Re: Todds 1930 733 7P Sedan

Posted by tfee On 2012/1/12 13:57:41

Yes Tom, I agree. That trick works even better when installing bearings where the axle and bearing are not touching each other and there is no heat (or cold) transfer between the two. Wheel bearings slide right in the hub when installed this way. I used to work in the metal shop at Roush Racing and we used liquid CO2 to perform all sorts of shrinking tasks. Another fun use was supercooling EPDM foam rubber so that it could be machined like aluminum. We also made DC10 landing gear there and after it was rough machined the billets were sent out for heat treat and when they returned they would be packed in crates full of dry ice. We would take the dry ice, crush it up, add it to a 2 liter bottle with some water in it and throw it out in the parking lot and wait for the explosion. VERY LOUD. Ah the good old days. We also made a lot of parts from titanium and magnesium for the race cars. The shavings that came off the lathe were fine enough that they could be ignited with a cigartte lighter. Once we discovered that, we would take handfulls of the chips, mix them all up in a Folgers coffee can and light them on fire in the parking lot. Once the fire was good and hot we would dump water in the can and run. The resulting bright white fireball would shoot ten feet in the air and make a perfect mushroom cloud.

Yeah, I work as an a draftsmen/detailer now and I sure do miss making things blow up and getting paid for it. Maybe I'll go get some dry ice for the next bearing that gets stuck. Heck, maybe I'll just pick some up for fun.....