Codi

Brief update. I got the pump body media blasted and some of the fittings going on. Did a quick mock-up, nothings permanently secured yet to check for coloration etc. Tricky part drilling the hole in the shut off valve extension. The brass body that the cable passes through is .5mm. I used Hiroboy spring cable with a .2mm nickel silver piece inserted. I've got some brackets to make and a couple more fitting things to finish then I'll finalize the colors and assemble it. Getting closer though. cheers, tim

Yeah Dave, you're to blame for the madness. Thanks as always for sharing your insights with me too! Brad, as I gather more experience, the more fun it's becoming. Making far fewer mistakes..............not to mean that I'm not making mistakes, I assure you I am. Just fewer of them. YEAH!! Chris, I can't wait to see what you can do in the new couple of years with your mill. No doubt you'll catch onto it quickly, then you'll be hooked for sure. thanks too for the comments. Thank YOU Dave for always stopping by. Well, I'm no plumber and I've come to the conclusion I wouldn't want to be one either. But I did get started on the fuel pump plumbing and after making some good headway the last couple days, I can now envision it a whole lot better. More tedious fittings etc. to add but the pieces I fabricated in brass are a big step to getting this part finished. cheers, tim Gratuitous penny shot

Beautifully executed Tom. That's one to be proud of for sure. cheers, tim

Chris, I go back and check out YOUR Vega all the time. I see details in your pics that I try to capture or I'm reminded to add them when I would have likely overlooked them. You're a great guy and builder Chris and we're all looking forward to more of your creations. Randy, just remember I am the President of the Randy D. fan club so if it's all the same to you, I really have to have something to present at the next fan club meeting and you've not been giving me anything new to discuss or share. hint-hint.......... Today was a productive one. Pump body is pretty much done the aluminum flanges aren't secured just yet as I've still got to media blast the pump. A few pics to share. cheers, tim Here you can see the pump neck and the aluminum flange that the pump attaches to. Nothing has been permanently attached, just 2 mock-up pics. Barrel valve, return line fittings and a few other details to address and this will be done. Cheers!!!

Dave, glad you like it so far. Lets just wait to see how the rest of it goes as I check another one off the list of parts to make soon. Pete & Brad, I can't take credit for that method, it was something I learned from Dave. thanks too! Tim - glad to see you checked it out and I appreciate your comment. Give me another 7 or so months and this one will be done, weather permitting for paint of course. Bob, I can always count on you to count the parts, I never really think about that to be honest as I fab something but it makes me smile when you remind me what's in it. Come the weekend I should have pics of the completed pump and it's valves. Cheers guys!

As always, a thanks for following along and your interest in the thread. I do have to acknowledge that today's efforts were challenging thanks to the small factor of the part. Pete, I completely agree but I do get frustrated at times when I turn my head and then look back and a bunch of super talented builders have completed this, that AND the other thing, while I turn out a little at a time. Today I started the Enderle fuel pump. I wanted to capture the 6 ribs on the body of the pump, mine are .4mm x 1.0mm in length. I drilled holes down through the top and then machined half of it away to expose half of the hole afterwards. Put the brass rod down through the top and soldered them in place. Several flanges to make yet, 1 brass, 2 aluminum for the pump body. Then I'll solder the brass bottom flange onto the pump & media blast it for texture like the Cirello mag body. It will be painted but the aluminum flanges won't. There are a bunch of little bits and pieces to make up this whole thing, I underestimated how much effort it will take to make I think. What else is new right? cheers, tim

Black is tough to get right, those bodies look really sharp. Have you polished them? Nice work. cheers, tim

Nice to see you moving forward with the car Brad. What colors do you have in mind for this one? cheers,tim

Many thanks again fellas. This week was one of those weeks that if I measured the productivity by pieces produced, I'd rate it a 2. I want to thank Dave (comp1839) for sharing his knowledge while answering my questions that at times must seem just stupid. He has incredible patience. I detailed the tank with various fittings such as vent tube, lowered the filler neck, added brackets on the sides to secure it to the chassis with a couple of braces etc. All of that required various tabs and brackets to be fabricated or altered and added to the chassis. While working on the tank I spent some time making about half a dozen important fuel fittings for the car. My intent is to use hard lines for fuel throughout. I had to fab them out of various brass tube, rod and odds and ends. No pics of those yet but just making those took half of my bench time. The Enderle fuel pump is next on the list which I'm going to make of brass primarily and alum. too. If I can pull that piece off, the engine will be basically completed and ready for prep & assembly. cheers, tim

Excellent start to it Jeff. The stance is oh so right. cheers, tim

And this is why you're one of the best. cheers, tim

Just sitting here with my coffee and a big ol' smile this morning Chris. They look fantastic on the car. Cheers, Tim

No problem Hairy, I wasn't aware that Toyota made the Colt, from my research I thought it was made by Mitsubishi and imported by Chrysler in partnership. I learned something new today. Thanks and good luck on your build. Cheers, Tim

Hi Hairy, I searched for info on a Colt body a couple months ago. If you're using the Doyusha Levin body, I was given some help by DaddyFink (Jesse) as he referred this kit to me and he also shared that the scale is off. It's neither 1/24th or 1/25th scale. An odd ball, DaddyFink suggested it's more like 1/22nd scale. After a lot of research on the real car, I believe Jesse had those numbers pegged. I took out 7.0mm down the center to narrow the body and shortened it 8.0mm at the doors (this is where they stretched it to fit the electric motor). The rockers are off too as they're about 4.0mm to long. A bunch more work on it yet to make it work but I was satisfied that the biggest cuts I had to make brought it back into a more realistic scale. It's a good basis to build one from if you can find the kit as it's more than 20 years old. If you have one already, I believe you'll have to scratch-build the frame to make one work. I had purchased some resin bodies but I wasn't satisfied with the quality/accuracy. Good luck, Tim

Pete, you've gotta be kidding me. That's looking very cool already. When you have it to your satisfaction, be sure to share maybe the setup and steps you performed, I'm always interested in learning something. So far as machining or modeling abilities go, I just stare at the engine turning you did on the engine already and just drool. That's why I've been buggin' you to start this thread back up as I know we'll be treated to a whole lot more. Cheers, Sir!

Pete, you mean keep up with Randy, he's in a league all his own. So, a gas cap is useless unless it has a tank to plug. Originally I fabricated a brass tear drop style tank for the build but after doing more than a few mock-ups, I just didn't care for the "cyclops" effect and was concerned that it might take away from the front of the car. So the new design was a traditional radiator grille with a tank built into it. The polished aluminum piece is the tank with a corner radius on the top & sides and front and back. The tank is 5.0mm wide and the grille is 3.4mm. I wanted the tank to protrude front and rear for effect and I thought the radius on the corners would add something too. I didn't have any 3.4mm brass strip so you'll see in the first pick that I machined some to proper width. The top portion of the grill I machined in brass and drilled the hole for the fuel neck. Soldered & cleaned it up up. I'll leave the tank polished aluminum and the grill (in brass) I'll paint to match the body which will be Kandy Red & Gold as per the pics I posted earlier. I think that adding some color to the front end of the chassis will give some "balance" too. So, if anyone has a need for a copper fuel tank, let me know. Cheers, Tim

Thank you everyone. Pete, I tapped / drilled it with 1-72. The tank neck is 3/32" brass as an fyi. Started work on the grille / tank. cheers, tim

Lucky you Brad, we're just going to have to wait patiently for some more of Paul's progress pics but I'm not complaining that's for sure. Nicely done Paul. cheers, tim

Annnnnddddd, another one is off the list. Nice job on those Chris, is there anything you can't draw / print? I'm starting to wonder. Nice to see you back at the bench sir! cheers, tim

Thank you Peter and for following along too. Today I took a little time at the bench and made a functioning gas cap. Don't ask me why cause i have no reason other than I wanted to see if I could. There were 3 pieces I made. The cap itself, the threaded cap neck which I drilled out in the center & soldered it to the cap. Lastly the filler tube was tapped to accept the cap. I'll solder the filler tube into the tank but that's for next week. I added a micro rubber gasket which does a suitable job of replicating a gasket. cheers, Tim

Hi John, it was nice speaking with you yesterday and I just know we'll get a killer update in the next few days. I know you have some more things up your sleeve for this car. cheers, tim

Hi John, it was nice speaking with you yesterday and I just know we'll get a killer update in the next few days. I know you have some more things up your sleeve for this car. cheers, tim

Hello Joe, so whatcha been doin'? It's been 3 weeks now and I was really looking forward to a new posting by now. You know I like those rear engine funny cars and like what you're doing here. How about some new pics man. cheers, tim

Whoa. Thanks to each of you that have, or haven't posted comments on the build but continue following along. Your interest in the car means a lot as your comments make clear how much you appreciate what I'm trying to create with this car. My original goal was to complete it around Labor Day but it's obvious that has slipped by 8 months or so as best as I can figure right now. I'll push towards completion so I can get back on & finish the "Henry" project. Sincerely, Tim

Thanks so much for the positive comments guys. I owe a pic of the small clamping device that I use from time to time to bend certain tubing & rod. They have one for sale on MicroMark as well as Rio Grande Jewelry supply. Prices are around $18. for the cheapest and more than $299. for the best of the rest. I didn't spend even $40. if memory serves. It can expand by using the knob on the side and has steel dowel pins to set the bends wherever you want to. You can even set them up at different angles, you just have to be creative with it. A pic of the brake calipers with a bit of color on them too. The nuts/bolts & fittings will really set them off I believe. cheers, tim