Thursday, July 12, 2012
Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap
Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap
I had heard that the LSi model had a fold-down backseat, and a few corolla owners claimed it could be swapped so I gave it a shot.
There were some suggested directions from corolla forums, which I will try to paste into the bottom of this, but I modified them.
http://trdforums.com/threads/diy-how-to-swap-your-bench-rear-seat-into-60-40-folding-rear-seats.23379/#navigation
http://trdforums.com/threads/woohoo-i-just-got-my-folding-60-40-rear-seat-swap.23303/
At the junkyard I found a good candidate and removed the bottom seat by pulling up on it- it snaps in and out.
Then I unbolted the backseat mounts, and the lower seatbelt. Also the backseat clip hardware.
I removed the release cables from the trunk and took those as well.
Everything reinstalled in my car easily except the bottom lower corner mounts. These mounts were originally screwed into a 3D angled bracket that was welded onto the frame. I couldn't take that with me, and spent several hours inprovising.
My final solution was to get two stainless bolts from the hardware store and drill through the frame into the wheelwell. The bolts cannot be too long or they will shred the tire.
I will write more about the bolt parameters when I have more time, and I will include photos of the end product.
I did not wash the seats with water; instead I used some scrub brushes and an upholstery cleaner
At the bottom of the photos you will see the seat installed in the car newly. Note the silicone gobs over the drilled holes in the frame. I should note that the bolts are held in place by stop nuts such that the head is on one side and the stopnut is on the other side, then follows a spacer ring in order to achieve the correct angle for the mount.
I had heard that the LSi model had a fold-down backseat, and a few corolla owners claimed it could be swapped so I gave it a shot.
There were some suggested directions from corolla forums, which I will try to paste into the bottom of this, but I modified them.
http://trdforums.com/threads/diy-how-to-swap-your-bench-rear-seat-into-60-40-folding-rear-seats.23379/#navigation
http://trdforums.com/threads/woohoo-i-just-got-my-folding-60-40-rear-seat-swap.23303/
At the junkyard I found a good candidate and removed the bottom seat by pulling up on it- it snaps in and out.
Then I unbolted the backseat mounts, and the lower seatbelt. Also the backseat clip hardware.
I removed the release cables from the trunk and took those as well.
Everything reinstalled in my car easily except the bottom lower corner mounts. These mounts were originally screwed into a 3D angled bracket that was welded onto the frame. I couldn't take that with me, and spent several hours inprovising.
My final solution was to get two stainless bolts from the hardware store and drill through the frame into the wheelwell. The bolts cannot be too long or they will shred the tire.
I will write more about the bolt parameters when I have more time, and I will include photos of the end product.
I did not wash the seats with water; instead I used some scrub brushes and an upholstery cleaner
At the bottom of the photos you will see the seat installed in the car newly. Note the silicone gobs over the drilled holes in the frame. I should note that the bolts are held in place by stop nuts such that the head is on one side and the stopnut is on the other side, then follows a spacer ring in order to achieve the correct angle for the mount.
The philips sonicare NiCd battery replacement
The philips sonicare toothbrush has a NiCd battery inside. Of course after a couple of years this will develop memory effect and die.
The battery can be replaced easily, but the case is hard to cut through. I used this as a basis for my repair:
http://matthewbotos.com/2006/10/22/sonicare-battery-replacement
http://matthewbotos.com/gallery/2007/Sonicare/
I used a dremel with a grinding wheel, but did not have measurements or directions on where to grind, so I chose the seam on the side, and ground until I could see a bulkhead.
I replaced the old NiCd with a 2 AA Nimh rechargeable battery pack from ebay (meant for a portable phone). Nimh has almost the same charge curve as NiCd.
I also ordered white shrink tube (40mm) from ebay. and used it along with some silicone to seal the device when finished.
The shrinktube gets in the way of the charger, so I cut a notch in the bottom of it as you can see in the photo.
The battery can be replaced easily, but the case is hard to cut through. I used this as a basis for my repair:
http://matthewbotos.com/2006/10/22/sonicare-battery-replacement
http://matthewbotos.com/gallery/2007/Sonicare/
I used a dremel with a grinding wheel, but did not have measurements or directions on where to grind, so I chose the seam on the side, and ground until I could see a bulkhead.
I replaced the old NiCd with a 2 AA Nimh rechargeable battery pack from ebay (meant for a portable phone). Nimh has almost the same charge curve as NiCd.
I also ordered white shrink tube (40mm) from ebay. and used it along with some silicone to seal the device when finished.
The shrinktube gets in the way of the charger, so I cut a notch in the bottom of it as you can see in the photo.
304 stainless flame tamers
I am trying to build new flame tamers (grease shields) for my grill. The old ones rusted, which makes sense because they are thin steel and heated up to 800 degrees over and over again.
The new ones will be built with 12x12" 304 stainless steel. 304 stainless can be heated up to 1500 deg F without corrosion.
I bought a cutoff wheel for the chop saw and used that to cut across the 12" of stainless.
RESULTS:
So far the shields are flat and unmachined. THey are original dimenisons, but not folded or grooved.
The heat in the grill is definitely wrong now-- above the heat shields it is cool and to the sides it is very hot.
I will try to rectify this either by making the shields thinner or adding slots.
The new ones will be built with 12x12" 304 stainless steel. 304 stainless can be heated up to 1500 deg F without corrosion.
I bought a cutoff wheel for the chop saw and used that to cut across the 12" of stainless.
RESULTS:
So far the shields are flat and unmachined. THey are original dimenisons, but not folded or grooved.
The heat in the grill is definitely wrong now-- above the heat shields it is cool and to the sides it is very hot.
I will try to rectify this either by making the shields thinner or adding slots.
LTTO Lazer tag hit light mod:
LTTO Lazer tag hit light mod:
I modified the deluxe and drone taggers to have hitlights on the bottom using the directions on greg gaub's page.
I changed the procedure slightly: I put the hit lights in the base of the handle because I needed to modify 14 taggers quickly. If the lights are installed in the base then only the baseplate need be removed, and the wires are already there-- no new wires necessary. Install time for each was about 10 minutes (not including electronic board construction time).
I modified the deluxe and drone taggers to have hitlights on the bottom using the directions on greg gaub's page.
I changed the procedure slightly: I put the hit lights in the base of the handle because I needed to modify 14 taggers quickly. If the lights are installed in the base then only the baseplate need be removed, and the wires are already there-- no new wires necessary. Install time for each was about 10 minutes (not including electronic board construction time).
e-engineering the mastfoot on a 1980's style windsurfing board
Going through old photos I found some pictures of a project re-engineering the mastfoot on a 1980's style windsurfing board. The old style was incompatible with modern mastbases, and so we rebuilt it to be compatible using a standard mechanical joint, a pile of washers, and an 8mm(need to double check) stainless steel bolt from mcmaster.com
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