Panther Pup Project - 3d Modeled

My latest endeavor is Bill Reichart's Panther Pup... One posted on this site a month or two ago - all in polished brass - caught my eye and I had to go for it...

I bought a set of plans from LMS and got to work... Sort of...

As is my modus operandi, I always start converting plans into a 3D model using Alibre or Solidworks. This helps me to understand how it all goes together, reconcile any inevitable missing dimensions, figure out any design changes or improvements I deem necessary, and ultimately not waste valuable time and materials making a mistake.

This time I used Solidworks... Here are three views of the model:







I also used PhotoView 360 to do a rendering:


Along the way I made a number of design changes and improvements:
1) Added connecting rod bearings rather than running the aluminum on steel arrangement.
2) Switched from brass to aluminum to aid cooling and lower $$$
3) Added a cast iron cylinder liner to reduce friction/heat (almost 1/3 as oiled cast iron rings on brass cylinder) and to improve durability.
4) Added crankshaft bearings.
5) Numerous corrections to the distributor plans.
6) Added fins and increased their depth on the cylinders.
7) Changed cam lobe center angle from 110 degrees to 114 degrees to reduce overlap and improve idle (most Panther Pups I've seen don't idle well)
8) Miscellaneous materials changes to improve wear characteristics.
9) Changed timer design to use easily available points from a WW2 Jeep (Standard AL-5661X)

Lastly, just for the fun of it, I did a Solidworks motion simulation video which has been posted online:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFt4bD1urIk[/ame]

I made a number of external parts transparent for the simulation which allows you to see the inner workings...

I've started to procure materials and plan on starting thr actual build very soon...

Cheers!
John

Very nice cad work!
This is exactly how I also understand drawings and designs best is to model everything.
Will be following along with this and the many other awesome builds on this forum.

Thanks! I must admit I did go a bit overboard with the model with things like spark plug wires, crimp terminals, and the like... Nonetheless, I did find that Mr. Reichert's drawings had numerous missing dimensions and some minor errors I found whilst modeling it. In all fairness, a few of the missing dimensions could be found elsewhere in plans - mainly on jigs he calls out - good ideas if your mill doesn't have a DRO.

All in all, the model was time well spent considering the price of materials nowadays! I misunderstood his drawings a number of times and would have wasted material if I went ahead and started machining right away.

Now I have to decide whether I should buy the castings or take the challenge and make my own... I've been wanting to try my hand at foundry for a while... The flywheel and gear cover really don't need to be castings as they can be machined from barstock without too much issue. The blocks however are another story!

If I cast my own, I can say I made it all the metalwork from scratch!

John

I'm really looking forward to your project, John. The level of detail in the
prep is wonderful so the build promises to be excellent!

I'll go stock up on the popcorn.....

Pete

Hello John!

If you are interested I have some drawings for a Distributor that is a little easier to deal with and a conversion to electronic ignition. Also an upgrade for the rocker arms that have a little better action and relieves some side load off the valve stems.

Nice cad work, Its cool to see the valve train in motion & I particularly like the ignition points. I haven't done much for SW animations, mostly just assembly movements to check for collisions & clearances etc. But maybe I can ask a question: when you create mini-movies like that, are the resultant movie file sizes very big? Can you tweak it either resolution wise or physical screen size, or does Youtube just resize you to whatever? Seems to me I tried to email an exploded view animation once & my Outlook coughed a fur ball.

petertha said:

Nice cad work, Its cool to see the valve train in motion & I particularly like the ignition points. I haven't done much for SW animations, mostly just assembly movements to check for collisions & clearances etc. But maybe I can ask a question: when you create mini-movies like that, are the resultant movie file sizes very big? Can you tweak it either resolution wise or physical screen size, or does Youtube just resize you to whatever? Seems to me I tried to email an exploded view animation once & my Outlook coughed a fur ball.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the good words. Yes, the resultant file is very larghe: 4 seconds of video is 220 MB. Youtube does thair magic and compresses it on their end. That said, you can tweak the resolution, compression, frame rate when you tell SW to generate the movie.

John

stevehuckss396 said:

Hello John!

If you are interested I have some drawings for a Distributor that is a little easier to deal with and a conversion to electronic ignition. Also an upgrade for the rocker arms that have a little better action and relieves some side load off the valve stems.

Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

I am interested! PM sent.

John

JGedde---very nice modeling.---Brian Rupnow