Chariots of Fire Posted December 3, 2023 Author Share Posted December 3, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, tomsheehy said: Quite impressive Mr. Rowley. I'll be following along. Mr. Sheehy!😁 Glad to hear from you. Hope all is well. Any progress on your IH?? Or was it a Dodge? Memory fails me!! Here are some updates of progress as of today. The interior door panels have been finished and the interior tub has been painted. Some of the detailing there is done but there's lots to go. The "glass" can be removed for painting by sliding them out of the bottom of the door. The windows can be left open, partially open or closed all the way. The windshield was vacu-formed but I need some advice on how to keep the PETG clear. It seems to haze up some and cannot be polished out. Could it be that the buck I made is not smooth enough? Edited December 3, 2023 by Chariots of Fire 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hct728(Bob) Posted December 3, 2023 Share Posted December 3, 2023 Clever trick for mounting the door windows, adjustable even! What's next, window winders, LOL They says Future's the thing for making widows disappear so it's worth a try. I heard PetG was the best plastic but new shirt collar plastic always seemed to work out better for me, with gentle spot heating with a heat gun over a metal cylinder for a simple bend rather than vacuforming and full heat, the plastic gets too hot and starts to flow and conform to the buck's imperfections, maybe it needs a mirror finish Very nice to see such progress, a fast pace with no sacrifice in quality! No big mistakes and do-overs like some of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 4, 2023 Author Share Posted December 4, 2023 I've used that shirt collar plastic before and you are right! It works! Haven't bought a new shirt in a long time. Do they still use the plastic??😆 Here's an update on how the doors were constructed. First the 0.016" brass sheet. Then 0.040x0.10 strip stock around the edges. Then 0.020x0.060 strip stock on top of that leaving a ledge inside for the clear plastic to sit on. Last the full sheet to make up the inside panel of the door. Holes for the door latches were opened in the brass but I had to cut away the back panel in order to use files to clean up the holes. The plastic panels were then filled in and sanded smooth. The last photo shows the door in the clamp and the slot that the clear stock slides into from the bottom of the door. The piece of strip stock at the bottom of the window opening is 0.040x0.100 without the edging. The rear doors have a permanent piece of clear above the strip that runs from side to side. The opening portion of the window ends there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergey Posted December 7, 2023 Share Posted December 7, 2023 Well done, Charles! I'm impressed every time with how you make unique models from scratch. By the way: where are those dash board panels came from? I'm asking because I have to make the same thing for my Ironhide project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 7, 2023 Author Share Posted December 7, 2023 3 hours ago, Sergey said: Well done, Charles! I'm impressed every time with how you make unique models from scratch. By the way: where are those dash board panels came from? I'm asking because I have to make the same thing for my Ironhide project. They are a mix from various sources. The Trumpeter kit dash was used in part as well as portions of an old resin casting of a computer keyboard. The instrument panel in front of the driver was made from ALPS printed decals and a scratch built surround. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Wow, that's a lot of work, Charles. Always interesting to see how you tackle the various problems. It's shaping up nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 Amazing work as always Charles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 Got a bit of paint on the cab but there are a few small places that need some touchup. I used Duplicolor #398 red and Duplicolor Standard Black over Duplicolor gray primer. I painted the black directly over the red without any problems. The corner at the color line needs a small amount of straightening but that may be taken care of with a separation stripe. Not sure without looking if the actual truck has one. The back of the cab will get a full piece of aluminum embossed foil as a covering. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Mmmmmm. Mmmmasterpiece! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLMFAA1 Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Ok, I need to know the secret to having diamond plate on the edge. Yea Charlie's back to red paint! greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 12, 2023 Author Share Posted December 12, 2023 9 hours ago, GLMFAA1 said: Ok, I need to know the secret to having diamond plate on the edge. Yea Charlie's back to red paint! greg Let me consult mit der elves. Perhaps dey vil share der secret.😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hct728(Bob) Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 Wow, the paintwork really pretties it up! Love the curves on the front, and the diamond plate steps as an accent, very good looking rig so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLMFAA1 Posted December 12, 2023 Share Posted December 12, 2023 6 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said: Let me consult mit der elves. Perhaps dey vil share der secret.😆 I've gotten the secret decoder ring message, I'm so glad your elves have stayed on after I heard Santa's got benefits and a 401 plan😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 Got the elves back to work with a little coaxing but I'm still not happy with some of their stuff. The windshield pieces still bug me as to why I can't seem to get a clear vacu form of it. It has to be the buck not being perfectly smooth as it always tends to be a bit cloudy. The pieces are in place but are removable so I may try again. Interior continues to come along. The doors are nearly done and only need the latches and the new glass sections. Then I can snip off the excess pins in the hinges. Each inside door panel is aluminum. It will get a latch and grab handle before being completed. The right side has a ventilation panel that was made with a piece of sheet aluminum and a decal to represent the openings. The real one is a series of arrow cutouts and the letters XT. This cab is the "Arrow" that Pierce put out a short while ago. It's no longer being made as they have moved on to other designations. One more project to complete the steps on each side. But the interior needs to be set in place first. Also the wheel well surrounds need to be chromed up. The back cab diamond plate panel is now dressed in embossed aluminum foil that was set with 2 part epoxy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLMFAA1 Posted December 16, 2023 Share Posted December 16, 2023 Suggestion for curved window, Take a template of the curve to a grocery store and check out the plastic packages in the bake goods, fruits, veggies or any other items that come in clear vacuum form or blown plastic boxes and get you curve from them. I know the examples shown have ridges but there are smooth side ones. greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 16, 2023 Author Share Posted December 16, 2023 8 hours ago, GLMFAA1 said: Suggestion for curved window, Take a template of the curve to a grocery store and check out the plastic packages in the bake goods, fruits, veggies or any other items that come in clear vacuum form or blown plastic boxes and get you curve from them. I know the examples shown have ridges but there are smooth side ones. greg Thanks for the tip, Greg. Will check it out. I'll take the buck. Clerks will probably wonder what I'm doing!😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanman Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 You make it look easy Charles and we all know it’s anything but that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hct728(Bob) Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 Nice detailing on the vent, and the muffler mounts too. It all looks so good in living colour, with contrasting chrome trim. Just realized how long this chassis is gonna be in these pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 17, 2023 Author Share Posted December 17, 2023 It's loooong for sure! Solved the windshield problem and got the chrome grill surround and headlight bezels done. Casting the lenses now so that I can get them mounted. I spent some time today correcting problems including the removal of the grill to reposition it more centered. Took off the striping also. There is an additional detail that needs to be added to the right side. One step forward, two back for a while now but things are looking better. Guess the elves finally got enough sleep to get them thinking straight again!😏 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 Glad you solved the windshield issue Charles…it would be a shame to have to buy some blueberry scones just for the packaging.😜 Seriously, it is fascinating to watch your builds come together. The amount of work you do to get the details correct and to blend all the different materials together is inspiring to say the least. I obviously miss some of the most fascinating work by not frequenting this big rig section more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 17, 2023 Author Share Posted December 17, 2023 Thanks, Greg (Noblng)! In the process of casting the lenses for the headlights and warning lights. When they are finished and set the lights can be mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cifenet Posted December 18, 2023 Share Posted December 18, 2023 Amazing work here. it has to be labor intense all the way, but the result is already super rewarding for sure. And the doors shut like they meant to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 12/16/2023 at 10:53 PM, Chariots of Fire said: It's loooong for sure! Solved the windshield problem Excellent Charlie! I'm interested. Did you use a food packaging container or figured out what the problem with your buck was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 Hey, Peter! Well I think I solved it. I glued a piece of thin plastic sheet stock onto the surface of the buck. Then I followed up with some very fine sanding and ended with Novus polishing. I think the secret is a very smooth surface in order to get a clear copy. There is also a small window of when the PETG is just right for forming. Too little softening and it does not form all the way. Too much and there is a chance it will bubble. Also if the buck is not absolutely clean of dust or dirt, the copy will pick up every piece. The windshield pieces have now been set and will post some photos soon. They are not perfect but are much better than the previous ones. Working on other parts of the cab that I want to get done first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 The quality of the work in this job is really impressive. Craftsmanship! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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