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Detailing
a Dash-9
Part: 2
by Lee Wright
The trucks on the Dash-9 looked too low or the body looked too high. I have noticed that on a lot of GE's. I finally figured out that the frame was just too thin and made everything else get out of proportion.
I
solved this problem by adding 1-1/14" to the frame. This also solved the
problem of the bottom of the motor showing.
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As you can see in the before and after pictures that addition made quite a difference in the appearance. Below are pictures of the frame assemblies before they were welded to the frame. On the engine side you can see a lot of cuts had to be made to clear the motor and bracing.
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Again; more pictures of the completed frame. Material was also added to the outside bottom rail on the brakeman's side. This area is yet to be sanded smooth. It will also received battery box doors.
Article part; 3 THE SAND FILLER CAP . Of course you will recognize the oil filler caps, it's hard to disguise them. I would have made them from scratch but time is of the essence. I added to the caps the metal flap and rivets as is on the real sand fillers.
A
bushing was made from 5/8 steel rod. One end was machined for a ½"
oil cap and the other for a 3/8" locating rod.
The fixture was made from aluminum angle, some brass collars and some 3/8" rod. The aluminum angle was clamped in place and the stop collars set to the correct height.
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This view shows the bushing and cap welded in place. The right hand is a view from under the nose. The bushing and the cap hit the nose angle at the same place. That made positioning a little difficult but manageable.
The hole in the nose was drilled to 5/8" using a Milwaukee right angle drill. After the hold was drilled using the drill bit, a 4 flute 5/8” end mill was put in the right angle drill. The milling cutter was inserted into the hole perpendicular to the nose piece. Holding the drill at a right angle, the drill was raised up until it was level thus creating a hole that would let the sand filler stand vertical.
This procedure is much more accurate than just "wallering out the hole".
JB weld was used to fill in the gaps and white primer was applied to determine where further work needed to be done.
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Part 4: These picture show some of the detail temporarily in place.
Parts are: windshield and gasket, wipers, grab irons and number boards.
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Stay tuned for further project up dates.