[bishopdonmiguel]

That line is a result of the mould being split so the ion arm portion of the shell can be removed easier.

So great to learn all these little details from the experts here.

That looks amazing!

Thanks Nick! By the way, your parts are fantastic. Thank you for making these high quality and clean parts available to the community.

[bishopdonmiguel]

Vinny's metal labels are slick! Go get yourself a set!

I think the HGA label should be thicker so I located my roll of metal tape that I bought years ago for some HVAC work I was doing. I cut a piece to size, scuffed it will steel wool and applied Vinny's label. Carefully cut around the label and the inside hole then mounted. My cuts weren't perfect but the label now has a thicker look & feel. I tried to illustrate this in the second photo.

Another "all-fired, plain-vanilla" feature.

[Hijacker]

I'll be honest, that doesn't look thick enough.





I used a washer of the proper dimensions that was about 1/16" thick.

[thebigone2087]

I used a washer of the proper dimensions that was about 1/16" thick.

^^This. If you don't have the aluminum labels, its best to get something that will size it up. The washer technique I have heard before and is probably the simplest to give it that authentic raised look.

[Hijacker]

I'll snap a close up when I get home. I didn't take any pictures when I was putting it together since it was crunch time.

[abaka]

Thus far the only two people who have sold accurate looking HGA labels have been Colin / Joe Luna. Both of which are no longer selling them. I do believe Vince said he might do a run of the accurate HGA labels somewhere down the line.

[Venkman's Swagger]

Joe is selling them here http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=37611

[Hijacker]

-The only thing I regret is that I attached the washer before I sprayed the HGA black. I'll probably try to touch it up with some silver down the line. I used a fender washer of 1/4 x 1-1/4.

[bishopdonmiguel]

I'll be honest, that doesn't look thick enough.

^^This. If you don't have the aluminum labels, its best to get something that will size it up.

Honest is always good and I appreciate the candid feedback. I do see what you mean. I've seen many thick foil labels over the years and used the metal HVAC tape to approximate this, but this must be more of the medallion type frequently see on motors and such. One layer of tape makes the label 3x-4x thicker, but I should have used several layers to approximate the medallion thickness. That would have made cutting the center out cleanly much more difficult, but I might have achieved that by wedging between washers and drilling.

As it sits now, the tape adhesive is quite good so I can't really fix this without ruining the label. Will put this on my future upgrade list.

[bishopdonmiguel]

A big thank you to hijacker and thebigone2087 for pointing out that the HGA label should be thicker. I had intended to leave it as-is and fix later, but it was bugging the crap out of me. I was able to remove the label without damage and picked up several washers from Ace.

I piled up about 10 layers of foil tape to get the desired thickness...




Then trimmed off the excess around the washer...




Sandwiched the foil between the washers and drilled out the center...




Yep, this looks better!



Now this is another "all-fired, plain-vanilla" feature.

[thebigone2087]

There you go!! Looks great!!

[Parflagush]

I need to do something like that with my HGA sticker. It looks good!

[bishopdonmiguel]

There you go!! Looks great!!

I need to do something like that with my HGA sticker. It looks good!

Thanks guys.

The motherboard paint has now cured for a week so it's time to polish everything up. For the paint, I've been using a flat black enamel that I buff with 000 steel wool to create hairline scratches. This eliminates those hazy marks that flat paint tends to be prone to. I then apply a light polish to give it just a bit of a shine. I really like this finish and I will post pictures soon.

For the inside, I'm chroming this bitch out like a hot rod so I wanted to polish up the unpainted aluminum. At this point, I realized a little mechanical help would be nice and I just happen to have an appropriate tool.




Shiny!




Speakers and PCB mounting board all set!




Another "all-fired, plain-vanilla" feature.

[pyhasanon]

Whoa, you can actually fit two 5-1/4" speakers under the cyclotron?!? I might have to do that as well... hmmm...

[PssdffJay]

I can't believe you actually used an Iona shoe polisher to do that! Well, it is fitting!

[bishopdonmiguel]

Whoa, you can actually fit two 5-1/4" speakers under the cyclotron?!? I might have to do that as well... hmmm...

It's tight but with a bit of careful planning & double-checking you can squeeze 'em in there.

I can't believe you actually used an Iona shoe polisher to do that! Well, it is fitting!

It was an impulsive eureka moment for sure

[bishopdonmiguel]

Question. I picked this up to put behind the N-Filter holes. Leave this shiny not painted black, correct?

[PssdffJay]

Correct. Didn't know they made it in smaller sizes.

[bishopdonmiguel]

Correct. Didn't know they made it in smaller sizes.

Thanks Jay.

My ulterior motive for placing the magnets in the Vacuum Line and Gearbox was to provide a support mechanism for the Vacuum Line Hose. I epoxied a length of solid 12-gauge household electrical wire into holes drilled at the ends of the wooden dowels. Once cured, I epoxied the dowels into the Vacuum Line Hose. The stiff wire inside the hose forces it to bend just where you want it to.

Another "all-fired, plain vanilla" feature.

[Parflagush]

Neat idea with the wire in the loom! And more magnets, yeah!!

[bishopdonmiguel]

Neat idea with the wire in the loom! And more magnets, yeah!!

I think I have run out of magnet ideas. Very sad.


I don't know how stiff Nycoil tubing is, but the alternate tubing I'm using is a bit limp for my taste. Similar to the Vacuum Line Hose, I inserted bare 12-gauge household electrical wire within the tubing out of the Injectors. This helps the tubing retain the desired position.




I did something similar with the small red tubing, using 24-gauge solid wire. This gives the tubing a little weight & stiffness and also provides a "hook" of sorts that keeps the tubing from pulling free of the elbows. This means I can avoid using epoxy.



Another "all-fired, plain-vanilla" feature.

[bishopdonmiguel]

I have much of the pack assembled and wanted to get it outside for some photos.

The Motherboard painted with flat black enamel, buffed using very fine steel wool and light polish.




I forgot to note the installation of the Booster Plug. I know it might be a bit high but I liked the look so I went with it. I epoxied this in place and then used a set screw for overkill because that's how I roll.

[bishopdonmiguel]

Injectors with a little light weathering.




Injector tubing stays put with imbedded solid wire.

[bishopdonmiguel]

A bit of burnt sienna wash gives hex bolts a rusted look.

[bishopdonmiguel]

GB2 style black Crank Knob. Would have preferred grey but oh well. This works like the real thing, spins 360-degrees with just enough resistance to feel like it's doing something important.

[thebigone2087]

Looks AWESOME!!! Very well done!!

[bishopdonmiguel]

Looks AWESOME!!! Very well done!!

Thank you sir. A few more to post, let me know if I screwed anything up.

Vacuum Line Hose front & side views.

[bishopdonmiguel]

Gun Mount. Reminds me I have a thrower I still need to build

[bishopdonmiguel]

Straights & PPD.

[bishopdonmiguel]

Filler Tube with Clippard fitting. I used red tubing on the inside of the split loom. Was this supposed to be blue?