AmericanMuscleFan

Hello Tim, I was wondering if you were playing a joke on me... They are unthreaded and the manufacturer is T2M. These are getting harder to find as I think the company is no longer in business but I still have some in my precious inventory... You are right about the size of 0.500" but I think maybe 0.4375" or 0.375" would have been even more to scale, but unfortunately I don't have any smaller... They are just glued in place using cyanoacrylate by the way. Take care, Francis

Thanks for the comment Trevor! Thanks Tim! I think 0.07mm would have been a bit too small for my tweezers... (maybe you meant 0.7mm). I used 0.5mm bolts which are inserted directly (glued) into the quick release mechanism. Certainly not to scale, but that's the smallest size I have! ? Take care, Francis

Less than 2 months to build a detailed and tricky model like this is a big achievement Dan! But speaking big and complex thing, you have already proved that you can deliver... The RAM looks awesome and it was a good "how to" for everyone who bought this kit, thanks for my friend!!! ?

Hello everyone, Today's update covers other parts of the cabin interior. I really like the well-detailed cabin interiors despite being one of the part of the build that I like the least to do, but I have to force myself to do a little more than usual since the doors will be functional and the components more visible than on my previous models. There are still a few minor details that will be added during final assembly, but you'll get a good idea of where I'm headed with all of this. I have not yet added the shift light to the RPM as pointed out by my good friend Claude T so I will check later if I decided to invest more time on that part even if it's not a complex modification. I might need to adjust the length of the steering column, but it's just a piece of aluminum rod, so not very difficult to do. Next, I'll be working on the dashboard components including the gauges faces and the knobs, so hopefully I'll be back soon with some photos with all the details completed. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Take care of yourself and good build everyone, not much else to do these days anyway... Francis Steering column bracket on the milling table, the smallest hole is used to pass the wires behind the dashboard. Steering column bracket completed. A quick test fit, it will be mounted under the dash with 2 small brass bolts. Some of the steering wheel components in progress including the quick release mechanism. The center of the steering wheel (rays) has been machined on the milling. The steering wheel (donut) was made with a slice of 0.500 "Evergreen styrene tubing to which I glued a 0.040" half-round strip on the outer edge. I rounded the inside with sand paper, the final size is 13,000 "at full scale. I added 0.010" styrene strips to emulate the padding over the aluminum rays. Quick release mechanism anodized in red for contrast and stay in the concept... Quick test, I temporarily installed the RPM to check what it might look like. Closer view, the line lock button will be painted in red or course as it is not finally installed. The steering wheel is permanently mounted on the quick release mechanism with 5 brass bolts.

WOW! Great things are happening here Mike! The use of a coat hanger to make the frame parts at the exact scale is clever! Thanks for sharing, I can take no limit of this kind of trick and moreover, it's free... that's all the real deal! Exquisite!!! ?

Talk about it well or talk badly about it but talk about it as the expression says... but I still prefer the first option to the second if you know what I mean... To me, your tricycle looks more like a 3-wheel Harley Davidson my friend!!! ? Take care, Francis

Hey Joe! I am glad to see you back buddy! I don't think it's genius but it was just an opportunity to take advantage of the high end devices I was working with at the time. I would like to have them still at my disposal today... The rest of the RPM elements seem more difficult to do than they actually were... Take care, Francis

I really love your welding technique Mike, simple and clever... the proof is in the pudding as they say! As for the resistance welding unit, I can't contradict you, they are very very expensive but I was lucky enough to win an online auction with all accessories included for a fraction of the retail price. I think I was patient and at the right place at the right time, patience is an essential virtue anyway with this hobby... what do you think? Everything arrives at the point who knows how to wait as the expression says and I think that this quality inhabits you my friend! Exquisite as you say so well!!! ?

Great job Steve! I think you are on the right track for one of your best cabin interior jobs my friend. All these details add up and are proof of your efforts to reach your goal! I like the cup holders, they definitely give a more modern look. It's not easy to find covering material that can do the job at this scale and decals are often the best option. Good job on the seats base too! ?

Very cool project! We don't see this Javelin body style very often and your inspiration subject really does look very aggressive! I will definitely come and see your progress because I really like out of the ordinary subjects and yours is a good example!

Thanks for the kind comments Charlie! I do not see my methods as ingenious but quite simply unusual, because they would undoubtedly question an experienced machinist! When you have no training in the field, you often have to improvise and draw from the depths of your resources... Take care, Francis

I am glad to see you back on the bench Roger! Very cool project, I love these 55 Nomads and it looks like you did another great paint job my friend! Hope you get rid of this BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH virus ASAP!!!

But what's going on here! I go to work for 3 days and my good friends meet to have a discussion on my building methods... Don't look too far guys, you all set the bar so high that I have no other option but to always do more to stay interesting. I'm running out of ideas but I'm going to force myself... Thanks to all of you my friends, you are an invaluable source of motivation! More to come soon and take care of yourself, Francis ?

That's a great start Marcos, the Mustang already looks mean and fast! It already smells like burnt rubber!!! ?

Hey Mike! I am so happy to see you back on the forum with another of your great projects! These FED are so cool and I see that you still have the magic touch with brass! I will surely watch your welding work, I was strongly encouraged by one of our mutual friends to use brass most often possible and I think he is right! I already learned something because your thing with magnets to hold the parts to be welded in place is very simple and smart. You make me smile too my friend and it's so important lately... ?

Thanks again to stopping by Claude! Funny you pointed this out (actually not really because of your eagle eyes ...) but right after uploading the photos I realized I forgot to add this feature... Maybe I'll correct the situation... Speaking of thread, you should know that Imperial is the only way to go for those old American vehicles... My lathe and my milling are configured in imperial gradation by the way! ? Hope to see you this year my friend!

You did a great job with the 4 speed Muncie and shifter hardware Lorne! It's hard not to like a 3-pedal truck!!! ?

Thanks for the comment Ray! Thanks for stopping by Russell! I am happy to know that my excess of technical information is understood by some of my colleagues... I no longer work in this field now so I no longer have access to this equipment. Fortunately, I was able to reproduce the dashboards of some of the models I have made in the past in the same way. Thanks Ian, I really appreciate your support!

Hello everyone! The holidays are now over and I will be back at work on Wednesday so I am updating the thread with another small interior component that I recently completed. I have also made progress on other parts that are not fully completed so I will upload the pics next weekend when it's done. I was hoping to make more progress but the temperature was very pleasant outside and I took the opportunity to snowshoe with friends while keeping the social distancing of 2 meters of course!!! I hope to have a lot more to offer you in the coming weeks. Take care, Francis The face of the RPM was drawn in Adobe Illustrator and printed on negative film at 3000 dpi with an AGFA Accuset imagesetter when I was working as a graphic designer. RPM mounting base on the milling chuck. The strap has been made with 0.006" aluminum. Different view, the brass bolt is from Scale Hardware. The needle and red zone has been painted from behind. I forgot to take a picture but the RPM housing was machined from aluminum and equals 5,000 "to scale. It will be mounted on the steering column if space allows.

It's a great build Marcos! I can see the influence of Del Paone in this little muscle car of which he was a real fanatic of this kind of build. I met him a few times here in Quebec at miniature car shows and I can say he was a great guy! Well done sir, you can be proud of it!!! ?

Thanks Randy, I contacted them as you suggested and got a very quick response. Unparalleled customer service from them, it's a real pleasure to do business with people like them, I can't wait to see the quality of their product! By teaming up with you, they made a good choice sir... ??

Great job Pat, everything looks very accurate and well made so far. Jamie Davis from Highway thru Hell is definitely going to want to add your tow truck to his collection, he can't resist those old "big iron". ?

The big deal... yet another device to add to my arsenal... I will have to expand my workspace... It's a great job by the way!

Great stuff here Ian, nice attention to detail, your fabrication is first class! ?

Very cool weathering finish, very convincing! I would like to be brave enough to embark on this process...