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Post by David Lawson on Jul 24, 2013 14:29:11 GMT -5
Two shots of Lucien Bianchi in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix where he finished in third place. This was his best result of the season and it was Cooper's best result matched by team-mate Brian Redman's third at the Dutch Grand Prix. The T86 Cooper-BRM wasn't a bad car but obviously stood little chance against the better funded Cosworth powered teams and the team sadly folded at season's end. I have intended to build this car for years and in fact had started work on the bodyshell ages ago but it has sat in my unfinished projects box gathering dust I started with one of Charlie Fitzpatrick's "Classic" 1968 BRM V12 fibreglass shells. This is the shell after the initial re-shaping. Obviously the engine detail is retained but the front end has the nose shortened to Monaco spec, the radiator opening was enlarged and re-shaped, the extractor ducts are filled in and the cockpit surround was re-shaped. It is still in a roughed out stage and I sprayed it just to look at the general shape. As this is my proxy car I will try and get the shaping sorted out in the next week or so. David
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Jul 25, 2013 1:58:52 GMT -5
David; this looks very interesting and offers us a tantalising glimpse of things to come.
Dave
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Jul 25, 2013 3:24:15 GMT -5
Hi David.
Nice neat modifications. The 'before and after' pictures are always useful and help the reader realise what work has been done.
Peter.
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Post by Mark Huber on Jul 25, 2013 13:42:27 GMT -5
What an ugly (or perhaps brutish) prototype, yet what a nifty little model you have going there David.
Given that I didn't take shop in my younger days, and I have never been up close to a 1960s era V12 racing motor.. (my excuses for not knowing the answer to this question) what is that metal canister looming up from the back end of the car?
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Post by Chris Wright on Jul 25, 2013 13:55:28 GMT -5
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Post by David Lawson on Jul 25, 2013 16:42:51 GMT -5
Here's the engine back in 1968 Not content with the expansion tank/oil tank sticking up into the airstream, by Spa Cooper had added an oil cooler just to introduce yet more drag... I'm not sure what was wrong with Cooper's installation of this V12 as the works BRM and the 1967 McLaren didn't require all this clumsy gear. David
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Jul 26, 2013 2:42:40 GMT -5
Some form of anti-frothing device?
Peter.
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Post by David Lawson on Jul 26, 2013 6:23:43 GMT -5
I should have read the chapter about the T86B in my copy of Cooper Cars by Doug Nye before starting this thread.
I checked it this morning. I had forgotten why Cooper were financially strapped by 1968 and it was because they lost their fuel and tyre monies which of course had been a major source of finance for grand prix teams for years. I assume they didn't have the commercial nous to look for non trade sponsors, a pity.
In the Cooper Cars book it states that the V12 when installed in the McLaren and the BRM was ok but that Cooper struggled with overheating. I am sure Nye is correct but I am still puzzled why Cooper struggled and it does explain these tall appendages. Ironically Cooper's reliability was pretty good and they picked up a fair number of championship points although gradually dropped back in the development race against the other teams.
David
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Post by David Lawson on Jul 26, 2013 6:25:22 GMT -5
PS to the above post.
I forgot to mention that the BRM engine when fitted to the McLaren in 1967 had high oil consumption.
David
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Post by David Lawson on Jul 29, 2013 2:47:07 GMT -5
Small update. Some subtle filling, sanding and reshaping of the node cone area which had to be widened from the original BRM shape. David
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Post by Mark Huber on Jul 29, 2013 9:52:18 GMT -5
The contours and shaping you've done are excellent David. Are you using the old faithful Milliput for the additions, and then sanding to shape?
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Post by David Lawson on Jul 31, 2013 8:01:54 GMT -5
I'm using a mixture of milliput as well as Isopon 38 which is a car filler. I had to widen the nose quite a bit and didn't want the weight of Milliput so built it up with the much lighter Isopon. I've use Milliput for smaller fine repairs. I scribed the cockpit surround bodywork and the scuttle area using a small triangular file and I added the rivet detail by turning the small conical Dremel grinding tool between my fingers. The rivet detail around the engine bay and the vertical run of rivets up the side of the monocoque are original to the BRM shell. It's not perfect but I did it quickly and it looks ok when viewed from a normal distance. David
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Post by David Lawson on Aug 3, 2013 4:42:46 GMT -5
A little more progress. I've added the large cylindrical oil pot/tank, the triangulated suspension radius rod location points and I have wrapped thin plastic strip around the radiator opening on the nose. I've also finished scribing the panels and rivets. I am reasonably hopeful of starting to paint the shell sometime next week once the detailing is finished. David
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Post by David Lawson on Aug 5, 2013 10:09:45 GMT -5
I changed the moulded in engine intakes for plastic tubes the sprayed the shell white, masked the Cooper stripes and race number roundel and sprayed it Conifer Green. Chassis building starts next then final detailing of the bodyshell. David
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Post by Mark Huber on Aug 5, 2013 22:28:12 GMT -5
Very good David. Except it looks far prettier than the real car. (I won't ask what shade of green, as you have already provided the answer).
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