The Ultimate GTO

Hey gang. This is my first attempt at a thread so you'll need to bear with me.

I've always loved the 1969 Royal Bobcat GTO, the crystal turquoise blue and white car that ran the Ram-Air V engine. I'll use Monogram's '69 kit as a base.

The big challenge here will be the engine, since the Ram-Air V mill hasn't ever been replicated in scale that I know of. I'll need to come up with scratch-built cylinder heads and intake manifold for it to look real. There's pleanyt of aftermarket goodies out there to spruce up the kit, but I'll need to do a lot of modification and upgrading, too. I've spent the last couple of months gathering up research material on the car; enough so I feel I'm ready to go.

Again, this is my first thread post, so it might start out a little rough but I'll figure it all out.

Here's some pics of the car. Some of these are of the real car, some are of "tribute" cars.

Here's some pics of the unique Ram-Air V engine. You can clearly see the difference between this engine and a standard Ram-Air IV, especially in the configuration of the exhaust ports. The Ram Air IV ports are siamesed like a small block chevy, the RA-V are spaced equally apart like a big block chevy.

for a decent starting point for that intake check out some of the newer stock car kits. For the heads, I've seen similar looking units in some AMT ford kits

That's a darn good idea on the heads....lots of Ford heads have that port configuration, only question is, are they generally the right size to fit the block without a bunch of major surgery? Definitely worth looking into.

That's a darn good idea on the heads....lots of Ford heads have that port configuration, only question is, are they generally the right size to fit the block without a bunch of major surgery? Definitely worth looking into.

I'll have a look and see if I have some in the spare box, If so I'd be happy to send them to you

I knew of a Carousel Red '69 Judge that had a Ram Air V installed that was assembled from parts that were supposedly destroyed. I got rid of the magazine a few years ago but there should still be pictures of it around somewhere. Good luck on this build. :sunglasse

Okay so I started to goof off with the body last night, I actually spent some time comparing the Monogram body to the recent Model King release Judge funny car. That funny car body is more or less stock and could be used....but in the end I still believe the Monogram to be superior.

All this shiny plastic has to go...fresh out of the dies it still has a lot of ripples and of course it has to be roughed up to take paint.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1535/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2360-vi.jpg You can see the waviness of the body lines reflected in the (rather poor) light of my garage.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1535/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2361-vi.jpg

I'll get my photos up to standard soon; I've go to get around to setting up a studio.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1535/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2362-vi.jpg

You can really see the waviness there above the front wheel well. That slight yellowing on the door there is the remnants of an old paint job I stripped off. I could have started with a fresh, unmolested orange body (still available on the shelf) but the orange pigments in the plastic tend to bleed under certain conditions. I had this old cream colored one in the model graveyard so I decided to recycle it.

http://images110.fotki.com/v1539/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2364-vi.jpg

Also, the panel lines will need to be re-scribed. They're never deep enough to suit me. the door handles and key locks will be shaved and replaced with separate items.

http://images49.fotki.com/v1519/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2365-vi.jpg

So will the "GTO" emblems....

http://images49.fotki.com/v1519/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2370-vi.jpg

...and that lower rocker panel trim, which the Royal Bobcat car didn't have.

http://images49.fotki.com/v1521/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2367-vi.jpg

After a nice little heavy petting session, I have the driver side fairly sterilized; still a little touch-ups to do but it's getting there. With the rocker panel chrome gone, the panel lines need to be modified. The forward door line needs to be extended all the way to the bottom and the door sill line needs to be carried all the way back to the rear wheel well...

http://images44.fotki.com/v1535/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2368-vi.jpg

...like so.

http://images49.fotki.com/v1508/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2369-vi.jpg

I also took the opportunity to sharpen up some of the body creases, which out-of-the-box were a little soft. The wheel well moldings present a little bit of a problem. They aren't really accurate the way Monogram did them, so I might putty them in and re-scribe them to look a little more accurate.

More to follow.

After a drunken, memorable 4th of July celebration, I'm back at the desk again. I have the body all sanded down and panel-scribed so I've moved on the nose of the car.

Monogram, for obvious reasons, chose to mold the rubber "endura" front bumper and front valence panel as one. This makes sense, considering the unique polymer bumper was painted body color.

The Royal Bobcat car, however, has the endura nose painted Crystal Turquoise blue while the valence panel is white.

Since I'm an obsessive-compulsive nut about everything being separate parts, and since I've unearthed some good shots of the GTO's front end, (and also since I hate, hate, HATE masking) I've decided to saw the two in half and detail them separately.

Fresh off the sprue, here's the Monogram nose; molded together.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1524/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2399-vi.jpg

See the molded-in air intakes below the main grille opening? After I saw the two sections apart I'll open them up, and also remove the molded-in chrome trim, which I'll remake from thin stainless steel. Real mesh of some type will replace the molded-in stuff there.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2400-vi.jpg

One other minor detail; the license plate panel sticks out a bit too proud of the valence panel. Not only is this inaccurate, but once the air intakes are hogged out, it creates a bit of a "stair-step" in the chrome trim that isn't there in the real car.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2405-vi.jpg?1246921514

Here's the real car. You can clearly see the separation between the endura bumper and the valence panel; the chrome trim around the lower air intakes is recessed into the valence much more so than on the model part; and you can see how the license plate panel blends into the valence without that little stutter-step. Also, I'll sculpt the four little formed beads into the license plate panel and make holes and slots for the license plate frame.
http://images20.fotki.com/v382/photos/3/1533023/7719576/69GTOweb20020-vi.jpg

A few quick swipes with a saw blade, and she's cut apart. the air intakes were an easy clean-up, but as you can see if you look closely, that license plate panel does indeed stick out too far; I'll knock it down a whisker.
http://images110.fotki.com/v1539/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2373-vi.jpg

Also, those molded-in signal lights have GOT to go...I'll hog out the openings and build up separate ones to replace them (Bare-Metal foil and clear orange paint just don't make it, y'know?)
http://images50.fotki.com/v1525/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2375-vi.jpg

There's the license plate panel blended in flush to the valence...
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2402-vi.jpg

And the driver's side signal light socket roughed out.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2401-vi.jpg

More to follow....

I love the attention to detail!

CRAPPY PHOTO ALERT!!

I tried to shoot this next sequence at my desk, but the results sucked. Live and learn. From now on I'll shoot in my garage "studio".:shakehead

After some rummaging through my kit collection and the model graveyard, I've elected to create the unique Ram-Air V heads and manifold from scratch. Well actually not entirely from scratch; I'm using the heads from AMT's '62 Catalina as a rough starting point. They're very nicely detailed and I'll be able to say I used actual Pontiac parts!:iceslolan

Off we go.

I blew $20-plus on this kit; since I'm using only the heads, the results better be worth it!
http://images110.fotki.com/v1539/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2405-vi.jpg

If you look at the real head, you can see the difference between the RA-V head and the garden variety Ram-Air head. The RA-V has evenly spaced exhaust ports, the standard Ram-Air head has siamesed center exhaust ports.
http://images110.fotki.com/v1538/photos/3/1533023/7703763/hppp_0903_18_zram_air_vheads-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v1525/photos/3/1533023/7703763/903_14_zram_air_vexhaust_ports-vi.jpg

Step one will be to grind away the center ports of the AMT head.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1528/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1024A-vi.jpg?1247103214

There's the unmolested AMT head on top with my modified one below, the center exhaust ports dissected away.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1001A-vi.jpg

Step two is to hand-file out a couple of slots in the empty space to accomodate the new ports. I love those diamond files even though they're tough to card out.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1542/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11111A-vi.jpg?1247103295
http://images50.fotki.com/v1525/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1059A-vi.jpg?1247103232

Step three is to create the new ports. I sacrificed the other AMT head, hacking away everything I didn't need with a saw and files until I had the two outside exhaust ports separated away.
http://images50.fotki.com/v405/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1015A1-vi.jpg?1247103196
http://images50.fotki.com/v405/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1086A-vi.jpg?1247103263
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1068A-vi.jpg?1247103243
http://images50.fotki.com/v405/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R1077A1-vi.jpg?1247103252

Man, these are the shittiest pictures I've ever seen.:shakehead

Once the ports are cleaned up and ready to go, step four is to glue them into my modified head with a tiny bit of CA. I'm only creating one head by the way, I'll resin cast it for the build.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R10913A-vi.jpg?1247103274
http://images50.fotki.com/v405/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11514A1-vi.jpg?1247103335

There's the basic head. There's a LOT more detailing to do, but this is a decent start.

More to follow.

Here's some more; and these will be the last of my lousy photos (I hope).

Now that the ports are looking more or less right, it's time to add some detail. If you take a look at the real head, you can see lots of little cast-in bosses on the ports themselves; see all those little cylindrical shapes sticking out there?

Plus, there's the bolt hole bosses. I need to make those and glue them on.

http://images50.fotki.com/v1525/photos/3/1533023/7703763/903_14_zram_air_vexhaust_ports-vi.jpg

I'll reproduce all this stuff using a few different diameters of plastic rod. Out comes the drills....

...And there's the first row of holes.
http://images50.fotki.com/v405/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11415A-vi.jpg?1247103324

Then I glued in some short lengths of what appeared to be the correct diameter of plastic rod. I think I used .040. This is the kind of thing that it's more important to have look right than be absolutely accurate.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1523/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11316A1-vi.jpg?1247103316

I didn't worry too much about the length, since I sanded them all down to the same level at once using a sanding block.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1524/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11217A-vi.jpg?1247103306

Then I used a slightly smaller drill to make the lower row of holes...
http://images50.fotki.com/v1529/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11918A1-vi.jpg?1247103376

...And cut four lengths of smaller plastic rod, I think .030...
http://images51.fotki.com/v1542/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11819A-vi.jpg?1247103365

...And carefully glued them in.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1527/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11720A-vi.jpg?1247103356

While I was at it, I drilled spark-plug holes since I plan to install scratch-built spark plugs.http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R11621A1-vi.jpg?1247103344

The last job before I hit the sack was the bolt-hole bosses. I used .045 rod for that, cutting short lengths and gluing them onto the head in the appropriate locations. I'll install a scale bolt head onto each one before I make a rubber mold of the head.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R12123A-vi.jpg?1247103398


http://images51.fotki.com/v1542/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R12024A-vi.jpg?1247103386

And that's that.
It's still not done; there's the ovular exhaust flanges to cut out and glue to the exhaust port ends, plus the end bolt-hole bosses rendered the head too long (which is all right because the block I'm using is longer than the head; the 1/24 to 1/25 bugaboo strikes again) so there's some contours that I need to add for accuracy anyway.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1542/photos/3/1533023/7727384/130751R12024A-vi.jpg?1247103386

Getting closer to a finished cylinder head...

...More to follow.

Sweet progress on the heads, ill keep an eye on this one.

Not much to report on the cylinder head; I added the center raised portion and drilled a hole in it for the final bolt head boss.
http://images47.fotki.com/v1498/photos/3/1533023/7727384/CopyofDCtrip2011-vi.jpg

I also started fiddling around with the exhaust flanges. The shape is pretty weird; neither of the pieces there is acceptable. I'll keep trying.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7727384/CopyofDCtrip2013-vi.jpg?1248234721
http://images51.fotki.com/v1549/photos/3/1533023/7727384/CopyofDCtrip2013-vi.jpg?1248199561

Since I was kind of burned out on the cylinder head, I went back to the front valence panel. I wanted to replicate the four stiffening beads on the license plate face; you can see them in the photo of the real car.

I laid out their approximate location in pencil using a machinists scale.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1550/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2024-vi.jpg

Then I put a round-head scribing point into my trusty Bare Metal Foil scribing tool.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1529/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2026-vi.jpg

Then I carefully scratched the four little divots into the plastic.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1548/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2027-vi.jpg

I was happy enough with the results that I went ahead and drilled the two lower bolt holes.

But then I compared my part with the photo and saw a problem: the top of the license plate face, where the two air intakes curve in, was way too narrow...
http://images51.fotki.com/v1549/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2029-vi.jpg

I hate this kind of crap. The scriber points to the problem area.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1545/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2031-vi.jpg?1248200246

Out came the .040 sheet stock; I banged out a couple of filler pieces, glued them in, and blended them.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1529/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2032-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v1527/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2036-vi.jpg

But now it looks too wide at the top, so I'll narrow it later. Come to think of it, the stiffening beads themselves look too skinny...I'll hog them out with a larger tool. :banghead:

More to follow....

Love your approach to this one. It'll be a ton of work, but the result should be excellent. Your pics look washed out - are you processing them with Photoshop or something? Try to preserve the contrast. If they're coming out of your camera like that, then, um, time for a new camera I think :)

My photos are definitely the weak point of this thread. The last batch look washed out because I shot them under bright, incandescent light. The ones I took of the body work, the ones with the blue background were shot in my garage under white flourescent tubes. They're a little 'dark', but in my opinion they're acceptable.

I'm still experimenting with my photography; wish I had the bucks for a good camera and I'm going to set up a dedicated "studio" area in my work room with flood lamps, a diffuser, etc.

Frankly, I'm worried I might burn out on this project before I learn how to turn out decent photos!:lol:

Excellent work on the kit!

The pictures aren't too bad, you can always use Windows Photo Gallery, if you're running Vista, to fix the lighting. I grabbed a couple of your pics and just hit auto fix....

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282/jlafc3s/DCtrip2036-vi.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282/jlafc3s/DCtrip2031-vi.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282/jlafc3s/CopyofDCtrip2011-vi.jpg

I think you're better off with slightly dark pictures as opposed to over exposed like the previous batch. The first batch you had looked pretty decent though?:screwy:

Wow! That's really amazing...I don't think I have Windows Photo Gallery...also, what's Vista??


(I'm a computer dumbshit, as you can tell...)

:disappoin

I get restless working on the same piece of any given kit for very long....I tend to jump around a lot just to keep things interesting. I'm sick of the cylinder head and burned out on the valence...so I decided to get into the firewall.

Engine compartments are very important to an overall build in my opinion. I tend to do my best work under the hood, really leaning heavily on detailing and scratchbuilding there.

Here's what the real firewall looks like, from a restoration pic of a real '69 GTO:
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/photos/3/1533023/7825707/DCtrip2007-vi.jpg

...And here's the Monogram GTO firewall. Back in the day, this was damn good detail; few kits at that time bothered with a molded-in steering column.
http://images44.fotki.com/v1535/photos/3/1533023/7704009/IMG_2380-vi.jpg

Problem is, there's not enough detail to suit me. The molded-in heater box is okay, but stops short of the fender well, stopping in thin air. I'm just going to rebuild the whole thing.

Out comes the photoetch saw set; I'll use a .010 thick one for good flexibility.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1529/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2001-vi.jpg

And lickety-split, a firewall-ectomy.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1527/photos/3/1533023/7704009/DCtrip2003-vi.jpg

The only thing I might try to preserve here is the lower chrome windshield trim, but of course I'll have to grind off the molded-in wipers first. Come to think of it, the top contouring might not be a bad start...Maybe I'll just dissect off the front face and go from there.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7825707/DCtrip2005-vi.jpg

Here's what the top should look like.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1554/photos/3/1533023/7825707/DCtrip2006-vi.jpg

More to follow.

Nice! This is getting interesting now. I hope I didn't sound too critical about the pics - most of them are fine and the new ones are great, it was just that one batch that were a bit gnarly. I've been lazy with my pics lately, just shooting on the desk, I do have a swing-arm light though and it helps a lot to position that thing to get the shadows right - not too dark but enough of an angle to show up the edges a bit. A bright light smacked straight over top usually does wash out, that's true.

What's going to be "interesting" is to see if I can stay inspired to finish this build! I usually burn out several times before I finish one. I was hoping that posting here would kind of spur me to keep making progress.

No worries on criticizing my photos; at best they're only fair. I'll get better.

Always nice to see real muscle cars being built carefully. In my signature you'll find threads of my own build of the same GTO kit.

The windshield trim is pretty difficult to get done right. I wasn't satisfied with my own attempt... And remember to paint the grille surroundings black. It's a commonly overlooked detail.

Good luck with the build!

Okay so I did a little bit more on the valence panel.

I got the license plate mount issue corrected; I narrowed it at the top to the proper width. Also, I finished "fine-tuning" the turn signal light pockets.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1545/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework001-vi.jpg

The shape and size is about what I want it to be.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework002-vi.jpg

Now let's take a look at the real car again. If you look carefully, you can see a body-colored "liner" mounted inside the light socket hole. It looks like a thin strip of painted material, and it holds the actual turn signal. See it?
http://images51.fotki.com/v1543/photos/3/1533023/7719576/69GTOweb20002-vi.jpg

Here's a bare valence panel, and a separate turn signal mounting bezel, both unpainted:
http://images39.fotki.com/v1282/photos/3/1533023/8071102/BWkKGrHgoOKjEjlLmWqpBKVihEwi_3-vi.jpg
http://images19.fotki.com/v22/photos/3/1533023/8071102/a831_1-vi.jpg


I'll whip up that bezel. I screwed around with different materials until I concluded that the prototype needed to be made of brass. It needs to hold its shape without deforming for what I'm going to do.

I took a strip of .015 brass and coaxed it into shape...it needs to be rounded at the top to match the rounded contour of the hole in the valence panel, and have more or less vertical 'legs' sticking down. After quite a few tries, I got close...
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework003-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1546/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework004-vi.jpg

...Anyway, close enough for the girls I go out with. So I started trimming up the legs. They need to be short enough so that I can stuff the prototype into the sockets to test the fit, but actually a little longer than they need to be when finished.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework006-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework8-vi.jpg?1248483676

Finally it was trimmed up and deburred suitably enough to test-fit.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1547/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework008-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1546/photos/3/1533023/7704009/Valencework009-vi.jpg

And there you have it.

Obviously there's no way in hell I'm going to try to sweat out four of those that are exactly alike. There's limitations to my obsessive-compulsiveness. I'll make a rubber mold of this one, pour four casts, trim the leg lengths appropriately, glue them together end-to-end and paint them separately. When installed, they ought to look fairly convincing.

More to follow...

:yikes:
I mean that in a good way.....I am LOVING this build. Fantastic !!
You're obviously very passionate regarding the subject, and it is quite evident that this WILL be one of the BEST GTO's around when completed..:thumbsup:

The front valance looks superb, and the turn signal bezels to die for....Nice..:wink:
And the head........jaw dropping work. I love the whole build so far...PLEASE keep at it.

Thanks for the kind words, stump...and everyone else that's responded. This website really does help you stay focused.

Rest assured I won't quit...I like to tell people that perseverence is what I have in place of talent. I burn out on occasion....but I never quit.

Having said that, I'm off to a one-week Boy Scout Summer camp with my son...sadly I'll be separated from the project for a while.:frown: I'll hit it hard when I get home.:cool:

Until then, some inspiration...
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7719586/69tightsqueeze-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1541/photos/3/1533023/7719586/69h_00083_7-vi.jpg

Your weeks up... Where are the updates? :sarcasm1:
Seriously, killer job with those details so far!
Erick --

How flattering of you to notice...:sarcasm1:

Seriously, after polishing off a few Widmer Drifter pale ales, (no booze allowed at Scout Camp :frown:) I started in working again. I'll post some photos in a day or so.

Nice to be back here!

Okay, here we go once again.

Back on the cylinder head. First thing I noticed last time I sat down to this project, the bolt-hole bosses on either end of the head stick out WAY too far past the end of the head. I'll be adding some detail down there that would kind of compensate for that, but still they stick out too far.

Compare the photo of the real head to my head. The end bolt (the one with the little mounting stud sticking out of it) is nestled in much farther than mine is, even when I add the bit of detail I'm about to add.

Bottom line: the end bolt hole bosses need to come off and be re-located farther inboard on either end.

Sigh.
http://images49.fotki.com/v855/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework021-vi.jpg

My X-Acto points to the bad boss. The one on the other end is bad, too. they stick out past the end of the head too far, see that?
http://images51.fotki.com/v1548/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework022-vi.jpg

I snapped the errant bosses off with a pair of pliers...sob:crying:
http://images50.fotki.com/v1557/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework039-vi.jpg
http://images49.fotki.com/v1556/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework040-vi.jpg

Then I cleaned out and deepened the slots with a needle file.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework023-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1550/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework024-vi.jpg

Once I had them like I wanted them, I glued in new lengths of plastic rod...
http://images50.fotki.com/v1557/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework025-vi.jpg

...and then struck them off on the bottom.

When done, it was an improvement; still it's not exactly right, but the upcoming operation should make everything look right, even if it's not.

Here's the re-worked head, compared to how it was before I fixed it. The new bosses are nestled in a bit more than before,which should help render the head just about the right length and shape when it's done.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework026-vi.jpg
http://images47.fotki.com/v1498/photos/3/1533023/7727384/CopyofDCtrip2011-vi.jpg

More to follow.

More cylinder head work.

If you take a look at this shot of the real engine, you can see a machined pad cast into the end of the cylinder head. It has a freeze plug in it and a few bolt holes.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework016-vi.jpg

I'll carve a representation of that pad out of .080 plastic and glue it to the head.

Actually, the head gets one of these pads on either end, so I'll resin cast the one I carve out and use two castings. That way they'll be identical and I won't have to make two by hand!:iceslolan

An old scrap of .080 Evergreen, a machinists scale and a drafting pencil are the necessary weapons to lay the shape out.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1549/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework018-vi.jpg

I started out by reproducing the cross-section of the head so I had an envelope within which to work.
http://images49.fotki.com/v1556/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework019-vi.jpg

Then, using the photo as a reference, I sketched in a rough representation of that machined pad. I don't feel it needs to be exact; just close enough to look right. I doubt anybody will put a micrometer to my model when it's done.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework027-vi.jpg

I drilled the freeze plug hole out first, drilling all the way through the plastic. What I'll do is install a piece of plastic rod to represent the bottom of the freeze plug; that way I can use this carving on both ends of the head. I'll just install the freeze plug bottom from one side or the other depending on which side of the head...get it?
http://images51.fotki.com/v1544/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework028-vi.jpg

Then I started hacking away everything I didn't need. this is slow, nerve-racking work, if you're me.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework029-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v1557/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework031-vi.jpg
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework033-vi.jpg

I changed and evolved my pencil sketch shape as I went; it's an artsy-fartsy process and the pencil lines are just a rough guide.

Finally I had what looked like a close proximity; I may fine-tune it a little more but this is essentially it.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework034-vi.jpg

Damn thing's pretty small...not as small as a lot of the 1/43 work I do, but still small enough to make me sweat a little.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1546/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework035-vi.jpg

The plastic should be thick enough so that I can back-sand and contour it to fit the shape of the head. And you can see that by casting it and simply turning it around I can use it on either end of the head.:)
http://images50.fotki.com/v1558/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework036-vi.jpg

Here's a VERY rough idea of what it might look like installed onto the head. Again, the shape might need some more coaxing.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1551/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework037-vi.jpg
http://images52.fotki.com/v1552/photos/3/1533023/7727384/Valencework038-vi.jpg

More to follow.

Wow! Amazing attention to detail, extremely impressive work!

You're overlooking nothing with this build!

So I moved on to the wheels. The Rally 2's used on the real car have never really been kitted too well. The ones in the Monogram GTO kit are WAY too big, the ones in the Monogram '70 Trans Am have slots that are comically incorrect, the Revell '68 Firebird's are too small and mis-shapen...

But Scale Equipment LTD. has a slick little set that includes separate, plated trim rings. The wheel portion is damn near perfect, too.

As far as tires are concerned, I've never yet seen a muscle car tire I've liked that works with the Monogram kit. So I'm punting....

I'll try to adapt a set of the old JoHan break-in-half NASCAR tires.
http://images45.fotki.com/v1361/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2541-vi.jpg

I started off by separating a wheel from SEL's sprue, and back-sanding it to a workable thickness. Then I carefully opened up the slots.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1568/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2539-vi.jpg

Then I did the same thing to one of the chrome trim-rings. The plating has to be treated with respectful TLC...it flakes off really easy.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1572/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2540-vi.jpg

The first thing I noticed is that the trim ring is too big for the tire. Not by much, but too much to force the fit.

So I mounted a conical industrial grinding stone in my tooling vice and "twisted" the tire half back and forth to increase the diameter. I could have used an x-acto blade, but this is more uniform (and faster, too).
http://images52.fotki.com/v1566/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2545-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v1573/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2546-vi.jpg

If you look carefully, you can see the difference. I didn't remove much, but the modification was essential to ensure a non-stress fit against the brittle resin.
http://images43.fotki.com/v1381/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2543-vi.jpg

After that, the trim ring popped in easily. BTW, I'm not doing a Michael Jackson tribute; I always wear a cotton glove when I'm man-handling chrome.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1563/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2537-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v1560/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2547-vi.jpg

I'm really anxious to paint up one of those resin wheels and see how it all looks when it's done. The chrome trim ring is a little too shiny for my taste; next time I'll show how I knock down that bling look a little to resemble the stainless steel the factory actually used.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1561/photos/3/1533023/7888728/IMG_2538-vi.jpg

More to follow...

Ah... SEL wheels!! Those things are trick!! Here are mine that I mounted on a 70 Goat a few years ago.
http://www.dlphnfn.com/2006/DSCF2248.JPG
Keep up the good work!!
Erick --

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout! Those look excellent! You can see what I mean about the tires though...I've never seen a set that works well with Monogram's 'oversized' 1/24 scale. The JoHan tires will need a lot of tweaking.

thanks for posting that shot; you got the paint just right and clearly SEL's wheels are the only way to go.

I wish Performance Plastic Products would come out with a good set of Goodyear Polyglas for 1/24 cars...

The cylinder head work grinds on. I have the exhaust flanges shaped (I'll show them in a later post) so now it's time to make the head ready to accept them. The exhaust port length needs to be increased and the angle changed.

I tacked on some bits of sheet stock, looks like .060 thick.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1564/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2526-vi.jpg?1251388979

then I just started whittlin'. I block-sanded the ends of them to get the proper angle....
http://images52.fotki.com/v1567/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2527-vi.jpg?1251388983

...then started blending them into the ports. You can see the one on the end has been done there.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1561/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2533-vi.jpg?1251388966

Once they're all blended in, I can add the exhaust flanges. I'll resin-cast those flanges tonight; I want them to look identical. there's also some other stuff that needs resin-casting for the head and valence.

While I'm at it, I'll start working on the gasket surface of the head that contacts the block.

You can see it there; it sticks out a little and you can see the shapes of the cylinders and bolt holes. I want that gasket surface to be on the head.
http://images50.fotki.com/v1525/photos/3/1533023/7703763/903_14_zram_air_vexhaust_ports-vi.jpg
http://images112.fotki.com/v1531/photos/3/1533023/7703763/latestbatch015-vi.jpg

I'll rough it out and make it fit later; most of it won't be seen anyway. I' punched out the basic cylinder shapes from .015 platic using a paper punch.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1562/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2530-vi.jpg?1251388958

then I started adjusting the contour so I could glue them together end-to-end.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1566/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2534-vi.jpg?1251388969
http://images50.fotki.com/v1572/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2535-vi.jpg?1251388972
http://images50.fotki.com/v1571/photos/3/1533023/7727384/IMG_2536-vi.jpg?1251388975

More to follow.

Okay so I have enough stuff prototyped up to justify the hateful act of resin casting. I hate resin casting, but strangely I end up molding up roughly 80% of everthing I touch. I guess I'm paranoid about wanting to do something twice and having to make two scratch-builts. I dunno.

Anyway, here's a quickie on how its done.

I lay out the parts on a flat surface and build a box around them. Usually I jam-pack a mold box with stuff, but in this case I wanted to use a box I already had and I didn't have that many things to cast.

BTW, the twelve little intake trumpets there are for a Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig" project I'm doing for my daughter.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1565/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2609-vi.jpg

I use GI-1000 RTV silicone. It's a two-part deal. It's not the best, but it's not too expensive and it's easy to use.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1565/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2613-vi.jpg

It's important to stir/mix both constituents. Lots of people don't do this and end up with 'soft' molds.
http://images109.fotki.com/v792/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2614-vi.jpg

Another important issue is to get the ratio more or less exactly right. It's 10:1 by weight and any big-time deviations will come back to haunt you. I use a good quality postal scale for measuring.

Also, good ventilation is a must. The vapors from this crap are known to be neurotoxins. I mix in front of the window and run my fan at full blast.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1567/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2616-vi.jpg

then, after a thorough shaking, I weigh in the catalyst.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1564/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2618-vi.jpg

Then I stir like an SOB; you do not want any unmixed components in the cup.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1565/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2619-vi.jpg

Thing is, the stirring introduces a galaxie of air bubbles to the mix. These bubbles will potentially ruin the mold because a bubble can settle on a part and create a hollow space. When the rubber sets and you remove the master, you'll have a sphere of air touching the surface of the mold cavity. When you fill the mold with resin, the hollow sphere of air also fills and when the part cures you have a "wart" on the part.

So you have to de-aireate the cup full of mixed rubber.

I built up this vacuum chamber setup years ago for just this purpose. The rubber won't de-aireate below 29 inches of mercury so you need an industrial pump.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1566/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2621-vi.jpg

Here's the cupfull of rubber in the chamber; you can see the rubber actually rising in the cup as the bubbles expand and fight their way out of the cup.

Moments later, the cup overflowed as I'd screwed up and mixed too much material for the size of cup I had.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1564/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2622-vi.jpg

Look carefully and you'll see rubber on the handle, sides of the cup, etc. What a friggin' mess.:shakehead
http://images27.fotki.com/v1024/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2623-vi.jpg

All that's left is to trickle the rubber into the mold box. This has to be done fairly slowly and carefully so that rubber will find it's way into every little nook and cranny. I know some people just dump the rubber into the box and I suppose that works...but I don't like to take chances so I trickle it in off the end of a popsicle stick. Here's the parts mostly covered up.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1565/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2624-vi.jpg

I also had a box full of 1/43 Pink Pig parts to do...
http://images52.fotki.com/v1566/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2625-vi.jpg

In 24 hours I'll de-mold everything and cook the rubber molds in the oven for an hour or so at 150 degrees. I find cooking the molds gives them that last little 'cure' that makes them hold up a bit longer. Most molds don't survive past 50 pulls or so.
http://images47.fotki.com/v1498/photos/3/1533023/7910456/IMG_2626-vi.jpg

While I'm waiting on the "cake batter" to finish cooking I'll take a look at the intake maifold. It's going to be a challenge.

Here's what the real RA-V manifold looks like:
http://images49.fotki.com/v1508/photos/3/1533023/7703763/_0903_05_zram_air_vintake_cast-vi.jpg

I'll explore the possibility of using the Monogram GTO manifold as a starting point. I'm skeptical, but....

I grabbed one out of the parts box and started hacking it up.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1563/photos/3/1533023/7910526/IMG_2603-vi.jpg

Turns out there was a lot to do to get it close enough to the right shape to decide weather or not I could actually use it.

I cut out that stupid distributor and opened up the appropriate air spaces, then split it lengthwise and widened it.
http://images22.fotki.com/v814/photos/3/1533023/7910526/IMG_2604-vi.jpg
http://images24.fotki.com/v829/photos/3/1533023/7910526/IMG_2605-vi.jpg

I have a bad feeling that by the time I get it into shape I could have carved one out from scratch...but I'm gonna try it anyway.

More to follow.

I'm amazed at how this is coming along!

Here's how the finished molds turned out; I cast some parts off them.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1583/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting001-vi.jpg

There's no air bubbles and the molds are nice and sturdy.
http://images110.fotki.com/v1585/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting002-vi.jpg

I start by placing the molds on a small nylon cutting board that I use only for casting.
http://images44.fotki.com/v1581/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting005-vi.jpg

There's about a jillion different compunds you can use, I've been having pretty good luck with this Polytek Easyflow series.
http://images41.fotki.com/v1580/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting004-vi.jpg

It's a simple 1:1 mix. It has about a five minute pot life, which is plenty of time to coax it into a mold and do all the other stuff you need to do.

You pour equal amounts into two separate cups...
http://images19.fotki.com/v32/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting006-vi.jpg

...Then do your mixing in a separate, third cup.
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting007-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting008-vi.jpg

Then you stir "enthusiastically". You have to be VERY careful here....you need to ensure thorough mixing with no excess of either component sticking separately to the side of the cup. But at the same time, if you stir too roughly, you'll induce a sea of air bubbles that will end up being cast into the part.
http://images50.fotki.com/v395/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting009-vi.jpg

For filling the molds, I like to use a curved-tip syringe. It lets me get resin into every nook and cranny, while just dumping it in tends to trap air bubbles at the bottom of the cavity.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1583/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting010-vi.jpg?1253413408

Then I shoot the molds up..:evillol:
http://images53.fotki.com/v1575/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting011-vi.jpg
http://images51.fotki.com/v730/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting012-vi.jpg

Any air bubbles I see, I flush out with the syringe.
http://images43.fotki.com/v398/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting016-vi.jpg

The next part's a little tricky.

With open cavity, or "slush" molds, the idea is you just dump resin in and have a part with a 'bad' side to it. I don't like my bad sides to be too bad, so I take a 4" X 5" rectangle of thick plexiglass, and lay it carefully on the mold surface.

This squeezes all the excess resin off the top surface of the mold and gives me a nice, flat uniform back surface to all the parts. Otherwise you'd have a big, unwanted blob of resin on the backside that you'd have to sand off.
http://images43.fotki.com/v398/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting017-vi.jpg
http://images108.fotki.com/v1583/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting018-vi.jpg

Here's my sure-fire cure for those pesky, tiny little air bubbles that you can't ever "tune" out of the mold...I use a pressure pot.

These are nothing but pressure painting cans, and can withstand pressures up to 50 p.s.i.

The idea is, the air bubbles are trapped in the resin at atmospheric pressure. If you pressurize the bubbles, they'll naturally shrink down. AS long as the bubbles are small enough, they effectively disappear.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1583/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting003-vi.jpg

So you slide the wet molds into the pressure chamber and clap the lid on as fast as you can and secure the four wing nuts and stick a compressed air line on the valve and pump that sucker up to 50 p.s.i. and that's the whole show.

If you can get all these gyrations taken care of inside the five minute window, you're golden. The resin will gel, then set, then cure.
http://images50.fotki.com/v393/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting019-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting021-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting022-vi.jpg

After 40 minutes or so, you take the mold out of the chamber and peel it away from the plexiglass. If everything worked right, here's the result.
http://images29.fotki.com/v6/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting023-vi.jpg
http://images44.fotki.com/v1581/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting025-vi.jpg

Peeling the sheet of parts away from the plexiglass, you have a super-thin skin of resin that holds them all together and is really easy to back-sand when you're ready to remove them.
http://images29.fotki.com/v6/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting024-vi.jpg

Remember my brass turn-signal bezel half? Here it is next to a resin duplicate. A couple more and I can trim them up and assemble them.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1586/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting027-vi.jpg

More to follow.

:runaround:

Wow.

WOw this is an insanely good build. I find your casting very interesting....I dont think I have the patience to do that.

The casting HOW TO ist great.

I got a couple of good turn-signal bezel halves out, so I trimmed them up and stuck them together. It took a long time to get them to the correct leg lengths.
http://images112.fotki.com/v1534/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch001-vi.jpg?1256044447

And then it's a tight fit at that. With allowances for paint thickness, I'll have to open up the holes in the valence panel a little more. But it looks about like I want it to so far.
http://images41.fotki.com/v305/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch004-vi.jpg?1256044088
http://images41.fotki.com/v305/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch002-vi.jpg?1256044083


While I'm on the valence panel, I need to add material back to where I split it off from the rest of the nose. I'm using .015 sheet.
http://images17.fotki.com/v319/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch009-vi.jpg?1256044091
http://images50.fotki.com/v395/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch010-vi.jpg?1256044093

And as always, the cylinder head work goes on and on. I'm test-fitting the exhaust flanges to see how they're going to look.
http://images53.fotki.com/v1579/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch006-vi.jpg?1256044322
http://images17.fotki.com/v319/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch007-vi.jpg?1256044325
http://images112.fotki.com/v1534/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch008-vi.jpg?1256044327
http://images32.fotki.com/v1048/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch005-vi.jpg?1256044318

Also, that silly little bit of cylinder head casting detail that I carved out can be installed now that I've cast up a couple of them. they have to be sanded down to an acceptable thickness first, of course.
The results, in my opinion, are average. Once it's cast and painted in Pontiac blue I'm hoping it will just blend into the rest of the engine compartment.
http://images52.fotki.com/v642/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch018-vi.jpg?1256044336
http://images52.fotki.com/v738/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch017-vi.jpg?1256044334
http://images17.fotki.com/v319/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch019-vi.jpg?1256044473

The only other thing I did to the head was to begin the head/block mating surface. It stands proud of the head deck surface and slightly shows when the head is bolted to the engine.
I punched out a bunch of plastic circles and edge sanded them and stuck them together. I'll add a bunch of smaller circles to represent the bolt hole bosses.
http://images42.fotki.com/v1435/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch013-vi.jpg?1256044329
http://images112.fotki.com/v1531/photos/3/1533023/7727384/latestbatch014-vi.jpg?1256044332
http://images112.fotki.com/v1531/photos/3/1533023/7703763/latestbatch015-vi.jpg?1256044409
http://images50.fotki.com/v399/photos/3/1533023/7703763/latestbatch016-vi.jpg?1256044413

Once I burned out on the head (like I always do) I screwed around on the body a little; I decided to take the "roundness" out of the front windshield chrome trim and sharpen it up a little. I also shit-canned the drip rails, which I'll re-make out of polished stainless steel.
http://images47.fotki.com/v1397/photos/3/1533023/7704009/latestbatch011-vi.jpg?1256044443


And then, because I felt like hacking something up, I sawed the transmission off the block I intend to use (from the AMT Catalina kit). No bid deal there...but I like to detail everything separately. I'll probably saw off the bell housing, too.
http://images50.fotki.com/v395/photos/3/1533023/8069491/latestbatch012-vi.jpg


More to follow.

Maybe it's me, but most of the pictures just show as the infamous red 'x's.

It's kind of disappointing, I really want to see what you've done!

Uh-oh...I don't know what to tell you, Tuned...they show up on my computer. Could somebody else post and let me know if they can see them or not?? If there's a problem on my end, I'll re-post them all.

Sorry; let me know!!:uhoh:

Craig

Okay, I re-posted them all...give this a try:)

I could see them before and still can. I'm keeping an eye on this thread... Thanks for the updates! :sunglasse
Erick --

They're all there now, thanks! I'm still blown away by the detail being put into this GTO, I'm surprised you can stay motivated with so much to do.

Truly amazing build!!

awwww.....I have nothing to say!!!!

I am just looking forward to next UP!!!!!

:worshippy

Really nice work here. Where did you get the monoject curved tip irrigation syringes? Thanks for the value tips that you put in here, this is what makes our community here thrive. You are a great asset.

Wow progress is just getting better and better. I really love the idea of the plexi glass on top of the mold. I used to just use a card to move the excess resin off. But what really sucks is getting the small parts out without damaging them. So the sheet idea is great. Thanks alot for sharing and good luck on the build.

BTW Nice setup you got there for resin casting.

amazing build, look forward to more

Wow! I just stumbled across this thread and I am glad that I did!

Looking forward to seeing what comes next :thumbsup:

I get those curve-tip syringes from the pharmacy...any well stocked, "mom-and-pop" type drug store should have them. You can also get them online, of course. The "chain" drug stores might have them, but don't hold your breath.

The comments are really appreciated; don't worry...between Scouting obligations and all the other humdrum of life....

There's ALWAYS more to follow...

So you slide the wet molds into the pressure chamber and clap the lid on as fast as you can and secure the four wing nuts and stick a compressed air line on the valve and pump that sucker up to 50 p.s.i. and that's the whole show.

If you can get all these gyrations taken care of inside the five minute window, you're golden. The resin will gel, then set, then cure.
http://images50.fotki.com/v393/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting019-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting021-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v400/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting022-vi.jpg

After 40 minutes or so, you take the mold out of the chamber and peel it away from the plexiglass. If everything worked right, here's the result.
http://images29.fotki.com/v6/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting023-vi.jpg
http://images44.fotki.com/v1581/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting025-vi.jpg

Peeling the sheet of parts away from the plexiglass, you have a super-thin skin of resin that holds them all together and is really easy to back-sand when you're ready to remove them.
http://images29.fotki.com/v6/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting024-vi.jpg

Remember my brass turn-signal bezel half? Here it is next to a resin duplicate. A couple more and I can trim them up and assemble them.
http://images51.fotki.com/v1586/photos/3/1533023/7971095/casting027-vi.jpg

More to follow.



Have you thought about selling your custom parts?