Codi

Thanks Pim & Michael. Robert, the engine / trans will be on display outside the chassis.....I want it on full display and the car will be displayed with the front end, doors and trunk lid off as well to show the chassis. Made some progress on the funny cage. The simpe bar you see took a lot of effort so that it was tight to the roof, missed the door glass (at least where it will be eventually) and lined up to the main hoop and had proper location to the trans tunnel....OH, and that the seat would fit in it. I will not admit to how many I made before getting it right as it's embarrassing. This car has an unusual narrow roof with the pronounced curved doors so getting chassis rails to lineup was something else. The seat you see is NOT a dairy cow in disguise. It was a parts box seat that I modified (after a bit of research) to work with the car. I couldn't find any aftermarket seats that would work so......and I did try to make it out of brass but decided to skip it after 90 minutes of messing around and just modified this. I have to cut the seat belt holes in it yet and make all the necessary bracing to support the seat and integrated helmet padding in the cage. The seat is now bondoed and will get a half ounce fiberglass backing once the final shape is done. I want the "texture" of impregnated carbon fibre on the back side and I'll paint it to match unpainted real fiber. The seat surface will be CF decals from scalemotorsports. Considering putting an adjustable headrest in it too but that might be going to far. Well, here ya' go. This next pic is a jewelers saw and a black rubber eraser. I can cut it into very thin slices and I'll glue it to the cage brackets (that I've yet to make) and they'll replicate nicely the padded cage area. You'll see a thin slice in the pic too. I think it will look good when its on. The seat in bondo......which I did get a little carried away with on the bondo.

Thanks for the additional pics Paul. Nice. Tim

Randy, the real sign of genius is making something difficult look simple upon it's execution. Great job. Tim

SUPER nice job Art. Thanks for sharing the updates, they're always appreciated. Tim

Mike - thankyou.....are you getting closer to your building that car we spoke about? Chris - after checking in on your clutch/trans and pedal assembly, I'd say you have elevated builiding to a new level. Your methods in creating parts from plastic are simply ingenious. Joe - That's funny. I was going more for a popcorn maker instead. Thanks too for the comments on the pic quality. Some days are better than others. Dave, Dave, Dave. thanks again for your insights and interest. You've really helped me keep this build as true as possible to the vision I have for it in addition to your help in getting me started in machining. John - I saw the pics of your cars at the recent NNL West show. What a line-up. Your Garlits LSR car is still quite the stunner. (not knocking your other quality builds either) Thanks too for the sentiments. What's next on the bench for you btw? Ray, appreciate your continued interest in Henry and the SLOW progress I'm making. This is going to be a 2016 "under glass" at the rate I'm going. Scott - I might plan a bunch but I assure you there have plenty of re-do's....so the flawless execution you speak of, well, it might have taken countless attempts to get there. I can point to the mid-plate as one recent example. But I surely do appreciate your kind words. Greg - thanks. Today I'll start the funny cage so I can get onto the rear suspension. I'm really looking forward to that particular challenge as I can't wait to see how the rear end looks on the car. And Dave has provided TONS of insights and guidance for me to get it right. There are a couple "fun" pieces that I hope to be able to fabricate that could really add to the overall build. Cheers to all! Tim

Thanks Brent...something more to smile about Scott and Mike...a simple thank you! Here's some pics of the completed tunnel, the components that are getting squeezed into the interior and a quick mock-up of them installed. I did discover that my fire bottles are too tight next to the 1 intercooler pipe. I'll adjust that before I move onto the funny cage. As I figured, it is t-i-g-h-t in the interior. But it'll work. Cheers, Tim

Paul, nice collection. Would love to see more picks of the Riviera though. Very sharp. Cheers, Tim

Thanks fellas again for your interest and comments. Aaron, I completely agree! I took a couple pics of the tunnel which I only have a couple of support rails and the firebottle support bracket to move on to the funny cage. The tunnel main rails are 1/16th, the vertical support rails are 3/64" and the diagonal bracing is 1/32". The brass driveshaft tunnel is removeable of course and I shaped it out of brass tube. Each end is a different sized oval shape which was kind of fun to make and form out of one piece. I didn't cut or have to solder it. Cheers, Tim

Pete, That's just awesome. Nice paint AND car. Cheers, Tim

Chris, thank goodness this is a funny car. That way we're assured to see ALL of this sweet build when it's done. Hope I get to see this car someday in person. Cheers, Tim

Nice going Art. Your brass fabbing is just fantastic. I struggle still to get my tinning skills up to your level. You've got it mastered already. I'm hopeful by the time I get Henry done, I'll have the hang of it. Keep this wonderful build going and any insights on your techniques along the way are ALWAYS appreciated! Cheers, Tim

Randy, this post kinda snuck by me. Looks great as always. Don't let up on her. Cheers, Tim

Just a dazzling build. Great extra details that no one would likely consider. It's truly been fun watching this buld as you progress. Cheers, Tim

Very well executed Niko. Your paint turned out fantastic and your engine bay shots show some really nice details that are often overlooked. Cheers, Tim

Thank you Scott. Well, finally made some headway on the tunnel today. Should have it completed in the next day or so. But here's some pics of where it's going. It's finally starting to look like something to me. The plate bolts to the brackets I soldered to the bottom and upper frame rails. Cheers everyone!

Thanks fellas for you compliments. Well, I wasn't happy with that one either. So, new drawings and I made a new plate that I AM finally satisfied with. I'll have the plate and trans tunnel done by the weekend and will post some updates then. Randy, the process sounds simple enough but for me it was time consuming as I'm still a rookie when it comes to machining. The steps: a. Did the rendering at a 10:1 aspect ratio. i.e. for every 1mm I enlarged to drawing to 1cm. b. Made a simple tool to hold the stock and protect the plate/table beneath it. c. Used a rotary table and bolted the stock down and plotted all of the marks with a center drill where the holes were to be drilled and then did so. d. Milled the piece down to a thickness that was very close to the final thickness. e. Used a 1/16" mill end and started from the center of the crank hole and started removing in a circular motion at a depth of.07mm. Moved the mill end outward by .75mm and did the next circle.....and repeat until done. Flip it over and do the same to the other side. f. Put the angle cuts and trim the edges and it's done. Hope that helps. I know you asked how I got the finish on it, but to get to that point, there was a bit more ahead of that step to do it properly. i as I "practiced" making 4 different finishes / methods before taking my original plate and attempted to put it on that piece. After a day of staring at it, I just wasn't thrilled. So that's why I made another one. Cheers! The final one.

Slick Chris. Keep er' going. Cheers, Tim

Pete, I'll bet that paint is spectacular in the sun. How about some outdoor shots? The pair of Willy's really make for a nice photo. Cheers, Tim

Great job John on both. LOVE that drag car. And I'm very very jealous of that nice sunny snow free weather. Cheers, Tim

Great progress Chris. The updates are of your usual high standards. Thanks for sharing them. Tim

The original plate was machined in a horizontal manner....the new one (the old that I re-did) is more like a real car in that the machining was centered off the crank and expands outward towards the plates edges. I like it better and it's time to move on the next part of the build. Cheers.

Kerry, Dave, Mike and Randy....well thanks but I'm going to mill the faces again with a different technique to attempt to get a truer machined pattern. Dave (comp1839) was kind enough to share some insights on how I might improve the finish with some "tweaks' on how I set it up and machine it. So...thanks again but i'll either have something better to share OR, I might just have to make a new one from scratch. That's the learning curve. I'm confident that I can pull it off though. I totally agree wtih Dave that this piece is "front and center" on the car and I should do my best to make it the best that I can. Cheers!

Chris, you'll have to get your mill 1st and then your lathe. Once you get started with, you'll be "hooked". I'm slow now as my learning curve is steep. I spend 80% of my time planninng and prepping to make a part. 20% actual machining. I want to get to where it's the other way around. And thank you too for your note. Emerson, the tools are great but it's best if you have a mentor as you begin too. There are so many things that an experienced machinist knows and can share that will shorten the curve a bit. It's more the knowledge as much as it is the proper equipment I believe. You buy tools, but the knowledge.......hmmmm. Art & John & Jiim, coming from such capable people in your own right, your comments put a big ol' smile on my face. I think you'll like what it looks like when I get the plate tied into the chassis next. I'll post sometime early next week I believe with the results. Then the funny cage is up next followed by the rear suspension!! That'll be a fun one. Cheers everyone!

Chris, Joe and Scott, thanks guys. I couldn't help myself, I got the plate done but I need to shorten it by 1.5mm at the bottom. No biggie but somehow / somewhere I made a mistake when I did my plan. I followed it but it was just wrong by thattttt much. I wanted to try to get a billet look for the finish instead of a smooth as glass appearance. The plate IS smooth as glass of course. Next post should be 4 or 5 days with it attached to the chassis as part of the trans tunnel. Cheers

Chris, we get caught up in the details (trees) sometimes....take a minute and look at YOUR pic of the "whole car" and enjoy what you've created for a moment. That's so sharp...............................okay, times up, now get back to work! Tim