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Discussion starter · #82 ·
Forgive me, as I've not installed a snorkle but I've used plenty of hole saws...



Your hole saw has a pilot drill in the center of it and it sticks out further than the teeth on the hole saw, yes?



If you're drilling the pilot hole with a different drill before you use the hole saw you'd either drill the same size hole as the pilot drill on your hole saw or smaller. The pilot drill is what keeps the hole saw from walking across the sheet metal before the hole saw starts to make a deep enough groove to keep itself in it's own hole.


Sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar. I started drilling and noticed her dancing and stopped, thought about it and put that together. Just couldn’t find any literature on that. Bought everything i thought I’d need, did the numbers and measurements three times over .. didnt take into account the size of the pilot drill. I stopped before doing any real damage and whatever was done is either going to be cut out, painted or covered anyways. Thanks for taking the time .. currently in an Uber on my way to Home Depot only now I’m feeling comforted that I’m not wasting my time, money due to unfounded paranoia.

I hope i can get back in time to drill out that last hole before it’s to late to not piss off the neighbors
 
Discussion starter · #83 ·
Forgive me, as I've not installed a snorkle but I've used plenty of hole saws...



Your hole saw has a pilot drill in the center of it and it sticks out further than the teeth on the hole saw, yes?



If you're drilling the pilot hole with a different drill before you use the hole saw you'd either drill the same size hole as the pilot drill on your hole saw or smaller. The pilot drill is what keeps the hole saw from walking across the sheet metal before the hole saw starts to make a deep enough groove to keep itself in it's own hole.


That's correct. If 5/16ths fits the pilot just use that.


It doesn’t because, after reading steps 3.9 and 3.10 back to back, i drilled all holes out to 3,16, 5/16, 3/8.

My pilot hole is now 3/8.

and then 3/8 size when missing the


Then i learn that pilot bits are all one size. Joy.

Also, step 3.11 drill big hole to 3 1/4 then step 3.12 drill it to 3 1/8 .. wha?
 
Ok, if you haven't sawed the big hole yet all isn't lost.

Since the pilot hole is already drilled the hole saw pilot doesn't have to be a drill, you can use a solid piece of metal as the pilot. Let's say the hole saw has a 1/4" pilot drill. You could slide a piece of 3/8" OD 1/4" ID tubing over the drill and now the tubing guides the hole saw. If you can't piece together a way to go from whatever size the hole saw has for the pilot to 3/8" a machine shop could make you one in literally about 5 minutes. Hell, I'll make you one for free if you want to wait for it to ship.
 
Discussion starter · #86 ·
Ok, if you haven't sawed the big hole yet all isn't lost.

Since the pilot hole is already drilled the hole saw pilot doesn't have to be a drill, you can use a solid piece of metal as the pilot. Let's say the hole saw has a 1/4" pilot drill. You could slide a piece of 3/8" OD 1/4" ID tubing over the drill and now the tubing guides the hole saw. If you can't piece together a way to go from whatever size the hole saw has for the pilot to 3/8" a machine shop could make you one in literally about 5 minutes. Hell, I'll make you one for free if you want to wait for it to ship.


I wish i could wait but I’m moving soon and need to get this last project done asap.

So you’re saying just find a od pipe of 3/8 with an inner diameter that would snug up against my pilot bit, and just slip it over the pilot, inside the hole saw, and press firmly into my 3/8 drilled hole?

I seriously can’t thank you enough for taking your time with me on this

Note: the chuck on my pilot bit is 1/4” (duh.) the actual bit is something like 13/64 ie even smaller
 
I wish i could wait but I’m moving soon and need to get this last project done asap.

So you’re saying just find a od pipe of 3/8 with an inner diameter that would snug up against my pilot bit, and just slip it over the pilot, inside the hole saw, and press firmly into my 3/8 drilled hole?

I seriously can’t thank you enough for taking your time with me on this

Note: the chuck on my pilot bit is 1/4” (duh.) the actual bit is something like 13/64 ie even smaller
Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying. The pilot is just a guide for the hole saw so it can't move from where you want the hole. Anything metal that fits in your hole saw on one end and in the 3/8" hole in the other end will work, as long as the two diameters run fairly true to each other when it rotates.
 
You could also potentially figure out a way of making the pilot hole in your fender smaller. If you had a piece of scrap sheet metal you could rivet it to the part of the fender that's going to get cut out by the hole saw, then drill the right size pilot hole into the scrap to guide your hole saw.
 
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HAHA yeah those instructions blow ass! They mix up part numbers for the clamps in there as well. Glad I'm not the only one, I feel slightly less dumb.


You could also potentially figure out a way of making the pilot hole in your fender smaller. If you had a piece of scrap sheet metal you could rivet it to the part of the fender that's going to get cut out by the hole saw, then drill the right size pilot hole into the scrap to guide your hole saw.
This IMO is the easiest thing to do. You saw my thread about it. I had no walking/moving around with this solution: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/11-pow...all-help-did-i-****-myself-5.html#post3485161

 
Glad to know I'm not the only one who low-key f-ed up, i accidentally drilled the pilot hole with the 3/8's so i ended up drilling 100 actual pilot sized hole around tracing of the hole saw and then used an angle grinder to know the piece out and clean it up
 
Discussion starter · #91 ·
Glad to know I'm not the only one who low-key f-ed up, i accidentally drilled the pilot hole with the 3/8's so i ended up drilling 100 actual pilot sized hole around tracing of the hole saw and then used an angle grinder to know the piece out and clean it up

Nope. So far as i can tell, there’s only been three of us that have had the bawlz to speak up. But given how many shade tree mechanics operating off **** instructions from Airflow AND from 4x4 parts, i HIGHLY doubt we’re the only the ones.

Glad it worked out for you though. Sounds like a hell of a work around in your end! Well done

HAHA yeah those instructions blow ass! They mix up part numbers for the clamps in there as well. Glad I'm not the only one, I feel slightly less dumb.

Hahah nah man. This is a nerve racking task for those of us who were uninitiated. And we still did it

Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying. The pilot is just a guide for the hole saw so it can't move from where you want the hole. Anything metal that fits in your hole saw on one end and in the 3/8" hole in the other end will work, as long as the two diameters run fairly true to each other when it rotates.

So i wound up finding (at the fourth store i went to) a quick release 3/8 bit that fit into my arbor.

Took it slow and ..

Automotive exterior Windshield Vehicle Car Glass


Used some touch up paint on all the holes, inside and out. Sealed it up with some quick setting Right Stuff gasket maker. Installed the bracket without the plastic pieces by just running the Right Stuff in the threads after center punching the holes (again, the nerves were a racking here!). Sealed the top of the firmly secured screws with a clean dab of more Right Stuff. Sealed all the joints to the airbox with it too. Rubber washer on the singular bolt to the snorkel on the A pillar as well as some weather stripping underneath it.

Great success - borat, 08

Now, that Volant with snorkel adapter fixed to it like in the how to .. what a puzzle ****** to get that in.

Thank you all for your help and following up with more info and solutions! You all are keeping this site great

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Parking
Automotive exterior Auto part Automotive mirror Rear-view mirror Vehicle



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Discussion starter · #93 ·
Been a while, spent some time in some places, did some things there .. and now I’m happily back in California. In Los Gatos.

Picked this sexy little thing in November to help the miles stacking up on my truck and the mpg for my new commute

.. and so starts a new addiction

 
Discussion starter · #96 · (Edited)
Move back to Cali in October

Gotta say, 3 years and 40k miles and this truck still impresses me. Anything i point her at, she makes it to. She’s so fun to drive. And thanks to this forum, there’s no issue I’ve encountered i haven’t been able to identify and resolve

Here’s to all the other adventures to come

 
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