1:12 1932 Cadillac V-16 frame and engine

[JeepMkd]

We all noticed the spring. The attention to detail leaves us speechless

[Roger Zimmermann]

@ Buck: Cadillacs (and probably other brands) from the fifties had also a spring at each end of the drag link!
@ Mite. thanks for your comment!

Recently, I was busy with the shock absorbers regulating system. It requires a lot of small parts, an annoying job. Of course, that system will be static on the model with most parts soft soldered to each other.
As some holes must be drilled on the frame, I will have to remove the steering system and the engine; maybe the suspension can stay undisturbed.
Some clevises have a small tube which is silver soldered; I had to find an unusual method to perform the job: a tube was turned on the lathe, then soldered and finally cut from the stock. The tube alone was so short that I found no other method to solder it with a relative precision.

[Roger Zimmermann]

While looking at details pictured from a real car, I saw a rod coming from the front relay down through the frame. At first I did not understand the reason for it, until I found a picture from one relay: the rod is indeed a tube with a grease nipple! As there is a shield between frame and engine, this pivot could not be greased without removing the shield. So, I did it to look like the real thing.
With some errors (the spring was on the wrong side), I installed the idler shaft with the levers. The provision to adjust the rods is done at those levers; as mine will just be static, the rods will be pushed into the clevises.
Then I finished the relays at the front. The inside lever on the left side has a leg more: it’s for the rod coming from the dash to adjust the shock absorbers.
The next task will be to remove the shock absorbers, solder the actuating levers and fit the various rods.

[Roger Zimmermann]

On the first picture, you can see the actuating lever attached to the shock absorber. On my project, it's soft soldered to the shock absorber. The next picture is showing the first rod from the shock absorber to the relay lever. Then, there is a view at the inside of the frame with an intermediate rod going from the relay lever to the idler lever which is shown on the next picture. The free "leg" at the relay lever is connected to the linkage going to the dashboard; that leg is not present on the RH relay.
A third rod finally go from the idler lever to the rear shock absorber's actuator. The idler shaft is connected with the other side; it is transmitting the input to the RH shock absorbers.
What I still have to do are the guides for the middle and rear rods. They are useful to prevent buckling from the rods when they are in mode "pushing".



The next job should be the front brakes. For that I should buy a cable release for an analog camera. Why? the pushing device is a small but long spring, diameter about 1 mm. They are still available new, but if someone has such a cable he will never use again, I will gladly buy it. What has still that thing?

[MODEL A MODEL]

Check eBay?

[Roger Zimmermann]

I'll do. My idea was to buy it from somebody here...

[Roger Zimmermann]

The parts list is saying that there are six guides for the shock absorbers control. On the pictures I have from a V-16 frame, I see only four. The drawing in the shop manual has four, but this is the image from a V-8 frame, they are shorter.
Anyway, I did only four. As the system is just for the eyes, I will not run into troubles. To attach the guides to the frame, I'm using 0.5 mm (0.02") screws in stainless steel, with nuts in the same material. When I'm using brass nuts, I can solder them to the base, but stainless steel cannot be soft soldered. Installing the nuts on the screws is taking some time and good glasses!

[MODEL A MODEL]

A very small drop of "Super Glue" applied with a toothpick, upon the threads? Threadlock?

Do you plan to disassemble to this point before you paint? And once painted, wouldn't that be enough to hold such fine nuts in place?

[Roger Zimmermann]

To have the nut(s) at the right place during gluing , it's almost necessary to have a screw inserted. With the super glue, the screw and nut will be solid with the bracket! Using grease or something else to prevent the screw to be glued is rather futile: the nuts are so small that the release agent will go on the nut...
If I ever paint the assembly, each part will be removed; I see not too much difficulty to reassemble those guides because it will be done before the drivetrain is installed. On the last picture, the front and rear axle were still on the frame which did not facilitate the assembly of the guides.

[MODEL A MODEL]

So many things to plan for and procession of assembly.

In the "Real World" these cars were of course on an assembly line and teams of men each did their part. Non-modelers have no idea what is involved.

[Roger Zimmermann]

With 296 V-16 cars for 1932, the assembly line was certainly not moving fast! Total production for Cadillac this year was about 9000 cars...

[Roger Zimmermann]

Indeed, I wanted to finish the front brakes; as I'm missing a spring to guide the cables actuating the front brakes, I began something else: the exhaust system. It must not be routed at 100% like the original did; it just must be coherent.
I began with the mufflers; the original ones are very large with a diameter over 7 3/4" and just one each side. A funny system was used at the rear to improve the sound; I'll show it in due time.
The inner construction is shown on first picture; a thin piece of brass was rolled on this skeleton and soft soldered.
The front tube is not too difficult to do; after the 90° curve, it's almost straight. The other side will be more difficult as the tube must go between the brake booster and the frame and end almost at the same place as the RH one.
I see also that I will have to plan very carefully the final assembly: for the moment, I cannot torque the front clamp; there are too many obstacles to insert a tool. Probably I will have to build some wrenches for that task.

[MODEL A MODEL]

Your mistake.

You should have started with the muffler and built the chassis, suspension, and drive train around it.

Only then will you never have a problem!

Or? Sometimes you have to make "That bracket", the one under the rear seat cushion that doesn't hold anything. If you have the forethought to start there, then everything else just seems to fall into place.

I'm surprised you don't know these things.

[MODEL A MODEL]

[Roger Zimmermann]

Ah! Ah! your way to build things is impressive!