fractalign Posted September 6, 2015 Author Share Posted September 6, 2015 (edited) This is a shot of the rear wheel. Unfortunately this is the only photo I was able to upload. The uploader has blocked all my other attempts to upload tonight. It claims all the files are too big despite uploading bigger files on previous occasions. Not sure what I will do if this problem can not be rectified. I hope the problem can be sorted out as I had a lot more to show. Since it is blocking all my attempts at uploading any other images, I will describe what I have done. The wheel in the image is a new master. I was able to mould the other master yesterday and a cast a couple of wheels. I was reworking the master this morning due to some flaws around the rim and the shape of the holes. I ended up damaging it due to the under coat weakening the structure. Rather than try and repair it, I took one of the casts and machined it down until it sat neatly in the tyre. I was originally going to have two masters. The male with the lugs and the female with the holes to allow the lugs to slot in and lock both wheels in place. In the end I released I could use the one wheel by simply changing around the lugs them selves. The hub in the centre will be placed on the top of the wheel when it comes time to mould it. Once that is done, I will mould it the way it appears here for the outer wheel. I also made another hub face with the holes to accept this one. Edited September 6, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 This is a shot of the rear wheel. Unfortunately this is the only photo I was able to upload. The uploader has blocked all my other attempts to upload tonight. It claims all the files are too big despite uploading bigger files on previous occasions. Not sure what I will do if this problem can not be rectified. I hope the problem can be sorted out as I had a lot more to show. Since it is blocking all my attempts at uploading any other images, I will describe what I have done. The wheel in the image is a new master. I was able to mould the other master yesterday and a cast a couple of wheels. I was reworking the master this morning due to some flaws around the rim and the shape of the holes. I ended up damaging it due to the under coat weakening the structure. Rather than try and repair it, I took one of the casts and machined it down until it sat neatly in the tyre. I was originally going to have two masters. The male with the lugs and the female with the holes to allow the lugs to slot in and lock both wheels in place. In the end I released I could use the one wheel by simply changing around the lugs them selves. The hub in the centre will be placed on the top of the wheel when it comes time to mould it. Once that is done, I will mould it the way it appears here for the outer wheel. I also made another hub face with the holes to accept this one. The wheel looks very nice! Do you use a photo sharing service such as Photobucket or Fotki? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 I do have a photo bucket site although I have not used it since last year, I am either looking at using file size reducing software, or re using my photobucket account. What ever is easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Hey Guys. I have managed to upload some more images. I have resized the images to suit, not perfect but a start. I may go back to using my old photo bucket site but for the moment this will do. You will notice I sanded down the lugs to create the impression of a more heavy duty hub. At the moment I am working on the brake drums with the intention of moulding and casting some if the weather is fine tomorrow. I am actually planning to get quite a bit done including the wheels and tyres as well weather and time permitting of course. Edited September 7, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Looking better all the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Hey Guys. Its been a while since I posted any images up but the work has not stopped. I have finally got the wheel to a stage where I am ready to move onto other things. I was hoping to mould and cast a few today but ran out of time. The last thing I did was replace the rim. The wheel itself is the same one that goes on the front. This is the backside where the front drums would sit. At the same time this is also the face side of the back wheel as is shown in the image. The rim like the hub came from the very expensive die cast 1:24 scale 34 BB Truck I purchased a while back. The only change I made to the rim was to tale a millimetre or so out of the diameter so that it would fit inside the tyre and line up with the other rim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) With the construction of the wheels complete, I was able to turn my attention back to the cab and hood. You will notice the tyres in the background. I have been doing some casting and a came up with a novel solution for the excess resin. Because the hood was so thin from all the sanding, you will notice the car bog showing through, decided to use the resin to reinforce the inside of the hood. The resin sets rock hard so I will be able to sand the outer surface back further if need be without affecting the rigidity of the hood. I also used some of the resin on the outside along the joins and around the upper corners instead of putty. Edited September 11, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) The last image shows the suspension which I am preparing to mould. You will notice the drum is now a separate unit u like the old one in the background. The drum sits nicely inside the rim, just like the 1:1. I am hoping to have all the underside finished along with the cab and hood before the end of the month. Edited September 11, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Looking Good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorincebu Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Robert, Your work is truly amazing and inspiring! Be Well Gator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thanks for the feedback guys ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Hey Guys. With the wheels done, I have been concentrating on moulding all the different types. I am hoping to cast them up tomorrow afternoon. The other thing I have been getting back into is doing the hood and lower cab section. I started shaping the half round to attach to the hood. I have also been working out the grill placement. I decided to start a fresh with the grill since the old one was a bit out of shape at the top. I have enough of the kits now that I can source new parts rather than work with the old ones. Such is the case with the grill. I finally started adding the strips that go along the sides of the lower cab section. There are five in total and they follow the taper of the front fenders. Once I have added the other two strips, I will start assembling this section. That will be the next task along with getting the swage on the hood done. I am really hoping to get the cab, hood and grill finished and cast, by the end of the month and so far its looking very likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 (edited) Hey Guys. I finally managed to add all the trim to the sides of the lower cab section. Once added I cut each one so that they taper evenly. I am going to focus on this section and the hood since both need to sit flush in order for the cab to sit in place. I am really hoping I can get both finished by the end of the week so that I can move onto finishing the chassis. Edited September 15, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 This is what scratch building is all about. Work on something, check it out, let it sit for a while and see where there can be improvements, go back and make the changes and move on. Sounds like a lot of work and it is but it is also very rewarding to know that the job was done right. In essence that is what life is all about as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpeterbilt Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 This is what scratch building is all about. Work on something, check it out, let it sit for a while and see where there can be improvements, go back and make the changes and move on. Sounds like a lot of work and it is but it is also very rewarding to know that the job was done right. In essence that is what life is all about as well. We'll said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 Hey Guys. Thanks for all the positive feedback. I did not get much done today but I did manage to glue the lower section to the cab along with the hood. I also glued to the headlight and grill shell into place. This is the only way I will know what extra material needs to be added to the hood. It will be a balancing act to get the hood sitting properly. The grill appears to taper back further in the diagrams so I will need to add extra material to the grill shell. As I mentioned in my previous post I am going to focus on this area until I am happy its sitting neatly in place. Once that is achieved I will take all the sections apart and finish off the chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Hey Guys. Its been a while since I posted anything but the work has not stopped. I know I was supposed to be focussing on the hood and lower cab section but I decided to take time out from that. The reality is that I will need to create a contour gauge to make both parts line up with the fenders and that is not something I am ready to tackle just yet. When I originally posted this build, I made my intention clear that there would be three trucks and this is one of them. As you can see I have started work on the grill. The centre is actually an AMT 32 Ford grill insert that has been split three ways, and re-joined using strip styrene for the cross bars. One millimetre half round tubing makes up the perimeter. The lower lip of the grill shell is being re-shaped to suit the new insert. Edited September 23, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 This is how it looks with the Dearborn cab sitting in place. You will notice the wheel next to it. This is not the wheel that I finished a couple of weeks ago, its a completely new one. To cut a long story short I was not happy with the outer rim band on the other wheel or the alignment of the triangular holes relative to their position inside the rim. The holes were not evenly spaced and the rim was too clunky. I created a gauge to cross reference the spacing of the hole and re-designed the outer rim. I also created a new punch to insure the holes are all the same size and shape. I managed to wreck four days of work last night when I machined down the outer rim too far that a section of it broke off. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because this one is much stronger. I have been careful not to over machine this one. I am also not going to undercoat it either, the primer would only destroy the fine detail of the rim and the holes. Its hard to believe this wheel is only a little over 24 hours old. Its also hard to believe that I have finally created a wheel that I am happy with. I no longer need to create a wheel. This one looks to be in proportion. I am not sure if I will finish it tomorrow or the next day, but either way it will be a relief to be able to leave it and move onto other areas. With out a doubt this has been the hardest thing I have ever created but well worth the effort. Next task will be to finish off the grill and move back into finishing the hood and cab sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Anything that is worth doing is worth doing well, Robert. The proof is in the pudding, as they say! That grill will fill in nicely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackd Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Very good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 (edited) Hey Guys ! For the last couple of day I have been focussing on getting the wheel and grill finished. I am hoping to mould both tomorrow. I completely re-did the grill insert and shell. The peak at the top is more defined and the bottom is also more pointed. I need to work out the crank hole and it will be ready to mould. The wheel has been a little slower and more challenging. I measured the 1:1 this morning to see how closely this one compares. I should add the 1:1 image is sourced from google, the only reason I am using this images is because of the colour of the wheels are similar. The major change I mad in this wheel was around the rim its self. Like the 1:1 the outer rim is separate to the inner rim. This re-design makes the wheel far more accurate. Still quite a lot of cleaning up to do around the holes, so this may not get moulded tomorrow, but the grill almost certainly will one I have made the crank hole surround, Edited September 26, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Excellent work Robert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Robert, Looking real nice. Love it for sure.Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Thanks for the positive feedback guys, I am hoping to have some more images up when I get some more parts completed ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalign Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Hey Guys. Sorry for the lack of images But I have not had much time to work on it lately. The second most frustrating thing after the wheels has been creating the lower cab section and the hood, more importantly how to get them to sit flush over the contour of the fenders. I think I may have figured out a way to get this right, unfortunately it will have to wait till next week. I will be going away to tomorrow for an extended weekend. When I get back on Monday I might try and get the alignment issues worked out, if not Tuesday. Cheers ! Edited September 30, 2015 by fractalign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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