Anyways, another pictoral update...
As mentioned upthread, I sorted out the front and rear suspension geometry, which meant I could laminate in the last four wire pegs (for the front wishbones) into the chassis. And *finally* stick the two halves of the main rails together. I've yet to sand all the edges etc, but it's too damn cold in the garage to spend a lot of time in there, *and* I need good daylight for fiddly stuff...
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I also made the solid block that will sit between the upper and lower chassis rails. As I'm not modelling the engine and gearbox, it was the easiest way to do this - and gives me a stronger structure. I've applied some card detailing to the block and drilled out the hole to take the driveshaft. I've photographed this upside down to how it would be in real life.
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I've also completed the design for the lower chassis rails. I decided to make the lower front wishbone integral with the lower rails - a bit of a pain at this stage of the build, but a lot easier later on.
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While I was sorting the front suspension geometry, one of the issues was the two upper wishbones, and how to make them. You can see how I thought me way through the iterations (from left to right) as I worked out whether laminated card with different sized layers would be best, or whether bent card would work. And the shape, size etc. The one on the right is roughly the shape and size required, but I can't make the parts yet until I've sorted out the lower rails. And the best way to get the shape I need is a mid of bent card and different laminations.
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Then I've also been working on the shock absorbers, as I can't finalize some of the components on the rear axle assembly until I've made the shocks and checked for layout and clearances. I've been using 40mm lengths of 3mm diameter wooden knitting needle, and using strips of paper to get the shape I need. I found that paper glue (pritt stick type stuff) was ideal to keep the paper in place, and then a regular dab of superglue to harden the structure.
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I've only drilled holes in the piston / reservoir end, as those will be pinned in place. The upper ends I've left plain for now, as they will most likely get bonded into the mount. Also, the shocks are a little bit too long - I'm working on the premise that it's easier to sand the top end down a bit than to find myself with a set that's too short. All of the components for the shocks are in place, they just need finishing off and finessing. The wee white doodads are what keep the spring in place - they're the plastic bits that were causing me painting headaches earlier...
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And finally, all four wheels are completed at last. As are both front stub axles. The wheels are all sanded, shaped and ready for priming, although they still might want a little tweaking here and there. I've noticed that priming stuff highlights where things need to be worked on a bit...
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And that's the sum of my latest update...