1924 Delage GP - a what ?

[Pico]

Hope you are feeling better. I'd feel better if you weren't soldering on a plank of balsawood.

[Eric Macleod]

This model just keeps looking better and better. I keep watching your progress with interest. 

[absmiami]

back to work

using a sandwich of renshape - the brown material and .010 evergreen  white sheet - to replace the forward section of the chassis tray

the part is thinner and will have a shape - a slight bulge - to make room for the fr suspension leaf springs - which run directly under the chassis rail up front ....  

the bulge in these parts is not apparent on the scale drawings but is visible on the photos of the restored car on page 1

[absmiami]

gotta make the same changes to the fairing attached to the section of chassis rail forward of the radiator

so the renshape/evergreen sandwich replaces the thick resin fairing and will again be shaped with the bulge

renshape is easily shaped with sanding sticks to get a precise shape

also filling in the fairing ahead of the radiator - again with renshape

the  casting is accurate for the '25 team car - but the restored car that I am modeling does not have these openings

 

[absmiami]

none of the above makes sense til you see picture 0733

this is a mock up  -  once the radiator and front rail section is glued to the main chassis casting - not yet -

the leaf spring will both locate the axle and act as a brace for the chassis assembly

the leaf spring pictured is a casting from another project - I'll either use it or make something like it ....

without the shaped fairings -  the leaf springs can't sit under the chassis rails - where they belong ...

starting to think about the axle - can use the white metal casting in the Finecast '27 Delage kit as a guide

make it in nickel silver or shaped evergreen plastic  ??  dunno

 

[afx]

Where can you buy renshape?

[absmiami]

RRrrenshape:  bought a half a slab over ten years ago - expensive - but it will last me a long time ...

ebay is apparently an option for smaller amounts/pieces - at least one ebay seller offers board end "cutoffs" at what should be a decent price

haven't tried it yet - but if you do - let me know - ask to try the brown stuff - 450 - first - that's what I've been using - but you can also order a "harder" substance

the pictures show the second leaf spring in place - the gray casting - almost ready to glue the radiator/frame assembly to the main frame rails ... 

[absmiami]

but first the front axle ...

using the white metal Finecast kit part for the '27 delage GP car as a reference

began with .118 Raboesch wh styrene tube - tapered the ends with files and sanding sticks -

marked a guideline to center the bends - inserted brass rod - cut notches in tube

- and bent by hand with the help of a pin vice that is open-ended - so that I can insert the axle assembly

then glued and sanded the bends and checked on the drawings - this should work .....

the axle and spindle is one single assembly - no need to design working spindles because the mechanical brake assembly makes pose-able scale turning front wheels impractical

next have to figure out a secure axle attachment part on the top of the leaf springs ....

[Eric Macleod]

The detail you are putting into this is really amazing. 

[absmiami]

thanks for the compliment - but if you want to really see some Delage detail - check this builders blog out .....

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235014899-delage-15-s-8-grand-prix-18/

this guy is gonna give me nightmares ...

anyway  -  the resin cast spindle/drum brake assembly will be used in modified form -with separate brake drum housings with sharper detail

and I glued a short piece of filed evergreen plastic - fr larger section tube - to the top of leaf spring to grab the axle

the real axle was just welded onto the top of the leaf spring - but this way I think I can get a safe axle attachment w/out a lot of extra glue

- at least that is the plan ...

and I think I have just located some tiny cast "castle" style nut/bolt assemblies - been searching for these suckers for years - more later  

[absmiami]

  -  dragged kicking and screaming into the new century ....  -

wow - I just learned how to use auto-correct  -  how exciting !

the part used to locate the front axle to the spring is cut fr tubing, filed, and glued

the short length of tube is inserted into the part when gluing - to approximate the correct angle on the axle ...

[absmiami]

mock up pix for the axle/spring and spindles and placement into the chassis

next - got to modify the front chassis cross brace , glue/attach the radiator grill/forward chassis rails, and  make/attach the undertray

[absmiami]

time to replace the chassis tray - with .015 evergreen sheet

[absmiami]

first photo shows the axle and leaf springs mocked up in the chassis - it's a tight fit ...

second/third photos just show the opening for the sump in the undertray

[absmiami]

the printed engine has no sump - model factory pico sent me a picture of the sump from and old german magazine - so Ill make me a V12  Delage sump ...

[absmiami]

before the sump - putty and clean-up for the under-tray and the radiator grill

[absmiami]

the radiator shell needs a radiator

sawed up some scrap renshape - actually, there is no such thing as "scrap" renshape  ...

sanded to shape - the surface will get some photo-etched radiator patterns from the accessory parts drawer ...

[afx]

Coming along nicely Andy.

[absmiami]

so why am I messing around with the radiator shell  ??

While studying photos to make the radiator screen I realized that the shape of the radiator shell on the 1925 car - the French GP winner -

is different than the shell of the restored car - which was the 24/25 interim car ...

the restored car - see the pics on page 1 - has a more "formal" shape - with the badge on flat  sheet-metal facing straight ahead across the top of the shell

so I filed away a portion of the top of the radiator shell and replaced it with some renshape sheet ...

[absmiami]

filed and sanded the surfaces and added a backing plate for the badge - somewhere in my accessory drawer is a good Delage badge -

now I can figure out the radiator screen  ...

[absmiami]

the radiator screen - the 1924-25 car had one - and the restored car does also

don't know how the '25 grand prix winner managed without ....

started with heated .020 nickel silver rod that was bent around a pattern made from evergreen sheet - it has a dark appearance due to the heat treatment

had to try this twice - got a more correct shape the second try - and used the tip of some brass strip to solder the tips of the rod together

 

[absmiami]

the screen is photo-etched pattern made by Acu-Stion

it's cross-hatched and has some three dimensional etching - it's got the best scale appearance that I have found

they make a series of different patterns - good stuff

then soldered to the silver frame - with some initial cleanup

some pooled solder on the top and the bottom - have to live with this

- I can't heat it and "flow" it off the screen - that's OK

[absmiami]

the screen needs some more cleaning/fettling

but it will sit in front of the shell on some small pegs at the base and two protruding from the top of the rad shell

and I'll add a photo-etched radiator pattern to the front and back of the renshape radiator  ...

 

and merry Mother's day ....

[absmiami]

.... tiny update

acu-stion also makes a photo-etch pattern that is correct for many pre-war racing radiators cores

such as this Delage and your typical bugatti  etc - maybe Millers also - gotta check

sort of an egg crate shape - way different than modern racing radiator surfaces

this will get painted or sharpied black and used in the front and back of the radiator core ....

[gtx6970]

WOW<

Impressive is an understatement .