Scratch building a classic muscle car.

[fractalign]

The sand paper is being shaped, for a very good reason.

[fractalign]

The sand paper is being used to simulate the spray on body deadener found in the roof and inside the outer door skins.

[fractalign]

After some trimming a second piece was added.

[fractalign]

Another important detail was to construct the centre cross frame. The two lengths of square tubing tubing are 0.5 x 0.5 mm. The spines in the 1:1 cross frame are rounder than this version, but one the undercoat goes on that will soften this up a bit.

Edited September 24, 2014 by fractalign

[fractalign]

I also started shaping the mirror mount. Still a bit to do on this one but once the undercoat goes on, it will look a bit more like the 1:1 version.

One thing I will need to do when I undercoat the underside is make sure I have masked off the sand paper because I don't want to lose that detail.

[fractalign]

The final image is a comparison. Its starting to look more like a roof now and once the undercoat is on I can begin to finish this off. Next task after the undercoat is to move onto the rear window area.

Edited September 24, 2014 by fractalign

[spotarama]

amazing work you're doing here robert, taking detail to the extreme degree.

a mate of mine is building one of these (the 1:1 version though) for drag racing at the moment and i have vague memories from back in the early 80s of 4 of us piling into one for a weekend roadtrip from melbourne to sydney, very squeezy indeed.

we lost the screen just outside gundagai at about 3 in the morning...not much fun, but then later that morning dave managed to squeeze an indicated 102mph out of its tiny little 2250cc motor (126CI from memory, the smallest 6 cylinder Holden made)

[Reeves Racing]

That is a lot of work. That's a true model for sure. You have a lot of patience and vision.

(2250 cc's would be 137 ci)

[fractalign]

Hey Guys.

I made up the rear cross beam today after getting the measurements. Here are the components that made it up.

[fractalign]

The finished cross beam.

[fractalign]

The next task will be to make up the corners and the inner skins on the c plllars. Once I get these tasks complete I can finally think about attaching the roof.

Edited September 25, 2014 by fractalign

[bobthehobbyguy]

Amazing. Very impressive amount of work so far.

[fractalign]

Hey guys.

I had a go at making up some paper templates of the c pillars. I pressed the paper against the inside of the pillar and and tries to push an indentation with very little success. I will go down first thing in the morning with some some card board and try the same thing. I might use a hammer to try and get the outline. The paper is just too flimsy and I need more than two A4 sizes to cover the entire area. I will cut some thin cardboard to the exact shape of the inside pillar. I am thinking of using an inverted cereal box for the job, the cardboard is thin enough for the indentions but not too thin too fall apart one the indentations are made.

Hopefully that will solve the problem and tomorrow night I will have the inner pillars made up.

[TFchronos]

Very nice work and progress.

[fractalign]

Hey guys.

I managed to make up the cardboard template yesterday.

[fractalign]

Looking at it I realised that the different shapes would be very difficult to reproduce accurately in 1:25 scale so I came up with a simple solution.

The first thing I did was measure the length of the centre hole, "the elongated one". With the 1:1 measurement I then found the 1:25 scale measurement. With that worked out I placed the template in front of the cupboard, put the camera on full macro setting took the rule and stood with the camera at a point where I could measure the centre hole in the template in the view finder.

When I was satisfied that the distance between the camera and the actual template was right, I measured the hole in the image to make sure it was the same length as the 1:25 scale measurement and photographed the template. The image in the viewfinder was a perfect 1:25 scale size that I could use to check of the the actual construction of the models templates.

Edited September 27, 2014 by fractalign

[fractalign]

The reason I placed the template in front of the black backdrop was because I needed the contrast for the tracing process.

[fractalign]

With the image traced it was then then cut to shape and compared with the pillar to make sure it was in proportion.

Edited September 27, 2014 by fractalign

[fractalign]

With the template in place I was able to get a more accurate idea of the shape of the c pillar.

[fractalign]

I then got some double sided tape and attached the template to a piece of 2mm thick styrene. With the template in place I began drilling out the centres from the holes.

Edited September 27, 2014 by fractalign

[fractalign]

I am using my precision hand drill for this and its proving to be a very slow process. I can't afford to make the holes too big or the whole thing will be ruined. This is why I am using the hand drill. One I had put all the pilot holes through the first template, I attached a second one with double sided tape and and drilled through those hole into the second one. This is where I am at so far.

[fractalign]

Hey guys.

I was in the the process of carving out the holes in the C pillar when I had a total rethink. I realised that if I wanted to get both sides the same there was an easier faster and easier way.

[fractalign]

By using the image of the template I shaped all the holes as solid shafts. I measured their accuracy with the ones in the image. The shafts were shaped from a synthetic baking clay called Fimo. One I had baked the shafts I sliced each one in half. I then got a piece of clear plastic. This plastic is from CD cases, I brought a pack of them a couple of years ago. I took a piece placed it over the image on the camera and sanded the areas where the shafts would be attached and then glued them in one by one. Once I had all the shafts attached on this side turned it over and repeated the process.

[fractalign]

With the two sided hole press complete, I took some more Fimo, flattened it out and pressed it into each side.

[fractalign]

After they came out of the oven I went to work to sand down the driver's side pillar so that it would fit inside the outer pillar.