FuddyMuckers - tech

Handy universal power supply

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2023-12-14T17:04:59+00:00

Handy universal power supply I came across these units and I think with a few little additions (a box and some nice terminals) they make an incredibly useful thing for any workshop or overland vehicle. They accept inputs from about 6v to ~36v and can output 0.6v - 36v at up to 5A with current control / protection.

Drag & Aerodynamics

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-10-01T13:09:13+00:00

Drag & Aerodynamics You Suck At Aerodynamics - read the corrections though! Coefficients Of Drag Of Old Cars Wikipedia's list of drag coefficients (but no frontal areas) for your amusement. Some basic maths nicked from Landyzone - of course maths found on the internet is highly trustworthy! Taking your average family runabout as an example, the Bugatti Veyron has a drag coefficient of 0.36 and a frontal area of 2.07m^2 (according to Wikipedia).

My Dream Garage

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2022-04-21T15:55:25+00:00

My Dream Garage In no particular order, and accepting that my current garage contains vehicles I very much treasure. An Original Mini Despite being a 60+ years-old design, people still maintain you will not have more fun behind a steering wheel than hooning an original mini. Right first time, then.

Dumb stuff

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-05-15T23:34:05+00:00

Dumb stuff Intended as a small homage to the (now seemingly offline) FrankenTaco's Scary Steering Pages which became such a favourite across the internet - they make you laugh, cry, and hopefully think twice before picking up a spanner. LR4x4 has its own “Pass the bucket - eBay horrors” thread which can be entertaining.

Dyno Plots

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-05-15T23:34:06+00:00

Dyno Plots They are not the ultimate arbiter of truth but they do at least give some sort of vague approximation of data (as opposed to down-the-pub willy-waggling bullshit) for those considering an engine conversion. Full copyright/credit remains with whoever originally posted these online.

Awesome Engineering

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-05-15T23:34:06+00:00

Awesome Engineering Random cool or interesting titbits. I'm not sure what's more awesome, the size of these busbars or the neatness of the install: Hart F1 V10:

Ridiculous 6x6 G-Wagen Thing

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-05-15T23:34:05+00:00

Ridiculous 6x6 G-Wagen Thing What else can we call it? Anyway, some parts of it are quite nicely made, I rolled under it so you don't have to. From underneath you can't see how stupid the top half is.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Dashboard Gauges

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2023-11-27T17:11:33+00:00

Lies, Damn Lies, and Dashboard Gauges Snippet from the linked article: [Editor’s Note: I worked on the cooling system of the Jeep Wrangler JL, and can tell you that I sat in on a meeting during which we decided how the gauge would behave based on coolant temperature. Yes, “decided,” because the gauge didn’t just go up when things got hot and drop when things got …

LT230R vs LT230T

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2020-01-05T23:44:08+00:00

LT230R vs LT230T Early LT230 transfer cases were designated “R” and later ones were “T”, as I once had two apart side by side I can show some of the differences... Input gear Later cross-drilled “T” type on the left (not all were cross drilled, if yours isn't then spend the £50 and swap it!) - earlier

Multimeters for diagnosing car problems

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2025-06-03T16:16:29+00:00

Multimeters for diagnosing car problems A £5 DT-830 style meter is all you need for 99% of everything you need on a car, here's an article explaining why they're actually great: Ideally one with a continuity buzzer as that's one of the most useful features in fault-finding.

Paint, Rustproofing, etc.

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2024-01-16T11:59:01+00:00

Paint, Rustproofing, etc. Rustproofing Dinitrol I use Dinitrol as it seems to work well and is easy to apply. The major bugbear with Dinitrol is their numbering & descriptions are really confusing and they seem incapable of putting a simple table of products & applications on their website.

Overland vehicle design / prep ethos

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2025-11-17T17:05:12+00:00

Overland vehicle design / prep ethos A terrible title - basically this is “how I learned to think about stuff” from the numerous wise folks I've had the good fortune to meet and tinker alongside, notably the justified ancients of HOFS, as well as 20+ years in the

Making Q-Max Punches and Dimple Dies

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2020-01-13T01:11:12+00:00

Making Q-Max Punches and Dimple Dies Pictures tell all really; Q-Max style hole punch: Home-made dimple-die and hole punch in one - for a straight punch don't put the flared bit in! A much lightened bracket:

Rustproofing

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2023-05-31T13:07:17+00:00

Rustproofing Dinitrol I love Dinitrol stuff but their descriptions are rubbish. Thanks to the nice lady at Rust.co.uk for explaining what I actually need for a crusty old Land Rover! * Existing rust: Treat with RC900 which works brilliantly and I'm a big fan of.

Engineering Snippets

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2023-07-06T09:46:11+00:00

Engineering Snippets “...a forged aluminum rim can lose up to a degree of camber due to wheel flex, reducing grip and agility.” Source: Bentley via Jalopnik “...a 20A MAXI Fuse experiencing an overload of 100A will open in about 0.5 seconds. At 40A, the same 20A MAXI Fuse would open in about 9 seconds.

The Spider

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2019-11-24T23:25:09+00:00

The Spider We happened across this in the opening line-up at Ladoga 2007 and at first thought “God, that's rough!”... but in a starting lineup that included (supposedly) a million-dollar vehicle, a man and his son had built something truly amazing for absolutely no money, with basic tools and incredible engineering.

An attempt at metal spinning

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2020-01-02T23:27:44+00:00

An attempt at metal spinning Pictures tell most of it, watch This Old Tony's spinning videos on Youtube to put you off the whole stupid idea ;)

Tech Anorak Corner

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2025-06-03T16:13:44+00:00

Tech Anorak Corner At some point I'll stuff all the various useless trivia I've accumulated over the years here. Online Tools I've Made * Cable calculator - calculate sizes, ratings, voltage drops, fuses, etc. for re-wiring your car * MPG Calculator - compare fuel costs between two vehicles

Top Tips!

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2020-01-07T23:31:12+00:00

Top Tips! [Click for some Viz Top Tips!] Assorted little bits and bobs I've collected over the years. Temperature labels You can get these in a variety of ranges. If you want to know how hot something is getting, slap one on! The number of people who fit additional oil or gearbox coolers without ever knowing if their oil or gearbox is

Turbo Exhaust Theory

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2023-01-11T14:08:06+00:00

Turbo Exhaust Theory Found at tercelreference.com and copy-pasted here because it has some interesting points. The following excerpts are from Jay Kavanaugh, a turbosystems engineer at Garret, responding to a thread on Impreza.net regarding exhaust design and exhaust theory:

Useful Things

Anonymous (anonymous@undisclosed.example.com) — 2024-03-12T09:47:54+00:00

Useful Things Parts, tools, bits, potions, lubes, etc. to make life easier Sealants, Threadlockers, etc. * I'm a big fan of Loctite-inna-stick especially for in the toolbox * Loctite 1709314 268 High Strength Stick 19g RS#480-4086 * Loctite 525380 LB 8065 Copper Antiseize Stick 20g