afx Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 (edited) While doing research for my many Cobra projects I read that the Bristol engine is a derivative of the BMW 328. I have always wanted to build the father of the Cobra so I tracked down a Heller BMW 328 kit. It’s a great little kit with a surprising amount of detail for the engine. However I thought I could raise the detail level with a little scratch building. The cylinder head has as a deep well in the center. The kit provides no real detail here so I fabricated the intake tubes and the cross sleeves for the push rods. I striped the chrome plating from the kit carbs. The air cleaner cover is flat on top where it should have a small recess in the center. Using a Dremel ball bit turned in my fingers I created this recess. I’ll added small PE header flanges under the carbs to replicate their mounting flanges. I extended the oil fill tube using some solid rod and fabricated a cap with a punch out of flat stock. Edited March 15, 2018 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyrichard Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Great work afx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 This is gonna be nice to see! I don't think I've ever seen a buildup of an Ace. I wonder if the Cobra would have ever come to be had not AC not lost their supplier for engines............who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 GREAT work on those parts so far - I LOVE it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I remember you asking about the engine ages ago JC.Great to see it works out and you're on the case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
signmike Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Think I'm gonna love this one...Nice work until now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Thanks guy's for the interest. Here I have added pulley detail, water inlet/outlet and an oil filter from the parts box. Click on the pictures to see them full scale. Edited May 1, 2016 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 I've wanted to do this conversion, but the amount of bodywork required for the nose area, under the headlights, is beyond my capabilities. Looking forward to your work there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 I've wanted to do this conversion, but the amount of bodywork required for the nose area, under the headlights, is beyond my capabilities. Looking forward to your work there. Yea there are some challenges ahead. I should have waited to start the thread after I was sure I could pull off the body mods. I guess we'll all find out together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 (edited) Yea there are some challenges ahead. I should have waited to start the thread after I was sure I could pull off the body mods. I guess we'll all find out together. I'm rooting for you. This can be done, and I want to see it -- I'm sure there are others who feel the same and want to see your solution. Edited May 1, 2016 by sjordan2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Oh ya, I'm betting you can do it !!! I wish there was a kit as I wouldn't mind having one in my collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Very nice. As I'm sure you know, the AC body borrowed several styling elements from the Carrozzeria Touring-designed Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta, most notably the sculpting around the grille. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) The 166 MM is one of my favorite Ferraris. I blunted the nose. Then after cutting a notch in the lower valance I glued in a piece of square bar. Then started shaping. Still needs to have the sides blended in and a lot more shaping but a decent start. Edited May 2, 2016 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
250 Testa Rossa Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Looking awesome, JC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard McClelland Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Sorry to take you to task over this but the BMW engine was derived from the Bristol Unit, not the other way about. Nice work though, an interesting project. For the more budget conscious the Ace also came with a 2.6 Six Cylinder engine from the Ford (England) Zephyr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) Sorry to take you to task over this but the BMW engine was derived from the Bristol Unit, not the other way about. Nice work though, an interesting project. For the more budget conscious the Ace also came with a 2.6 Six Cylinder engine from the Ford (England) ZephyrThe BMW 328 (1936-1940) pre-dates the founding of Bristol Cars in 1945.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_CarsPre-war BMW designs, The Aldington Brothers and the Early Cars[edit]HJ Aldington, a director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company affiliated AFN (BMW's pre-war concessionaire in the UK), used his British Army connections to visit the bombed BMW factory in Munich several times post-war. In 1945 he took plans for BMW cars back to Britain,[9] and BMW chief engineer, Dr. Fritz Fiedler was also employed. Its first car was the Bristol 400, prototyped in 1946 and introduced at the 1947 Geneva Motor Show. Derived from immediately pre-WW2 BMW products (thanks to a connection to BMW through Frazer Nash), the chassis was based on the BMW 326, the engine on the 328,[12] and the body on the 327. Even a variation on the famous double-kidney BMW grille was retained. Bristol, however, did a thorough examination of the car's handling and ended up with performance "only matched by outright purpose-built competition cars".[13] 700 of the Bristol 400 were built, with 17 receiving "handsome" drophead bodywork from Pininfarina.[7] Edited May 2, 2016 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 2, 2016 Author Share Posted May 2, 2016 Sorry to take you to task over this but the BMW engine was derived from the Bristol Unit, not the other way about. Nice work though, an interesting project. For the more budget conscious the Ace also came with a 2.6 Six Cylinder engine from the Ford (England) Zephyr Thanks Richard. Do you have any recommendations for a kit source for the Zephyr engine? A Ruddspeed 2.6 Ace is another project I would like to tackle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Woodruff Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 Nice JC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard McClelland Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 (edited) Appologies, I was working on (it would seem flawed) general knowledge Il remember to wiki next time. On the point of a model engine, im not sure that you will find a Ford Zephyr larger than 1/43, maybe try a modifying a straight six from a Mustang or Thunderbird? Edited May 2, 2016 by Richard McClelland spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted May 3, 2016 Author Share Posted May 3, 2016 Filled in the bumperette openings and added some solid triangular rod to create a clean transition into the mustache, then added filler. I make my filler by melting bits of plastic scraps and sprue in liquid cement to create a goo. I prefer this to standard fillers. Since it's plastic it doesn't shrink and once setup is quite hard. It allows me to create sharp lines and edges. I still have some work to do on the symmetry and some more shaping but it isn't too far off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Any plans to have resin copies poured ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Any plans to have resin copies poured ?Brad Brad Brad Brad Brad ....of HRM perhaps I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dublin boy Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) Bristol used/reproduced the BMW engines under license from AFN. The technology was pre war, BMW 328 for example. Bristol only started to manufacture cars after WW2.The Ace had 3 engines during it's lifespan, AC's own engine, the BMW sired Bristol engine and then the Ford straight six, which with triple carbs and a Mays cylinder head was the fastest of them all.Great work on the front end JC. Edited May 4, 2016 by dublin boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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