GI/FS: Homebrew vacuum blocks

[yudkib]

so i decided im going to machine myself a vacuum block since prices for vacuum blocks from vibrant or even ebay are laughable at best and criminal at worst.

it is 1" OD aluminum barstock, sandblasted with ports on both ends of the rod and four additional ports along the side, all threaded 1/8 NPT. if you need more than four PM me since there is a small additional charge for the extra fitting and stock costs.

fittings and/or plugs are not inclued, but i am organizing a sort of group buy... see below. anything with a 1/8" barb is tough to find, and getting 6 fittings for below the price in the GB will be tough.

JUST THE BLOCK: will be $15 shipped in the US
BLOCK AND FITTINGS: will be $25 shipped in the US. as mentioned, a $10 deposit is required to cover the cost of fittings.
JUST FITTINGS: $13 shipped for seven instead of six.

my paypal is byudkin@comcast.net.

1.) Me (deposit pending)
2.) speedracer shipped
3.) o0n8 shipped
4.) racerx43269 shipped
5.) KzA shipped
6.) satyr36 shipped
7.) sport23 shipped
8.) mp3-79bronco
9.) Brian K shipped
10.) js_protege_03dx shipped
11.) SleepyMSP shipped
12.) littlemimus shipped
14.) MS3GT shipped
15.) ghaze24 shipped
16.) MP3Night shipped
17.) KJ-B PAID shipped
18.) mightyray shipped
19.) just_b shipped
20.) protegerider shipped
21.) destineal shipped
22.) WillP shipped
23.) dandan2 shipped
24.) BadBandar shipped
25.) 95blkprobe shipped
26.) boostfreak shipped
27.) AusOrion shipped
28.) SCMP3 shipped
29.) Speed3.5 shipped
30.) lauxrox shipped
31.) richs970 shipped
32.) b_dues shipped
33.) protege 321 shipped
34.) SpeedAddiction20 shipped
35.) destineal shipped
36.) wmoesser shipped
37) thepope540 shipped
38.) Tzar1777 shipped
39.) MSP_4_CODY shipped
40.) xJAZx shipped

prototype pic!

 

[Wagonbacker9]

holy cheap batman.

 

[yudkib]

do you know why its cheap? because it should be cheap. its a chunk of aluminum with 5 holes drilled in it and tapped. whats expensive about that?

 

[speedracer]

I'd be interested depending on the looks of the final product and price.
I'm looking for something better looking than the "DIY" hardware store
pieces.

* edit - I just saw you put up the price.
count me in

 

[yudkib]

for 15 bucks im not going to sand these down, ill consider sandblasting it before i tap it out to give it some texture.

also, keep in mind its round stock, so itll be a little different than what everyone else has.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

honestly I'd prefer round stock. Also, just FYI I picked up 5 nylon fittings from the hardware store, and teflon tape for like 12 bucks.

and I agree, but I think you could raise the price a bit for your trouble and shipping.

 

[o0n8]

In!

 

[yudkib]

if tapping these takes substantially longer than my other projects ill consider it, but i dont expect it to. its possible since it is a tapered thread (if i do end up going with 1/8NPT).

all i can comment on is what i expect in terms of man hours, shipping, and material costs. if something suddenly changes the price would be reflected accordingly.

 

[speedracer]

when would they be ready to ship?

 

[yudkib]

"when theyre done." i need one too so its motivation, but im notoriously overambitious when i set deadlines. should be by the end of next week. hell, if i get my homework done i might do a sample today.

no R&D and im pretty sure they have the tap on hand, so that takes up 99% of delays.

 

[racerx43269]

im im... i need one for my setup... had vac issues from hell with 626 mani and cruse control set up... bov wouldnt work... now bov works... but no cruse control...

 

[speedracer]

"when theyre done." i need one too so its motivation, but I'm notoriously overambitious when i set deadlines. should be by the end of next week. hell, if i get my homework done i might do a sample today.

no R&D and I'm pretty sure they have the tap on hand, so that takes up 99% of delays.

Thats cool, Just seeing if I'd have it in time to reroute everything before Mazdafest.

 

[yudkib]

if i cant get before mazdafest it's because i hit a major snag which would cause it to be more of a hassle then it's worth. again, no promises but i don't anticipate that at all.

 

[KzA]

I'm in... Sounds good to me

 

[azuelke]

holy cheap batman.

Free is always better (wink)

 

[Wagonbacker9]

Free is always better (wink)

yes, it was. thanks again! LOL

 

[yudkib]

we cant all get free vacuum blocks.

im in the lab, we do have the correct tap and drill (despite their somewhat odd sizes), im getting to work on the prototype now-ish

 

[yudkib]

i lied, i forgot friday is the one day a week they close at 3 instead of 5. damn it.

oh well - monday i guess.

 

[satyr36]

im in for one.

 

[yudkib]

guys -
im looking around at fittings, i dont think youre gonna get much in the way of 1/8" barb at most of your resident hardware stores. lowes and home depot both stock 1/4" barb as the minimum size according to their website, and while both suck next to true value or ACE, neither of those have information on their fittings on their websites. autozone does not appear to stock anything in 1/8 barb nor does advance.

i remember people running into this issue with vibrant blocks - getting a barb adapter for a 1/8" ID hose is a kinda weird size. i dont know where everyone else ended up getting them, but right now im thinking the best option here would be to have me supply them.

if everyone is on board, i think i can get all the fittings for an additional 10 bucks per head. it would be four 1/8 MPT x 1/8" barb, and two 1/8 MPT x 3/8" for the brake boost line. i would double check all the dimensions before ordering, but let me know what you think. at the end of the day, thats a full vacuum block setup for 25 shipped... talk about a bargain.

oh - and anyone with a vibrant block, where did you get YOUR fittings?