Building a Base

[tennyson]

My boy and I have been building a base for the newly arrived FDS shell.

I got the design from one of the guys off the forum here, and I modified it to suit my needs.

it's a lot of work and there ain't much room left in the garage. I sometimes get that "HHoly cow, this is getting out of control" feeling, but then it passes and i just blunder on...







The base is gonna be sheeted top and bottom and I have 15 x 115kg castors going on the bottom, so I think that might just hold her up...


Frank Cooper

[goof2092]

Frank

I am at that same stage, trying to figure out the best way to make the platform so that I can 'slide' the MIP section a little bit back to leave room for working in the 'nose' section.

what is the height of the timbers you have used? Will they allow for fitting of yoke supports beneath the floor? ( assuming you will get the type that goes below floor level)

thanks

anthony

[tennyson]

Hi Anthony,
The width of the timber I used is only 90 x 35mm, so, even with the top and bottom sheeting the height from the ground will be about 200mm or 20cm (that's combining the height of the castors as well.)

I just used building timber as the flooring will be in the garage away from any weather or deterioration. I also opted for a small timber thickness, as I have an Ace Yoke, so don't need the space underneath. It was also very cheap. 2.4metre legths were only 5 bucks, so I made the entire framing for about 75 bucks, plus hardware.

It was relatively simple, but I always make plans before I make anything and try to stick to them. It certainly helps with your dimensioning and it keeps a record of how you made things.


Hope this helps,


Frank Cooper

[goof2092]

Sounds great. I spent yesterday taking measurements around the shell, test fitting the MIP to see how 'deep' it goes into the nose end; before putting it apart again. I think I will probably go with your size of timbers. The sections will be easier to wheel around as I am making a 'drawer' type of shape where the inside bits will be able to stick out like ones tongue leaving the shell standing around like walls of the mouth. Sorry can't find better ways to say it

Many thanks Frank.

Anthony

[blueskydriver]

Anthony,

The way you described it, is how mine has been done. However, I use 3 platforms, with the MIP and yokes & pedals (yokes go under) on the front platform; the left rear platform has the Capt. Seat mounted to it; the right rear platform has the FO seat mounted to it. Thus, we have to pull the rear ones out first, and then we pull the front to work on the MIP.

Why? Because we only have four feet behind the cockpit and no feet in the front of it due the raydome nose. So, each rear platform can be wheeled back and moved out of the four foot zone to allow more room to work on the MIP when needed. Hopefully, that will not be very often...

Finally, if I can, I will post a few pics today.

John

[Maurice]

Frank

I am at that same stage, trying to figure out the best way to make the platform so that I can 'slide' the MIP section a little bit back to leave room for working in the 'nose' section.

anthony

After spending many weeks re-building my sim, I'm sure glad I built my platform the way I did it. For details, see an old post of mine:

http://www.cockpitbuilders.com/community/index.php?topic=2359.msg17925#msg17925

Maurice

[N737AG]

One word of advice : leave enough space for all the stuff which you probably don't have yet, that goes below the floor level.

For example the mechanics to link the brakes, the rudders and the yokes.

Axel

[tennyson]

Wow, I just went and had a look at those pics in your earlier thread, Maurice.

That's some clever engineering there. I'd nearly forgotten how clever simmers can be.
There are some seriously inventive ideas on that thread.

Food for thought.

I'm hoping to wrap my platform up today or tomorrow, so I will go ahead with my plan. I have left some room on the sides (as it's a tad larger than 8 ft wide and another 1/2 metre longer in the front to house my PC's and associated power boards, etc.

Frank Cooper

[goof2092]

Many thanks for the advice. I think now I am getting somewhere. It looks like my final design will be  a combination of Maurice's and John's designs.  John the pictures, if you do manage to get some, will be very helpful.

John, with the two halves for the seats in place, are the J-rails at any time crossing the seam between the two sections?
Maurice, what size are the timbers used? I see you have enough room for pedals down there.

Regards

Anthony 

[Maurice]

Maurice, what size are the timbers used? I see you have enough room for pedals down there.

Regards

Anthony

I used 2x8 timbers which in real size are 1.5x7.5 inches. The reason for that size was to accommodate the various controls underneath the platform floor. Some commercial designs require less space than mine but mine were home made and needed that much space.

Resist the temptation to have a one piece floor in your platform. If you need to access what is underneath, it will be much easier to remove some panels instead of the whole platform floor. How the floor should be split up depends on what is underneath so keep that in mind.

Also, the casters have 3" wheels which in my opinion is the minimum size you should use. Bigger would be better as the sim will get quite heavy & very hard to move once everything is in place.

Maurice

[goof2092]

Thanks Maurice, I really do appreciate your taking time to render this invaluable advice. I start visiting the timber shops this week-end.
Just an aside: After I put together the nose section outside of the garage this past week-end, I swear my entire neighborhood thought I had lost it!!! They had no idea what this huge this was that I was putting together, but they all stopped their cars to look. One of them, on the way out, just stopped, took out a beer and said " I think you need this", and boy did I not!!!!

ah well....

Anthony

[tennyson]

I finished constructing the frame this morning:



Then I got to and sheeted the bottom of it with 12mm MDF.
( **Note: This is just the bottom of the frame. I have some nice, full sized sheets of Yellow-tongue for the other side)


And here's my castors sitting in place before I screw them on.




I tried turning it over this arvo, but almost busted a poofle valve. That sucker is pretty heavy. Might wait for some help on that one....



Frank Cooper

[Flying_Fox]

Looks nice Frank!
That was quick built. I also built mine in a week.
One question - why did you decide the sheet it on the bottom too? I have only top sheeting.

Nick

[tennyson]

Nick,
I have an old mate who just bought some Bi-fold doors. The MDF came as protective sheets and he gave them to me for building my sim.

I was a bit dubious about mounting 15 castors to the pine, direct, so I came to the conclusion that an extra 12mm is not going to add much, height wise, but would strengthen the base and give me a good, flat mounting for the castors.

I hadn't considered that the extra weight would make it very hard to turn over, tho and now I need my boy to come over and help me turn it over to do the top.


Frank Cooper 

[tennyson]

I got the gardeners today, to give me a hand to turn it over. It took 4 of us to turn it. Glad I didn't try that on my own!

Anyway, it's got 15 castors on it and now I've also sheeted the top with yellow-tongue. Just need another small sheet to finish the top and give her the final coat of Boeing grey.



Then I can drop the shell on it and bolt that down and get it populated.
What a big couple of days!

Frank

[goof2092]

Looking fantastic already!!! Cant wait to see the beast bolted down onto it.

[tennyson]

Wait no longer.

Got the rest of my base materials today and finished it off.

Lugging the shell onto the base, unaided was a bit of a task, but I managed to get it on, without bypass surgery.

I've bolted it down and gone around, tightening all of my shell bolts, so it's nice and rigid.

Then, when my boy got home, we threw a coat of undercoat on it. I'll give it another tonight and then finish it off with the matt black tomorrow.










I'll be fitting all of the interior next week.



Frank Cooper

[jskibo]

Nice work so far!

[goof2092]

Sweet!!!.

The temptation to start on this is so high now, but I keep calming myself down to wait until I have all the bits. Just back from the timber joint and the material will cost me about $180 and $30 transportation.

Whats best undercoat paint for alu?

Anthony

[tennyson]

I bought a water-based product that is meant for galvanised iron. It's supposed to be good with aluminium as well.

So far, so good. I did go over the entire shell with a heavy grade sand paper, to give the paint something to grip to.

The matt black top coat is water-based as well.

It's not like the shell is going to subject to wear and tear, it will live comfortably in my garage, so I think this paint should last a few milleniums...


Frank Cooper

[jackpilot]

Hey Frank
What is the yellow beast staring at the shell from outside?
Just curious as all of us seem to share the same costly patterns

[jskibo]

We used Alodine then Zinc Chromate Primer before painting Aluminum in the Navy

[tennyson]

Hi jack.
It's a 2010 Mazda MX-5, my other obsession. That used to keep me broke before the cockpit came along.

Such a fun car and a serious bit of handling on a race track. I'm part of the club here and we race at some of the best tracks in Qld, but I don't get the time anymore, because of the building...

And jskibo, being ex-military, we also used alodine and etch primer, but that was a long time ago. Alodine has since become a 'watched' chemical. Special safety precautions are used here by the authorities.

If it leaches into the soil, it gets into the water table and it's also carcinagenic, too, or something.

That was also aircraft grade aluminium, and the shell is far from that, so rubbing back by hand and using a primer, should do the trick nicely. If it peels off in ten years, I'll probably be too old to care......hahaha

Frank Cooper

[goof2092]

Finally, if I can, I will post a few pics today.

John

Hi John, any luck with those pics

Anthony

[goof2092]

Anthony,

The way you described it, is how mine has been done. However, I use 3 platforms, with the MIP and yokes & pedals (yokes go under) on the front platform; the left rear platform has the Capt. Seat mounted to it; the right rear platform has the FO seat mounted to it. Thus, we have to pull the rear ones out first, and then we pull the front to work on the MIP.

Why? Because we only have four feet behind the cockpit and no feet in the front of it due the raydome nose. So, each rear platform can be wheeled back and moved out of the four foot zone to allow more room to work on the MIP when needed. Hopefully, that will not be very often...

Finally, if I can, I will post a few pics today.

John

Hi John,

does your platform design look anything like I have drawn? In this case I would have the pedestal and throttle quadrant striding the F/O and CPT halves right?

Thanks

Anthony