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Post by Chris Wright on Nov 28, 2015 16:39:14 GMT
This is going to be a work in progress thread over the next few months, so stay tuned!This car was going to be the 1955 Sebring winning 54 Jaguar D-type as driven by Mike Hawthorn (GB) and Phil Walters (USA) AKA Ted Tappett. I think this is one of the D-type's that was raced at the LeMans in 1954, as it has the third cyclops auxiliary light. This car was owned by Briggs Cunningham, but not yet painted in American white and blue. My slot car D-type is being constucted from a beautiful resin casting from John Warren in New Zealand. John used the original Carrera D-type as the doner body, and has also cast or vacuum molded all the parts needed to build a great Jag. Even though this is just a slosh mold John has managed to cast it with a thin uniform thickness that requires minimum reworking, which means less nasty resin dust. Building a bog standard car is not the "Beardog" way of doing things, we have to tweak and modify a few things. Winter is setting in and the work-room is an unheated garage, and contrary to popular belief if gets cold in the winter in Dixie so unfortunately it's going to take a while to complete this gem. First steps were to install the correct headrest/tail fin, (you get a choice of two versions) I then made a few initial modifications. The cockpit has been cleaned-up and the windshield has been cut out and fitted (not shown yet). The wheel arches come roughed out and minimal cleaning up was required. Thanks John. When Carrera made the original they were lazy. The full size D-type comes in two versions, the original short nose, and the refined Le Mans winning streamlined long nose. Carrera decided to make a "medium" nose, so that they could cheat and make both versions from one set of molds. So the first modification was to truncate the nose so that it resembles the 54/55 short nose version, about 3/16" was carefully shaved off, and then re-profiled. The next step was to carefully carve out the recess for the cyclops spot-light, and polish sand the body ready for Tamiya fine white primer. TO BE CONTINUED............
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Post by munter on Nov 28, 2015 19:35:04 GMT
I am so glad you are getting this started, Chris.
I am very pleased to be able to provide the starting point of what will be an excellent build.
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EJI
Allowed a 327 V-8
Posts: 39
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Post by EJI on Nov 29, 2015 12:55:14 GMT
An interesting project Chris and one I shall be following keenly as I also have one of these shells to build. I agree with all the plaudits this is a lovely model from John. However like you I never take the simple route and I noted with interest your comments on the nose length and that made me wonder how easy would it be to go the other way and make it into a long nose version? I am thinking of the Mike Hawthorn Dundrod car.
Eric
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Nov 29, 2015 18:48:19 GMT
Eric, I think you'll find there are rather more differences than the nose. The long nose cars have different louvres and you'd need to re-shape the tail fin too.
The project interests me too. I have George's version to build and race a slightly modified Scaley one. The latter is of course correctly narrow tracked and a little tall so has proven hard to tame. I'm guessing that a proper chassis with the weight low and central may do the trick.
I look forward to watching progress.
Peter.
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Post by Chris Wright on Nov 29, 2015 19:14:53 GMT
Plans and photo's that show the differences between short and long nose D-type Jags.
ORIGINAL PROTOTYPE, note no spotlight and no fin attached to headrest. SHORT NOSE D-TYPE Blunt nose, can or cannot have spot light. This car has a narrow tail fin that has been added on top of the existing headrest.
LONG NOSE D-TYPE, note the shape of the head-light covers, and radiator inlet taper with two inlets either side. Tailfin is wider at it's root, many Long Nose cars had the windshield merge into the fin to add additional streamlining.
Most long-nose cars had just two rows of louvres at the back and either side of the bonnet, like an E-type. The wrap around full size windscreen could be found on both versions, depending on individual race regulations. Vent over rear wheels was not consistent.
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Post by Peter Seager-Thomas on Nov 29, 2015 21:10:30 GMT
Good illustrative pictures Chris.
Peter
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EJI
Allowed a 327 V-8
Posts: 39
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Post by EJI on Nov 29, 2015 22:22:05 GMT
Thank you for the reply Chris ( and Peter). Certainly some differences you point out that I had missed. Looks like I am back to my original idea of using the Betta & Classic shell which is a lot work. Apologies for diverting away from the main topic of your build.
Eric
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Post by Chris Wright on Nov 29, 2015 22:59:11 GMT
Hi Eric, Yeah you have quite a bit of work ahead of you. But the basic shape is there.
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Nov 30, 2015 7:33:57 GMT
Very nice Chris. Will really enjoy watching this develop.
Dave
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Post by Chris Wright on Dec 16, 2015 20:16:18 GMT
Ok after more research and lots of confusion I finally settled on which livery I wanted. It had to be a car driven by Sir Stirling Moss, but not a Lemans car.
Then I bumped into information on the last car built in 1954. Chassis XKD 406. As usual lots off confusion surfaced. Jaguars records say the registration on this car should be 3CPK, but as you can see in the photo below is has licence plate OKV3, jaguar says this belongs to one of the 1954 Lemans cars chassis number XKC 404. So Jag must have confused something,since I have photographic proof it's going to be Stirlings car number'd XKD 406 with license plate OKV3.
XKD 406 was the last works car built in 1954. For this race it was fitted with a smaller 2.5 litre motor and was driven by the Moss/Walker team to 18th place in the 1954 Dunrod Tourist Trophy. The photo shows Stirling out of petrol in the rain by the side of the road waiting, for what I don't know, either petrol or the race to end. Note the registration as being OKV 3. After the Dunrod TT a 3.4 litre engine was fitted and the car was used for display putposes and driver tests.
Early in 1955 the car was shipped to the U.S. and loaned to Briggs Cunningham. It was tested by Spear, Walters, Lloyd and Cunningham at Daytona Beach Florida, and Walters achieved a speed of 164 mph, that's not bad on sand, and yes Daytona is not far from where I sit.
Later in the year it was raced at the Sebring 12 Hours, With Mike Hawthorn and Phil Walters driving, (Walters was also known as Ted Tappet) They managen to win first place.
XKD 406 was then shipped back to UK, and raced by Duncan Hamilton in the Daily Express race at Silverstone, finished 5th;
After the race the car was sold to Hamilton, who lent it to drivers such as George Abecassis, Peter Whitehead & Michael Head; Head raced it at the Swedish GP at Kristianstad, Head and finish 6th.
Duncan Hamilton and Jaguar D type XKD 406.
In the winter of 1956/57 XKD 406 was sold to J. Forbes Clark (Wolverhampton) and used for hillclimbs & sprints.
Later owners included Peter Skidmore (1970), British hillclimb champion Sir Nick Williamson (who hillclimbed at Shelsley Walsh), and John Beasley (1980) and Martin Hilton. (Peter Skidmore and XKD 406 note the confusion, the car now has registration of 3 CPF According to Jaguar records this registration belongs to car XKC 404 one of the Le Mans cars).
The car is now owned by Alan Lawson (Ripley, Surrey, UK).
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Post by Chris Wright on Jul 31, 2016 19:24:41 GMT
Well it's been a while, (since November) and I have finally done some more work on the D-Type. I got a lot of those pesky open wheelers finished and out of the way. I've made quite a few little tweaks here and there, and now it looks a lot more like a 1954 D-type. Probably Sir Stirlings 1954 Dunrod TT number 20 car OKV3. This was a works car, one of three aluminium chassis D types made and was the first D to actually win a race at Reims in 1954. Incidentally the car still holds the record for fastest recorded time (for a D) down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans at 187mph. It currently belongs to Vijay Mallya. Chassis has been chosen, assembled and fitted, I decided to go with a protoslot steel front motor chassis, and as you can see it's an ideal fit between those tumble home sides of the Jag. In due coarse a full length driver, and detailed cockpit will be built and installed. Wheels are just place holders, BWA/RS wheels will be used with John Warren's excellent D-type inserts.
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Post by munter on Aug 3, 2016 9:14:39 GMT
That is looking sublime, Chris. I love how the headrest/fairing/fin melts onto the rear body work.
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Post by Chris Wright on Aug 27, 2016 22:42:02 GMT
Well he still needs a new head, one is on order from Immense Miniatures. I need to add some overhead shots to show the full cockpit. The tricky part, the headlight covers, I used clear casting epoxy. Produce a clean solid lense, and a wierd distortion of the headlight. Hood straps and handles have yet to be added.
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Post by munter on Aug 29, 2016 4:04:27 GMT
I am surprised no one has commented yet but there is something milky smooth about the paint finish. I am super impressed with the finish you have achieved.
A wonderful car indeed.
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olivier
Allowed a 327 V-8
Posts: 44
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Post by olivier on Sept 16, 2016 4:35:54 GMT
I've always loved Type D Jaguars . Splendid job on this one .
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