36 D2 Coupe Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Nice dies! I had something like this made to create the formed-in trim washers on the Airflow doorsill scuff plates we make. Since the material we use is aluminum, I can use my drill press to squeeze the dies together. Love your attention to the hidden details 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Ted, it just gets better all the time. I am spending too much time on the forum, but it is all good with the Olds. Keep em coming. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary W Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Ted; Very impressive and smart work! Your meticulous attention to every little detail is simply superb! This will be a gorgeous automobile when done. Love watching this Olds come together. Well done! Gary 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Thanks guys, you’re too much. This stuff is just fun for me. Each little thing is a challenge and I try and find away to “get er dun”. My mom has done crosswords all her life and at 89 in a few days, still does them. She says she likes the challenge and they keep her mind sharp. I guess all these things on my restoration are my own form of “crosswords”! I realize now it’s all my moms fault.😀 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Here are some pictures of the drivers side second generation floor tie in/battery access plate in another 32’ Olds. I will be making up two of these, one for myself and one for my buddy Joe. You can see this plate allows for complete removal of the battery without removing the floor board. A much nicer modification than the original design. Edited February 16, 2019 by chistech (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Gilly repainted the rear apron as we saw an area we didn’t like. The other front fender is all painted but needs to be buffed yet. I should have both here on Thursday. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 This was a photo shared with me from a follower on my restoration thread and I really appreciate him sending it to me. It’s the first time I’ve seen a picture of this car. He found a picture of Bob Dare’s 32’ DCR, Bob a fellow member of the NAOC, and the owner of one of the three wood spoked DCR’s currently left known to exist. The photo goes way back to 1984’. Bob’s car appears to have the rare Olds metal spare tire covers. These cars just seem to have a nice presence when viewed from the side. The 8”longer nose and wheel base helps give them that look. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearsFan315 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 From the info you have provided Ted the 32 Oldsmobile DCR are beautiful elegant cars. i love the long lean look. then add in all the features and options. I know how anal and attentive to detail you are, your 32 Oldsmobile will be and exceptional example when completed !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearsFan315 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 On 1/22/2019 at 10:07 PM, chistech said: I’m starting to see black! It’s only a couple pieces but it’s progress. Tomorrow the splash aprons/running boards should get done. loving the black !! i have about 35 pieces of my 1929 Chevrolet that I have been working on getting shaped and cleaned up. spent the last 2 weeks blasting and prepping them to get primed and painted black. hoping they will be out to the paint shop here in another week or two. almost ready to go !! then back home, and start putting them on the car !! Great job Ted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 Gerry, when the color starts going on it feels like you’ve finally gotten over the top of the wall doesn’t it? Even though there’s still a lot of work, it just feels like you’re so much closer to being finished. It starts to get exciting again like it felt when you first get the car and the vision you’ve had in your head for the last few years is starting to come to fruition. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 Gillie got some more done on the body tonight. Blocking it out he found a few areas needing some more attention. After all, that’s what blocking is about. To make it easier we put it upo the lift to get a perfect eye level look at the lower panels. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 (edited) Started milling out the final mold plates now that the test panel results were good. The plate is 6” x 14” and will yield enough of the ribbed area for both the shifter closeout and the pedal closeout molds. I first milled the entire face of the plate a few thousands to remove any dents or scratches. I then sanded the surface to remove the majority of all milling mark getting progressively finer with the grits. With the top surface smooth, I then milled all the 5/16 slots .070 deep and .375 apart. I then started sanding the slot bottoms to remove all milling marks. Only got 3-4 slots sanded so far. A lot more sanding to go then I’ll start cutting in the 6 fine grooves in each .375 raised area. Edited February 26, 2019 by chistech (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Great work! Particularly interesting is that you're making your own molds for floor plates. I have a floor mat from a 1931 Pierce Arrow that I'd like to reproduce, but can't find anyone willing to take it on. Problem it it's about thirty inches square and would be a LOT of milling..... Your car is going to be beautiful when done, thanks for sharing the progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 3 hours ago, trimacar said: Great work! Particularly interesting is that you're making your own molds for floor plates. I have a floor mat from a 1931 Pierce Arrow that I'd like to reproduce, but can't find anyone willing to take it on. Problem it it's about thirty inches square and would be a LOT of milling..... Your car is going to be beautiful when done, thanks for sharing the progress. Thanks for your compliments. Mac Blair had mats custom made for Buick’s. I need to contact him anyway so I’ll ask if he can help you out with who did his tooling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 43 minutes ago, chistech said: Mac Blair had mats custom made for Buick’s. Buicks of what period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 1 hour ago, chistech said: Thanks for your compliments. Mac Blair had mats custom made for Buick’s. I need to contact him anyway so I’ll ask if he can help you out with who did his tooling. Thanks, have talked to a couple of manufacturers but dead end so far. I have numerous people who'd buy a repro mat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Bloo said: Buicks of what period? From the early thirties. His mats with fisher logo are very close to my Olds and I’m using them. I believe he has them for different series cars also. Edited February 26, 2019 by chistech (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I believe he's the one that did them for the 1931 90 series roadster. Incredible results. If he didn't do the ones I saw, I'll let you know. Update: Nope. Wasn't Mac. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Ted, since following the post from the beginning on the Oldsmobile, I'm very impressed with the way the restoration is coming together. Your painter/ bodyman Gillie is doing some really fine work with the Olds. The car is going to be outstanding. Thanks, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 Thank you John. Now that I’m at the top of the hill, it feels like I’m a little stuck but I not really. I currently have every part to complete the restoration except the gauge cluster panel which doesn’t go in until the end anyway so now it’s really just the paint to get this ball rolling. Gillie actually has the other front fender and the fuel tank apron done but didn’t bring it because we had extreme high winds and he didn’t want to risk trying to handle the pieces which was fine with me. Last thing we need is any hanger rash. He has some commitments this week so won’t be back until Saturday. We’re getting some snow this week and it’s coming down right now making for a fun morning tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 28, 2019 Author Share Posted February 28, 2019 Worked just over a couple hours on my mold plate. Got all the tooling marks out then cut in the fine grooves in four ribs. Still a dozen or so to go. This is why no one wants to make molds or pay for them as there is tons of hours into the machining. My tool works like a file and though I didn’t count, there’s probably over 200 passes to get the grooves to the correct depth. A little PB blaster seems to help the tool cut better but after 4-6 passes, I have to use a dental pick and compressed air to clear the cutters. It’s a process that takes a lot of time. After the fine grooves are cut, i then sand the tops of each rib to remove any flashing caused from the cutters. I tried applying more pressure and ended up breaking out one row of teeth in the cutter but it still works fine. Might end up having to get a second set of cutters. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 The results are amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 It is astonishing. Christec is right in noticing that the amount of work needed to do things like this pretty much limit this kind of work to ambitious and clever home mechanics. The amount of time alone prevents the overwhelming majority "checkbook restorers" from doing it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 As we all know, anything can be reproduced, it’s the cost of the reproduction that stops most of us. There are many things I just can’t afford that I’d love to get done so when I think there’s something I can do myself, with my tools and informal education, I start thinking on how I can accomplish it. I look at my time spent trying something is at worst a failure, but more often, an education, and by our failures, we learn to succeed more with each additional try. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I keep a box of failures... and I'm not at all embarrassed by them. I think of them as my self-imposed apprenticeship. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I do the same thing in my wood shop. The only difference is that I end up using mine for kindling in the fireplace and when we go camping. It does bring back memories of the projects. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Mike "Hubbie" Stearns said: I do the same thing in my wood shop. The only difference is that I end up using mine for kindling in the fireplace ... Yes, so far, about a third of my errors have been re-made into other things. The funny thing is that, having made a mistake, I get a lot of pleasure out of making something useful from "free" materials. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I do as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) In between working at my full time job, I try and spread my time out on this Olds, a customers 34’ Chevy pickup I’m doing, remodeling my wife’s kitchen, and getting a new RC airframe ready for this upcoming flying season. I know way back I posted a few pictures of a Dauntless Dive bomber that I had been working on. I had started back on it a couple months back and with the help of my good RC flying buddy, it’s getting done. Gerry is a professional artist and scrimsham. He does incredible work to say the least in his job of scrimshaw. So, like my cars, I don’t paint my model planes either as I could never do the quality of work Gerry does so why waste my time trying. Through the years we’ve always worked on the “one hand washes the other” premise as I help and do a fair amount of the mechanical work on his aircraft. We still power are models with four stroke glow fuel combustion engines and I have the “touch” when it comes to setting them up just right. When flying a nicely built scale model, the last thing wanted is an engine flame out so a reliable running engine is a must. So with that too long of an introduction, here are some recent photos of my Dauntless progress towards the maiden flight. Still a couple weeks out but getting close. By the way, seeing since this thread is about my 32’ Olds, I’ll be bolting up the front fenders to the chassis along with the fuel tank apron this week. The body is just about finished prepped and will possibly go to paint next week or definitely the week after. Getting excited again. Edited March 10, 2019 by chistech (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearsFan315 Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 That is a work of art, and know it will fly smooth !! you guys do superb work no matter what you are working on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 11, 2019 Author Share Posted March 11, 2019 Thanks Jerry. The Dauntless normally is a great flyer and hopefully this model should fly good too. The biggest thing with a model this size (55” wingspan) is the wing loading or all upweight vs. wing area. I’m pushing this one some as it is a nine channel plane with lots of stuff on board. It has the basic throttle, elevator, rudder, and ailerons but it also has retractable landing gear, flaps, dive brakes, bomb drop, and machine gun sounds/led lights. Normally, warbird models build nose light so often nose weight needs to be added. I always try to add useful weight like a heavier engine, bigger or double battery packs,etc. Im estimating this Dauntless is going to come in about 8.5-9lbs which will make it fly well but give lots of caution when flying slow and dirty (with flaps deployed). Still got a lot of details to add and I’m starting to put the airframe back together so I can determine the center of gravity. I achieve that normally with battery pack and other internal placements. Sometimes, nothing beats the old lead on the firewall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Your Dauntless is beautiful! This is probably a terrible thing for you to hear, but have you considered electric power for your RC planes? Brushless motors and Lithium Polymer batteries have transformed the hobby -- you can build lighter and end up with much lower wing loading. And you don't have to wipe your model down after flying. Just a thought. I have been enjoying this thread on your beautiful Olds, and wish you the best of luck. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 Hi Neil, thanks for your info, I actually have a few electric aircraft. These days, the only issues I have is with my electric aircraft. Whether a battery going bad or an ESC going out and crashing a P47, the electrics are more problematic for me. I enjoy the sound and smell of glow four strokes. I also enjoy the challenge of installing an IC engine in an airframe. Routing fuel tanks, exhausts, etc., are all things when done right and kept out of sight as much as possible is what it's about. Installing electric motors is real easy and quick but I'm not really into that. The one thing I have to disagree with is the AUW of the electrics. When building warbirds for example, the batteries end up weighing more than a comparable IC setup. Yes, you can paint latex but you can do that with gas engine planes also. I'll be one of those guys who's the last to change but I still don't mind the cost of glow fuel, wiping down a plane as it lets me check over my whole airframe after the day, and hauling around the starting stuff. Another thing I hate is waiting for big battery packs to charge. Even small packs take an average of 30 minutes for about 4-7 minutes of flight time. On my glow planes, as long as my on board battery is a large MaH one, I can fly, land, refuel, and immediately fly again. Hey, I'm an old car type guy, and an old glow fuel RC plane guy! LOL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 Meant to post this the other day. While wet sanding down the body to get it ready for paint, we found this in the drivers side rear inner fender well. In most cars these panels rot out right along the bottom where this number was stamped so I’ve never read anywhere of anyone finding one before. You can see it’s close to the bottom of the panel where it bends under the kickup. This area took a beating both from the elements outside and the wood getting wet on the inside. Especially for a roadster, my cars sheet metal was in exceptional condition. The number is definitely a 1 32 which I believe to be a date of production code for my body. By my cars serial number I’ve determined it to be a mid to late February production so a body with a January production date seems like it would fit. I keep finding out and learning more on these Olds. It seems these cars were better marked and serialized than most believe them to have been. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Now that you found that tid bit of info are you going to stamp it just a little deeper so it shows up even more? Looking good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 7 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said: Now that you found that tid bit of info are you going to stamp it just a little deeper so it shows up even more? Looking good. No, I’ll be leaving it just as it is. The chance I’d be able to find the correct size or font would be hard enough and then if I was just a smidge off, it would look restamped. That would no longer look original. I know it’s there, it shows just enough, and I have pictures now to document it’s there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 (edited) Thought I’d post a few more pictures of more work on the Dauntless. Got a picture of the LEDs flashing in the front machine gun barrels. Now some more paint work and a few other mechanical things and it will be done. Should have mentioned that there are no decals on this plane. Everything is cut stencils that are cut in place on the planes surface. Just the right touchis required to cut the stencil paper and not the planes surface. I used this technique on my Olds wheels stencils. I’ve had a lot of practice cutting stencils! Edited March 13, 2019 by chistech (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Saw these at a miniature museum in San Diego area.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted March 13, 2019 Author Share Posted March 13, 2019 Those might have been made by a Japanese dentist. There was a dentist who was famous for constructing exact scale models out of aluminum. Every part was built using factory blueprints. Years of construction in each one. Incredible work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 I don't want to derail your thread -- although you seem to be doing it by yourself without any help from me! <grin> I understand completely what you're saying about the pros and cons of glow power versus electrics. I started with electrics and have never flown any gas or glow planes, so I probably have a bias in that direction. But I hate forums where people go on for pages arguing about which is better. As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're having fun, that's the whole idea. Another reason I'm probably happier with electrics is that I'm really not a builder -- I did it when I had to back in the days when ARF's were terrible -- but nowadays with CAD laser cut (and even foamie) ARF's that fly great and require very little assembly, I'm a very happy camper. I have tremendous admiration for people like you who are true craftsmen and spend hours on their planes and then have the guts to go out and fly them! Thanks for posting more pics of the Dauntless -- it's very impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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