Scale-Master

As I mentioned when I shared the pictures of the SW design, these will be a combination of machined aluminum and 3D printed masters. These are just for mock up so I don't have to put the machine time in now. Plus if I decide to sell copies, these will work with the kit tires and suspension without the need for the end user to fabricate anything.

I received the first set of wheels that Fraxional grew/printed from the SolidWorks files I made. These are 100% raw as delivered. Rear parts on the left and front parts on the right. They are still on the supports and are slated to be used for mock-up only, but I may finish them just to see how they'll look.

You're welcome Raymond. I've used magnets for quite a while in models, but this one already holds the record for most used in a single project for me.

It used to take me several minutes to assemble or disassemble even a couple of these parts with all the screws I used to get it trued up and properly aligned. Now with the magnets it only takes a few seconds to completely tear down or assemble all this. And the doors operate. Now I think I'll redo the hood the same way

To eliminate the screws that fastened the cowl to a pair of brass brackets anchored to the tub, I removed the brackets and made new parts to hold three magnets on each side. Three more magnets were set in recessed holes in the tub and a brass tube was used to help align the set up. The brass tube may or may not stay… This is the right side just behind the front wheel well.

Thanks! I found the magnets online. The magnetic approach worked so well I went back and re-engineered the side pods to be held in place with only three small screws on the bottom. All the hardware that held the pods to the tub has been replaced with magnets and the screw holes filled in. So before I can finish the doors I need to rework the fastening system for the parts they are mounted to.

Now that the lower parts of the doors work properly and track consistently with the magnets, I converted the hinge mounting system from screws to magnets as well. This way I won't have to worry about damage to the outer surface of the roof when it is reassembled after final painting. The left side hinges were beefed up and drilled for the magnets. The right side ones still have the holes for the screws. The slots for the hinges in the doors were widened to accept the thicker hinges and also drilled to accept the magnets. The door still lines up like before and I can move on to finessing the fit and shape of the body and doors.

Thanks for the kind words guys! It may not look all that different from the last post, but a lot more filling and shaping has been done. The left door has been relocated on the hinges to make the top gap the same as the gap on the right door. Both doors operate smoothly and track quite well, and they have been on and off a few times. I started building up the bottom door sill on the left door to box in the magnets and give it a proper finished look. All the door gaps are starting to become somewhat uniform, but it still needs more work…

Thanks Pete, means a lot coming from you! It is a LOT of work, but it is a rewarding challenge. I added magnets to the doors and inside the side pods. These will end up inside the door sill. The magnets allowed me to solidly and consistently close the doors in the same locations. I did a lot more reshaping and filling and filing. Still plenty more work to do though. But it was also time to check the progress with a coat of primer.

Then I reworked the right side in a similar fashion as the left. It still needs more work too, but not until I get the left door to this stage. But the right side is hinged.

After a lot of reshaping by sanding and adding material I got the left door kind of close to fitting the more complex contours of the cowl and bulkhead. It's just sitting on the body loose.

Finally the roof center section could be cemented in place. Three steel pins help strengthen it.

Before I can make the doors fit I need to put the center section of the roof in, and that part is too weak by itself. So first I added the roll cage side bars. Each side has a 0.062 steel rod for strength.

https://www.sherline.com/sherline-benchtop-precision-lathes/ Far and a way the best web site. Full on custom pulleys and other parts!? Works for me...

The right side door fits better than I expected, but it needs some serious work. The left side door does not fit as well as the right side, so I will start to rework it first.

Don't have to wait too long guys... And thanks! Door hinges "before". The part that clamps the hinges to the roof didn't look strong enough to hold up to the disassembly and reassembly that this project will require so I reinforced it with stainless steel tubes that will accept the spring steel rods.

Thanks John! Not sure I've added much detail yet. Mostly it has been trying to make it fit.

The inner door panels needed a lot of clean-up. This one still needs more… Both inner doors mostly cleaned up and with mounting holes added. I added mounting plates and locking strips to insides of the doors. Dry fitting.

You can try some acetone, but from my experience once it gels it is done. You can use it for filler; make sure you use accelerator though as when it gels it doesn't cure properly and it is more prone to fogging things up.

Thanks Noel, I think it was a really good kit in it's day, but it hasn't kept up with the times. I have no idea about GSL winners until they are announced, but if I get it done in less than three years I'll put in the show. I'll be there either way since I'm supposed to do a seminar on the Gulf Seven. After I made the front wheel, (different offset), I designed the outer rims even though they will made of aluminum on the finished project. This way I can use them for mocking up the car.

Thanks Kurt! It was nice to talk with you and your wife at the GSL.

I designed the wheels for it in SolidWorks. Because seven spokes… They will be a combination of 3D grown masters and machined aluminum parts.

More shimming and shoring up to try to true out the tub and body. I added several support ribs to the tub in the side pods and the rear of the side pods are now anchored to the tub with screws too.

A little sheet styrene and reshaping remedied most of the discrepancy at the cowl/hood panel line.

I procured what I need for the engine block over the weekend, but that facet of the project is not what has my attention at this time. Yes, symmetry is a problem on this one too. I reshaped the fender openings and flares to try to make them more even. The real cars were also hand-built and I've noticed have some issues in common with the kit... I agree on the idea of re-engineering the kits; too costly in all likelihood, but it sure would be cool to have fresh ones that fit like modern kits. There is a possibility of selling some of the parts, it depends on if there is a market for them. For example, I'm working on making new wheels, but they will be a custom variation of the 6 spoke Lola wheels that will use machined aluminum outer rims. Not much use for them without the metal parts and I the price I've have to charge to machine more is not going to be competitive.