64 Dodge D100 Pickup Pro Street

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

I'm on vacation this week, I usually take one in October to finish all the fall chores but the weather is terrible, it's raining every day, too bad, the last 2 weeks were like summer, I guess Mother Nature gave it all she had in store....

I had some time available so I made the battery holder, it will be mounted in the bed right next to the kill switch.  I read that the NHRA does not accept standard "J" rods as a mount and that the bracket must be bolted to the body so I designed something that should meet their requirements.  The main support is made of aluminum in 2 parts and the rods are brass tubes, the bolts pass through them and screw to the body.  I will have to make the terminals and add a decal on the battery, I am still in the work in progress after all...😁

Comments and questions are always welcome.

Francis

Base of the support on the rotary table chuck.

Base at a more advanced status.

Top of the support on the rotary table chuck.

Another one...

In the process to separate the part from the rod.

Battery terminals in progress.

Most of the parts together.

A little test fit, I am pretty happy with the results (sorry for the blurry picture, I think I am better on the lathe... 😂).

[CabDriver]

I’m not sad at all that it rained if you get some more bench time Francis!  Truly masterful work as always!  

[AmericanMuscleFan]

19 hours ago, CabDriver said:

I’m not sad at all that it rained if you get some more bench time Francis!  Truly masterful work as always!  

Thanks again for your kind words Jim!  I have a busy fall and winter ahead of me, I really want to finish this truck before next spring.  I'm at the stage where I'm starting to think about the next project and I have too many ideas and not enough time...  I'm probably not the only one in this situation...😁

Francis

[Nazz]

  Hey Francis, another amazing chapter! Great work!

 

Jerry

[AmericanMuscleFan]

22 hours ago, Nazz said:

  Hey Francis, another amazing chapter! Great work!

 

Jerry

Thanks Jerry!  The next chapter will be for the fuel cell, this thing will be thirsty and not necessary in harmony with the Kyoto protocol...😁   However, I am a pretty environmentally friendly guy in real life...  I'd say that's one of the good things about creating the cars of our dreams at scale!

[GoatGuy]

Francis, I'm just now catching up on some builds here and your progress is Fantastic. I need to go back and see how you made the headers. Great inspiration for us to see your updates.

Dave

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 10/27/2021 at 7:26 PM, GoatGuy said:

Francis, I'm just now catching up on some builds here and your progress is Fantastic. I need to go back and see how you made the headers. Great inspiration for us to see your updates.

Dave

Thanks Dave!  I am currently working on the fuel cell set-up.  I'm finally done with the fall chores (there are still leaves in the oaks though...) so I think I'll be able to resume my model building season at a more consistent pace! 😊

Francis

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Francis!

Wow, even the milling swirl marks in the first pix have been polished or "brushed" away. Very impressive!

I assume this is 12 volts, right?

CT 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

6 minutes ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Francis!

Wow, even the milling swirl marks in the first pix have been polished or "brushed" away. Very impressive!

I assume this is 12 volts, right?

CT 

Hey thanks buddy!

A lot of elbow grease to remove the end mill marks and yes, 12 volts it is... but the battery is not yet fully charged, so no big risks of accidental discharge... 😁

I am in the process of going around and identifying the last missing pieces to this puzzle...  I have to finish this project this winter or before spring, I have a lot of ideas for my next subject and I hope I won't discourage my followers... I've been working on this project for a while now!!! 😓

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

Due to the bad weather lately, I've had more time for the truck, which isn't a bad thing because I want to pick up the pace and finish making the missing parts before I put some color on this long (very long...) project.  I just finished the fuel cell and I offer you some pictures of the almost finished product, I'm going to paint the tank in satin black later to simulate as if it would be in plastic.  The next pictures will be a bit of a surprise because the next pieces will be made according to the inspiration of the moment according to what I find I have left to make.  I always think I am done but I am always missing something when I take the time to go through it all.  I have to say that there are many parts in a vehicle when you think about it... 😁

See you soon, Francis

Fuel cell in the milling vise at early stage.

Grooves for the straps machined and hole for the filler cap drilled.

Fuel cell in progress. It probably won't contain enough fuel to cross the country... 😁

Part of the filler cap in progress.

Holes drilled for the mounting bolts.

Brass filler cap in the rotary table.

Most of the parts are machined, the brass straps are handmade of course.

A small test assembly to check the fit (I am pretty happy... 😁).

[chris chabre]

I wouldnt paint that tank!!! show off its beauty

[Straightliner59]

Fantastic work, as always, Francis! That is gorgeous. Keep up the progress,  my friend!

[crazyjim]

Don't paint that piece of beauty.  Please

[AmericanMuscleFan]

11 hours ago, chris chabre said:

I wouldnt paint that tank!!! show off its beauty

Thanks Chris!

8 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Fantastic work, as always, Francis! That is gorgeous. Keep up the progress,  my friend!

Thanks Daniel!

2 hours ago, crazyjim said:

Don't paint that piece of beauty.  Please

Thanks Jim!

Thanks for your comments guys, I really appreciate your input and suggestions too! 😊

I'm still in reflection mode but my main concern is to get more color contrast, as most of the details in the box are already bare aluminum (battery holder and kill switch).  The ring around the filler cap would remain bare aluminum and the brass strips would make a nice color contrast with the black.

I still have a lot of work to do... but it's coming along!

Francis

[bytownshaker]

Absolutely amazing work and detail.

 

[Mike Williams]

Oh Francis, I understand the woes of having to paint metal parts, but understand your dilemma. 

Judging from the rest, I'd suggest making the brass bracing strips to have a different look, and saving the aluminum.  Paint a graphite-appearing metalizer on the brass straps...?  These brushed gently with a cotton swab (or similar) after drying on brass make a very nice finish!  The brass straps are perfectly fabricated, but the star here is the tank, with the brass cap, not the straps!

To hell with the brass straps, save the tank!  I'm smiling again.

Also, concerning the finish on metal parts, do you have a sandblaster with different grain usage available?  The difference between a hand-buffed and smooth metal part can be sensational when fine grained glass beads and other abrasives are applied.  Five parts with the same finish, can be easily made to look very different when an air blaster is involved.

Your small scale fabrication is a joy to view!

Mike..

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/6/2021 at 10:33 AM, bytownshaker said:

Absolutely amazing work and detail.

 

Thanks for the nice comment Edgar!   It puts gas in my tank! 😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

20 hours ago, Mike Williams said:

Oh Francis, I understand the woes of having to paint metal parts, but understand your dilemma. 

Judging from the rest, I'd suggest making the brass bracing strips to have a different look, and saving the aluminum.  Paint a graphite-appearing metalizer on the brass straps...?  These brushed gently with a cotton swab (or similar) after drying on brass make a very nice finish!  The brass straps are perfectly fabricated, but the star here is the tank, with the brass cap, not the straps!

To hell with the brass straps, save the tank!  I'm smiling again.

Also, concerning the finish on metal parts, do you have a sandblaster with different grain usage available?  The difference between a hand-buffed and smooth metal part can be sensational when fine grained glass beads and other abrasives are applied.  Five parts with the same finish, can be easily made to look very different when an air blaster is involved.

Your small scale fabrication is a joy to view!

Mike..

Thanks again for your great suggestions Mike!

I would not have thought that such a simple part would have brought all these suggestions or comments.  I don't have a sandblasting system but I have already considered buying one because it produces a very interesting finish.  I still have a lot to think about and it gives me motivation to continue this long project.  Your advice is valuable and I take good note of it, your great talent and experience in the field are the reason for this forum.  Sharing our knowledge and experience as well as the contribution of everyone is priceless!

Francis

PS: The attached image is the kind of look I had in mind.

[1930fordpickup]

Please don't paint that beauty. 

[NOBLNG]

19 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

 

PS: The attached image is the kind of look I had in mind.

It is a beautiful piece of work Francis….but go ahead and paint it. It certainly is not going to stand out among all the incredibly machined bits of artwork on this build. The detail and accuracy of your work just amazes me!👍👍👍

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/8/2021 at 12:16 AM, 1930fordpickup said:

Please don't paint that beauty. 

Thanks for your kind words Andy, I would have never thought that painting the tank would have brought so many comments... 🤔  I guess people take the time to read what I mention in my endless updates! 😁

 

On 11/8/2021 at 8:30 AM, NOBLNG said:

It is a beautiful piece of work Francis….but go ahead and paint it. It certainly is not going to stand out among all the incredibly machined bits of artwork on this build. The detail and accuracy of your work just amazes me!👍👍👍

Thanks for your comments Greg!

You seem to be the only one who agrees with my first idea... 😉

Anyway, I'm not there yet and it's not like I can't strip the paint if that's not the desired effect!  I'll think about it but thanks to everyone who takes the time to share their views, it's much appreciated! 😊

Francis

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Francis!

World class work, as usual, bravo!

But now, I'm seriously worried about your mental health, my friend!

Let's see: you machined a fabulous metal tank, in a hobby that relies mostly on PLASTIC, and now, you will paint it in a way that make it look credibly like... PLASTIC? 

Help me God, there is something I don't get! 

Dr. CT, Psychiatrist. 

PS: Just pulling your leg here...

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 11/9/2021 at 8:45 PM, Claude Thibodeau said:

But now, I'm seriously worried about your mental health, my friend!

Let's see: you machined a fabulous metal tank, in a hobby that relies mostly on PLASTIC, and now, you will paint it in a way that make it look credibly like... PLASTIC? 

Help me God, there is something I don't get! 

Dr. CT, Psychiatrist. 

PS: Just pulling your leg here...

Hello Doctor!  Thank you for your concern about my mental health but I have never really consulted, maybe you gave me a free diagnosis... 😂

I asked myself the same question, my first idea was to anodize it in black but I thought the result would be too shiny so painting it in matte black (or satin) would be the solution to the finish I wanted to produce.

Be sure that if I had a piece of Delrin big enough to machine, the dilemma would never have arisen and I would have gotten the look I wanted the first time!

I guess it's just another question to have on a project that has already brought me lots of them... to be continued... 🤔

By the way, I'm making a list of the things I still have to do before painting, it's never ending... I hope I don't lose you along the way, I seem to see some light on the horizon!!! 😊

Francis

[Ian McLaren]

Francis it looks like I'm in the minority here but I agree with your thoughts on painting the tank.  You already have an astounding amount of machined aluminum on the vehicle.  I'm speaking from almost 20 years as an ISCA Official, too much of any finish, polished, chrome, machine turned or engraving looses it's effect without contrast.  The tank is stunning but  it will still be so painted, due to the detail you have incorporated into it, and the contrast will make the  other machined parts stand out more.  As usual a fantastic update.

 

[Bainford]

Looking great, Francis. Very nice work and a fine looking fuel cell. I agree with painting it. There are a lot of artful assemblies on this model where one may argue they should be left unpainted, but too much natural finish will detract from the overall look of the model, and take away from some of the realism that you have worked so hard to achieve.

Either way, it will be awesome!