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1973 Gremlin Project.... "The Demise of Sanity"

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Ruby loye View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ruby loye Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/19/2018 at 9:41pm
Sorry about your Dad and the heartache the family went through. Back to the Gremmy I love the engine color very close to the the color I’m rattling on my 65 Classic. Your doing some fine work and you will have a machine far better than Kenosha put out. Great job!

Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/21/2018 at 8:02am
Kind words...
Thank you everyone, I appreciate them.
Not much done over the past couple of weeks to the car. Painted a few small parts yesterday as I needed a break from the train set.
My Dad was a pretty darned good engineer for being legally blind. He was completely blind in his right eye and could only see about 15 to 20% out of his left.
Take for instance all the ballast that he made. Ballast is the rock that goes between the rails and the ties. He made by grinding up some sort of track bedding material. Mom wasn't too impressed because Dad used her food processor to do it with..!! He made all the trees and brush that are on this layout. And some of the teeny-tiny screws that he used on things...!!! I have 20-20 vision and I have to use my reading glasses just to get them out. Then there are all the small buildings that he put together. Just to get the decals on would of even been a challenge for me or anyone, but he did it some how. I do know that he outsourced some of his models and buildings. But most of what he did, he did himself. 
I've been wondering what to do with all the wiring. I can remember he would go to the Boeing surplus store in Seattle when they (Mom and Dad) would go to visit relatives there. He brought home rolls of the stuff and it's all high grade materials. And, I have found a few things that aren't up to "code" so's to speak. Like, say for instance the extension cords that he had spliced into with no wire nuts on them. Just electrical tape. Confused
Stuck my hand under there to remove some small lights from the layout. Saw a few sparks fly and thought to myself, well that ain't right...!!! Come to find out that Dad had actually wired the whole thing into the electrical board in the basement. Once I figured out that part, we are good to go and don't have to worry about a couple of hot wires touching and burning the whole house down.
Funny thing my Dad used to say...
"If you let the smoke out... It's F$%#ed. So what ever you do, do not let the smoke out"... 
Or his "pre-fabbed frustration finisher". That is a 2 pound sledge hammer, that is wired tied to a small board. You have to put it together. He figured that just maybe by the time you got the thing put together to finish your frustrations, you wouldn't be frustrated anymore and wouldn't have to use it. LOL
77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Mar/22/2018 at 9:23am
Oh boy... 
Main switch board. Switches and switch machines. Toggle switches.. AND... 

WIRE...!!!

There's 2 switch boards... 

More wire..

And a lot more underneath... 

Little bit of extra power needed to go somewhere's I guess... Confused
Surprised the house didn't burn down. No tape, no nothing but solder. 
77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
My Garage
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/14/2018 at 10:20am
Sub frame connectors...
Didn't like the junk that I had purchased, so I made my own. 
Used the junk for a pattern, then I found out that I couldn't cut the 5/16" plate and had to take that down to a local fab shop and had them laser cut the pieces. Rectangle tubing is 1"x2 1/2"  
And I ended up cutting my floor to make them fit the way that I wanted them to fit as I have no way to bend anything. 
I will re use the pieces that I cut out to patch the floor. 






Wish I had a welder that I could make nice "pretty" welds, but you use what you got. They may look like worm turds, but they are stronger then the steel that they are welded to and that's all that matters to me. It's under the car anyways, so who cares... right...???  Big smile

The next step after these get welded in and on the car is to figure out where to make some holes for torque links. All I have is some pictures to go by and I will probably have to go through the body to make these work. The only problem that I am really concerned about is the placement of the holes. 

77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
My Garage
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farna View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/14/2018 at 2:18pm
You can weld. Next time make a pie cut where you want to bend the tubing. Cut the V in the sides, and cut the bottom gap out, leave the top intact and bend, then weld the sides and bottom. With good welds there really isn't any loss of strength.

You (and others) probably know that, just explaining for those who don't understand what I mean.
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/14/2018 at 3:15pm
Originally posted by farna farna wrote:

You can weld. Next time make a pie cut where you want to bend the tubing. Cut the V in the sides, and cut the bottom gap out, leave the top intact and bend, then weld the sides and bottom. With good welds there really isn't any loss of strength.

You (and others) probably know that, just explaining for those who don't understand what I mean.


Not with my welder... LOL..!!! J/K..
That's how the old ones that I copied are. I just chose to run the straight rectangular tubing for ease of 
"Getting it done". Big smile
And it wasn't cheap either. Couldn't find any place that would order what I wanted in for me so I had to use "on-line Metals" and order it for myself. Ouch
77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
My Garage
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote amcenthusiast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/14/2018 at 9:52pm
...very impressive model railroad your Dad made...

It all adds up BrotherB; you're gonna have a great lil' hot rod there when your done.


443 XRV8 Gremlin YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=2DmFOKRuzUc
XRV8 Race Parts website: http://amcramblermarlin.1colony.com/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/15/2018 at 4:12pm
Finished up down below and I thought that I was going to re use the original pieces that I had cut out. 
Nope. Figured it would be easier just to cut something to cover and seal everything back up. 


18 gauge works good, easy to weld and I can bend it with your hands with some help from the vise. 


Cut the corners and again used the vise to bend where it was needed.
Worm turded everything down... LOL


Ground down said worm turds and filled any little leftover pin holes with kitty hair. 
I'll smooth the kitty hair down with a well used 120 grit flap wheel. 
Left the original drain holes in the back just in case the girlfriend spills her soda pop or pees her pants. 
Which ever comes first...!!!
I'm thinking she'll pee her pants first, cuz there's never going to be a soda in this car... LOL

Sub-frame connections DONE..!!! 
On to the next battle... Torque links...!!! Big smile
77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
My Garage
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farna View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote farna Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/16/2018 at 5:37am
Cut closer next time and you won't need covers! Wink
Really, you have done a great job with the connectors, and did cut the floors really close... probably as close as possible under the circumstances. The car is looking good, and the floor/cover work looks fantastic!
Frank Swygert
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BrotherBamc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Apr/16/2018 at 10:15am
Thanks Frank..!! 
And everyone else...!!!
Decided to not try to make a few holes in my frame rails until I hang the rear end. (torque links) 
By just going off what few pics that I have, I don't want to take a chance of screwing the pooch and myself at the same time. I think that I got them "close" but a lot of the times when I get things "close" stuff doesn't work out like they should. 
I tried to use a homemade plumb bob from the center of the frame hump and then measure the distance to where the hole is supposed to go or be. Then I tried to just eye ball it from the pics. Then my friend came over and mentioned that I should hang a spring first. Then I said lets just wait until I can hang the whole rear end first, then cut and drill some holes and lay some welds down. That way I will have a piece of mind over these. 
So, I have to get back to work and get some $$$ flowing until the next adventure and that is cutting and replacing the rot in the rear quarters... Which by the way I have no clue on what I am doing. But again that's been the way for this whole project...!!! 
Keep ya'll posted on progress... 
77 CJ5 360
73 Gremlin 401 4 speed
2006 Dodge Magnum R/T AWD
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