50 replies to this topic

[Nonfractal]

Loving this initiative!
At LSC (London), we run a "goodwood green" class where historic cars are raced
There is a small subset of us that race Ferrari GTOs , Selby Cobras and other similar front engine cars with inline motors.

My favourite is the jaguar e-type steamliner.

Typically, Fly or Monogram bodies are used with Shapeways 3D chassis'

The class is limited to 56mm wide with 8mm wheels. However, its true that these cars are really hard to tune and consequently, the class is dominated by NSR and Slot.IT GT40s

There is definitely a space for a class of these cars.
A beautiful and classic period.

AlanW.

[rvec]

Thank you Alan. I started molding and casting because I was bored because many of our activities had been curtailed due to Covid.  After tackling all of the home projects that had been in the que I thought molding and casting could be a new and fun challenge.  My first project was a GT40 Mk IV in 1/24. Then I turned to the Daytona Coupe in 1/20.

 

In testing the Daytona car is a bit slower and harder to handle due to its weight (as opposed to other sports cars such as the Ferrari 458 in plastic).  It is also taller and carries high weight in the tail. I will be experimenting with some weight tuning but I am certainly going to be at a disadvantage for our race on Monday.  I am hoping that the guys take a liking to the car and want to run a Cobra Daytona/Ferrari 250 GTO class.  The GTO has similar dimensions so the class should be fun.  I will keep posting as we progress.

[rvec]

Newsflash - Cobra Daytona finishes on podium in its racing debut!
 
My first casting of a Cobra Daytona in 1/20 scale managed a third place finish in a competitive field in its racing debut at Electron Raceway on 5/3/21.  As mentioned in the prior post, the car was a bit tougher to handle than our typical True Scale Sports car or Historic Trans Am ride still managed a podium finish (see link for race results and cursor down to the Mixed Race  Early Modified & Mixed True Scale race at Electron - 5/3 - Electron race reports - Slotblog  ) I had some time yesterday to work on the car with the intent to improve the handling, finish the striping and remount the windows.  
 
One of the shortcomings of the Daytona is its relatively short "effective wheelbase" (the distance between the guide flag and the rear axle). The front of the body rolls under quite a bit.  Prior to the race I had positioned the guide flag under the front grill. Our rules allow the guide flag to extend beyond any rolled under front bodywork so long as it cannot be seen as viewed from the top of the car.  In order to lengthen the effective wheelbase, I cut out a small section of the grill so the guide flag could be moved forward.  The work looked fine and then it was time to test.  The lap times improved .15 seconds/lap and the car was much easier to handle.  I can't wait to race it again.  Our next Mixed Race at Electron Raceway is scheduled for 5/17.  I will keep all of you posted.
 
Next it was on to improving the mounting of the windows.  I had attempted to mount the windows with double sided tape and it just did not hold.  The edges did not stick too well and would just not stay down.  I tried a new technique - straight pins secured by hot glue (glue affixed to the inside of the body).  I was very pleased with the result and in fact the technique had the appearance of the 1/1 ride.
 
Finally I added the stripes for the Ford France livery using Pactra Tape.  Again I was pleased with the result.  Below are a couple of images of the car along with an image of another model of the car to illustrate the similarity in appearance of the rear window mounting.
 

 

 

[MattD]

Came out really nice.   Clear Gorilla glue is great for windows

[rvec]

Finally Finished
 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

A sharp looking racecar Rich!

[rvec]

A sharp looking racecar Rich!

 

Thanks Bill,

I will cast a few more in the coming days.  I plan to copy the Scuderia Filipinetti car shown below

[Bill from NH]

Several years ago traveling to a raceway in New York, I saw a gorgeous metallic blue Cobra coupe on the street. Obviously a glass reproduction body, I knew what it was, even though I hadn't seen one previously or ever since.    The Scuderia Filipinetti car you show above should make another beautiful body. Your former students at Prescott HS sure would be surprised.

[rvec]

Bill,

The great thing about retirement (16 years now) is that after home/yard maintenance, and exercise, I can concentrate on my passions, one of which is my slot car hobby.  I am looking forward to more casting and other interesting projects

 

Rich

[rvec]

Here is the latest (Disregard the size of the rear wheel.  The ones I will use are .975 inches and in the freezer)  I found some light metallic blue paint the looks a bit like the color the Cobras ran in 64. Shown below is the actual car.  Also shown is the "production line"
 

 

 

 

 

[rvec]

Finished the Cobra Daytona replica of the car that ran at Daytona in 64
 
 

 

 

[rvec]

Two more painted. The light blue will be a replica of the 64 LeMans car and the dark one will be a replica of the LeMans 65 car as well as images of the real cars
 

 

 

 

[rvec]

Almost Finished with these two
 

 

[rvec]

Finally finished the #9 car.  I would have finished the #5 car today but instead I decided to cut a new front pan for the chassis (the old one was a bit small and a bit more weight in front might improve handling)
 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Sharp looking car Rich!

[rvec]

Sharp looking car Rich!

Thanks - more to come

[John Luongo]

i would be afraid to race it

[rvec]

i would be afraid to race it

 

John,

These casts which have been reinforced with carbon fiber are an experiment.  It will be interesting to see if they hold up.  In addition, I will wait for a positive result before I sink more time and effort into casting cars that will be raced with vigor.

[Bill from NH]

Rich, has anyone ever discovered what the late Doug Haynes was using to mold his bodies? His bodies were light weight, for a casting & I saw them bounce off the sidewalls of commercial tracks without breaking or cracking. I don't have any of the bodies, but I have a pair of Doug's fronts.

[rvec]

Rich, has anyone ever discovered what the late Doug Haynes was using to mold his bodies? His bodies were light weight, for a casting & I saw them bounce off the sidewalls of commercial tracks without breaking or cracking. I don't have any of the bodies, but I have a pair of Doug's fronts.

 

 

 There is a guy at Pelican who has been doing some casting.  I think he is using the same stuff that Doug used.  I have been using another product because it sets fast and I can slush cast. The other fellow is using a two piece mold where setting is not an issue

[rvec]

Just about finished with this project.  I have cast 5 more Daytonas (a medium blue one is being worked on by Ron and the yellow one needs some more custom decals). Below is an image. After all are completed I will post final images. I plan to have a Series of races with the Daytonas

 

[Bill from NH]

My favorite of the four would be the dark red one with yellow stripes. Next, is the silver with the yellow stripes. Both should be relatively easy to pick up when out on a track. Nice job Rich!

[rvec]

Thanks Bill,

 

I will post images of the completed cars soon

Rich

[rvec]

All cars in this run have been finished.  These will be distributed to members for an upcoming Cobra Daytona Series of races that will begin in the fall
 

 

[John Luongo]

outstanding work!