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I snapped my fingers and just like that a new part appeared thanks to the "magic" of 3D modeling, printing and the wonders of CNC technology!

 

Obviously the above is sarcasm. It is indeed amazing technology and I am blessed to be able to work with it. We finished the radiator cover today. Yesterday we roughed out the profile leaving .04" material. This morning I started the machine at 9:30 am to make the finish passes  - it made the last cut at approximately 3:00 pm. The G-code for that last pass was over 65,000 lines of code. Sure glad I didn't have to enter it all the hard way. 

 

 

Making the last pass.

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Here we have the progression - reverse engineer from old photos and measurements of the filler neck. Use Solidworks to create a 3D parametric model and 2D shop drawings. 3D print a mock-up (grey plastic assembly) to test fit and appearance. Generate setups and tool paths in Fusion 360. Machine the part in machinable wax to test the setups and tool paths. Run the final part. Note that the finished knob was 3D printed for us in stainless steel by the University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center. They were going to 3D print the cap as well but they were afraid of warping etc. due to the thin cross section.

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All in all a fun project! Eventually when our foundry guy cast the cap in cast iron we will swap this one out to the spares shelf.

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Here is a view showing what the original cap looked like

 

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One more project down .... many more to go!

 

Edited by Terry Harper (see edit history)
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Today I am progressing with further tear down and inspection of my Mopar flathead engine. The goal today is to measure all main and rod bearing clearances. I hope to gather enough info today to make a decision on the depth of my engine re-fresh, or full rebuild. 

 

 

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Yesterday I finally vented my kitchen exhaust vent outside.  It’s always just recirculated until now.  I don’t know why I waited so long.

 

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Tomorrow is more PM on the wife’s car.  Did shocks/struts/bushings last weekend.  Hopefully it will last 20 more years.
 

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Edited by 39BuickEight (see edit history)
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53 minutes ago, Jeff Perkins / Mn said:

 

 

At our latitude we are darn lucky  to perform these tasks this time of the year!

 

With you being even further north than me I believe you.

In fact my wife went to college in Winnona and has shown me pictures where the snow banks were so high that the rule was to paint plastic golf balls with fluorescent paint and put them on the top of the antenna (when cars had those) to be detected when coming to an intersection.

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At the moment trying to figure out how best to create an interpretive display of old parts.

 

Back last month we recovered the remains of a 1916 Lombard lag bed tractor. This particular machine was sold new in January 1916 to the Maine Last Block Company at Harvey Siding, Maine. At one time the shoe industry was huge in the state of Maine. Cities such as Lewiston, Auburn, Skowhegan, Saco all had shoe factories. Along with tanneries etc. providing material for shoe lasts to all those mills was a significant industry. Shoe lasts were shaped hard wood blocks that were used during the manufacturing processes. The Maine Last Block Co. was setup to harvest and supply the maple blocks that would later be shaped into lasts. Established in 1916 the company didn't last long. In September of 1917, a fire destroyed a the drying sheds and a large amount of stock waiting to be shipped, apparently spelling the end of the business. At one time they boasted that they expected to ship upwards of 400 carloads per year. So much for that.

 

Anyway, from what we can tell the Lombard was stored away in a shed near their sawmill and left. At some point an effort was made to salvage the machine by breaking it up with sledge hammers. We even found one of the mangled acetylene headlights.

 

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The engine was an L-head built in house by Lombard and offered as both a four and six cylinder version. What is remarkable that such a small operation

would have attempted to build their own engine. After 1916 they bought engines from Wisconsin, Sterling, Van Bleck, Stearns, etc. This engine measured 735 cid (6"x6-1/2")

This photo was taken in August when we found the site.

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Track pads, broken pinion drive housing and transmission gears and shafts. I believe the small octagon rods are the cores

from the old dry cell batteries??

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A some point a rod had gone through the block and the block patched. We even found the offending rod. Later they broke

the block into two halves when they salvaged the machine for scrap. We used Herb's sled and an ATV to drag the parts approximately a mile

out to the road.

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Exhaust manifold and upper water manifold. 

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Another load of parts heading out. The angle iron frame is the remains of the dash panel.

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Note the removable split webs to hold the main bearings. Since the crankcase was round in cross-section the crankshaft had to be slid

in from the end - thus the removable split webs.

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As for the interpretive display - I thought about something interactive like having some of the parts buried in a sand box and kids and adults experiencing  "discovering" them and than having to identify using a chart.... industrial archeology if you will... But rusty iron, kids tetanus...... crushed fingers.... probably NOT a good idea. Plus we would probably need to tether them so they don't disappear.

Edited by Terry Harper (see edit history)
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I always enjoy reading updates on the Lombard and its history.  Thanks Terry!

 

The news on the ACF-Brill military coach is all about paint this fall.  Knowing outdoor painting weather is nearly gone, I made the most of the past few warm spells to get a LOT of painting done.  Everything from the windowsills up, plus the entire driver’s side, has been painted.  It’ll need finish sanding and buffing, but I love the look!


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-Steven

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Fired up my propane heater tonight and got it warmed up enough to paint a metal cabinet with my left over can of Buick green engine paint.

 

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I moved a few things around while waiting for it to dry and put a rag to my 52 Ford flathead that's waiting to someday go in my truck.

No it's not an original colour but with the truck being white like how it's going to look.

(at least it's not a 350 chevy...) 

 

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Today we completed the shop drawings for the Lombard Steering Sled project. Back when these machines were new they were used to haul long sled trains of logs and pulpwood

over iced roads. As such they usually came from the factory with skis with wheels being optional. Our big 10 ton Lombard log hauler was the exception. It was purchased new by the city of Waterville, Maine in 1934 and was used for snow plow work. As such it was never setup with skis. 

 

One of our dreams is to be able to do a few winter "Living History" events depicting a 1920's-30's era logging operation complete with horses and our 10 ton log hauler hauling sleds. Since we cannot find any original pieces for the steering sled assembly we have decided that we will have to fabricate a set. Most of the components were cast steel. Since that presents a bit of a problem in regards to time, money and finding a foundry that will take it on we decided that we could fabricate most of the pieces as welded assemblies than with careful finishing and a bit of rustication get them to look somewhat like castings. Its going to be a challenge with some of these pieces.

 

Anyway, the first step was to develop the shop drawings. The complete set includes 11 sheets. Below are some samples (cover sheet, Assembly drawing, etc.). The complete assembly will tip the scales at approx. 760 lbs. Now I just need to write the proposal to go with the drawings as well as finish the 3D printed model we will use for presentations. Our schedule is for the project to start in the Spring of 2021 and be completed in June of 2022. Herb has already ear marked a fallen oak tree we will use for the runners. Hopefully is a week or so we will have it rough sawn and drying.

 

Love this stuff!

 

 

 

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Finally finished the walkway/ stairs.  The wife thought i was nuts.  That was alot of bricks to cut. Surprisingly I only had about a wheelbarrow of scrap when I was done. There are probably about 1700-1800 bricks total as well as a dump truck and a half of stone and dust.  I ran into a few nice nuggets at the bottom and a pile of roots.  I hand dug it to that point but then cheated the last 20 feet and used the excavator to till it up and remove the rocks.

I'm not crazy about the last step.  The way the driveway angles to the garage didn't really let me finish it the way I wanted.  I probably should have done a fanned out step to end it.  The curve does point you to the big garage .  My wife thinks I overthink things. 

 

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25 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

Finally finished the walkway/ stairs.  The wife thought i was nuts.  That was alot of bricks to cut. Surprisingly I only had about a wheelbarrow of scrap when I was done. There are probably about 1700-1800 bricks total as well as a dump truck and a half of stone and dust.  I ran into a few nice nuggets at the bottom and a pile of roots.  I hand dug it to that point but then cheated the last 20 feet and used the excavator to till it up and remove the rocks.

I'm not crazy about the last step.  The way the driveway angles to the garage didn't really let me finish it the way I wanted.  I probably should have done a fanned out step to end it.  The curve does point you to the big garage .  My wife thinks I overthink things. 

 

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Amazing job!  Looks great!

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Now the question everyone asks is when am I available to do theirs.  

Some more yardwork comes first,  and when the snow hits,  hopefully not too soon,  but any day now, I get to move inside and back to my cars.

I don't think I have been bored since I was a teenager.  Seems there is always some project to finish or worse yet start. 

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Love the above project and appreciate the workmanship as I have laid many pavers around my property during recent years but house and plot smaller than the expanse of project shown . ( Uk city houses small) 

relating to thread subject , been trimming trees along my boundary , only 7 trees 😊 

regarding car hobby had a satisfying week bought an exhaust manifold , carb parts and bumpers for my healey  project all at great prices , not the same satisfaction as achieved at looking at paving project , but still satisfaction .

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After painting up  cabinet and wall shelf unit I wanted it out of the garage mounting it on the back wall. Unfortunately it was a rainy damp day so hung a temporary tarp to divert water which gave me a decent work sheltered work area.

 

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With a bit more work will see how it holds up to our winter snow....

Meantime the cabinets are dry now.

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Today I had to fire up the mini CNC mill to machine a piece for a plaque I'm making.  It takes about 2 hours from start to finish.  I've made them a couple a times before.  It's an A-10 front of the gun.  It even spins on the plaque when it's all finished.  I just have to clean it up, sandblast, and paint.

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Started off trying to fix the AC in my 1960 Buick.  Too much money later, determined that it was seriously in need of parts that you cant find any more.

Moved to putting Vintage Air in. That led to finding a bad cylinder that led to a total engine rebuild.

While we were there and the engine was out, decided to rebuild the suspension.

That is where we are now. We have the front end all apart and are blasting and painting.

Engine has had machine work done and is waiting for assembly.

Vintage air is in with lots of fab work being needed on the firewall, we need the engine in to finish the job.

It has been a fun COVID summer.

And finally, I tried my hand at baking sugar cookies. they ended up sugar balls. Tasted good, but not cookies.

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9 hours ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

Started off trying to fix the AC in my 1960 Buick.  Too much money later, determined that it was seriously in need of parts that you cant find any more.

Moved to putting Vintage Air in. That led to finding a bad cylinder that led to a total engine rebuild.

While we were there and the engine was out, decided to rebuild the suspension.

That is where we are now. We have the front end all apart and are blasting and painting.

Engine has had machine work done and is waiting for assembly.

Vintage air is in with lots of fab work being needed on the firewall, we need the engine in to finish the job.

It has been a fun COVID summer.

And finally, I tried my hand at baking sugar cookies. they ended up sugar balls. Tasted good, but not cookies.

Funny how the initial project ALWAYS grows as your look deeper! Can you share pics of your VA install inside the car? Keep us posted on the rest of the project, love 59-60 Buicks.

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36 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said:

Funny how the initial project ALWAYS grows as your look deeper! Can you share pics of your VA install inside the car? Keep us posted on the rest of the project, love 59-60 Buicks.

@TexRiv_63Don,

Take a look at the post in Post War Buicks--- Working on my 1960 Buick.   You can follow the whole sordid journey there.

We still are not complete on the AC. Need some fittings before it is wrapped up.  But it fits under the passenger side dash and 

shouldn't interfere with my wife's feet.

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Bill Stoneberg.....Thanks for the heads up on your project and the link to the Buick site. My very first car was a ‘60 Invicta 4 dr. That I loved. Paid $100 for it in 1969. 
Also.....I would not have a problem helping you eat those “cookies”!

Edited by Jeff Perkins / Mn (see edit history)
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My '39 Buick, seen to the left in the picture, was finished in 1980.  It went through the judging system and won a Grand National Senior in 2000.  It also has been on many AACA National Tours.  Over time the front seat started showing signs of repair and on the last AACA Sentimental Tour it was parked under some kind of tree in Mississippi during two days of rain.  The tree dropped something on the back end that caused the old blue nitro lacquer to spot.  So, in November, sitting here in my Florida house with nothing to do, I decided to give my beloved sidemounted Special a needed facelift.  Heck, we can't go anywhere anyway with this virus thing out there.  I took it to Sarasota where my 41 Roadmaster was restored, and they are redoing the pleated leather front seat, rebuilding the radio with a 12-volt insert that allows me to use my Radio Shack GPS, and repainting the body Glacier Blue metallic, but this time in modern basecoat/clearcoat.  No other restoration was necessary.  If we're living in 2022 and there is an AACA Sentimental Tour (which I somewhat doubt), I will take it again if my health is good enough to pull my trailer one more time.  I love this car, as it is an exact copy of my first car in 1955 and we've had it since 1963.  Earl Beauchamp, AACA Past National President 2004, age 82 now.

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WOW, lots of cool stuff going on out in the world! From resurrecting ancient iron behemoths, and baking, to installing beautiful sidewalks. Makes me feel like a bit of a slug. I have been working on cleaning and painting the bottom side of my resto project, certainly nothing exciting or fun. Had to take a bit of a break and started to clean up/paint some of the peripheral parts. Sway bar, links, etc. My wife has taken to the landscape during the pandemic. Decided that we needed new front steps and redid our sidewalk landing area a bit. I end up helping but she enjoys getting out of the house. Cooking is kinda my winter hobby. 

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1 hour ago, Dynaflash8 said:

My '39 Buick, seen to the left in the picture, was finished in 1980.  It went through the judging system and won a Grand National Senior in 2000.  It also has been on many AACA National Tours.  Over time the front seat started showing signs of repair and on the last AACA Sentimental Tour it was parked under some kind of tree in Mississippi during two days of rain.  The tree dropped something on the back end that caused the old blue nitro lacquer to spot.  So, in November, sitting here in my Florida house with nothing to do, I decided to give my beloved sidemounted Special a needed facelift.  Heck, we can't go anywhere anyway with this virus thing out there.  I took it to Sarasota where my 41 Roadmaster was restored, and they are redoing the pleated leather front seat, rebuilding the radio with a 12-volt insert that allows me to use my Radio Shack GPS, and repainting the body Glacier Blue metallic, but this time in modern basecoat/clearcoat.  No other restoration was necessary.  If we're living in 2022 and there is an AACA Sentimental Tour (which I somewhat doubt), I will take it again if my health is good enough to pull my trailer one more time.  I love this car, as it is an exact copy of my first car in 1955 and we've had it since 1963.  Earl Beauchamp, AACA Past National President 2004, age 82 now.

 

 Great car, Earl.   Two of those, sans side mounts, were in my family in the '50s.  

 

  I must have missed something somewhere.  Pull what trailer?

 

  Ben

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2 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

 

 Great car, Earl.   Two of those, sans side mounts, were in my family in the '50s.  

 

  I must have missed something somewhere.  Pull what trailer?

 

  Ben

Yeah, Ben, I've got an old 24-foot 2000 model Haulmark I've pulled over 100,000 miles (I think) with my 1st and 2nd Suburban.  It looks like crap, but I had the springs and axles rebuilt and it has sort of new tires on it (put on in 2018 for the last trip to Missippi).  My health went to hell in 2019 as I had open heart surgury in July-August and then a pacemaker in December.  Hope I'm okay to think about driving one or two more trips in 2021-22.  For your interest Ben, my parents bought a plain black '39 sedan in 1941 and drove it to 1951.  We went everywhere as I was growing up.  They had a friend who had a special '39 Special all those years.  It was glacier blue, full leather interior, GM Saftylight spotlight and dual sidemounts.  I admired it every time the two cars were together at picnics, etc.  He bought a new 1953 Chevrolet, but kept his Buick around the farm.  In 1954 I asked him if I could buy it.  I had my newspaper route money.  He said if it was okay with my parents he'd sell it to me for $100.  On Jan 29, 1955 I handed him the $100 and I got the car I'd been in love with all those years.  Then, in March I met a girl at school and was soon in love with her.  She complained somewhere along the line that the kids called my car "Beauchamp's Hearse" so I talked my parents into helping me trade it at a D.C. Chrysler dealer on a 1952 Plymouth Belvedere 2dr hardtop.  In October the girl called it quits and my car was gone forever.  So, in 1963 my wife of now 61.5 years and I bought a plain black 1939 Buick 4dr sedan for $120 and over the next 18 years or so I made it a perfect replica of Mr. Money's special '39 Buick Special".  Now I want to put new clothes on her before I die.  I have no idea where she will end up when Judy and I are gone.  Don't think the two daughters would know what to do with her, so our will says sell everything and split the money.  Earl

Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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17 hours ago, Jeff Perkins / Mn said:

Bill Stoneberg.....Thanks for the heads up on your project and the link to the Buick site. My very first car was a ‘60 Invicta 4 dr. That I loved. Paid $100 for it in 1969. 
Also.....I would not have a problem helping you eat those “cookies”!

 The cookies are gone, they didnt last long in this house, ugly or not.

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15 minutes ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

Earl, I hope you are well enough to go on another few trips.  Love the story about your car.  Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Bill, I decided to cut back when I turned 80 and put my '39 Special 4dr convertible up for sale.  It didn't sell well, and I got all sorts of advice on here that it was only worth $30-35K.  Believed it, fat chance.  Shudda stayed off here.  On July 1, 2019, the day I went into the hospital the dealer called and said he could sell it for $36K.  Not knowing if I was going to live or die, I gave in.  The buyer, another BCA/AACA member, had a hell of a time getting it and I had a hell of a time getting paid.  We worked together and I got the money in September; he got the car a week later in Virginia, and the dealer was arrested on fraud charges a week later.  I don't know what happened with other consigners.  I guess I was the last to get paid maybe, and damned lucky to get it.  But, the buyer sold the car to another BCA/AACA member in NC who dressed up the undercarriage, took off the skirts and painted the rear fenders, sent back my awards, and got a 1st Junior at Gettysburg starting all over.  I owned that car from 1970-1985, sold it to Lewis Jenkins in NC, bought it back in 2000.  The new owner thinks it is worth $70,000 he told me.  Well, I was just hoping for $50,000.  He sure doesn't want to come on this website and get other Buick people's opinion I don't think.  I'll never ask around for opinions again, haha.

Edited by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)
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22 hours ago, Bill Stoneberg said:

@TexRiv_63Don,

Take a look at the post in Post War Buicks--- Working on my 1960 Buick.   You can follow the whole sordid journey there.

We still are not complete on the AC. Need some fittings before it is wrapped up.  But it fits under the passenger side dash and 

shouldn't interfere with my wife's feet.

Bill, I found your other thread right after I posted here, great pics and coverage as usual and I will follow along.

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I figured out a way to man-handle my 6 cyl 25” Plymouth engine. No helper. No hoist.  I managed to get it into the truck box from the engine stand. Off to the the machine shop. It was cleaned and crack checked. All good. Now onto the next stage.  Parts ordering. 
 

I got the block home, then back out of the truck and on the stand again!  Some day I’ll buy a hoist. Maybe after I rebuild a few more engines. Lol. 
 

 

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Edited by keithb7 (see edit history)
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