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Post by chepp on Dec 26, 2020 19:19:57 GMT -5
I have to applaud Revell for issuing the '32 hot rod kits in the past ten-or-so years but I've been fighting all that street roddy stuff so much it isn't fun any more. I'm shoehorning the old Revell parts pack Cadillac engine into it -- should be easy, right? The modern kit comes with a Hemi and a big thick radiator with a strap-on electric fan so there should have been enough room for the stock style fan and a skinny stock '32 radiator (Drag City Casting Little Deuce). Well, not quite. That big ol' modern front frame crossmember isn't helping any, either. So I recessed the firewall and moved my engine back a little.
Earlier in this project I figured that I could follow the Iron Trap Garage videos of putting a Cad into their Sweetheart roadster (A body with a '32 firewall on a '32 frame). Their engine seemed to fit just fine with a stock firewall. Note in the left photo that the Caddy fan clears the front frame crossmember. Today I discovered that Iron Trap, in a later episode, moved the engine back and cleverly recessed the firewall into the body instead of hacking it up. The photo at the right shows the right side of the engine and radiator of the revised version with the fan behind the crossmember.
So, if the the fan on mine could rotate it would strike the crossmember. I'm just going to grind a little on the top of the crossmember to give the fan some (but not enough) clearance. By the time the radiator, hoses, grille shell and front suspension are in place nobody will see it. I was planning to use just the hood top but if I have to cheat the grille shell forward for fan/radiator clearance then I'll just leave it hoodless. I'll be using Drag City Casting's really nice Little Deuce grille, shell and radiator. In honor of the late Harry P. of Model Cars magazine I added upper and lower generator brackets made of flat brass (about 0.040" x 0.020"). One of his pet peeves was seeing the floating generator/alternator supported only by the belt.
Anyway, I'm not going to try backdating any more recent Revell '32 hot rods to the TRAK era. The floor pattern is wrong, the steering is wrong, the rear suspension is wrong...but they have a lot of nice details like frame rails, door handles, lights and the front suspension (except for the disc brakes).
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Post by Duane on Dec 27, 2020 1:46:15 GMT -5
buy Ed's parts, and bodies; you'll be glad that you did !
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Post by krassandbernie on Dec 27, 2020 20:31:37 GMT -5
In instances such as this sometimes clearances really do come down to the scale thickness of the parts being 3-4 times what it would be in real life! LOL! I am sure you can block sand the top of the front cross member down a bit to give the illusion of more space there. I have to say that I am surprised I have not seen anyone here scratch build their own 4 blade fan from aluminum sheet stock........not only for realism; but also for clearance ahead of the water pump. I might have to take a crack at it someday if I don't forget. Every kit fan I've ever seen looked way out of scale as far as the thickness!
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Post by Dennis on Dec 27, 2020 22:52:03 GMT -5
I have quite a few models without adequate fan clearance. I just position the blades so they don't hit anything, LOL!
The Caddy engine looks really good, btw!
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Post by chepp on Dec 31, 2020 18:29:02 GMT -5
After hours and hours of removing 1/64" here and there and numerous assembling/disassembling (and breaking/repairing) of parts I think that I've gotten the engine and radiator in the right relationship. Now I'll have to work on the front of the crossmember to allow the grille to fit into the shell. The Revell parts pack Cad fan had thinner blades than most so I didn't have to do much work before painting. Making blades from aluminum or 3-D printing them are a good idea for future projects. Some AMT fan blades look more like 1" x 6" lumber.
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Post by tomqvaxy on Jan 1, 2021 5:11:13 GMT -5
i think either Detail Master or Replicas & Miniatures makes flathead fan blades in photo etch. maybe not for every model, but for the "mantlepiece" special efforts they would be a value. or at least save some frustration to be relegated elsewhere. www.detailmaster.com/products/mcg-2005-fan-with-pulley-faces
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Post by dodgefever on Jan 1, 2021 13:54:18 GMT -5
Nice work. I'm lazy, I'll just omit the fan if it's a problem. Plenty of rods ran without fans...
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Post by Mr. Metallic on Jan 4, 2021 11:59:32 GMT -5
Ahh, backdating the R/M 32 frame. I think we've all done it. I enjoy the challenge. But, a shake and bake version straight from the manufacturer would be nice too.
This rod is looking good. Tolerance stack can be an issue sometimes in the scale world, you're overcoming it nicely.
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Post by Dennis on Jan 6, 2021 0:33:20 GMT -5
Nice work getting the whole engine to fit, fan and all!
As for the grill, you can thin down the back side of the grill insert to buy some cross member clearance. A combination of that and sanding the cross member itself should get you there.
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Post by thirdgearspeedshop on Jan 6, 2021 14:25:58 GMT -5
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Post by chepp on Jan 15, 2021 21:59:46 GMT -5
Interior work is progressing. The dash and the half-round under the side windows will be body color.
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Post by chepp on Jan 15, 2021 22:00:13 GMT -5
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Post by krassandbernie on Jan 16, 2021 21:46:24 GMT -5
You are really taking great strides to make this one darn near perfect Charley! I hope to see it through completion!
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Post by Dennis on Jan 16, 2021 22:22:52 GMT -5
Interior mods are looking good. You're really leaving no stone unturned with this project!
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Post by chepp on Jan 16, 2021 22:51:11 GMT -5
Interior mods are looking good. You're really leaving no stone unturned with this project! Thanks! I keep going down rabbit holes but it's interesting. Not yet shown are the chrome exhaust headers that I very lightly airbrushed with clear brown and clear blue to simulate heat discoloration. Now I'm working on how the '40-up Ford juice brake master cylinder, bracket and pedal lever would look adapted to the '32 frame. That doesn't seem to be well covered in online photos but I've found enough to go on. It must have been covered in the "little books" of the '50s and early '60s but I don't have them.
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