Paulie9fingers Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 That looks amazing, it's almost a shame that you will end up painting things and somewhat hiding your craftsmanship. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Well, with the time the brass is getting darker, not always nice. Paint also is hiding some small defects... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Amazing work Roger! Your craftsmanship is without par. Thanks to the internet and you sharing this, I'm able to see your work even though I'm thousands of miles away in Canada. Keith 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 16, 2022 Author Share Posted October 16, 2022 With a completed steering box, the model now is requesting a steering wheel. It's not the first I'm doing but this one has an annoying characteristic: on top of the rim, there are small ridges in addition to the usual rim's shaping at the underside. How to do that? I did a tool to soft solder the rim to have the correct inside diameter. The I did the 60 slots with a milling tool. The idea is to silver solder tiny brass bits. With the proper trimming I may be able to replicate the shape. We'll see soon... The attached pictures are showing an original steering wheel, machining the rim, the slots and the soldered brass bits. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 For the moment, the rim is ready. Maybe I will try to lower the ridges when the steering wheel will be assembled. On the other side, if they raise in proportion the same as the original ones, they may be unnoticed... 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 23, 2022 Author Share Posted October 23, 2022 Once the rim was done, I trimmed the hub and prepare the spokes. They were silver soldered to the hub; the trimming coming after this operation. Once the spokes were trimmed, I soft soldered the rim to them. I also added a small decor to the spokes, somewhat simplified compared to the original steering wheel. Now, I can do the link between the steering box and the steering lever. I had to buy tap and die for that job; I had nothing as large (3 mm) in my tool store... 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 (edited) WOW! Edited October 23, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 Cool! I didn't notice when I looked at the proto wheel that the nubs were on the upper side, instead of the bottom like I have always had. I saw the pictures of your mounted wheel and thought you'd made a boo-boo. (happy Halloween!) What a model! Quote 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 Pat, there are also "nubs" at the underside of the rim, like most steering wheels. The upper ones were maybe needed to have a better grip as power steering was not yet born. Maybe it was just a decor... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted October 24, 2022 Share Posted October 24, 2022 Very nice, looks amazing as always 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted October 28, 2022 Author Share Posted October 28, 2022 The steering system is basically finished. The last piece to be added was the steering connecting rod. A straight bar? Oh no, it would be too easy! This bar or rod is vertically and horizontally curved. Looking from above the curve is obvious: to clear the way for the tire during a left turn. But why horizontally? I don't know. Maybe to clear the rear shackle from the front spring. At both ends, I have a ball stud, two shoes, a spring and a treaded plug, however much simplified compared to the original set-up. This elaborate system is allowing to have no play at the joints during a normal effort. I still must add a dirt/grease shield over both joints. As my assemblies are without splines, I had to add something to index the Pitman arm and steering wheel on their respective shafts; I did that with a 0.5 mm diameter rod inserted between hub and shaft. Totally not visible when assembled, but allowing a disassembly if needed. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Time to go for a ride 😉 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 Geez Roger, When you follow the original 1:1 down to 1:12 scale, nothing (to the naked eye) is different. To have fabricated the steering shaft, worm gear, steering box and then the steering wheel is just baffling to us mortals out here. Of course, you are on loan from another Galaxy ! ! I have yet to come across another scale modeler who is as detailed and as precise as you are! Wingrove's models were much smaller and he could not capture as much detail as you do. Plus his were static models, not working models (operable foot pedals, brakes, steering, lighting, etc., etc.) as yours are. Bravo in the progress with the Cadillac. Randy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 2, 2022 Author Share Posted November 2, 2022 Thanks Randy! It seems that you are forgetting a major difference between Gerald Wingrove and me: yes, he did models at scale 1:15 which eliminate details possible at 1:12. However, the main difference was that he did models for a living, but not me! You can estimate the price I should sell the Mark II to have a decent income for 9 years... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 Roger, I don't suppose you have done it yet, with the model still under construction, and needing cleanliness for solder and paint, but what to you use for lubrication to prevent the similar metal from galling under working conditions. A few of the parts may be under a fair amount of force at times. The steel worm and the brass sector may be all right for galling, but could wear. The steering knuckles may be prone to the galling. Curious (I know I'm a pest about these things, but you are so informative I simply need to ask😉) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 Pat, on some elements like wheel "bearings" and steering gear have some grease or oil. This will be washed away during the paint process, but I will again lubricate all moving parts after that process, like I did on the other models. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Thanks, Roger. I was wondering about this. Anyhow, if it has been working for you before, stick to the same here. The ol' tried 'n' true is usually a wise choice. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 Pat, Roger's cars don't come with the 100,000 mile factory warranty like today's cars, however, seeing that he will only be "driving" them about 2' a year, I am sure that his lubrication protocols will be sufficient for the cars, er, models. Demoing the steering and brake, clutch pedal for the masses probably won't occur that often. The lube that Roger is using has come with his experience in the first three of his masterpieces. And if a component fails, I am sure that Roger can "roll up his sleeves", crawl under the chassis and go to work fixing the problem. 🙂 However........................if he is going to "gas up" and drive this beauty........now that is another story....... 🙂 Wouldn't that be a treat? We will all be there waiting to greet him when that event happens ! ! I was at the Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad when Louis Chenot's 1:6 scale Duesenberg engine was demonstrated. We all crowded around to watch him run the engine. You can see it at their site; www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com He only ran it for a minute but what a minute ! ! That car is now the property of the Craftsmanship Museum and is on permenent display. IF you are ever in Carlsbad, CA, do not miss this marvelous museum as they have a plethora of scratch built models, ranging from aircraft, ships, gas engines, steam engines and locomotives, hydroplanes, a rollercoaster, a large (1:12 scale) operating crane, etc., etc. Very impressive for anyone to see. This museum was set up by Joe Martin, now deceased, who owned Sherline (hobby machine tooling). Roger and I own the Emco Unimat lathe and milling machines made in Austria. The difference in Emco and Sherline is that ours are cast iron vs. extruded aluminum, making them more rigid and sturdier. Emco is still in business, however, they don't make this lathe/milling machine any longer. One huge difference between Roger and me is.....he has mastered his machines, where I am still a learning amature. (no time with my business to devote to full time hobbying right now). And I know that I will never achieve his excellence. That takes an engineering background and his Helvetian penchant for exacting detail. If the Cadillac could run, I am sure that it would perform as flawlessly as a Swiss watch ! ! ! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 Recently, I was busy with the shock absorbers regulating system. It requires a lot of small parts, an annoying job. Of course, that system will be static on the model with most parts soft soldered to each other. As some holes must be drilled on the frame, I will have to remove the steering system and the engine; maybe the suspension can stay undisturbed. Some clevises have a small tube which is silver soldered; I had to find an unusual method to perform the job: a tube was turned on the lathe, then soldered and finally cut from the stock. The tube alone was so short that I found no other method to solder it with a relative precision. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Wow, that's a lot of little parts 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 18 hours ago, Randiego said: Pat, Roger's cars don't come with the 100,000 mile factory warranty like today's cars, however, seeing that he will only be "driving" them about 2' a year, I am sure that his lubrication protocols will be sufficient for the cars, er, models. Demoing the steering and brake, clutch pedal for the masses probably won't occur that often. The lube that Roger is using has come with his experience in the first three of his masterpieces. And if a component fails, I am sure that Roger can "roll up his sleeves", crawl under the chassis and go to work fixing the problem. 🙂 However........................if he is going to "gas up" and drive this beauty........now that is another story....... 🙂 Wouldn't that be a treat? We will all be there waiting to greet him when that event happens ! ! I was at the Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad when Louis Chenot's 1:6 scale Duesenberg engine was demonstrated. We all crowded around to watch him run the engine. You can see it at their site; www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com He only ran it for a minute but what a minute ! ! That car is now the property of the Craftsmanship Museum and is on permenent display. IF you are ever in Carlsbad, CA, do not miss this marvelous museum as they have a plethora of scratch built models, ranging from aircraft, ships, gas engines, steam engines and locomotives, hydroplanes, a rollercoaster, a large (1:12 scale) operating crane, etc., etc. Very impressive for anyone to see. This museum was set up by Joe Martin, now deceased, who owned Sherline (hobby machine tooling). Roger and I own the Emco Unimat lathe and milling machines made in Austria. The difference in Emco and Sherline is that ours are cast iron vs. extruded aluminum, making them more rigid and sturdier. Emco is still in business, however, they don't make this lathe/milling machine any longer. One huge difference between Roger and me is.....he has mastered his machines, where I am still a learning amature. (no time with my business to devote to full time hobbying right now). And I know that I will never achieve his excellence. That takes an engineering background and his Helvetian penchant for exacting detail. If the Cadillac could run, I am sure that it would perform as flawlessly as a Swiss watch ! ! ! Cool place! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 Absolutely! It seems that I'm not the sole fool! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 It seems that my query was to chastise our friend, Roger, about his lubing. I appologize if I ruffled a feather or two. I assure y'all that i was only curious about what would do the job and not be messy or harmful to the finish of the parts. I honestly trust Roger knows far more about this that I'm liable to learn on my own. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 8, 2022 Author Share Posted November 8, 2022 Don't worry, Pat...Sometimes people are overreacting! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 9, 2022 Author Share Posted November 9, 2022 While looking at details pictured from a real car, I saw a rod coming from the front relay down through the frame. At first I did not understand the reason for it, until I found a picture from one relay: the rod is indeed a tube with a grease nipple! As there is a shield between frame and engine, this pivot could not be greased without removing the shield. So, I did it to look like the real thing. With some errors (the spring was on the wrong side), I installed the idler shaft with the levers. The provision to adjust the rods is done at those levers; as mine will just be static, the rods will be pushed into the clevises. Then I finished the relays at the front. The inside lever on the left side has a leg more: it’s for the rod coming from the dash to adjust the shock absorbers. The next task will be to remove the shock absorbers, solder the actuating levers and fit the various rods. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted November 9, 2022 Share Posted November 9, 2022 This model really is amazing 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 12, 2022 Author Share Posted November 12, 2022 On the first picture, you can see the actuating lever attached to the shock absorber. On my project, it's soft soldered to the shock absorber. The next picture is showing the first rod from the shock absorber to the relay lever. Then, there is a view at the inside of the frame with an intermediate rod going from the relay lever to the idler lever which is shown on the next picture. The free "leg" at the relay lever is connected to the linkage going to the dashboard; that leg is not present on the RH relay. A third rod finally go from the idler lever to the rear shock absorber's actuator. The idler shaft is connected with the other side; it is transmitting the input to the RH shock absorbers. What I still have to do are the guides for the middle and rear rods. They are useful to prevent buckling from the rods when they are in mode "pushing". 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 14, 2022 Author Share Posted November 14, 2022 The next job should be the front brakes. For that I should buy a cable release for an analog camera. Why? the pushing device is a small but long spring, diameter about 1 mm. They are still available new, but if someone has such a cable he will never use again, I will gladly buy it. What has still that thing? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretch cab Posted November 14, 2022 Share Posted November 14, 2022 I have followed your work for a long time and just can't believe the detail you put into your work. Do you scale out each piece to get a finished size or do you eyeball it to keep it within your tolerance? Your work is amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 14, 2022 Author Share Posted November 14, 2022 Thanks to follow this thread! When I have a dimension from a real part, it's rather easy. When not, as it's for the most parts, I have usually a picture of the said part together with something of known dimension. Then, I'm calculating the needed dimensions. It's never 100% accurate as there is always some distortion in a picture. Sometimes, I have to modify a bit what I calculated... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 The parts list is saying that there are six guides for the shock absorbers control. On the pictures I have from a V-16 frame, I see only four. The drawing in the shop manual has four, but this is the image from a V-8 frame, they are shorter. Anyway, I did only four. As the system is just for the eyes, I will not run into troubles. To attach the guides to the frame, I'm using 0.5 mm (0.02") screws in stainless steel, with nuts in the same material. When I'm using brass nuts, I can solder them to the base, but stainless steel cannot be soft soldered. Installing the nuts on the screws is taking some time and good glasses! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted November 26, 2022 Author Share Posted November 26, 2022 Indeed, I wanted to finish the front brakes; as I'm missing a spring to guide the cables actuating the front brakes, I began something else: the exhaust system. It must not be routed at 100% like the original did; it just must be coherent. I began with the mufflers; the original ones are very large with a diameter over 7 3/4" and just one each side. A funny system was used at the rear to improve the sound; I'll show it in due time. The inner construction is shown on first picture; a thin piece of brass was rolled on this skeleton and soft soldered. The front tube is not too difficult to do; after the 90° curve, it's almost straight. The other side will be more difficult as the tube must go between the brake booster and the frame and end almost at the same place as the RH one. I see also that I will have to plan very carefully the final assembly: for the moment, I cannot torque the front clamp; there are too many obstacles to insert a tool. Probably I will have to build some wrenches for that task. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 HOLY COW!! What else can I cay? This work is beyond stunning!! Again, thanks for sharing this process with us, Roger. It's like a brain surgeon or NASA scientist is taking pictures of what they do and posting them online. On 11/26/2022 at 8:56 AM, Roger Zimmermann said: 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 1, 2022 Author Share Posted December 1, 2022 Those two little curves around the brake booster gave me some trouble to have the end of tube at the right position. I did not bend the tube; I cut slices and silver soldered the cuts. The space between the tube and the frame is really tight. As the engine has limited movements (especially mine!), it should not be a problem here. There is one support at the front of each muffler and one at the rear. I’m attaching a front support from a real frame because with so many rods and all parts the same color, it will be difficult to understand. There is one vertical plate, attached at the transversal’s tubes for the brakes and one rod limiting the transversal movements from the muffler. Some rubber grommets are used to limit the noise transmission to the frame. The rear muffler’s support is from a different construction; this is a bracket attached to the third cross member, also with rubber grommets. As the threaded holes I did on the cross member are not at the right place, I had to improvise with the shape of the brackets. The next challenge will be the outlet tubes: if I’m replicating the tubes from the real frame, they will come in conflict with the rear axel’s rods at the end of its travel. I will also have to improvise and shape the tubes to clear the rods. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 Amazing 😎 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 (edited) Once again, I'm astounded at the intricate detail of your work, Roger. Why, you even have the seam in the muffler's jackets in the same position as the real ones. Marvelous model. Those seams aren't the big deal here, when you realize the problem solving that went into the exhaust shapes, and the creation of the brackets- but remembering to have those seams correct also= masterful. Thanks for these gems of craftsmanship. Edited December 1, 2022 by Pat Hollingsworth (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 10, 2022 Author Share Posted December 10, 2022 During my search for exhaust tube's pictures, I found a supplier offering those for the V-16 cars. At first, I was unsure if they were for this type of cars unless I saw that I was making an error with the tubes orientation: what I saw in front was indeed the outlet. The curves I saw are indeed necessary to clear the rear axle's rods. Therefore, the frame I measured in Germany may have some interference with the home made exhaust system. There were many slices cut through the tube to get the proper alignment. Sometimes, one or the other curve was exaggerated, I had to do other slices, open slightly the tube and insert some brass. Finally, I was satisfied with the LH tube. I added the tuning chamber as it's called by Cadillac. Was that system efficient? Another surprising fact: the mufflers are supported at the front and at the rear with small rubber grommets. However, at the cross member in front of the tank and at the last one, the tubes are attached directly to the corresponding brackets, without provision for thermal expansion... 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted December 10, 2022 Share Posted December 10, 2022 Roger....I am astounded as usual by the detail of your work! I still find it hard to believe that all of these bits and pieces that make up this chassis started out as just brass plates, tubes and rods. You are truly an ultra-skilled artist. Now, if I can put my lower jaw back up to where it closes.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 Thanks keiser31! You are one of the faithful followers from this subject, almost since day one! As an owner from cars which are from the same period as the model I'm going now, you know how complex those machines are with a lot of castings and added parts. I hope that in between you could put your lower jaw at the right place! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 Roger, Simply amazing. The complexity of the exhaust system must have had you scratching your head for a good while to get it right. And you did. We all are in awe of your work. Doing this in 1:12 is so much more difficult that the 1:1, yet you always find a way to get the job done. Bravo ! ! ! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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