Craftsman GT3000 "MUTT" Part I

Think id need a bigger engine pulley to use it for a starter gen(mounted on top)

Hmmm, that doesn't look too bad. Probably more expensive than the alternator though.

Work continues on the steering shaft. Fixed my surface finish issue, moved the shaft further in the chuck and flipped around the insert. Wish I had more time in class.

Yeah not much time in a class to get in some real machine time. Both of the machine shops where I worked we did 10 hour days, and we were always running a machine or two.

Yeah we need like 2 hour classes lol. I was gonna have machine tool for both electives next year, but I'm going for a machine tool class and band lol.

I have 1 hour blocks every day and on fridays I get a 1 and a half hour block in the metalwork room, pretty nice to just be able to bring things that need to be machined to school.

Yeah, it's sweet.

Took her for a little ride today after school. Trans noise has gotten a lot worse. Think I'll put her away til i can do a sort of rebuild.







Oh, and the brakes need a new return spring, I may or may not have wrapped a tree around my wheel and it kinda knocked the loose one that's on there off. Luckily I found it lol. They could use adjusted too.

Cool. I'm trying to find the problem with my spicer but I can't see anything so far.

She looks pretty awesome, haha. Sucks about the trans noise, kinda sounds like maybe a pinion shaft bearing to me. If you take the belt off is there any play in the trans pulley?

Oh yeah. You can feel the pinion gear isn't meshed perfectly when you turn it too. Unfortunately I noticed that after I put the thing together.

Ah, well that sucks. At least you know that's probably what the noise is.

From the beginning to now, out of a stock craftsman lawn tractor originated an really nice Offroad Mud Mower that can handle abusing really good. Like it!

Almost done with the machine work for the new steering shaft, cut a thread on the end to have instead of a stupid snapring. Pretty good for my first threading job.


All I really have left to do is drilling a 1/8" hole for the roll pin that holds the pinion gear on.

Lools pro man nice work!

Lookin good Rich. Did you cut the threads with a bit or use a die?

Super good!

Thanks everybody.

TheBeal wrote:

Lookin good Rich. Did you cut the threads with a bit or use a die?

With a 60* threading tool lol.

WOW that looks factory!

MightyRaze wrote:

WOW that looks factory!

Did you just cut till the nut threaded on? Or did you math it all out and measure the threads using the wires?

Looks sorta meh. Surface finish across the whole thing is sorta trashy.

I cut down to around .081", which is that the depth for 16TPI is supposed to be, then I kept taking little cuts til i had about a class 1 fit.

You running carbide tips right?

Yeah, I did this all with carbide.

MightyRaze wrote:

WOW that looks factory!

I'd have to agree on that for sure. Nice work Rich!

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Yeah, I did this all with carbide.

What? You didnt have to grind a HSS bit to do it? Cheater.

Actually I had to screw around with an insert and regrind the threading tool lol, HSS isn't hardly even used out in the real world anymore!