Cooper barn find

[absmiami]

post-Irma ........

_{note that there is a small bike chain sprocket in the picture of the crank case shown above}

_{the chain travels to the transmission  - alongside its casing - and then runs back to a sort of transaxle casing}

difficult to machine these  -  so an internet hunt before the storm turned up ETSY - which sells old watch parts in bulk

some of the parts will be used for the sprockets -which are different sizes on the crank case and the trans case

some of the smaller gears will turn up in a later Bugatti project .....

the chain will be simulated with photo-etched "chain" links made by Aber

they don't match perfectly with the watch gears but it should look okay - will probably try to solder this together

[absmiami]

back to the suspension for a moment

the kit rear uprights will be used as modified with evergreen bits

and the rear suspension arms from the Deeks' kit will be used as modified

[Ace-Garageguy]

Very cool. I missed this previously...and I have the Merit kit. Really like what you're doing with the tube frame and guts represented. Most excellent.

[Earl Marischal]

Very impressed with the work you're doing here.

I built a few of these Merit kits back in the last century when they were new but nothing to this level.

steve

[iBorg]

Where did you get the Aber chains? I have a use for those.

[absmiami]

Aber Chains :

sold out on the BNA Model World site (Australia)

have a look around - I purchased these w/in the last yr - can't recall which internet seller

check the major model sellers catering to military modelers

photo:

current model assembly bench

it takes one of two events to force me to clean my work bench

first:  an act of Congress

second:  a major hurricane

this time it was the hurricane .....

Merit kits:

got any un-builts left ??  which ones  ??

[Pico]

Glad to see you're not working by candlelight.

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

...Merit kits:

got any un-builts left ??  which ones  ??

I have a Cooper, as you're doing here, a Simca-Gordini, a Maserati 250F and a Vanwal. Plus a few Talbot-Lagos and Alfa Romeo Alfettas in both Merit and SMER boxing. Also the Jag D-type and Aston Martin DB3 S, both cleanly built but falling apart, so rebuilding will be much like starting fresh.

Some of the Merit tooling (that didn't go to SMER) ended up with Premier (at least the Aston Martin did), and The Ferrari looks like it may very possibly have become the MPC or Strombecker slot car. I have what I believe is the Strombecker version.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[RancheroSteve]

Just found this topic - so cool! Following with interest.

[absmiami]

• Glad to see you're not working by candlelight. :   

 

                                        ???

[Pico]

Ha!

[absmiami]

"three little pigs"...

time for some U joints

this Cooper was one of the first race cars with indep rear suspension - using U joints

they are relatively compact - they don't have to be as hefty as later U joints on car w larger engines

So I tried several different methods of construction - using U joints soldered from brass

my first attempts were too large - and a re-check of my photos led to some construction changes

I will use the top one in the photo - the U joint is made from 1/32 brass tube - soldered and drilled - with .019 brass pins through the yokes

the yokes are filed  drilled and sanded from .60 x 1.00 evergreen stock, with some discs from round stock

[absmiami]

some more shots to explain the process

my first attempts used U joints made from solid brass rod

but I wasn't satisfied with the plastic yokes - which had to be made in halves

so I then made the joints fr tubing - which had to be filed and sawed to tiny joints that would fit into the yokes

as close as I will come to brain surgery on this project ... 

[absmiami]

some more shots to illustrate

gonna make one more or three more

undecided - the joints either side of the transaxle might be faked as they run under the frame and are difficult to see anyway

[Pico]

Balsa wood ignition temperature: 400 F.

[DustyMojave]

Nice work!

But I have to take issue with the statement that "this Cooper was one of the first race cars with indep rear suspension". Porsches of the same era had independent rear suspension. Swing axle with joints that are definitely not u-joints. And the same Dr. Porsche headed the GP team at Auto Union in the 1930s with independent rear suspension race cars. Again, not u-joints. But it is independent rear suspension. Others tried it too. But the Cooper 500 was a neat and innovative little race car that I'm quite fond of.

[absmiami]

Balsa wood ignition temperature: 400 F.

yes - the photo of the soldering on balsa should have come with a warning - something like

"don't try this at home" 

there are better, safer soldering pads available - but I seem to be stuck in my ways - as you know .....

and about the rear suspension - yes - excellent and thorough hx - I oversold this Cooper's innovations

Ferry Porsche has to be considered the Father of the modern race car

J Cooper would have seen - and studied - the Germans at the  pre-war British Grand Prix races

and like Chapman - he was anxious to try his own designs after the war ....

anyhow - I've got a U joint fetish - let's keep this a secret ..

[absmiami]

I hate when this happens ...

just as I was recovering from my U joint fever , I obtained some really cool white metal castings of a long lost French Grand Prix car - from the twenties

It's a Delage - and it's been on my "to build" list for years

So the Cooper has been put back into the barn for a little while so that I can begin this project - with apologies to John Cooper ....

off we go  ...

[vintagercr]

Wow, lots of detail

[absmiami]

decided to wheel the Cooper back out of the barn

will do some engine building on the "Old Racing Engines" blog ....

[Chromecop]

This is just stunning artwork!!!!

[Codi]

Andrew, don't care what you're building, worth following along as the info / details shared are fantastic.  Now I have to go check out your "Engines" thread.  Cheers, tim

[Rich Chernosky]

Andy....good to see you are still active. You are doing some interesting work here. I have this kit in my stash, along with a few other Merits, so i will be watching your progress with interest. 

[absmiami]

active  !

yes, thank you

like a yeast infection  ....

reaching back in my memory  -

were you active in doing the Watkins Glen meet/contest ? - would still like to go one year ...

 

[Rich Chernosky]

Just now, absmiami said:

active  !

yes, thank you

like a yeast infection  ....

reaching back in my memory  -

were you active in doing the Watkins Glen meet/contest ? - would still like to go one year ...

 

Aaahh..you remember.  I am still on the commitee but I don't host a show there. I let the Motor Racing Research Center have my show and they hold it in the early part of April.  Did you ever finish that AutoKit Lotus  I traded with you.  I have worked on the Ferrari but have yet to finish an Autokit.