MFH's 908/03: Front frame assembly

I took the holiday Monday as an opportunity to make some progress, again with the goal of having some success stories as a morale-booster.

The front frame, like the structure around the engine, is a bunch of struts and A-frames made of spun-cast white metal, with little dowels meant to fit into equally little sockets. White metal being soft, all of these can easily be bent, after which they will not line up. It is also easy to shear off a dowel if pushing a little too hard. So the trick is to gently get it all to line up dry, then hold it with one hand while dribbling some fast cyanoacrylate glue (3-second Crazy Glue) into the seams. This can be sloppy, and it is critical to have some acetone handy for when you get too much glue in there and either make a big blob, or glue your fingers to each other and/or the model, or both. (Guys, I hate to say this, but the best source of acetone is nail polish remover ... so man up, grit your teeth, and drop by the cosmetics counter of your local drugstore where you should ask for the plain, non-scented variety. They will give you a 250 mL bottle which should last you just about forever, so you won't be needing to do this every week. While you're at it, load up on Q-Tips or cotton swabs so you can control where the acetone actually goes.)

Today's activities included painting and assembling the two brake fluid bottles and the fire extinguisher. I did not have the heart to try making brake fluid hoses connecting the bottles to the master cylinders which were installed last winter; even with my 4X desk glass, this is getting into detail that I really can't make out very well.

Following that, I installed the four remaining structural components of the front frame, along with the rack & pinion and front anti-roll bar. Last came the oil cooler and hoses running under the passenger seat to the rear. The picture shows the front frame, floor pan and engine, with the seat loosely in position, but this is just for show, they are far from being ready to glue together.

Next: inner fenders and dashboard, steering and front suspension, and cockpit bits like the battery, ignition coils and sundry other little gubbinses  prior to attaching this all to the engine and rear frame assembly. The instruction sheet has 28 steps; I've completed Steps 1 and 2 (front frame), and most of 8 through 13 (engine, transmission and rear frame), so I'm at maybe 30% complete.

Finally I am concerned that the Tamiya blue is just a bit too dark; the last photo shows the Tamiya colour compared with Testor's light blue. I may just respray with Testor's, to be decided; it is not as grey as it looks on screen (or at least on my screen).

Separately there has been some minor progress on the 956 pickup. Clearance for the 956 front wheels requires opening up the front fenders, which will cut into the cabin. I applied a light coat of primer today; once this is dry, sanding and filing to take down the rough spots will begin. The goal is the same Gulf Oil colour scheme as the 908...

Originally posted 2014-10-13. Continued 2014-10-30.

MFH's Porsche 908/03: time to get started again

I stopped work on the 908 in the spring, partly because the weather was warm and it was time to get out of the house, but also because I was getting frustrated with some of the very fine detail, such as throttle return springs and plug wiring, which are proving to be at the very edge of my modeling skills.

In the photo, you can just see the throttle return spring, dangling from its bracket on the throttle slide at about #3 cylinder. This is particularly frustrating as the spring has the eyelets at both ends in the same plane, but the installation requires them at 90 degrees; as the spring is made of high quality spring steel, I can't just bend it. Alternate solutions will need to be dreamed up.

Not wanting to get stuck at this level, I've decided to do something where progress can be seen in a hurry: painting the body.

Finding the right blue in a rattle can was the first step. (I don't use an airbrush, because it is an added complexity, although I may wind up changing my mind on this if I ever start spending significant amounts of time on modeling, i.e. when I retire). Testor's has two shades of blue, one which strikes me as too dark (1211, the colour I used for the Alpine A110) and the other too light (1208), while Tamiya's TS-23 seems just right. Accordingly I started with two light coats of Tamiya primer which went on nice and smooth, followed by two of the blue. Right now it looks a little bold (the Gulf blue was probably diluted with a bit of white), but we'll see as it dries. Certainly the finish looks good, no orange peel or runs.

 The usual patience is now required while this all hardens, say a week. Meanwhile I dug out all the bits for the front subframe and began getting reacquainted with them. This led to a long session with the #70 drill to clear out some of the socket joints, which will be followed by a session with the nail files to sharpen up the dowels that are supposed to fit in these sockets. There is also a fair bit of scarf on the various tubes to be cleaned up, as the spun-cast white metal moulds are not perfect. (Of course most of this is only visible with my desk-stand 4X magnifying glass). Zen, baby, Zen ... all this to ensure that the crazy glue will flow nicely into the various joints, and that subsequent components will fit.

Originally posted 12 October 2014

There are models and then there are Models...MFH Porsche 908/03

In August 2013 I ordered a 1/24 scale kit of the Porsche 908/03, in the 1970 Targa Florio winning #12 livery driven by Brian Redman and Jo Siffert.

The kit was provided by the Japanese firm Model Factory Hiro and sold in North America by Island Collectibles, http://www.islandcollectibles.net/. There were several reasons for laying out the money for this: 

• I’ll want to start building it when I retire;
• It will be unavailable by then and I will be kicking myself for not ordering it sooner;
• It’s a proper little go-cart, enhanced by the 3-litre F1-based 4-cam flat 8, and belongs in every collection.

There are probably more kits out there than 1:1 cars, Porsche having built fewer than 20 of them. It seems Jerry Seinfeld owns the 1:1 Redman/Siffert car ... here’s hoping he's looking after it. Kit details here: http://www.modelfactoryhiro.com/new/archives/7040.

So anyway I will get around to completing the 956 pickup and sundry other styrene kits as outlined in previous posts, and I certainly intend to tackle the range of resin kits sitting on the shelf, but I would like to make some progress on the 908 over the coming winter. As a starting point, this blog entry summarizes the work to date and thus the starting point for work beginning this fall.

First impression on taking delivery of the kit in mid-September 2013 was the large number of bits, many of them spun-cast white metal, none of them with any identifying labels. Sorting out the little baggies was time consuming, getting suspension bits in one bin and chassis bits in another. There is tremendous detail here, and clearly lots of fine work will be required to make the bits all fit, unlike Tamiya or AMT styrene kits where it's almost paint-by-numbers.

Interesting that the car is about the same size as a Lotus 7 ... the 380 PS motor in the 908/03 is, however, somewhat hairier than the Cortina 1.6 litre pushrod unit, even though the latter puts out something like 90 HP with its pair of Webers.

I tackled the engine first. This began with 3 hours spent drilling out holes in the cylinder heads for oil drain pipes from the upper (inlet) cam box to the lower (exhaust) cam box and thence back to the sump. These drain pipes were to be made from 5 mm lengths of 0.5 mm wire (supplied). More drilling was required for 0.4 mm spark plug wires (they are twin plug heads, so 16 plugs) and matching holes in the distributor, all using my pin vise and number drills in the #74 to #78 range. I can see that the distributor wiring will be challenging... I am also impressed at how flexible a #78 drill (0.016” or 0.4 mm diameter) can be without breaking.

Another two hours was spent cleaning up part lines and various doweled joints around the engine. Following this I glued up the crankcase and the left and right cylinder banks. 

Separately the floor pan, gas tank pods and forward subframe came together. The photo shows a typical Porsche floor-mounted pedal assembly and two hydraulic cylinders, all bolted to an aluminum tube frame with fibreglass floor pan. Given what I have seen of early 911s, I assume these are both brake cylinders, with the clutch being cable-operated. Space frame components to be added next will include a pair of hydraulic fluid cylinders and the associated tubing. I won’t identify the spots where I have screwed up, up to you to find them.

Two steps forward, one back ... Next I assembled the fan shroud and air intake systems. The kit did not include belts for the fan or alternator, so I scratch-built these. I drilled the holes in the stacks for the injectors, and started getting myself ready, psychologically, for the challenge of wiring up the distributor. Unfortunately, while trying to clean up accumulated paint in the spark plug holes, I broke my #78 drill bit in one of said holes. The bit being hardened steel, and the head being white metal, it seemed it was pretty well stuck there. However, using a tapered diamond tip bit in the Dremel to put a slight dish in the end of the broken bit, I was able to push the bit further into the head with the tip of my awl. (Good thing I had originally drilled all the plug holes clean through the heads). So there should now be room to poke the plug wire through. 

Of course this meant identifying a supplier of #78 bits, as most suppliers provide this as part of a set of drills from #80 to #61. Micro-Mark came to the rescue here: http://www.micromark.com/.

I can also whine about how the regular handling means paint is getting rubbed off, especially at sharp edges, but even with the screw-ups, this is one of my better efforts to date, and the mistakes are really only visible with the 4X magnifying glass. Again I will award major brownie points if you can identify the worst screw-ups.

Next I put on the oil filter, an unidentified gubbins driven off the rear of the left side inlet camshaft, the fuel injection pump, an oil feed tube from said oil filter to said injection pump, and the 8 velocity stacks. I assembling and painted the spaghetti-maze of the exhaust system (it's set up as a pair of flat-4's end-to-end, is this the last vestige of the VW heritage?), and drilled and tapped the M1.4x0.30 hole in the front cover that will take one of the screws holding the motor to the chassis.

And this is where things ground to a halt, in early January 2014. I spent some time in February and March 2014 moving furniture and hammering on nails, and discovered that while these activities improved my core strength, they destroyed the fine motor skills necessary for this level of modeling. Then spring came along and I got the bike out ... see my separate blog on this topic.

Meanwhile I ordered a kit of the fearsome 1970 Porsche 917K from the same supplier, also because I didn't want it to be sold out when I finally get around to building it. If the 908/03, with its 3-litre flat 8, was the weapon of choice on twisty tracks such as the Targa Florio or Nurburgring, the 917, with its monster 4.5 litre flat 12, was well suited to high-speed tracks like Daytona or Le Mans. The next generation of Le Mans cars, culminating in the unbeatable 956 and 962, involved plenty of aero bits; the 908 and 917 were the last of the old-school racers built with little or no understanding of the importance of an aero undertray, and the drivers of these cars were certainly heroes in taking these little hot rods out on to the Mulsanne at 250+ k/h with all that front end lift. Ooof -- I know I'd be lifting off across that little hump on the Mulsanne.

The version I ordered replicates the 917K as driven by Redman and Siffert,  and which also now belongs to Seinfeld ... clearly he has good taste in classic cars. Redman and Siffert didn’t win Le Mans in 1970 (a 917 operated by the Salzburg AG team won), but the car carries the same classic Gulf Oil colours as their Targa Florio-winning 908/03, so there is a link between the two cars.

Stay tuned as the cooler weather starts and the opportunities to get out and ride the bike become fewer.

Originally posted 1 October 2014

956 pickup: more progress

At this point the body is essentially complete, with putty filling some of the gaps. The chassis has been shortened, and narrowed ahead of the heat exchangers and turbos to match the width of the VW Type 2 body. The only remaining step is to trim the front of the 956 chassis to fit under the front bumper, or alternatively to cut away the lower edge of the Type 2 front pan to accommodate the 956 aero lip.

The 956 cockpit currently serves to reinforce the splice where the chassis was shortened, but could be removed to make a storage locker between the two air intakes. To be decided. The Type 2 cockpit will include the 956 seat and dashboard. One possible challenge will be fitting the front wheels under the Type 2 fenders; to be verified.

In the engine compartment, the plenum chambers above the air intakes to the motor just fit under the deck, but the inboard coil springs and shock absorbers do not. So the options are scratch building some other form of springing, or poking the suspension units through the deck. To be decided.

The putty is drying, and activities related to career and family will keep me busy for the next week or two, so progress may be slow from here.

Originally posted 23 August 2014





956 pickup: Work in progress

The critical difference between the VW Type 2 pickup and the Porsche 956 is the width of the bodywork, the latter being 264 mm wider (11 mm at 1/24 scale). The extra width, apart for providing cover for the wide tires, is taken up by turbochargers and assorted radiators and intercoolers, which live in the space between the air inlets (in the doors) and outlets (over the rear tires).

So the first step was to cut out the air inlets from the 956 doors and socket them into the sides of the Type 2 body. Damage to the 956 body can be seen in the back of the photo, where the roof had to be removed first. I'm committed now ... Note the right side air inlet is now on the left, and vice versa; as well they have been rotated 90 degrees so they take air from the side of the vehicle, not over the top of the front fenders and hood as in the 956.

The left side worked out nicely but maybe too deeply inset to match up with the rear deck, as shown in the next pictures. Here the fenders from the 956 rear deck were inset into the top of the Type 2 cargo bed. Some sheet fabrication will be needed, as well as some putty, to smooth it all over, but it is beginning to take shape: A Type 2 with wide rear fenders and a sloping deck leading to a wing.

Once the right side air inlet has been installed, the next step will be to scratch-build bodywork to join up the air inlets with the deck, and to remove excess Type 2 bodywork from underneath so that there is room for the 956 rear chassis, engine and drivetrain. Finally engine access will be via a square access hatch in the Type 2 cargo bed, which  I can't cut out yet as the amount of material already removed has weakened everything; I'll need to glue the new fenders to the body and add some bracing underneath so it all holds together.

Eagle eyes will note the Porsche 935 body sitting in the background. I decided not to cut this up as it brings in a third body-chassis pair to line up.

Progress is being made; watch this space, especially if the weather continues wet and cool.

Originally posted 16 August 2014

Decisions

So with the Alpine out of the way, it's time to consider some serious kit-bashing.

The VW Type 2 pickup has always been iconic and utilitarian but bog slow. The Porsche 956, along with its successor the 962, is one of the greatest endurance racers of all time, and is certainly iconic, but could not by any stretch of the imagination be called utilitarian. Google Derek Bell at Nurburgring and you will see what I mean.

So what could be better than a Type 2 with 956 power? There is lots of room under that deck for a twin-turbo flat six.

 +

Sounds simple but I have come up with a couple of mutually exclusive options.

The first approach is to build up the Type 2 chassis, cutting as necessary to fit the 956 drivetrain. The wheelbase of the 956 is longer, and the floorpan is considerably wider, so using the 956 floorpan will require some cutting to fit. The rear fenders will need to be radiused, which will level the stance. Finally all the ducting for turbos, radiators and intercoolers will need to be scratchbuilt. However the look is clean and wicked.

The second approach is to build up the 956 chassis, inserting Type 2 bodywork as needed. In this case, the car will be a 956 with a Type 2 cab stuck in the nose. Imagine, if you will, in the picture below the cab lowered through a suitable cutout in the 956 bodywork, and the truck deck level with the tops of the fenders. The advantage is lots of aero, and the 956 chassis will go together as Tamiya intended, but the result will be a Type 2 cab stuck on a Group C car.

So the debate is on. Neither is a true fusion of 956 and Type 2, which would be a pickup with some aero bits and a big motor. Any ideas? e-mail me at DrTRants.

Either way I think the Gulf Oil colours are appropriate.

Originally posted 15 August 2014

Summertime doldrums

Summer is slow in the northern hemisphere model-making world, as long evenings encourage one to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. It'll be cold and dark soon enough, at which point it will be time to come inside and get back to the hobby. (A recent bout of cool, wet weather encouraged me to sit inside and complete the Alpine, which mainly needed glass, lights and final assembly. Shown here with the Stratos).

That doesn't mean there is no news. I have kept an eye on various web sites and the local wholesaler, and have picked up a couple of oddball kits for those cold winter nights.

The local wholesaler, located in a rabbit's warren of interconnected shops spread over two floors on the edge of an expressway in the west end of town, had a single remaining copy of the reissue of Pete Brock's BRE Datsun 510 racer by Revell. A nice reissue with detailed pushrod 4-cylinder, worth picking up if you can find it. Brock was previously involved in the gorgeous Cobra Daytona Coupe, so it is no surprise the 510 did well in the Trans Am 2.5 litre class, driven by John Morton.

The wholesaler also had a Triumph GT6+ by Lindberg which looks to be a bear to build, with the roof separate from the door frames, and the big bonnet hinged at the front -- the potential for disaster when it comes time to line it all up during final assembly is high. The lovely little 2-litre 6 appears to be well done, however. The key find, though, was a Citroen 15 CV, the 6-cylinder version of the famous 11 CV. A Heller model, this will also be a bit of a bear to build with lots of things having to line up just so towards the end of the build. Worth it, though, for this pioneer of front-wheel drive technology.

Moving to on-line sources, Model Roundup (http://www.modelroundup.com/) provided a Lancia Stratos. Unlike the Tamiya version, this one (a NOS kit from Revell) includes detail of the 2.4-litre Ferrari engine, but minimal decals. Lots of flash and flaws in the body; some work is needed here. The Alitalia colours appear correct but all the details around drivers, specific races, etc. are missing, probably due to copyright issues. The kit appears to have been unopened since the 1980's; the yellowed instructions are copyright 1979, the box has suffered some crush damage, and the kit includes an invitation for the Model Club Of The Month dated 1977. I'll probably build it for the street, skipping the decals and rally lights. I seem to recall the street version was available in a particularly lurid shade of lime green which would be appropriate.

Model Roundup now also offers a series of mid-50's Bedford 5 tonne trucks, including a tow truck, dumper and tanker, from a company I had never heard of before. I got the LWB flatbed which will look good as a car carrier for the Le Mans-winning 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 from Profil 24 which I will admit I have not started.

Speaking of Profil 24, they are based in Le Mans and the owners posted a series of neat photos of the Classic Le Mans, featuring everything from Type 35s to fire-breathing Porsche turbos. Worth a look at http://www.profil24-models.com/model-kits-modeles-reduits/modules/psblog/content.php?id=65, even if you don't feel like ponying up the money for one of their super detailed resin kits. (Prices for shipping outside the EU are reduced by the amount of the VAT, meaning that gorgeous Maserati 450S is only 167 euros plus shipping).

So the stash of unbuilt kits has grown by 5. I've probably got enough here to keep me busy for several years. Not that this will prevent me from acquiring any further oddball stuff I may stumble across ...

Originally posted 15 August 2014