Ok here's one you probably didn't see coming. Or maybe you did... I've been talking about it for years, finally pulled it off. Tomorrow I'll be adding to the website the first ever 80 series seat gear press tool.
The product is essentially a holder for the plastic gear that I make, with some machined features that allow the knurled shaft to slide within it while the old gear is removed, and the new gear is pressed on. There's a second smaller piece that just barely fits inside (.002" clearance!) which keeps everything concentric during the new gear installation- this should essentially erase any prior issues with people struggling with this step of the repair, and becomes a cool new product for me to market and hopefully sell a ton of.
And I'm pretty sure at least most of you are aware of the success of these little parts, as they've become almost ubiquitous with 80 series ownership... something I'm not only proud of, but also so grateful for the support network that helped bring that to light. I don't think everyone knows the club history with this one...
2008-2009 I start reverse engineering these parts, from a thread I stumbled across on ih8mud. I work in rapid protoyping at the time, so have access to a pro-level laser sintering machine, which allowed me to make these in sintered nylon. I put a bunch of these in other club members' rigs, to test them out.
2009 club member and good friend
@Groucho helps me refine my design (he's got some killer CAD skills) and we tweak it in... they work! I start selling these as a side gig... longer version of this available by request at any campfire.
2010 volume is steady, and more than what feels right running as a G-job where I work. Plus the sintered nylon is soft, so an actual molded thermoplastic is going to be a huge improvement.
@rover67 uses some of his injection molding contacts and helps me source tools for both the cap and gear, made from actual production POM material. We receive the first shipment early the next year.
I spend the next 13+ years shipping these parts worldwide. And they have like a 99% success rate... but every once in a while someone breaks a gear while trying to press it onto the knurled shaft (most likely went too fast, went crooked, pressed from the wrong end, didn't watch the video, didn't read the instructions, didn't read the thread....) and I get this idea that what if I made a press tool that would just eliminate that issue.
2022: I'm a little better at CAD now. Also, I'm watching the thread where
@IoN6 is starting a machine shop, with CNC lathe capability. Ok I'm gonna finally do this. I draw a couple parts and in my head have a pretty good idea how they'll work together.
2023: Couple prototypes, one rev change, and John delivers my first production batch. And they're amazingly beautiful..
today: I get a PM from
@Spectone, neighbor of
@satchel. Hey, I heard you can fix my 80 seat? yeah man, come on over.
You guys have probably heard me say it before that I wouldn't be doing this if not for the friends I've made in the Rising Sun and TLCA, and yeah I know I'm often a little mushy and corny but this is just one example. I'll never take that for granted. From the business, to the referrals, the production, tech resources, advice, and the all important desert product testing... Rising Sun keeps that going. And hopefully I can continue to build on that in the years to come.
Here's the video, shot today:
View: https://youtu.be/KFFPRZHWP1M