olsbooks Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Incredible. And thank you so much for the detail on "this is how I made thus and such". That is such a HUGE help for us wanna-be's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpeterbilt Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Exceptional work. The brass leafs are defintley a step up. Can I ask exactly how you got such a clean bend at the end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Very cool build, and exceptional work thus far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Buckaroo Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 *sigh* Projects like this make me want to go back to building lego's Casey, I am in awe of the work and scratchbuilding you have done on this truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Can I ask exactly how you got such a clean bend at the end? I cold bend the brass strip over/around a piece of brass rod half way, holding one end with a pliers, then close the eye end by carefully bending it the rest of the way. Sometimes I have to cut off a bit of the bent end and re-do it, such as when I bend it too tightly, so there is some trial and error, and it's easier when there's an eye at only one end. Speaking of eyes, I bent the eyes on the front springs, but will have to wait to bend the rear eyes after I've established the rear spring brackets and make the shackles. I cut off the rear spring mounts which I previously attached to the frame, cut them down a bit, and made them the front mounts, using some modified H-beam styrene for the new U-shaped channel support/bracing: I still need to add some bolt detail to the brackets, and/or some flanges, too. I have the spring length set, so next step of to make the rear spring mounts and shackles, then bend the rear spring eyes on the main leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Casey your detailing is absolutely incredible! Excellent work and thanks for the step by step pics and explanations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazefox Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Nice work glas to see this one back up and goin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 Feeling motivated (thanks, Jeff), I got work making the other rear leaf spring, as well as the remaining leaves on the side I previously started. The eye bending went smoothly, so I removed any burrs after trimming each leaf to length, then rounded all the long edges over slightly to ensure there'll be a small shadow between each leaf: Comparison shot of the new brass (missing the lowest/shortest leaf) and old styrene leaf springs: I also removed the molded on spring saddle brackets from the equalizing beams, drilled out the pivot bores at both ends, and test fit some brass tubing in the bores: It's always good to make progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Casey this is one very impressive build you have going. Your detail is great and the step by step instructions are appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Very nice work Casey. Well done on the leafs and walking beams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 This is some really great scratch building. I REALLY like the subject matter. Turbine Stude truck. That's COOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Incredible piece of work.....Very nice.....Just looking at this makes me want to step it up a bit....This is just awesome work..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorincebu Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 A hot concept! And I like the hubless wheels. Be Well Gator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I used white resin to fill in the equalizing beams' recesses a bit, allowing me to cover the two ejector pin marks present in each recess, instead of needing to scrape and sand the marks away. The still-liquid resin is able to flow and seek its own level, and a little bit of surface tension inside the recess was a good thing, too, as the recesses ended up with nice and smooth: I also filed and sanded the brass bushing at both ends of the beams to the correct width, so once the brackets on the axle housings are fine-tuned for width, I'll test fit everything together. The center bushing below has yet to be cut to length: I almost finished the front leaf springs, and luckily both main leaves ended up the same length. Always good when that happens. I added some small brass rod inside each main springs' front eye, loosely bolted both front spring ends in place, then cut and stacked the remaining leaves: I will go back and fine-tune the arch of each leaf, but I was able to drill the holes for the center bolt drilled through each leaf on one side, then re-stack and bolt them all together for a test fit...some tweaking will be necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Impressive work! Thanks for the step by step build. Your brass working skills are amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdnmodman Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Awesome scratch building !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Thanks, guys. Tonight I added the leaf spring shackle brackets to the frame, set the leaf springs in position on the frame to make sure the rear spring eyes were positioned correctly, then checked how much clearance there was between the bottom of the engine and the top of the front beam axle: Not much. I have plenty of clearance, actually, since the height of the shackles wasn't even factored in yet, so no there will be no need to add a clearance bend to the axle. Before I added the rear shackle mounts I had to remove the mid-engine mounts, as they were sitting in the same spot on the frame rails. I will make a semi-circular mid-engine mount similar to the front engine mount, so that should provide mid-engine support and harmonize things a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 Charger Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Casey those springs look fantastic . Your axel is not seated all the way to the springs BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Casey those springs look fantastic . Your axel is not seated all the way to the springs BTW. Thanks, Dave, and you're right about the axle. The two inboard axle locating ribs had yet to be removed when I took the above picture, but they've since been removed. The axle is from the AMT GMC Astro 95 kit, so the width between the spring packs was a bit different compared to the C-series springs/frame. I finally got four shackle pieces made from brass strip, and repositioned the rear shackle mounts on the frame for the third time: I decided to remove the axle housing-to-equalizing beam tabs, as the mounting/pivot holes were huge, and the plastic was very fragile and thin. I will use some metal, bend it and shape it, then use epoxy to permanently attach it to the axle housing. That will give everything a lot more strength and ensure nothing breaks should the suspension ever move through it's full range. I also found some .010" clear packaging "window" material which I'm going to use for the door and side window "glass," so that should add a few more months of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Fantastic detail work Casey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckabilly Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 This is really awesome. Very nice work on improving the looks of the model. Some useful ideas there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Thanks, guys. I ordered some p/e frets from Dirt Modeler with the hope that some of the brackets would replace the now-removed molded in axle housing brackets, and it turns out some of the Lenco trans mount brackets were a near perfect fit. Plus, the brackets already have a perfectly sized and centered hole pre-drilled for the mounting bolt, making assembly much easier, too: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpeterbilt Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truckabilly Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucker Al Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I am truly amazed by this build! i want to see more!! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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