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“The parts of the DeLorean received with this stage make up the right front suspension, brake disc and caliper.”
In this issue, we basically repeat Issue 05 but with the front right suspension components.
Contents
Parts
Materials: All of these components are metal except for the Brake Caliper and Positioning Column.
Magazine
- Drive Time: Model Instructions
- Bully For Him: Casting Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen
- Prime Locations: How Hill Valley Was Created
- A Time Traveler’s Guide: Enchantment Under The Sea Dance
Build
I had always planned on painting my model to more resemble the real car, especially the unique Delorean chassis. Therefore, I airbrushed all the screw heads in this issue (and from Issue 05) with Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey. I also shot the Front Suspension pieces with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer in Light Grey. There is an ‘R’ stamped on one of the pieces so you know which is which. Based on reference photos I found, these choices seemed to be a pretty close match to the colors of the full-size car components:
Right Front Suspension
Step 1
Fit the Lower Link into the gap at the bottom of the Right Front Suspension and secure with two (2) AM screws.
I did not tighten these all the way as I wanted the suspension to be able to move easily. They are a tight fit and should not back out. This is also your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:
Step 2
Pass the Shock Absorber up through the large hole in the Lower Link and secure with two (2) BM screws.
I did not tighten these all the way either. The screws from the previous step may move in the slot, but that is not a problem as they will be forced back into place during the next two steps:
Step 3
Slide the Coilspring over the Shock Absorber:
Step 4
Squeeze the Lower Link up (compressing the Coilspring) until the Shock Absorber comes through the hole in the Right Front Suspension. Secure with one (1) EM screw.
This is tricky as I had to squeeze the parts together while putting in the top screw. If they moved before, the lower screws should now have slid back down into the correct position by the force of the Coilspring:
Step 5
Place the Control Arm on either side of the Right Front Suspension, align the holes, and fix with two (2) CM screws:
With my model, this Right Front Tie Head (steering knuckle/spindle) came painted black. But on the real car this assembly is aluminum, so I chose to give it a coat of Tamiya X-32 Titanium Silver. These are the spindles from both this issue and Issue 05 (they are stamped with a ‘L’ and ‘R’ so you can keep track of them). If you do paint them, be sure to mask off the magnetic disc in the center of the spindle:
Position the Right Front Tie Head between the Control Arm and Lower Link and secure with two (2) DM screws.
Since this is also a pivot point for the steering, I did not tighten them all the way:
Right Front Brake
Steps 1-2
Slide the Spring over the Positioning Column. Insert the assembly from Step 1 into the hole in the Brake Disc and secure with one (1) DP screw.
The instructions say the Spring is part 6L, but it is really 6I (i). This spring-loaded pin is what will help hold the wheel in the upright (non-hover) position:
Steps 3a-b
Align the Brake Caliper into the holes of the Brake Disc and secure with one (1) AP screw through the middle hole.
It should be on the same side as the arm where we just attached the parts from Step 2:
Combining The Parts
Steps 1a-b
Hold the Brake Disc assembly against the Lower Link and secure with one (1) DM screw.
This is the hinge that allows the wheel to pivot down into “hover” mode, so I only tightened it until the movement was stiff but smooth. The Brake Disc is what we will mount the wheel to in the future and is held into the upright position by a couple of small, but strong magnets:
Thoughts
There is not much to say about this issue as it is just a mirror image of Issue 05. Now that both front suspension assemblies are complete, I am looking forward to next month’s delivery which should include Issue 10 and the main chassis frame! Place this assembly aside in a safe place until then.
I know a lot of other builders have run into the spindle assembly being wobbly/loose once the wheel is mounted. But, in its current form, everything moves very smoothly. If I do experience the same problem later on, I will return to this issue to share a solution.
Next Up
Issue 07 – Suspension: Steering Rack, Linkage, Front Plate
This is my first attempt at building an intricate model. Your website gives me the confidence to get to the end. So a huge thank you. Getting a heads up on errors in the instructions is brilliant. Whilst assembling the suspension the magnet in the brake disc just fell out. I assume that it was supposed to be a compression fit as i can’t see any sign of glue. What would be the best way of a fix. Would super glue or cement glue compramise the magnet? Has this happened to anyone else? On another note, i am in the UK. I read about your plutonium case and it looked perfect. I have just ordered one from Swan Flight. So again many thanks for posting the info and great pics.
Laurence
Thank you! You can glue the magnet back into place, it will not affect the function. Try not to get any on the surface that contacts the other magnet.
Hi, I want to share my solution to the tilting wheels, besides the risk of broken parts, it makes the assembly process more problematic, especially when it’s time to join the chassis and the body. I didn’t want to super glue the parts, I wanted a less radical solution, like tying some components to impede the movement. The solution came as 3M electronics double sided tape leftover from another 1:8 project (an 1965 VW Kafër/Beetle). Just clean the mating surfaces with a little rubbing alcohol, let it dry, remove one protective paper, apply one side to the magnet, remove the other protection and joint both surfaces, let the model weight made the final bond. One advantage in this method is that you can always remove the tape. I am sending you photos.
Your paintwork ends up looking so perfect…do you have any tips for that? I’m horrendous at painting (attempts to use a brush look like a particularly clumsy toddler did them) and a big part of the attraction of these models was not having to try to paint anything, but your work looks so great I decided to give it a try. (After looking at your Enterprise-D modifications, though, probably never going to be able to do a tenth of that!) Opted for the Tamiya spray equivalents to the air brush colors you used, since everything about airbrushing sounds insanely complicated and difficult and consensus online seemed to be that spray is very nearly as good.
It’s going poorly. Some things (screws in particular, but also the clear bits from Mr Fusion) get blown away by the force of the spray itself, making it very hard to hold them still enough to get an even application. The grey primer on the frame parts, though, is what is giving me the most trouble. Trying to get it from all angles ends up with a ton of cracking and bubbling, plus ugly bits where the pooled paint gets stuck to the cardboard underneath, but if I try to go any lighter or from farther away the black frame shows right through or it runs off thanks to all of the angles. (Plus then I get everything in a six-inch radius, which might become a problematic lack of precision in later parts.) Is airbrush just that much easier to apply, or is there some technique issue I’m definitely missing?