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Post by oldirish33 on May 22, 2023 11:35:11 GMT -5
It should be a great project Stewart. It may prompt me to do the same with one of my extra models of DD300, quite a famous and well regarded car in Healey circles. I have known John Chatham since the early 80's and he is one heck of a character! The Sebring sister car to DD300 (UJB141) lived here in Oregon for a long time with a good mate, Bill Bolton. While that car remained as raced in 1960, in the hands of Chatham was modified (within regulation) extensively and at one time was the fastest Healey in the world. It is also the Healey with the longest and most successful competition history. There is some unsolicited Healey trivia for you. 😉 The book is a good read, probably geared for Healey wonks like me.
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Post by Stewart on May 22, 2023 13:41:14 GMT -5
It should be a great project Stewart. It may prompt me to do the same with one of my extra models of DD300, quite a famous and well regarded car in Healey circles. I have known John Chatham since the early 80's and he is one heck of a character! The Sebring sister car to DD300 (UJB141) lived here in Oregon for a long time with a good mate, Bill Bolton. While that car remained as raced in 1960, in the hands of Chatham was modified (within regulation) extensively and at one time was the fastest Healey in the world. It is also the Healey with the longest and most successful competition history. There is some unsolicited Healey trivia for you. 😉 The book is a good read, probably geared for Healey wonks like me. Good stuff Jerry, I just bought the book, not least because Donald Healey was born, lived and worked in Perranporth just up the coast from where I live in Cornwall. A link to his life story below. A great engineer, Chapmanesque even. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Healey
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Post by oldirish33 on May 22, 2023 18:54:48 GMT -5
You might be interested to know Stewart that Healey Cornish Cider Farm healeyscyder.co.uk/ in Truro was started by Donald's grandson David. I was fortunate to have been involved with Healeys while Donald was still alive and the opportunity to meet him several times. He had a mind that never stopped, always was curious and asked a lot of intelligent questions.
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Post by reeft1 on May 23, 2023 4:35:54 GMT -5
I used to fish the reservoir at Perranporth. Small world.
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Post by Stewart on May 27, 2023 8:45:28 GMT -5
Lotus 19…A new project. Jim Clark models are a bit “few and far between”, so I’m using what little ingenuity I have left to create a model of the Arciero Brothers car that he drove brilliantly at Laguna Seca at the end of 1963. Coverage of that race (including video footage) by Peter Windsor has the following link. peterwindsor.com/2013/10/21/at-last-the-arciero-19/I bought this Spark Dan Gurney donor model in a sale from Diecast Legends for £47 and started work on it. Good progress, using a fine polish and Q tip to carefully remove the lacquer, the Sellotape rip removed the #1s (which will be replaced with a similarly oversized #5) and the headlight taping. More work to do, including replacing the rollover arrangement and hopefully using these decals (when finally purchased) to complete the project. The decals are ordered, the roll cage removed and new roll bar in place. The screen was dislodged in the process and will be the last item to be refitted.
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Post by oldirish33 on May 27, 2023 11:50:03 GMT -5
It's going to look brilliant Stewart!
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Post by Stewart on May 30, 2023 14:16:14 GMT -5
Austin Healey 3000… Another new project, Jim Clark raced this car at Brands and I need to include it in the collection.
Now here’s a thing! In my haste to realise the project I actually bought three models on eBay including this one. The thinking was that the project deserved the best, hence the Spark purchase as a donor car, however on closer inspection of the Brands Hatch photo I realised that the car that Jim Clark raced at Brands didn’t have the grille alterations nor the side louvres that the later Le Mans cars had been given. So maybe the much cheaper Retro Vitesse model would fit the bill, upgraded wheels are easily added, but the bonnet isn’t ok! Back to the drawing board!
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Post by oldirish33 on May 30, 2023 21:46:44 GMT -5
Yes, the Vitesse AH 3000's were way off. IXO made the 1960 Le Mans car. It does not have the vents and does have the right grille. It would likely need a respray after you eliminate the Le Mans number marker lights and roof light, chrome wheel arch edges. Would need the DD300 number plate since It retained its factory plate at Le Mans in 1960. The fog lamps are wrong as well. You might be better to start with a K&R Replicas kit. They make up into nice models and the 1960 Sebring car would be what you want. K&R Replicas IXO
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Post by Stewart on Jun 3, 2023 6:42:27 GMT -5
Thanks to Jerry for his good advice re DD 300. The second of the two Spark models (#23) that I’d ordered arrived yesterday and I had a pleasant surprise. As with the Ixo model this 1960 LM car does not have the side louvres nor the modified grille of the 1961, #24 LM car so is a much better donor car. OK as Jerry points out it will need the wheel arch trim and the LM light removed as well as the re-disposition of the lower front lights. Of course the hard top will need to be painted white but the removal of the light would have have triggered that in any case. Removing the decals may be a bit tricky given the proximity of various bits of hardware. The DD 300 plates have been ordered.
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Post by Stewart on Jun 4, 2023 8:30:06 GMT -5
Quite a good start, two decals gone albeit not quite as was expected. They didn’t lift off as usual with the sellotape but continued use of the 3M “Finesse it” compound eroded the decal away assisted by judicious use of fingernails.
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Post by oldirish33 on Jun 4, 2023 8:34:37 GMT -5
Looks good Stewart. I had forgotten Spark made the 1960 Le Mans car. Looks like you might be able to remove chrome trim and decals without a need to respray. I would be tempted to leave the roof light and driving lights as is.
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Post by Stewart on Jun 4, 2023 13:42:06 GMT -5
Looks good Stewart. I had forgotten Spark made the 1960 Le Mans car. Looks like you might be able to remove chrome trim and decals without a need to respray. I would be tempted to leave the roof light and driving lights as is. I’m going to have to spray the hard top white so any damage from removing the roof light can be sorted. I might well take your advice about the driving lights, only you and I will ever know! The only other slight problem is the superb delicate Spark modelling of the fastenings of the wheel arch extensions, so far the “Finesse it” treatment has not removed them. Apparently they were aluminium strips that were required by the Le Mans regs at the time, possibly to reduce the spray during wet conditions.
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Post by Stewart on Jun 10, 2023 10:52:52 GMT -5
Jim Clark Lotus 19
The decals finally arrived today, all but three weeks after they were posted from Holland! Brexit and Covid of course to blame! What a joke in this day and age. Moving on……. It’s time to strip off the Gurney decals and put on the new ones.
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Post by Stewart on Jun 11, 2023 13:08:23 GMT -5
Disaster!Tried the old sellotape rip ploy after many previous successes only for this to happen. Both sides!
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Post by Stewart on Jun 11, 2023 13:22:18 GMT -5
Tried to edit my last post but that is not easily done so moving on… Better news I looked around to see if I had a suitable red in house to recover the situation. Yes, Peugeot red! Wish me luck!
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