1972 Mazda Rx2- Moves to a new home

Sorry to fawn, but I do love your engineering in this thread.

Plans for big machining weekend have been scuppered. Have a job with a bridge that was built in the late 1800's that is in dire need of attention. Couple of important parts for a lifting beam need milling. All 3D like tapered, blah blah blah. So that's got my full attention. All is not lost though.

Went and looked at a woodworking bandsaw yesterday. Something I don't want and don't need. Ok,well I could have use for it on a little job I need to do for a friend. Me and woodworking? I only need one of two tools, dependant on the size of woods, either an axe or a chainsaw....then into the barbecue you go.....

Anyway, it was advertised for not a lot of money and further away than I originally thought,when I agreed to go and see it. Delightful Oldboy,who, I think has been given strict instructions from her indoors to tidy up and get rid of in his triple garage. Anyway,it turns out it was in lovely working condition ,as advertised,right up until he switched it on that morning. Last time he used it ,it was fine ,I was told. Anyway,turns out the tyre on the top wheel had lunched itself. But, it's in really good condition apart from that. Ok, so, how much are you prepared to drop the price? £2,50......Yeah right, look out the window? See that squadron of pigs? All fed and ready to fly....

I then looked at the guide bearings. Not for the faint hearted. Looked like the blade had been put on teeth first. Pointed it out to him,he squirmed a little,and then with great joy showed me his dewalt cordless drill powered bicycle with the chuck driving the tire and a modified bicycle brake caliper pushing the trigger to make it go. He managed to find a new,one owner,never been seriously raced or rallied bandsaw blade that would come with the machine. I took it and did the quick trick of getting it to jump into three rings.

Said my goodbyes and started to leave. Not ,to me worth the hassle.... Was genuinely walking away, having said it wasn't for me and it isn't in my nature to haggle,so would rather cut my losses at having travelled further than anticipated and call it a day. Got called back, please take it, it's your for nothing,just want rid of it....probably a good thing, because if he is half as deaf as he is blind,he wouldn't hear his own screams once he cut his fingers off....



Magically coiled up blade and remains of tyre




Well knackered guide bearings with guide blocks totally worn away

ooh that's a nice baby band saw. The one I used at work has wheels bigger than that casting. I would have to walk into the blade when folding it up and then let go VERY quickly so it didn't come back at you! Folded dia was around 4ft. Old boy showed me the folding trick which I've now passed onto my son for when we change the blade on the hobby saw at home

Teeth pointing upwards blade in front of you, hands on the underside outside edges with thumbs pointing upwards, move forward whilst crossing your arms one over the other. The blade will coil and do the rest. Easy when you know how eh?

Made a little jig to hold it together whilst riveting


All the bits ready including the rivets

Cut a mullered tap in half to make a tool to round the heads over



Ground a radius into the end with a die grinder with the old tap in the lathe


Worked a charm. All riveted back together




Assembled and hooked up to the Makita test bed




It works!
Just need to broach the key way and that's the clutch finished. Getting there slowly...

Wounders will never cease, especially where Johnny B is concerned..... not only a riviting tool but the rivits as well. Simply awesome chap well done.

pretty sure we are on tools to fix the tools to fix the car

Rivets made out of En8 which is a good grade of mild steel. Used for shafts etc,it's nice to turn,contains no lead,is case hardenable but will bend before it breaks. I worked on the assumption that if it bends before it shears,it's good enough for rivets....riveted over in the press ,but could have hammered them over. Would have been a bit tricky as they are recessed in a hole. Didn't like the idea of hammer forming them with a soft punch that might mushroom or bend and the get stuck in the hole. Also didn't cherish bludgeoning a cut down punch made from a hard,but brittle,cut down tap. Chances are you show that a hammer and it will put itself back in kit form very quickly,hence using the press.

Some days you are the statue. Other days you are the pigeon. Today was a statue day. Endured the most mind numbingly boring afternoon in a meeting that quite frankly was a total waste of time and half a rainforest for the amount of paper it generated. Having spent the last four hours trying to devise a way to top myself with a piece of paper,I got home in ,shall we say,a mood very close to sense of humour failure.

That's when I opened this....


A beautifully colour copy of a magazine article on an Rx2, copied and sent to me by a RR member who I have never met. Thank you Wilk for making my day. I really appreciate the time and effort you took to get that article to me. It turned my day around. Perfect timing.....

Oooh. So if you can break a tap like that, could you also break an easy out that's snapped off? Because they're hardened, too?