This old Ammco 4000 automotive brake lathe has seen better days. We need to fix some mechanical issues, do some heavy cleaning, paint it, and build it a bench. Let's get to it!
Loved watching the DuPont overhaul man! Looks great imo. I grew up on an Ammco Lathes. Brought back a lot of memories watching this haha. Second can I just come work with you? I think we'd get along just swell. Plus we could swap really cool sayings and fix stuff and throw some tools and things....
Brake lathes are great, when working on oddball classic cars they actually are a must. Nobody makes rear drums for a lot of the stuff I see any more! That was a nice restoration and will go on giving great service for years to come. Hate the throwaway society, and every little helps. Nice one Wes, interesting content as always 👍
Even if you buy new you should still turn them to make sure they are perfectly round. I've had new rotors and drums warped/out of round new out of the box before. In the automotive industry it is standard practice to turn even new but most shops don't due to time constraints plus with rotors a slight warp won't cause an issue such as shaking or a slight out of round drum won't cause a brake pedal pulsation.
Brother, the many different disciplines that you cover are what make your videos stand out. You dont burn out any one topic or repair. Definately a jack of all trades. Much appreciated!
Jack of all trades ? Nah, a real, traditionnal mechanic guy. A rarety now. I'm sure, when Wes was a kid, he put apart some stuff and put it back together - with maybe some left over parts !! Now, looking at something unusual to repair, he looks at it and figure out how it works and why it failed. Ilove and highly respect that kind of person.
The amount of knowledge you have at your young age is astounding. The electronics background on million dollar machinery and then to see you work on these rust bucket snow plows blows me away. You are a one of a kind incredible man of many talents and we appreciate watching you work on anything you tackle, thank you.
I have watched this before but with time on my hands I remembered I had enjoyed it so I watched it again. I enjoyed it again because of your calm & understated approach, your broad range of skills and your willingness to accept the value in things made in the past and to do your best to bring them into the current day and provide good service again. It's a bit like the "17 years in the wild forklift" story. It's not about scrimping & saving it's about the human spirit and self belief necessary to think it through, plan & deliver in front of up to 200,000 people. After 70 years of watching people do things like this and having been involved in a few less impressive things myself I offer my congratulations on a job well done and encourage you to take on even bigger challenges in the future. Cheers, Brian
I have used that particular Brake Lathe for 25 years or so. Great machine they do really good finishing. And the setup is usually very good. You are missing some adapters but they are available. The the control is really simple and works well just try to make sure you're using Good Carbide Bits. All of best from Canada
Wes, you have made my heart flutter. I spend 40 years servicing the different types of auto repair facilities and I've sold and serviced many of these machines. You did a great job of restoring a piece of equipment that will outlive you. We live in a world now that has no appreciation for what/how things used to be done. The simple act of oiling and greasing things to make them last longer is even a thing of the past. I have always said that it all started with the Bic pens. Throw away stuff. Why? Why not fix things and keep using them. Maybe the landfills wouldn't be overflowing with cheap crap.
I currently do the same work you did. I am jealous of the room and accessibility he had to work on this lathe. You know as well as I do that they are usually pushed against a wall and things stacked all around. And filthy! I’m sure you have plenty of stories with 40 years. I just finished year 8. We don’t do a ton of lathe servicing but I work on a handful a year. We mostly work on AC machines , lifts, tire machines and balancers.
Hey, take it easy on the custom paint job (hammering on that freeze plug). Besides seeing Mrs. Wes in a dress, which was a real treat, I think you reviving "grandpa's" old work table and deploying it there in the shop was an awesome tribute to the "ole gent". Great work on your part, and great video Wes, as always. Thank you sir.
Cool, I have one of these with the bench and was planning to restore it in the future. Used it at my dads shop when I was a kid. Thanks for the motivation!
Very cool, Wes. Your ability to tear into tired iron, particularly unfamiliar T.I., grasp the Insidious sneaky oddities and then explain them to us in concise, understandable terms is a rare gift. Thanks once again for allowing the Walter Mitte types in your crowd to slay another rusty dragon! You ARE the Man!
I've been rewatching a lot of your videos. This is one of my favorites. Not only did you save a worktable, but a machine that I think will prove to be more useful than most people think. Especially with the supply chain times and increase in parts prices.
The music you ok picked for the finished project footage was perfect. Dads looked alot more like where you started, it may be old, it may polishing brightwork on the titanic, i liked it...alot. thanks for the effort and for showing it
One of the best episodes ever. You had it all-Great restoration, wife in fashion show(winner!) and so damn much dog I was so impressed. Great episode, hope the dog is Ok and I give this episode rotor turning thumbs, with a side of wife and dog!!!!!Thanks for the video!
I'm considering buying 2 old Ammco lathes that look a bit worse than yours looked when you started. It was very helpful for me to see the disassembly. The dress was fine but the smile was even better.
I HAVE the exact model in my shop. I bought 6 of them from TIRE AMERICA In the early 80's. i sold 5 of them an had enough money left to buy a pickup truck load of brake pads. my machine had two of every cone. My machine was brand new at the time. looked like it was used maybe ten times. i've never done any thing to it in 40 years. and now it looks like yours when you got it I dont have the circuit breaker with the on off switch. i still use mine at least once a week. its time to rebuild mine. but its been a good machine THANKS ZEMANTIRE TOWN
I just picked one of these up for myself secondhand from a local shop and after a bit of TLC it's a real joy to use. The scales are easy to read, the cutters consistently retreat when you back off the screws and the motor has enough torque for 1 ton rotors without stalling. I've used different brand lathes at work and these ammco tanks make the others look like something you would get on clearance at princess auto or harbour freight.
Nice to watch the care of a machine well restored and put back into service. The paint looks fine. It really gave it a marked improvement and shouldn't be stowed outa site..
Nicely done, I would love to see how you lathe a drum though. I never saw that and when you should do it. I always changed the drums what is expensive and hell.
The original brake rotors on most vehicles are better quality and are worth resurfacing. The aftermarket rotors are cheap but poor quality. Thanks Wes for a great video and all the tips and help you give us back yard mechanics. I am Running 2 Fords and 1 Mopar all with no payments and clean inspection stickers !!!
Well Wes you're obviously a man of many talents, ... first saw you a couple of years back in the boonies crawling over old forgotten machines trying to bring them back to life, moving house, all kinds of autoshop work, refurbishing forklifts, lawnmowers and now a rotor lace refurbishment of which, by-the-way you can be rightfully proud and again it made for a very nice video and a nice long one it was! ... It was a pleasure to watch you work Wes, thanks!. 🛠
What a great Channel this is only found You with this stupid lockdown in UK, I haven't normally got time to watch UA-cam, but I found Your channel due to Me fixing a fuel problem on a Forklift, I Fixed it with Your help 👍and now Am Hooked, I think I will shut My business down and just watch UA-cam all day, You cant make money with business anymore in this Day and crazy age. On serious note though Thanks for Your great info, I bet a lot people feel the same, so thanks again Wes😀
I ran what looked like the same machine at a service garage in the late seventies . Every brake job, we did the drums and rotors on the lathe because new rotors were very expensive then worked great as long as you kept them above minimum thickness . The only folks that bought new rotors were the ones that were ground down to nothing because “...the brakes have been grinding for a month or so”. That AAMCO lathe looked old when I started using it
I have one of these, actually bought a "drum only" one for parts and got some more adapters. There are 3 shafts for these, the one "standard" you have, the smaller tapered shaft for small such as VW bug rear drums, and a honkin huge shaft for heavy truck drums. I have the smaller ones for mine, no use for the truck ones. In my lifetime I've literally turned thousands of drums and rotors, at two different parts stores. The first store I worked had an old Van Norman drum lathe and a Quick way rotor late. Second store bought an Ammco shortly after I arrived. We built an a frame hoist to ease handling heavy truck drums.
Glad you brought that Brake Lathe back into extremely usable condition. Your attention to detail is really the nugget of interest with it. Kinda wish youhad taken the motor out and cleaned it up too, but not a visible part anyway. It works great and looks even greater!!! Keep it up Wes!!!
Have way to much time using that exact machine in my younger years. Nothing like forgetting to knock off the outside ridge, setting it to run and a few minutes later hearing the chatter howl from across the shop!
Great job, I have been looking for one also. for my retirement of just doing some repairs. of course you just need to make a few passes , first course, then a final fine at slow speed. as an old guy that grew up on these machines doing work it is great that you see the value in the older machines. Thanks
You had me when you mentioned the shaft wear. Solution: grind it clean, plate it, and finish grinding it. I have not done that in a very long time. It was a close tolerance hydraulic spool. Small enough in diameter and small enough in bearing where I could grind it in house. There used to be shops around where you could have had the shaft ground for a song. Have not worked with a plater in many years, so ease unknown. Great display of mechanical knowledge, patience, satisfying your toughest customer. Yourself!
That was a blast from the past...spent about 20 years turning drums/rotors on a machine like that!! Never thought I would see one again, everything being so throw-away nowadays. Always thought it a shame that a good machine like that would go to waste...nice job of fixing her up!!
this brings back memories. the first shop i worked in had one like this. with three bays, that song played all day long most days 'cause we didn't have the silencing band. it looked like this one started out. you've got this one all gussied up like a bride on her big day. i'll bet this is the happiest lathe in the county. good job!
I remember learning how to machine drums and rotors on that machine about 12yrs ago. Shortly after we went to a Pro-Cut on car lathe. Old dinosaur still came in handy for drums and when somebody else was using the pro-cut.
Awesome job Wes. Well done. Just can’t imagine why anyone would hit dislike on an informative How-To-restoration video. For Pete’s Sake. They need to pass on bye and it stop on your page. Loved the Krylon-in-A-Can rebuild comment. For a guy they dislikes painting I think you did quite well.
Thanks, enjoyed the resto. The brake lathe will come in handy and importantly reduce down time on repairs. Did you know there's a big, big market around those Bangladeshi ship wrecking yards that sell repossessed ship fittings. Furniture, glass, brass, pipes, H beams, bathroom fittings, etc you name it, they got it. Unbelievable!
Cool job looks great. Hope it works out as good as it looks for you. Thanks again for showing us how things are supposed to work after someone who takes the time to fix them up into working order.
I used that same model lathe many moons ago, probably early 80's if my memory serves me correctly. I see online that they are still available for sale even today for a mere $8400 and change. Great find. I used to take a flap disc on a hand held grinder and knock off the surface rust before turning on the lathe, seemed to make the cutters last a bit longer when they were only cutting steel. But you forgot the most important part of the video.... The outtro from Mrs Wes!!!! Get it right young man!!! lol.
Hi Wes, I’m very knowledgeable on your new tool. Back in the day (60,s through about 2000) I used the lathe almost every day. It was a workhorse of a machine and paid us back on our investment many times over. We spent 4 K for the lathe for the same reason you did. We couldn’t wait for our local parts and machine shop tying up a lift for days at a time. I’m sure you get years of service from it and I wish you the best. Fred Thomas in Skokie IL.
Nice work, I must be old because I did actually turn some rotors when I was an apprentice 20 years ago. Haven't turned any for probably 15 years now. Was always told to run emery cloth over each side of the rotor after the machine work, knocks the high spots down and prevents cast iron getting in the brake pads.
It's best to take the rotor after remove it from the machine and wash it with soap and water. That's how you get rid of that cutting dust that will embed into the pads
I have turned rotors on my 10" Atlas lathe. Obviously 10" or smaller. I held the wheel side in the chuck and indicated ID and the brake surface true . I first just dusted the mounting area to run true . Then turned the two braking surfaces to clean up. I have had very good luck with this method. Your brake lathe will do it much faster. You can turn both sides at once and you don't go to the trouble to dust the mounting area. Nice job rebuilding the lathe .
Very very nice. Reminds me of the one I got to run at a GULF gas service station I worked at about 40 years ago. Did a lot of tires and brakes when not on the full service island. I've been looking for one (sorta). It's what brought me here. Tnx for the vid.
I am a firm believer that brake lathes are not obsolete. I have been a auto technician for years and telling a customer with a 3 year old vehicle with warped rotors that they need to purchase $120 worth of new rotors isn't something I enjoy doing when they can be resurfaced for a fraction of that. So I'm glad you agree!
Love your restoration, I did much the same on an antique Black and Decker valve grinding machine that a Chev Dealership threw away, had all the attachments to include Tractor and 60 HP Ford stuff. Old. Was fun and worked like a champ, got years of use out of it.
Super restoration, Wes. That lathe looks better than new, and probably works better also. Hope the puppy gets out of jail healthy and happy as usual. Thanks for sharing.
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Loved watching the DuPont overhaul man! Looks great imo. I grew up on an Ammco Lathes. Brought back a lot of memories watching this haha. Second can I just come work with you? I think we'd get along just swell. Plus we could swap really cool sayings and fix stuff and throw some tools and things....
Two wrongs don't make a right!
@@WatchWesWork true, but it would make for some great videos 😂
That would be no good Eric O because there would only be one show to watch not the both of you.
Definitely should collaborate in some videos👍🏻
I suggest a crustoff....find and fix the most rusty crusty car out there and put it up for a poll on who had the crustiest vehicle.
Classic Wes -“got these these aerosol rebuild kits......”
thats a Craigslist engine rebuild kit right there
The krinkle can rebuild 👍
Love it! I'm gonna borrow this expression.
Restoration in a can. 👍
"Reman in a can"
I love seeing old, forgotten tools come back to life. Repair & reuse is more important than recycle!
A splendid job Wes. I enjoyed watching each step.
Brake lathes are great, when working on oddball classic cars they actually are a must. Nobody makes rear drums for a lot of the stuff I see any more! That was a nice restoration and will go on giving great service for years to come. Hate the throwaway society, and every little helps. Nice one Wes, interesting content as always 👍
Even if you buy new you should still turn them to make sure they are perfectly round. I've had new rotors and drums warped/out of round new out of the box before. In the automotive industry it is standard practice to turn even new but most shops don't due to time constraints plus with rotors a slight warp won't cause an issue such as shaking or a slight out of round drum won't cause a brake pedal pulsation.
Brother, the many different disciplines that you cover are what make your videos stand out. You dont burn out any one topic or repair. Definately a jack of all trades. Much appreciated!
I get bored easily!
Jack of all trades ? Nah, a real, traditionnal mechanic guy. A rarety now. I'm sure, when Wes was a kid, he put apart some stuff and put it back together - with maybe some left over parts !! Now, looking at something unusual to repair, he looks at it and figure out how it works and why it failed. Ilove and highly respect that kind of person.
The amount of knowledge you have at your young age is astounding. The electronics background on million dollar machinery and then to see you work on these rust bucket snow plows blows me away. You are a one of a kind incredible man of many talents and we appreciate watching you work on anything you tackle, thank you.
Really like your restorations, saving older equipment from the scrap heap.
I have watched this before but with time on my hands I remembered I had enjoyed it so I watched it again. I enjoyed it again because of your calm & understated approach, your broad range of skills and your willingness to accept the value in things made in the past and to do your best to bring them into the current day and provide good service again. It's a bit like the "17 years in the wild forklift" story. It's not about scrimping & saving it's about the human spirit and self belief necessary to think it through, plan & deliver in front of up to 200,000 people. After 70 years of watching people do things like this and having been involved in a few less impressive things myself I offer my congratulations on a job well done and encourage you to take on even bigger challenges in the future. Cheers, Brian
I have used that particular Brake Lathe for 25 years or so. Great machine they do really good finishing. And the setup is usually very good. You are missing some adapters but they are available. The the control is really simple and works well just try to make sure you're using Good Carbide Bits. All of best from Canada
Nice job Wes. Nice of Mrs. Wes to put on a goin' to town dress to celebrate the lathe revival. Hope Max will be better soon.
I will watch Wes work on anything
Wife looks very nice in the dress. Great job with the lathe, proud of you.
Yep, very nice and chic Lady. Lucky man !
Those machines are worth restoration and make an excellent addition to any garage or shop.
Congratulations, Wes. That's a keeper bro! I'm jealous. 😆
Wes, you have made my heart flutter. I spend 40 years servicing the different types of auto repair facilities and I've sold and serviced many of these machines. You did a great job of restoring a piece of equipment that will outlive you. We live in a world now that has no appreciation for what/how things used to be done. The simple act of oiling and greasing things to make them last longer is even a thing of the past. I have always said that it all started with the Bic pens. Throw away stuff. Why? Why not fix things and keep using them. Maybe the landfills wouldn't be overflowing with cheap crap.
I currently do the same work you did. I am jealous of the room and accessibility he had to work on this lathe. You know as well as I do that they are usually pushed against a wall and things stacked all around. And filthy! I’m sure you have plenty of stories with 40 years. I just finished year 8. We don’t do a ton of lathe servicing but I work on a handful a year. We mostly work on AC machines , lifts, tire machines and balancers.
Shop looks like a "Bangladesh ship breaking yard." 😂
OUTSTANDING comment Wes. I am still chuckling.
Still looks tidier than my shed. lol.
The shop looked like that from when he moved in. I am thinking when he going to get it sorted
Mine looks like it must have 6-7 ships in the process.
Not quite a "Bangladesh ship breaking yard" as you aren't wearing sandals, but close enough I guess.
Hey, take it easy on the custom paint job (hammering on that freeze plug).
Besides seeing Mrs. Wes in a dress, which was a real treat, I think you reviving "grandpa's" old work table and deploying it there in the shop was an awesome tribute to the "ole gent".
Great work on your part, and great video Wes, as always.
Thank you sir.
*Can't wait to see the cleanup o the tire machines.*
Hey I just bought an Ammco 4100 from an auction and this video will help me a lot to bring it back as it was when it came out. Thanks a lot !!
Great work restoring this abandoned tool! Not bad! Thanks for doing these Wes, love to watch.
Cool, I have one of these with the bench and was planning to restore it in the future. Used it at my dads shop when I was a kid. Thanks for the motivation!
Get to it!
Brilliant to see you using your Granddad old table. Good job on the refurbishment rotor lathe. Bless your hands.
Very cool, Wes. Your ability to tear into tired iron, particularly unfamiliar T.I., grasp the Insidious sneaky oddities and then explain them to us in concise, understandable terms is a rare gift. Thanks once again for allowing the Walter Mitte types in your crowd to slay another rusty dragon! You ARE the Man!
I've been rewatching a lot of your videos. This is one of my favorites. Not only did you save a worktable, but a machine that I think will prove to be more useful than most people think. Especially with the supply chain times and increase in parts prices.
Fantastic restoration Wes.
Bringing a bit of history back to life. Great recycling
The music you ok picked for the finished project footage was perfect. Dads looked alot more like where you started, it may be old, it may polishing brightwork on the titanic, i liked it...alot. thanks for the effort and for showing it
Awesome restoration Wes! Love seeing old precision machinery restored and used again!
Same machine we used at Goodyear for nearly 10 years. It got a workout, with 5 Tech's going at it in a busy shop. Love that machine.
One of the best episodes ever. You had it all-Great restoration, wife in fashion show(winner!) and so damn much dog I was so impressed. Great episode, hope the dog is Ok and I give this episode rotor turning thumbs, with a side of wife and dog!!!!!Thanks for the video!
I'm considering buying 2 old Ammco lathes that look a bit worse than yours looked when you started. It was very helpful for me to see the disassembly. The dress was fine but the smile was even better.
Amazing resto, well done Wes, looks great and I'm sure will come in very handy, I lost count how many rotors I could have saved with one of these :)
Nice job rebuilding the Armco brake lathe.
They are not obsolete by any means. Just very useful.
48 minutes of my Saturday afternoon well spent.
The redo of the old machine is amazing. Great job
Didn't think anyone used these much anymore, but having one on hand is a money saver... I enjoyed the restoration video. Thanks!
Superb video! I just scored my own Ammco 4000 and I was looking for a video to show me basically how to tear it apart. Thank you!
"Grrrrr!" 😂. Need a small shop vac on the back of the table to collect all that rust dust. 😉
Great addition to your shop. Thanks for taking us along.
“aerosol rebuild kits” love it.
I HAVE the exact model in my shop. I bought 6 of them from TIRE AMERICA In the early 80's. i sold 5 of them an had enough money left to buy a pickup truck load of brake pads. my machine had two of every cone. My machine was brand new at the time. looked like it was used maybe ten times. i've never done any thing to it in 40 years. and now it looks like yours when you got it I dont have the circuit breaker with the on off switch. i still use mine at least once a week. its time to rebuild mine. but its been a good machine THANKS ZEMANTIRE TOWN
Great content Wes, nice machine. Can I be the first to say mrs Wes looks good in her new workshop overall 😂
Hi Wes, I'm not sure if your grandpa is still with us, but I love that his old cart is representin' !! Nice job!
Thought I wasnt gonna see a video today. Would've been a crap Saturday
I just picked one of these up for myself secondhand from a local shop and after a bit of TLC it's a real joy to use. The scales are easy to read, the cutters consistently retreat when you back off the screws and the motor has enough torque for 1 ton rotors without stalling. I've used different brand lathes at work and these ammco tanks make the others look like something you would get on clearance at princess auto or harbour freight.
Nice to watch the care of a machine well restored and put back into service. The paint looks fine. It really gave it a marked improvement and shouldn't be stowed outa site..
Nicely done, I would love to see how you lathe a drum though. I never saw that and when you should do it.
I always changed the drums what is expensive and hell.
We'll do one at some point.
The original brake rotors on most vehicles are better quality and are worth resurfacing. The aftermarket rotors are cheap but poor quality. Thanks Wes for a great video and all the tips and help you give us back yard mechanics. I am Running 2 Fords and 1 Mopar all with no payments and clean inspection stickers !!!
Best thing about a RonCo brake lathe: you can... **points to audience, audience yells** "Set it and forget it!"
Wes you are amazingly smart. A problem solver, mechanic, machinist, millwright, electrician, etc.
Well Wes you're obviously a man of many talents, ... first saw you a couple of years back in the boonies crawling over old forgotten machines trying to bring them back to life, moving house, all kinds of autoshop work, refurbishing forklifts, lawnmowers and now a rotor lace refurbishment of which, by-the-way you can be rightfully proud and again it made for a very nice video and a nice long one it was! ... It was a pleasure to watch you work Wes, thanks!. 🛠
What a great Channel this is only found You with this stupid lockdown in UK, I haven't normally got time to watch UA-cam, but I found Your channel due to Me fixing a fuel problem on a Forklift, I Fixed it with Your help 👍and now Am Hooked, I think I will shut My business down and just watch UA-cam all day, You cant make money with business anymore in this Day and crazy age. On serious note though Thanks for Your great info, I bet a lot people feel the same, so thanks again Wes😀
I ran what looked like the same machine at a service garage in the late seventies . Every brake job, we did the drums and rotors on the lathe because new rotors were very expensive then worked great as long as you kept them above minimum thickness . The only folks that bought new rotors were the ones that were ground down to nothing because “...the brakes have been grinding for a month or so”. That AAMCO lathe looked old when I started using it
I have one of these, actually bought a "drum only" one for parts and got some more adapters. There are 3 shafts for these, the one "standard" you have, the smaller tapered shaft for small such as VW bug rear drums, and a honkin huge shaft for heavy truck drums. I have the smaller ones for mine, no use for the truck ones. In my lifetime I've literally turned thousands of drums and rotors, at two different parts stores. The first store I worked had an old Van Norman drum lathe and a Quick way rotor late. Second store bought an Ammco shortly after I arrived. We built an a frame hoist to ease handling heavy truck drums.
Glad you brought that Brake Lathe back into extremely usable condition. Your attention to detail is really the nugget of interest with it. Kinda wish youhad taken the motor out and cleaned it up too, but not a visible part anyway. It works great and looks even greater!!! Keep it up Wes!!!
Have way to much time using that exact machine in my younger years. Nothing like forgetting to knock off the outside ridge, setting it to run and a few minutes later hearing the chatter howl from across the shop!
Can't believe it's taken me this long of seeing the vid in my recommended list to actually sit and watch the thing!
Noooo! Must have captions, how else can I watch in the middle of the night, while my wife snores like a steam train? 😁
headphones
Earbuds .
Your own bedroom
A shed . Vast ways of making this happen. ✔👍 good luck
I could turn the speakers to full and my wife wouldn't even flinch.
@@WatchWesWork 🤭😁
Great job, I have been looking for one also. for my retirement of just doing some repairs. of course you just need to make a few passes , first course, then a final fine at slow speed. as an old guy that grew up on these machines doing work it is great that you see the value in the older machines. Thanks
Wes,i really enjoy hearing you interact with your dad.its very enjoyable
You had me when you mentioned the shaft wear. Solution: grind it clean, plate it, and finish grinding it. I have not done that in a very long time. It was a close tolerance hydraulic spool. Small enough in diameter and small enough in bearing where I could grind it in house. There used to be shops around where you could have had the shaft ground for a song. Have not worked with a plater in many years, so ease unknown. Great display of mechanical knowledge, patience, satisfying your toughest customer. Yourself!
one machinist and mechanic to another. good job of rebuilding. truly enjoy your family and dog. keep up the good work. Mike Brewer
That was a blast from the past...spent about 20 years turning drums/rotors on a machine like that!! Never thought I would see one again, everything being so throw-away nowadays. Always thought it a shame that a good machine like that would go to waste...nice job of fixing her up!!
NICE Job!!! This takes me back to the 90's when I was a GM Tech... I turned my fair share of rotors and drums on one just like that...
this brings back memories. the first shop i worked in had one like this. with three bays, that song played all day long most days 'cause we didn't have the silencing band. it looked like this one started out. you've got this one all gussied up like a bride on her big day. i'll bet this is the happiest lathe in the county. good job!
Thanks Wes for taking the time to share this one with us I enjoyed this one.
Play Safe From Elliot Lake Ontario Canada.
That thing is beautiful now. A very useful machine brought back to life.
I can see that you appreciate a working model with eye-appeal, the brake lathe's not bad dressed up as well! Nice job.
I would watch you rebuild a cardboard box, you're that good and the dry humor and your "assistant" adds much needed humor thank to all of you.
There's something so nice about seeing people use proper tools to do the job right. I love you
Always nice to see equipment being put back in service if you treat your tools right they will last you a lifetime
I remember learning how to machine drums and rotors on that machine about 12yrs ago. Shortly after we went to a Pro-Cut on car lathe. Old dinosaur still came in handy for drums and when somebody else was using the pro-cut.
Nice to bring old equipment back into use.
Awesome job Wes. Well done. Just can’t imagine why anyone would hit dislike on an informative How-To-restoration video. For Pete’s Sake. They need to pass on bye and it stop on your page. Loved the Krylon-in-A-Can rebuild comment. For a guy they dislikes painting I think you did quite well.
Very interesting. I knew about these machines, but had no idea how they actually worked in operation. Thanks.
Thanks, enjoyed the resto. The brake lathe will come in handy and importantly reduce down time on repairs.
Did you know there's a big, big market around those Bangladeshi ship wrecking yards that sell repossessed ship fittings. Furniture, glass, brass, pipes, H beams, bathroom fittings, etc you name it, they got it. Unbelievable!
I can only imagine. I've seen some videos and it's crazy how they break down those huge ships.
Cool job looks great. Hope it works out as good as it looks for you. Thanks again for showing us how things are supposed to work after someone who takes the time to fix them up into working order.
I used that same model lathe many moons ago, probably early 80's if my memory serves me correctly. I see online that they are still available for sale even today for a mere $8400 and change. Great find. I used to take a flap disc on a hand held grinder and knock off the surface rust before turning on the lathe, seemed to make the cutters last a bit longer when they were only cutting steel. But you forgot the most important part of the video.... The outtro from Mrs Wes!!!! Get it right young man!!! lol.
Yeah I was thinking about tossing them in the blast cabinet.
Hi Wes, I’m very knowledgeable on your new tool. Back in the day (60,s through about 2000) I used the lathe almost every day. It was a workhorse of a machine and paid us back on our investment many times over. We spent 4 K for the lathe for the same reason you did. We couldn’t wait for our local parts and machine shop tying up a lift for days at a time. I’m sure you get years of service from it and I wish you the best.
Fred Thomas in Skokie IL.
Nice work, I must be old because I did actually turn some rotors when I was an apprentice 20 years ago. Haven't turned any for probably 15 years now.
Was always told to run emery cloth over each side of the rotor after the machine work, knocks the high spots down and prevents cast iron getting in the brake pads.
It's best to take the rotor after remove it from the machine and wash it with soap and water. That's how you get rid of that cutting dust that will embed into the pads
I have turned rotors on my 10" Atlas lathe. Obviously 10" or smaller.
I held the wheel side in the chuck and indicated ID and the brake surface true . I first just dusted the mounting area to run true . Then turned the two braking surfaces to clean up. I have had very good luck with this method.
Your brake lathe will do it much faster. You can turn both sides at once and you don't go to the trouble to dust the mounting area.
Nice job rebuilding the lathe .
I like the old school stuff. This sounds like something I would do. I enjoy watching your videos.
That is a really nice restoration, I'm really enjoying watching your channel, Wes.
One of your better videos. I was sorry to see it come to an end.
Very very nice. Reminds me of the one I got to run at a GULF gas service station I worked at about 40 years ago. Did a lot of tires and brakes when not on the full service island. I've been looking for one (sorta). It's what brought me here. Tnx for the vid.
Seeing that lathe brings back memories.
Just watched this again, loved running these.
Hell of a job, looks almost brand new. Nicely done
Wes thanks for the videos! You always seem to pick subjects that spark my interests.
That's the hope!
Great job, Wes. I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. And I'm 67!
That's great!
This was a real treat for me, I'm a watchmaker/repair person. I love fixing machines of all types
I am a firm believer that brake lathes are not obsolete. I have been a auto technician for years and telling a customer with a 3 year old vehicle with warped rotors that they need to purchase $120 worth of new rotors isn't something I enjoy doing when they can be resurfaced for a fraction of that. So I'm glad you agree!
Love your restoration, I did much the same on an antique Black and Decker valve grinding machine that a Chev Dealership threw away, had all the attachments to include Tractor and 60 HP Ford stuff. Old. Was fun and worked like a champ, got years of use out of it.
Nice restoration Wes and a great job restoring the metal bench too.
I never knew who made the machine not how it worked. Tt Hanks for the video, very enlightening.
I ask for more machining videos - AND YOU DELIVER - in an unexpected, vehicle-related way. AWESOME!
Super restoration, Wes. That lathe looks better than new, and probably works better also.
Hope the puppy gets out of jail healthy and happy as usual.
Thanks for sharing.
I am learning a lot, especially about adhesives and I like your pointers.
I really enjoy watching u take apart & put stuff back together & have it work. I love watching u r videos. Please keep them coming
Nice job on "Making it Look Pretty". You have a great dog. We used to have a GSP. A wonderful dog, miss her very much.
Fantastic job of restoration Wes, a job worth doing. I admire your old school values. 👍
I don't own a shop and it made me want one of these! Lol - Great job Wes! Eric O even like it! He has paid you a compliment here and there! Thanks!