Western Star 4900 FA plow truck

[Bren]

On 10/29/2024 at 10:41 AM, BK9300 said:

The 3D club is at UBC - I have to make the digital model in a manner that allows it to be exported to a printable file - never done that before, so new process for me!

Well that’s a surprise! We’re in the same neck of the woods - I had no idea you were a BC’r. If you want me to take a stab at printing your file(s) just let me know…..

[Biggu]

46 minutes ago, Bren said:

Well that’s a surprise! We’re in the same neck of the woods - I had no idea you were a BC’r. If you want me to take a stab at printing your file(s) just let me know…..

The generosity here is off the clock. The exchange of ideas, information and help…… This is so cool. Makes this a nice place to bang out…..

Jeff

[Bren]

1 hour ago, Biggu said:

The generosity here is off the clock. The exchange of ideas, information and help…… This is so cool. Makes this a nice place to bang out…..

Jeff

I totally agree Jeff. I have learned so much from the members here - and can always ask a question. Don’t know about ‘banging’ out though ?

[Biggu]

12 minutes ago, Bren said:

I totally agree Jeff. I have learned so much from the members here - and can always ask a question. Don’t know about ‘banging’ out though ?

FAT fingers STRIKE again !!!?

[BK9300]

2 hours ago, Bren said:

Well that’s a surprise! We’re in the same neck of the woods - I had no idea you were a BC’r. If you want me to take a stab at printing your file(s) just let me know…..

Wow, thanks for your offer - I’ll send you a PM!

[BK9300]

Been a slow week, waiting for decals for the sander.  However, once the decals are here and the sander finished, it needs to get on the truck.  So, I also need to finish up some loose ends underneath the truck and get it up on it's wheels.  Need to mount fuel tank, get fuel lines hooked up to tank, and make a transmission cooler to finish part of the plumbing to the front of the truck.  Out of all that, I decided to attempt the transmission cooler first.

Laying out the pieces of cooling system made to date, to better determine layout for cooler (black rubber is basic size and location of the version of cooler that was on the real truck)

Started cutting cooling vanes from 0.2mm aluminum - a bit thick for scale, but hoping it will look ok

 

Fashioned part of the cooler manifold and one of the mounting blocks to bolt it to rad frame (will have to trim the end of the manifold to size later)

 

Long bench day ahead today!  Made a little jig - cutouts at bottom left will hold vanes in place while I do my best to drill three, 0.7mm holes in each one (going to stack three or four and drill at same time to minimize screw ups in spacing the holes!).  I have two widths of vanes, to hopefully provide a better relief when detailed.

 

A few alternating widths of vanes in place, and one ready to go on - once I get several more on, I will compress them and put a bit of CA glue on from behind, and move on to adding another group

Not sure how it will turn out in the end but giving it a go!  Your thoughts and comments are always welcome.  I'll see how the day goes - maybe more pics later.  Thanks for looking in.

Edited November 14, 2024 by BK9300
typo

[Gary Chastain]

Hoooooly cow, the details just keep coming. Can’t wait to see that finished. 

[Biggu]

I know how it will turn out.................... perfect like the rest of it !! I can't believe you are actually making the cooler from scratch...... I wish I had 1/100th of your skills, Brian.... this is such a fascinating thing to watch......

[BK9300]

Well, good idea - poor execution!  Drilling the little vanes did not go well, overall.  My little jig cutout wasn't the good idea I thought it was, and the drilled hole alignment wasn't acceptable.  Also had trouble with using CA glue to bind together the little bit that I did drill ok.  So, decided to make the vanes out of 0.25 styrene strips that I scraped and sanded to get them a little thinner.  Made another small jig to glue the alternating different size vanes, compacting them in the jig as more were added.  So, some progress today, just not what I had hoped for at the start!

 

Poor job of drilling and hole alignment; CA glue wouldn't hold together the few pieces I did get right.

 

Another jig to align the different length styrene strips in place while gluing them together, along with a bit of compression every so often!

 

Need to clean up between the vanes with a micro saw, drill 6 holes (instead of 120!) to insert the coolant tubes, trim the ends of the coolant manifold to length and add the plumbing fittings to attach the hydraulic lines.

 

Not what I had envisioned achieving today, but it will be acceptable once it is cleaned up, plumbed and painted, then hidden behind the truck's grill!  As always, appreciate you looking in - thanks!

[Biggu]

Incredible !

[BK9300]

7 hours ago, Gary Chastain said:

Hoooooly cow, the details just keep coming. Can’t wait to see that finished. 

 

7 hours ago, Biggu said:

I know how it will turn out.................... perfect like the rest of it !! I can't believe you are actually making the cooler from scratch...... I wish I had 1/100th of your skills, Brian.... this is such a fascinating thing to watch......

 

7 minutes ago, Biggu said:

Incredible !

Didn't get back to your earlier posts - got too wrapped up in figuring out the cooler! (I think the cooler figured me out instead, so had to change direction) - thanks for your comments!

[BK9300]

Not much today - just a quick update on the transmission cooler, before that and the AC condenser get painted and attached to radiator frame - I needed to get the cooler re-built after the initial disappointment yesterday.  Still needs a bit of cleanup then out to the shed for painting.

 

Trans cooler basically built - still a bit of cleanup between the vanes, if possible.  Still two small brackets need to be made to bolt the cooler to the rad frame.  Might bend the corners of a few vanes - managed to do that to a few just from handling the piece while building it!

Mock up of AC condenser and trans cooler in their spots on the rad

 

Painting may need to wait until tomorrow - don't have a colour I thought I had.  Once this assembly is finished, I can paint and add the fan to the engine, mount the rad in the frame, hook up a couple hoses and get on to the fuel tank - lots to do yet!

 

 

Edited November 15, 2024 by BK9300

[Gary Chastain]

Really nice work, great detail as usual 

[vincen47]

Fantastic work on the cooler and condenser. The whole radiator unit is incredible.

Edited November 15, 2024 by vincen47

[BK9300]

35 minutes ago, Gary Chastain said:

Really nice work, great detail as usual 

Thanks very much, Gary - the cooler sure has been a tester!

[BK9300]

25 minutes ago, vincen47 said:

Fantastic work on the cooler and condenser. The whole radiator unit is incredible.

Thanks for having a look, Victor, and I appreciate the compliment!

[Randy D]

Wonderful scratch building on the oil cooler Brian.  As Victor said, that whole rad. unit is so impressive!!!

Randy

[Jürgen M.]

? another original truck Part shrunk down to scale! 

Unbelievable how you guys do that! So fun to watch! 

[BK9300]

14 hours ago, Randy D said:

Wonderful scratch building on the oil cooler Brian.  As Victor said, that whole rad. unit is so impressive!!!

Randy

Appreciate it, Randy, and hope we get to see an update from your bench soon, too!

[BK9300]

6 hours ago, Jürgen M. said:

? another original truck Part shrunk down to scale! 

Unbelievable how you guys do that! So fun to watch! 

Thanks for the kind words, Jürgen!  Will be great to see how your trailer progresses.

[Jürgen M.]

I'll do my best! First the truck will be finished. Still a lot to do on that! 

This AC condenser is one of the things I meant as I was writing in my thread before! Amazing stuff! 

[Rockford]

The amount of work that has gone into this one little component just doesn't bear thinking about. I'm glad you came up with a simpler solution.

[Rockford]

I'm lost for words. 

[Biggu]

3 minutes ago, Rockford said:

I'm lost for words. 

I was too, Steve................. about 7 pages ago !

[BK9300]

1 hour ago, Rockford said:

The amount of work that has gone into this one little component just doesn't bear thinking about. I'm glad you came up with a simpler solution.

Hey Steve - glad you had a look!   Trying to make some things work can be very frustrating; thankfully simpler worked this time.