’72 Dodge Demon Drag Racer 1/25 scale

[BK9300]

Simply beautiful, Francis.  As small as your bottom rod ends must be, do you ever have parts as small as them deform as you separate them from the rod?  I guess your tools must need to be exceptionally sharp at all times!  Wonderful to follow.

[Pierre Rivard]

That suspension is so so good Francis, and functional at 1/25 scale. Put the dime next to it friend, to put it in its proper perspective.

[Straightliner59]

On 12/17/2024 at 11:58 PM, Ian McLaren said:

joints are close to indistructable

What he said!😃

[Straightliner59]

Your front suspension just made me smile!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 12/27/2024 at 12:19 PM, BK9300 said:

Simply beautiful, Francis.  As small as your bottom rod ends must be, do you ever have parts as small as them deform as you separate them from the rod?  I guess your tools must need to be exceptionally sharp at all times!  Wonderful to follow.

Thanks Brian!  Of course, the tools need to be very sharp and using them on non-ferrous materials helps make this last.  Speed and feed are also part of the equation, nothing is more frustrating than ruining a part you spent hours making by rushing to separate it from the rod.

On 12/28/2024 at 7:46 AM, Pierre Rivard said:

That suspension is so so good Francis, and functional at 1/25 scale. Put the dime next to it friend, to put it in its proper perspective.

Thanks Pierre, There is still a lot of work to be done but I will definitely do it when the majority of the parts are ready for pre-assembly testing.

On 12/28/2024 at 11:23 AM, Straightliner59 said:

Your front suspension just made me smile!

Thanks Daniel, you also help to make me smile with your creations my friend. 😊

[Moparman18064]

Awesome, intricate handiwork  Francis! You just keep reaching for the stars, and succeeding. 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

4 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

Awesome, intricate handiwork  Francis! You just keep reaching for the stars, and succeeding. 

Thanks Rich, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it could be even better but it might never end at the same time... 🤔

[GoatGuy]

Awesome work Francis!! I haven’t been on here in a while and need to get caught up. So much good info and inspiration on this forum! Happy New Year!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

11 hours ago, GoatGuy said:

Awesome work Francis!! I haven’t been on here in a while and need to get caught up. So much good info and inspiration on this forum! Happy New Year!

Thanks Dave!  The most interesting remains to be done and I hope that 2025 will be a good year to move this project forward.

Happy New Year!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello and Happy New Year to everyone! 🎉

My short vacation is already over, time to go back to work but I wanted to share this before returning to everyday life.  I made some progress, nothing fancy but I wanted to show it to you because I want to make my wheel hubs differently for this project so I started with the brake rotors because I need them to have a very precise fit. They are pretty simple, one-piece design as they will barely be visible when the wheels are installed to the car.  As with my last builds, the wheels will be bolted and removable, I used small bolts as studs in the disk brake hubs.  The size of the rotors is approximately 11 inches in scale.

See you soon, Francis

Basic machining on the lathe to get started.

Now in the rotary table to make a groove for screwing in the bolts that will act as studs.

Drilling holes for bolts.

Drilling hole for axle.

Back on the lathe to separate the disk from the rod.

Back view.

Front view.

[Straightliner59]

On 12/29/2024 at 9:39 AM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Thanks Brian!  Of course, the tools need to be very sharp and using them on non-ferrous materials helps make this last.  Speed and feed are also part of the equation, nothing is more frustrating than ruining a part you spent hours making by rushing to separate it from the rod.

Thanks Pierre, There is still a lot of work to be done but I will definitely do it when the majority of the parts are ready for pre-assembly testing.

Thanks Daniel, you also help to make me smile with your creations my friend. 😊

I think we've found a nice collection of friends, here, wouldn't you say?

[NerdmanB]

Francis very much enjoy your builds you are so talented. Question what size bolts are you using here ? Happy new year and thanks for all the enjoyment. Brian 

[Musclecarbuilder]

That is amazing! You gonna machine lug nuts for the studs?

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 1/1/2025 at 11:18 PM, Straightliner59 said:

I think we've found a nice collection of friends, here, wouldn't you say?

I can only respond with a broad smile my friend! 😊

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 1/2/2025 at 7:17 PM, NerdmanB said:

Francis very much enjoy your builds you are so talented. Question what size bolts are you using here ? Happy new year and thanks for all the enjoyment. Brian 

14 hours ago, Musclecarbuilder said:

That is amazing! You gonna machine lug nuts for the studs?

Thanks Brian and welcome to my WIP, the bolts are 0.6mm from Scalehardware, they are the smallest they sell with the threaded nuts making the whole thing. I had purchased the socket set before the original owner sold the business (I don't think they are still available), they are essential for handling as they are very small.

Thanks Will, I probably answered your question in the one I did for Brian above.  I have already made the request to Scalehardware and the threading dies are not available for such small bolts and nuts, I don't know how those who make them do it, it takes very specialized equipment!

Francis

[Musclecarbuilder]

Awesome Francis I can't wait to see them!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

16 hours ago, Musclecarbuilder said:

Awesome Francis I can't wait to see them!

Thanks Will, other updates coming soon, the steering components are not the easiest to make and there is little margin for error!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

I finally finished the next pieces of the puzzle... before doing more!!! 😁  Continuing with the fabrication of the front suspension/steering components, I made one of the most critical and difficult parts, I would say, the front spindles.  They are of course made of brass because as they are composed of several parts and cannot be made in a single piece, welding was the best solution for a reliable and precise assembly.  For this project I wanted to make them more realistic in shape and the way the wheels are mounted on the car with a bolt on the axle.  There are a lot of pictures so I will have to upload them in 2 posts. I am attaching the target image I used as a reference, please feel free to ask if you have any specific questions, I won't list all the fabrication details but a picture is worth a thousand words!

Francis

The target.

I started with a brass rod of sufficient diameter on the lathe.

Then on the rotary table on the milling.

Same operation rotated at 180 degrees.

Now at 90 degrees.

Now, I shorten the opposite side.

I could have done it by hand but I rounded the back directly on the milling machine.

Drilling holes for the ball joints that I have made previously.

It's still raw but you can see that I've planned holes to pin the other parts that will be attached to it.

Note: The rest of the photos will be uploaded in a second post, I think that would exceed the limit allowed per post so i will do that tomorrow.

[Moparman18064]

That is a stunning work of art there, Francis. It looks like it will be on wheels soon. Looking forward to more!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

33 minutes ago, Moparman18064 said:

That is a stunning work of art there, Francis. It looks like it will be on wheels soon. Looking forward to more!

Thanks Rich, I will upload the rest of the photos tomorrow morning, I still have to reduce the size because the resolution is too high, I use a digital camera and not my cell phone.

Francis

[Steve H]

It’s always fascinating to check in with your progress Francis. A completely different planet than the one I build models on… Extraordinary stuff. Thanks for sharing. 

[Straightliner59]

I pick up so many machining tips through your threads, Francis! It's been a big help in my inspiration, and in the progression of my skills. Thank you, my friend.

[Pierre Rivard]

Is it me? something wrong here.... yes that dime is really really BIG!

Superlative fabrication. Next, next level stuff.

[BK9300]

Francis, you made mention about an artist - comparatively, then, ‘old world master’ is a fitting description of what we’re seeing here!  Again, such a pleasure to observe (and learn from).

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

As promise, the second part of yesterday evening update.

I'm a bit rushed for time, I have a friend who needs my help this afternoon, I'll get back to you in the evening.

Francis

I drilled a hole in the end of the axle in preparation for adding a threaded brass bolt portion.

I am currently machining the part that will become one of the brake caliper brackets.

Now on the rotary table to create the final shape.

A little bit more progress.

I made a convex shape using a ball nose end mill and drilled a small hole to add a brass pin to increase rigidity and help with alignment.

I realize I forgot to take pictures of some of the items I machined but you get a good idea of the process I think!

Another one!

For those who are just joining, the reference piece that I took as a model is at the beginning of the previous post.

The reason I made the rotor first is because it's easier to adjust the axle size to the rotor hole than the other way around. Hope this makes sense to you?

I can also take exact measurements of the remaining space for the brake calipers (which I will do next). The brass nut will hold the brake rotor in place, the same principle as on the real car.