NIVOMAT ..... Gaiters

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by bob12

For fear of being redacted all I can say is that I am told that they, and 'other' implements feature on all sorts of websites.

What's your formula though for the release oil ... please?

Master Bob

Sorry Bob - missed it first time round!

It's 50/50 acetone and synthetic ATF - i've used Carlube ATF-U and it works very well.
Needs to be kept sealed once a batch is made to prevent the acetone evaporating and given a good shake before every use.

I butchered a car tyre valve for the brass part in the centre and the actual valve inside it, drilled a 5mm hole in the bottom of an old brake cleaner aerosol, soldered the brass valve in, used a syringe to add equal measures of ATF-U and then acetone, refitted the valve core and then pressurised it with the compressor but a 12V plug-in type that operates from the fag lighter will put 120+psi in happily so quite often use that.
Aerosols need a fair bit of pressure to work properly so i tend to go for about 100-120psi and top up as necessary.

The short name for this formula is "WMP" - Weapon of Mass Penetration and so far, i've not known it fail, even on 20+ year old turbo to manifold nuts!

PS there's another forum member called BlueBrickRick who made some up using mineral ATF (Dexron II-D i think it was) and while it worked ok, when he made some up using synth ATF-U he found it much better.

[bob12]

I feel a high coming on already

P.S. Thanks

[clandyuk]

Originally Posted by bob12

What's the easiest way to put new gaiters on Nivomats? The lower end of the gaiter is far smaller than the top end and all of the new gaiter has to go over the lower bushing!

The proverbial camel and eye of a needle come to mind!

Ideas or practical experience please

Bob.

Practical experience here - I replaced my gaiters the other month. If the Nivo is off the car, then just put the lower end of the piston - just above the bottom bush - in a vice and unscrew the bottom bush.
I used a large metal vice done up really tight to hold the piston and there was no/minimal marking on the piston itself. Took all of two minutes!

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by clandyuk

Practical experience here - I replaced my gaiters the other month. If the Nivo is off the car, then just put the lower end of the piston - just above the bottom bush - in a vice and unscrew the bottom bush.
I used a large metal vice done up really tight to hold the piston and there was no/minimal marking on the piston itself. Took all of two minutes!

Use proper soft-jaws (the V-blocks referred to in that external thread) and there shouldn't be any marking at all.

[bob12]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Use proper soft-jaws (the V-blocks referred to in that external thread) and there shouldn't be any marking at all.

Dave .... with you vast experience of eBay and acquiring 'things' any idea where you can get some soft V blocks as in the link put up by Forrest above?

[Laird Scooby]

What size and type of vice have you got Bob? Here's a general list of soft jaws available :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_o...+jaws&_sacat=0

The best price i found on some with grooves that should work well on the Nivo are these :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnetic-...C/362303861281

If those aren't what you're looking for, there are plenty more to choose from, for example :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aeroflow-...s/232598091457

I could sit here all day and spend your money Bob but i'm sure the ones i've picked out are the cheapest (inc P&P) of the types i've picked, should all do the job you need and fit pretty much any standard vice.

Hopefully something there will do the job you need it to!

[Stephen Edwin]

I've used some soft jaws like that second link successfully for years.

Those in the third link have a majestic style, at a price. They are being sold aimed at the aero industry AN fittings? And they are reminiscent of the one's shown in the website linked to earlier. Which is I suspect why you showed that link Dave. I'm tempted but I wonder if they are as versatile as the ones I have, and mine ain't broke so....

EDIT: Basically the same price as that third link, but aluminium.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium...75.c100623.m-1

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium....c100005.m1851

I see the design is specifically aimed at holding the hexagon part of fittings.

.

[bob12]

Thanks Dave and Stephen, I will have a good look through those this evening. For you interest Dave my vice is a very old Engineer's Record 84 with quick release. The jaws are 4.5" and open to 6". To say it's solid is an understatement!

Cheers, Bob

[Laird Scooby]

That's a proper vice Bob! I had an old secondhand vice for years and it finally broke so i bought an ebay cheapy for about £20 - didn't last long! First use in fact killed it and then a few days later was showing my mate something in my shed, we both heard a crack, looked at each other "What was that?" then another part of the vice fell off! Wasn't even being used!



The part that fell off was the bit underneath the moving jaw!



Moral of the tale - go to a boot sale armed with £30 and pick up a scruffy but solid old Record or similar, get it home, tart it up and use that instead!

PS Stephen - you're right about why i posted the link to those odd shaped but pricey soft-jaws!

[bob12]

You will note that I run a very clean and tidy work bench!