28 March 2006:
I began manufacturing
the front panel and grille, by cutting from 0.5 mm styrene sheet. |
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30 March 2006:
I searched my
whole stash and parts box for a suitable grille pattern but none would
fit. So I composed a grille in scale, by stretching a piece of thread
on
a double-side sticking tape. I included the base for the emblem in the
center too! |
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Then I got the
casting mold from 5-minute mold putty. |
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And
I got the raw casting in resin... |
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I heated and
bent the raw resin to the proper curvature and trimmed with my Dremel
cutter
to fit behind the plastic. |
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23 July 2006:
After a long
pause, I carried on with the front grille. I cut and
temporarily
stuck backing plates for the reflectors. I glued the backing plates to
the ends of the front grille so that the reflector mounting plane would
be in proper axes with the body. |
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I
took the grille out, and joined the
resin and plastic with epoxy glue. |
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Then
I tailored and glued the upper
and lower triangular parts at the 4 corners. |
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24 July 2006:
I marked and
drilled the headlamp openings. |
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I
filed the openings to correct shape. |
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29 July 2006:
For the integral
reflectors, I used a carburettor jet as a male and carved the female
ina
piece of wood, then pressed on a heated piece of styrene to get the
shape. |
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I
trimmed the reflectors and then glued
to the back of the front grille. |
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19 August
2006:
To cast the front
grille in resin, I prepared and glued runners to the master. |
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I
made a silicon mold around this master
and got the first resin copy. |
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I
painted the part after trimming,
to see how it would look like. In fact, my particular model will not
have
the central part of the grille, but only the headlamp parts.
But
still, I made a full version for an alternative use in the future... |
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10 November
2006:
I glued the front
to the body, tailored the lower panel from styrene sheet and filled the
back with automotive polyester putty, then sanded the edges.
I will manufacture
the real front panel with openings in it, then glue it over this base
front
lower panel. |
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07 December
2006:
I acid-etched
the lower front grille panel from copper sheet. Then I fixed the panel
on the body with double-sided sticky tape. |
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25 June 2007:
I manufactured
the front and rear glass seals from half-round styrene profiles.
I also added
the wheelarch profiles from styrene strips. |
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I
made fillets to the wheelarches with
Mr. Dissolved Putty. |
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