Williams GP30 Shell on Lionel Chassis

I just noticed how high this sits, even though its flush on the frame... I'll have to figure a way to lower it.  Stay tuned!

Here's my stock Lionel GP30 for reference...

Thanks!

- Mario

Wouldn't it be easier just to purchase another Lionel engine and change the road numbers?

@BenLMaggi posted:

Wouldn't it be easier just to purchase another Lionel engine and change the road numbers?

Hi Ben!

You’re right, I did that for my RS-11s, but they never come out as good as they do from the manufacturer. It’s like a car, nothing like a factory finish!

This might sound a bit out of the box, but what if you removed the motors and flipped the chassis upside down. That would drop the engine by about 1/8". I was looking at doing that with an SD9. The risk factors are that the motor flywheels might hit the body, the fuel tank would need adjusting and you might have some non-symetric mounting holes.

@AGHRMatt posted:

This might sound a bit out of the box, but what if you removed the motors and flipped the chassis upside down. That would drop the engine by about 1/8". I was looking at doing that with an SD9. The risk factors are that the motor flywheels might hit the body, the fuel tank would need adjusting and you might have some non-symetric mounting holes.

Definitely something to look in to!

I know the old Williams GP9s had the screw holes in the ends that lined up perfectly with the tabs on older Lionel frames but I believe current production runs have interior bolsters that line up with holes in the bottom of the frames.  If you shorten the bolters will that lower the shell onto the frame to eliminate some of the gap?

@coach joe posted:

I know the old Williams GP9s had the screw holes in the ends that lined up perfectly with the tabs on older Lionel frames but I believe current production runs have interior bolsters that line up with holes in the bottom of the frames.  If you shorten the bolters will that lower the shell onto the frame to eliminate some of the gap?

I should be able to lower it using the same technique that we did on the F3s, F7s and most Legacy engines.  The motor mount is screwed down into the frame from the top, which means if I put a spacer between the motor mount and the frame, the frame will drop as the motor is a fixed height.  I'll let you know how it goes...

Thanks!

- Mario