gasser59

Now that sounds like a cool project Stan. Let me know when you start a thread because I want to follow along on your build. I just bought one of those parts packs T body kits to see if the body would fit this build, but no, its too narrow and the wheel openings are too small. I'll use them on a different altered at a later time. Thanks for the kind words and I'll do just that..."model on!"

Great news Michael. Make sure you get the tip extenders from Zap-A-Gap too. Those are a must to get small amounts of adhesive right where you want it.

In this case Niko, if your car picture was taken in direct sunlight like the girl was, it would look more realistic. You need to match lighting when merging two different pictures. Other than that, I think you would have pulled this off.

Either way, you need a Rockola or Wurlitzer jukebox to set the tone in the waiting area.

Here's a couple of shots of the chassis mocked up at this point. Engine needs a final sanding then ready for paint. Waiting on my blower pulleys to arrive before doing this though. Need to work on fabricating the leaf spring and mounting system soon.

Yes the tubing for the spindle is glued with Zap-A-Gap. I think you're more likely to find Zap-A-Gap at the hobby/craft store than you would at a hardware store but I've never been over the pond so don't know how things like this work. Where do you get your modeling supplies?

Thanks Darryl. Glad you're following along. As mentioned earlier, here's a couple pics of the underside of the knuckle. These really show how clean the stainless steel tubing works out.

Thx Michael. Yea, I've used that stuff before. A little stiff but works great. I really like used printing plates the best. They come in a variety of thicknesses.

OK, spilling the beans Michael. Here's all of the items used on the axle: The rod ends are from RBmotion.com - part number1501 The stainless steel tubing is RB Motion too - part number 1542 The bolts are from ScaleHardware.com - part number THRB-05-S The washers are Scale Hardware items too - part number WASH-05-S The nuts are also Scale Hardware - part number THRN-05-N The aluminum square and round tubing is from the LHS and I imagine its K&S. You'll need to drill out the rod ends a bit with a number 76 (.020) drill bit for the nuts to fit inside them. The straight axle will have a traverse mounted leaf spring over the axle that mounts to the frame hanger once I get one made or source one. I could have sworn that I've seen some photo etch leaf springs online in the past but I'll be darned if I can find them now. Guess I'll have to make my own from either printing plate or sheet aluminum. Let me know what the sales person says when you ask for some Zap-A-Gap. LOL Thanks for the kind words Paul, Gene and Michael. They're really appreciated.

Yes Paul. I'm going to use the one from the Double Dragster kit with rear disc brakes from the Piranha kit.

Thanks Stephen. Been working on the rear axle trying to get a rolling chassis before I call it quits for the day.

I'm back with those promised photos of the functioning front axle. I did this one a bit differently than in the drawing by using R&B stainless steel tubing for the steering arms. They were filed at a slight angle with the side of a cut off wheel on my Dremel Stylus. I 'm so thrilled with how these came out, this is how I'll do these from now on. I'll get a close up picture of the bottom of the knuckle so you can see what I'm referring to. Thanks for your interest and following along. Comments welcome.

Whew. Front axle is done with the exception of the leaf spring which I'll work on tomorrow. Pics in the morning.

I attach the spindle to the knuckle by drilling out the vertical part of the knuckle and use a piece of 0.035 piano wire with the burr still on it and pushed in from the inside of the C of the knuckle. Apply a small amount of Zap-A-Gap. Once dry, I attach a small piece of 1/16th tubing with a small sleeve of 1/8th tubing up against the knuckle for more surface area for the Zap-A-Gap to hold better. Hope this helps.

Hi Michael ~ Thanks for the comment. I've always required working steering on all of my builds and since I like altereds and rails, I've had to make them out of tubing since they show. I used aluminum tubing so I can polish it up to look like chrome. When I built my Altered Ego Fiat, I was asked about the steering so here's the diagram I drew up explaining how I do it. Its fairly detailed and takes some time but really worth it in the end. Ask if you have any questions.

OMG Tom. Those Sun machines are amazing. Big fan of your work.

Oh yeah!! Was wondering when you'd get back to building another dio. Love following your thread and the flow of your imagination. Go man go!!

Man he's in up over the axles. Its gonna take a bit of work to get him out of that!! Nicely done and very convincing.

Now that I've got a set of rear wheels, I just had to set up a rough mock up to see how its looking. The whole chassis will sit taller once the rear axle is mounted and front leaf spring is made and installed. I'm liking how it sits at this point.

Whew, glad for that. LOL

Thanks Chris and Joe. I appreciate it. OK Joe, what about the background? It's my drink coaster and is a marine carpet sample from the orange home center. I wanted something that would contrast the shiny aluminum.

Randy....wherefore art thou....Randy? I think you may be allowing the truck and all of the parts to patina on your shelf but its sat there long enough. Don't even bother to dust it off, just please get back to work on it. Every time I see there's an update to this thread I'm exceedingly hopeful you've provided us with another update and gotten some more work done on your build. Alas, this is not the case. Sigh...

Well, a bit of bench time in and I don't seem to have gotten much accomplished. Started work on the straight axle and one side is complete. The first one is always easier because now I need to match the proportions and dimensions for the other side. Here's a few pictures. Sorry the pics are a bit blurry. This camera doesn't do close ups nearly as well as the last one which quit on me. Thanks for following along. As always, comments welcome.

Looks like I am outvoted but I have to say when I see a side by side comparison, I like the stainless.

OMG - Clay, you're not a mere mortal. Everything is so precise and clean. The cf looks great all shiny and I also like the contrast with the light chassis color. Carry on.