Here are a few "progess" pictures and quick run down of what is involved.
Completely strip down. This is not for the faint hearted or easily impatient! The plastic block right underneath has to be popped off first to reveal the screws. There are numerous tricks and processes required to do this without damaging things! Note what are plastic and what are metal bits. Carefully remove cab glazing. Strip the metal with a pickling solution of nitromors with additional methylene chloride. Tracks are not fully stripped by this method, so into hot caustic soda, at a concentration which when added to the hot water causes the water to boil. Leave in this for 12 hours before strong brush off and clean off! Plastic parts where still needed, if need stripping use a mild cool solution of caustic soda.
Engines.
Here are a few stages, all on one pic! Start with making a new master block, which entails very visible differences and hence changes to the heads, turbos, ancilary pipework and covers and then cast the new resin block.
Then make bend up all the new pipework masters, muffler shields, air cleaner filter casings and cast in white metal and then fit.
Here is a sprayed up comparison.
Top Deck.
Grind off all the top deck clean flat. Open up coreldraw and create the new treadplates, steps etc. Etch the brass (8 thou sheet) and fit. Make new white metal patterns and cast the step supports. Fill in holes for pipes to front rams, drill new holes and fit brass rod fittings.
Drill the holes in the hood. Fill the old ones etc. These need to marked very carefully, supported, punched and milled flat. Note the new twin stacks are slightly offset and forward of the single stack, which makes drilling much more difficult.This has to be piloted through from the back. Fill sides and sand smooth. Then Refit handrails.
Drill out all the holes in the hydraulics for ripper and back plate and insert brass rod fittings, 4 on each side. Fill hole on the side of the rops where the fire extinguisher was and file to match mounts profile.
Once sprayed up with acid etch, 2 coats yellow primer and 5 coats of top coat, (this is Holts professional top coat cellulose). This also shows how all the pipes line up under the holes and the exhausts and air intakes are stuck onto the top of the pipework underneath the hood, just like in the real machine.
Carefully reassemble. Plumb up with silicone tube. Fit swarovski jewels into all the lights and work lights (work lights and front head lights are white metal). Bend up exhausts to fit. Spray off black along with the air cleaners.
For the Australian machines additional plates are fitted to the centre of the front blade for scraper pushing.
Back to Coreldraw to make up the new decals. Print, seal and apply with microsol. Add fuel tank overspill hose and job's about done!
Enjoy!
KR
R
