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1944 Diamond T 6x6


Chariots of Fire
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Chariots of Fire

This is the start of a new project that is going to take some time.  I've always liked big trucks, especially the older ones.  They seem to have so much more class and toughness about them.  The Diamond T 4 ton was used for many things including a wrecker.  This is my goal; to create a Diamond T in 1/25 scale.  So far the frame has been put together and work has commenced on the axles.  Lots of little things to do to get them to look right.  Here's the start.

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Those paper outlines are the patterns for the front spring shackles.  The outside ones have already been cut out and soldered onto the frame.

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The springs have been taken from a truck kit and modified.  The front ones have brass ends with tubing to capture the pins in the shackles.  The rear ones will pivot around the center tube.  Torque rods will keep the springs and twin rear axles in alignment.  The brass "b" looking things are pieces that will slide onto the axles for attaching the torque rods.  Much to go but will post more photos as progress heats up.

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Chariots of Fire

Slow but steady.  That's what this project is becoming.  Lots of little things to do before the whole thing can come together.  The axles are now in basic shape along with the points of attachment onto the frame.  The front axle is different than the rears and is more detailed.  The two "X" shaped pieces near the front of the frame are the steering knuckles.  They will be cut to fit once the inner wheels for the front axle are developed.   Eventually they will have a tie rod connecting them together along with the steering arm.  The U bolts are just some brass wire that wrap around the springs and into the top of the front axle to hold the springs in place.  The cab is a re-worked '41 Chevy cab.  The original kit piece was sectioned and widened and the windshield was reshaped.  Eventually the doors will be cut open but not before the cab construction is finished.  Wheels and tires are resin castings.  The front wheels have wire and hex beads as lug nuts.  The small brass shapes near the rear axles are the basis for connecting the torsion rods to the axles and trunnion.  The two small pieces next to the front axle are the brackets that go on the outside of the rear spring hanger to hold the springs in place.  The brass tubing pieces running from side to side that hold the springs front and rear in place are only temporary and will be cut once the springs are permanently mounted.  The brown wheel backs came from an International kit.  More pics will be posted after the front and rear axles have the wheels mounted.

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  • 1 month later...
Chariots of Fire

Lots have been going on since the last post.  Tires and wheels are done and up on the completed axles, if only temporary.  Latest work has involved building up the Hercules RXC 6 cylinder engine.  There is a lot going on with the engine details but it's getting there.  Rear axles are completed including the torque rods, drive shafts.  Front axle is also done with steering arm completed, shock absorbers, tie rod.  Pintle hook and bumpers have been added to the back of the frame.

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Chariots of Fire

A few more details for the engine.   Pulleys are turned aluminum.  Fan belts are electrical tape.  Twin oil filters are in place.

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Chariots of Fire

Progress has been slow with lots to do on the chassis.  The last couple of days the work has sped up a bit.  The cab/cowl unit is coming together and the radiator has been built.  The part that goes between the cowl and radiator is a tad short so it will have to be recut.  The engine is wired but no plumbing yet.  Not far from it though now that there is a place to run the hoses.  Fuzzy pics are my bad!  I need to get out the tripod to steady the camera!

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Very nice. I find it interesting that you use a mix of brass and styrene. Is this because the brass can be bent so it is used for curved pieces such as the doors? And the styrene is for the straight lines?  Do you find one type of metal easier to work with?

 

..Kat

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Chariots of Fire

HI, Kat.  I use a combination of materials where it seems to work best.   In this case using brass for the cab sides was an obvious choice because it is so easy to bend.  Plastic could have been used but it tends to creep unless it is softened by heating, but the results are not always good.  I have used brass for truck frames for a while now.  If put together on a flat surface there is no warping like there can be with plastic.  I like using brass for springs as well but unfortunately the right size material is becoming hard to come by.  There is a right place for all sorts of things.  I found a source for small beads that are hexagonal and have a hole in the middle.  Great for representing lug nuts and the like.  I got the next size up in silver and will use them for the base of spark plugs next time.  Too late for this one.  In addition, I do a lot of casting.  The fenders for this rig will be made of two-part resin once the masters are made.  The tires and wheels are, in fact, resin castings.  I had a couple of tires done with 3D printing and then made a mold for casting multiple copies.  The variety of materials is endless when one is scratch building.  Finding the right materials is part of the fun.

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21 minutes ago, Chariots of Fire said:

HI, Kat.  I use a combination of materials where it seems to work best.   In this case using brass for the cab sides was an obvious choice because it is so easy to bend.  Plastic could have been used but it tends to creep unless it is softened by heating, but the results are not always good.  I have used brass for truck frames for a while now.  If put together on a flat surface there is no warping like there can be with plastic.  I like using brass for springs as well but unfortunately the right size material is becoming hard to come by.  There is a right place for all sorts of things.  I found a source for small beads that are hexagonal and have a hole in the middle.  Great for representing lug nuts and the like.  I got the next size up in silver and will use them for the base of spark plugs next time.  Too late for this one.  In addition, I do a lot of casting.  The fenders for this rig will be made of two-part resin once the masters are made.  The tires and wheels are, in fact, resin castings.  I had a couple of tires done with 3D printing and then made a mold for casting multiple copies.  The variety of materials is endless when one is scratch building.  Finding the right materials is part of the fun.

Very interesting! Thanks so much for explaining your methods.

 

...Kat

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Chariots of Fire

Work continues.  I had to modify the cab sides a bit to get the correct shape where the doors will be.  In the meantime work was done on the bumper and the grill that is in front of the radiator.  The latter was a tedious job getting all of the individual pieces lined up parallel and at the right spacing.  Doing a scale drawing ahead of time helped get it done.IMG_2635.JPG.5631ad187f02592e2720f1ed7211ae87.JPGIMG_2636.JPG.b89da48ef81ea9ff4a1af28d9fb99482.JPGIMG_2637.JPG.039ad39691040ab53ebd04fc42a6239d.JPG

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Chariots of Fire

Trying to keep up with things.  Doors have been added to the cab and glad hands to each corner of the frame.  Tow hooks done.  Working now on the winch for the front.

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Chariots of Fire

Work continues.  Added details to the radiator with the cap, Diamond T logo and the top and bottom hoses.  A new connection was made from the bottom of the radiator to the left side of the engine.  The winch is now in place temporarily with the connecting shaft from the power takeoff unit at the transmission.  The radiator core was painted and the outer shell given a coat of OD.  With that done it was time to get going on the fenders.  I'm using Renshape to carve them and printed templates to get the profile.  Here's what they look like after the initial cutting out and sanding the upper surfaces.   The underside will be carved out using a Dremel and sanding drum.

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The little details look amazing.  I have a question about your painting. It looks like you have painted the engine but not the inside of the radiator.  Do you paint as you build or do you take some back apart to paint?  Or do you do both?

 

...Kat

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Chariots of Fire

Hi, Kat.  No the interior of the radiator is painted.  It just doesn't show in the photo.  I masked off the radiator part that is painted black, inside and outside and then did the OD.097.JPG.f10494ceaf01c2ac513022ff01c7333a.JPGEverything you see there; the cab, engine, radiator and tires and wheels are still removable.  I paint as I go usually.  But this time I am trying to do as much as I can before a lot of painting so that the colors stay uniform.  This truck will have a bit of weathering as a last thing to do but not much.  I like the slightly used look but not looking like it just came out of a swamp.

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Chariots of Fire
1 minute ago, Proud Kraut said:

Very nice, thanks for sharing these pictures! How many hours did you spend for building the chassis so far?

I spent nearly 100 hours so far.  On the chassis around 75 or so.

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