cobraman Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Very nice work Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 11 hours ago, cobraman said: Very nice work Bill. Thanks, Ray. We'll see how far this one gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbtr6 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Bill, Have you had a chance to use any of the burs you got from me? I'd think they'd do well on the die cast as well as plastic. Interested to hear what you think. Perry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Nice work Bill, and progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 6 hours ago, slusher said: Nice work Bill, and progress! Thanks Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 7 hours ago, gbtr6 said: Bill, Have you had a chance to use any of the burs you got from me? I'd think they'd do well on the die cast as well as plastic. Interested to hear what you think. Perry Not yet, as my chuck adapters for the Dremel won't quite handle the shanks on the cutters. But I have some on the way that will. I'm pretty sure the burrs you sent will be exactly what I need to do some mods on the diecast body. I've been using the same tungsten carbide cutters I got over a decade back, on steel, and they're still sharp and effective, almost indestructible if you don't let them get clogged. I expect the dental cutters to be much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 (edited) While I had the little lathe set up, still on higher speed for aluminum, I thought I'd see if I could turn some pulleys. I don't really like most of what's available aftermarket. This was more to see if I could do something acceptable with the cutters I've got on hand. I'm pretty well satisfied. This is a shot of the decklid, closer trimmed, moving along. Body mods beginning, primarily de-chroming, removing the wipers, and reworking the top of the windshield opening to a more correct shape (including re-scribing the rubber surround). I got a little too horsey at the top of the pillar, but that's what they make micro-balloon and epoxy for. This model has its share of shape and proportion inaccuracies, and I could easily get into the usual never-finished mode if I don't keep myself on a short leash. This thing is already WAY beyond the original KISS plan. Lower part of the firewall got gone too, and some inner fender stuff. Engine's coming together. I shortened the bellhousing to look more like a Lakewood scattershield, and fabbed a simple engine plate to go between it and the engine (after thinning the flange on the bellhousing too). Heads have nice molded plug detail, but it's wrong, and is going away. Engine getting acquainted with the chassis for the first time. Engine in the body, and part of the reason I had to remove a chunk of the firewall. There's enough space at the front of the engine for the fan to clear the radiator, just like real. This session's money shot...the engine, bellhousing, and gearbox fit over the crossmember and under the trans tunnel just like I'd hoped. Edited November 4, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Looking good Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 On 11/4/2022 at 8:18 PM, cobraman said: Looking good Bill. Thanks Ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 (edited) Drilled a distributor cap from a NASCAR kit for plug wires. The cap is a fair representation of an MSD crank-triggered unit...not disallowed by the rules as far as I'm aware. A high output, electronically-controlled ignition system is always nice if you can run one, especially if the fuel available on the course might be of uneven quality. Though today's electronics are very robust, if I prepped the car, it would carry spare ignition components, maybe even a point-type advance plate and an old-school coil as a worst-case backup. Front shroud was carefully separated from radiator, and rad cap was removed for ease of painting. The rad core will probably get replaced by something with some detail, but maybe not, as you can't really see it once it's installed. Backing plates were carefully sawed from the spindles to facilitate tuning the ride height in an upcoming step. Thinking and planning ahead makes any project go smoother, and avoids unnecessary re-dos. The molded-in front crossmember started to bug me, so after determining that the '53 crossmember was visually similar, I elected to replace the molded one with one I'd cut from a '53 that's becoming a dry-lakes car. The lower control arm molding will be used as a jig to get the crossmember situated correctly. Making sure everything fits within the body shell right is important, and some meat had to be added to the inner rails so the crossmember would be a snug fit. New crossmember in place, correctly positioned relative to the control arm unit. The top of the control arm unit was shaved slightly to let the crossmember snuggle down a little lower, giving more oil pan clearance. The engine mounts will extend to the rear from the bumps on the crossmember. Next thing to address was to extend the frame rails forward to the same length as on a real '51. The diecast has a separate part that simulates the frame ends, and carries the front bumper, but as we're going to run a skid plate under the oil pan and control arms, no front bumper, but add bullbars, the ends of the frame have to be where they belong. Stepped sections of styrene stock were rough-shaped and heavily glued in place. After initial trimming and shaping of the new frame ends, the frame is beginning to closely resemble the reference shots I've collected. Steering assembly with both backing plates removed shown above. Holes in spindles for stub axles have been filled with round stock, will be re-drilled to establish final ride height. Edited November 11, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Nunes Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 Real nice work thus far on your model, Bill. Having the mechanical knowledge to make the necessary detail changes, and the ability to execute the revisions, is going to help make this project a winner! Joe 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullybeef Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Tidy work Bill, looks like you will have this up on wheels pretty soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calb56 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Looking at all your build threads, including this one your work is phenomenal. I appreciate the obsession for detail. I just wish I had 1/2 of your mechanical understanding and knowledge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 On 11/6/2022 at 6:59 PM, Joe Nunes said: Real nice work thus far on your model, Bill... On 11/7/2022 at 2:07 PM, Bullybeef said: Tidy work Bill... On 11/7/2022 at 2:14 PM, Calb56 said: Looking at all your build threads, including this one your work is phenomenal. I appreciate the obsession for detail... Thanks for your interest and comments, gentlemen. They're much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted November 10, 2022 Share Posted November 10, 2022 Nice work Bill. Everything is coming along great. Dig that deck lid work. I appreciate the effort for authenticity. Very cool project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino246gt Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Very impressive work! I'm watching and enjoying the ride! Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Excellent work Bill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Enjoying a Pro at work 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewetwo Posted November 11, 2022 Share Posted November 11, 2022 Looking great Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Looks great Bill. If I was a gambling man I would have bet against you keeping it simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 On 11/9/2022 at 7:46 PM, Bainford said: Nice work Bill. Everything is coming along great. Dig that deck lid work. I appreciate the effort for authenticity. Very cool project. On 11/11/2022 at 10:33 AM, dino246gt said: Very impressive work! I'm watching and enjoying the ride! Cheers. On 11/11/2022 at 10:43 AM, slusher said: Excellent work Bill! On 11/11/2022 at 10:52 AM, Foxer said: Enjoying a Pro at work 😄 On 11/11/2022 at 11:26 AM, ewetwo said: Looking great Bill. Thanks to all you guys for your interest and comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said: Looks great Bill. If I was a gambling man I would have bet against you keeping it simple. Thanks. I tried. I really really tried. Edited November 12, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy TYPO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 I think ( hope ) you finish this one. It's way cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick L Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Thanks for sharing Bill.👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 13, 2022 Author Share Posted November 13, 2022 22 hours ago, cobraman said: I think ( hope ) you finish this one. It's way cool. Thanks again, Ray. They've kinda extended the deadline past the end of the year, so as I'm not going to do much on any other builds, there's a chance this one will at least get paint, decals, and be sitting on its wheels before I have to pack everything up. I've already got the paint, all the parts and decals, and I'm trying to not get too carried away with much else...though I still need to address some kind of rollover structure. 21 hours ago, Rick L said: Thanks for sharing Bill.👍 Thanks for your interest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Assembled the modded spindles and lower control-arm unit to the chassis, keeping the posable steering setup the diecast came with... ...so I could put her on stands to establish the front ride height (which will be lower than this); note the white dot on the spindle, which is the plug in the original stub axle hole... ...and then mark the position of the new stub axle hole (from the ground) on the uprights (which will be radius of the front tire). Once that's done and the spindles are drilled, with 1/16" brass stub axles inserted, I can put her on her front wheels, then level the butt to match, and figure the rear spring hanger heights. And once that's done, I can work on the body, interior, and chassis separately as time permits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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