Big As MAZ

[GusMac]

Nice result again Rich. When you shape the initial square build to get the final curves do you just sand it to shape?

[RichO]

Gus,     Good guess.  If you look real close at the photo of the piece in the clamps.  You can just see, that I have added a thin piece of styrene sheet to each end of the wood block.  I shaped these to the final shape before I mounted them to the ends.  When everything was set, I filed and sanded the block to match the ends.  That way I had a nice smooth surface to glue the skin to.

 

  I tried a couple of test builds, and I had a problem with the skin collapsing and warping out of shape.  If I didn't brace the skin on the inside when I was wrapping it around the end shapes, the center would just crush in.  That's where the idea for the block came from.

 

Rich

[crazypoet]

The wood blocks make tons of sense as they provide solid support for everything around them.  I also like the jig you made for gluing up the base of the tank - you're giving all of us a great tutorial here!

[RichO]

I'm really glad I can give something back to the modeling community.  I also like "borrowing" techniques from other modelers.  All good fun!

[RichO]

Hey Guys!

 

Today I just wanted to show the basic Transmission.  I have a ton of details to add to this, it's, it's own little world.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I have a ways to go on this mini build.  Here's what I have so far.

 

The basic Transmission, with a lot of room for the details...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's going to live somewhere around here...

 

 

I'll be back with adding the details and trying to get a grip on the plumbing.

 

Later,  Rich

 

[RichO]

Hey Guys,

 

  The Big Betty Build continues...

 

I had a heck of a time this week trying to find a reference for the location of the cooling radiator for the Transmission oil.  The diagram below shows how things should be.

 

 

 

 It dose not show the location on the truck frame of the items.  I searched for 7 hours over 3 days to find a hint of the location.  Tucked up under the frame that supports the fuel tanks.  People who take reference photos don't usually crawl under or inside the frame. Anyway, location found,.. the build continues.

 

I added more detail to the out side of the Transmission to the point that I am now ready to start the Oil Hoses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  So now that I look at these photos this size I see a couple of more things to add...

 

The Fuel Tank frame...I had to jump ahead a bit on the items that needed building for this part.  The fuel tank frame has an oil filter ( item 8 in the diagram above) hanging on the back outside...

 

 

 

And the oil radiator hangs on the front side of the frame, across from the oil filter...

 

 

 

 

I made a card moch-up and placed the card at the location of the radiators to check size and clearance before I build. 

 

 

 

I will build the radiators and oil filter next.  I have to secure these to the fuel tank frame before I can get the hose runs for these.  However I will not attach the frame to the main truck frame at this time.  I will still have a bunch of junk to add under there.

 

Be back later boys with the next exciting chapter,  Rich

[crazypoet]

There's a whole world of hoses and fittings to get lost in, down there!  Just remember to come up for air every now and then...

 

 

 

[RichO]

Thanks Crazy,  I hope nothing falls on me while I'm under there working.

[RichO]

 Hey All,

 

  I just thought I would show this because it's going to get buried under everything.

 

I built a support rack, just simple angels...

 

 

Then the radiators...again, simple angels and wire screen...

 

 

 

 

 

Installed onto the fuel tank frame...

 

 

I'll build the oil filter tomorrow, and start the hose runs...

 

Later, Rich

[JeroenPeters]

wow.... loving the layered radiators!

[RichO]

Thanks All,

 

  Another quick update.

 

  The oil filter build went with out any problems...

 

 

 

 

I'm starting the first hose today, and I have a fear that I might be painting myself into a corner.  I have to very precise about where I locate things on the frame.  I have running board supports, wench  winch frame, and fuel tank frame to be placed exactly before I can secure the transmission.  Alto the photos show that the oil line are made from rubber hoses, I might not make mine out of rubber.  At this moment I'm trying to decide what I need to build to get the hoses started.

 

Later All,  Rich

[RichO]

 

Hey All,

 

  Starting the hose runs...

 

 

 

 

Later...

[crazypoet]

Nice!  What are you using for the hose?

[RichO]

Hey Crazy,

  I'm using a sort of small bungee cord.  I think it is a small rubber band wrapped with a very fine cloth material.  I stole it from my wife's jewelry supplies.  Measures about 1mm thick.

[RichO]

Hey Fellow Hosers,

 

  I think I'm at a quitting point with the Hose install.  I still have plenty to do with the plumbing and hoses, I just need to secure some frame elements in order to finish connecting the hoses, and those things are a ways down the road yet.

 

Here's how things wrapped up...

Final shots of the Transmission out of the frame...I painted this at night,   so that would be Nocturnal Transmissions

 

 

 

 

 

Producing the hard piping got a little tricky at times.  I set the rods into a basic guide and heated to secure the bends...

 

 

Time to lays some pipe baby!...

 

 

 

I'm going to leave things like so for a while.  I have more stuff under here and beside this location for install.  

 

 

I'll be back with the next exciting chapter...what ever that is.

 

Rich

[Wingco57]

Amazing scratchbuilding, I especially like the way you break down the complex structures into simple shapes.

[GusMac]

Just amazing again Rich. Some of that pipework looks so fragile I'd be terrified of breaking it at a later stage. 

[RichO]

Gus,  The styrene rod I use for the piping is just 1mm.  I have broken several attempts.  You can see piles of them in photo #6.

[GusMac]

Hadn't noticed that Rich but now you point it out.....

[RichO]

Hey Guys,

 

  A quick post for this morning.  

 

  I took a day or two and built the mounting frame for the winch and tow cable.  I decided to stop here because I was going the wrong way with the build at this time.

 

  The winch and cable along with the fuel tank frame, I built as a place holder to get the spacing correct around the Transmission.  The direction of the build was heading vertical, and I still have a ton of stuff at the bottom of the frame.  So I stopped here and will get back to these components when the time is right.

 

I sort of got involved with building this, so only a few photos.

 

The Winch support frame...

 

 

 

The construction of this support frame was really straight forward...just angles involved here.

 

 

You can see how thing at the bottom of the build are starting to get buried.  

 

I'll be back later today with the next chapter,  stay tuned...Rich

[RichO]

 

Hey Everyone,

 

So this build has been getting scarrier as I proceede with all the items to construct  And this morning I awoke to find that my nightmare is just starting with this build.

 

It's time to move to the engine bay...If the Transmission was a world unto itself,  Then I have just discovered a new universe...

 

 

 

and all the support systems...here are a few...I need to finish plumbing the oil cooler..

 

 

 

Fuel lines...

 

 

 

Air filters...

 

 

 

Water cooling...

 

 

 

This is just scratching the surface, sure don't ya know..it seem to go on for ever...

 

 

I have to start at the very bottom of things, so the first thing is the mounting braces from the engine block the the main frame.  I first need to build a basic engine block to use as a place holder while I get thing spaced properly.

 

I'll be back sometime shortly with the start.

 

Rich

 

[RichO]

Thanks Everyone for following along.

 

Hey,

 

  This is starting to get a bit fidgety.  I have only managed to build the support frame for the water radiators.  I wanted to get an idea of the size and location of things as I build.  

 

  The Radiator rack is a flimsy frame that supports the water radiators and cages the engine.  I got so involved with building this and doing the measerments as I went along, that I managed to get just one photo under construction.

 

 

I did build a very basic engine place holder.  I think this will be the engines bottom end.  All placed on the frame so I can see what is actually going on.

 

 

 

 

 

The Engine build continues.

 

Thanks All...

[RichO]

Hey Guys,

 

  Slightly slower build this week so far.  I have managed to get the heads onto the engine block.

 

  The heads are basic rectangles, to size and mounted on top of the bottom end of the engine (if that makes sense).  This is the final basic engine.  Now I have to build all the details that are mounted to this .  I have to pay the devil his dues, because that's were the details are.

 

 

 

 

I'll be back with more details soon.

 

Thanks, Rich

[RichO]

Hey All,

 

  I have finished building the Valve Covers.  I only had two of these to build but I spent a week building 'em.  I added some more details to the engine block and the engine bottom side.  All this new stuff is small, so things took a bit of time to get right.

 

A quick look at the bottom side of the engine block.  The flat drain pan for the oil.

 

 

Working on the block.  I have added all the bolts,  the stiffening fins between the bolts, and the ratchet grooves for the bolts.  To be continued...

 

 

The valve covers were a pain...a lot of small stuff.  I try to do all the boring stuff first when I start manufacturing new parts.

 

 

I built the valve cover base, by rapping styrene around a wood shape.

 

 

Beginning the bolt down process.

 

 

The maintenance covers...

 

 

 

 

What a bunch of bull "this"...

 

 

 

I next have have to detail the Heads, and some more details on the block.

 

Thanks for looking All.  Later

[RichO]

Hello Everyone, thanks for following along.

 

Today's report is a report about random stuff.  I have a few mini builds to do that attach to the engine block, so I'm just randomly choosing things to build.

 

  I have added more details to the engine block itself and started with the added exterior components.  I can build individual components to add to the block later, but it's just about time to paint the main block.  If I add anything I need to have the background all painted and weathered before I do the add on's.  However, plenty of more small stuff to build and add.

 

A few more items added to the block, both ends...front...

 

 

 

Back end...

 

 

 

As I'm randomly building the add on's. I'm starting with items that are located on the block directly.  I need to get the engine block painted so all is finished behind the added components.

 

  With that in mind,  I started with the Distributor.  

 

 

 

You can see the distributor at the front end here.  I had to build this with all the little bolts and leads in a small circular pattern and find some easily bendable wire for the leads.  

 

I used a soft solder wire to make these, however I might redo the wires if i can find something thinner.  But for now I'll keep things as is.

 

  After I cut the styrene into the small circles that I needed, I next had to tap the holes for the 12 bolts.  Then I used the solder wire and flattened the ends and drilled holes to match the plastic.  After cleaning up the ends of the wires I mounted the bolts through the wire and then through the plastic and secured everything into place...

 

 

 

  In this photo you can see I have bent the wiring into place and I have also added the Injector sockets onto the top.

 

 

I have also started with the fresh air intake manifold, added to the top.  Just placed for now...

 

 

I have so many random items to add that, as you can see, I'm just picking whatever to build.

 

Until next time..

 

RichO