1st Gen. Lunch Table - General Discussion

I went to 3 different machine shops today to see about modifying these GX460 calipers. It's not looking good boys. My advice to anyone considering this is to find a shop before ordering the parts. I have no idea how @imDementeD found shop that can do it in 45 minutes.

Each shop quoted me 2-3 hours at $100 an hour labor rate. It's an awkward job for them trying to make it fit with their machines.

 

Honestly never even considered changing mine. Hell I didn't even know I had em for the first year or so

 

That’s sad, I was just asking my buddy who’s a machinist, he said that was a piece of cake, 10min job for each side.
Feel free to send them my way and I’m sure he can get them done.

 

Thats cheap on High Dolla Fantasy Island. Too late to turn back now!

 

How much shipping?

 

Flat rate should be under 20$

 

Can you ask him what type of machine would best work for this job? I don't think these guys were BS'ing me today. I told them that someone else reported getting it done in 45 minutes and all 3 shops said it would depend on the type of equipment and setup.

 

Could you here them laughing as you exited the shop?

 

The 2nd shop said he might be able to do it quickly but wouldn't know until he got started. His concern is that because it was awkward, he didn't know if he could make it perfectly perpendicular and asked me of that would be ok. He said it could go a little in either direction. I wasn't sure if that would cause an issue.

 

107

 

I'm a little crazy but I'd clamp it to a chop saw and have at it. You only need what 3mm? if I remember reading correctly. Grab a junk yard one to practice on and test fit then go for it.

 

I have seen a move on other vehicles where you put the handle of a socket wrench in the gap between the arm and spindle, then lower the car onto the tire and it separates the arm.

There is a press tool for this, I have used it on other cars and it worked. Never tried to salvage ball joints on my truck.

 

I’d not do this with his skills. I’d send it off to that guy on facebutt as he has the experience. You are taking your chances with a shop thats never done it before and I bet they aren’t going to guarantee results. Whoops! Sorry bud. There goes your investment.

 

He said he would use a Bridgeport endmill. He said it’s a easy job for him since he’s been doing machine work for 15+ years.
He said if a customer brought him this project he would say no, ten minute jobs don’t pay the bills, and it’s also a liability issue too.
Shops want 250+ piece work, not chicken scratch here and there......

 

Why not just grab a $30 angle grinder with an abrasive wheel and go slow? Doesn't seem that hard.

 

If the caliper isn’t cut true, you will fight nasty brake vibes

 

By the time I shipped them to Geholf it would probably be about the same price as just getting it done locally. He's quoting $35-75 to ship them.
I don't know that 2 of these will fit in a flat rate box. I've got a few more machine shops to try before I give up and go that route.

 

What about it needing to be perfectly perpendicular like that one shop asked me?

 

That’s so it’s machined flat.

 

Makes sense to me. 10 minutes equals 2 hours minimum. Same applies in the Hand Model Industry.

 

Exactly, book me for a fall catalog shoot or nothing!

 

Dang I wonder if they support 2FA? Guess I should go check. I set mine up so the kids can't buy whatever they want but you just made me realize I haven't gotten any messages from them in a while.

 

I ship a TON, mostly vintage cycling parts.

USPS has multiple flat rate sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Regional Rate A, Regional Rate B, and in some cases, more than one set of dimensions per each level of box, one for top-load and one for side-load. Some of these boxes you need to order from USPS.com and you'll get them, totally free, within 5-7 business days.

As someone who uses this and first class mail repeatedly to ship, if it's a short trek to its destination, you may be able to fit two calipers in a Regional A box and ship to your desired location for $16 each way, for example. It's always a toss-up which will net you a better price, medium box or regional A, or alternately large or regional B.

Needless to say, USPS has some of the lowest shipping prices around. I hope to hell it never gets privatized, even FedEx and others use them for bulk routing on items since they can't internally beat USPS rates. tl;dr - it shouldn't cost that much to get it there. If it were over $20 I'd be shocked. USPS flat-rate doesn't charge by weight.

Would be a shame if USPS privatized and prices jacked way the hell up, would devastate my side hustle when prices got jacked up. Not only that, but it's scary as hell to think one of our avenues to routing votes would be controlled by a private entity... There's a reason certain folks are trying to privatize it while hiding behind the veil of "optimizing costs". Bad enough we have virtually no insight to our voting machines, controlled by private entities.

PS - USPS flat-rate box dimensions for top and side load can be found here, though I can't recall if rates are there too: https://store.usps.com/store/results/shipping-supplies-flat-rate/_/N-1bzu2g5

PSS - Regional A and B dimensions for top and side-load boxes can be found here with some rate info: https://support.shippingeasy.com/hc/en-us/articles/203085539-USPS-Regional-Rate-Shipping-Overview

 

But don’t you optimize your costs at your home? Why should tax payers not do the same?

I’m all for ‘optimization’. Routing (dumping) votes is already happening and its not even privatized. You know this right? Your points are moot and make no sense.

 

Because your home isn't a national service and it never has been. Your home isn't crucial to ensure unbiased routing of information across an entire nation, every national doorstep, despite how remote it may be, despite how much of a loss you take to get it that last mile to those ultra-remote locations. The Executive branch has the postal service to ensure every citizen's need for delivery is met by at least one dependable carrier, without the influence of private interests.

What makes no sense is the notion our taxpayers actually put anything towards that service. USPS receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies solely on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. It spends less money dealing with urban deliveries and more money for rural. It benefits those rural more than anyone, which is how it should be.

Ballot dumping isn't a new thing for 2020. Since you raise it, imagine how that would go if privatized. How easily it could be concealed or glossed over w/no avenue for national pressure. USPS has over 200 federal laws enforced by the PIA, what would we have with private ownership? We can't file FOIA requests on a private business.

From a legal perspective, the US Postal Service is a just that: A public service, not a business, signed into law by George Washington himself. It was originally created to ensure we have a fail-proof and reasonably priced service to enable individuals and businesses to relay information and products across our country.

As with anything, public services, local, state or federal, rarely turn a profit, they tend to be a loss-leader. Delivering mail to every American and beyond is NOT a profitable business model. If it was, someone would've stepped up and filled the void of USPS long ago.

If privatized, what guarantee does anyone in remote and rural areas have they'll get mail? Private interest could decide its just not affordable to carry that route anymore and force those folks to go to a PO Box 100 miles away so they can save cash. It's not economical to deliver to rural areas, but I don't want my family losing service!

USPS rocks. They employ almost 100k of our veterans. as an enterprise it is a huge employer of more than 7 million nationally, and is at the core of well over a trillion dollar industry.

If rates got hiked, even 5%, it could potentially crush some small businesses. People complain even when postage gets raised 2¢. Can you imagine if they actually priced their services at what they're worth, the rates UPS and FedEx charge for flat mail? Rates would triple overnight.

Sometimes it's OK to let a national public service run at a slight loss if it means bolstering an entire national economy from individuals to corporations. That loss isn't coming out of my pockets. Not coming out of yours either.

 

Back on topic...

I went to another shop and this guy said it was no problem. He agreed to do it for 1 hour labor. I'm sure he'll do it in 20 minutes but that's probably the best I'm going to find. There are only about 8 machine shops even coming up on Google Maps. I'll pick them up tomorrow.

 

Gittyup!

 

1) Circle back to #8695 and answer the questions without the soliloquy.

2) USPS is government. They run on taxes and their deficits (due to being poorly run) is funded by them. Nice try on the ‘Operating Expense’ deflection/trickery.

3) Look up the term delusion.

 

Picked up the Honda today with the heart transplant. Drives like a dream now and to my surprise the clutch feels light as a feather. Before the clutch was heavy as hell and would seriously make my leg sore after long trips. I'm gonna go easy on it for the first 500 miles, then change oil, then I'm gonna see what that vtec does since it never worked before.

Does need a new belt and tensioner though, ordered one up and gonna install that asap.

 

Man he did that fast. How many miles are on the "new" engine?