microwheel Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Competed the Cuda Interior this morning. Added the seatbelts and a couple goodies to dress it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFchronos Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Take your time, it's completely understandable. Glad to hear your son is doing better, I hope he has a quick recovery. Amazing work of the under carriage and interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terminator-Fox Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) Wow nice to see you back in the hobby cause you're GOOD! Edited June 18, 2014 by Terminator-Fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I am impressed with this one. Beautiful work. I am glad to hear that your son is coming along fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynoMight Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Absolutely amazing, with the perfect paint, incredible interior, and the cool chassis this will be a neck-breaker at the shows.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haro85 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Very nice build, love the detail. You may have the answer I've been looking for. What did you make your brackets that hold the fuel and brake lines in place out of? They look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Very nice build, love the detail. You may have the answer I've been looking for. What did you make your brackets that hold the fuel and brake lines in place out of? They look good. Hi Kevin, I usually make my tie down brackets out of the the scrap frames from photo etched parts.. the area of any photo etched stuff that holds the parts.. using a pair of spru cutters, I cut the the straight areas that have little to no ticks left from holding the photo etched parts.. then I cut them to what ever length I need them to be and to get them into shap I carefully lay them over a straight pin and using a pair of hook tipped tweezers I bend them over the straight pin with it laying flat on my work table.. this makes the sides and the curve over the pin gives the shape needed for the wire Im tying down. And give you self plenty of extra if you can cuz you will loose a few in the process.. and if you dont have one... get yourself a good table top based lighted magifier. You'll be glad you did. To make the holes on each side.. if you want them.. I usually just dip a tooth pick in flat black paint and touch the sides with it after I have it glued in place.. to glue them down use either 2 part 5 minute epoxy glue (my preference).. or clear laquar paint. If I have time before the end of this build.. I will try to take a few pics of the process if it will help.. since I have to make a few more for this build as I go. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Take your time, it's completely understandable. Glad to hear your son is doing better, I hope he has a quick recovery. Amazing work of the under carriage and interior. Thanks, the wife and I were at the hospital most of the evening with him today, he is doing alot better.. he is still not eating even though he can, he is afraid the food will make him hurt.. The doctor told us today that if he would start eating and had a couple bowl movements.. they would consider releasing him to go home.. But it may still be a couple days yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Wow nice to see you back in the hobby cause you're GOOD! Thanks Steve, I still have a lot of rust to shake off.. I was building alot back in the 80's and 90's, and even did some work with Boyd Coddington on paint color research back then when he would sometimes come here to Michigan. I attended alot of shows and contests around Michigan, Ohio and a few on the east coast (mainly New Jersey & Delaware) back then. Then one day I just decided I was burnt out and sold everything and got away from the hobby. I never realized how much I missed it until my current wife asked me to build a kit for her. This was just a little over a year ago. I have built around 7 cars so far since then, and with each one, a little but more of what I used to do starts coming back to me. That, and it's taking time to rebuild my stock of supplies and tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 WOW!!!!!! Very impressive.!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haro85 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Hi Kevin, I usually make my tie down brackets out of the the scrap frames from photo etched parts.. the area of any photo etched stuff that holds the parts.. using a pair of spru cutters, I cut the the straight areas that have little to no ticks left from holding the photo etched parts.. then I cut them to what ever length I need them to be and to get them into shap I carefully lay them over a straight pin and using a pair of hook tipped tweezers I bend them over the straight pin with it laying flat on my work table.. this makes the sides and the curve over the pin gives the shape needed for the wire Im tying down. And give you self plenty of extra if you can cuz you will loose a few in the process.. and if you dont have one... get yourself a good table top based lighted magifier. You'll be glad you did. To make the holes on each side.. if you want them.. I usually just dip a tooth pick in flat black paint and touch the sides with it after I have it glued in place.. to glue them down use either 2 part 5 minute epoxy glue (my preference).. or clear laquar paint. If I have time before the end of this build.. I will try to take a few pics of the process if it will help.. since I have to make a few more for this build as I go. Jim Thanks for the tips Jim. I'll have to give your technique a try, it looks really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalmad Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Awesome detail work on the brake & ebrake lines ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Good to hear good news on your son. Excellent progress and detail on your chassis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Thanks everyone, Sorry its been a while since my last update. We had a busy weekend so not alot of time to work on the cuda. I did manage to start working on the front suspension and front brake lines, and will post pics of the progress with it soon. I wanted to post some info for those that have asked about how I make my brake and fuel line tie down brakets. Please bare with me as I go and excuse the pic quality at times. In the first pic you will see the tools and materials I use to make my brackets with. I like to use the frames of leftover photo etched stuff for the raw material, however you LHS usually carries thin brass sheet that can be cut into stips narrow enough to use for brakets as well. Whats Needed: A good sharp pair of sprue cutters to cut the material to a close length. A straight pin to shape the material A good pair of curved tipped jewlers tweezers In this next picture you can see where I have cut a pice of the photo etched frame to use for the braket I am making Next using the tweezers carefully lay the strip over the straight pin. Be carefull! these things like to take off and fly on you! lol, I have lost a few on the floor at this point. Next, Once again be very carefull and patient, using the tweezers, and keeping everything on a flat hard surface, gently bend the strip over the straight pin. What you will end up with is something like this in the pic below. If you want a bracket that just lays over the line, you can use it at this point. Just use a little 5 minute epoxy to glue it to the line and area where you want it to be on the model. If you used a little too much material and the sides are too long, just trime the sides with the sprue cutter to length. If you want a tie down strap type bracket, just continue to wrap the material around the straight pin as seen in the pictures below and then slide them onto your fuel or brake line before fixing the lines into place. Then, once again gule them into place using 5 minute epoxy or clear laquar paint. And paint them if desired. And that's pretty much how I make my fuel and brake line straps and tie down brakets. More pics of work on the Cuda to come soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 Adding a few refference pics on how I plan to run the front brake lines. You can see in this pic how the lines wrap under the front frame The next pic is a good shot of how the passenger side front brake line should be run along the firewall. The next pic is a good shot of the block where the lines tie together on the driver side. Mine wont look exactly line that but I hope I can make it look close. I thing mocking up the engine block and making sure the lines dont interfear with the exhaust headers would be a pretty good idea at this point. We will see how it goes when Im ready to get this all done. The pics are of a 71 cuda but the layout should be close enough for the 70 Im working on. Notice the master cylinder colors...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderbread Kustomz Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Wow! Very nice work! Enjoyed going through the pages of this thread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) More work done on the Cuda chassis today finally. It may not look like alot of progress, but every inch feels like a mile. In the first three pics I made the brake lines trasition block and then finished running the rear brake line up to it and then added the brake line over the chassis for the drivers side front. I assembled the engine block enough so I could use it to test fit for clearences with the transition block and lines. I have work to do on the engine block before it's ready to paint. In the next couple of pics, I assembled and painted the front suspension and then added the front flex brake lines. I went with the lowered front suspension, with the stock rear suspension, to hopefully give the Cuda a little more of a agressive stance. I havent had it together on wheels yet to be sure of the stance. Im just hoping it gives me the look Im after. I have the stock suspension on standby just in case I need to go back to it. And finally, In the next pic, I made the passenger side brake line that runs along the firewall. And though it doesnt look like it fits right in the pic, it is by design, so that everything could be tied together with little effort when the time comes. When mocked up it all fits tight and right. with the hook in the line on the passenger side fitting over the frame rail nice and tight. And the hook on the driver side fitting snuggly into the trasition block on the drivers side frame rail. You'll see the end resault once things go together. Also in this pic you can see the line straps I made in my earlier post. Next on the list of to do's; will be to install the front and rear glass in the body, add the sun visors, dome light and rear view mirror, and then mount the interior tub to the body. And then the real fun begins, The engine and engine bay detail! Edited June 24, 2014 by microwheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakshow12 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Wow! I think I will just stop working on mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 Wow! I think I will just stop working on mine... Hey Fred thanks. You better keep working on yours, I have been following your progress and like your build very much. I have been looking forward to seeing it finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
om617 Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Amazing detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Amazing detail I have to agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirdWatcher Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Great work! Can't wait to see more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 here is a tip for acquiring great tweezers of all shapes and uses, do a web search for excelta tweezers, they are used a lot in the electronics industry for precision tasks. I have a few that I have used while looking through a 40x stereomicroscope. these may be a little pricey but they usually won't deform unless you are really abusing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 here is a tip for acquiring great tweezers of all shapes and uses, do a web search for excelta tweezers, they are used a lot in the electronics industry for precision tasks. I have a few that I have used while looking through a 40x stereomicroscope. these may be a little pricey but they usually won't deform unless you are really abusing them. Hi Mike Thanks for the tip. I already have several types of excelta tweezers because I did computer repair work for alot of years and needed them. I dont use them much because they tend to bend easily and none of the ones I have, have grip teeth on them. My wife works in the medical field also and she turned me on to some really good tweezers that is used in the medical industry. I dont remember the brand right off hand. But they are good ones and work well for me. My favorite ones to use when I am doing small detail have the grip teeth which I like when working with photo etched stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
microwheel Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) I did a little work on the cuda the past couple days. I didnt have alot of time, but got some things done anyways. Before I post pics let me discribe a little about why and what I am doing. I tack assembled the engine as seen in one of the pics I already posted. And also tack glued the drivers side exhaust manafold on it. This is to check for fit and ease of assembly as Im working on the engine bay detail. It's taking me time because I am carefully planning out my detail and assembly steps as I go. I want to make sure my engine bay brake and fuel lines mate up to the engine correctly, and that, when I am ready the finished engine and radiator and shroud, all assemble into the car at the point I want them too with as much ease as possible. This weekend I got the glass installed as well as the sunvisors, dome light, and rearview mirror. Then I carefully installed the interior into the body. Now I know the kit instructions, at this point, call for installing the engine into the chassis and then installing the chassis to the body and interior assembly, but as I said, Im doing things a little different. After a little pre-planning of detailing and test fitting, I decided to install the partially completed chassis at this time. Once this was done I test fitted the engine to make sure I could still slide the engine into place. Dont worry, I have a plan to make sure the radiator and shroud will fit into the car and clear the engine fan once I get to that point, as well as making sure I can still install the lower radiatior hose without a struggle. I also received my BF Goodrich TA tires from Fireball Modelworks this past week. These tires come as solid rubber tires, so I had to carefully cut the inside rubber out of the tires, without damaging the outer front and backside lips, so the kit rims would fit. I used a new exacto blade in my knife and it was very time consuming. But the tires look great once the rims were paint detailed and the lettering on the tires were drybrush painted with tamiya's white primer. Here is a pic of the finished wheels and tires: Next I assembled the wheels and tires on the front suspension and the the rear axle. So now the cuda has her feet. (I got a little tuch up paint work to do on the front suspension once I get the cuda close to being done). Full pics of the car will be posted with her on her feet in later posts. Sorry to keep you wondering.. LOL! Next was to add the exhaust tips to the rear roll pan and install the rear roll pan onto the car. (it's easier to fix the exhaust tips to the rear roll pan before assembling the rear roll pan to the body, then slide the exhaust tips into the exhaust as you place the roll pan into position). Also in these pics you can see the rear tires I installed earlier. I painted and installed the steering gearbox at this point, checking the fit and clearence of the engine and exhaust manifold as I did. And to make sure I had room to run the brake lines past it from the master brake cylinder to the transition block I made. Sorry about the pic quality I moved a little when I took it and it blurred a little because of it. You'll notice in a few of the pics it will look like the front suspension is installed. It is not, it's just test fitted for clearences. You get the idea. These next few pics are to show you how the engine will slide into the car and clear what I have done so far, as well as to show it still fits in the car as it's supposed to. To slide the engine in, it has to be tilted and turned just a little bit to clear the steering gearbox. But it does with no problems. Here you can see it resting where it is supposed to in the car. by the way if your wondering why the engine isnt painted and detailed yet, It's because I need to do more detailing in the engine bay and it requires alot of handling of the engine for test fitting as I go. I prefer to handle my competed engines as little as possible one I get them painted and detailed. I wear cotton gloves even when I handle the car for the work Im doing on it now just because I dont like cleaning off tons of finger prints later. And even doing that, I still have to touch up paint that tends to get worn off of parts in spots due to handling. But thats the nature of the beast in model building. And here from under the car, to show how the exhaust still lines up nicely. As I said before the front suspension is just sitting in place for now for test fitting everything. You can see where I need to tuch up the paint on the suspension yet. More progress to post soon...... Edited June 30, 2014 by microwheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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