AmericanMuscleFan

Thanks a lot Jason! Your comments are actually very inspiring to me and keep me going. It is not negligible and I really need it in order to keep my motivation on a build that is starting to stretch over time... Take care, Francis

Thank you very much Mike, these kind comments are greatly appreciated! I had this dashboard in mind for a long time and have to say I am very happy with the results but my fingers hurt for two days holding this little piece of aluminum. I had to use the traditional ways to achieve it because my beautiful machines were of no help. What I like about these old trucks is their simplicity, they were so crude and poorly equipped that it makes them look good. It's a bit of a paradox because I have a weakness for luxury vehicles with a lot of equipment. Don't worry about the seats, they will be fixed and not adjustable, we can talk to you again! By the way, did you read my last PM? I would be curious to know more about this mysterious product... Take care, Francis

It's superb Ian! You obviously have great skills and a real attention to detail! Keep doing the good work, it's remarkable my friend! ?

Great progress on the truck Jim, monsieur le Curé is eager to park it in the garage of the presbytery! It's not unusual to see some tooling marks on a turned part but you can use 0000 steel wool, it will remove all thes marks. Be very careful and watch your fingers if you decide to do the polishing directly on the lathe, I recommend adjusting to a slower speed and not getting too close to the chuck jaws... they bite...!

Hello everyone, A lot of pics today... As I mentioned in my last post the next update will be the dashboard so here it is in its late stage I would say. I will probably have small details to add to it but the main elements are there. The bezel of the gauges was particularly tricky and delicate to make because I used very thin aluminum (0.006 ") that I salvaged from the door of an old computer diskette. The gauges are not perfect for the D100 because they were made for a '68 Dart but still look pretty similar, just a little bigger than the real ones, I'll live with that... They were designed using the same technique as for the RPM but I no longer have access to negative film production devices (analog) which are now obsolete or very difficult to find in this digital world... I particularly love the simplicity of the D100 dashboard and it brings back fond memories of my youth with my uncle during the hay season! Comments and suggestions are welcome. Take care, Francis Hand made gauge bezel with thin aluminum (0.006 "). Adjustment made to the edge of the dashboard. A quick test because I can't resist... Negative film made with Adobe Illustrator and printed on an AGFAimagesetter at high resolution. The needles are painted from behind and covered with white paint, the same technique as for RPM. Sorry for the blurry photo. Glove box button machined with black ABS plastic. All dash knobs are machined aluminum. Note that I added the cigaret lighter even if I am not a smoker... Different view. With the instrument gauges. Different view. The odometer reads 36132.8 miles Different view. These old imagesetters were very precise, not sure if I could find something so precise today as an alternative? Another quick test because I can't resist... again...

Thanks for the kind comments Ian! It's really fun to explore new territories... Even more small parts in the making so stay tuned my friend! Francis

Welcome on board John! Beautiful models sir! There is no doubt that you have great attention to detail. I look forward to your work on your current projects, there is always something to learn in this wonderful hobby!

Nice job Dan! It's always a nice gesture to save an old promo kit. Nice touch on the gauges by the way, printed on an inkjet printer I guess? ?

Welcome to the forum Jerry, I can't wait to see your post on this subject! I also bought the Clearly Scale Dodge Challenger Hellcat Conversion Kit 2 weeks about ago and received it in 5 days. Very nice kit and exceptional customer service on top of that!!! ?

Welcome back to the hobby Vince! We all hope Phil (the groundhog) brings better news on February 2nd...!

My grocery list... of products that I can keep dreaming of seeing in styrene... 1/25 scale of course! 67-69 Plymouth Valiant 76 Plymouth Arrow 89 Dodge RAM Pickup It doesn't cost much to dream...!

Speaking of talent, you are pretty well equipped Lorne and you don't have to envy anyone, everything I have seen of your models is simply stunning, with obvious attention to detail and professional results! A feast for the eyes!!! ?

I'm always impressed to see guys like you able to work on more than one project at a time! The point is to have a good time, isn't it? Beautiful project Pat, a good way to take advantage of old models that only ask to give the best of themselves! ?

Thanks Marcos! Finding ways to fabricate complex and unusual parts is very pleasant and it's especially rewarding when you find a way to overcome a situation that poses a manufacturing challenge. These devices are rather expensive but they are worth every penny they cost when your budget allows it. On the other hand, we can also obtain amazing results in a traditional way, we see very good examples of it everywhere on this forum, you have some in your backyard my friend! Take care, Francis

Your new valve covers are very beautiful Jason! They're 3D printed, I guess, if so what technology do you have FDM or SLA? What do you use as CAD software? You have a nice twin turbo setup by the way, as others have mentioned. ?

There are less pleasant distractions, aren't there... ?

Hello Mike! I try to work with round aluminum rods most of the time so the part is simply separated on the lathe using the cut-off tool (that was the technique i used for the column support). If the part is larger and I am forced to machine my part on a square or rectangular shaped block, I use a cut-off disc directly on the mill. For the benefit of those concerned, I should have taken a photo of this operation... sorry... Good pun with the automatic transmission by the way, I'm laughing too! Francis

I think it's a different kind of epidemic in our hobby... there are several of us with this incurable disease... but there are no vaccines being developed... lol. Francis

I usually try not to add a photo already present with my comments but I can't help myself, it's just too beautiful! Look at the shape of this machine! Probably the coolest dragster design that ever existed! It's pretty impressive what you can do with brass when you have talent... Having seen one of your threads about wire laced wheels, I can only expect to be impressed... once again! I love that!

I know the Tamiya model cars are of exceptional quality so I guess their aircraft kit is above average quality? There are many manufacturers in this field, where do you situate Tamiya compared to others in this field? Your kit looks very nice and crisp, but your good work can only make it look good... ?

Carbon fiber would be a great idea Claude (do you really have anything other than great ideas for me actually?) but I'll try to start limiting myself to what I have on hand... My workbench looks like a tsunami of all kinds of debris and parts slowly engulfing my workspace! Soon I will be forced to work on the floor... I better pick up the pace if I don't want to get caught up! ? Francis

It doesn't matter which cab you choose, it's to put your great job on the twin-boom wrecker up front (even if it's in the back...)!!!

That's a good point my friend! Your precious advices aregreatly appreciated by the way, the experience cannot be bought and you keep me in the straight line... between the 2 lines of the quarter mile...! Thanks for the kind words by the way, it's like racing fuel... that makes me think, I will have to make a gas tank... ? Take care, Francis

Thanks for stopping by and your kind words Thomas! Better late than never... Admission is free so come back often, I still have a lot of work to do to finish... Take care, Francis

Hello Mike and thanks for the kind comments! It seems more complicated than it sounds, I machined the steering wheel (spokes) on a round aluminum rod, I then separated the part on the lathe using the cutoff tool. I machined the outer edge of the spokes to fit well inside the plastic steering wheel and glued the aluminum part to it with super glue. Hope it make sense... sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the process, sometimes my head is somewhere else... Take care, Francis