Newt the Bold project

[Mike]

Put-down-the-crack-pipe and come help me get it ready for Ashtabula.

Mike, I've been enjoying the pictures and I'm glad you put together a thread for the blue beast. I'm digging the transfer case. That should give you plenty of options for speed/torque.

[Mike]

I saw Newt pop up in the random photo filmstrip on the main forum page and couldn't stop thinking that it needs a Rolls Royce Grill.

Newt the Rolls?

[amphibious drew]

I saw Newt pop up in the random photo filmstrip on the main forum page and couldn't stop thinking that it needs a Rolls Royce Grill.

Newt the Rolls?
Attachment 9952

I thought that many times while starring at it as it rested in my backyard. I would think a lincon would work too and may be easier on the budget

[hydromike]

Oh baby, that's blingtastic!

I still have no idea what I'm going to do with the front end of this hulking piece, but I've already added braces on the tube frame for a winch. I just don't know!

[hydromike]

I wish things could go faster on this project, but half of what I do seems to be thinking about how to do this from scratch the right way the first time.This thing is starting to make the Swamp Fox look like an easy clean-up-and-ride project.

Over the past couple-few weeks, I've been accumulating a bunch of different parts to try to get the engine, the range box and the transmission in some sort of final alignment. I bought two double #50 hardened sprockets (a 15 tooth for the range box, and a 12 tooth for the T-20) and spent some time in front of the lathe get them both up to the right bore size. I had to make an input shaft forthe NP203 range box that would accommodate the 7/8" driven clutch, which turned out pretty nice. The long output shaft for the range box is hardened (like, “whoa” hardened…), and even carbide tooling struggled with it a bit. Don't ask me how I'm going to cut a keyway in them... I don't know yet. The NP203 shaft mics out at 1.520",so it'll need to be turned down a hair to fit in the 1.5" pillow block bearing that will support it near the end. The T-20 main shaft is unchanged from the stock dimensions, I'll just broach a keyway into the sprocket and it'll bolt right to the shaft. I didn't have any 50-2 chain laying around, sothis picture shows the single #50 laying on the sprockets to generally line things up (and a nice red bungee holding the other side....)



The input side of the NP203 already has an oil seal, so I’ll keep that unchanged. The output side of the NP203 will require a seal, since that side was originally opened, and shared oil with, the rest of the chain-driven transfer case. Additionally, the output bearing retainer was originally held in place by the rest of the transfer case. I cut out a couple 3/16” plates (one for each side) that will give me a place to weld mounts to, attached the output shaft pillow block, and mount an oil seal and bearing retainer to on the output side. Confused? Me, too….



Hopefully, the output shaft bearing retainer and the rest of the mounts will be next week’s project. It’s a slow process for me getting these things together, but once this darn range box isset, I can finalize the T-20 mounts and the engine mounts.

[Mike]

I love this project. You said that things could go faster but you really made some headway since the last update especially with the machine work. It seems like if I have something to machine that requires more than one tool change, I might as well plan on taking up an entire night after work. Once I come home, change clothes, eat supper, etc there really isn't much time left to get a lot of stuff done and it gets eaten up pretty quickly. I'd say you are moving along fine.

Edit: I was looking at your pictures again tonight. On the T20, are the output shafts going to be directly over the middle axles? Where does the T20 sit in reference to the seat?

[hydromike]

Edit: I was looking at your pictures again tonight. On the T20, are the output shafts going to be directly over the middle axles? Where does the T20 sit in reference to the seat?

I don't know how I missed you questions, but I'm finally actually updating the thread instead of just posting pictures in the gallery.... The output shafts are going to be slightly in front of the center axles by a few inches. The T-20 is going to sit beneath the seat, just about like I have it in the Swamp Fox.

I've been working on a several different parts of the machine, but I'm just bad at updating. I've really been looking forward to figuring out the range box shift linkage. I wanted the shifter to be conveniently located, but not in the way. I've always adored the T-20 shifter on the Attex 8x8, so I put the high/low shifter right there. The hand lever moves a piece of linkage that goes underneath the T-20 to a bell crank that's located beneath and between the T-20 and the NP203. Another piece of linkage comes up between the two and attaches to the shift linkage on the range box. The throw in the shifter is just the way I wanted it to be, but it was a pain in the butt to get right. It's all hooked together with rod-ends that really tighten it up nicely.



Here's a lame video that I filmed with a potato. It sounds like I'm breathing heavy, but I'm really not THAT excited about it...

[mudbug3]

hydromike


If your high and low range works out as planned with your T-20, this will be the answer for forum member that really need a lower gear range like the older 3.3 ratio ,Argo transmissions.

[hydromike]

The NP203 is only a 2:1 reduction, so it's not going to be as neat as 3.3:1. The other option was to use a truck transmission, like a BorgWarner T-18. That've been nice, but the 203 box was free and available. I'll throw a T-18 in the next one.

[mudbug3]

Hydromike


How does the BorgWarner T-18 compare in weight to the NP203 that you have in the machine now?