By Generation: Give Alternators Rumble Arms/Pile-drivers Tutorial

Discussion in 'Tutorials and How Tos' started by manyoufactsure, Sep 3, 2007.

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  1. manyoufactsure

    manyoufactsure Maximal TFW2005 Supporter

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    Finished the other side last night and didn't think I would have time for this until tuesday. But I arrived home, earlier than expected, from the Labor day cookout so I am posting it now.

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    I am posting "how I did it" but you can modify it however you see fit.
    Take the shoulder apart. The two, short and thicker, screws will go back in and the smaller screw can be used, later, to attach the new wheel axle. Take the pile driver, spring and base plate out. (no longer needed for this figure) Also remove the "catch" that was used to release the pile drivers. It can get in the way of the shoulder slides if it moves in the wrong direction. Don't forget the Tire.
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    You need to remove the one shelf, that runs back to the rear screw attachment and the wheel well "back". The shelf doesn't have to be flush with the screw attachment. (You can always cut more out later). I removed the shelf and wheel well, back as one piece. A piece of the small screw attachment is reused and the post that the wheel was attached to, as well. (I used a rotary drill bit and a dremel tool cutting disc)
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    Compare these two pictures. The plastic that forms the wheel well "back" is completely removed and a hair more continuing down about a 1/4 inch. Then remove, the same amount of material, at the very bottom. (the piece you are leaving "uncut" is for the cover plate to "tab" into, so it remains closed). On the cover plate, the tab, next to the muffler, needs removed and an angle needs to be cut, on the inside, from the back edge to help clear the bumper. You also need to make a notch, in the bumper, inline with the "top mounting piece. Cut back until the mold line. This will allow you to hinge up the cover plate
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    You end up with this. Also remove the bottom attachment block shown here. (the one hanging above the wheel well)
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    You will need to cut more angle, on the inside, where the muffler is due to it being thicker. You can shave a little off the bumper but not much and nothing is changed on the muffler. It clears everything. I created a larger gap than I needed on the right side but I was able to make it smaller on the left (learning curve).


    Back to the axle/shelf scrap. The little piece at the top, has been cut, half way through, to mark the depth it will go back into the shoulder slide piece. I then drilled it out larger for the screw that will soon be going through it. I wanted it as support but not be grabbed by the screw. (the screw is going to come out of the Energon Rodimus arm). you can then finish cutting it off of the scrap. The wheel axle is drilled out and then filed until it is a very thin wall. It is going to be a shim under the brake assembly since the new axle isn't one size.
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    On to the arm. The picture below shows the "wing" that needs removed from the arm piece. The screw that holds it in needs to be saved for the mounting base. A shorter screw can be used to replace it. (hopefully you have some excess screws. A couple of screws with large heads or washers are needed later) I left a tab, from the wing, attached to help hold on to it. (Pictured above with scrap plastic).
    This piece of the shoulder slide assembly needs the block, on your right, removed and the right leg (not shown here. I forgot to remove it) compare with other picture.
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    I then fabricated this block of styrene, with various thichnesses, to get the desired shapes. I don't know the exact MM sizes but there is a thickest grey with a thin grey, a thick white and another thin grey. The thick grey has a tab and the other three only have a slight "round" spot inline with the tab to give as much support for the screw that will be going through it.
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    Only the first two grey pieces of styrene form the largest area of the block. It is the height of the pile driver area up to the cover piece. (the notch is where the one area of the cover hits so it can be taller that it looks). Here is the above view with it installed with the screw from Roddies arm. The screw needs cut off but it is slightly smaller than most of the screws used by Hasbro/Takara and is longer. I cut it off with the dremel tool but in stages, so the heat didn't melt the plastic.
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    The arm doesn't need the hinged flap but it helps support and keep the spacing of the arm, while your working on it. I used a screw, with a really wide head and had to cut a shelf, for the screw head to catch, on the first arm. The second arm I used a small pin, drilled through from the end, to mount the "wing" side. Then you can cut off the tab and cut the excess off the arms. the side that had the wing needs to be flush with the shoulder socket side. A little bit can come off from the wing area but it is mostly the raised details, in the middle, that are removed. The other side just needs the raised detail removed. OOPs, don't have a picture of the arm sides. (I left the top of the wing area on, for now. It is the only thing you have to pull the arm out of the car until the wheel is mounted on to the arm).
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    Wait to dye the elbow and hand until you have the wheel axel, fitted into the arm cavity. There are three spots on the hand that need cut if you follow my instructions. Those areas are the orange areas since I forgot to fit it first. The axle attachment shown here is the finished cut along with, what's left, of the "jet engine" part of Roddies hand. Second pic shows the uncut Thigh of Universe Skybast, which is how the axle is attached. The knee joint and ball become the axle. Square off the inside area to match the pivot angle of the knee joint
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    using the blue post, shown below from a Zoids, Z-builder dino, as the pivot for the elbow. The end with out the wider piece, will go against the plate that was lamenated. The hole for the screw has to be elongated, to allow the arm to rise above the cover tab piece. I cut a small recess on the inside (not shown) to allow for tension adjustment and the top and bottom edge of a Zoids rubber joint piece is what creates the tension.
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    Cut a single piece of thick Styrene as the other side and try to match up the screw holes. I only guessed at where to drill the first one, and it is angled a little, but it has been my template for the rest. My biggest problem is drilling a straight hole so both pivot pieces have, slightly, angled screw holes but the rubber pieces keep every thing working correctly. The second picture shows where I cut off some material from the shoulder pivots but it isn't neccesary. The second arm clears everything.
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    With the thigh/axle pieces cut like below. It is held on by the little screw you removed from the shoulder slide assembly. It only catches the small chunk of the Roddie arm/jet engine piece shown in the second pic. (you want the thigh piece to be on the side of the "wing" piece and the axle would flip torwards the outside of the vehicle)
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    The second picture above and the first one below, also shows the origonal wheel axle pieces, shimmed under the brake assemblies. The new axle has to be filed/cut/shaved down so the brake assembly can slide over it. I then cut the orig. wheel axle (that has been filed down to a thin wall) in half and slide the two pieces under. Once fitted. I slid the brake assembly up. a little, and then super glued them in place and slid the brake assembly back over (so it is glued in place too). Before glueing. Mark the position you need the brakes at. They were torwards the back origonally.
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    Just cut a flat spot on the end of the ball and drill it for the origonal axle pin. I used heat to insert it. The wheel doesn't sit against the brake assembly for support. You can now cut off the wing piece. you will have a little adjustment, forward and back, for the wheel to be centered and movement the other direction from the angle of the hand. I did cut a small depression for the edge of the brake assembly to rest in.
    I probably forgot some stuff and I'm tired of typing now. Any questions, please ask and I will re-read it tomorrow and fix any boo-boos
     

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