Nostalgia Fuel Dragster--Blower Manifold (01/28/23)

[iBorg]

Well sir, you've delivered on your promise to explain your sheet metal methods.

 

A polite tip of the hat.

[Straightliner59]

17 hours ago, Ian McLaren said:

Another good update, the cowl is looking as it should  and I like the tip with the scissors.  I know you'll get the wheel deal handled.

Thanks, so much, Ian. Yes, I like the cowl, better, now. I need to fit the original, engine-turned windscreen to it. When I first conceived, and began building this, all those years back, I envisioned Halibrand-style front wheels. I am determined to make that happen! They can fight me, all they want--in the end, their resistance will have been futile! Thank you again, my friend!

[Straightliner59]

11 hours ago, iBorg said:

Well sir, you've delivered on your promise to explain your sheet metal methods.

 

A polite tip of the hat.

It wasn't quite as I'd planned for the SLM site, but if it gets the job done! 🙂 You're most welcome, Mike!

[Straightliner59]

Since this project's inception, I had a certain idea for a front wheel. I wanted a dragster wheel that was patterned off Halibrand's "kidney bean" design. As well, since inception, the front wheels fought not to...be. The earliest attempts were made using Johan funny car front wheels. Two problems plagued these wheels: The Johan rims were super delicate, and, I think three of the four I had, then, had entire sections of the very outer rim, simply break off, seemingly from being looked at, oddly. Those wheels are also very thin. Before I realized, I had sanded through the edge of the inner section of the wheel.

FF >> to the current time. Problems continued to plague these wheels. I discovered another Johan wheel, whose outer rim promptly broke, just to welcome me back to the fray. This time, however, I was able to chuck the wheel in the lathe, and turn the entire outer rim off the wheel, down to where the inner casting is. I fitted an appropriately-sized rim to the inner section, and another to the inside of the wheel, and I was ready to go! Unless something went wrong during the molding and casting process. Of course, it did. Between the first mold having some defect I no longer recall, and the next two not curing properly (of course, those would only be the second side of the mold), I determined to purchase a pair of Polar Lights front wheels from an Ebay vendor, in order to avoid having to remove the pair from my PL Mongoose 'Cuda FC. As soon as the new pair arrived, I began working on them, with the lathe. The first one worked beautifully! The second wheel met a tragic end, when it caught on the bit, and was twisted into something that would better serve a crash-scene diorama. That left me raiding the kit I'd hoped not to, in the end. 

Once I had that wheel cut to match the first, I found some wheels I could part the rims from, to make new, taller rims for the wheel centers. I found matching sets, and got them cut and assembled. That didn't happen, until after one of the new rims had fallen from sight, and, in the process of searching for it, I tore a hunk of skin open, on the side of my right index finger. Those fingers will bleed! I stanched the flow with a shop towel, and cleaned up the floor. Once the wound was better dealt with, I finally found the rim--nowhere near where I'd cut my finger, of course! I installed the centers, and, finally painted them.. I used an old PlastiCote craft paint, called "Iced Coffee" for the centers. I then used Parafilm discs (thanks to Andy Sapiro for reminding me of this stuff!), cut with punches from a Harbor Freight set, to mask the centers. The rims were then shot with Testors' Metalizer Aluminum Plate (Buffing). Lastly, I shot them with Testors' Semi-Gloss clear. The Iced Coffee was shinier than I liked, and needed toned down. Valve stems were made with filed-down strait pins.

There was more than once that I considered doing something else for these. Something within me wouldn't let me sell my vision short. They ain't perfect, but they're true to that vision, and I am pretty happy with them! I will flow in a little wash, and maybe give them a very light dusting of pastel, just to tone them down, slightly more. I will turn some caps for the hubs, as well. Comments, critiques and questions are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by Straightliner59

[Joe Nunes]

This project gets better all the time. Very impressive talent displayed here, Sir. 

Joe

[iBorg]

To add to Daniel's excellent info on building aluminum bodies, this popped up today on a Pinterest feed today: https://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/article.php?aid=2474

A bit more info to help build the knowledge base.

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, iBorg said:

To add to Daniel's excellent info on building aluminum bodies, this popped up today on a Pinterest feed today: https://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/article.php?aid=2474

A bit more info to help build the knowledge base.

Definitely some good info, here!

[Straightliner59]

15 hours ago, Joe Nunes said:

This project gets better all the time. Very impressive talent displayed here, Sir. 

Joe

Thank you, Joe. Appreciate you following along!

[Straightliner59]

Rear wheels are nearing completion. Enough so, that I could get the car on them, to get a gander at the rolling stock. I like the color on the rear wheels. It's Krylon (Satin) Nickel. I picked it up at HL, a while back. It was the color I wanted for the front inners, but thought this was more silver than it is. Anyway, I think the wheels look pretty spiffy!

The wheels had  the lugs and the plate molded to them. I decided to mill off the cast-on details, and replace them with my own parts. I turned down some 1/4" aluminum rod to 7/32". I then moved the chuck, with the rod still inserted to the rotary table on the mill, and drilled the five-bolt pattern. Once that was complete, I set up the miter box to cut off the discs. Once I had sawn a line around the perimeter of the rod, I moved it back to the lathe. Using a Zona saw rubbed with beeswax, I let the lathe and saw do the rest of the work, cutting off the disc. I repeated the operation to create the other side's plate. 

The lugs and lug nuts were made using the center wire from some coils I picked up, somewhere--they look like, perhaps, an Axe Man Surplus find. The fine wire wrapping has also proven to be of use. Just always keep your "modelers' eyes" open--you'll start finding materials, all over the place! I placed some .040" hex stock in the lathe chuck, and bored it to accept the aforementioned center wire. This can be performed without a lathe, but, if you have one, use it. much, much easier! I cut lengths of the hex (I like the scalpel, here. It's sharper, and less likely to crush the stock, during cutting.), and slipped them over the wire "lugs". A dab of super glue to the end, holds the lugs in place. The nuts are pushed down, snugly to the disc. Finally, I'll add the valve stems. 

[Tortuga Kustomz]

What a nice detail, love it, what is the name of that machine you are using to drill the parts, i need something like that

[Straightliner59]

17 minutes ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

What a nice detail, love it, what is the name of that machine you are using to drill the parts, i need something like that

I used a Sherline vertical mill with a rotary table to do the plates, with the five-hole pattern. I have a Sherline lathe, to bore the .040" hex stock. They're not cheap, and you'll quickly discover a ton of accessories you'll want/need. As a scratchbuilder, though, they are extremely convenient, to have, if not, at times, necessary. I know Francis uses a Sherline mill, and I think Tim Hoaglund does, as well. Thanks, Marcos, as always, for your comments!

[Straightliner59]

A couple of close-ups of the rear wheels. The disc is natural aluminum. The lug nuts are brush-painted Testors Model Master Metalizer Dark Anodonic Grey. Still need to add the valve stems and do some cleanup and a tad of weathering/wash. Comments are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

Edited December 20, 2022 by Straightliner59

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Fantastic job Daniel, the nuts on the wheels are always a nice addition and give a lot of realism.  This is the kind of subtle detail that most enthusiasts love and I am one of them! 👍

[Tortuga Kustomz]

18 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I used a Sherline vertical mill with a rotary table to do the plates, with the five-hole pattern. I have a Sherline lathe, to bore the .040" hex stock. They're not cheap, and you'll quickly discover a ton of accessories you'll want/need. As a scratchbuilder, though, they are extremely convenient, to have, if not, at times, necessary. I know Francis uses a Sherline mill, and I think Tim Hoaglund does, as well. Thanks, Marcos, as always, for your comments!

Thanks for the info, i was searching for that and yes they are expensive, hope to have one of those, i'll be waiting for an opportunity to get one in a good price 

[Tortuga Kustomz]

4 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Fantastic job Daniel, the nuts on the wheels are always a nice addition and give a lot of realism.  This is the kind of subtle detail that most enthusiasts love and I am one of them! 👍

Those small details are the best in my opinion, been trying to do that in my scale with the tools and supplies that i have right now, but no luck yet, hope to improve on that very soon

[Straightliner59]

9 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Fantastic job Daniel, the nuts on the wheels are always a nice addition and give a lot of realism.  This is the kind of subtle detail that most enthusiasts love and I am one of them! 👍

Thanks, so much, Francis! Those little things are probably where I derive the most fun, from modeling. Whether it's details I'm adding, or details I'm discovering on someone else's model. It makes for a more interesting subject!🙂

5 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

Those small details are the best in my opinion, been trying to do that in my scale with the tools and supplies that i have right now, but no luck yet, hope to improve on that very soon

You're well on your way, my friend! Start stockpiling materials. I use a lot of Plastruct hex stock, especially in the .020"-.060" range. Model railroaders supply a good selection of nut/bolt/washer castings, and some without the washer. The only reason to do it, is because you want to; and, if you want to, you'll get to where you want to go!🙂

5 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

Thanks for the info, i was searching for that and yes they are expensive, hope to have one of those, i'll be waiting for an opportunity to get one in a good price 

I saw some small machines at Walmart.com that were interesting. They're combination mill/lathe machines, very reasonably priced. Reviews were good, and the only negative reviews were from guys who were trying to do more than the machines were designed for. The Sherline equipment is excellent in quality, and their service is second to none, based on everything I have ever heard from those with experience. The newer Unimat stuff is likely good, as well. Ace Garage Guy uses a vintage Unimat machine. If you can find one with all the parts, they're convertible. Those are decent--I had one, many years ago. I'm not sure what ancillary tools are available with any of the others. That's another place the Sherline excels--accessories. When you're ready, unless you opt for one of the combination machines, go with the lathe, first. Even that will open up your possibilities, a lot.

[Straightliner59]

I had to tape this roughly into position, to determine where I need to trim it. Figured a photo was in order!

[bobthehobbyguy]

A great project. A tutorial in making aluminum bodies. Certainly one of the joys of coming to the site.

[Straightliner59]

14 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

A great project. A tutorial in making aluminum bodies. Certainly one of the joys of coming to the site.

Thank you, Bob! I had planned to do it, back on the old SLM website, and never got around to finishing it. At that time, I was using my Junior Fueler, as the mule. It is great to be able to see the works of others, with fresh content, all the time, for sure!

[Ian McLaren]

Another great update Daniel. I enjoyed the discussion regarding the Sherline and Unimat, as mentioned cost is an object but they open so many opportunities for model building it's hard not to take a serious look at obtaining one of them.  I have just acquired a resin 3D printer for the shop. Very steep learning curve and the parts produced are not metal but it does promise the chance of not having to wait for and pay money to FedEx for simple detail parts for one off projects.

[Straightliner59]

On 12/24/2022 at 5:31 AM, Ian McLaren said:

Another great update Daniel. I enjoyed the discussion regarding the Sherline and Unimat, as mentioned cost is an object but they open so many opportunities for model building it's hard not to take a serious look at obtaining one of them.  I have just acquired a resin 3D printer for the shop. Very steep learning curve and the parts produced are not metal but it does promise the chance of not having to wait for and pay money to FedEx for simple detail parts for one off projects.

Thank you, Ian. I've given some thought to a 3-D printer, but, I tell myself to lear to use my Cricut, first! That will open a ton of possibilities, as well, especially where decals are concerned. I agree, though--anything that gives us a greater opportunity to manufacture our own parts efficiently, is definitely the way to go.

It's been a few days since my last update. I've been doing some fiddly stuff--drilling and doing final fitting of the body, which involves a lot of fitting, taping, drilling, refitting, pinning, re-taping, flexing, pushing and pulling panels into place, lather, rinse, repeat...and we're slowly getting there.

I use the pictured doll house nails to do most of my pins. They're a nice size, if not always easy to find. There are a lot of options as far as the 1/4" nails go, but, most of them don't have the flat, thin heads these do. It's important to look closely at planned purchases, to be certain. Once the body is finalized, I will look for, and begin to make final adjustments to the chassis, and complete construction and trial installation of the rest of the major components. Here's a look at the fitting process. The tape is used to hold the pins in place, so they aren't eaten by the carpet monster, or catapulted into the great beyond! 

I'm considering scratching a Hilborn Shotgun injector--I have kind of wanted it as part of the concept, since inception (like the front wheels), but, I am not as married to it, as I was the wheels. I always appreciate your comments, but, I'd be especially interested in them, regarding the two-holer. Thanks for looking!

[Straightliner59]

I think I finally got the body panels properly fitted--I say "think" because, you know how that goes! 😄 

Now, an idea I've wanted to try, for a while...I used this little die I made and a 1/16" punch, along with one of the nails I'll be using to mount the panels, to dimple them, so that the nails are flush with the surface of the body. I can then cement them into the panels with this Alteco CA, that is supposed to be formulated to repair metal dental work, so, I'm hoping it will work well, here. Once the nails are installed, I will cement a PE Dzus fastener, over the top of that. I've created a sample piece. I think this'll work! I had to mill the top of the die, so that I could use it, near the rolled edges. I don't have photos of that. I wanted to get this posted, because the power is flirting with going out!

As always, comments questions and critiques are welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[Straightliner59]

Here's one under engine panel mounted. The pins hold them in place, via friction. Once the thing is painted, I'll add a dab of cement to each mounting point. I've since completed the other panel, as well. The first two photos show the panel before and after being snapped into place.

[Ian McLaren]

I like the injector choice it seems to suit the overall concept and it's not just another Enderle hat. The dzus idea is inspired and I may have to steal it. Probably the most complete solution to these fasteners that I have seen to date. You keep raising the bar, well done.

[bobthehobbyguy]

The solution for the dzus fasteners is brilliant.  That's what I love about this site. Thanks for sharing it.