W-409 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 This is going to look really good, as the other Austin did. Great paintjob and those tires and wheels are just perfect. I like the detailing on this, and grille looks very good. I'd like to see it with V8 engine maybe, but that's not bad choice either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Either way I dig it! But I understand your dilemma. What I have experienced on my stuff, is simpler is better. If you add that beautiful moon tank, I am looking forward to seeing how you mounted it. I am working on a 32, and no matter what I do, the tank doesnt look right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 > a 32, and no matter what I do, the tank doesnt look right. yeah thats pretty much what i was trying to mimic, the look of a 32 ford with the tank stuck out front. in fact at one time i was considering slicing and dicing a vickie grille shell until i realized it would be pretty hard to do that to a photoetch grille! and hey Niko, thanks for the compliments, esp on the paint but unfortunately the camera is hiding a lot of problems in that dept. i really should have stripped it and started again when i got those pools of clear but i had already done that twice so i just didnt have the appetite for it. so it goes i guess...it looks pretty good in the photos but eeeuuccchhhhh in person! one good aspect of that is it has finally caused me to buy a compressor and airbrush and move on up to the eastside. thanks again for looking and the comments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Love seeing this one on the bench, it's making me want to dig out my stalled Datsun variant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 well i promised i wouldnt bore us with this but heres the axle and wheels and grille in the jig, letting the white glue dry. again this little magnetic jig deal is very sweet once you get used to moving those magnets around with some finesse: but heres the beef: looks very nice from that angle but the front axle and wheels are sitting too far forward as this photo shows: on the other hand, it kind of has that classic Lotus Seven stance with the wheels kicked out in front of the fenders. it actually has grown on me over looking at these pics and at the model itself. the axle and grille could still move back just a bit... one thing i do notice though is the track is too wide still, and i am not sure where i can save any more width. its already tiny as it is and the backs of the wheels dont have much left to grind off. and looking down between the radiator blank and the motor front, theres plenty of room to move the axle and rad shell back if i grind a bit off the front tubing. that would also let the wheels sit up higher in the fenders if i tuck in the width a bit, and that would lower the front down a little more and might make it look even more mean. overall i think its lookin pretty aggressive right now but hopefully some tweaks will sharpen it up a little more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 well i managed to move the front axle, wheels and grille shell back about a scale 3" and narrow the track a scale 1" or so, and its looking much better...though as mentioned that sticking out lower jaw (wheels) look was growing on me. this is much more balanced though. i slanted the wheels in at the top to reduce the track (is that called camber?) and it makes the front end look more "loaded" with weight as well as having the tire tops tuck into the fenders a bit more than before. and i noticed that the grille shell is indeed way off the ground as it sits on the axle. i originally envisioned it lowered right to the ground but now i dont think so, plus the moon tank will have some room down there so it is back in the running after me pretty much deciding to save it for another project.. i am currently attempting a quick polish on the embarrassingly bad paint job (maybe you CAN polish a toid!) and then am going to do some detailing with flat black and chrome silver and at some point here start with the final assembly...which will include building a driveshaft, exhaust system, headlamps and some other kool stuff. comments welcome and encouraged; dont let that big bad notice at the top of the forum scare ya! and heres a general shot of pieces laying around; how many unresolved "on the workbench" threads can you spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadkill2525 Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Surfite, Ghia, Autsin, Offy, maybe brakes rom the Jag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 man, tough audience tonite! thats some excellent spotting mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I don't know how it is that I'm just now seeing this for the first time. That thing is awesome Bill! I love it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 (edited) alright everything has been pretty much test fitted for final assembly (oh yeah...lets see how that works out!) and i just got done gluing on the doors, dashboard and firewall after detailing them a bit more. i forgot to do it before mounting so i will dab some chrome paint on the door handles and hinges. and those doors sure fit less than tight, probably exactly like a real one would, but i will see if i can seal them up a bit with something (future?). this paint is really a disgrace, seriously, though you cannot see it too much in the photos. i really wish i had used a more opaque color than this yellow as all the panels look different even though i tried to paint them evenly, and there are little wrinkle spots here and there where the clear pooled up and its just a mess! maybe by the time im done i will do some extreme weathering on it to hide the defects but thats really kinda poor form. oh well i think the idea is good and its turning out alright but im sure not gonna consider it a candidate for best paint or anything! anyway check it out, and as always comments or barbs cheerfully acknowledged! firewall, note the turned aluminum coil, but this will be 90% hidden behind the massive (!) mill: dashboard, fire extinguisher, gaps in door and all! closer shot of dashboard and interior...i can feel the wind coming through those door gaps just looking at it! thing is, the outside and top side fit of both doors is pretty acceptable and its really just from the interior side that they seem gappy. won't be long now: clamshell motor between body and chassis, glue down, attach driveshaft (polished aluminum tube with expansion joint), make up exhaust system, attach front axle and grille shell and build front running gear. piece of cake. stay tuned! Edited November 30, 2011 by jbwelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MachinistMark Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 this, is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 You going to finish it already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse D Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Man that Austin is a beast!! I gotta stalled Healey gasser that I'm attempting to make look as sick as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 >You going to finish it already? that, my friend, remains the question of the year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 ok a little bit more progress, actually i am about to epoxy the front axle on and then the grille and then do some detailing and fiddling and call this mess done. the more i look at it the less enthusiastic i am about it, to be honest. but i am fighting hard to get it done and off the bench! the problem is the front tires/wheels are too high profile to let the front end sit down any further than it is. oh well, anyhow, moving on... a first attempt at an exhaust system, when i couldnt find my solder and all problems started looking like a nail: but that wasnt looking good so next day i managed to find my big solder and make a nicer looking pipe. was thinking about putting a turned aluminum muffler on there but there just wasnt enough room. those gaps on the bottom of the doors arent really that bad (yes, they are that bad): onward and upward and hopefully not into the wastebasket. sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymcminn Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I know how it is with those projects that fight you all the way- you're doing a great job on the kind of project that would send most modelers running away! (I should know- I contemplated putting an Offy engine into one of these for about ten minutes before I got a splitting headache and had to lie down) We're all pulling for you to get this one done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Go Bill Go!!! You got this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 another progress report and the end is near! added some radius rods and other steering equipment to the front end: look pretty kool peeking out from under there: i think the moon tank has won out...bent the top supports together a bit to make them fit in the radiator shell and will build some bottom braces...this arrangement tucks it in closer to the shell and not so sticking out looking: one more shot and on to the windshield...i have had the grille shell glued on twice now and neither time took...i hope its not trying to tell me something (besides i need to mount the tank!). in this shot you can also see the fender brace bar i have fabricated to replace the headlamps...if you are in california the VC says (or said anyway...) that you had to have headlamps...it didnt say you had to have them MOUNTED on the car, except at night. a fact frequently taken advantage of by dry lakes racers etc down at the drive in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 ok one more update and time for bed...and this one isnt all that exciting to tell the truth but it does illustrate what you can come up with in a pinch... didnt know what i was going to do with the windshield...for sure it was way too high and ugly to use: here it is fitted together...note the cool wiper motor molded to the upper part of the clear glass: hey...i wonder if i could move the windshield up in the frame and use the bottom body-contoured part up in the top part where the windshield wiper is molded in? wow! looks pretty good with the wiper motor and rear view mirror in place! alright folks off to bed now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Wiper blade might be a tick too long now, but the windsheild looks awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 Baaaahh.....it'll work. It's just a model car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 yes i agree with both of you...the wiper is too long and its just a model! that said thanks for pointing it out, hadnt really noticed it before and i will probably trim it back a bit...sure wish i had noticed that before i glued in the windshield! by the way that ink smear looking mess on the left side of the windscreen is more a lens effect than in real life. anyway heres how the grille shell and tank look on the front. i was just posing it here, will glue it down tomorrow and then make some supports for the bottom to anchor to the axle. i also think i should make a brass rod "V" radiator support back to the firewall. at this rate it will never get done! thanks again everyone for looking...i promise to move on to the surfite and karmann ghia soon, yeah, real soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 at this rate it will never get done! It has to! It looks too cool to not finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romell R Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Very Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 It has to! It looks too cool to not finish! Agreed, and at any rate, it's a lot closer to done and way cooler looking than my Datsun 7, which I haven't so much as looked at for a couple of months now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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