1932 Cadillac V16 scale model

[Roger Zimmermann]

I also enjoy seeing the interim work steps that get a piece to it's finished shape

Thanks Ralph! Sometimes I'm too lazy to picture the interim shape...

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

You definitely won't be getting any vibrations with that beautiful set-up.

Bruce.

[dadscad]

As usual beautiful craftsmanship. I also enjoy seeing the interim work steps that get a piece to it's finished shape

I agree, watching the intricate pieces come together to create the whole part, is as fascinating as the final assembly. Then that part becomes an addition to the larger part, interesting to see it all comming together.

Roger, you have a rare gift, I appreciate your willingness to share with us.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks for the comments! As you like to see more than the finished part or assembly, I'm attaching a picture you will probably don't understand the reason. I'm showing first the original set-up for the brake rocker shafts attached at the second cross member.
As I would like to have operative brakes (a dream from youth: when I first began my Avanti model, I wanted to have...hydraulic brakes. I did not even had a lathe then. Needless to say, they were stillborn), the system must be reproduced as well as possible. However, if you are looking at my own picture, it does not look like the original system. What am I trying to do?
The answer soon!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Now this is a first.   Never seen toes in a picture, especially standing on a pair of Mufflers.

Bruce.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Well, Bruce, to do the picture, I could not stand on the new mufflers with shoes...As it was in August, I don't wear socks...

Well, maybe some had a sleepless night not knowing what I intended to do. The solution is here: it's a special tool combined with an element which will be used. The picture below is giving some light, as well as a picture from the real bracket for the rocker shafts.
For a long time, I had no idea how I could position in the air a bearing, a flange and the links attaching them. Not only both brackets should be identical regarding the position of both bearings but the rocker shafts must move without binding.
The solution I found was to make a long strip with both flanges, add on that strip two brackets to held the shafts at the proper distance.
When the brackets will be ready, the excess material will be removed.

[Roger Zimmermann]

With a lot of guessing and silver soldering, the brackets for the rocker shafts are done. I also added the thread to attach the exhaust support.
My first guessing was not right, the first shaft was too near from the cross member (or the shape from the cross member is not quite correct). I had to tilt up the special tool and add a spacer on the bracket's flange. With that, the second shaft was much too high (it would have been above the frame); I had to modify the tool to have it at the "right" place. Then the job was cut, adjust, solder, let cool to handle it, verify that both shafts are still free and so on, and so on.
There are still two holes at the cross member to be drilled; they could be done with the cross member installed in the frame. The holes are for the brake booster bracket; I'm sure it's better to drill them when I have the lateral position of the booster.

[Lexi]

Fantastic work as always Roger. Clay/Lexi

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Clay!

Finally, the frame is ready: I fabricated the supports for the transmission and silver soldered them to the second cross member. With that done, it was rather easy to put the cross member into the frame (thanks its elasticity, I had not too much trouble to insert and remove it several times times) and soft soldering it. The rivets are not yet in place as you can see.
The rubber bushings at the rear transmission was a wise decision, with my construction's variations, the holes in the supports are not perfectly aligned with the bushings.
That second cross member is giving a significant torsion's resistance to the frame, but I'm sure that those frames are not very rigid and the road behavior was certainly miles away as what we have today. As almost all cars were made is a similar fashion, it was considered as "normal".

[Roger Zimmermann]

Sometimes, I'm wandering from one element to another one, without relation between both. After the frame was ready, I was faced with the same question: and now? There are still hundreds of parts to be made, the choice is large enough! This time, I decided to finish one element: the transmission.
The closing cover was just not yet done, not a big deal. This small part let me do many errors by not paying attention at what I was doing.
I first did the flat part from the cover with a thick brass plate. Easy. Then I did the holes for the screws. As the location for the holes is done just with a rule, they are not perfectly spaced/aligned and I know that. With the flat element ready, I used it to drill the holes into the transmission's case. This implied that just one position of the cover's base would be right.
When I silver soldered the curved part on the base, I managed to flip it over; in other words, I soldered the next part on what should be the surface contacting the transmission's case. Result: the hole were no more perfectly aligned. I enlarged 3 from the 6 until I could insert the screws.
Then it was time to make a large hole in the curved part for the shift lever "tower". The position of it is not in the middle and here, I managed to do it at the wrong end! I had to enlarge more holes to be able to screw the cover...Fortunately, the bolt's heads are large enough to cover the holes...
The remaining elements were added without problem. One of them is the shaft for the hand brake. The small cylinder at one end is representing the switch for the back-up lamp.

The hand brake lever is therefore part of the transmission... I will continue with that. This is a monstrous lever half meter long which recall me the brake lever the "driver" from the cable cars in San Francisco are using, at least is what I saw in the seventies.

[Roger Zimmermann]

The hand brake lever is looking a lot like a sculpture from the Swiss Giacometti, but has no value compared to his "marvels"!
For the moment, there is just the profile from that lever and the lower part is far from finished: there will be a fork for the pawl. I will first doing the upper part and then the lower one.
On the real car, this lever is about 20" tall from the axle to the end...Imagine that is a car from today!

[dadscad]

WOW......lookin' like the real-deal, to me! Enjoying watching the components comming together to make the whole.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Another small item for David: the ratchet for the hand brake. At first glance, it's an easy part, but not for a model. First, I wanted to have it wide enough for strength, but the starter motor said no: I'm too close. The plan B was to have a thinner plate to satisfy the starter motor and a wider element with the teeth. But, how to do the teeth? On my basic machine, I cannot mill a curved segment and be sure that the distance between teeth is the same. As I intended to do the part in two pieces, the solution was easy: to mill the teeth on a straight piece with a 60° milling tool and then to bend the segment to soft solder it on the base.
I have now to do the pawl; if my construction will work as intended is totally unsure. If I have no success, that will be just decorative and not functional.

[Roger Zimmermann]

It seems that my expectation about a workable hand brake will come to reality. I did the pawl, out of steel as brass may be too weak. Indeed, I made two pieces. As the first one did not please me, the second one was refined, somewhat shorter and the geometry modified a bit. When the lower part of the hand brake lever will go to the left, the pawl is preventing the movement. On the contrary, the pawl allow the movement and the hand brake can be set without using the handle at the top of the lever, which will be done shortly.
The hole on the lever just above the pawl is for the rod actuating the rear brakes.
Thanks to Alex D., I modified the handle of the lever. My estimated dimensions were way too generous. Alex measured the assembly from his car and submitted a nice drawing with legible dimensions. The handle seen on the picture is half way between my estimates and Alex's dimensions. As brass is not the strongest material (and I cannot do the lever in steel), I will probably choose a compromise between reality and something stronger.
Thanks Alex!

[Roger Zimmermann]

Only a small detail is missing; otherwise, the hand brake lever is complete. What's missing? A tiny spring which is located between the movable handle and the fixed one. With the spring, the pawl is pushed down, securing the lever when the hand brake is activated.
As you can see, the rod is screwed into the trunnion. I wanted to skip that complication, but I quickly realized that this is need, otherwise the rod cannot be inserted into the guide near the pivoting point.

[Roger Zimmermann]

A tiny spring...No rocket science, isn't it? Well, if only I would have fingers' size in relation to the spring! It went twice in the air, found it on the floor both times, a luck!
Now, the hand brake lever is functional; I hope that after the plating (only the tiny rod is painted), there will be enough play at the handle and pawl to let the spring doing his job, because his strength is rather limited!
I will go now to the other side of the transmission: one cover must be done plus the brake and clutch support which is bolted to the transmission. I think I will need again the help from Alex for the location of the pedals...
Don't look too much at my nail: it get sometimes caught by the files as fingers are sometimes the best vice!

[Alex D.]

Impressive craftmanship Roger. Glad to help out in any way I can.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Thanks Alex! By the way, you got a PM in the AACA forum...
That's a fine service: Alex sent me the needed measures! thanks Alex!

[Roger Zimmermann]

Before I began with the complex casting supporting the brake and clutch pedals (for which Alex sent me critical dimensions, thanks again Alex!), I did both covers which were missing: the one for the idle gear and the one for the clutch ventilation. Now I can, with the help from many pictures, design that support attached to the transmission.

[Roger Zimmermann]

That tiny stupid support for the pedals took me a long time to understand its general shape! Finally, I got it more or less right; I hope that the position of the pedal's shaft is not too far away from the reality.
When I did the pictures from that frame and engine, the free-wheeling system was removed or was never installed as I don't know if it was standard or optional. As the bracket is the same for all V-12 and V-16 engines, "my" bracket has the provisions to install the valving (there are the tiny holes flanking the shaft), but will stay that way. Anyway, as I have pictures from a 1932 V-8 equipped with that system, I'm wondering how both boosters could be attached to the frame; I have the impression that there is not enough space.
I did also the 4 "yoke adjusting quadrants" and temporarily installed them. It was wise: I noticed that the screw behind the hand brake lever was interfering with the lever. I made it thinner in that location and reduced the height of the bold attaching that quadrant.
The next goal? The gear shift. Alex gave me its length (another dimension I skipped when I could have measure it) and it's time for it.

Most all my brass parts are silver soldered. For years, I had Castolin 1802 rods in 1 mm or 1.5 mm diameter. That specific solder is no more available because it contains cadmium. The manufacturer is now selling the Castolin 1800 which is cadmium free, but has a higher content of silver. The temperature needed is almost the same, so I can do the switch. There is just one problem: nobody is selling those rods by the piece as it was the case years ago. The minimum quantity is 1/2 kg for about $ 650.00. Finally, I gave up with my researches and ordered that minimum quantity. I will probably have silver soldering material for the next 100 years! Anyway, a local jeweler is interested to buy some quantity from that material, but I don't know how many rods...