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arick

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    Rick Gonder

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  1. Its been a while since I've posted here but I'd like to say a couple of things. Let me start by saying that I was a founding partner at TDR but am no longer associated with them. Dave and I have become friends through chatting on this and another forum. During its early development, TDR struggled to find sources for good 8th scale material, in particular modern engines, speed equipment, chassis and parts. Due to the amt of time it takes to measure a 1:1 part and scale it down to 8th, it just wasn't feasable time and money wise to bring some much desired parts to life. There were some challenging discussions amongst us but in the early life of TDR we couldn't afford to give you modellers what we knew would excite you. A few years ago I met Dave. We have some common interests outside of modelling and we've become friends over the internet and a few phone calls. Like me, Dave is not into the "politics" of modelling and he prefers to build for himself. He was understandably leary of TDR and probably thought we were another bunch of modellers who had unatainable goals. But, thanks to the incredible talents of people like Tim, Dave slowly came around and ordered a few test pieces from TDR for his own builds. It wasn't long before Dave and Tim started working together and the early results are what you are starting to see on this forum and in the TDR catalog. When I saw this discussion, I had to speak up. We are very fortunate that Dave shares his work with us and his build spec's with TDR and asks for nothing in return. Add to that Tim's CAD design skills and thousands of hours spent in front of a computer screen combined with the hard work that all the other TDR partners do........what can I say, other than we're pretty lucky to have these guys in our corner. Dave, Tim and the TDR Partners..........Thanks and happy ho ho.
  2. Lyle Chris Garcia in California is the best source for wire wheels. Here's a set he made for my 8th scale Deuce build. If you send him the tires you will be useing along with a detailed description of what you want, he will build to order. These are not plastic or resin, they are real metal wire wheels. Chris can be reached at woodythx138@mlode.com. I've been to his place and seen some of his other wire wheel customer orders and I highly recommend his work. In regards to the SBC, I have the TDR version and its a very well done kit.
  3. Its time to start smoothing some of the large parts of this kit, starting with the oil pan. The first thing I did was drill out the bolt holes around the lip of the pan. In retrospect, I should have waited until I was finished sanding. The reason for this is because drilling the holes weakens the lip and it could break when handled during sanding. TDR products are known for their accuracy and this piece is no exception. Its produced with all the braces and hard to get at areas. However, RP process leaves a slightly rough and layered surface that is hard to get at in small confined spaces. TDR asked that I not use power tools when smoothing parts from this kit. So, with sandpaper in hand, and wrapped around toothpicks and round wooden dowls, I went to work sanding the pan. When done, I shot it with high build primer and found a couple of spots that needed some more work. A bit more sanding and another coat of high build and the pan is now ready for wet sanding and paint. A word of caution. When working in confined spaces where sanding dust is an issue, I highly recommend the use of surgical gloves and eye, nose and throat protection. Its always best to be safe.
  4. TDR is known for their accurate and high quality parts. All their products are CAD designed and manufactured using the Rapid Prototype process. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this process, Google it. The RP process produces a product that, unlike resin, is brittle and some of the smaller and thinner pieces can be subject to breakage. However, the good thing is that if a part breaks, the break is clean and easily repaired. And, unlike resin, these parts are not subject to warpage. Probably the most troubling issue with RP parts is the surface "layering" during the manufacturing process which leaves a bit of a rough surface. Don't let this worry you, a bit of sanding and a hit with some high build primer easily removes any surface issues. If you don't wish to take on the smoothing process, the extreemly high quality of the product more than makes up for any surface issues. As I mentioned previously, the headers included in this kit are a model builders dream come true. I couldn't wait to see how they looked with a bit of clean up so after just a few minutes of smoothing with sandpaper and a small file I hit them with some high build primer. They are now ready for wet sanding and a coat of paint or some chrome. A word of caution when drilling bolt, or in this case, flange bolt holes. As I mentioned previously, thin RP produced products can be a bit brittle so use caution when drilling holes. I always drill a pilot hole first and use very little pressure on the drill. Don't use a power drill.
  5. After laying out the parts, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the headers. WOW WOW WOW!! The headers that come with this kit are not stock, they are block hugger style and man are they cool. This header set is a model builders dream. Just for fun, I test fitted them to a TDR big block Chev and a 392 Hemi and with very minor adjustments they work well. Unfortunatly they won't work on the small block Chev. TDR needs to give serious thought to including these headers with all their engine kits. And, for the purists, especially those that may want to put this engine in that Cuda we keep hearing about, perhaps a set of stock headers should also be included. Never the less, these are the coolest kit headers I've ever seen and the good guys at TDR deserve a pat on the backside for creating them.
  6. When unwrapping the bubble wrap packages, its important to be CAREFULL. If one were to rip open the bubble wrap packaging, the results could be catastrophic with lots of broken parts. I suggest you use a razor blade or Exacto knife to cut the scotch tape and then unroll the bubble wrap and carefully remove the parts. After unwrapping the parts and laying them out, the next thing I looked for was an instruction sheet, and there wasn't one. I then went to the TDR web site and found a photo of the assembled kit, but unlike the other TDR engine kits, there was no assembly instructions on the site. This won't be problematic for the experienced builder but it may un-nerve the novice crowd. This is something that TDR needs to deal with and the simple solution is adding assembly images to the web site as they have done with their other engines. Not a big deal but TDR needs to take note.
  7. I've had a Willys Woody project on my mind for a while. So, after cutting up an 8th scale coupe body and mocking up the wooden house I've come up with this concept. At the same time, TDR Innovations has been kind enough to send me one of their 8th scale 6 Liter SRT Hemi engine kits. They have asked me to build and evaluate the kit and when its done it will go in my Willys Woody. TDR is well known for taking care when packaging their products. My engine arrived via Priority Post and was well packaged in foam chips. The parts are wrapped in bubble wrap at source.
  8. I'll step up to the plate too. I've purchased several bodies from MF and as Dave says, they are second to none in accuracy, consistant thickness and strength. These are not repop bodies, a ton of work has gone into doing them right. There's no disappointments here boys.
  9. Robert The Madd Fabricator has the only accurate Anglia body on the market. Its done in fibreglass and is an excellent piece. He's a member here so I will let him know you are interested and he will post something.
  10. I like it Al, thats one of your best builds. You always impress me........not only do you build models but you also finish them. Well done!
  11. Thanks for the positive comments. I'm currently reworking the IRS to bring it in line with a Kugel or Heidts style center section. Stay tuned.
  12. Dave, now that you're getting into a bit of internal stuff with things like the flexplate and torque converter, have you given any thought to including a "cutaway" to display what you've done? I'm really enjoying this build!
  13. With the front cross member finished, I fabbed some tabs to mount the rack and pinion. The tabs still need a bit of shape, but I can now move forward with other items. When dropping a violent blown Hemi backed by a Lenco into a 1:1 hot rod, its not a good idea to use motor mounts and a trans mount. Typically, the use of front and rear engine plates is the safe way to go so thats what I've done in the buildup of my 8th scale hot rod. The front plate will be bolted to the block and secured to the chassis via mounting brackets on the down tubes that extend from the roll cage to the front of the chassis. The rear plate is also bolted to the block and will be attached to the firewall and a additional hoop that will be attached to the cage and the chassis. Please keep in mind that these photos show the mock up of the fabricated pieces and there's still some shapeing to be done in order to make them look right. Also, many thanks to Dave for helping out with photos of some 1:1 cars.
  14. Enjoy?? Good grief Dave, this is cool doo doo!!
  15. Thanks Dave! The new front crossmember is now finished. All I have to do now is scratch some stylish mounting tabs for the rack. It looks a bit bulky in raw form, but once the rack and radiator are attached it won't look so ugly.
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