottle jack but lets just say I sourced one of those to...so total cost was an even $40, WAY better than AIH's $289!

Here is what I based my design off of.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/145900_lg.jpg

The only real difference was I used 2"X4"X1/4" for the main beam instead of C-Channel like the one above. Dimesions are: 2 60" mains, 4 30" 4"X2" C-Channel for the top and table, instead of angle iron for the base I used more 2"X4", 1 3/8" plate on top that the jack pushes against and about 2' of bar stock for pins. I got some pics on my camera at home, I'll get them loaded up for a comparison shot. Big thanks to Kevin again for his extensive Chevy knowledge helping me doing the gears, heck for all the money he saved me vs taking to Youngs or something I figure the least I could do was build him a press!:cool:

[TJVigilante]

:bowdown:

I wish I was handy enough to even think about it, much less do it.

[sevenslats]

Who picked up the Jamake-it one Jon gave away before PCS'ing? Was it Martin?
Jon had a pretty slick one as well.

[AK20]

Alright, comparison pics as promised. Warning my camera sucks so the quality isn't the best, this thing must be seen in person to truley appreciate!

Here again is what I used to base mine off of.
http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9079&g2_serialNumber

I'm about 6 foot to give you reference on the height of this thing.
http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9083&g2_serialNumber

Another, Forrest in the backround being...well being Forrest:cool:
http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9086&g2_serialNumber

Last one.
http://www.arcticoffroad.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=9089&g2_serialNumber

[AK20]

Ok for some reason it's not letting me put them right in the post, so click the link....

[4x4_MMMH_4x4]

now i just need to buy some gears from someone and have kev help me install them... teehee...

[AlaskaToy]

Nice job!

[TJVigilante]

now i just need to buy some gears from someone and have kev help me install them... teehee...

Sounds like a plan....lol:D

[ChevyKev]

now i just need to buy some gears from someone and have kev help me install them... teehee...

Will work for tools -

I need a puller attachment for my bearing seperaotr! :D
Or a chop saw and tubing notcher...
Or a ball joint press...
Or a full size drill press
Or ... :rolleyes: