172 replies to this topic

[Martin]

Wow, thank you, Don. 

 

Hope you got my thank you message for the brushes you sent and I received.

 

Was talking to Colin at RS just now he is making an appropriate driver for this project, so it is coming together.

 

So many projects can get stalled and parked while waiting for a part. Restoring these old saviors sometimes take a village. or at least a little help from our friends.     So glad we have this village.

 

[don.siegel]

You're very welcome, Martin. 

 

Actually... I set out to mail it about five days ago, but just looked in my backpack this evening and it was still in there! So I dropped it in the mail as we were leaving the house... You should get it in about 10 days... 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Soon enough, Don, I have multiple restorations in motion (that's slow motion) at this time. All from the same guy that built the 158 Alfa. He loved details, right down to valve stems in the rims and he even wrote LF, RF, etc. on the tires, I had never seen that before. 
 
Must have been a club racer where they gave points for such things?

[don.siegel]

Or somebody with OCD.... 

 

Don't think there were many clubs that rewarded those kinds of details, but there was MESAC at least. 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Found this, Don, to follow up up on your suggestion. Quite a few points just on the wheel and tire section. See below.

 

[don.siegel]

We tried something like at the the Bordo vintage meeting one year - it didn't make the cut! Much less detailed, but still didn't seem very practical. 

 

Don 

[Dave Crevie]

Reading through posts 21, 23, 24 and 25 shows why this site exists. Racers helping racers to find rare parts to complete their builds. Technical info as well. Sets a spark to this old heart that has been sputtering lately and not able to catch.

[Dave Crevie]

We tried something like at the the Bordo vintage meeting one year - it didn't make the cut! Much less detailed, but still didn't seem very practical.

 

When I first got into home set racing, the club we formed decided that, as one of the rules, each car had to finish the race with all the same details it started with. That rule didn't last long. In a four heat race, very few cars still had their mirrors, windshield wipers and headlight covers. The purpose was to cut back on the reckless driving some racers brought with them from the club they raced with before, that allowed full magnets. IIRC, the first race meeting, not a single car finished all four heats. Most lost at least something in the first heat.   

[Martin]

While working on other restorations and waiting for a driver to come from the UK, I decided to cut the bottom out of the Alfa/Merit body.

 

It now has a screw post at the rear and the epoxy is to sit over night.

 

[Dave Crevie]

Good job! Perfect fit.

[Martin]

Thanks, Dave, looks even better now it has the post epoxied in place. Now moving forward to the nose piece fit.

 

I do not do much plastic model building but when I glued model plastic with CA and it just snapped (very weak) I thought lets go to the model shop and get some real plastic cement. I remember I used a product with the word WELD in it.

 

So I bought all four plastic cements that they had and then cut up the sprue that came with the Merit kit and butt welded them as a test to see which one is strongest. I will give them some time to fully set then try and break them. 

 

You model builders know the best products, but this is a refresher for me.

 

 

[Eddie Fleming]

For the hardbody series in Atlanta, "everybody" uses E6000 to hold the body together.

 

It works. 

[Martin]

Thanks, Eddie. I will grab some of that; sounds like it will take a beating. 

[Dave Crevie]

If you can find it, I found Plasti-Zap to be best for gluing plastic where an impact might be experienced. It even works on glass-filled nylon.

[Martin]

Progress on the Alfa, and a question answered. Thanks, Ted Bier, for posting your  Strombecker 1/24 Jaguar D; that's the steering on my Alfa.

 

I will take more pics but it seems to always be in a state of gluing. Speaking of which, all the weld cements work about the same. So no winner there. ​I actually like the Testor's cement in the tube to strengthen the joint after the weld product has set.

 

I did not like that the car was sitting up to high so I made a 1/8'' spacer to raise the rear axle. Of course, the drive shaft and motor had to follow. 

 

Also added flatheads where there was once buttonheads as the lowest part of the chassis. Raised the hole front end too. Now the limitation is the guide, so it's not going any lower with this design. 

 

 

 

 

[Martin]

Hood fit and body fully mounted with Cox type threaded posts front and rear.

 

Wheel inserts test fit to see if I like them?

 

Trying this driver for fit too, it's early, not '40s but may have to do if can find the one I want.

 

This is the best shot I found for reference.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

Maybe these will help?
 

[Martin]

Beautiful, Dave, and the car. 

 

Those are great shots. They will help.

 

Working on making a interior to take advantage of front-mounted motor. So started with a styrene base made from tube and angle. Not sure whether it will stay with the chassis or lift off with the body?

 

Kick that decision down the road.

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

Anything to help. I have thousands of photos on file and nothing else to do but search the internet. This project is going so well, I need to get back to it. I have an Auto Union C-type model I want to build a chassis for. Your build here has moved that project up a few notches in the queue.  

[Martin]

That's a great subject, Dave. Such a forward thinking design. So glad WW2 was not fought on the race track as we might all be speaking German.

 

Will it have the double rear wheels in back? Not sure when and which races twin rears were used? 

 

Simple frame, with its twin tube design. Lends it self to a slot car build.

 

 

[Cheater]

Will it have the double rear wheels in back? Not sure when and which races twin rears were used?

The twin rear wheels were almost exclusively used for hillclimbs, which are/were a much bigger deal in Europe.

[Dave Crevie]

Haven't decided yet. I have more hillclimb shots than Grand Prix, so I will have to ponder that a bit. 

 

The kit has the upper part of the engine. Need to find a motor small enough to fit under that. 

[Martin]

Thanks, Gregory, for the hillclimb info.

 

Dave, got to figure a way to show off that V16 monster.

 

Because this Merit kit has a removable hood and I had to make clearance for the steering arms, it got weak at that point. The fix I came up with was a length of .040" piano wire on each side to reinforce that point. I will add a styrene plate too to brace the main  body to the front post. 

 

Baby steps, make a part, glue a part, leave overnight to fully cure.

 

[Martin]

Glue is set and a little more progress. 

 

Fitting exhaust to look like it comes out of the motor is a little trail and error. Checking for wheel clearance, etc. 

 

Working on the interior too so it sits on the chassis as a unit. It will be separate from the body. Lots of great pics of the real cars interior that I will do my best to get that look.

 

Super happy with the body to chassis fit, that would have been easy to muff that. 

 

Notice it now has the flat heads on the lowest part of the motor plate.

 

 

 

 

[edscars]

Martin, very nice resto.

 

Can you tell me from post #9 how you went about polishing up the chassis parts that had discolored. Was it something like Brasso or a tumbling method or what?