absmiami

off to the lathe ... chucked some clear acrylic rod to make the axle halves the sherline has a feature that allows the headstock to swivel to cut a taper ... I just eyeballed the taper and cut with two cutters - one was cut from a blank years ago and I use it to cut the bell or horn shape on one end then drill the other end with a 1/16 bit to take the axle stub the clear acrylic deforms a bit when turned down below about 1/8 - but corrections can be made with a sanding stick and I don't need much precision - just two halves that look alike and fit into the differential

this was just posted on Tuesday on the GPMA site: Mike Quarterman just told me that resin casters Paul Fisher of Fisher Models and Joe Vondracek of Quikskins have lost everything in the California fires except for their lives. So sad for all the lives and property lost. The Large Scale Aircraft modellers set up a Go Find Me for the Fishers. Last I saw it was nearly $10,000. Hope it goes way beyond that goal. Note - in checking the Fisher site and my own correspondence records, I see that Paul and Joe both lived in what was once known as Paradise California ... Oh boy

these collars also have tabs that will attach to the ends of the friction shocks that are suspended above from the chassis rails - see pix on pg 1 - they'll be made later from nickel silver … the U bolts are bent from .020 nickel silver rod that will carry nuts on top next the rear axle and gear transfer case and rear brake drums - time to fire up the Sherline ….

the rear axle is clasped by a "collar" - what's the proper name for this ? - that is bolted with U shaped bolts to the top of the leaf springs have to spend xtra time making these because they have to be strong and symmetric - have to hold the axle level and at the correct height in relation to the front axle ... evergreen stock - .125 by .156 and evergreen tube - drilled with .020 for the bolt holes - top and bottom will be finished in light blue as with the chassis

Hi Tim andy sapiro miami

"I am in awe" I am in Miami stop in some time dept of corrections: the nickel silver bar in the leaf springs was purchased fr Media Mix last yr the film used to hold the leaf spring together while soldering is called Parafilm some more shots of second leaf spring - and yes - balsa wood is flammable ... Gramps was all set to do the joint Jag build with me until I suggested "co-habitation" understandable ....

"This not something I would normally follow but it is a very interesting project" I was smitten with obscure old French grand prix cars 25 years ago when I saw the Cunningham/Collier owned Delage '27 GP car at the museum in Naples - here's a shot - no flash permitted - taken at that time - I've got much better iphone pix of this car that I took this year.....

Gramps - are you gonna get a Profil 24 D type ? let's do a joint build blog on the kit we'll both build the kit - different chassis - sort of like co-habitation ???

so the leaf springs are held together with thin strips of the 3M masking roll and then pinned against a curve shaped onto the edge of a popcycle stick and soldered with low temp solder my first leaf spring has four leaves - but I think there were more - I'm going to add one or two more the axle sits on top of the leaf in a bracket that also has attachment points for the shocks then the whole thing will get wrapped in fine thread - which is a shame - because it looks pretty cool ....

putting aside the driver's compartment esoterica momentarily time to make the leaf springs and shackles brass rod - .033 evergreen rod and bar ... the shackles are made in one piece with a sleeve - instead of two this will keep everything straight and add strength the leaf spring is made from nickel silver bar stock sold by one of the Japanese after market sites - Best Balsa ?? It is scale 1 and 3/4 inch wide or .070 inches - which looks pretty close to scale accurate - the stock is measured on the chassis and then the ends are soldered from .047 brass tube and silver solder

referring back to the Leno video pg 1 - the car is started with the use of a hand operated fuel pump inside the cockpit. making this fr brass tube and evergreen bar stock - that is shaped and drilled - and will attach to the inside wall of the cockpit with some rivets. the fuel line runs forward fr the tank to the pump, and then runs forward to the engine bulkhead and through to the manifolds on both sides of the engine ..... I think ...

the stakes that carry the windscreen pivot points and made of silver rod and brass tube - the results are shown for purposes of a test fit looks right - but it's fragile - might later try to make one with a brass rod instead of the plastic the main thing is that the part has channels to slip the "glass" into ...

dental bits: I do own a rare right angle Foredom drill - which works like a dentists drill w latch key tools - gonna make me something out of Delrin that will hopefully mark the metal surface with a "turned" pattern - we'll see ... but there are more parts to make - like the windscreen had a couple of failed attempts in brass - using small brass channel - the solder runs into the recess where the "glass" sits - so ... I then glued up some evergreen rod, bar, and sheet - use .022 x .022 square bar - it's an HO scale size - finally found a use for it - and .025 round rod had to be careful filing and sanding the sheet stock to shape ...

thanx

layout marker ... not too big a problem for parts to be painted with a metal finish but will remove most of the markings - would be problem on the chassis rails - which will be primed and painted blue pedals - made from a strip of Evergreen "metal" scale siding - its the stuff used by small scale railroad scratch builders for structures ... glued to brass shafts that poke out of the floor-board slots check fit - just enough room - and they will not interfere with the steering column ... next to the hand brake and the brake "servo"....

so the floor boards are roughed out and in place to check fit ... then I sawed some slots into the leading edge of the driver's side board for the openings for the pedal brackets everybody's got some stray tools laying around the back of their tool drawer that they only use about once every two years or so - but when you need that particular tool - well - you need it ... the slots must be a certain width, and only this fine toothed metal saw blade would work - now the lonely blade will go back into it's dark corner for another long period of hibernation ....

the floorboards wrap around the transmission they are raised above the chassis plate about 3 scale inches using evergreen .100 angle used both Tamiya liquid glue and fast setting "cyo" glue

more trans details the driver side of the box has a kick plate made of - I think - plywood made this from thin renshape sheet scrap - to be washed w/ a grime finish and some dark stain then drew patterns for the floor boards onto thin evergreen plastic sheet

gaskets ... gaskets ... rats - I forgot the gaskets ... new parts are the housing for the base of the gear shift and the driveshaft casing ...

the gear box has a cover plate that is bolted down with castle nuts - so I marked the holes and drilled them and added some more features the box isn't done yet - but it was then liquid glued to the clutch housing and set in the chassis for a test fit the housing for the gear shift hangs off of the end of the box - gonna make that next - along with some sort of finned circular device that is attached to the end of the gear box and is attached to levers that do what? not sure .... but it looks cool ....

I have bookmarked the cratex site - but their discs are too large - unless they can be turned down - which I doubt gonna try to make a tool that will produce swirls - or something close to a swirl - that is no more than one scale inch - we'll see mean time - gotta make a transmission - more Evergreen .... the clutch housing is made from 1/2 inch tube and thin plastic sheet - filed etc with an added inspection plate and holes for retaining nuts then attached to evergreen bar stock - 6 scale inches wide and a little taller - for the gear box ...

renshape and evergreen plastic .... work begins on the seats and the drive shaft cover

think I forgot to post these pix I made a brass steering arm the will be glued to the bottom of the steering unit it pokes out of the bottom of the chassis and then is attached to the steering link what could go wrong ? remember - these cars were not yet racing on paved surfaces ... yikes Delage corrected this in their '27 GP car - sending the arm out above the chassis rails ....

the driver's compartment has interior trim that takes the rivets that attach the body to the chassis - probably visible on the Leno video - they are made fr Evergreen 0.60 L shaped stock that is marked for rivet dimples and then filed to shape - the dimples will do - as the trim sits down in the chassis rails below the dash I'll paint them after the chassis is spray painted - I wanted them in place to give me a solid attachment/glue guide when the body is attached to the chassis ....

engine turned finish will be easy ! I'm gonna make all the parts, paint the chassis and engine, and send the body back to Pico and tell him to do the engine turning !!! just kidding - maybe ..... just some test fitting the engine, exhaust manifold, and bulkhead are in place - its a tight fit but everything should be where it belongs ...