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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Sept 18, 2017 11:07:49 GMT -5
The Auto Union is dangerously close to being finished so I've done a George and gone off at a tangent, or something like that. This build was actually started last year but never got any further than making the two side pieces, and goodness only knows why I picked this one to work on as no-one in our club has any pre-war stuff. Hopefully this is soon to change. So, what is it? I'd ask those who have already been told about it to hold off, and perhaps one or more of our newer members might care to use the opportunity to join in. Go on, give it a guess if it looks familiar. The axles aren't too far out of place, the tail needs the rear 'lump' removed but otherwise the profile is about right. The body goes against the grain, most folk carve, I build up, or try to anyway. All pieces are made in 2mm styrene, giving plenty of leeway in case of initial errors, but the the down side is that the cement takes an age to cure. The front end still has a few tell-tale bits missing so looks rather bare at present. These missing bits are the next job. The grille area will slope a little more. So, what is it? Peter.
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Post by EM on Sept 18, 2017 12:12:50 GMT -5
Austin?
EM
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Post by Phil Kalbfell on Sept 18, 2017 16:10:00 GMT -5
Great to see some one else building with styrene. I have built a few cars that way and like the process. The Late Larry Shepherd built some great bodies using this process and inspired me to use the same process.
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Sept 19, 2017 3:09:16 GMT -5
Al, it's a particular model by a particular company, 'Austin' is too vague. Phil, I've tried carving but find the styrene method easier. Given a few of the principal dimensions it is possible to jig the car up so some of the shape at least is already there. This is how it started, more or less. The scribe lines on the outside of the body sides are the panel lines, the scribe lines inside are to facilitate easy curving of the body sides. Peter.
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Post by Andrew Rowland on Sept 21, 2017 16:47:44 GMT -5
Absolutely no idea what it is..... But I like it! Keep going Peter. Andi
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Post by f143 on Sept 21, 2017 20:53:14 GMT -5
This is not my era so a guess, an Austin 7 Special, I saw a photo on a cycle kart forum that looks similar. Look forward to seeing the finished model. Thanks Nigel
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Sept 22, 2017 15:24:16 GMT -5
Hmm, it looks like a little more information is needed. It's not a special, in fact there were 10 chassis' made, though only 9 were built up into complete cars; the 10th was being used for development purposes for a proposed successor when the project was shelved. Here's the chassis. Very radical. The backbone chassis featured torsion bar independent suspension all round using wishbones and torsion bars. The blown 750cc OHC engine was (later proven to produce up to 146bhp,) was highly effective at propelling a car weighing just 12.5 cwt. This is in 1935. Peter.
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Post by slo on Sept 22, 2017 18:10:27 GMT -5
MG Midget R Type ?
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Sept 23, 2017 3:48:03 GMT -5
You're right Stu, it is indeed an R Type. There are two complications in building one of these cars.
Firstly there were definitely at least two body types, differing albeit in very small ways. This is complicated by the restored/reconstructed originals and at least one completely new car completed in recent years.
Secondly, the histories are very vague, (complicated by at least one car which according to a previous owner, had no identifying numbers anywhere on the chassis). An example being chassis no RA0260 which according to one source was bought from the factory in its experimental guise circa 1975, yet another sours shows the car racing in 1947!
Hopefully a bit of progress on one version of the front suspension fairings this weekend.....
Peter.
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Post by slo on Sept 24, 2017 2:56:25 GMT -5
It was the second lot of clues that made it possible to find...... Looking forward to seeing this one come to life Peter.
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Sept 24, 2017 12:30:05 GMT -5
A bit more work done, and a bit more history.... The front suspension cowlings were a common feature in cars of the period. A little work on the tail brings a more pleasing and I hope a more accurate profile. The next job is to finish building up the front end, after which the slow work to produce the final shape will begin. The R type MG Midget, or to be a little more accurate, the RA Series Midget was the last of the racing Midgets and the only monoposto. !2/12 M Type, Montlhery C Type, J4 and QA Midgets preceded it. MG rarely campaigned 'works' cars, generally giving support instead to private owners. The R type, like the other race cars, was a production race car and all were sold to 'members of the public'. The R type was not a great success, with two main problems. One was the problem of drive-shaft breakages. In due course this was found to be caused by the 'Luvax' hydraulic shock absorbers. They had been used on earlier leaf sprung cars with no problems, but the softer independent suspension made the shock absorbers work rather harder than normal causing them to overheat and fail to do their job. The result was that the suspension 'hit' the stops, rather than just nudging them, the wishbones flexed and the universal joints failed. Corrections were made. The other problem was caused by the equal length wishbones at the rear, which limited adhesion due to the adverse angle of the rear wheels. The simple solution was to extend the lower wishbones which is what was done shortly before the project was terminated. Chassis RA2060 is reputed to have become the prototype for the RB Series Midget. MG were owned personally by William Morris, who was above all, a businessman. MG's used a variety of specially made parts used on no other cars, so they were not 'making money', though were hardly in financial straits. Morris sold MG to Morris Motors and all race car activities ceased. MG eventual became part of BMC and became involved in racing again post-war. Attachments:
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Oct 5, 2017 13:36:45 GMT -5
Not much to report. I had intended to complete all the shaping of the suspension cowls prior to fitting, but I think apart from the basic shape, it all needs doing together. The lower part of the radiator cowl is hopefully the last exterior part to be added, together with the aforementioned suspension cowls. Now sitting a little lower, I think it still needs to be dropped at least another millimetre, then with this a part of my guide, final shaping will start. There's still a lot to come off. I'm tempted to make a temporary styrene radiator grill as a guide to getting the shape right, though the intention is to do an etched grille. Peter.
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Oct 19, 2017 14:13:47 GMT -5
A bit more on the R type. The more I looked at the body, the more I felt it should be wider, but with no decent drawings and few dimensions, I was not sure. In the end I decided to grit my teeth and get on with it. The body was thus split down the centre and a 2mm section of styrene sheet inserted. The nose section was left at the original width, with a couple of extensions on the outside to permit more of a taper from the bonnet to the grille aperture. The cleaner and more accurate the cut, the less cement needed to glue it together, the quicker it cures. This body seems to spend ages in the airing cupboard..... Just a little extra shaping suggested the mod was the right way to go. The front suspension cowlings are now narrower and 'slope' far more. A small test grille 'blank' was made up and looks about right when held in place. The etched grille is now well on its way and an etched dashboard is being considered. Peter.
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Nov 26, 2017 12:44:48 GMT -5
Slow progress but at least it's progress! The final work is now under way to get the body completed.The main shaping of the body is now completed, and the panel lines are now being scribed/re-scribed. The picture below shows the body screwed to a piece of aluminium plate, so much easier for working on, and invaluable for scribing panel lines. The next major job is fitting the louvres. These have been made up in styrene strip, or to be exact, a large number of short lengths of styrene strip. The second picture shows the RHS bonnet side panel partially trimmed, and the two bonnet top louvre sets. Each louvre is effectively made up of 3 parts and the time taken for assembly is (apart from setting up) only about 30 minutes per louvre set, excluding breaks. The aim is to have the body almost done by Christmas, though as I always say, if you want an accurate completion time, work it out carefully, then double it. Peter.
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Post by Brian on Nov 27, 2017 3:48:20 GMT -5
Inspiring work Peter.
It's looking fantastic.
Looking forward to see it completed.
Thank you for sharing.
Brian
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