absmiami

Whats French for Determined ?

The exhaust pipe is glued on with epoxy - its got pegs that secure it really well to the cyl head - thats credit to Pico’s design - and it just fits below the brace …

With the brace in place its time to connect the fuel lines and the other wires feeding into the bulkhead …

There is a brace that runs from the top of the radiator back to the engine bulkhead - thats made from a length of brass rod and .07 mil nickel tube - had some neat little O-rings - from Ebay I think - they were used to secure a length of tin .014 wire - that’s the water temp line.

Now there’s enough done on the chassis to epoxy the body to the chassis frame - the parafilm is wrapped around to persuade the body to stay put while the epoxy set - the steering wheel will be added later - same w the exhausts -

The race number on the bonnett has to be cut apart before its laid on …

Gracias the marking on the leftside of the cowling is smaller because it has to tuck under the exhaust pipes - the third 6 goes on the bonnett …

Dept of corrections … its Benoist … Captain Robert Benoist - google him …

Need To add some paint to finish the bottom of the nines - then ill spray a coat of tamiya semi gloss clear on and see what ive got - the numbers will look hand painted - which they were …

With or without racing numbers ? There are a handful of historical photos. Some on the ‘net - others in magazine articles that featured this car after its restoration …. Its known to be 2CLV chass 3 - and it was raced in this form - unsupercharged - in the 1924 French Grand Prix …. I think there is less certainty about entries and chass identification - delage entered 2 or 3 in the race - ill go with the Beniost car - number 9 … made a series of 9s on some decal paper with a wh Sharpie and some brushed on Tamiys flat -

A few more tasks before the body is glued to the chassis - the rear axle length must be adjusted - a second time - to match the front axle wheelbase - the rings of plastic that i had removed months ago - and kept - glad i did that - were trimmed and glued back onto the axle stubs - and now ive got a good match with the front -

Dash was assemblied pre-pandemic - or nearly so - finally in ….

Some old Model Master paint was needed to match the leather on the seats - had to clean up some of the breaks at the top of the seats and the edges of the leather … and i had to trim some of the length off the seats to allow a good fit for the body work on the chassis …

Hinges for the boot are made from short lengths of nickel tube …

Its all there - including the ashtray - Um - are “we” getting an engine ? ??

There’s a hand pump sited below the left hand side of the dash - its used to prime the fuel lines to start the engine - per the Leno video on page 1 - and a handle for the brave racing mechanic - the handle is .016 brass rod - the strap is some more tin prepped like the bonnett straps - the pump is some thin wall brass tube, with some clamps made fr Evergreen and a pump handle soldered fr nickel - the lines run forward thru the bulkhead and to the cylinder heads…

Straights up late tonite gracias …

Kidding …

After some tweaks - ok - alot of tweaks - everything fits … can’t glue the body ro the chassis yet - first have to attach some of the cockpit lines, the fuel pressure hand pump, a strap handle - and i think - the dash which was finished in the early months of the pandemic …. So long ago that i had to give it a vaccine booster …

On the one to ones - I think this is called a chafing strap - wind it around and cut and glue the ends and you’re done - and its on to the engine bulkhead… what’s French for firewall ??

Can you still buy this tape? You can always tell what stuff you’ve got squirreled away in the work bench is really old by the packaging - there’s no .com to be found on this pinstripe sized masking tape… It’s perfect for the strapping that winds around the lip of the cowling - found on most pre-war race cars to prevent damage to the bonnett … in real scale it gives you a strap that is only 3/4 inch in width - good stuff …

So there’s a reason why you should not use epoxy to glue small parts onto a painted surface … the forward buckle assemblies were not securely attached - bad planning - and one popped off while test fitting the bonnett - now back on with some CA, a wing. And a prayer …

Well played …

Thanks Mr B - hard to know whether i got the finish right - the blue may be a bit too heavy - anyway - there are few contemporary pictures and of course all bl & wh - so even the restorers of what is thought to be chass #3 can’t be too sure. The finish looks a little brighter in outdoor light - looks better …