Post by mark50 on Apr 1, 2017 8:39:42 GMT
Having just joined this forum after a period of lurking and observing I thought I would post this by way of introduction.
I recently committed to the Wolverhampton SCC/MRE Sports Car Classic meeting in May I realised that I should have a back up car for the pre 1962 class in case my Ferrari 250GTO failed to perform or broke as happened at the last meeting it raced at in Pontefract.
After the usual internet searching and consideration I settled on a C Type Jaguar that won at Le Mans in 1951/53. The body shell is from Ocar via Pendles and is surprising well finished so does not need a lot of preparation, but it is quite a thick casting so is heavy compared to a similar sized plastic shells. Hopefully this means it will survive my many inevitable crashes at Wolverhampton a little better than some others!
Some minor criticisms include the bonnet and side panel louvers are not moulded very deeply and so lose detail when painted, or perhaps I just use too much paint?! The second is that the kit comes with four decal white roundels and two #7's and two #8's. In 1951 they raced with #20, 21 and 22 and in 1953 with #17, 18 and 19 it seems. I have found images of a C type with # 8 but with four numbers and roundels of course, so surely four of each number is more appropriate? Third is that there are no head lamp covers supplied with the kit (the lamps themselves are included) so I did my best to make some from plastic but they are far from perfection to say the least. Finally there is no filler cap, although a hole is moulded in the correct location.
I had planned to scratch build a brass chassis using a Slot it motor pod salvaged from a used Sideways Riley plastic chassis purchased at the Early Birds swapmeet (thank you Ralph P). However when I started to take it apart I began to wonder if the chassis could be adapted to the Jaguar as the rear mount and pod aligned perfectly with the rear arches and existing mounting post. Using this chassis would retain the adjustable pod mounting as well.
Initially I thought all I had to do was shorten the wheelbase by about 10mm and then trim the side pans to fit. But things are never quite as simple as you first think (for me at least) as I realised that the guide position would be too far forward and the adjustable front axle mounts were too wide to allow the front wheels to fit under the arches. So the chassis was shortened by 14mm and axle mounts removed and replaced with a brass tube sleeved glued into a plastic tube so I could glue it easily to the chassis. An additional plastic brace across the front of the chassis and front axle tube ensure it is securely attached and increased the stiffness of the front end.
Joining the two chassis halves securely together was eased by the use of the two lead wire cable trays which are a tight fit for a pieced of 16swg piano wire. This also ensured correct alignment with the front end and together with a further piece of flat plastic in the centre of the chassis ensured everything is solid and stiffer than the original. I then had to trim the side pans and trim a few more pieces to complete the cut and shut job.
Running gear is Slot it with a NSR Shark 22k motor with Mitoos wheels on the rear and PP fronts. I added some lead to the remains of the side pans and behind the front axle and it seems to run reasonably well on my home test track. The body was primed and painted with three coats of Rover Brooklands Green which seems a pretty good match to the dark British racing green of the period.
So a satisfying bitza build, but of course the acid test will be how she performs on the big track at Wolves!
Mark