Volkswagen 1970

[Roy vd M.]

Waiting for the dimensions of the 1927 Delage I temporarily resumed work on a project I abandoned three years ago, a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle. Revell says it's a 1968 car but the standing headlights and other characteristics do not match that.

 

I'll give a picture summary of the work till now, whereas the recent works will be elaborated on (slightly). The purpose of these new works is to practice the lathe and milling machine for the benefit of the Delage build.

 

The original texts (for a forum in the Dutch language) are extensive. If anyone is interested in knowing more of a certain picture, you're very welcome to ask. I'll use the original numbering.

 

6.

 

 

7. 

 

 

10. 

 

 

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28.

 

 

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168. 

 

 

176. 

 

 

So far for the work done until May 2014. In another post I'll describe the 2017 progress.  

[hendie]

nice work on the rear end.  I had a 1971 T2 for over 10 years so I know this engine well

[frankie]

[Roy vd M.]

Thanks @hendie and smakelijk @frankie  

 

Hendie, having had a 1971 T2.. are you on the endless list of people who regrets ever having sold it, or on the equally endless list of people who at one point discovered they were driving a carcass of rust, just making it to the belt? Anyway it must have been fun days driving a VW van... 

 

 

177. Let's also here have the images tell the story. In case there's an unclarity please let me know. 

 

 

182. 

 

186.

 

194.

 

197.

 

212. 

 

215. 

 

 

Again, how it was before: 

 

 

 

That has been the work thus far. 

 

Total spent time: 87h.

[hendie]

4 minutes ago, Roy vd M. said:

Hendie, having had a 1971 T2.. are you on the endless list of people who regrets ever having sold it, or on the equally endless list of people who at one point discovered they were driving a carcass of rust, just making it to the belt? Anyway it must have been fun days driving a VW van... 

 

Roy, the only reason I sold it was because I moved to the USA.  I could have brought it with me, but the thought of driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting in the wrong side of the vehicle, and having to manually change gear, made me pucker at the thought of driving it over here.

So, sadly, we sold it and have regretted it ever since.  In the 10+ years we had it, I completely redid the interior fitting a rock and roll bed, reinstated the forward hammock, and a whole bunch of other upgrades. I also had the entire chassis reworked and all the outriggers replaced.  It was in really good condition and all it needed was a respray. - I had polished it so much, it was down to the primer in some areas

Another thing to consider was the fact that there was no air conditioning - even on a slightly warm day in Scotland, the inside of the T2 was like a furnace, due to all the glass around the vehicle.  I can only imagine what it would be like in the 80+ degrees we see here.

 

However, the wife has started talking about getting another one, so I may look into it and see how much it would cost to have air conditioning fitted.

 

that engine is coming along very nicely indeed.

[bzn20]

Nice work ! You've got some good looking tools there too. The PE folder and that Proxxon (?) "machine" ,that looks really useful ! Is that a vertical lathe in picture 194

[Roy vd M.]

23 hours ago, hendie said:

 

Roy, the only reason I sold it was because I moved to the USA.  I could have brought it with me, but the thought of driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting in the wrong side of the vehicle, and having to manually change gear, made me pucker at the thought of driving it over here.

So, sadly, we sold it and have regretted it ever since.  In the 10+ years we had it, I completely redid the interior fitting a rock and roll bed, reinstated the forward hammock, and a whole bunch of other upgrades. I also had the entire chassis reworked and all the outriggers replaced.  It was in really good condition and all it needed was a respray. - I had polished it so much, it was down to the primer in some areas

Another thing to consider was the fact that there was no air conditioning - even on a slightly warm day in Scotland, the inside of the T2 was like a furnace, due to all the glass around the vehicle.  I can only imagine what it would be like in the 80+ degrees we see here.

 

Sounds like a great vehicle! It also sounds like you had a good time working on it (although perhaps on this subject matter I tend to read things that aren't there ). 

 

23 hours ago, hendie said:

However, the wife has started talking about getting another one, so I may look into it and see how much it would cost to have air conditioning fitted.

 

Would you then go for another T2 (which I probably would) or for a T1? I think the T2 has become almost as classic as the T1 and wouldn't it be great to have that exact type that you used to have so much fun with (and still have great memories of)...

 

Perhaps you'll be able to find an AC-ready van. I can imagine you're not the first with the problem in the US. I dream of doing Route 66 one day (like so many probably dream of that)... one way would be to use a 1956 or 1957 Corvette, another of a 60s Mustang, yet another to use a Volkswagen camper van. Ah, dreams... 

 

23 hours ago, hendie said:

that engine is coming along very nicely indeed.

 

Thanks. Next micro-project will be something I have been looking forward to: the carburetor. Probably I'll try to pack approximately 40 pieces into a 4mm. x 5mm. piece. Already busy drawing and planning. 

 

23 hours ago, bzn20 said:

Nice work ! You've got some good looking tools there too. The PE folder and that Proxxon (?) "machine" ,that looks really useful ! Is that a vertical lathe in picture 194

 

The thing in picture 212 is a milling machine, tilted 45 degrees. That way I made the V-belt: first shaving off one side of the V (with the bottom of the mill bit), then the other side of the V (with the side of the mill bit). 

 

In picture 194 what you see is the same milling machine as in picture 212, only now mounted on the lathe. It's a Proxxon PD 400, the mill is a FF230. The reason why I used the mill on the lathe is that I can use the dividing head that way. I'm working on getting the dividing head to work with the regular mill's bed. 

 

So in #194 you see the lathe, the dividing head and the milling machine all in one shot. I made the six slots on the face of the crankshaft pulley, using a small milling bit. 

 

If you are interested to read more, here I give a basic description of my lathe plus accessories; and here likewise but for the milling machine. 

 

[hendie]

1 hour ago, Roy vd M. said:

Would you then go for another T2 (which I probably would) or for a T1? I think the T2 has become almost as classic as the T1 and wouldn't it be great to have that exact type that you used to have so much fun with (and still have great memories of)...

 

it would have to be a T2, and only a 1971 model at that. The 1971 still had the small rear lights and the wrap around bumpers.  I never really liked the large rectangular light clusters on later models.  However, I'd never find a Devon Conversion over here so I'd have to settle with some US variant

 

1 hour ago, Roy vd M. said:

Perhaps you'll be able to find an AC-ready van. I can imagine you're not the first with the problem in the US.

 

it's no surprise as cars are such a way of life over here, that you can buy after market air conditioning for pretty much anything.  There was a 1969 MG (another vehicle I owned at one point) for sale the other week and I looked into air conditioning for that. The AC kit was around $2K so fairly reasonably priced.

 

1 hour ago, Roy vd M. said:

I dream of doing Route 66 one day (like so many probably dream of that)...

 

I did that a few years ago, or at least, a few miles of it when I was working out at Flagstaff. I still bought plenty of mementos to bring home for all the folks though!

[Roy vd M.]

@hendie That would be exactly as I would try to do it... get exactly the same year (or something very similar). Tasting the real (personal) nostalgia

 

Depending on which US state you live in I guess airconditioning should almost be considered a 'must' if you want to have as much pleasure as you're hoping to. 

 

 

217. For those who wondered.. yes I've finally gone mental. Cheating myself into thinking this is going to be an exercise in working with very small parts I've started work on the carburetor. It will be unsuccessful and it will be hair-greying, but hey it's a hobby. I'll just give it a try and see what happens and if / when I give up. In my hand: the original part to be replaced. 

 

 

218. I won't make separate drawings for each and every part(icle) but for sure for the two main parts. This is the first one, #8 on the drawing above. 



219. Using the mill I first shaped a piece of aluminium. 



220. Part #10: a 0,8mm. hole is drilled into an aluminium rod.



221. Next it is turned (with patience and care...). 



222. When the part is ready, it is approximately as thin as aluminium foil.



223. Part #11, to be put within part #10, is turned to 0,72mm. (with patience and care...).



224. Next a groove is carved into the top of part #11, using a knife. That's the carburetor's adjusting screw. 



225. The part combo is cut off and after that both are glued together using a tad of brown Gator Glue (which isn't at all the same as Gator's Grip Glue). Part #8 gets a recess for these parts #10 and #11 (using a 1mm. mill bit).



Making these parts actually was not at all that time-consuming. That can't be said of a very clumsy attempt to first saw off the parts and then join them... this was hopeless (the parts dropped perhaps 30 times) and took me at least an hour. In the end I had to stop because the aluminium part got airborne upon my exhaling... today I tried again and, with a better method, now there was no more problem. 

Total spent hours thus far: 89.  

[Roy vd M.]

226. For the parts 7 and 2 I use aluminium sheet of different thicknesses. Aluminium (and brass) sheet are easily cut in a neat way by first cutting a deep groove with a knife, then grabbing it in a hold & fold or the like (photo etch tool) and bending to and forth. It will snap off before you know it. As far as I am aware this is the best way to cut these sheets in a neat way. 





227. Using flat pliers the parts are filed and sanded. Curves are applied to #2. Here #2 lies on top of #7.



228. The corners are filed with a nail file, then a round modeling file and finally a wide angle modeling file.



229. Three parts per bolt/bolt holder combo. Each is punched. They are glued together using a bit of brown Gator Glue. Here the two aluminium parts per holder are drying (4 combo's), waiting for the brass bolts to be added (seen on the pic as well). 



230. Using brown Gator Glue to glue the four bolt+holder-subassemblies to part 8, it looks like this.



231. Of course an image with a coin...



Total spent hours thus far: 92.  

[Schwarz-Brot]

Roy, what about etching those thin pieces?

[Roy vd M.]

@Schwarz-Brot I might do so with the Delage, but not with this side project. Beside, I'm not sure the quality of the etched metal product would be much improved, among other things because the parts would also have to be sanded afterwards to get the curves. It's not possible to achieve that in photo etching. 

 

Beside, I'm having a lot of fun working on this carburetor

 

An advantage of photo etching with these matters is that it costs less time if several parts are processed simultaneously. 

[Robin Lous]

Micro madness! 

 

Insane, but...insane!

 

Robin 

[Roy vd M.]

@Robin Lous Thanks for that assessment with which I would have to agree, and thanks for following this thread

 

 

231. Part #8, the petrol reservoir, is milled from its 'sprue'. After that the residue is sanded flat until it is very thin so that its particles can be snapped off.



232. Part #9, the brass hexagon, is machined on the mill and then cut off with the lathe. 

 

A new part #70 is easily made by punching a small disk from a can of beer. Beware, the fluid within the can has to be consumed first.  



233. Parts #1 and #69 are punched bits of aluminium, part #68 was turned on the lathe. On the photo they are seen glued onto the petrol reservoir. Jointly they are the connection point of the fuel line. 

 

The front- and sides of the petrol reservoir of the carburetor are now finished. In total this subassembly consists of 22 parts. Everything was glued together with Everbuild (brown) Gator Glue. 





Total spent hours: 96. 

[hendie]

can't wait to see the rest of it being built up

[Roy vd M.]

Thanks Hendie. I enjoy working on this beetle which is great because it suppresses my anxiousness to get the Delage measurements. 

234. Till now I kept myself busy with the petrol reservoir, a part that makes for about half the size of the carburetor. Unfortunately it isn't provided for by Revell. 

 

The other half is the cilinder in which air is mixed with the petrol. 

 

The tapered part was made in an alternative way. 

Along a height of 0,91 millimeter this part is tapered 0,355mm. (0,71 divided by two because the lathe cuts on two sides at the same time). Each 0,1mm. that's 0,04mm. What I did was rotate the right hand wheel (top slide) 0,1mm. and simultaneously the left hand wheel (cross slide), 0,04mm. With a bit of practice and hand-hand coordination this works well. 



235. I use three drawings (left, front and right side) to indicate where holes need to be rilled and how large these holes need to be. For 'exact' locating I use reference photos.



236. Interim result in dryfit:



Total number of hours spent: 99.  

[Roy vd M.]

237. Some parts do not seem to be worth the trouble making them. On the next picture, between the needle end and the two carburetor halves you can see for example two pieces of 0,6mm. turned aluminium rod with 0,4mm. holes drilled into them; one short, the other long. Especially that short part... what's the use? In the end will it even be visible? Was it worth the two drill bits that died during the machining process? (Yeah...)



238. My answer would be that overall it will be relevant. On the next picture the smaller pieces are in situ and in my opinion they play their part in the challenge of illusion that modeling is.

 

Other rods have also been included. Bottom left you can see that one of the rods was thinned at its end; that's for the purpose of fitting some parts that will be connected to the gas pedal. 

 

Everything was glued using Everbuild brown Gator Glue, a product that I reviewed here.  



Total spent hours: 101. 

[hendie]

14 hours ago, Roy vd M. said:

On the next picture the smaller pieces are in situ and in my opinion they play their part in the challenge of illusion that modeling is.

 

I'm looking at this on a large monitor and I'm still having trouble identifying the parts.  Great work.

I love your statement about the challenge of illusion!  So very true 

[Roy vd M.]

Thanks @hendie for following this not-so-popular subject of micro-modeling and withstanding the slow pace

239. On the drawing I added 'phases'. Those parts indicated by a red dot are phase 1 (ready), the green dot are to be carved now and those with a blue dot will have to wait till the end. All yellow marked parts have been finalized. 



240. At the end of the 'red phase' the two halves are married. First the cilinder part has to be filed to the right shape. The pic shows a comparison with the kit part. Revell really only modeled the cylindrical part. 

 

241. Preparing parts 41, 45 en 76, from the moment the required length and depth of #41 are attained:



242.


243.


244.


245.


246.


247.


248. 


249. The maximum length of the part reached, is a good time for a dryfit to check whether the carburetor has approximately the right directions as compared to reference pictures. I'm satisfied with the result. 

 

It all doesn't sit very straight, but you get the idea: 



Total spent hours: 103.

[NickD]

Looks great you crazy man

[hendie]

3 hours ago, Roy vd M. said:

Thanks @hendie for following this not-so-popular subject of micro-modeling and withstanding the slow pace

 

Roy, I'm loving the skill and the detail.  There's no rush - Quality takes time

[Roy vd M.]

I'm really grateful for your support guys. You're pulling me through this (little) monster


250. Again a series of pictures: parts 14-19 and 77-78. As a bonus there's a bit of paper modeling this time (a quite visible, quite red gasket). It provides for a fun colour contrast. 



251. 



252. 



253. 



254. 



255.



256. 



257. 


258. 


259. 


260. 

 

Thus far a total of 43 parts have been implemented into this carburetor.

Total spent hours: 106.  

[Roy vd M.]

261. It's time for parts 54-59 and 79-82. First some filing. 



262. Turning an aluminium rod to very small diameter (here: 0,6mm.) requires stage-planning. First I turn the first 1mm., then the second 1mm. (of length of the rod) et cetera. Otherwise the part will break, bend or 'evade' the cutting tool. 



263. With several parts punching is much easier than turning.



264. Long live the tackiness of Everbuild brown Gator Glue. 



265. In a brass punched disk three sides are filed.  



266. Three 0,6mm. 'rivets' ready, waiting for the glue to dry.



267. Subassembly finalized.



268. Interim result. 





Total spent hours: 109.  

[Roy vd M.]

269. A splinter-like part was cut, filed and sanded to shape, becoming part of the 'bottom'.



270. Two parts that, after shaping, will have to be combined. 



271. On the next picture you see one of the parts squeezed between pliers. Ready to file...



272. The parts are here glued in their designated spots (you see them in the top of the image, the two 'triangles'). Apologies for the bad image quality.



273. Two interim result pics. After finalizing 'phase 2' of this small project I will post some better views.





Total spent hours: 111.  

[Roy vd M.]

@CrazyCrank Thank you for your like.

 

To all others who sometimes check this topic out, any comment, suggestion, motivational speeches or simply likes are always welcome. They make me feel as if I'm writing these topics for a(ny) audience If you have no comment whatsoever, feel free to tell me so

 

 

274. The drill for the 0,6mm. cilinder part (=0,4mm.).



275. 



276. 



277. To cut off the cilinder I push a needle into the hole so that I can use some force on the pliers, after which I use nippers to cut off a bit. Then I'll file the end flat. 



278. Triangular part #52 (on the drawing wrongly shown circular) is a cilinder simply filed to shape.  



279. Parts #22 and #23 I've decided to make in one piece. It's a lot of sculpting, filing and cutting...



280. ... and bending!



281. A couple of 0,35mm. holes are drilled.



282. Ready:



283. Interim result: 



284. A total of 64 pieces of metal and paper are now this carburetor. Yellow markings mean 'ready'.



285. As promised, a more elaborate view of the subassembly at the end of phase 2.
 

 

Totaal aantal bestede uren tot nu toe: 114.