Roger Zimmermann Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 Thanks! Doing the tubes in 1:12 is in fact easier than 1:1: if a curve is not right, it can be bent a bit even when cold; try that with a steel pipe! 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 As the exhaust is more or less finished (I should do the exhaust tips, but it's too early), I continued with the front brakes: I added the guide and retainer for the cable at the frame and the retainer and anchor for the cable at the wheels. I also added the rods on which the cables will be silver soldered. As I'm still missing the case for the cable, I began the radiator. It's a huge construction with plenty stamped parts encasing the radiator core and the tanks. I will have plenty to do, especially with the honeycomb. I don't know how I will do it; the previous method with paper will not be possible here. As my working pace is rather slow, it will be for next year. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted December 23, 2022 Share Posted December 23, 2022 I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this, but I see a notice that the site will be down for maintenance then. So........... Merry Christmas everybody. I hope you all have a great season and next one even better. Roger, I thank you for the enjoyable time I spent with you this year, and look forward to continuing the journey accompanied by the rest of the fellows you have gathered. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 29, 2022 Author Share Posted December 29, 2022 Pat, thanks for the wishes! Now, Christmas is behind us; I can only wish you and to all others an Happy new year 2023! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 29, 2022 Author Share Posted December 29, 2022 As the honeycomb is encased by the other parts, I tried to replicate that. Of course, this is not large: the pitch is 0.85 mm (0.033") or one side is 0.6 mm (0.024"). My idea was to shape bands 0.1 mm thick; I created a prototype tool. The results were so-so but good enough to make a long tool. I fed the brass bit by bit but the shaped material was cut with regularity. Obviously, my idea was not too good. Various ideas were studied, but most of them were beyond my possibilities. Later I took again the proto tool and improved it a bit with the guide to position both jaws, like the long tool. Again, I had the same issue. I took another approach by cutting the top of the "teeth" with a file and tried again. This time the band stayed intact! To show what I intend to do, I soldered two elements together. Many, many more will be needed; I will be busy for some weeks! I'm adding a picture from the real radiator to facilitate the understanding. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 6 hours ago, Roger Zimmermann said: Pat, thanks for the wishes! Now, Christmas is behind us; I can only wish you and to all others an Happy new year 2023! Happiest and warmest new year to you, sir! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted December 29, 2022 Author Share Posted December 29, 2022 Same to you, keiser31! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 The radiator core is going to look very nice, another creative solution to the task at hand 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dileep Gopalkrishnan Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 Hi Roger, no limit to your creativity to achieve all mechanical parts and radiator. Happy New Year, have a great year ahead! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Roger, A very Happy and Healthy New Year to you and Christine. Owning a 36 Pontiac and a 36 Plymouth, I am very thankful that my radiators are intact. One little leak in the Pontiac radiator but it was cleaned out and repaired successfully. They are not pressurized systems so checking the fluid levels is a weekly task, especially in the summer months. Then I check the level before I drive to be sure. There is a guy here in California who fabricates new honeycomb radiators for these older cars. The last time I checked with him for a friend (three years ago) the prices were well above the $4K mark as he hand makes the radiators from brass and copper. He has all of the honeycomb patterns for all the old radiators, so if you are showing your vehicle at Amelia Island or Pebble Beach, you will not be dinged for not having the correct radiator. And, Roger, artisans come at a price. As I was talking to him, he shared with me that he doesn't need any more practice. He needs to make a living! He spent years as an understudy for the original owner of the business learning this art. So, if you want a CORRECT radiator for your classic, he is the guy. And he is honest and quality is his mantra. The business is; The Brassworks in Paso Robles, CA. This is for any of our AACA members that are in the process of restoring their classic and need a quality, correct radiator. I am going back up to the Nethercutt this spring with one of our fellow SCC members as he was under the weather when I went last time. He wants to see the "Bumble Bee" Cadillac up close. The Nethercutt people at the museum allowed me to get close up shots of the car but I did not have my camera set properly, so I want to reshoot it. Roger, I do not know if you have in mind what body you are going to fabricate for the chassis, but I am sure that you will produce a body that will showcase the grandeur and splendor of the thirties. Beautiful cars in that era. Duesenbergs, Pierce Arrows, Lincolns, Packards, Franklins, Rolls Royce, Mercedez and so many others. They all were works of art. Is this easier or harder than the Continental? Seems that you have more room to work with in and around the engine and chassis than the Mark II. But that is me looking in and not at your workbench 🙂 We cannot wait to see the body that you select to mate to the chassis. I know which one I would like to see. Randy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 Thanks for your comments! Both cars are not comparable. Yes, it seems that the is more space around the engine, but sometimes some elements can interfere with others, like the steering column. Brake hardware is complicated and obviously I did some errors as the booster was in the way. Fortunately, I can cheat a bit, so everybody is happy! Some time ago, I began the upper water tank. As I unfortunately don't have pictures from the top of this part (the radiator strap is hiding most of it), it will be some guess in the making. I still have to do the thermostat housing at the front of the tank and probably two depressions to allow sufficient space between the tank and the bolts attaching the radiator's surround to the radiator. The pictures I did in Germany are not entirely correct for the 1932 radiator: there was for me a major difference: till 1932, the radiator filling neck was on top of the surround, from 1933 the cap was under the hood. To spare on costs, the strap was the same for both years. At the tank's rear, there are two holes: they are used to install the ignition coils. Interesting solution! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 That coil mounting is definitely unique. Looks great 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex D. Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 As always Roger, your craftmanship is outstanding. Maybe a little late for you but here are a couple pictures of the top of my v12 radiator. should be the same for the V16. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 Thanks Alex! It's exactly what I was missing! Two additional depressions will be added on my tank. The ones I did are not quite correct; when the strap is on the core, it's no more visible... The radiator with tanks for the V-16 has a different part number than the V-12; there are some detail differences but the general shape is identical 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 People who used an analog camera have probably had a "camera shutter release cable". What has this accessory to do with that scale model? The answer is easy: the inside cable, diameter 1 mm, ideal to run a small cable. I had such an accessory; it was used for the emergency brake from my 3 other scale models. Unfortunately, I had no more, so I had to buy one. I could not find a used one, I bought a new one in England. Ordered on January 17, delivered on January 19. 5 minutes after I got it, it was already destroyed to get that cable which will be used as a gaining for the front brakes. It was indeed a gamble: is the medium still the same as it was many years ago? Same diameter? Fortunately, yes! 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 Repurposing items for other uses, the basis of hot rodding 😂 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 27, 2023 Author Share Posted January 27, 2023 Sometimes, I have good ideas, but this time the realization is not following the theory. I bought 0.05 mm thick brass to make the cooling fins for the radiator. Making the wavy bands went finally well, but the soldering on the basis plate is not going very well. I had almost one week to do and solder about 25 bands and the result is deceiving. To complete the basis plate I would need about 130 more fins and this would be just one side of the core, the same should be done for the other side. With a nice look and good alignment of the bands, I would continue, but I'm realizing that I cannot do better. I'm putting the radiator on side; I hope to get a better idea soon... Yes, 3-D printing would be a solution, but then it's a machine which is doing the work, too easy! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Well, it seemed like a good idea, back to the drawing board, I'm sure you will come up with something. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted January 28, 2023 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Roger, Holding the bands all uniform while soldering them must have been a nightmare. And the results are not up to your standards. Even when only portions of the radiator are visible, in your mind, it is ALL visible. I am sure that you will come up with a jig to hold them all in place so that when you solder them they will come out uniform and look amazing. AS USUAL ! The chassis details to this date are just unbelieveable, Roger. Again, if one did not know that it is 1:12 scale and it was sitting on a "tarmac" surface, one would think that they were looking at a 1:1 chassis. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 Randy, if the bands were laser straight and 100% identical, half job would be done. Obviously, with my primitive tooling, it's not possible for such a large quantity. I'm doing now something else (like finishing the brakes), maybe THE idea will come during one night! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 During a discussion with a guy belonging to a scale model forum, he gave me some ideas, some utopic, some useful. The best idea was to use carboard and glue the bands on it with instant glue. Fortunately, the glue is not so instant (except on fingers) and very minor adjustments can be done. I tried that method with 3 bands. Obviously, the result is not too bad. Another lesson with that project: sometime less is more. Explanation: I have two different tools to make the waves, a long one and a shorter one which is giving crisper angles: first the band is shaped into the long tool, then into the short one and again into the long tool. This time, I used only the long one and I have less issue with the pitch. Some waves are not exactly the same with the next ones, I had this issue by using both tools too. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 Finally, the front of the radiator is finished. I'm satisfied at 90%; fortunately, the shutter blades will hide most of the ungainly appearance. With time, I improved the making and gluing each strip (about 140); I hope that the back side (the one viewed facing the engine) will have more regularity. The lower water tank is just there for the picture. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 I think it turned out very nice 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randiego Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 Wow Roger, Painted, you will not see any irregularities in the fins. They are almost unprecevable in this picture. When the radiator is assembled and installed with the fan in front of the engine, how much of the radiator will be seen? And ditto for the front. I am sure that you will fiddle with the front of the radiator until it is "Zimmermann Correct" ! ! Working for GM in the plant, the workers sure must have enjoyed you critiquing their work. 🙂 I am sure that the Swiss assembled cars were a lot better for fit and finish than the cars assembled here in the states. Especially with your preceptive eye pointing out issues to the assemblers, eh? Great work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 Well, I hope too that when painted the irregularities will "go away". Anyway, there is a radiator shutter in front of the core; I don't know yet if I will have the blades open, mid-closed or closed. I'm taking more time for the rear half, checking each band if the pitch is consistent as well as other measures. The end result should be better because the view from the engine towards the radiator is only masked by the van and a slim shroud. When I was affected as engineer for the final assembly, I had few thing to recommend. Anyway, I was at that time lacking some authority: I was too young... I could not check if the US cars were better finished because when I went to GM Suisse, only Opel and Vauxhall cars were assembled. However, I heard that the assembly quality was better as the cars which were imported; Vauxhall were certainly better than the ones made in UK; what came directly from England was really sad. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 Finally the other face is ready. Even if I was more careful, the end result is not much better than on the first face. I did the bands with the same process, however, some would have a pitch a tad different than the other ones. To make both parts, the bands I cut would represent a length of about 16 meters (52 feet). I had a rejection of about 20 to 25% because the width of the rejected bands were either too large or too small. I'm glad it's over! What you see on the pictures is the pre-assembled core. I still have to add some elements like water inlets and outlet. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 Roger I think it turned out great 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 Well, Roger you did it again! In fact, you did it about a thousand times. I'd have grown crazy getting that made (crazier?). Soon you will be on less tedious, but not any less precise, things That thing looks realer that the real one does. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 Thanks Pat! Well, I had also the feeling that I was a bit mad to glue all those bands...About 135 for each side! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 When the radiator will be installed on the frame, the flaws at the honeycomb will hardly be visible. A narrow shroud will also be added, plus both water hoses. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalef62 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 That is going to be awesome!!!!!!!!! Great work Roger. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Ever wonder how many 'bugs per trip' the little ventilator on the generator caught? 🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 There is a fine screen on that air intake. The bugs can be picked up after the drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Hollingsworth Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Aaah! Now I remember- needed your refresher. Screen would also prevent pebbles, wiping rags and children's marbles out. Thanks, Roger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 The water inlets and outlet were added, as well as the attachment points for the shroud. When I first put the radiator on the frame, I saw that the fan was too large, exceeding the width of the radiator. I corrected that too. We are not yet over with the radiator: I just did the attaching holes at the frame for the shutter. I don't know yet how I will do the 15 blades constituting that device; I'm wondering too if I will do it adjustable or if the blades will be soldered on the frame. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 Looking good Roger, I assume there were no issues soldering that close to the cardboard strips ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 The small frame for the shutter is attached with screws, removed on the picture...However, the sides from the core were soldered at the bottom. There was some stinking, but no issue. The fixtures for the shroud were soldered before the final assembly/soldering. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulie9fingers Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 I was more referring to the inlet and outlet water necks, I just assumed that the radiator was assembled when those were added because it was already pictured in the chassis without then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 When the radiator was on the frame, only one side panel was soldered to the top tank. The other one was attached with one screw; this assembly was good enough to maintain the honeycomb and lower tank correctly aligned, offering a perfect illusion! The water necks at the upper tank were soldered when the tank and side panel were alone. I had to be more careful by soldering the water neck at the lower water tank because both cardboards were already glued to the tank. However, I had no problem to report. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 The past few days, I did the 15 blades for the shutter. I had to crate a special tool to have the more or less same profile at each blade. In between, I decided to made the blade adjustable. For those not familiar with those old cars, the radiator has a thermostat actuating a lever connected to the blades, opening or closing them depending of the water temperature. I don't know if that system was very reliable because each blade has three pivots which cannot be lubed unless the radiator surround was removed. Maybe some lubrication was possible through the holes from the grille... Once the blades were done, I have to solder a flange at each end, which is the easy job. I began with the flanges from the bottom as the ones from the top have a different shape. How to drill the flanges to have some precision? Again, a new tool was constructed. It's a 3-parts tool: two parts are maintaining the blade in the same way; the third part is on top with a hole to guide the drill bit. That third part is attached with screws and pins to have hopefully the hole at the same place. The strange set-up was needed because I cannot drill a hole by resting on the blade The next task is to do the flanges at the other end and modify the special tool. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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