# WIP? tricks and Gimmicks?



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

*WIP? Tricks and Gimmicks?*

Admin. I hope I can post this here....IF Not please make a posting to direct me where this should have been put, and then move it. I'm sorry, but it is of "modeling" techniques and such so I thought I'd add it here.

Admin. I hope I can post this here....IF Not please make a posting to direct me where this should have been put, and then move it. I'm sorry, but it is of "modeling" techniques and such so I thought I'd add it here.

Anyway....

I'm sure ALL of you reading this has one trick or more up your sleeves! I myself, got a couple, and I'm going to post them! Might teach some newbie a trick or 2, or show how some of us are "advanced" if you will.....

Starting off. I have been a model builder all my life, sadly, I have been a Model Railroader, for most of that time. BUT years ago as a teenager, I was a Model Car & Truck builder, even done my share of a few 18 wheelers! BUT in the past, 15-20 years, I have only built the scale model trains, mostly HO scale (1:87th) But more so, to the point in the last year, I have had some serious health issues that made me slow down just a bit. Open Heart surgery last year, and some more added "bypass" stuff done to my legs, and so on healing I went. Sadly, as a lot may know, you can't put any sort of torque on your Sturnum! Its a whole new way of living and doing things!

So, with this, my now passed Dad got a hold of me as he bought a REAL 1939 Chevy business coupe, and just loved this real car, to the point he had my Step Mom and other family members crazy. WELL, she (my Step-Mom asked if I knew where to find a model of my Dad's 39 Chevy....I found one, and began putting the frame together, and removing what came with it as a motor, it came with a big block GM "427" that was blown, and the whole nine yards. My Dads real car, has a GM "307" SS motor in it single 4 barrel carb. and a nice K&N air cleaner....Nice overall, really, (I'm more a Mopar Muscle kind of guy, myself, but, it is a nice car!) So anyway, since the day I found the model, I been "collecting" as I found, building models, did not "hurt" to do! AND it gave me something to do!

So, with this "new" found interest that I thought I had lost, I got to collecting models I planned to build and I remembered all those "left-over" parts I had stashed away, some 20 years ago! (Or somewhere there close in time) Its been awhile to say the least!

I dug 'em all out, and began "sorting" and soon I have an organizer full of Mopar engine parts, and then another full of GM & Ford engine parts....

I get a few models under my belt (not completed ones, but WIP ones.. some a bit more "done" currently then others but on the way, so to speak....

I go to the local hobby shop looking to see what they have to offer as far as models and low and behold, the mother-load! A DETAIL supply! From "Detail Masters" WELL this was all new to me, so I bought this and I bought that.... SOON I had $100 in just detail! I about fell over! Got to buying just what I needed instead of what I wanted (I thought, I can buy all this, OR I can MAKE it myself!) Some looked pretty simple, for a guy like me....See, In my "shop" area, was once a business, where I done nothing but custom build, detail, paint, scale model trains, N scale to G scale........ I even got a metal Lathe and Milling Machine. this tool does all sorts of wonders shall I say! I also, have casting capabilities..... I make a master copy, from my tools, and then if its good enough to me, to be used for the part I'm trying to represent, I can make a mold, and then make as many as I can possible EVER use, maybe even sell to make a few dollars to support this hobby too like I did the trains (IF you only knew!)

So with all these details I bought, Distributors, plug wires, ignition wire, battery cables, all sorts of small details....I got to looking at some of it, and the spark plug wires is 30 gauge wire...... 2 feet for $4.99? HOLY CRAP! I can get all sorts of colors of this stuff, from Radio Shack for $5.99, and thats for 50 FEET, not 2 feet! So it will last me, a much longer time! PLUS its "coated" solid wire, that conforms as easy as the Detail Masters stuff, and comes WITH its own "plug boots" all you need to do is strip the copper and then painti t if so chosen to do!

OK this next one is crazy.. ANYONE here got a local "Music Store" that sells new and used Guitars? Why? WELL, you know all those "show cars" you see with braided hose and such for the carburetors, for fuel supply? The braided hose for the upper and lower radiator hoses? That coiled wire harness in the engine compartment? THESE ALL can be modeled by the use of OLD Guitar strings, normally tossed out by that shop that has replaced old worn out strings with new ones, and the good part? The owners a lot of times will GIVE them to you just so they don't have to toss them out! BE SURE to tell them, what your doing with them, AND when your able, take a car in the store to show them what you did with there junk guitar strings!

I also have used guitar strings, old ones, for Lagged Pipe on steam locomotives in the Model Railroading world! See, those guitar strings come in multiple different sizes (thicknesses) which can be used the thicker ones for radiator hose, the thinnest ones, "BRAIDED" for wrapped engine compartment wiring harness. And even coolant details, for radiators, transmission coolers, and the list just goes on and on!

With my Lathe, the sprue, for turning my own oil filters, my own power steering pumps. On a motor I got pics posted of, the blower belt pulleys! So far, on ALL the motors built by me in the past 6 months, the distributor caps were all turned plastic! I also will be making parts from Billet Aluminum too! I got a small supply of that as well! Distributors, and coils... for starters. I'm adding fuel lines, right FROM the fuel tank! I'll be adding brake lines! I got all the stuff right from the master cylinder.....Carburetor linkage. that will lead to the gas pedal! 

I've found a few OLD model parts no longer made and the company no longer exists, I'm gonna make castings of specific valve covers, heads oil pans, even some motor blocks, auto and standard transmissions....

What other tricks might others use, or know? Know of some good ones post 'em up! See how creative we all can get!

Thanks for reading! And to those, thanks for adding in!


----------



## vypurr59 (Sep 25, 2011)

I have a Micro Lathe, and aluminum is my favorite metal, Look at the knitting sections, and also garage sales for old knitting needles. I bought like 30 sets of knitting needles for $3. Lots of material for use on the lathe. Nail sections of the beaty dept, Nail polish for paint, nail jewels for gauges, details like blue dot tail lights. Fabric swatches for seat covers, floor mats.


----------



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

This is what I want to hear! The Lathe "stock" is AWESOME! Aluminum, ALWAYS turns great, AND is a good metal for machining too!

However, I keep anything "round" solid or not.....I can take those knitting needles, as well as old Plastic coat hangers, and ANY other coat hanger that's other then steel wire made ones, for turning in the lathe. I keep any sort of pipe, up to 1/2 inch diameter. You know, you mentioned Aluminum, knitting needles, I found one time yard sale hunting, I found a few 3/8" Dia. Aluminum rod some 5 feet long! 50 cents each the guy wanted. I took ALL he had, its "Billet" too! polishes very nicely!

Old blind slats work GREAT for sheet stock too... I have my share of that as well, cut into 12 inch long sections....

I'll have to remember that on the fabric swatches....I would have never thought of those, but yeah interior fabric, OR floor mats, hell yeah that work!

You mentioned Nail Polish as paint, I've actually got it to be sprayed through my air brush!


----------



## vypurr59 (Sep 25, 2011)

Shotgun cleaning patches, painted with acrylic paints, make great underhood fabric mats.


----------



## vypurr59 (Sep 25, 2011)

Beads make suicide knobs

Nail Jewels make blue dot tail lights

Craft store ribbon for seat belts

The wire looms were made from a soda can metal in above pic.


----------



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

That's great work! The soda can aluminum to be cut into "looms" musta been fun! LOL

The shotgun cleaning cloth, that's an interesting use, it looks GREAT as under hood insulation!


----------



## vypurr59 (Sep 25, 2011)

Only drilled through my finger twice...LOL


----------



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

vypurr59 said:


> Only drilled through my finger twice...LOL


My goodness, I can not tell you how many times I've done that over the years....And to add to it, those small drill bits 0 to 80, SUCK, almost worse then a point needle stuck/jabbed into your finger....

All I can say is that's how ya know the hair on the back of your neck is alive as it stands up!


----------

