Hi Guys a couple of questions for you Basher Gods I am thinking of turning one of my 90Mac's into a 90 Mac- H. Now how would you go about this I think the only changes are center of the body roof and exhaust right???? What do you do to mark shell and cut??? any help would be great!!!
Hmmm....to be honest, I have not really studies the differences between the standard 90MAC and this one. From the pictures you provided, it does appear that the sloped roof is the primary spotting feature, although I also believe I see a variation in hood door placement and there is also a slight side bulge on the engineer's side just behind the battery boxes. There may be more, but I'm not sure. On a cut light that, where there is no edge to start from, I often use a saw-type Exacto blade for the rough cutting after producing a hole with a drill or Dremel tool (carefully!), then I carve a little closer to where I want my new edges to be with a standard blade, then I use a fine file to bring it right down to where I want. Sorry if I can't be too much help right now, I really got to go. I'll check back in the next day or two to see how progress is going. Good luck and post pics! Russ
I agree with Russ and often use the small x-acto sawblade for cutting shells where I want a straight line. First, mark the area to be removed with a fine pencil. This will keep you "in bounds" and guide you so that not too much material is removed. You could use the saw blade to make your edges, giving yourself a couple of .000s for final fit and use a narrow file held at a 45 degree angle to remove most of the material, switching to sandpaper wrapped around a file as you form the distinct 45 angle. Try to remove only the angled parts and retain as much of the center roof section as possible for strength. You'll most likely cut through the roof edges of the shell, which can then be filled with strip styrene or putty, depending on the gap. In the event you cut away too much, you can always fabricate a new roof section. I've used this technique when removing dynamic brakes from Kato GP38-2s and SD40s. If you work carefully, you could do this on a stock Kato UP shell and match the paint on the new material, covered with a bit of weathering for blending. Oh, you may also have to file away part of the mech. frame in order to clear the beveled edges. Good luck! Tim
Perhaps Craig Martyn can lend some insight on this. He had some pics posted of one, it even had the new phase 2 cab.
I know there are slight differences with the doors from the 4300 models to the 6000hp models, but I’m not totally sure what they are. Below is the link to a photo of a standard 6000hp wanna-be that I did years ago. http://www.geocities.com/nscaleblma/pictures/SD90MAC.jpg Also, below are a few shots of an SD90MAC-H Phase II that I did years ago as well. If I had tackled this project today, I would have been a little more specific in matching the prototype, but it still adds some nice variation to my fleet.
That second picture sure look's cool.... I am thinking of doing #8504 so I can use my 8104 as the base. Thanks Russ and Tim for your input. I forgot that I had Jan/Feb 97 back issue of Diesel Era it has UP's EMD SD 90mac's details and all pic's From what I read it's just the two parts. The first true 6000 was #8160 then renumbered to #8200. I love the look of the phase 2 cab but for my first job I think I will take the easy way out
