Codi

Hey Art....big thanks for your comment. Greatly appreciated. I got the anti-roll bar completed. Only took me 30 minutes to machine the twin. They match perfectly (to my eye anyways) Couple of bolts and they're done. The most time consuming part in completing them was slicing the ends for the RB Motion rod end to slide into so I can bolt them up using .5mm nuts/bolts. Cheers, Tim

Brad, I'm using 7075 and 6061. This part was 7075. I have learned that if your drawings are solid and the setup of your machine is accurate, then you can pull tolerances that simply amaze. And the more talent you have, the better (see Comp1839) . Oh, and Dave taught me how important it is to have your pen and tablet ready and to take down notes and calculations during the entire process. Thank goodness I did that when making this little guy, otherwise it would be next to impossible to make another. I'm fairly confident that I can get the 2nd one done fairly quickly and finish them both off with a few minor details and clean-up. Thank you for the compliment too! Scott, you're correct about the duplication process and metal v. plastic. But the mill gives you the opportunity to make truly matching parts that you'll rarely ever achieve doing them by hand/eye alone. I'm enjoying the learning curve in machining as I can see for myself that the more you do it, the better it gets. When I look at Clay's engine blocks and heads or Dave's entire builds it is truly something to marvel at what they can achieve with a lathe and mill. Which is just about anything. And yes, it is tiny. Took me a few hours afterwards for my eyes to re-adjust. Thank you Mike. Tyrone, appreciate your following along and YOUR comments. Your builds are always cleanly executed and anyone can see your progression on each build as you get better and better. Painting doesn't go down quick and easy for me it seems and requires a bunch of polishing to get finishes like you got on the Camaro. Especially in black. Again, thanks. Joe, I applied to Rolex but all they wanted me to make was sillly watches so I declined. Allen, thank you as well. Cheers fellas and I'll post a pic later today of the "twins" if all goes as planned. Tim

Got 1 of the anti-roll bar brackets done. It's 8.3mm long. 3.2mm at its widest point. I was pleased that I could machine the small "chamfer" (it's 2.4mm in length at a depth of .40mm) down the middle between the large hole you see and the mark for the small hole that I've yet to drill on the narrow end. Have to round the edges and drill for the bolt in the end that secures it to the actual bar. Oh, and make another one that matches. Learned ALOT today in machining this little bugger. I had a great starting point with info that Dave shared with me again. When working this small though, I did have to make some small adjustments along the way. But I won't complain as I do like it. Comments welcome as always. Cheers, Tim

Really taking her shape now Bill. It's a stunning car to say the least. Cheers, Tim

Nice update Art. That rear body panel sure looks different when the paints stripped off. And it's nice to see I'm not the only one who is so "liberal" with bondo. Cheers to you. Tim

Derrick, Randy, Scott and Martin.....appreciate the sentiments. Next pics I have will be of the anti-roll bar. I'll share a shot of the "goodies" that will comprise the rear suspension before I begin fabricating the entire thing. Couple of days yet. Cheers, Tim

Michael...glad you like the finish, the photos don't do them justice. I think they actually look better than the pics. Bob....I've given some thought on what I might build next even though I'm a long way from completing this car. 1/12th scale maybe. Thanks for compliment too. Chris, I just checked out your build, sweetness man. And if you're going to take up doll collecting I'll swap some of my daughters for you Army car. Dave, can't thank YOU enough for all of your support. Your comments mean a lot as your a master machinist and I'm such a newbie. I am lucky to have become acquainted and make a new friend. Everytime I start to do something new on the mill, I think of what you're making and doing with your 37' engine. Keeps my perspective on what I'm doing as I think to myself "if Dave can do THAT then surely I can make this." Joe, you're very very generous. I heard an instructor describing an accident to another instructor that a beginning racer had just had. When asked what happened, he simply said "he ran out of talent".....kinda stuck with me as it made the point about knowing ones limitations. Thanks again for following. Gene, thank you as well and for your interest.

Chris.....I hope you're getting as excited as I am about the progress you're making. Those bottles and brackets are SWEET and of course your engine mock-up looks fantastic. You have a keen eye for realism. Your build deserves to be in a museum and is a real tribute to all of drag racing. Cheers, Tim

Well, they're done. Penske dual adjustable shocks with reservoir cylinder. 21 pieces per shock. The coils are from RB Motion and the tab bracket that I soldered to connect the main shock to the reservoir is from DirtModeler. Everything else is scratch. Overall length center to center of the eyelets is 18mm....was targeting 16 but didn't get there. The piston bodies are threaded and the collars at the bottom are tapped. So they function as well. The top collars I machined from 5/32" brass rod. Learned some new things on using ball end mills which will come in handy in the near term. The dimensions are VERY close to accurate to the real thing. As good as I could get them. Next is the anti-roll bar. Cheers everyone and thanks in advance for checking in on my progress. Tim The first pick is of the original shock I was planning on using. The new ones....the polished brass bodies btw replicate the finish VERY nicely to the Penske images I pulled from the web. The threaded collars as a point of reference are 1.2mm in thickness as is the top cap to the shock. I didn't dare to try to go smaller....I'd have run out of talent.

Hmmmm, let me see....no.......uh........nope.......can't think of anything...............STILL LOVING THIS BUILD AND THE POSTS! Superb craftsmanship Mark. Cheers, Tim

Mike, those are outstanding wheels and will add to what is already a great build..........Tim

Gentlemen, appreciate your comments as always. I've spent a lot of time making all new shocks for the car. I should have them done in a few days. I like what I see so far and its encouraged me to keep chipping away at them even though they're taking longer than I anticipated. A lathe would have been helpful and is one tool that I hope to get later this year. Then I have to make the anti-roll bar and all of the parts (except for the wheelie bars and rear wing bracket) will be at hand. Then I can begin the rear suspension. Finally. Cheers guys. Tim

Just fantastic Randy. I love every bit of it. Thanks for posting. btw, where did you source the brass screen if I may ask? Cheers, Tim

Chris, great job sir and thanks so much on behalf of all builders on the whats and howfors of the Alclad you sprayed. Worth trying the "Teresi" way based upon those results. Cheers, Tim

Totally "nuts" John. (in the best of ways naturally) Cheers, Tim

Great looking build and concept Mike. I especially like your "glass" work and the body. Any more pics or insights on that in particular you might be able to share. I love the shape / design of the body. Cheers, Tim

Scott, thank you and hope you keep following the build. Chris, thanks as well, but I'm not sure what you're going to learn after what I've seen of YOUR build. Randy, appreciated...now where's that update we're all looking for on your GT-40? Matthijs, nice to see someone from the Netherlands following the build. I had the pleasure of visiting your country once and enjoyed it tremendously. And I certainly appreciate your comments too. Michael, on this build when building the chassis, I drew the main parts of the floor and main hoop in advance. Due to the nature of certain components, (inters, firebottles etc. ) some of the portions of the chassis were built around them. The funny cage being one of them, which is why I had a devil of a time getting it right. The front and back-half of the chassis will be built following specific drawings. Mine are somewhat crude but I'm making the effort to improve them as I've come to appreciate more and more their overall importance. Dave(comp1839) does technical drawings that would simply blow your mind but after viewing them, I can't stress enough their help whether making a component or executing the overall build. Doing the drawings can be time consuming, but it does save time later and reduce the amount of re-work from errors down the road. As some famous person once said, "plan your work and work your plan". Cheers, Tim

I can only echo what the others have said and that it is good to see you back on this build. Cheers, Tim

THAT is pretty cool Robert. If ever there was an "old school" gasser stance, I'd say you nailed it. Cheers, Tim

Thanks Tim..for the link AND the pics. Cheers, Tim

Randy, it's been a while...... Tim

Pics of the cage w/headrest brackets and body test fit. So far I'm happy with it. Cheers

Thanks Jeremy and Brad. Please be sure to check out John Teresi's build under the WIP. It's truly amazing what he's doing with a brand new project. Scott, thanks for following the thread....but it's not a B-17 50 cal. I took a 1/24th brass MG-17 barrel, shortened it and drilled out the holes to make it work for the headrest. Sometimes you just have to use what's at hand right? Granted, still took me a couple hours to make what you see. Cheers, Tim

John, you surely have a unique talent. To be able to "see" the vision of what it should be.....even if it was a real car, and then to turn out this much fabrication in such a quick fashion. Just amazing to me. You have a true ability that most of us will never realize or possess. Cheers, Tim

I'm almost done doing the headrests in the cage but thought I'd share the adjustable headrest I made for the car today. Cheers, Tim