85 GMC Van 8/9/17 Fixed for Fotki

[Foxer]

Think of it as extra-realistic graining on the vinyl padding.

Mike, I'm really impressed. I can see one color appears to be Krylon Global Blue. Do you know off-hand what the other blue you're using is?

Charlie Larkin

I like that ... Rhino grain vinyl!

You're right on the Krylon Global Blue. That was the first color I tried and was not bad, but the 2nd color that caused the crazing and is visible in the cracking photo is Dupli-Color Light Blue metallic. To tell the truth, I really don't know what type of paint either is ... they don't put that on the cans anymore. I assume the Dupli-Color is a lacquer, bu the Krylon I don't know. It'd be interesting to know if anyone can shed some light on this.

Update: I did find that the Dupli-color is acrylic lacquer, but Krylon does not say what type of paint the Indoor/Outdoor is.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Foxer

[jeffs396]

Minor setback Mike...you'll get it!

great fab work you're doing! Can't wait to see how the 8 lug rims turn out...we really need a good resin set in the aftermarket!

[Foxer]

Minor setback Mike...you'll get it!

great fab work you're doing! Can't wait to see how the 8 lug rims turn out...we really need a good resin set in the aftermarket!

Thanks, Jeff. It IS going foward.

Ryan Silva posted a 8 lug wheel he's working on for his resin casting in this thread. If I need a wheel before he gets his to production, I'll make one but won't be casting them. If it comes out well, I will offer Ryan it's use as a master for a little variation.

[Tumbler75]

Ouch! Why is it these vans always give us a fit? LoL Sorry to hear 'bout your paint and glue issue. You'll get it right. Keep the faith.

[MoparWoman Jamie]

If your having issues with the door hinges and the aluminum tubing with the epoxy glue, try some fiberglass resin. . That's what I using on my pro charger unit on my build.. to keep the tub from braking free. I tried super glue.. no luck, tried epoxy glue and yet still no luck.. I broke out the fiberglass resin then and had luck.

Edited November 18, 2010 by m0parman

[Foxer]

I'm not sure fiberglass resin would work on such a small piece, but I'd getting close to trying! I got some Sheet Gap superglue thinking it would give me time to adjust the part. Also got some JB Weld epoxy thinking the softness of the 5 minute epoxy is doing this. So far neither worked but I need to do again with a bit more care. I'm thinking I'd probably have to buy a gallon of fiberglass resin just for an eight of a dab of it.

 

Here's a photo close up of the piece .. this one is still holding. The .04 plastic tab is rounded with a round file to fit and the 1/16 diameter tube has been filed to roughen.

The header is a scrap I tried some Sophisticated Finishes on to see how it will work for the exhaust .. I think this will work.

And, since this IS an update, the dash and interior panels have been stripped and repainted. Also, many of the chassis and engine parts have been cleaned up and painted.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Foxer

[Nick Winter]

All I can say is, you had me at GMC

[MoparWoman Jamie]

The pro charger unit I built for my project, I used fiberglass on it and that is a small unit I might add. Get a tooth pick and dip it in the resin after you mix it and easy work your way from there. I know the fiberglass resin will work. One thing about me, I don't think... I do.

Fiberglass sticks well to surfaces very well, it's almost hard to get the stuff release it's grip from things unless you use some force. For me the stuff has always stuck and had a good grip on things for when I tried to remove in the past from things as I always had to resort to a putty knife or a screw driver to get the stuff to release it's dang grip. So now days I also use it as a form of glue as well for on metal stuff if my super glue and epoxy glue doesn't hold.

[Foxer]

This is just to keep this all alive ... and to insure I'm STILL working it!

The hinge problem isn't solved yet, we'll see when I venture down to see the last gluing. If this doesn't work, I'm off to get some fiberglass resin as m0parman suggests.

For now, here's a shot of the door and body with the hinge mounts ready to accept. The taper gives the hinges flat and aligned surfaces to mount to. These I'm happy with though they will be more noticeable than the tapered plates mounting the hinges on the 1:1 van. Doing it exactly as the 1:1 just wouldn't give enough gluing surface and I'm having enough trouble in that department!

Edited August 8, 2017 by Foxer

[Foxer]

The day before Turkey Day and I have a few updates! Maybe I can now take time to devour a bird and stuffing tomorrow!

The hinges ARE progressing, but are still in the fab shop. Glue IS holding and one side is sitting on the brass rod waiting to be measured for any shims needed.

Meanwhile, the exhaust system has been running in the environmental chamber which is set for New England Winter 5.

The engine has also been "oiled" while testing the exhaust. It needs much more time in the chamber and everything is still wet.

The seat jumped in after the first Bondo coating and shaping.

The interior panels and dash are back from the second trip to the upholsterers and are looking good this time! They have one coat of semi-gloss clear and maybe will get another mist coat. The sheen is about right now I think.

[Nick Winter]

That engine looks great Mike but what about dry brushing a bit of rust over it, like just a touch.

[Foxer]

That engine looks great Mike but what about dry brushing a bit of rust over it, like just a touch.

 

 

hehe .. it will be more than a touch, you're defiantly right about that. I'll probably add some of the Sophisticated Finishes rust I used on the exhaust system ... just selected spots. There's much more weathering to do engine wise. I was surprised the india ink wash came out so glossy, but this engine was an oily mess, so looks good actually. I probably give it a shot of at least semi-gloss to tone down

 

This whole thing will be a slow weathering process. I do weathering at the speed Mother Nature does it ... the Sophisticated Finishes rust scared me cause it happened so fast! I am considering using the salt method on the underside of the floor. The frame and suspension is already painted various blacks so it will get the dry brush rustification.

(I've been unable to add the photos to the last post as it says it's been too long, so here they are)

Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer

[charlie8575]

The day before Turkey Day and I have a few updates! Maybe I can now take time to devour a bird and stuffing tomorrow!

The hinges ARE progressing, but are still in the fab shop. Glue IS holding and one side is sitting on the brass rod waiting to be measured for any shims needed.

Meanwhile, the exhaust system has been running in the environmental chamber which is set for New England Winter 5.

Not what we wouldn't know what that's like, of course!

So, Mike, what did you use for the environmental chamber?

I'm really impressed with this build and I've enjoyed watching it tremendously.

Charlie Larkin

[Foxer]

So, Mike, what did you use for the environmental chamber?

Charlie Larkin

I only meant the plastic bag I put the exhaust in after the wash that rusts it. This really works good .. adds much more rust and it comes out vari-colored. I tried it without the bag and very little happened, just small patches started to show something like rust. The exhaust has two coats. The only problem is it comes out shiny. Some Dullcoat fixed that. This is a good method to adjust .. no bag for minor rust and use a bag for Massachusetts!

[Foxer]

more on the glacial build, but not a glacial change

I came on some better seat references as the seats were taking shape, so they are getting squared off at the top. Otherwise I'm happy with them. I got the upholstery for the driver seat done in Photoshop and some half rounds for the passenger seat pattern which didn't have a seat cover.

A rust coat was applied to the chassis plate for some salt rusting. Everything but the hinges is moving along ... hinges came apart trying to glue the tubes to the doors.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer

[Jason Vandergriff]

I use platic tubing for my hinges with a brass rod hinge itself. Might help in your problem. Nice work so far and have enjoyed reading it all.

[Foxer]

I use platic tubing for my hinges with a brass rod hinge itself. Might help in your problem. Nice work so far and have enjoyed reading it all.

That does sound as the plastic to plastic joints would do away with all the problems I'm having. The only thing holding me back from just doing this at the moment is the smallest plastic tube is 3/32 (.0938") or 2.35" diameter in 1/25 scale. This is compared to the 1/16" tubes which scale to 1.56". The aluminum is still oversize, but the plastic may be just a bit too much. It might take only a couple more failures before I do take your advice, though!

[Jason Vandergriff]

You can always drill a smaller tube for hinge. Long straight pins bend easy and can be cut to length. I did the drill and pin method on my rear suspension on my beatle.

[JustBill]

This is looking incredible! All your hard work is not in vain. Your work shows your putting alot of heart in this project. We all hit these bumps in the road. Keep it up! I look forward to progress.

[Foxer]

Thanks for all the suggestions, but unless I want a grossly over sized hinge, plastic seems out of the question. Drilling a STRAIGHT hole through that length of rod doesn't seem to be a solved problem in this hobby yet. I have asked the question before, this link is just about centering the drill on the rod. I will need to drill a .032 hole into a .0625 round rod. The longest separate rod in the hinge is close to 1/16" (.0625'). The 2 outer ones are about 2/3 of that. There are pretty hard to hold while drilling a hole perfectly straight down the tube and centered. Drilling a longer tube, say 3/16" (.1875"), which could be cut to supply all 3 pieces per hinge, presents an even greater problem keeping the drill straight without a machine shop to align everything.

Any suggestions on how this rod drilling could be done would be appreciated, no mater how funky it may seem. Fabricating it all from plastic is so good sounding ... maybe I need to bite the bullet and just do it way out of scale.

[MoparWoman Jamie]

Maybe what you could is this, either use solid round stock (They do make some nice tiny small round sizes)and easy drill a hole down through it. Or take a open round stock and fill it with glue, leave it harden up and take an easy sand it down to size and then drill a hole in it. There is alot of ways to make the hing though, also try finding some 28 gauge wire. You can find that in probably alot of the picture frame hanging hardware areas in stores or in the craft area of the stores, the # I have here of mine is #50138 and the wire is for hanging stuff.

[Foxer]

My wife is a Registered Nurse and the medical field has all kinds of small things it uses that are great for modeling. She has been tired of all my complaining about the hinges, , and brought home some small plastic tubes! These are used in a Hematocrat test .. they pick up a drop of blood. They are .06" OD and .4" ID ... smaller than any styrene tube and just a hair smaller than brass and aluminum tubes, but with thinner walls! They are not styrene and resist any styrene glue, so they don't solve my problem. They will have many uses down the road so they are in the tube box.

Other things are coming along nicely, but aren't very photogenic yet.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer

[cposada]

WOW! That pretty much sums it up for me. You're doing an incredible job. Patience does pay off. Box stock seems very generic when watching your work.

I don't know if it is possible but if you could use some sort of mini-lathe you could resize that 'smallest piece of styrene' tube you have. If no mini-lathe. Find a way to spin the tube and just hold some sand paper to it. It'll get thinner eventually.

cposada...

[Foxer]

The seats are taking shape and being cooperative. They are all shaped and ready for primer. The different seat bottoms just need some final sanding. I used more of my bottle of melted styrene to square off the passenger side base. This is the first I've used sprue melted in liquid glue to do body work and I'm really liking it for certain jobs. It has stayed in a liquid state for over a month now and even so, just needs a few drops of solvent to get back to liquid state.

The passenger seat will receive some half-rounds for the seat pattern and the driver seat gets a printed "seat cover".

Edited August 9, 2017 by Foxer

[Nick Winter]

Seats look good Mike.