comp1839

lookin' good don.

awesome build greg. hope to see some progress soon. are you going to be giving this the same attention to detail as your datsun? just awesome stuff here, keep it up.

great lookin' ride al!!! so.... where ya' gonna hide the 'shine? that sohc is lookin' reallllly nice. very coool!!!!!!!

you are, of course, probably right don. my equipment wasn't purchased to build models. since i've stopped racing for the past few years, model building has helped fill the time void. hence, my veiws and opinions are a little jaded. here's two of my favorite reason's i have the equipment i do.

romell, haven't heard any response. hope i didn't scare you off. LOL. you did say "let's just assume cost is not an issue." there are some nice table top mills you can get for under $1500 and i've seen some lathes for under $1000 that would probably be acceptable to do 1/8 scale work. once again people, realize these are MY choices. i'm sure some of you out there are doing fine with smaller or less expensive units.

don, you're makin' me blush here. that was really, a very nice thing to say. thank you. i'm not sure i deserve it but, it was, really nice. ok. rommell, i'll tell you what i would buy. remember everyone, these are only MY choices. YOUR choices may/will vary with your knowledge, needs and experience. first on the list is a vertical mill (bigger is better). you'll need the basic starter set i.e vice, collets, hold down set, assortment of end mills. i reccomend center cutting end mills when possible, also you'll need an assortment of ball end mills, corner rounding end mills, some tapered end mills, letter-number-fractional drill sizes etc. i would absolutely equip it with a digital readout. later you'll want to get a rotary table (bigger is better) possibly equip it with a bolt on three jaw chuck (bigger is better). you see a common theme here. bigger is better. i often start out with a piece of 4" round bar to make some of my pieces. when you work with larger material you'll need the damping of a big machine or you'll be forever taking little tiny cuts. a larger table top unit would even be good. i wouldn't get one of the little tiny ones on the extruded aluminum bases. it would take forever to do anything of size in one of those. i'm NOT saying there bad. i'm just saying there too small for what i do. if you do you homework, keep your eyes and ears open you can find some terrific deals on a full size vertical mill. $5,000 or so will get you a new enco unit. bridgeports, i think, start in the $10,000+ zone. i'm getting old so they might be higher. so, i'd look for a good used one. you might be able to get one with all the stuff i mentioned for less than a new enco unit. so shop!!!! you really didn't expect this to be a cheap proposition did you? next is a lathe. once again bigger is better. here experience will dictate options. can you run a thread? do you need to do tapers? i'm getting ready to put a digital readout on my lathe. i will always recomend digital readouts. they make life so much easier (not to mention the accuracy thing) my lathe is 13"x36". not huge but it works for me. i'd also get a collet setup. collets run true, chucks don't. so, you might want to get a lathe with quick change chuck option. i also use a quick change tool post. i have dead and live centers for the tail stock and a couple of drill chuck options. yada, yada, yada. you'll need some dial calipers, micrometers, dial indicators, and dial test indicators to start. you gotta measure all this stuff you're making. i should have probably said this earlier. if you have no experience with these machines , i highly reccomend taking some classes or something. it's not just learning how to machine, it's the saftey factor. trust me, these things can kill you in an instant. maiming people is a hobby for these machines. it takes only a second of not concentrating on what your doing and zing ....there goes your finger. i had an aquaintence of mine lose half his scalp when he got his hair caught in the spindle of a vertical mill. so get some training..... some where..... some how. so....there ya go. jump on in the water's fine. LOL!

sjordan2, this would be the dip rommell was refferring to.>>>> varadarajan, on 14 July 2010 - 10:06 PM rommell, i really admire your attitude. you asked what equipment would i suggest for you to start off with. that's a tough one. you need to look at how much can you spend, how much room do you have, what machining abilities do you have now and are you really going to stick with it. don't forget that it's not just the cost of the equipment , it's all the tooling that goes with it. if you are really serious i can make some suggestions. i really enjoy my equipment (although some of it's pretty old) i couldn't get along with out it.

thank you guys. it means alot when friends say good things about something i've made.

finished and delivered. hope you enjoy.

thanks guys! i do hope you hang out here more often. it's lots "o" fun!!

sanity, is something i've never been accused of. thanks for the kind words. if you liked the AA/FA and the nostalgia top fuel dragster, i hope you'll like the top alcohol dragster and the pro mod 'cuda i'm currently working on. now about those shirts........

thanks al. seems to me you come up with some pretty cool stuff yo'self!

al, i start with a 5" diameter piece of neoprene. i square both sides of the piece to the proper width. next i remove most of the center w/ a hole saw. then a 2" cutter to finish the i.d. then do a step cut to make the outside of what would be the tire bead. then a corner rounding bit for the inside radius of the side wall. then i use a corner rounding bit for the outside radius of the sidewall. when you're done.......bam....some big ole' tires. hope this helps.

thanks for the heads up ralph. i thought they kept total idiots off this site.

what's your point?

i'm always trying to build my models as if they were miniature copies of the real thing. not necessarily an existing car but, all the parts and pieces must be as close as i can get them to the "real deal".

got some fuel system work and barrel valve linkage done. hope you enjoy!

looks like you're makin' good progress rick. cage looks really good! great idea with the seats.

your modifications have certainly added to it's realism. keep up the good work.

looks great al!

havin' fun is what it's all about don. i can't wait to see the front wheel go together. oh, and the tag along smoker sounds like the coolest!

i love it kieth. i don't think the shifter knob could be any cooler!

man, that is looking good!!!!!! keep up the good work rick!

hey al! thanks. the hardware is a mixture of precision screw, mcmaster-carr and rb motion.

thanks roy. just for general info. i try not use photographs for dimensions. the material lent to me were blueprints and hand sketches. parallax distorts the dimensiomnal quality of a picture. not that i haven't used a picture in a pinch but, i prefer drawings and prints or the real thing. cato, thank you too. the look i was after was early to mid seventies. the gentleman that lent me the material raced an alcohol funny car called shenandoah. maybe you've heard of him? harry hall is his name. as far as the belt goes. since they're real timing belts, the lettering is free when you buy the belt.