bench underway, with changes

[blaktopr]

I been working on my bench and as soon as I started to cut and weld, the plans went bye-bye. First off, it is tough to build with steel, gotta be on your game with measuring. I am using some 2X2 angle iron for the inner framework. After making the 2 box frames that are 30H-30D-18W the wheel idea I posted was too much. More searches here and a look into the scrap metal I came up to use a 30 x 30 aluminum street sign for the orifice plate to be sandwhiched between the 2 boxes. 4 or 5 ranges with rubber stoppers, boxes are side by side with the plate verticle, 2 front portholes. KISS comes to you quick as you build. I have a third box measuring 30 x 30 x 12 that is going on to the one side with a wood divider and maybe 2 4" holes. This box is a settleing chamber/bleed/depression control box. This section will have the pvc pipe from the remote motor box and a Q-jet carb base plate for the bleed/depression control. The settleing chamber under the test piece will be about 10 inches high and about 30 x 36 to fit over the main 2 sections. I want to work on a way for this chamber to trap water from wet testing and the ability to drain. This I will make out of wood only first to experiment. Also I am going to test the bench sealing it with frost king weatherstripping from Home Depot and silicone before I permanently use Liquid Nails cause then, it may never come back apart without destroying it. I will have build pics soon.

[DWC]

Hi Blaktopr,
I just had a good laugh, your first line tickled my funny bone i have to say i too have had plans go bye-bye.
One thing i find interesting is all the differant designs we all come up with. Anyway your build looks interesting especially the wet flow side. Im not sure what cfm and test pressures youve got in mind but i looked at the sketch first and thought that the top chamber (under test piece) looked shallow but i see you are going to make it 10" deep.

good luck!

DWC.

[blaktopr]

Allmost done with the crude testing motor box. This will test the main unit until I get a better vac source for higher depression. Right now it is 4 butchered shop vacs so the box is not the typical one. I pre built it to test and now going to paint and liquid nails the thing together. With one 2.5 inch hole and lots of daylight through the ends, ( not totally sealed) I hooked a u tube up to it and pulled 14". Because of it's design though with these types of motors, turning them on one at a time did not spin the motors that were not on. One motor only pulled 2 1/2 to 3" through the same opening. Then more as each one came on. The HP's of the motors vary from 2.6 to 6.5. When I come across 4 more I can add it to the other side. It looks like a thin sandwich. Intake side in the center and exhaust on the outsides. The partial motor box now only measures 48 x 16 x 5.

[thomasvaught-1]

Your bench is very similar to a pal of mine's bench in Florida.
He is a professor for one of the major universities. His bench
uses a vertical orifice plate with stoppers too.

His works great by the way. Good job.

Tom Vaught

[blaktopr]

I have to say Tom, The ideas for this bench are mosly from posts on this board and the ones you spoke of. Seems when you fill info in your head ideas seem to be copied to a cirtain extent especially when they work. Spoke to Butler a while back and he mentioned the bench you built for him, talked highly of you. Thanks to all on this board and Bruce for bringing it to us. And Tom, I'm the same name at PY and Sleeper67 at PZ.

[thomasvaught-1]

Thanks for the kind words.

Been helping the Butlers a LONG time. Funny how some "Hillbillys" from Tennessee who didn't know anything over time became one of the Top Pontiac Engine Building companies in the world. I like to think I had something to do with changing that assumption which was totally wrong as you know. Know the whole family well and have stayed as their guest many times.

Your bench will be based on "Mike Swain's" bench. Mike is one smart guy. He is a friend of Ronnie Crawford's. The famous SB Ford engine builder who came up with the 347 cid Blower Ford stuff. Ronnie is another good friend. Ronnie got me started in the Super Street racing deal where where Jimmy Keen later became a World Champion, Elias Delatorre became a Champion, The Scrantons became Champions, etc. Course everyone in that deal would recognize the name Glidden.

Keep posting and we (the people on this board) will get you fixed up in fine shape.

Tom Vaught

[blaktopr]

Here is most of it together. This is the bottom 3 pieces only. Steel construction with wood outer covers. Street sign with punched holes. Baffles to allow air to reach orifice from all sides. The settleing box will be next. I hope the pic is ok, was done on the phone. Just as an added side note. I used liquid nail type adhesive. This is something to look into for your wood benches out there. Just dont try to take it all apart.

[larrycavan]

[blaktopr]

Got back to working on the bench. I'm gonna have to hit Bruce up for the cal plates. I took 4 assorted shop vac motors and built into a thin box because of their construstion I have to show a pic so you guys can give me an idea of the efficiency of the box. I gonna need to know if a larger plenum before the air inlet and after is needed. So far with some prelim tests non calibrated through a 1.5 inch test plate (single outlet mulberry cover) no settleing box I came to some starting numbers. Using the spreadsheet calcs of finding approxamate flow ranges I got 2 different readings. 160 ish with one hole, 1.9 and 200 ish at 1.9 and 1.4 open. The depression measure from in the case was 17 inches. Putting the hookup close to the test piece yeiled a number of 19.5 to 20. Once I get all tubes and such finally connected and calibrated I will then see how repeatable the bench can be and diagnose any problems. Do you guys feel I should put together another "shop vac" box? Those results are from 4 ranging from 4.5 hp to 2.75. Give me some input please.

[blaktopr]

Here are some pics of the motor box. Give me some insight from viewing and my data of the box and wether or not to build a second to put into the system. I get the motors for free. I know I can build a box for surplus vac motors, but I want to see how bruce's air supply works out first.

[blaktopr]

here's another. Excuse my mess, major cleaning and rearranging going on. Got a another car for street driving coming in to work on

[blaktopr]

Coming along. Bench found its new home and started the back cover and manometer placement. The aluminum track is actually mounting pieces to hold theater lighting on steps. They were cut to fit flat and have a channel to fit the tubing up the middle where the strip lights would go. The pipe on the right will be going to a vac source. A second pipe next to it will be added for the second source. Next is the settleing box to be built to handle wet flow and capture the liquid. Does anyone have any acrilic tubes left over to part with? ID needs to be able to be machined to 4.185. Only need like 10 to 12 inches to begin making my head adaptor. Thanks.

[blaktopr]

Slowly here and there. I finished the settleing box using melamite. I figured the laminated finish would be good for holding water and not getting sucked into the wood. The pic shows 2 chambers connected by (3) 3" pipe stuff I had laying around. The "closer" chamber is the one under the head adaptor and the floor is sloped down to the front to allow the water to be drained. There doesnt seem to be any leaks in intake mode. I pulled about 36" through the box full closed.

The shop vacs are working ok. They will eventually stop pulling because of the design. They are their own leak so to speak. I will be adding 2 more to the main box. I did a test with a secondary air mover through the second port feeding the bench. It's a dust blower. The stronger source pulled through the blower.. I know how inneficient they are. Just gave it a try. I was going to build a second box for 4 more motors, I am afraid of this happening if they are not balanced. Can anyone give me some thoughts on this?

All and all, the non calibrated bench seems to be very steady. At this time the power is only sufficient to test at 10". Still a step in the right direction. I made the depression control to close off the leak. A 3" hole in the third chamber of the main box. Took a 3" PVC cap and threaded a 1/4-20 hole to take a long bolt. That threads into a plate bolted to the inside of the case. The beveled side threads toward the hole. Basically reverse useage of the salad bowl design in most benches.

Any feedback?

[blaktopr]

12:45, and it's a good thing I'm single again. The EX would have been pissed. No head adapter yet but still tried a tested head by another. Guessing at where my " tune" is of the bench, I am around 10 to 20 cfm off. Good thing is that the bench is very steady. Messing with string and clay, the bench is reacting plus or minus a 1/4 to half percent. I did manage to get 2 % increase in flow on the inclined with some clay remodleing. So it is showing repeatability and accuracy with any gains or losses. I ended the night when I ran it wide open, at 22" and sucked some clay. Thank you all, on this board. Chris.

[200cfm]

Looks like a successful DIY bench offering good repeatability. Once you get it calibrated you will be elated. I know I was. I like the design idea of the wet flow capability chamber with the gravity draw off of the water. When I start my PTS bench I would like to add that feature. How is the head adapter coming along?