Time for a few miscellaneous updates.
Homemade lathe liquid coolant system
I was always dreading having to machine steel. I had to do it slowly to keep the temperature down and avoid chatter, even though I use carbide cutter inserts. Then I read somewhere that home hobbyists tend to be afraid to run the lathe & milling machine at high enough RPM to keep the cutting inserts happy, but if they do it will cause the insert to overheat and be cooked in two seconds. I figured I can find the cojones to run my equipment at maximum speed as well as the next guy…
So one day I was browsing at my new favorite store, Hardware House in Rayong, and I saw a gallon container of cutting coolant fluid for sale. I’d had no idea of how to find this stuff in Thailand, or even how to ask for it, so it was pure luck to stumble over it. Or you could call it diligence in going up and down every aisle in Hardware House looking for things I might need. They also had flexible fluid squirters and 12-volt water pumps, so I put together my own fluid cooling system, pictured above. I drive the pump with an automotive battery charger which allows me to reduce the voltage and amperage to get the correct flow, and it works like a charm! Now I can cut steel like I used to cut aluminum.
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- I found a local place that builds custom radiators for less than I paid for a used one on Ebay in the US.
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- Custom-built radiator, rear view
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- Positioning the front upper A-arm mounts
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- Positioning the rear upper A-arm mounts with jig
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- Pressing the suspension rocker arm bearings into place with my homemade press
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- Finished suspension rocker arm
Front shocks, shock mount, and rocker arms test fitted
LudemannEngineering 
Could you tell me what the custom-made radiator cost and what it would have cost to buy on eBay? I’m looking to replace the two radiators on my Van Diemen with lighter aluminum ones and if there’s a way to spend less…
If you’d prefer to follow up via email, that’s fine.
Sure, I paid about $225 (plus shipping) for the used racing radiator on Ebay, and about $150 for the custom-made one in Thailand. And the custom one is much lighter.
Where did you get the parts for the lathing cooling system. Thank you
I used an off-the-shelf auto battery charger with adjustable voltage and current, driving an off-the-shelf 12V water pump connected to standard 1/2″ PVC pipe components. Adjustable current is nice because you want to turn the coolant flow way down. I also used a PVC rotary shut-off valve to control the flow. The only difficult item is the flexible squirter, which I found at Hardware House here in Thailand. You can order these from Ebay.com like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flexible-3-4-20mm-600mm-Water-Oil-Coolant-Cooling-Pipe-Hose-Lathe-Switch-Nozzle-/401045484585?hash=item5d602c7429:g:nMYAAOSwo3pWehEx
Ebay is your friend. Just search Ebay.com for “lathe cooling”.