Re: Dad's motorgrader
OK, back home from the travels for the winter. I started this project on saturday, December 17th. I have gathered more research material than I ever dreamed, much of it thanks to MA members!. I have all the manuals plus about 80 photographs. After contacting the Caterpillar archives manager, I learned that the motor graders did, in fact, share the diesel engines of the dozers. The engine blocks were uniform on both the 4 and 6 cylinder motors with various bores and cubic centimeters common to both vehicles.
I used the 135th Construction WWII dozer kit engine and radiator. I had to section the resin radiator by removing about a quarter inch vertical strip from the center, then gluing both sides together making a narrow radiator grille similar to the grader. The engine block was modified to fit it's new frame and will be detailed later. Many components of the engine are different or located in different places between the grader and dozer.
I had the specs on the grader, length, width and height. I reduced them to 1/35th scale dimensions. From there, it is easy to calculate the dimensions of the various components using percentages on the line drawings and reducing them to 1/35th. I wanted to make sure the "Look" was right, so I doubled the scale dimensions and built a rough 1/17.5 prototype of the basic frame. Good thing I did because it showed me a few areas that I could tell weren't correct. I went back and recomputed my calculations and corrected the mistakes. Here is the 1/17.5th prototype next to the 1/35th version. The prototype is too large in girth and the angles aren't nearly as sharp as they should be.
The next is a side shot photographed beside a 1/35th Dozer.
another angle
All the frame, transmission, engine compartment and cab were fashioned from white plastic sheet in various thicknesses. The seat was modified from a deuce and a half seat from the scrap box.
The wheels I requisitioned from a Caterpillar toy tractor. They are perfect scale and, although the wheels are wrong, the tires are great and I will scratch them directly over the existing wheels. The front tires, (not shown) are from a 1/32 scale Rolls Royce car kit. Also perfect for this vehicle. I'll have to scratch those wheels as well.
Here is another shot from a different angle.
We're gonna have a big Christmas this year. My daughter and her husband are coming, so, I'll have to leave this for a week or so, then get back to it after the holiday!
Here is a rear shot of a Cat Motor Grader #212. As you can see, still have some detailing, but it is on it's way!
Bob
:snoopy
