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Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing 5th overall of Mille Miglia 1955 edition, driven by John Fitch (based on Tamiya Kit 1:24 scale): FINISHED !


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Great to see you working on another stance of this beautiful car. And you are addding a lot of details to this so called OOB build.

I’ll be following you, if I may

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Following along if I may. I’ve always admired the Gullwing, if from afar. Watching you add to this kit is enjoyable.
 

Congratulations on your retirement, I’m glad you’ve found enough to keep you busy and out of trouble (or maybe in just enough).

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Hey everyone :)

 

The part supplied by Tamiya to represent the distributor of this car isn't very easy to use if you want to wire the spark  plugs.

 

It is one of the reason for which I've had to abandon the idea to realize this operation for the previous MB. Not without remaining very disappointed !

 

51097343334_3bc2de85b8_c.jpg   51097262726_41a3f92e8f_c.jpg

 

So, keeping in my mind this idea of improvement, I've drawn with Fusion 360 a new distributor, whose shapes are very close to the genuine part and dimensions the same than the kit part's ones, and on which there is 7 holes, intended for receiving the plugs.

Due to the printing process and despite a strong cleaning before UV curing, the holes aren't deep enough, but it would  be easy to dig them with a 0.3 or 0.4 drill bit.

 

51097375869_6c7c032a46_c.jpg

 

51097295001_a9323e3cf6_c.jpg   51097375864_c72be5a3d3_c.jpg

 

I'm not sure, this time again, to manage to wire this distributor, but I want to try !

 

Stay tuned if you like :)

 

 

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1 hour ago, silver911 said:

Looks good...and...if you use a  0.3mm drill...this would  work nicely.....https://www.componentshop.co.uk/29awg-0-28mm-7-core-copper-teflon-insulated-connecting-wire.html

 

Ron

 

Thanks Ron

Order placed ...I would have done this sooner.

 

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Good evening chaps :)

 

Modeling is a never-ending story 🤔

 

I was pretty happy with my new distributor...but... studying better the photos of the real engine, for instance those I put hereunder, we can see that there is over the distributor another part, fixed to it, from which goes out a tubing.

This part is , roughly , the vacuum adjuster, and the hose that goes out, the vacuum hose !  Please, do not ask me to explain what it is supposed to do... I'm not competent enough for that !

 

51102080430_fc88e7507c_b.jpg   51101339449_64df494e84_b.jpg

 

I'm not able too to explain why this valve is fixed upon the distributor, but it is here, so, lets go for a new sketch  with Fusion 360

 

51102159195_55a695fcf3_b.jpg

 

And after 3D printing, you could see hereunder, from left to right: the Tamiya part, the first distributor, and the last one:

 

51102045170_742b3c16ce_c.jpg   51102045165_60d474a124_c.jpg

 

Will I make the tubing for this vacuum adjuster ?....wait and see 😉

 

Stay tuned for next steps and thanks for watching :)

 

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Morning chaps :)

 

I've found an explanation for the proximity of distributor and vacuum adjuster:

"Vacuum advance works by using a manifold vacuum source to advance the timing at low to mid engine load conditions by rotating the position sensor (contact points, hall effect or optical sensor, reluctor stator, etc.) mounting plate in the distributor with respect to the distributor shaft."

"Vacuum advance is completely independent of mechanical advance. We like to describe vacuum advance as load-based timing since timing is added when there is a light load on the engine. Conversely, timing is reduced when load is applied. Mechanical advance is strictly determined by engine RPM and nothing else"

 

And it's interesting to read This article

 

So, on the MB 300SL Gullwing, the advance in timing was adjusting by using a vacuum adjuster system !

And that explain why this valve is joined to the intake manifold by the tubing !

 

And consequently , the addition of the valve on this model was absolutely necessary !

 

 

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good afternoon, gentlemen :)

 

Rudge wheels ready to prime, as the engine parts:

 

51104748332_1d6a32751d_b.jpg

 

But just before, I've to create the gas valves.

For that, I've drilled out on each wheel a hole through which, after the painting job,  I'll thread a 0,5 mm diameter electrical insulated wire: 

 

51104781962_2ce4e44519_c.jpg

 

Stay tuned for next steps :)

 

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Good evening gentlemen :)

 

Not a big progress since the previous post, since I fell ill Friday evening, and I've had medical examination and X-rays yesterday...I feel better today under antibiotics, but I was not far from a digestive surgery !

 

Aniways, I've progressed on the engine, assembling some parts and painting/weathering  it, after a long masking session:

 

Left side:

 

51110789455_d82215a69e_b.jpg

 

Right side:

 

51109447767_fde196e988_b.jpg

 

Top side

 

51109760084_317354765e_b.jpg

 

Focus on the added oil pump on the front:

 

51110789420_7469952005_b.jpg

 

Focus on the top of the gearbox, with an added part, the lid !

 

51109918993_8304f8da91_b.jpg

 

Furthermore, I've progressed too on the injection pump:

 

- The shaft has been made from 2 section of 1,0 mm brass tube, 2 sections of 0.8 mm tube and 1 section of 0.6 mm tube

- All these tiny parts sleeved one on the other

- The shaft has been glued on the pump body

 

 What you could see on the picture below is this set and 6 sections of 0.6 mm x 3 mm brass tube and 6 sections of 0.6 mm x 1,5 mm brass tube, plus 6 copper sections of 0.3 mm copper wire

All this small world will be used to make the 6 fuel lines of the injection pump.

Hopefully, it will be more accurate than of the previous model: 

 

51110658605_57f69bf35c_b.jpg

 

Stay tuned for next steps if you like and thanks for watching and criticizing :)

 

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All right, I go on :)

 

The tubing over the top of the injection pump has been made, and I've test fitted the set on the engine block, to get an idea of what is resulting :

 

51109567232_43d06b7f59_b.jpg

 

And the 6 injectors have been glued on the engine block:

 

51109567222_d9ef6620d4_b.jpg

 

Now the most difficult work still lies ahead : give each fuel line the right shape and thread them into the injectors.

 

This will be for tomorrow, since my eyes sting, after 2 hours wearing magnifying glasses 😉

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Good evening guys :)

 

A little progress today, with the plumbing of the ignition pump.

As you could see on the photos below, the fuel lines are not as well aligned as  they should be, and it's also the case for the connectors on the top of the pump. There were aligned, but, the pulling force applied while shaping the copper lines, has put a merry m... 

 

Probably I'm not  skillful enough, because I know that it could have been possible. I just have to look at some videos on Youtube (Please search "A4 Garage" and enjoy 👍)

 

However, it's a difficult job, always with magnifying glasses, that assembling and shaping, try after try, one after one, so tiny parts that are enjoying jumping out of the tweezers jaws and dropping anywhere.

 

In spite of this, I'm still pleased with the result, because the shapes of the fuel lines match quite perfectly the original's ones, and because the visual aspect is correct.

But I'll try to do better next time :)

 

 

Plus, I began working on the plumbing  of the vacuum line which join the pump o the intake manifold on the right side of the engine.

 

51112755190_fa2d2a42ff_b.jpg   51111974441_2fed8d5425_b.jpg

 

51112755270_49414e51a8_b.jpg   51111933483_31268ebe5e_b.jpg

 

Thanks for watching :)

 

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Just now, Bengalensis said:

That's looking very nice with the injection pump and plumbing.

 

I hope and trust you are feeling much better after the Friday scare.

 

Thanks for the kind words and thanks for the prayers :)

Yes I'm doing better 👍

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Good evening mates :)

 

Not a lot of progress today, apparently, because what I've done has been time consuming .

 

Taking inspiration of a lot of photographs you can find on the Internet, and particularly This one, I've opened my plumber's toolbox , and scratched the plumbing of the oil pump, on the left side of the engine.

I've used a lot of patience ans several brass bits, made of 10 sections of 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm tubes etc. shaped progressively, by making numerous tests.

Making the 3 lines you can see has taken about 6 hours 🤪

 

The result is rather convincing :

 

51114278281_d94ac8f3de_b.jpg   51114033159_f543970630_b.jpg

 

51113710072_21c60f95f9_b.jpg

 

The loom for the ignition wiring is on the benchTT, and I'm still waiting the 0.28 mm electrical wire I've ordered last week, on an English website (thanks to @silver911 ), so can't progress more .

Some plastic bits have been cleaned and primed

 

I've also designed with Fusion 360 a sketch of Treadle-Vac brake booster, thanks to the helpful indications of @ejboyd5, who provided me some personal photographs

I don't know If I'll try to implement this part on the kit, because, after some measures, it appears that it will be difficult to attach it at its right place, due to the simplified Tamiya design of the firewall.

 

Meanwhile, this is the result of my efforts:

 

51114054774_300348769d_b.jpg[

 

See you tomorrow :)

 

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On 4/13/2021 at 11:59 PM, CrazyCrank said:

The result is rather convincing :

Indeed it is, Thierry. Much added details again. Love it.

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Phenomenal work on everything so far! Sorry for not commenting sooner, my jaw has been on the floor!

 

Thank you for sharing, this has been very educational.

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9 hours ago, Pouln said:

Indeed it is, Thierry. Much added details again. Love it.

Thank you for the kind comment, I'm happy you've fallen in love with her, but you must know  I'm very jealous :)

 

2 hours ago, RadMax8 said:

Phenomenal work on everything so far! Sorry for not commenting sooner, my jaw has been on the floor!

 

Thank you for sharing, this has been very educational.

Thank yours much for this superlative comment, stay tuned for next steps :)

 

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