Start of a kit-bash project

[AF350]

Recived my trucks, wheel sets and an On30 coupler height gauge put together the gauge and some of the tucks need to order some more wheel sets but have enough to start on 6 cars out of 15 cars to be converted to On30. Also need to get some couplers for the On30 rolling stock as well.

[AF350]

Well, trucks and wheel sets assembled just have to work on the chassies of cars so they will work with the tucks and screws that came with trucks. Will try to fill in the holes on chassie with 2 part 5 min epoxy and then maybe drill and tap if need be as the truck screws are quite a bit smaller then the toy trucks that came with the cars. Other than that not much new going on.

[AF350]

Small amount of progress,

assembled the On30 trucks and the On30 coupler height gauge now just to get some couplers.

   

   

[Gary S]

Have you tried the 5 minute epoxy yet. I've drilled and tapped it before, but I recommend waiting longer than 5 minutes. Let it cure for a good while, probably overnight, is my suggestion.

[AF350]

Have you tried the 5 minute epoxy yet. I've drilled and tapped it before, but I recommend waiting longer than 5 minutes. Let it cure for a good while, probably overnight, is my suggestion.

Gary thanks for the tip, have not found my epoxy yet may have to get some. I did try using some model glue with mixed results one truck was alright but the other had too much play and car would lean. I may even try lab metal(an epoxy filled with aluminum for strength) it can be sanded drilled and tapped.

[AF350]

Hi all,

still toying with how to modify the chaises to accept the new trucks also need to order a few couplers, I think I need Kadees #803 ??? for On30. Will post a pic or two when couplers come in and are installed.

[AF350]

Hi all,

Filled out an order for some Kadee #803 couplers for the kitbash project. Hope to finish up this project soon as I have been distracted by getting ready for both an art show and open house for the club layout. Basicly it is for the seniors who eat lunch at the center and enjoy seeing the art work from the art class and now the layout as well. We are still trying to find a good day and time to be open for the general public to see the layout

Will try some epoxy for the mounting hole problem for the trucks the stuff I used before was a 2 part epoxy that came in single use packets like a moist towlette. I think it was either hardman or hard hat 5 min epoxy. :?:

[AF350]

Update on kitbash project.

Art show and open house came and went, mailed in order for the kadee couplers. And the epoxy is Hardman 5 min epoxy have to go to the local industrial tool and supply company(in this case Granger). Hope to pick back up on this project soon. The stuff called labmetal I mentioned is from micro mark may get some just to play around with.

[Russ Bellinis]

Update on kitbash project.

Art show and open house came and went, mailed in order for the kadee couplers. And the epoxy is Hardman 5 min epoxy have to go to the local industrial tool and supply company(in this case Granger). Hope to pick back up on this project soon. The stuff called labmetal I mentioned is from micro mark may get some just to play around with.

Another product that may work would be J-B Weld. I think that I would not use the 5 minute stuff, but rather the full 2 hour cure stuff. You will need to wait a day or so for a full cure anyway, and the regular 2 hour epoxy is stronger than the 5 minute type, I think.

[AF350]

Hey Russ,
had to pick up some stuff from lowes so I also got some J-B weld there as well --looks like that will do the trick and the packaging says it cam be drilled and sanded and machined

Now when the couplers come in it will be an assembly line operation

[Russ Bellinis]

Yeah, would you believe that when I was in the Coast Guard back in the early 1960's, we had a Detroit Diesel 8-268a gen set in the engine room that had the surface that the O-rings seat against at the base of the cylinder liners corroded so badly that coolant just poured into the sump! All of us in the engine room crew thought that we would need to bring a machinist and a welder in to clean up the block, weld it up and machine a new surface for the O-rings. The engineering officer gave us an epoxy kit from Devcon (very similar to J-B Weld), and told us to mix up the epoxy, and put it in place. After letting it set up for 24 hours, we were to sand it smooth with emery cloth, and then go ahead and rebuild the engine. You should have heard all of the kidding that took place after the engineering officer left the engine room! The thing was, we did it and it worked!! 2 years later when I got out of the Coast Guard, the engine was still running with no sign of water leaks! Of course it was a typical Detroit Diesel, so it leaked copious amounts of oil into the bilges!

[AF350]

Here are some J-B weld car chassis curring and a side by side pic of the original toy trucks next to the On30 replacements, now I am just waiting for the couplers to arive.

   

   

   

   

   

[AF350]

Hi all,

just a quick update, 5 box cars are re trucked for On30 with only a minor adjustment needed here and there 1. cars need some weight and 2. need to sand down to a flat surface where the trucks screw in as there is a bit of wobble in some of the cars nothing easy is worth doing I guess One stock car is also trucked and waiting for couplers. Cabooses and tenders along with the 4 stock cars will be next to be transformed into serviceable rolling stock.

[AF350]

Yeah Couplers came in the mail today, but in order to mount them have to make a small notch in body ends and trucks need to be moved in a bit to clear the swing of the trucks........so some minor engineering will commence will photo what needs to be done but on the plus side the chassie puts the coupler height darn near perfect with the coupler height gauge What started out as a simple truck swap has turned into serious kitbash project more fun than a shake the box kit but not quite as trying as a craftsman kit I went with kadee #803 On3 couplers.

[AF350]

Here are some pics of latest progress,