starting 2 new 1/8 builds

[comp1839]

i am staring 2 new 1/8 builds. a twin turbo hemi powered barracuda pro mod and a modern blown brad anderson hemi top alcohol dragster. both cars will require large rear slicks and rear wheels. the size rear tires on the TAD car will be 36-17-16. on the P/M car, it will sport a pair of 34.5-17-16 slicks. the wheels and tires are all hand machined. i've included some in process shots so you can see how much actually goes into making your own parts. the tires start out as raw neoprene round stock 5" in diameter. i band saw them into aprox. 3" widths. i then grind the two sides parallel to each other. since i don't have a hole saw deep enough, i then remove a core by hole sawing from both sides. since the resuls of coming in from both sides is a hole thats not straight, i then take a 2" end mill and bore through the intire tire in one shot. now i have a straight bore and a true center to work from. i install the tire onto an arbor i've made and start bringing the o.d. down to .100" larger than i want, using a long 3/4" end mill. from there, i grind to the correct o.d. while achieving a tire that is concentric to the center bore (wheel bead). in between, to kill the boredom, i also made my wheel sleeves out of 2"o.d.x1"i.d.x 2" long aluminum tubing. i,ve included some step by step pics. next i'll cut the rounded sidewalls and establish the correct tire width. hope you enjoy.

[GrandpaMcGurk]

Hey there Dave, as you know I'm already excited about your Pro-Mod 'Cuda. If I live long enough I've been thinking about doing an early altered wheelbase Cuda "funny car" in 1/8th. I hope you don't mind if peek over your shoulder and pick up a few pointers as you go along. Your builds have really rekindled that old detail to the max spark in me. Thanks bud.

[Kaleb]

Where do you find kits like this?

[arick]

I don't think Dave will mind me stepping in here.

TDR and Dave regularly share information and we've partnered on products that may eventually end up on our catalog. When we took over the Cuda project, it came with a resin body that was a test pull with some issues. Because of our relationship with Dave, we sent him the 8th scale resin Cuda body and its his to play with. I'm not going to let the cat, or in this case the "Cuda", out of the bag, but I can guarantee you that this will be one of the most exciting projects you'll ever see on this site.

Please don't confuse this body with the one that TDR will eventually put on the market. That body will be in fibreglass.

Take it away Dave!

[comp1839]

grandpa, i don't mind some extra eyes looking over my shoulder. glad to hear my builds inspire. feel free to critique my work. i'm always willing to learn.

kaleb.....what kits? this is scratch building extreme. i make almost every concievable part by hand. i hope you aren't detered from trying this. it will test your modelling skills and your sanity. the body for the pro mod cuda build is a TDR '71 cuda resin prototype (these are not yet available to the public, but soon). it will have the rear quarters raised a half inch and the front stretched three quarters of inch. welcome aboard.

thanks rick. i see you aswered just before i did.

Edited April 30, 2010 by comp1839

[Kaleb]

Ah ok, you can count me out for trying lol. Ive laid glass at stereo school for kick panels but nothing like cars. I would love to build one of my own designs but I dont have the shop to do so here. And I dont have the patience to figure out the scale. So ill set back and watch if no one minds

[comp1839]

it can be a daunting task to undertake kaleb.

so back to the tires. after machining the tires parallel, i put a 2" bore in the tire to act as the center axis. i then ground both sets of tires to their proper o.d.'s. (4.50" and 4.312") today i ground all 4 tires to their proep widths. next i added the counter bores that will become the bead of the tire (both sides of the tire and all 4). then we add the insde radius to the wall, then the radius to the outide edge of the wall and for now we're done. later we'll add the depth wear holes and some stencils will let me spray the manufacturer names on them. so after 3 days of working on the rear tires we finally have them. a note if your going to duplicate my efforts. these tires are HEAVY! they are , after all, solid tires. they require a very robust wheel, suspension and chassis combination.

next i'll start on those robust wheels to support these "hotdogs".

Edited May 1, 2010 by comp1839

[comp1839]

i've been playing with the 1/8 'cuda body. i raised the quarter panels a 1/2" and stretched the front 3/4". the sliced a wedge from the lower portion of the car starting at the front. 3/8" from the front to nothing just infront of the rear wheel well. i will probably just use this body for mock up purposes. i had to take a look at it with some wheels and tires to see if it had the right attitude. the engine and turbos are in for approximate placement. hope you enjoy. the last pic is the original car.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839

[GrandpaMcGurk]

The stance and the proportions you've built into the body are sterling Dave. Even as a mock-up the car has some serious attitude. It's going to be a fantastic build.

[comp1839]

o.k. so i started making the wheels for the TAD. they're going to be american racing pro series trakstar w/ beadlocks. i started with the wheel centers. below are some photo's on how it's done. it takes forever for me to type so i'll let the pics do the talking. if you need an explanation, please ask! i'll be happy to esplane.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839

[comp1839]

aaahhhhh. a matching pair.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839

[Modelcarjedi]

i can't wait to see this bad boy in person!

keith

[LDO]

i've been playing with the 1/8 'cuda body...

I like your style, dude.

[comp1839]

now we're gonna make some rims for the wheel centers. the wheels will be 16"x16" beadlocks w/ 4.5" back space and a 5 0n 5" bolt circle. got one done tonight, tomorrow we'll git the other. after that it's onto the bead locks. hope you enjoy!

Edited May 28, 2010 by comp1839

[stump]

######.......Dave, this will be AWESOME !

The body mods alone must have had you tugging out chunks of head hair......? FANtastic work man.

I love the tyres and your way of making them....too neat.

I'm hooked and WILL be following.

[comp1839]

today i had time to make one of the beadlocks for the rear wheels. it will attach to the wheel with JBweld 2 part epoxy and RBmotion bolt pins. while you didn't see it, a corrosponding hole pattern was drilled into the rim. so the bolt pins will actually lineup the beadlock to the rim. now i need to decide on if and what color to anodize the wheel centers and the bead locks. the rims will get polished.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839

[LDO]

Are you using CNC or just old-fashioned experience and math?

[comp1839]

old fashioned experience and math. it's more fun that way.

[LDO]

old fashioned experience and math. it's more fun that way.

That'sa very nice!

[comp1839]

due to a change in plans, i decided to make the same american pro series wheels for the 'cuda as i did for the TAD. so, i made a set of rear and a set of front wheels for the 'cuda. front tires for the 'cuda are the only r/c car parts i use.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839

[Modelcarjedi]

due to a change in plans, i decided to make the same american pro series wheels for the 'cuda as i did for the TAD. so, i made a set of rear and a set of front wheels for the 'cuda. front tires for the 'cuda are the only r/c car parts i use.

boy oh boy those wheels are awsome!!! i just wonder how they'd look on one of my builds hehehehehehehehehheheheheeehehehehhee

[comp1839]

i'll send you some pictures to glue on your wheels, keith. heheh. workin' on the rear for the pro mod barracuda. made some aluminum four link brackets for the TDR 11"modular rear. the kit comes with all this stuff, i chose to make mine from aluminum. the rear wheels and tires on my builds are quite heavy so, a very stout rear assy is required. also made the floater rear hub and brake assy. next the floater end bells.

[GrandpaMcGurk]

I can't help but fast forward in my mind and visualize this car a little further down the road......it's going to be a show stopper for sure.

Just out of curiosity Dave, is this build ultimately headed for a client or your personal collection?

[comp1839]

thanks don. i hope i don't fall short of your expectations. at this point in time, i don't build for anyone but myself. maybe in the future that may change but, for now the pro mod 'cuda is destined for my personal collection. the top alcohol dragster that i'm doing is a gift for a life long friend of mine. he owns a chassis shop (precision chassis) that builds the real deal. he built my a/dragster and all the other cars i've run before i got back into modelling. so, the TA/D model is my way of saying "thanks" for all the ###### i put him through over the years. hehe. and he's put up with way too much of that!!! LOL!!!

[comp1839]

finished the bells and temporarily assembled the rear. hope you enjoy.

Edited May 30, 2010 by comp1839