New Folders? Tools To Loan Or Clone? Projects To Print?

I'm thinking about maybe having a couple of new folders and would like your input, please:  

Tools To Loan Or Clone: This could be in the Garage/Shop & Tools folder and would be a place to post offers like Pete's offer to loan his spindle puller.  But it could also be to show people how we make tools that work as it might easier/cheaper to make Pete's puller than ship it.

However, I don't think we'll want to be loaning tools to people we don't know, meaning a rank newbie that signed up just to borrow the tool.  So we might post at the top of the folder "These tools are to be loaned at the member's discretion, but a suggested guideline would be not to loan to a member w/o at least 100 posts over a year's time."  (You can easily see a member's post count below their avatar, and clicking on their screen name will show you when they joined.)

What do y'all think of that?  Both the idea of having the folder awa the guideline?

Projects To Print: I'm not sure where this one would be, but possibly in the Garage/Shop & Tools folder as well.  Or maybe in Resources, although that is a bit of a free-for-all at the moment.  Anyway, this would be a place to store files for either 3D printing or cutting out, like for gaskets.  We talked about this in January here, and again a few days ago here.  But I need some help thinking this through, please.

For instance, we want to ensure that files posted there can't be corrupted and harm someone's computer. So do we put a limit on who can post here?  I'm not sure how easy that would be to do, but I could be the "poster" if things don't get out of hand and could vet the files.  But what do y'all think?

Again, I'd like everyone's feedback.  Obviously this would be limited to things associated with Bullnose trucks.

Under tools to loan or clone my EEC-IV test equipment. I will even box and ship the breakout box I have as I no longer have a vehicle with an EEC-IV system.

The duty speed control tester might also be a good item. I have a fairly good assortment of axle tools for the Dana 44 and the Sterling 10.25" including the seal installer for the revised hub seals.

I think it's a good idea, this is done on another (non-Ford) forum I am on. I have made several tools for working on my bullnose, that I would be willing to lend out as needed. If you decide to go forward with this, I'll post pictures of the tools and a description of how to use each one.

On the other forum, in some cases, the tool is shipped back to the lender after use. In those situations the borrower pay shipping both ways.

In other cases, the borrower uses the tool, then holds on to it until the next person requests it. Borrower pays shipping only one way in those cases.

It would be up to the original creator/owner of the tool how it is to be passed around, I suppose.

In the case of the tools I have made, it is very unlikely I would ever need them again, so if I'm not tripping over them in my shop, I'm fine with that. :P

Really good idea!

Pete Whitstone wrote

In other cases, the borrower uses the tool, then holds on to it until the next person requests it. Borrower pays shipping only one way in those cases.

It would be up to the original creator/owner of the tool how it is to be passed around, I suppose.

We used to do that when I was building the Cozy. Certain tools like molds for the wheel fairings were complicated/expensive to make or buy, but were only needed one time. You'd get the wheel fairing molds and if somebody had signed up to have them next, you'd ship them to that person, otherwise back to the owner when you were done.

I think it made the most sense for "weird" tools. Like, nobody needs a loaner program for coil spring compressors. They're readily available, there are workarounds (jacking) if you don't have or can't get them, and usually you can find local sources to rent or borrow anyway. Others are so cheap on Amazon you may as well own them if you're serious about maintaining an old truck.

But I do have two sets of things that might make sense to put in this category. The first is "door/trim tools". For somebody getting into a reno/restomod there are all those little helpful tools that LMC and others sell: the trim prybar, alignment tool, Torx bit for the door striker, windshield trim removal tool, etc. There are a bunch of little bits like that you really only need once in a project (usually) that would pack up nicely in a small enough box to be reasonable to ship.

The second is the engine subsystem stuff, especially cooling. I spent the money on the no-leak radiator funnel kit, the cooling system leak detector, the AC refill manifold gauge set, the vacuum pump for bleeding brakes and other fluid systems, etc. Individually those items are easy to borrow or buy but all together it would be a decent kit for somebody giving a newly acquired bullnose a "once over"...

One other suggestion, I've often thought it would be worth letting other folks know about bulk item purchases. I've bought a TON of stuff for Rocky that made no sense to buy a single part for. I have entire kits of U nuts, electrical connectors, screws, bulbs, and all that jazz. In most cases I'll use 2-3 pieces out of a 10- or even 100-pack and the rest just sit in a drawer forevermore. If anybody was ever going elbows-deep in a bullnose project it would be really easy for me to drop a few dozen "you're probably going to need this" hardware items in an envelope for $10-$20 vs. others buying (and wasting) the same kits I bought... Any thoughts?

Funny you should mention a Cozy, my best friend has 2 of them now, we went up North of Baltimore to pick up the second one. I have a tee shirt with a Cozy coming on the front and going on the back from that trip.

He talked about the same thing, the specialized items that get loaned around. He is an IA so gets to see a lot of interesting and occasionally scary stuff.

Ok, I'll bite: what is a Cozy?  (Other than a cover for a tea pot in the UK.)

A small personal aircraft I think. The same type that are also called Long-Eze or Vari-Eze. Pusher prop with swept wings in the back and smaller wings (canards I think they are called) in the front.

You are correct sir, they are called canards and they are a pusher prop design. One of the excursions my friend and I went on (3 day weekend when we were both still working) involved picking up a very nice 3 blade propeller for his Cozy in Lorraine County Ohio. That was quite a trip, we borrowed a 2003 E250 from my brother (John ended up buying it from him).

First stop was at my son's house in Falling Waters WV Friday night. Saturday it was on to Elwood City PA to drop off an extra printer to another friend and pick up a snow blower for my Ford YT16H. From there to Lorraine County Ohio for the prop and then to Findley and my sister's for the night.

Sunday after breakfast it was off to Circleville Ohio to John's cousin's just to visit and have a somewhat better starting point for Monday (MLK day).

Monday we started South, John picked up the wrong highway not far out of Circleville and after about 45 mins of driving said "I don't think I'm on the right road" so we pulled into a parking lot, fired up his old MacBook and using the location from his iPhone determined we were well East of where we should be, but there wasn't a definite place we could see to pick up I64 to get back to Newport News and York County.

Backtrack so we could get on US23 to take us down across the Ohio River into Kentucky, then follow along the river to just before the WV line and pick up I64. Since we were now running 1 1/2 hours late, we ended up stopping in Richmond VA for dinner.

I like the idea of sharing 3D printing files. I have several 3D printers and would love to have a location where files can be added/downloaded. I would certainly contribute any files I develop to them. I know the average person does not have a 3D printer but most library's now have them for public use.

Ok, thanks for the explanation what a Cozy is.

Now, it looks like we are fairly well in agreement that we need a way to share tools and "printing" files.  (We can share both 3D printing and cutting files, like for gaskets.)  But where should the folders go?

And, what caveats should we put in place?  IOW, do you agree with my suggestion that someone must have X posts and Y time on the forum before being able to borrow tools?  If so, what are the values for X and Y?

Gary Lewis wrote

And, what caveats should we put in place?  IOW, do you agree with my suggestion that someone must have X posts and Y time on the forum before being able to borrow tools?  If so, what are the values for X and Y?

My opinion would be, it's at the discretion of the owner of the tool. If the tools cost hundreds of dollars, then I'd be a lot more particular about who I loaned it to. If it's some steel stock and a little welding, I'm more willing to risk that. One way to mitigate that risk would be to get the borrower to send you the money for the shipment before actually shipping it, but again that's all up to the lender.

If someone joins up here and is asking for help, then I'd take a chance and help them with any of my (admittedly inexpensive) tools. I'd hate to tell someone they have to wait 6 months to borrow a needed tool because they haven't been on the forum long enough.

Of course, that all works well in the lend-and-get-back scenario. If it's the lend-then-forward scenario, the original owner stands a lot more of a chance of never getting the tool back, and not being on control of who it is sent to.

Bottom line, I think those types of restrictions would wind up unenforceable. Suppose I decided to take a chance and loan one of my tools to someone who did not meet the criteria? Would I then be punished somehow? I see it as self-enforcing. If I decide to loan it to someone and I don't get it back, well, I've paid the price. I would hope in that scenario I would then be allowed to post a warning about loaning tools to that person, however.

The warning to others would need to be some sort of sticky and all of the admins need to be made aware via email. On two of the Chrysler forums I'm on, a minimum # of posts are required before you can buy or sell on there. I just bought a set of Venolia pistons for what is called a "hybrid 2.5L" they are made to fit the 2.4L DOHC head installed on a 2.5L block.

When I expressed and interest, one of the moderators sent me a PM on the seller that he was a relative unknown and to be careful. The seller originally said he took Venmo for payment, I told him I didn't use that one, but did use PayPal or Google Wallet. He replied he would take Paypal.

PayPal, if you use it the way they recommend you are protected against scammers. Money was sent, package arrived yesterday, pistons are new, with pins and spiral retainers and he also sent 4 of the turbo II floating wrist pin rods.

Only problem, and not his fault, the wrist pins are 0.927" OD and the bushings in the rods are 0.915" ID. The bushings match Chrysler's spec for a 0.9009 OD wrist pin. I will have to either hone or ream the bushings or have it done. Unfortunately there are no automotive machine shops over here.

85lebaront2 wrote

The warning to others would need to be some sort of sticky and all of the admins need to be made aware via email.

I'm sure Gary's going to love me for this suggestion and the work it entails, but how difficult would it be to create a small database of tools and transactions? Potential elements in the table:

Tool identifier
Tool owner user ID
Borrowed by user ID
Borrowed date
Returned date

Then people could look and see if someone had been a borrower before. Of course there's still the problem of the first borrow. Also not sure how this table would get maintained. That can't be a free-for-all, because the dishonest borrower could just go in and update the Returned Date, when in fact they had not returned it.

Might not be a feasible idea. But it might spawn some other more feasible ideas.

85lebaront2 wrote

Unfortunately there are no automotive machine shops over here.

Huh? Where the heck are you?

Virginia's appendix. (the Southernmost tip of the Delmarva peninsula)

Pete - I agree that it is up to the loaner.  But I think it would be good to have guidelines so Joe Blow doesn't join just to borrow a tool and then vamoose.  IOW, I don't want people to join just so they can borrow a tool.  And I think some would.

So I'm suggesting that we have a guideline to ward off those folks.  Not that you couldn't loan to them, but I just want to set their expectations.  Yes?

Pete Whitstone wrote

85lebaront2 wrote

The warning to others would need to be some sort of sticky and all of the admins need to be made aware via email.

I'm sure Gary's going to love me for this suggestion and the work it entails, but how difficult would it be to create a small database of tools and transactions? Potential elements in the table:

Tool identifier
Tool owner user ID
Borrowed by user ID
Borrowed date
Returned date

Then people could look and see if someone had been a borrower before. Of course there's still the problem of the first borrow. Also not sure how this table would get maintained. That can't be a free-for-all, because the dishonest borrower could just go in and update the Returned Date, when in fact they had not returned it.

Might not be a feasible idea. But it might spawn some other more feasible ideas.

This looks like a lot of WORK!  (Quoting Maynard G.)

Do we need to do that?  I'd need someones, plural, to sign up to run the "tool crib".  I was hoping we could keep this simple, but...

I am also on another non auto forum, (CMP's) and we loan tools out to fellow members. As far as I know, there has never been a problem but as we all know, the world is a changing. Most of us to ask that the borrow pays shipping. Maybe add the location so if someone is close and need a tool they know where to go.  This is my first rodeo and I am not even sure what I will need. LOL but UTUBE is my friend. What I have purchase or made, will gladly share.

Gary Lewis wrote

Do we need to do that?  I'd need someones, plural, to sign up to run the "tool crib".  I was hoping we could keep this simple, but...

No, realistically we don't need that. If we need to keep track of things, a spreadsheet on someone's computer would do it just fine. I'd be glad to keep that spreadsheet, but how would I be kept informed of any borrowing and returning going on?

If we even need to go that far, and I'm not sure we do. It's mostly between the borrower and the lender, after all. It could be entirely up to the lender to keep track of his stuff.

Just throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.