The photos below are what we saw.
The
final action on the intercooler mount was the installation of
nut/bolt clamps to prevent movement once the mount is installed.
Once the
final material for the propane mount was available, another
test-fit was performed to insure that things are good.
Thor
came equipped with an "armstrong" (AKA manually operated) tire
crane mounted between the rear frame rails. The crane is a
worm-drive design that prevents the cable from unwinding
unintentionally. Given that the crane was 30 years old, it
was removed from the frame, the rope was unwound and the unit
was put in the solvent tank. We then inspected it and
determined that the difficulty in operation was due to a plate
that had bent (likely due to load). Note the tack welds at
the right side of the crane. The plate was bent back, a
brace was added and welded to prevent another failure.
The plan
is to cut the actuation shaft and replace it with an old socket
that will allow use of a normal ratchet or impact wrench to
operate the crane. The worm gear is clearly visible in the
photo above.
The
intercooler mount, sub-frame cross members and the propane mount
await their turn in the paint booth.
The used
socket was put into the lathe and the cracked portion was
machined off.
The
center was then drilled to allow easy mating with the existing
collar.
The
collar was welded to the socket.
The
refurbished crane with cleaned synthetic cable and socket ready
for installation.
Finished
crane attached to the rear frame cross member.
A final
design for the battery box and lifting mechanism was presented,
material was cut and welded.
A test
of the crane with the actual batteries. It lifted "easily"
but the synthetic cable stretched more than we wanted.
Since we did not know the provenance of the cable, we elected to
replace the synthetic with stainless steel cable.
The
support frame was added to the battery box.
'Another
test fit was performed using the essentially completed
box. The driver was used to lift and lower the box.
We have
elected to replace the synthetic rope with stainless steel
cable.
The
frame mounting tabs were cut from 3/8" strip. The tabs
were heated with a torch and bent 45 degrees to better match the
junction with the lower frame rail.
The
battery box is essentially complete lacking only the power post
attachments and the actual battery restraining straps.
Meanwhile,
the outside paint booth was used to spray the fabricated
components. Satin black is the color of choice.
A rather
fuzzy photo, but the final geometry of the box is clear from the
photo above.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2019, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.