Mark's Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger Build

[simon_manning]

just to echo steves post " superb" interesting to follow, regards simon manning.

[Tim Bowman]

Hi Mark

Same here. Watching with great interest. Thanks for posting.

Best regards
Tim

[Mark Bennett]

I've been working on the deck lately. I created 8 lifting hooks for the rear covers and three hooks for the transmission hatch.





The deck was modified so that it is one piece by permanently adding two reinforcing strips in the center. I had to cut the strip back for the turret motor mount on one side. I also extended the rear part of the deck an additional 1/4" so that the deck is a snug fit all the way around (hence the reinforcing strip on the back). I originally made a cross-bar to support the deck when the turret is mounted, however, the two strips made the deck so rigid that I discarded the cross-bar.

Next, I greased (for mold release) the hull where the deck rests and filled any spaces with JB Weld. The result is a perfect fit all the way around the deck. I did this mainly so that I can add welds around the deck edges without having to worry about them chipping off when I remove the deck (at least that's my plan).

I did the same JB Weld technique on the transmission hatch so that it has a tighter fit to the hull, although I left some space since the hatch should be a loose fit.



For the transmission hatch, I filled in all the bolt holes with JB Weld since the actual vehicle did not have visible bolt heads on the upper deck. Next, new holes were counterbored to represent the bolt studs coming from underneath the deck. I moved the studs further away from the edges and also changed the pattern in a couple of places.



Here's a closer view of the hatch handles and lifting hooks, minus the handle washers.

[simon_manning]

very nice mark, i reckon there's some engineering skill here, looks good, regards simon manning.

[Robert E Morey]

Mark,
Nice work on the hooks and handles. Looks like you did a little CNC work there - the hooks look perfect! Keep up the nice work and keep us posted on your progress!
Kind regards,
Bob

[Phil Markham]

Hi Mark,

Fantastic work on your KT, I've been following with great interest.
I was wondering what make and model of Mill that you have been using?
I've been considering buying a Mill myself for a long while now but being a mere novice I'm not really sure what to go for.

Any suggestions from those that have them would be welcomed

Regards
Phil

[Chang]

Hi Mark,
Nice works on the reinforced upper deck, and these lifting hooks!
Will you be making more of them (lifting hooks) and sold as after-market products? I'll very interested in buying them.
Best regards,

Lerh Chang

[Mark Bennett]

Hi Phil,

I bought the Grizzly G0619 Mill.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-x-21-Mill-Drill/G0619

It goes by different names at the various retailers. This was my first time to use a mill, and this model has has been able to do everything that I need. I really like the electronic motor control & digital Z-axis readout. Motor is actually 220V (110/220 Inverter) so it has plenty of power.

Mark

[Mark Bennett]

Hi Chang,

I hadn't thought about making more, but I could if there is enough interest. I'm currently delving into the microcontroller world right now, so it would be a couple of months before I get back to machining again .

Mark

[Mark Bennett]

It is hard to believe that I haven't posted about my KT build for over 18 months. I have slowly been making progress, but the completion date is still far in the future . I will update my build by going showing my latest mini-project -- getting the gun tube to recoil the maximum distance.

The travel will be 3.6 inches. Admittedly, the design is still a work-in-progress. I first started by cutting off the last 2.5 inches of the gun tube and making an adapter that will thread into a 1/2 inch brass rod. I had to re-bore the end of the gun tube since the original was slightly off-center.



The adapter is a snug fit. The brass rod is secured the the adapter with a bolt and the adapter screws into the gun tube. The brass rod will slide in two sets of linear bearings.



In order to keep the gun tube bearings tight so that the gun doesn't bounce, but still freely move, I'm ensuring that all of the components are coincidental with the gun tube axis. This required making bushings for the two main linear bearings and for the gun mantlet. I also had to counter-bore the original bracket so that the gun tube can recoil.



Here's a picture of one of the installed bushings and bearings.



The gun tube in the battery position. It only took 14 ounces of force to cycle the gun tube to the battery position which is mostly due to the weight of the brass rod. The linear bearings do a nice job of reducing the friction. The small holes are tapped for M3 set screws which will hold the bearings in place.



FYI, I chose 1/2 inch bearings since I had planned to not use bushings and just use set screws to adjust the bearing angles. However, it become apparent that bushings would actually make the installation easier. Therefore, I would recommend using 3/8 bearings & brass rod in the future to save weight (and torque).

[Mark Bennett]

Recoil project is all done now . Gun tube moves 3.8 inches and uses a standard 4.8V servo. I have a microprocessor programmed to control the servo speed and acceleration so that the gun tube will slowly return to battery, although it's currently recording the house environment on the Internet.




I will take it all apart this weekend to work on the turret some more. If anyone wants more photos on the recoil assembly, just let me know and I'll post some more.

[Edward Earp, Jr.]

HELLO MARK ! IT'S BEEN AGES SINCE WE LAST HAD CONTACT. THOUGHT YOU WERE COMING TO FREDERICKSBURG ? MARK I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR THE KT. I AT ONE TIME HAD YOUR PHONE # AND YOURE ADDRESS BUT I CAN NOT FIND THEM NOW. I GUESS THEY GOT SHREDDED BY MISTAKE. WOULD YOU PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR PHONE #. I REALLY DO NEED SOME HELP. THANK YOU, ED

[Edward Earp, Jr.]

IT WOULD HELP TO HAVE MY EMAIL edearpjr@austin.rr.com