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Post by Oldtimer on Oct 27, 2018 17:27:02 GMT -8
Can't believe it has been over two weeks since I updated this thread, but this has been a back and forth project. First off, the firewall has been all consuming, and still not resolved. This didn't work. Essentially, I created an upper profile to match the original position, which proved to be an inaccurate premise, as you can see from these pictures. The front white piece is my initial cardstock pattern, the rearward plastic piece is where my custom firewall eventually ended up. So with quite a bit of "hammer to fit, paint to match" technology, adapted from my years of racing big iron in the Sports Car Club of America GT1 class, we ended up here. Clearly, as you add on the various elements involved in a firewall, such as pedal assembly, steering column, master cylinders, etc., a flat piece of styrene doesn't seem to have much left. But still plenty of work to do. Here's the body "kit". That will eventually house all of this (and more). There's another stock firewall on the way from my good friend Mike Kotwick (swede70), so I decided to turn my attention to the bodywork. To get to this point, there were only three cuts to each front flare, nothing changed on the rear (and remember, these are designed to go on a Corvette). Actually pretty pleased with the initial fitment, now I am considering how to attach 3D printed plastic to diecast metal. Due to the technique I am using to create the rear axle (a piece of brass tubing as the axle housing, with a piece of aluminum tubing as the axle), I can control the rear track and bring the tops of the tire back inside of the fender flare opening. Been working on a couple of other systems, such as the oil cooler/oil filter/oil system connection to the block; as well as the rear suspension (going to raise the rear ride height to clear the fender openings). Might be able to post some photos of that later this weekend.
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Post by afx on Oct 28, 2018 3:23:38 GMT -8
Haven't worked with either diecast or 3-d printed plastic. However is there anyway to pin the parts together?
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Post by Oldtimer on Oct 31, 2018 16:02:38 GMT -8
A couple of previously announced modifications, and then a stream of consciousness moment while I am awaiting the replacement stock firewall from Swede70. First, raising the rear ride height. These are pictures of the "stock" rear suspension of a GMP Camaro (sorry you can't see all the detail, but didn't want to risk removing the wheels). To raise the rear ride height, I cut the shocks in the middle, and will add an aluminum tube center section, and then will raise the rear attachment point by fabricating an aluminum tube extension. Will need to also fabricate an extension for the sway bar arms.
Pretty straight forward fabrication. Next, I'll turn to the oil cooling/filtering system. First, we're going to put a larger than stock oil cooler in the front (which will be fed air from a combination of stock radiator opening and removal of the left side headlight blanking plate), since the original setup was designed for a Small Block, and we're running a Big Block. Then we'll mount a remote filter on the radiator/front chassis frame.
The oil lines will run to an adapter which is installed in the place of the stock oil filter location.
Final assembly will see oil lines run to and from the adapter through the remote oil filter and cooler. When we were racing, there was a frequent debate as to whether you filter before or after the cooler, which sometimes was dictated by the ability to efficiently run the lines without interfering with other components. In the case of this model, that is still to be determined as well. So, we're running a Franklin QuickChange rear end, which has limited natural lubricant capacity. Channeling the torque of the Big Block is going to impart a significant heat load, so I decided to install a rear end cooling system. First step was to add a pump to the back of the rear end, run off the input shaft. Now the question of where to mount the cooler, as the underside of a racer can be exposed to any number of hazards. I decided to place the cooler in the interior, with air flow provided by a NACA duct, cut into the floorboard. Fabrication of the mounting of the NACA duct will commence shortly.
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Post by Oldtimer on Nov 1, 2018 18:15:29 GMT -8
Lots going on in this photo, had a few minutes to kill today, so took tools in hand. Diane and I are heading out tomorrow for our semi-annual vacation to pursue my other hobby love: Scuba Diving. We'll be in Cabo San Lucas for the next seven or so days. That should give you a chance to ponder my next step(s). One hint, the package from Swede70 showed up today.
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Post by Joel_W on Nov 3, 2018 7:01:25 GMT -8
Have a great vacation Scuba diving. Your continued detailing and explanations really add quite a lot to your build for guys like me that are more modelers with just enough knowledge to start projects, only to find that we're way over our heads with no logical way out.
Joel
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Post by Oldtimer on Nov 3, 2018 15:34:02 GMT -8
Have a great vacation Scuba diving. Your continued detailing and explanations really add quite a lot to your build for guys like me that are more modelers with just enough knowledge to start projects, only to find that we're way over our heads with no logical way out. Joel Building 1/18 scale diecast custom racers is a way for me to both stay connected to my prior racing experience as well as to use some of those skills. I try to add a sense of realism to the builds, which usually makes for more complications. The bad thing about diecast is that frequently I have to glue a piece in to work the next phase, only to have to "unglue" it a couple of steps later. As I near retirement, though, I have been trying to acquire more tools and other resources to improve my execution. Trust me, there will be more. Thanks!
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Post by Oldtimer on Nov 12, 2018 7:21:02 GMT -8
So back from a great dive trip, and trying to multi-task. The one downside to diving (and I'm not sure I really consider it a downside) is that if you own your own gear, when you get back, you have to clean it and put it away. Salt water does really bad things to poorly maintained dive gear, so a good, thorough clean water rinse is an absolute necessity. Of course, after you rinse, you need to let dry, which results in long periods of nothing to do. Sorry about not having any in progress shots, but once I got back, I plugged the voids between the NACA duct and the chassis floor with body filler putty (took a couple of passed, both above and below), and the employed a partial application of SCCA GT1 racing: "Hammer to Fit, Paint to Match". All in all, pretty pleased with the installation. Yes, I do realize that the paint I am using doesn't match the rest of the interior, but it's a race car. In order to complete the installation, I had to finish the rear suspension fabrication. I measured the outside of the roughed-in rear fender flares, in order to get the axle tube and shaft dimensions correct. Determined that I needed to get the rear suspension more or less finished in order to make the hose run from the pump on the back of the Quick Change rear end to the cooler and back. This is another one of those situations where, if this were a 1:1, we'd be bolting and unbolting components, having them loosely fit, measuring twice, and cutting once. In diecast world, with fat fingers, and only two hands, it means hoping that everything is going to line up, and hitting it with a dab of SuperGlue. As noted above, when I raised the rear ride height, I need to extend both the shocks and the sway bar arms. A combination of brass and aluminum tubing did the trick. Getting the rear end centered in the chassis meant measuring the length of the axle tube (which had been adjusted for the correct rear track), thickness of the Quick Change, measuring the distance from the Quick Change to the spring perches, making sure the pinion angle was correct so that the custom made drive shaft lined up, and then crossing my fingers as the Super Glue set up. As you can see, the rear suspension is still in mock-up stage, and nothing permanent has been attached to the car. Once that was all worked out, I could approximate the hose runs. I'll make some form of attachment to the chassis as we get closer to final. Still some final detailing, but feeling good about the progress to date.
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Post by 4wheels on Nov 12, 2018 13:26:48 GMT -8
Welcome back, glad you had a good time! Sounds like the low-buck SCCA teams do things the same way us dirt oval guys do! I find Rustoleum, applied thickly with a brush, hides a multitude of flaws on my 1:1 car.
Brian
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Post by Oldtimer on Nov 26, 2018 14:03:31 GMT -8
Houston, We have a Roller! First, let's start by restating the problem. There's a big hole that needs to be closed between the engine compartment and the interior of the car. Several abortive attempts have been chronicled here, among others that fell by the wayside undocumented. What you see here is version four of a several hour session of cardboard templates, styrene sheet, heavy duty scissors, and Dremel sanding bits. May not look like much, but it solves the problem. Essentially, the top level matches up to a stock firewall that I relocated back far enough to clear the distributor cap on the Big Block. Hard to see in this picture, but you will just have to trust me on this one. With that problem solved, I went ahead and mocked up the rolling chassis (still not glue worthy as a final just yet). In order to simplify final installation, I cut the stock steering column, and then will splice it with a piece of stainless tubing. For some reason, the stock chassis had an indention for a cross member, right under where the new pedal location will be, so I had to remove that, which required that I also cut a little bit into the transmission tunnel. You can see the companion location in the passenger compartment. Crossmember won't be reinstalled anyway, as the transmission is in the way. To reinforce the floor, we're going to install some diamond plate under the driver's feet (on our '86-bodied Trans Am spec tube frame Camaro, we actually installed a sandwich of 1/8 inch aluminum on top - 1/8 inch steel on the bottom, with a foam insert under the driver's feet). Mocked up the radiator and oil filter and oil cooler, still need to run the lines back to the block. The cooler will sit flat once everything is ready to be bolted together for the last time.
Taking the body to be dipped later this week, and will be able to focus on a permanent mounting solution for the flares. Weather turned cold here in Texas over the weekend, and with an unheated shop, not sure how much more progress I will be able to make.
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Post by Oldtimer on Dec 6, 2018 15:04:51 GMT -8
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Post by Oldtimer on Aug 7, 2019 7:25:16 GMT -8
Been a while since I visited this build, but acquired some parts, and thought I'd at least update my pictures. My good friend, Mike Kotwick (Swede70 on many of the boards) is a master at resin casting, and he took an idea I had about extending GMP Trans Am Camaro front spoilers to heart, and nailed it. Along the way I also acquired a "fibreglass" high hood scoop hood, which will be perfect for feeding more air to those hungry Webers perched on top of the Big Block Chevy. This one will probably go back on the shelf until after the Petty Belvedere is done, but though an update might be appropriate. Enjoy! Old stock front spoiler for comparison. And now the updates.
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Post by Joel_W on Aug 7, 2019 10:04:46 GMT -8
just re-read through the entire thread. I'm just as amazed now as the 1st time. Your fabrication is truly amazing, realistic, as is your ability to describe in words what you're thinking and doing.
Sounds like it's going to be a while for your next update, but I'm sure that it will be well worth the wait.
Joel
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