141 replies to this topic

[Kennyboy]

Pete I enjoy watching your progress on this build!

 

This is going to be a masterpiece.

[81zxing280]

Wow man this is amazing great work coulda ya share a pic of your layith. Sorry don't know if that's spelled right lol

[Pete J.]

Wow man this is amazing great work coulda ya share a pic of your layith. Sorry don't know if that's spelled right lol

Ok, you got it. Here is the lathe. Nothing spectacular but definitely one of the best.  Sherline, made here in SoCal in Vista California.

 

 

This is an image of the machine in action.  I am cutting a pin .040" in diameter for the suspension.

 

 

Here you can seen the pin completed and soldered in place at the top of the spring arc.

 

 

This is a test fit of all the components. The pin goes through the mounting bracket and holds the whole thing in place. The springs are mounted to the axles with similar pins. The differential will not be black on the final piece. The black finish is just the base coat for alclad. I am planning on using alcad stainless. I want it shiny but not high gloss like chrome. I want a differentiation between the diff and the axles.

 

[Pete J.]

Just a bit of a side note. After looking at the photo I posted of the springs, I decided that I didn't like them very much. This was one of the first pieces of brass that I made and I have learned a lot building this model, so I made a new set. To my eye the arc is much more pleasing and the springs are much cleaner and a better polish. Now having said that, I am going to give away a little secret. Almost every piece of brass I have done for this model has been redone at least once. In the case of the springs, this is the third set, but then that is the pleasure of leaning new things. Enjoy what you build, even when things go wrong!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Pete J., 10 February 2013 - 08:36 PM.

[crazyrichard]

awsome !!

 

love the little mill

[Scale-Master]

I know exactly what you are saying Pete... And I agree.  Also, the new spring looks great.

[ningoth4]

Awesome job on that rear end!!!

 

Kevin

[Custom Hearse]

I have to agree, the second spring looks allot better! Looking forward to the next installment...

[lanesteele240]

By black knight, are you talking about darth vader. It kinda looks like him in one of the above pics.
Great job. Keep it up

Edited by lanesteele240, 12 February 2013 - 04:14 AM.

[Pete J.]

By black knight, are you talking about darth vader. It kinda looks like him in one of the above pics.
Great job. Keep it up

You are right, it does have a bit of a Darth Vader look to it.  However I am a bit of a war history buff and this was more of a conversion to another WW 1 flying ace who transitioned into WW 2.  Here is a little information on him.  http://en.wikipedia....er_von_Schleich

[Art Laski]

Great stuff, Pete!

[lanesteele240]

Looked like a honorable airman. To bad he was on the bad guys team.
Thanks for the history.

[codie27]

This is one cool build!! Great work.

[vintagedragfan]

looks great Pete!

[ningoth4]

What thickness of brass sheet did you use to make the leaf springs? I am planning on making two sets of springs for an upcoming rat rod build and would love any tips you might have from your three attempts to get what you wanted. Did you use a wire brush for polishing out the edges?

 

Kevin

[Pete J.]

What thickness of brass sheet did you use to make the leaf springs? I am planning on making two sets of springs for an upcoming rat rod build and would love any tips you might have from your three attempts to get what you wanted. Did you use a wire brush for polishing out the edges?

 

Kevin

Kevin-

.015" for the thickness. No, I didn't use a wire brush but I considered it early on. My process is a bit more cobbled together.

 

 When you get the brass sheet, clean it with acetone.  Most brass sheet has a coating on it and if you anneal it without cleaning it, you get a real nasty surface that is hard to polish. 

 

Next step is to anneal the brass. Heat it cherry red and quench it water. I know, I thought that was the process for hardening it but apparently for nonferrous metals that is how you do it. Then you have to reflatten it.  I made myself a small “rolling pin” out of aluminum and use a piece of ¾” MDF as a rolling surface.  If you have not done this before, a little practice and you will get it down.

 

The annealing will dull the surface of the brass but that is a good thing.  I then marked my cut lines with a diamond scribe to get the width I wanted and using a straightedge and a utility knife scored my way through to cut the sheet.  I reflattend it and marked my lengths out and cut them.

 

 Next I found the center of each leaf and scribed it so I knew where to bend it and where to line them up to solder them.  The next step was to prep the surface.  I did that with needle files and sanding sticks.  Once I had them down to a decent gloss with fine scratches, I put a final polish on them with a fabric wheel in my Dremel and some fine jeweler’s rouge. 

 

Then I bent each one with a bending jig.  A dowel would do the same thing.  I was careful to bend them on the center marks I had made before.  Then I lined up all the center marks and soldered them together.  After they were soldered, I dressed the edges with needle files to square them and took the file marks out with a sanding stick and then gave them a quick shot with the buffing wheel.

Edited by Pete J., 13 February 2013 - 06:13 AM.

[Pete J.]

I was rummaging around in my parts box and found all three sets of springs that I have made for this kit and thought you might like to see them.  They are in order from the kit part in the back (the ugly red plastic piece) to the final iteration in the foreground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The engine is coming along.  The crankcase is done and cylinders glued on.  I have also added the exhaust.  It is a little weird, but that goes with the whole build.  After doing some research on the engine it looks like Tom Daniel’s may have scavenged it from a 1/35^th scale Fokker aircraft kit.  The real deal would be much larger in relation to the car as designed, so artistic license has been invoked in all aspects of the engine build.

 

Edited by Pete J., 15 February 2013 - 09:42 PM.

[crazyrichard]

pfffft so.o.o nice
and seeing those brass leaf springes next to the styrene version ... what a difference

[Pete J.]

C

Coming down the final stretch with this one.  Engine is wired and ready to go.  I have the body to finish up and polish out.  The interior is done.  I have some gages to get on board and some touchup work to do and we are off to the races.

 

This shows how the exhaust fits.  Perhaps it makes a little more sense when you see it in the chassis.

 

 

Here is the engine, wired up and done and test fit into the chassis.

 

[MAGNUM4342]

EXCEPTIONAL! I don't know how this one slipped my radar but i'm glad I found it.