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1932 Cadillac V16 scale model

Started by Roger Zimmermann, July 12, 2019, 01:40:19 PM

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Roger Zimmermann

Some people here do know that I'm building scale models. I did not a lot: a 1963 Studebaker Avanti R1, a 1966 Olds Toronado and a 1956 Continental Mark II. Each model is taking a very long time as they are scratch built; I had 9 years for the last one.
When I was finishing the Mark II, I was thinking that it would be the last model. Fortunately, I'm still able to do something, but I will not tackle a 10 years project. Slowly came the idea to do something with Cadillac. One, if not the most prestigious model, was the V16.
What I intend to do is a 1:12 scale rolling frame with the engine/transmission/suspension and steering. I would limit the MY from 1930 to 1933. 1934 have an independent front suspension; I have enough models with that type of front axle.
My issue is to find enough documents/technical drawings and/or pictures to be able to conduct this project. Of course, dimensions are a must and I hope that one or more viewers have informations or could tell me who has some. If costs are involved, there is not a problem. Once, there was a V16 in Switzerland; I will have to research if the car is still in this country but most probably I will not be able to take from it all what I will need.
Usually, shop manuals from that time have nice drawings from the mechanical features; this would be something to consider.
Who will cooperate? Anyway, thanks for the help!
As I expected, I was asked to remove the pictures. Instead, I'm providing a link for more pictures (without any text): https://www.mycloud.ch/l/P00BF517DEBF2C9CBD0035DF126D4B83DA36666BCFEBAAB0C28EACB3A40B70E4
More links are available if somebody would like to see more than 1000 pictures from the beginning almost 10 years ago till the completion.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

dinhnguyen57

1941 Series 62 coupe
1959 Eldorado Seville
1990 Allante
2007 Mercedes S550
2009 STS
2018 Chrysler Pacifica

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Fellow members,

You have no idea! I followed Roger's step by step on the MKII Forum an could not believe the detail and accuracy. The blue car above has a chrome plated metal grille with fabricated egg crate mesh, the upholstery is real leather including the welting and it has has six operating power windows......That's just the beginning of the detail.

Go get'em Roger. Please start a thread and post progress pictures. It will be an education in how to create from scratch using traditional fabrication methods.

(BTW, has anything come of the book we discussed?)
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

goob

I also followed along on Roger's Continental MkII build...I've never seen anything like his work!

Roger Zimmermann

Thanks for the comments about the Mark II!
Yes, I have the intention to show here what and how I'm doing that V16 frame and engine. For the moment, I just have...nothing. Well, it's not true: I have a 1:25 Jo-Han 1931 Phaeton model, so I have a little idea of the general lay-out. However, plastic models are crude compared to the standard I'm trying to get. It's anyway summer season and not the best one for modeling. I'm letting time to people to react; I'm open to any suggestion.
It seems that there is a V16 specialist coming from time to time to this forum (a Mr. Crimmins?), maybe he will also have idea how to get what I'm needing.

@ Ralph: Randy had a real bad year with health problems. He his slowly recovering. I will send him an external hard disk with all the pictures I did from the Mark II. The project is still not dead!
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Jeff Maltby 4194

Jeffo 49er chapter

CLC 1985
Honda Gold Wing GL1500

Roger Zimmermann

1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Chris Cummings

Hi Roger,

Jeff alerted me to your thread.  That's magnificent work you do, and I'm quite impressed.

Do you have a copy of the 1930-31 shop manual?  It has a lot of dimensions and diagrams that would be useful, as well as detail photos.  Reproductions show up routinely in eBay if you're looking for a copy.  Also, I can scan and send you pertinent pages.

Do you have any particular questions?

Best regards,

Chris

Roger Zimmermann

#8
Hi Chris
Jeff fortunately corrected the name, your name, I had in the back of my head. Most probably the drawers were misaligned! Anyway I do thank Jeff for his move. I saw in the directory that you have a 1930 V-16; therefore you may be one of the "victims" with questions if you allow it!
The shop manual is usually the first element I'm buying; however I wanted to wait to be sure that this document will be helpful. I would prefer an original one as usually pictures or illustrations in reproduction manuals are not so clear. On the other side, to find an original will not be an easy task. For preliminary work a copy will be helpful; I will have a look in eBay. Thanks for your offer to scan pages but I prefer to have your "involvement" in a more practical way. Scanning pages from an old manual can be disastrous for the book.
If I have a particular question? I have thousands! The first one which will help is following: what are the main technical and cosmetic differences to frames and engines  during the years 1930 to 1933?
From the book "80 years of Cadillac LaSalle", I know that the wheelbase for the 1930 and 31 model was 148"; it was 143" and 149" for 1932 and 1933;however I don't know if major changes were made to the frame or engine.
I will also have a look in the Data base but I don't expect to have many answers here.

Something entirely different: did you participate to the 2012GN in Florida? I was there, usually next to Yann Saunders. He spoke to somebody having a name similar to yours, but I would not bet about my memory!
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Chris Cummings

Hi Roger,

No problem about the name.  That was me at the 2012 GN.  I didn't bring a car, but my daughter and I rode down on the train and it was a lovely trip.

Both of those manuals you linked to are good reference for you.  The 1932 book covers both 1932 and 1933.  The company just sent out replacement pages in 1933 to be inserted into the 1932 manual to cover both years.  That one on eBay appears to have been updated in that regard.

The engines were pretty similar from 1930 through 1933.  Carburetors were changed to Detroit Lubricator in 1932. Vacuum tanks on the firewall were replaced by a mechanical fuel pump mounted on the side of the crankcase casting.  The location and design of the oil filter changed.  Air filter/intake muffler units were installed in place of the old open air horns.  The flat-top distributor was replaced by a conventional one with towers to which the plug wires attached.  The vacuum pump on the top of the bell housing was a diaphragm type for '32 and '33, instead of the former piston type. 

The frames for the 1930-31 cars differ in some design details from those of the 1932 and 1933 cars.  Comparing shop manual diagrams will illustrate that.  Besides that, the shocks for '32 and '33 were adjustable, and the front wheel brake activation mechanism was different from that on the 1930-1931 V16s.  There was a free-wheeling mechanism introduced on the 1932 cars.  Also, the way the engines mounted to the frame (and the transmission to the frame cross member) changed in 1932.

My e-mail address is in the CLC directory.  If you e-mail me, on Monday I will try to send you some illustrative material.

Otherwise, let me know if you have questions.

Best regards,

Chris

Roger Zimmermann

Hi Chris

An email is in preparation for you!
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

New dilemma: there is effectively a 1930 V-16 in Switzerland...I don't know yet how easy it will be available for dimensions; I have to speak with the owner.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

For various reasons, I decided to do the 1932 frame and engine. I don't expect to begin before the autumn; I hope to have enough data till that time.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Ross Morgan #22943

Roger, sorry this is a late notice but I only jump on the forum from time to time (I tend to use fbook a lot). If there is anything I can help you with, let me know - you have my contact details. I wont though, be able to assist with 1932!  Thanks, Ross

Roger Zimmermann

Ross, thanks for the offered help, I do appreciate it! Depending on what will happen the next 10 days, I may come to you. As I'm not at all on fbook, I cannot communicate with this system, but I have your contact details.
Thanks again!
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

#16
There is some progress with that project. I have the repro shop manual and parts book; early August, Christine and me drove 530 miles one way to measure and take pictures from a 1933 V-16 frame and engine, just before the body was put on the frame. As usual when so many dimensions can be have, I forgot some essential ones, but I will survive.
I will indeed begin with the wheels. On the 3 other models I did, there were just steel wheels reproduced in brass and, for the Toronado, with aluminum. This is quite different for this model: wire wheels. They are much more complex than usual wheels; this will be an adventure in itself!
Due to other things I have now, I'm slow to begin the construction. I began the first part on September 8, a front hub, which is now in fabrication. The attached picture is showing it, but the part is not yet finished.

A moderator will certainly tell me if I can continue this story in the "general discussion" or if it has to move somewhere else.

1 front hub.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

I'm switching between the dash work from my '72 CdV and now the construction from that scale model. The 4 hubs are done and I began the drums. All four are the same wich is a simplification. As usual, I'm working with brass, a so super material on a small lathe! The raw slice has a weight of 120 grams; the finished drum has a weight of 14 grams! They would be perfect candidates for casting, unfortunately, I'm not able to do that.

The first drum is almost finished: I must add 8 reinforcement ribs; they will be done when the other 3 drums are born.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

The 4 drums are ready (minus the 8 ribs which will be added later) and attached temporarily with the hubs. The hubs themselves are far from ready; an original assembly is also shown.
I began with the wheel's hubs, a difficult task. Those parts are stamped steel, I have to do them on the lathe with multiple operations and tool changes. The rear inner side from the first hub is ready; some work with hand held chisel is required which can be dangerous as you may imagine.
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

goob

Roger - It's always a treat to see your work. It makes me remember all those years ago at the start of the Continental Mark II build! Keep up the great work and please keep us updated with pictures.

Gary