Ok, I give up how do I?

Mario,

 

My short answer for now, until I can go down and take some pictures, is to glue the appropriate thickness shim to the bottom of the car. Some underside detail may have to be sanded away to obtain a flat gluing surface. I then position the coupler pocket on the shim, marked two mounting holes, drilled and and used screws that were long enough to thread into the shims but not into the floor of the car.

Thansks, CCN. 

 

It seems to be a 0.100" thick shim; does this sound right?

 

Thanks,

Mario

I haven't tried this but...

 

I used to use Bondo Liquid Fiberglass Resin to make a few things when I was into 1/6 military figures and tanks.  Most of the time I made molds using Smooth-On rubber then poured the Bondo into the mold, but once in a while I simply mixed/poured the Bondo directly into a cavity to fill it up.

 

Maybe this resin could be poured into the bottom of the car without it draining out.  Once hardened the resin is fairly strong and it can be drilled/tapped.  I've used duct tape to form retaining walls so the resin stays where I want it and so it won't get on any surfaces and cause damage to the paint.

 

You could even make a form/mold so you could make multiples.

 

The resin does get warm while curing, the thicker it is the warmer it gets.  In O scale it shouldn't be a problem.

 

The kit comes with the liquid resin and a tube of hardener, last kit I bought was either at Walmart or one of the auto places like Advanced Auto or Pep Boys.

 

Smooth-On also makes some great for pouring parts, there may be a place near you that is a distributor, but check the expiration date before you buy.  The last I bought local had an expired date on it and I didn't realize it until later, could only use about 1/2 the kit.

 

 Here's 2 photos of a WWII Russian Aero Sled I built a few years ago.  The 3 attachments that go from the skis to the main "fuselage" were cast using Bondo:

 

 

Mario,

 

On my gons, with Lionel trucks, I needed a .012-.013 or 1/8" shim (using a KD height gauge). I also put scribed wood floors in mine which could have hid the holes or screw posts if they came thru to the inside of the floor.

Bob, that is pretty cool. 

That is a great model; thanks for sharing. Surely the skis are removable, and railroad wheels can be fitted? 

It's been a long time since I up-grade my Lionel flat cars, but one thing I do remember: Remove the wood flooring from the car first, so as not to drill through the floor. Grind down the mounting screws for the Kadee gear box, and then reinstall the flooring. That's all I can remember.

Thanks, HW. That sounds like a good idea. I'll be sure to keep track of how I do it so I can so everyone.

FW, Lao Che? Sounds like Anything Goes.

Btw... I call my daughter Short Round.

I do mine just like the caboose, drill all the way through the floor or walkway. Just make sure screw is flush with the top, and when it gets weathered, no one will ever notice.

 

You'll never see one of my Kadees pulling out or vibrating loose

That's what I'm thinking, too. 

 

Mario,

I have added Kadee couplers to the Lionel PS-4 cars. If I had to do it again I would have followed Hot Water’s advice & removed the wooden deck before drilling the holes & ground the excess length from the screws. Here is an old post with some photos.

https://ogrforum.com/t...ar-2-rail-conversion

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Ok, I think I have a problem.

My PS-4s don't look like Naveen's underneath.

 

Looks like this:

Thanks,
Mario

So, what do they look like then?

For the PS-4 flat cars, I glue the pad to the underside of the wood deck, then screw the coupler box into the pad:

 

Use a .435” wide x .100” x .750" long styrene pad between the underside deck stringers to get the proper height. The pad should be about flush with the cutout in the end sill.   Hold the pad in place, and lay the coupler box top on top to mark the mounting holes.  Drill pilot holes through the pads with a #49 drill (.070” diameter). Do this on the bench to avoid drilling holes through the deck.  Glue the pad in place with a combination of Zap-A-Gap and Goo:

 

Apply the Goo to one surface, place against the other, then pull apart for two minutes. Apply The Zap-A-Gap, then place the pieces together, wick in accelerator from the perimeter. 

 

When the glue dries, attach the Kadees with 2 mm diameter x 0.4 pitch x 8 mm long machine screws.  The screws will self tap in the soft styrene.  

 

Next install .188” wide x .080” thick styrene strips to fill the end sill cutout on either side of the coupler. (The photo below shows only one installed. so you can see what I am talking about)

 

My pad thickness of .100" is for a 2 rail conversion. If you are keeping the car as 3 rail, you will probably need a different thickness

 

I have done this with well over a dozen PS-4 flat cars and never had a coupler fail

 

 

Mario they don't look the same because his car has the bulkheads and yours is just the flat car. Ends are different to accommodate the bulkhead.