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Marken
Fireman
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 Posted - 05/05/2004 : 9:57:32 PM
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Now comes the fun part. Trying to put all those
little pieces together so it resembles a car.
A lighted magnifier is a great help if you have
one.
We’ll start with the interior and chassis while
the body dries. These are the pieces that will
be detailed and assembled for now. So grab a
small paint brush and let’s get started.
I like to start with the wheels and tires.
Leaving them on the sprue makes this much
easier. For this set I’ll paint the spoke
wheels the same color as the body. I try to get
just a little color on the spokes and center
hub. Just lightly dab them with some paint.
After the wheels are painted I’ll paint the
tires Steam Power Black which will dull them
quite a bit. You could also Dulcoat them if
you’d prefer. When finished,lay aside to dry.
Next we’ll do the seats and floor. Remove the 6
pieces that make up the seats and trim off any
flash. Then assemble the seats using the glue
of your choice. The back seat should be test
fit before gluing together. I always end up
doing a little sanding with an emery board to
get the pieces to fit togetherproperly. When
dry, I’ll glue them to the floor.
Since the floor cannot be seen on the finished
car, I don’t paint it. You may prefer to do so
but don’t paint the tops of the seat supports.
When the seats are installed I’ll paint them. I
chose dirt brown for these. Then I’ll install
the brake lever and gear shift and the interior
is finished. Set aside to dry. As you can see
in the photo, I use a modified tweezers to hold
the floor while assembling the seats and
painting them.
Next we’ll move onto the chassis. The one thing
I can’t stress enough is take your time with
this part. There are a few parts which will be
assembled that will influence if all four tires
end up on the ground and not have one sticking
up in the air.(I hate that )
So cut the floorpan from the sprue and clean up
any flashing. Also remove the rear spring and
do the same.
I would suggest you use Super Glue gel for this
next step. Put a drop of glue into the middle
of the slot where the spring goes. Place the
spring in the slot making sure it is centered.
Let dry. Now comes the tricky part. Place
another drop of glue in each end of the slot and
clamp down the spring. I use a couple of
tweezers for this. Let dry.
Next, cut the rear end housing from the sprue and test fit it.
You want to make sure the ends of the spring do
not interfere with the fitting of the wheels.
You will need to trim the spring on each end
about 1/16”. When you are satisfied with the
fit, making sure the rear end is level, even
side to side and centered in the wheelwell glue
in and let dry.
Next we’ll do the same with the front spring/axle.
Place a drop of glue in the center of the slot
and glue into place. This also needs to be
centered side to side and level with the rear
axle. Take your time.
Next, glue on the front steering arm and the
muffler. The chassis is now complete except for
the wheels/tires which I usually install last.
Your chassis should look like this.
Now we can install the floor section onto the
chassis. There are two locating area’s on the
floor which make assembly easy. Make sure the
rear seat area is even side to side between the
rear fenders and front to back while gluing.
Set aside for now.
Frustration is our next step…window glass. Take
a deep breath because it has to be done. Before
you grab the glass material, break out your
cotton gloves. Lot’s of cutting and handling
which equals finger prints. Big noticeable
finger prints! Also, a nail scissors will make
this somewhat easier.
What I usually do is just eyeball the size
window needed and cut a piece of material
out of the sheet. There will be quite a bit of
trimming, so just make sure the piece is
bigger than the window opening. Fit and cut and
fit and cut is the procedure. There are
recesses in the back and side body panels where
the windows fit into so just cut until your
satisfied with the fit and the glass lays flat.
(I like to keep one or both front windows half
way open. You can also keep both fully open so
you don’t have to cut the glass for them. Also,
the front and back side pieces are two separate
windows, not one long piece to cover both)
When the glass fits good and lays flat, add a
dab of liquid glue to one corner. Make sure
the glue brush is not filled with glue. Wipe
some excess off or there is a good chance the
glue will run down the body taking the paint
along with it. Also, do not push down on the
glass after gluing. It will push the glue
out and lift any paint it comes in contact with
off. Just let it flow (you will see it seep
under the glass) and let dry. Try not to touch
the glass with the brush or it might move. Just
touch the body near the glass.
I would suggest you let everything bond for the
next hour or so. Next comes the hard part.
How you did during Part 1 now comes into play.
If you took your time and test fit the parts
properly this should not be that difficult. It
will still be frustrating, especially if you
have fat fingers like me, but if you take your
time it’ll come together.
I use Testors in a tube cement for this. You’ll
also need a toothpick or a small pin to apply
the glue with.
Before you begin, scrape any paint off of the
glue lines. This will insure proper adhesion.
Just use the edge of a razor blade and only
scrape the glue surfaces. When that is done,
grab one side panel and the top. Apply a small
dab of cement on the side panel in the bottom of
the V groove towards the back. Also put a dab
near the front and in the middle and place
the top into position. Apply light pressure and
make sure the roof and side is aligned. Also
make sure the top is straight. Hold together
for a few minutes until the top stays in place.
Then take the toothpick and apply more glue to
the seams from the inside. Let dry.
Do the same with the other side panel. Now set
aside to dry.
Now you can assemble the steering column and
wheel and glue into place on the dash. I
prefer not to paint these two items and just
keep them black. Scrape any paint from the
inside of the window frame and cut and fit the
window piece. Try and keep the glass as narrow
as possible as the side panels also get glued
to this surface. Secure with the liquid glue.
Next place the cowl/windshield in place to
check the fit. Glue into place and adjust the
fit of the side panels. This will hold the side
panels and top secure. Let dry overnight.
The next piece is the hardest one to fit. The
back panel will probably need some fine tuning
to get it to fit right. I’ll use an emery board
to lightly sand where needed. (usually near the
top where the two sides join) When you are
satisfied with the fit, glue into place. (on
this one the body fell onto a piece of
cardstock where I had placed a blob of glue.
 Hopefully, you’ll be luckier than I
was) Let dry. Next I place on the front sun
shield after some sanding and glue
into place. Let dry overnight.
The top looks this way because I had to sand
the glue off.
Instead of repainting the roof black again, I
put on a coat of blue to match the rest of the
body. This is also a good time to touch up any
flaws that occurred to the paint during
assembly. I also weathered the body with some
homemade rust, chalk and alcohol. (I wasn’t
planning on it but the glue I couldn’t get off
had to be covered up)
Next, check the fit of the body to the floorpan
and make any adjustments. If you plan on
placing a driver and/or passenger in, now is
the time. Then glue the body on and let dry.
Next you can fit the hood assembly and glue
into place. When dry I will weather the
body/chassis.
The next step is to assemble the wheels/tires
onto the chassis. First glue the brake drums to
the back of the wheels making sure they are
centered. When dry I place the back wheels on
first. Super glue is perfect for this. Just
make sure the wheel is straight up and down and
side to side before the glue dries.
Now you can put the front tires in place. (I
like to have the front tires turned instead of
being straight, especially if the vehicle is
parked) The choice is yours. Glue each wheel
into place and let dry for awhile. (about ½ hr)
Then place the car on a flat surface to check
if all four tires sit on the ground. (if not,
place enough weight on top of the vehicle until
they are) Make sure they are still straight up
and down and let the glue dry. Weather as you
wish.
Now you can add the bumpers, headlights and
spare tire. Paint and weather as you wish and
you should have a finished vehicle ready for
your layout.
There are many ways to build – paint – weather these kits. This just happens to be how I do it.
Hope you can put some of it to use.
THE END
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| In memory of Mike Chambers |
Country: USA
| Posts: 2972 |
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Wally
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 05/05/2004 : 10:20:02 PM
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Ken:
Just plain awesome! Can you talk about the gluing the sprint some more? I didn't understand about the the second drops on the outside and forcing the spring down. Thanks
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Wally
It's not my job to run the train, the whistle I can't blow, I'm not allowed to say how fast the train should go,I'm not allowed to blow off steam, nor even ring the bell, but let the gosh darn thing jump the tracks and see who catches...
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Country: USA
| Posts: 380 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/05/2004 : 10:38:54 PM
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Ken,
What a great tutorial! You are indeed the Jordan Vehicle Master! I no longer have an excuse for not starting one of my Jordan kits.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 31174 |
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teejay
Fireman
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Posted - 05/05/2004 : 10:39:10 PM
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Ken , your tutorial is atleast 5 times better than most of the ' destructions ' you see out there .Nice work on what can be a tricky kit .It takes a little getting used to but I think most people , after their first Jordan Kit , should be fine if they follow your steps .The other Jordan's are very similar .
TERRY
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Country: Canada
| Posts: 5853 |
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paulbrockatsf
Fireman
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 05:58:46 AM
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Ken,
Thanks for a great tutorial.  Thanks to your encouragement I have started my first Jordan kit.
Paul
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Country: USA
| Posts: 3581 |
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Hangem Harry
Crew Chief
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 07:33:11 AM
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Ken,
Excellent tutorial!! You have helped me greatly with many of your tips.
Thanks,
Harry
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Country: USA
| Posts: 793 |
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Rick
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 07:43:21 AM
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Ken, thank you very much for the clear and informative tutorial. They will come in very handy.
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| As you think, so will you be. |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 22689 |
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Bbags
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 08:00:12 AM
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Great tutorial Ken
While I may never build a Jordan Vehicle I do have a steam shovel and steam crane to put together and these instructions will help with those projects.
Also Happy Birthday a day late.
thanks again.
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John Bagley
Modeling the Alaska Railroad in HO in Wildwood Georgia. |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 13304 |
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wvrr
Fireman
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 08:26:54 AM
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Great job, Ken! I have a couple of these kits that need to be built. This will be a great help.
Chuck
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Country:
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George D
Moderator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 08:59:52 AM
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Ken, I agree with all the others, great job. Your tutorials are keepers. I select and paste them to word documents before I file them.
Now where did I put those Jordan kits…?
George
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Country: USA
| Posts: 15097 |
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MikeC
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 10:25:09 AM
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Ken, another great job of putting together an informative and very useful tutorial. I have posted a copy of it in the Archives.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 21584 |
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ANo10
Fireman
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 10:54:09 AM
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Ken,
I agree with the others. What an excellent tutorial. I received a couple of basket job Jordan kit's in a recent purchase without instructions. Your tutorial will help immensely.
Thanks,
Jim
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Country: USA
| Posts: 2773 |
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ETinBH
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 3:11:56 PM
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Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! et.al.
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| Elliott |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 4394 |
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paulbrockatsf
Fireman
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 5:51:29 PM
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Ken,
You mentioned using cotton gloves when cutting the glass. I think this is a great idea. I am always leaving my fingerprints on windows.
My question is, where do you buy cotton gloves thin enough to be able to handle & feel the small parts in this kit??!! 
Paul
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Edited by - paulbrockatsf on 05/06/2004 5:53:53 PM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 3581 |
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Marken
Fireman
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Posted - 05/06/2004 : 8:15:51 PM
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Thanks everyone. This was a fun project to put together.
Paul - The gloves come from Fisher Scientific. We use them at work  to handle calibration weights. They are very light weight and have good feel.
Wally - the rear spring does not match the contour of the groove it gets glued in. You have to bend it to fit. I use to try and put glue into the entire groove and try and hold the spring but it usually ended up flying across the room.
So I put a drop of super glue into the middle of the groove first and then put the spring in. That way I can make sure the spring is centered and level. When the glue dries I apply a drop of glue to the outer edge of the groove on each side and force the spring into the groove so it matches the contour.
I clamp the spring on each side because the spring wants to "spring" back until the glue dries.
The first drop of glue goes where the black arrow is. The seconds drops go where the red arrows are.
Hope that helps.
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| In memory of Mike Chambers |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 2972 |
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Jeff Compton
Engine Wiper
Premium Member
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Posted - 05/07/2004 : 11:35:22 AM
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Ken, Thanks for the tutorial! I have about 20 unbuilt Jordan kits that I am now motivated to start on. That last post helps clear up the spring problem!
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