1/8 Porsche 935/78 'Moby Dick'

Hello again,

Last week was all about laying-up fibreglass. There are still more parts to be made - rear wing mainplane and endplates, etc - but I had enough moulds ready to start a new batch.

So, here's the basic toolkit:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby794_zps72b9053d.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby794_zps72b9053d.jpg.html)

Aeropoxy resin and hardener from Deluxe Materials, petroleum jelly as a release agent, mixing pot, and small brush. The Aeropoxy is poured in the ratio of 3 parts resin to 2 parts hardener, or 7.5ml to 5ml; a quick stir to mix it all together and it's ready to go. Given that it's been quite warm recently, each mix would give me about 30 minutes to work with before starting to go off. Normally this is enough time, but not always...

Next up, the fibreglass cloth:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby793_zpsa6694a88.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby793_zpsa6694a88.jpg.html)

From left to right, 0.6oz, 1.5oz, and 2.3oz; I've also got some 1oz and 2oz available, but these were not used for laying-up these parts. As you can see, the lightest 0.6oz cloth is rather fine - it frays very easily, but is the easiest to work over the curves and changes of direction. The heavier cloths are better suited to panels with less detail, but it's easy enough to mix-and-match and add odd bits of heavier cloth in strategic positions.

When first mixed, the resin is quite fluid and brushes onto the mould easily. The first layer of cloth is always the messiest, as you're brushing the resin onto the petroleum jelly - the coverage can sometimes be hit-and-miss.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby795_zps9f6d639f.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby795_zps9f6d639f.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby796_zps58c64d44.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby796_zps58c64d44.jpg.html)

The benefit of the 0.6oz cloth is that it can be worked into the corners, as shown above on the front bulkhead mould. I try to keep each layer of cloth as a single intact piece, but on more complicated moulds it is often necessary to make small cuts to allow it to take the correct shape. Rotating the direction of the weave between layers is also a good idea, as it improves the strength and stiffness of the finished part.

Whenever I'm laying up, I always work on the more complicated moulds first while the resin is at it's most fluid. You know when it's beginning to go off when the cloth starts sticking to the brush as you're trying to brush it down! At this point there's no chance of continuing - mix up a new batch of resin in a fresh pot, and use a fresh brush. Using the old pot or brush will only kick-start the reaction in the new mix, giving you even less time...

So, I put four layers of cloth onto each mould. A couple of layers of 0.6oz to start with, then 1.5oz. The front bulkhead lower section received a layer of 2.3oz, rather than the second layer of 0.6oz. For the final layers on the more complicated moulds I did some trimming and cutting to vary the lay-up. For example, on the rear bumper section:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby797_zps4ea22140.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby797_zps4ea22140.jpg.html)

A smaller piece was then added over the middle to complete the layer.

The final layer of cloth was added mid-morning Saturday, then left to harden. Last night I removed the panels from the moulds - in most cases you can get a length of thin cardboard inbetween and work the fibreglass loose. This becomes tricky when you have more complicated shapes, and the cardboard won't necessarily go where you want it to! The petroleum jelly does a good job, but it makes it a messy process.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby798_zpseb8f2b46.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby798_zpseb8f2b46.jpg.html)

Once off the moulds I gave everything a quick trim around the edges, then a scrub in warm soapy water. Now it's all about getting everything trimmed to shape properly, and smoothed-off: despite my efforts to remove the worst of the lumps and bumps between layers, the outer surfaces are in need of further attention.

Of course, new panels have to be offered up to the car as soon as possible - it's the rule!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby799_zps0cda1663.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby799_zps0cda1663.jpg.html)

I measured the thickness of the new panels - each one is typically around 0.6 to 0.65mm, which is okay. If they were intended to be more 'structural' I would possibly have added a fifth or even sixth layer of 1.5oz cloth, but for these parts it was unnecessary.

Finally for tonight, I've also been working on the right-hand rear bodywork support frame, and making a start on the extension for the tail support:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby800_zps1bfd73a3.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby800_zps1bfd73a3.jpg.html)

The tail support is all 1/8" ali tubing, and each side will be pinned into the back of the engine bay. Styrene tube would be easier to work with, of course, but there's going to be some load on here once the bodywork is fitted so ali was the better choice. I'll continue with this during the week, and make a start on trimming some of the new panels.

That's it for tonight!

SB

after all these updates, your lego jig system is still awesome :) appreciate you taking pics of the layup process!

Great pics of the layup; was getting curious about that!

ianc

Hmm...where have the last few weeks gone?

I've been saving all sorts of things for this update - it's not a case of lack of progress, it's more that I've been making progress in several directions at once! First up, continuing with the rear bodywork support frames:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby801_zps51930129.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby801_zps51930129.jpg.html)

The small diagonal tubes were particularly awkward - it didn't help that I wanted to pin both ends. As usual, the Lego helped to keep things in line.

Next, there are two small 'ears' which support the back end of the two outer wing panels. These were cut from solid styrene, with two drillings to pin them into the main ali tubes, and a third L-shaped pin to help anchor them in place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby802_zps565c578c.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby802_zps565c578c.jpg.html)

The tricky part with these frames was how to secure them to the back of the chassis, to cope with the weight of the bodywork. Although I had added ali (or was it brass?) tubing inside the main styrene chassis tubes for strength a long time ago, this tube was pierced in several places where I'd pinned other tubes and brackets in place - so I couldn't sleeve the bodywork frame too far inside. To improve the situation, I filed the ends:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby803_zps2b39ec5c.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby803_zps2b39ec5c.jpg.html)

Here's the frames in place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby804_zpseb9ce9e2.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby804_zpseb9ce9e2.jpg.html)

I've greenstuffed some of the joints already, including the two styrene 'ears' - the small L-shaped pin is buried inside. There's a couple of extra small details still to come, but these frames are now a permanent fixture. With the other small ali outrigger frames added too, there's suddenly a lot going on back there.

Moving on, here's the interior cover panel for the gearbox after an initial trimming and fitting session:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby807_zps07eb3ee1.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby807_zps07eb3ee1.jpg.html)

The fun part will be getting it to fit around the tubes of the main roof structure - more on this next time.

With the tail support frames fixed I could start trimming the main bumper section:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby805_zps5d87aa44.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby805_zps5d87aa44.jpg.html)

I wanted to keep the bumper in one piece for as long as possible, although in time it will be cut into three. It soon became clear that a mk2 version would be required - I needed a little extra material on the top and bottom edges to get a better fit with the outer wing panels, the centre section needed 'adjusting' to give me clearance for the turbo units, and the exhaust would need altering to get the hole in the right place! Other than that, it was fine...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby806_zps99c8f23f.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby806_zps99c8f23f.jpg.html)

You can see above where I've had to pull the bumper away from the main chassis frame - I've got to get the turbo assembly tucked away under there eventually. You also get an idea of how the outer section of the bumper will be added to the wing panel / fender.

So, last week was another fibreglassing session, starting with the mk2 bumper (with angled centre section):

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby808_zps654b7646.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby808_zps654b7646.jpg.html)

...rear wing mainplane:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby812_zpse93c24f6.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby812_zpse93c24f6.jpg.html)

...and a folded panel for the endplates:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby811_zps7b12fc91.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby811_zps7b12fc91.jpg.html)

The foam core was wrapped in fibreglass cloth with no release agent - it wasn't coming out. Three layers of cloth, and that was that - a light, stiff wing plane. Keeping the foam core in place would present one obvious problem - how to glue the end plates? My solution was to drill two 1/8" holes into the end, then add a styrene 'plug' to which the end plate can be glued:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby813_zpsa4e0bd44.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby813_zpsa4e0bd44.jpg.html)

Finally, in amongst all this I've been fitting the mk3 front bulkhead. I used the mk2 version as a reference and fiddled with cardboard templates to improve the fit with the outer wing panels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby809_zps0e8e3c15.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby809_zps0e8e3c15.jpg.html)

By the time of this final photo I'd added the channel for the steering column, some styrene detailing on the lower vertical section of the panel, and you can just see two small brackets down the bottom which are for 'bolting' the tube frame chassis to what's left of the 911 bodyshell:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby810_zpsa33efa4f.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby810_zpsa33efa4f.jpg.html)

So, plenty of progress and more to come. I hope to get more done with the rear wing this week, and will continue detailing the front bulkhead. A return to the cockpit and dashboard is looming, but I suspect that will be a job for my holiday later this month.

Have a good week,

SB

another awesome update!

I know i say nothing new,but your work is incredible...really... :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Hello everyone,

Odd time for an update (from me, anyway) but I've reached a good point in the build and wanted to show what I've been doing before getting on with the next job. I've certainly had a productive week, but I'll start with the mk2 bumper panel which made a brief appearance during the last update.

The extra height I added to the mould has allowed me to get a better fit where the outer ends of the bumper panel are wedged into the rear wings / fenders:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby814_zpsfa1786ac.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby814_zpsfa1786ac.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby815_zps264001f0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby815_zps264001f0.jpg.html)

Getting this to work properly has been frustrating at times, and still needs more effort before I'm ready to start gluing parts together. I'm still reluctant to cut the bumper panel into the three sections just yet, as it's too useful to have it in a single piece. The angled panel over the top of the turbo units appears to work well - it should provide enough room for everything to fit. I'll return to these parts in a while.

Next, a piece of destruction rather than construction. When I had the mk1 version of the bumper panel I realised that the turbo exhaust pipes were not going to be in the correct position. I'd modelled them as being horizontal, but the engine actually sits in the car at nose-down angle - so the tailpipes were now pointing upwards. Now, I'm not claiming total accuracy for my bumper panel measurements, but I knew that I couldn't make it all work as it was - the best solution was to adjust the angle of the tailpipes. Rather than completely re-make these parts, I made a pair of new flanges from styrene tube and half-round section, then separated the old flanges from the tailpipes:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby826_zps5c86607b.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby826_zps5c86607b.jpg.html)

Moving on to this week, I decided to spend time on the rear wing - the mainplane was easy enough to trim to length, but that still left the main supports to work out. Once I'd settled on a shape for a template, I cut five panels for each support from a mix of 0.75mm and 0.4mm styrene, giving a total thickness of just over 3mm. I then added a length of 1/8" ali tube to create the leading edge, and to provide some strength and (hopefully) structure:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby816_zps3ac1b6ac.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby816_zps3ac1b6ac.jpg.html)

As I glued the styrene panels together I created a channel in the front edge, into which I could pin and glue the ali tubes:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby817_zpsd0928f1f.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby817_zpsd0928f1f.jpg.html)

From here it was a question of shaping and filling the trailing edge to create more of a teardrop profile, then adding brackets to attach the mainplane. The stay is small-diameter ali tube with a length of wire inside, with 3mm styrene rod and hex used to create the rod-end joint detailing. I kept a small piece of the left-over mainplane to use as a place-holder, rather than risk screwing up the actual part:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby818_zpsd288a5e5.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby818_zpsd288a5e5.jpg.html)

More of this later! Working on the wing and the engine cover extension panel gave me the impetus to tackle the rear grille. I worked out the basic measurements, and used one of my photos of the Silverstone Kremer 935 to get measurements for the spacing and the thickness of the grille slats. Thin styrene would have been ideal, but I was concerned about it distorting over time when glued together, so decided to use some of my flat-sheet fibreglass instead:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby819_zps68d87dc6.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby819_zps68d87dc6.jpg.html)

I cut the slats approx. 2.5mm wide by about 100mm long, then made the three supports from 2mm wide styrene. The fiddly part was adding the extra lengths of styrene across each support to create the correct spacing, but they were easy enough to trim to length afterwards. I then taped the three supports in place on a piece of cardboard, and started CA'ing the slats into position:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby820_zps8aa4cbe7.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby820_zps8aa4cbe7.jpg.html)

The slats were then cut to length to match the shape of the hole I was busy cutting into the rear deck. The hole edges were built-up with layers of styrene sheet and lengths of strip, as I worked out how to create the rest of the grille. Mesh was added to the underside and CA'd in place, with 3mm strip added as extra support. Finally, another styrene plate was cut which would fit around the whole lot and hold the grille in position:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby822_zps0d664239.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby822_zps0d664239.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby821_zpsa947d573.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby821_zpsa947d573.jpg.html)

Eventually the grille section will be painted black and can be glued into the rear deck panel. I've shaped the outermost ends of the slats to follow the curve of the bodywork, too. So far, I'm very happy with the result - it's not a job I'd planned to do this week, but given the time it's taken I'm glad I did!

Here's a shot of the rear deck with both the wing and grille panel in place - I trimmed the wing end-plates to size and pinned them into the styrene inserts shown last time. I added two small lengths of 1/8" ali tube into the trailing edge of the mainplane to create sockets - I then glued small styrene pegs onto the inner face of the endplates so that they were held at the correct angle. In time the whole lot will be glued together properly, but for now it's staying loose:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby824_zps575c05cd.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby824_zps575c05cd.jpg.html)

...and here's the required shot of the full car, with nose and whale-tail in position!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby825_zps224832d8.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby825_zps224832d8.jpg.html)

I have to do this from time to time, as it reminds me of what I'm working towards - getting the wing and grille sorted are both sizeable jobs crossed off the 'to do' list.

So, it's definitely been a productive week - and it's still only Friday. The next job I'm planning to tackle is the floor: I want to get some strength into the chassis structure, as the front end is vulnerable until the main roll-cage is added. Styrene sheet is too flexible, fibreglass is better but not good enough...maybe if I had a sheet of carbon-fibre I could use? More on this next time...!

All the best,

SB

Ufff I need to see when the painting phase will be in place! !

amazing job. thanks for sharing sb.

Looking great.

Great Progress!!!

There simply no words anymore to describe this work of engeneering in miniature....ALL the words that can be said....have been said....and this is an ongoing project, now let us try to imagine all this in it finished glory....supreme and sublime, THANK YOU SB, this is trully an inspiring and amazing journey in the art of miniature automobile modeling.

Incredible work!!! :eek2::eek2:

that is astounding, absolutely amazing work so far!

wow, wow, wow!!!

Once again, thanks for the kind words, guys - much appreciated. Don't worry JesusM - I want to see it being painted too! I know the time is coming where I'll have to start putting some of these small sub-assemblies together in order to make progress - and that means painting...

Two things to show you tonight. First - the floor panel. One of my colleagues at work has a background in carbon-composites (ex-Lotus F1 and now with GT's in WEC), so he was the right source for a suitable sheet of carbon-fibre to use for a floor panel:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby827_zps6d903ab0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby827_zps6d903ab0.jpg.html)

Overall size was 15" by 10", approx. 1.28mm thick (sorry for the mix of units). So, just a bit bigger than a sheet of A4 paper. I had already looked online for suitable off-the-shelf carbon sheet, but it only seemed to be available in paper-sizes - eg A5, A4, etc. At this thickness there was still a small amount of flex, but compared to using styrene or fibreglass it was a dramatic improvement.

First, I made a cardboard template for the floor - I wanted to maximize the width towards the front of the frame, as this was the weakest point:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby828_zps9f69022d.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby828_zps9f69022d.jpg.html)

After transferring the final shape to the carbon-fibre, I started cutting. I hadn't worked with carbon until now, so watched a few online videos for tips first:

Wear a dust-mask.
Wear safety glasses
Wear gloves.
Use a vacuum-cleaner to remove the worst of the dust while cutting.
Think of it as metal in terms of drilling, cutting, etc.

You can see here that it does make a lot of dust - this was only a small cut about 80mm, but you wouldn't want to be breathing this stuff in:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby829_zps04453509.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby829_zps04453509.jpg.html)

I used a couple of 'Dremel' type hand tools for the cutting - one with an 18mm diamond wheel for the main straight cuts, and another for drilling holes. You can see here where I've drilled holes at the main junctions between straight cuts:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby830_zpsbb92be84.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby830_zpsbb92be84.jpg.html)

...and later, after using emery-cloth on a block to smooth the edges:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby831_zpsf7016161.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby831_zpsf7016161.jpg.html)

I've cut the floor wide enough to extend under the outer sill structure, but I haven't tried to follow the exact shape of the chassis. It's one of those times when practical requirements (strength, durability) are greater than 100% accuracy to the source material. No, there shouldn't be floor visible between the front and rear ends of the sills and the main cockpit area, but it seemed daft to trim these areas out:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby832_zps6840fcd4.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby832_zps6840fcd4.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby833_zps8f531486.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby833_zps8f531486.jpg.html)

I still have to work out how to fix the floor onto the chassis. Ideally I'll pin it in a few places as well as gluing it, but (a) I need to test various glues to see what works and (b) I need to use something that won't go off so quickly before the whole floor is ready to go on. Some sort of two-part epoxy-type glue, I guess?

When it's on, I will add some fibreglass over the top of the tubes on the inside - you can see something similar on the 908-03 thread. I still have some of the strips I made for that project in stock, but I will have to make more! There's also the question of surface texture - the carbon weave is out of scale even at 1/8, and the original surface appears to be simply painted black. Again, I'll do some tests and see what works. I won't be fitting the floor just yet, but it's good to get it to this stage - I was worried the lack of strength in the chassis frame could be a problem, but the floor will give it lots of support. Thanks, Nicky!

Second item tonight is the fuel-injection system from the engine. I started making the main body and mounting bracket for this in November last year, but ran out of enthusiasm - it's an odd little part, with lots of small detailing and not many reference photos. So, it was put aside and would be returned to later...now!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby834_zpsc54c46a9.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby834_zpsc54c46a9.jpg.html)

Starting at the far left and working clockwise, the first part is something to do with reading the inlet manifold pressure, and is all new. The basic main body of the unit was started last year, but all the detailing on the left-hand end is all new. The block at far right sits on top of the main body and will be detailed with all the fuel lines, etc. Again, this is all new. Finally, the mounting bracket is unchanged from last year (so far) but will need a little finishing-off before the whole lot is glued together.

Here's how it looks on the engine:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby835_zps7dd8e3b0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby835_zps7dd8e3b0.jpg.html)

It needs a little tidying-up and the final details, but it's probably 85% complete now. There should also be a pulley and belt to go on the other end, but I'm working out the right way to do this - on the Freisinger photos this belt has a protective cover, so it may not be necessary to detail the pulley...

So, all very satisfying progress. I'm starting to think I may soon be able to begin assembling the core of the engine, as there's a few things that I can't finalise until some parts are fixed (eg the throttle mechanism, intercooler cross-pipes, etc). We'll see.

Thanks for watching!

SB

top work, still enjoying this mate

Interesting use of carbon fiber for the floor pan. How about all of the ribbing detail that's typically present in these 911 floor pans to add strength; will you add anything to simulate that detail?

ianc

Hi Ian,

No ribbing in the floor on the 935-78! One of the big modifications for 1978 was that the entire floorpan was chopped out, effectively lowering the car by about four inches. The tube frame (bolted to the remains of the shell, not welded!) would handle the bulk of the loads, and a simple flat floor was fitted underneath. I'm assuming it was some sort of fibreglass composite panel, as on the earlier 917's, etc.

In the Freisinger reference photos it's a plain dark-grey / black colour, with extra fibreglass strapping draped over the chassis tubes and onto the floor - again, as on the older cars. All that lovely carbon weave will have to disappear, unfortunately!

SB

Good to see it ! nice project!

nice, now there's a CF part on the car :D maybe use epoxy resin to attach the CF to the frame? although i think 2-part epoxy might be better.

Evening all,

I agree, nugundam93 - an epoxy-type glue will probably be the best solution, so I'll do some tests to understand how it behaves. If I try to get glue on the underside of all the tubes in the floor of the chassis, I don't want it going off before I get to the end, or with the CF in the wrong position.

First up for tonight, while I was working on the fuel injection pump I also made the shroud for the drive-belt. Simple enough - a backing plate, the core made from a short piece of styrene tube and two lengths of box-section, then a top plate:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby836_zps00d4094f.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby836_zps00d4094f.jpg.html)

I can adjust the curve on the bottom end to suit the final position of the water pump. It's all pinned and spigoted in place, to help the final assembly. Meanwhile, on the other side of the engine, I made the two pulleys for the intercooler water pump:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby838_zpsed65b521.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby838_zpsed65b521.jpg.html)

No shroud for this one, so when they're finally glued in place I'll add a suitable belt detail. There's scope for adjusting the positioning of both pulleys, to get the belt aligned.

A small detail on the water pump mounting bracket was the curved slot which allows the pump itself to be rotated into position. I cut a section from a spare styrene disc, marked and drilled several small holes along the centreline, then set-to with small files:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby839_zps481836e1.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby839_zps481836e1.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby840_zpse4da861b.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby840_zpse4da861b.jpg.html)

Slightly out of focus, but you get the point!

Next up, one of the reasons I'm glad the 911 uses a six-cylinder engine. For the last few days or so I've been working on various bits of engine detailing, starting with the spark-plugs. It's all small fiddly stuff, but at least there's only six of each, not eight or twelve!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby841_zpsdd67a15d.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby841_zpsdd67a15d.jpg.html)

The six styrene elbows with the ali rings are the main plugs which will pin into the heads. Also bottom left are the six 'boots' which will fit onto the end of the distributor cap. In the lid are the Z-brackets which will be used as retainers for the spark-plugs, plus hex-nut detailing. It all goes together something like this:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby842_zpsd7a6e90b.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby842_zpsd7a6e90b.jpg.html)

Finally, some more engine detailing - crankcase breather cover, thermostat cover, and oil pressure sender unit:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby843_zps4bf7dc4b.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby843_zps4bf7dc4b.jpg.html)

This will all eventually be buried under the intercoolers at the far end of the engine bay, but it still needs to be there! I'll probably leave these parts loose for now, to make painting easier.

So, I'm slowly running out of reasons to not start assembling the engine! I can feel a 'kit photo' coming on first, though - there's a lot of parts involved. We'll see...

SB

Hello again,

The last three weeks have been slightly disrupted by the usual things - work, racing, not feeling 100%, etc. This hasn't meant that work on the Moby has ground to a halt - oh no! - but it has slowed the pace of the updates.

So, as mentioned last time, engine assembly has been looming for a few weeks now, but before I can do that I needed to do some detailing and painting. First up, there are some folded duct elements which fit between the cylinder barrels - these are made from 0.45mm ali, marked and folded with simple pliers:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby844_zpsgfihbiv0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby844_zpsgfihbiv0.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby845_zpsybd0rwuj.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby845_zpsybd0rwuj.jpg.html)

Also in this last photo you can just see where I've added the domed hex bolts either side of the crankcase. You can see them better here:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby846_zpsmorbxppn.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby846_zpsmorbxppn.jpg.html)

...and, yes, I've started painting! As with the 908-03 it's all Citadel / Games Workshop water-based paints, with multiple layers of drybrushing. I started with a basecoat of Chaos Black, then Scorched Brown. After that it was a case of working through Codex Grey, Fortress Grey, Kommando Khaki, Boltgun Metal, Chainmail and - finally - Mithril Silver. The end result is something like this:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby847_zpsejkbswcw.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby847_zpsejkbswcw.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby848_zpsc93ud1ko.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby848_zpsc93ud1ko.jpg.html)

I don't think the photos necessarily show it to best effect, but there are the slight variations in colour, shading, etc. I've got a few photos of 911 engines I'm using for reference, and it's clear the heads are not quite the same colour as the block, and the cylinders are slightly different again. I need to pick out some of the detailing, too, so that will add a few highlights. The water pipes and exhaust pipes will eventually throw some more shades into the mix.

I've actually been pleasantly surprised that my paints have still been usable - they were last used during 2011 on the 908. I believe the Citadel paint range has been overhauled since I bought these, so some of the names have probably changed. I'm sure I'll still be able to get suitable replacements, if required.

I've also started painting one or two other engine-related parts:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby849_zpswckqhqnm.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby849_zpswckqhqnm.jpg.html)

The hex-bolts will be added to the crankcase and cam chain covers later. When I'm happy with the colouring of the crankcase I'll assemble the upper and lower sections of the cylinder barrels - this will finalise the overall width of the engine, and will allow me to return to sorting out the inlet manifolds, throttle linkage, etc. Amongst all this I can slowly start painting the fuel injection pump, water pump, etc.

So, still making progress. Hopefully by the next update I'll have something that looks more like an engine...

Have a good week,

SB

another awesome update!

Painting phase has already started!! Great!!

True craftsmanship. Gorgeous work!

Great work as normal .

Brilliant! Thanks for your detailed description of your painting of the block, etc. Not only does it result in effecting shading, but looks like you get a realistic texture using this method. Thanks again and really enjoying watching this build progress.

Cheers,
Anthony

Painting, yay! This is my favorite part!

ianc

...and the painting continues.

I wanted to paint the inlet manifolds as a pair of complete units, rather than as six individual pieces, so set to work getting everything in line and adding the lower connecting 'webs'. Running through the top of each manifold is the rod which in real life would be controlling the opening of the throttle butterflies. To add some extra reinforcement to each manifold, I drilled through both sides of each inlet and threaded through a length a 0.8mm brass rod. Short lengths of ali tube and some styrene discs created the connecting parts of the mechanism:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby850_zpsone4m1ne.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby850_zpsone4m1ne.jpg.html)

Adding the brass rod meant I had to modify the lower sections of the intercoolers, so the tubes would sit correctly in place in the top of the inlets. The styrene flanges have been glued in place and given some hex-nut detailing. Liquid greenstuff has been applied to start adding some welding detail, too.

This photo gives you a better view of the inlet manifolds:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby851_zpsa4kzmvf0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby851_zpsa4kzmvf0.jpg.html)

Amongst all this I've been working on painting and tweaking some of the other engine-related parts. Here's the cam-gear cases with hex-nut detailing added:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby854_zpsct8j169i.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby854_zpsct8j169i.jpg.html)

Alternator pulley, fan blade and mounting bracket painting in-progress:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby853_zpste5rb0fh.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby853_zpste5rb0fh.jpg.html)

Top of engine block painted, with breather cover base added:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby852_zpsdwitbsfz.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby852_zpsdwitbsfz.jpg.html)

I've also spent some time working on the upper and lower water rails - very fiddly and unsatisfying, but it's got to be done. More of these next time. The main cooling fan and it's two pulleys have also been receiving some paintwork recently:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby855_zps5nfv1zbv.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby855_zps5nfv1zbv.jpg.html)

It's weird how the photo really shows up the texture - it doesn't look quite as noticeable in reality, I promise. The fan blade has been painted in the same manner as everything else - black undercoat, then varying shades of brown: Scorched Brown, Bestial Brown, Snakebite Leather, Graveyard Earth, Vomit Brown(!) and Bronzed Flesh. Life would be much easier if there was a pot of 'Porsche Fibreglass Brown' available! Anyway, the pulleys were given a more metallic finish, with some Burnished Gold and Shining Gold thrown into the mix.

I want to get the fan shroud assembly finished and fitted before adding the fibreglass cover, then I can sort out the top water rails, inlet manifolds, etc. I'm going to have to fit the engine into the chassis as complete as I can make it, as I won't have access to do much once it's in. Similarly, I'll have to do as much of the engine bay wiring, plumbing, etc, in advance too. That's all a job for another time, though.

What's next? Amongst other things: paint the fan shroud strap, paint the fan shroud itself, finish detailing the alternator prior to painting, etc...I could write a full 'to-do' list, but it would be so big it wouldn't really help! I've got some holiday coming up in three-weeks, so I'm starting to plan ahead for that now. I really want to use the time to tackle the dashboard properly, as I'm aware that's the one big hole in the project right now. So, I'll stay on the engine for a while and see how things go.

Thanks for watching,

SB

Fantastic!. The paint is really bringing it all to life.

Beautiful work

Hello again,

For the last few weeks I've been working on getting the core of the engine assembled, and a big part of this is adding the fan and fibreglass shroud. I finally decided on fitting these two items together first, before dropping them onto the engine. A styrene disc was glued into the back of the fan housing and secured with a series of small angle-brackets - this would give me a backstop for the fan itself:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby856_zps86qb4cjg.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby856_zps86qb4cjg.jpg.html)

Doing it this way also meant that I could get plenty of glue into the internal joint between the two parts. The two-part fan strap also had to be fitted beforehand:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby857_zpsxyyddrie.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby857_zpsxyyddrie.jpg.html)

The strap was glued over the top of the housing, and the two ends secured with a hex-bolt detail:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby858_zpsz4lmxsuo.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby858_zpsz4lmxsuo.jpg.html)

The upper head-cooling water rails are not fitted in place yet, but have received the first couple of layers of paint:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby861_zpsvqzdluug.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby861_zpsvqzdluug.jpg.html)

I also fitted the oil filter housing at this time:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby859_zpsm43trjtp.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby859_zpsm43trjtp.jpg.html)

Still plenty to do, but getting the engine to this stage now allows me to start finalising the inlet manifolds, intercoolers, throttle mechanism, etc.

Elsewhere, I've spent this weekend working on the dashboard area. I'm always having to plan ahead to work out how I'm actually going to do the final assembly of this project, so I've added a styrene crossbeam arrangement which is currently all drilled and pinned together:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby862_zpsy7ljevwi.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby862_zpsy7ljevwi.jpg.html)

I still need to make another new fibreglass panel to fit below the main dashboard, but the small section you see above actually started life as one of the old sill cover panels. Again, this is pinned into the crossbeam and is adjustable for height.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby863_zps0ooflwvp.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby863_zps0ooflwvp.jpg.html)

Here's the assembly in place in the car (sorry for the lousy photo):

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby865_zps33pm2vnk.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby865_zps33pm2vnk.jpg.html)

More next week!

SB

Great looking work as always. I do enjoy coming over every week or so for another update on this one!

Jordan

Everything looks fantastically tasty and scrumptious as usual, but this time I do have one small observation; it seems to me as if the fan blades are a trifle thick?

The paintwork is really adding another dimension!

ianc

'Evening all,

I had to check the thickness of the fan blades, Ian - they're 0.5mm, which is as thin as I usually go for parts like this. I had originally planned to mould some fibreglass to make the blades, but decided that as the fan core would be styrene I wasn't going to gain anything from doing it this way. Between several layers of paint and my dodgy photography, I can see what you mean!

Moving on, this update is a little different as it is all about corrections and modifications. This time last year I was making the seat mounting frame, adding the support tubes, etc, and it has been niggling away at me ever since that things weren't quite right in the cockpit. Getting the dashboard in place last weekend brought me to decision time...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby866_zpsenatsub0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby866_zpsenatsub0.jpg.html)

Above photo shows the original layout - note the position of the seat, support tubes, gearshift mounting, and the support frame for the adjustable roll-bar. In short, this is all too far forwards. With the dashboard in place, the gearlever was much too close. The seat would be too far from where the headrest would be mounted (and too close to the pedals), and the proportions of the roll-bar adjuster frame were just...wrong.

So, I've spent this week trying to shift everything about 20mm backwards - hopefully without having to re-make too many parts! First thing to go was the gearshift mounting - get this in the right place, and everything else could be adjusted to suit. With some careful cutting I was able to separate this from the two long chassis tubes without damage, then move it back to where it wanted to be:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby867_zpsl8qa5goy.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby867_zpsl8qa5goy.jpg.html)

Here you can also see that the seat has been pushed back on it's mounting rails - this is something that throws up another problem, as we'll see shortly. The cardboard ahead of the gearshift is a rough guide for another bit of dashboard which needs to be added; with the original layout, the lower half of this panel would have been completely blocked by the gearshift.

In the next photo, I've fixed the gearshift in place but have had to remove the original boost-knob mounting to do so. This would have to be re-made. The supports for the adjustable roll-bar have been made but not glued in position - the chassis diagonal sits up a little, but will be strapped-down when the floor is fitted! To the left you can see the seat frame is now further back - the rearmost tube now intersects at the 'X' of the lower chassis diagonals. This is slightly different to the reference photos, but is the only way to fix the problem (short of scrapping several years work, of course...)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby868_zpsykncl9yg.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby868_zpsykncl9yg.jpg.html)

Until now, the rearward positioning of the seat has been limited by the mounting rails, and two diagonal chassis tubes (one in the outer roll-cage, the other supporting the gearshift). Moving the mounting rails helped, but modifying the left-hand rear corner of the seat frame was also necessary:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby872_zpshajpb3w1.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby872_zpshajpb3w1.jpg.html)

This allows the seat to go right back to the rear edge of the door opening:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby869_zpsfveippmr.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby869_zpsfveippmr.jpg.html)

I reckon that with the seat like this the amount of legroom to the pedals is about right for someone around 5' 7" (170cm); with the original layout I would have lost about 6"...

In this final photo you can see I've re-made the boost-adjuster mounting, and how the kinked seat frame leg allows it to clear the diagonal tube. Removing all the redundant seat support tubes wasn't too bad, although there's still a little tidying-up to do - a few holes to fill, etc.

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby873_zpsk2fxz1di.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby873_zpsk2fxz1di.jpg.html)

Looking back, I'm happy I've done this - it's something that has been bothering me for the last year or so, and would have continued to do so. It's a situation which was inevitable given the lack of proper measurements for this project - eventually all the little guesses and approximations and comparisons-taken-from-photos would stack up and put something where it shouldn't be. Better to change things now, while I still could. Must remember to shorten the gearlinkage too, though...!

That's it for tonight - more next week.

SB

another great update!

as someone who's just done fabricating ARB bumpers and roof rack for a 1/10 FJ cruiser (tamiya RC), i know how frustrating it can be to have stuff made, only to do a rather big revision later on, all due to eyeballed measurements. :D

that this one is an amazing model think I already said....yes..think I already did.. :)

Hello again,

Following from nugundam93's comment, it was one of those situations where you have to decide what was going to be more annoying - putting the effort in to make the corrections now, or continuing anyway and meeting an even bigger problem later on! There was no way I could have fudged the dashboard to suit the original layout, and the scaled-up measurements for the drivers legroom proved that the seat had to go back. Life would be so much easier with some proper drawings to work from...!

Anyway, that job is progressing well in the background, allowing me to do something different. I decided to start my holiday by tackling the two main exit ducts for the front oil and water radiators. These have to match the section of ducting I made a while back which sits immediately behind the rads, and then extend upwards to meet the underside of the main nose panel. I decided that the best solution was to start with two pieces of blue foam and create the shapes by hot-wiring away the edges:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby874_zpslarws2md.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby874_zpslarws2md.jpg.html)

As usual, every cut required cardboard templates to be cut and taped into place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby875_zpsx25lntrq.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby875_zpsx25lntrq.jpg.html)

After several hours work, they start to look more like the real thing:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby876_zpsp3wmv7vn.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby876_zpsp3wmv7vn.jpg.html)

I tried to keep each duct as a single piece, but it was necessary to do a small 'cut-and-replace' section towards the bottom of each one:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby877_zpskun9fxhp.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby877_zpskun9fxhp.jpg.html)

As you can imagine, this was all slow-going with plenty of head-scratching required - although I had several photos to work with, trying to translate that into an actual shape was not easy.

Having made the two patterns, the question now was how to make the actual ducts. My original thought was to lay-up fibreglass over the top, then destroy the patterns to remove them. However, I wasn't sure I would get the nice crisp edges I wanted, and all the changes of direction would make them awkward to lay-up without the cloth moving around and creating bubbles and pockets. So, plan B was to use rigid flat fibreglass sheet instead, and make each panel to suit using the foam as the pattern - the same method used for the fuel and oil tanks, basically:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby878_zps6biwmqat.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby878_zps6biwmqat.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby879_zpsncqkwdnw.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby879_zpsncqkwdnw.jpg.html)

As it turned out, I could make maybe 90% of each duct and still remove and re-fit them to the foam patterns. Once I'd added the fourth side to the top corner I added plenty of CA glue along the inside edges, and the final result was surprisingly solid. Now I could start to refine them...

The lower part of each duct needed to be modified to allow for the pipework to connect to the rads:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby880_zpspscoemqr.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby880_zpspscoemqr.jpg.html)

The lower hose to the innermost radiator was okay, but I adjusted the position of the connection to the rad to give me a better angle for the pipework. The 'solid' styrene pipe to the top of the other rad had to be remade, in order to get the correct bend around the bottom of the duct. Compared to the modifications in the cockpit, this was easy!

It was a similar situation on the other side:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby881_zpsmmltdjlq.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby881_zpsmmltdjlq.jpg.html)

Again, the top hose going through the duct was re-made to suit the position of the hole, and the connection to the rad was moved slightly.

Next up, I made the two frames which would support the nose bodywork. Styrene tube would have been easier, but I went with ali for extra strength. These are pinned into the main chassis rails for now, and will be fixed later:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby882_zpsauhj5gbj.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby882_zpsauhj5gbj.jpg.html)

Also visible in this last photo is a pair of small tubular extensions I added to the extreme front corners of the chassis. They're not 'original equipment', but provide me with somewhere to clip the ducts in position while I work on them - in this next photo you can see where I've added a pair of styrene angles to the bottom of each duct. These hook under the frames, and keep the ducts upright:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby883_zpszkxcbbjn.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby883_zpszkxcbbjn.jpg.html)

Finally, the other obvious area requiring attention was the main nose bodywork itself. I've not done much with this for a while now, but it made sense to spend some time marking and measuring the positions of the main inlet, brake ducts, and the headlight boxes:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby884_zpspbjeltd2.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby884_zpspbjeltd2.jpg.html)

Even here there were small differences between the original factory car and the Freisinger version - the detail of the cut-out for the headlights, for example. I'll tackle those later! First job was to sort out the brake cooling ducts - these would need to be laid-up in fibreglass and attached to the back of the nose section. I made a spare section of the nose months ago for this very purpose, so now was the time to use it! I marked the holes, glued two pieces of tube in place, then built up the shape of the ducts with greenstuff:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby885_zpsmgntdtgu.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby885_zpsmgntdtgu.jpg.html)

I've spent the last few days fibreglassing over these (as well as one or two other bits). I should be able to remove these parts from the moulds tomorrow night, so by next weekend you'll hopefully see the results. Once the brake ducts are in place I can work on the main inlet opening, and the headlights.

So, that's it for tonight. I'm pleased with how the main ducts have worked out (so far) - they took a while to do, but they would have taken much longer if I was tackling them during a regular working week, only getting one or two cuts made every evening. It would have been more frustrating, too! Hopefully I can now make good progress with the rest of the nose...

SB

great progress! it's awe-inspiring that you still manage to push on even with the roadblocks you face - i would've just set things aside for a bit and work on another kit, lol!

Hello again,

A big update this time - I've been making good progress in a few areas recently. First up, here's the brake cooling ducts laid-up on the spare section of nose:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby886_zpsu9zpgv0w.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby886_zpsu9zpgv0w.jpg.html)

Getting them off the mould wasn't so easy, unfortunately. Despite my usual application of Vaseline as a release agent, the greenstuff section was stuck firm. After a good while trying to persuade them to separate, I ended up removing the plastic tube and greenstuff from the backing panel:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby887_zpsme7vtufr.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby887_zpsme7vtufr.jpg.html)

Eventually I had to dig out most of the greenstuff with a knife and effectively destroy the mould in the process - hopefully I won't have to make these again! The ducts have a few battle-scars, but nothing that can't be fixed:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby888_zpsz4tteoua.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby888_zpsz4tteoua.jpg.html)

After a lot of trimming and playing around with the position, here's one of the ducts glued in place. The pipework for the coolers is very close, and I didn't want to reduce the space available for the headlight boxes, so there was some subtle filing and fiddling required to get them where I wanted them:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby889_zpsgprla2sq.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby889_zpsgprla2sq.jpg.html)

Once satisfied with the position, I drilled through the original front bumper panel and opened out the duct holes with a reamer, files, knife, etc. The transition from the outer panel to the duct still needs a little work and filler to make a smooth joint, but it should work out okay. In this next photo you can see I've also cut out the main opening for the front coolers, and the two headlight boxes:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby890_zpsbi3kibfo.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby890_zpsbi3kibfo.jpg.html)

The headlight boxes needed a little planning to work out the best method. The clear cover panel is supposed to slide into a channel around the inside edge of the opening, then a small section of it sits flush into a recess. I added some 0.4mm styrene strip around the inside of the opening to give it some thickness, then made a backing panel which would create the channel:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby891_zpsewx4hfe6.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby891_zpsewx4hfe6.jpg.html)

Before adding the backing panel, I traced the outline required for the outer cover onto some clear plastic - the masking tape is there to give me something to draw on. You can see here how it slides into place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby892_zps938b72mb.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby892_zps938b72mb.jpg.html)

The inner section of each headlight-box was made from flat fibreglass sheet with some styrene angle reinforcement - as usual, this should be more resistant to warping than using styrene sheet alone:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby893_zpsimhpovm8.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby893_zpsimhpovm8.jpg.html)

I've added top panels to each box, but left the bottom open for now - the clear cover is a tight enough fit into the channels, but with the bottom open I can get access for my fingers to pull the panel into place:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby894_zpsch1ykbdm.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby894_zpsch1ykbdm.jpg.html)

Of course, this now means that I have to make some headlights, indicator lenses, etc...

Next up, the main cooler duct. This was simple enough - a layer of fibreglass stiffened up with a layer of 0.75mm styrene sheet, then two small fibreglass triangles to close off each end. The mesh was cut to shape before fitting the duct and will eventually be glued into the back of the nose section. I've cut a section of the 'spare' nose section used for the brake duct mould to make an inner panel which will sandwich the mesh and hopefully tidy the whole area. This approach is a little different to the actual car, but is an acceptable compromise given the practicalities of how I'll be assembling the model:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby895_zpswgw9jede.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby895_zpswgw9jede.jpg.html)

In this final nose photo you can get another view of the main cooler duct, and also note where I've added another layer to the splitter lip around the front edge. I assume that in reality this is a sacrificial piece of wood or maybe a separate fibreglass moulding that could be easily changed if damaged over the kerbs, etc. On several period photos you can see where the red / orange paintwork on this section is heavily chipped.

I used 1mm styrene sheet for this piece and extended the panel on the inside to cover the bottom of the main cooler duct, but not to prevent access to the headlight-boxes. Once glued in place, it's doing a good job of stiffening up the whole nose panel, so that's a useful bonus!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby896_zpsu1yqtght.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby896_zpsu1yqtght.jpg.html)

That's the last of the nose for now. At this point I returned to the interior and dashboard structure, starting by cleaning up the top instrument pod and gluing in some styrene backing panels:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby897_zpswqe2pfzu.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby897_zpswqe2pfzu.jpg.html)

The short length of tube is drilled to pin it into the box-section which runs across the width of the cockpit. The gauge faces will all be attached to the outside of this panel only, so I don't have to worry about fitting the bulk of each instrument into the inside of the pod! It was also getting annoying having it fall off every ten minutes while I was working on the dashboard...

Here you can see the instrument pod staying in place, and the new section of folded fibreglass I made a few weeks ago - this has a short piece of 1/4 x 1/8" styrene box-section attached to the back which allows it to be pinned in place. The four angled tube sections should have extra gauges in them, but having reached this point I realised that there were a few differences with my reference photos. The Freisinger car definitely started life with this arrangement, and you can see some of the gauges going in with the wiring during the build. However, photos of the same car after the build have it with the extra gauge panel dropping down to the lower chassis tubes. Photos of the factory car in period also show the drop-down panel, and large cooling hoses coming out of the dashboard above where the four gauges would otherwise be - I assume the gauges were repositioned when it became obvious that they would be affected by the hoses.

It'll be easy enough to remove the four tube pieces from the fibreglass panel, if necessary, but I need to check my references again before making a final decision. For now, here's what I've got:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby898_zpsdbk28vdc.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby898_zpsdbk28vdc.jpg.html)

To finish tonight, I spent some time yesterday putting some of the parts together to show my progress to my colleagues at work. I don't think they've seen the main chassis in over a year, so there's lots here that's going to be new:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby899_zpssrthh7bb.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby899_zpssrthh7bb.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby900_zpsffmnduel.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby900_zpsffmnduel.jpg.html)

The work on opening up the front bumper section has given it some much-needed detail, and the whole lot is looking more and more like the 911-on-steroids the 935 actually is! Even without the wheels...

So, with a couple of weeks to the end of another year, the project is still moving forwards. Over the Christmas period I'd like to tackle the steering wheel and column, main instrument gauges, maybe even spend some time working out what I'm doing with the front anti-roll bar. The engine could receive more attention, too. There's plenty of other smaller jobs to do - it's just a question of remembering them all! Whatever happens, there'll be at least one main update before the end of 2015.

All the best,

SB

I was wandering where you'd gone too. Excellent stuff as usual SB. What's next on the drawing board? Or have you not thought that far ahead yet?

Outstanding work SB!

Trevor

awesome stuff with the newest update!

i have no words...

Hello again, everyone,

Time for one last update before the end of the year - it's still 2015 here in the UK, anyway! I haven't spent all the holiday period working on the 935, but I have made one or two significant steps...

First up, I've made good progress with the two sections of turbo inlet trunking. These connect to the small inlets behind the rear side windows and will snake down to the turbo units mounted on the back of the engine. They should be moulded from fibreglass, but I felt I would get a better result by using styrene tube. I used two lengths of 6mm fire-extinguisher flexible hose as cores, and added three layers of tube to get the final diameter:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby901_zpsprb3jsfd.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby901_zpsprb3jsfd.jpg.html)

Greenstuff will fill the gaps, and two flanges will be added along the length using strip styrene. The two ends connect via 'flexible' hoses - one of these will be detailed from styrene, the other will hopefully be made using the 'plumbing tape over coiled wire' method. For now, here's how they look:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby902_zps5kipsj1c.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby902_zps5kipsj1c.jpg.html)

The inlet ducts behind the side windows don't have to be excessively detailed - a mesh grille covers the outside, and there's just a length of tube coming out on the inside. You can see on this next photo that I've added an outer fibreglass panel around the window-frame and extending to cover the duct area behind. The top edge of this panel slips under the lower edge of the rear bodywork panel, saving all sorts of problems!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby903_zpsqxx2gy28.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby903_zpsqxx2gy28.jpg.html)

The small piece of round tube is just there for reinforcement, and you can also see where I've added a base and back panel to the duct area. The tube coming out the bottom will be detailed with greenstuff to create a smooth transition. My initial thought with the mesh grilles was to simply have a piece of flat mesh with an outer edge piece, but I soon went with a more time-consuming solution:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby904_zpskhu4qfl0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby904_zpskhu4qfl0.jpg.html)

So, the outer frame is made from a layer of 1mm styrene and a layer of 0.5mm fibreglass; the mesh is shaped over the central core to give it some depth:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby905_zpsj25kznnh.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby905_zpsj25kznnh.jpg.html)

...and the whole lot is glued together, with liquid greenstuff applied from the back to give some added security. I still have to add some screw details and a small flange along the leading edge, but I'm pleased with the result. You'll see them in position shortly.

The big development comes next. Adding the outer panels around the side windows started me thinking I could finally attach the rear bodywork extension. The main thing stopping me doing this so far has been how I was going to fit the two main rear windows, but I've worked out a solution which will allow them both to be fitted from the outside, after assembly.

I tidied up the ridge over the leading edge of the rear window with a length of fibreglass and more strip styrene - this should encourage the outer panel to stay in shape:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby906_zpskj6zcrjg.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby906_zpskj6zcrjg.jpg.html)

I had to glue the extension panel in several stages, starting with the roof section, then fixing the sides and finally the rear edge. Now it's together I can add a little more reinforcement, run some more glue into the joins, and apply some filler here and there:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby907_zps5hovuhap.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby907_zps5hovuhap.jpg.html)

The mesh grille is a temporary fit with double-side tape; you can also see where I've added an extra styrene lip around the main window edge - this will give me somewhere to attach the 'glass'. Also on this photo you can see one of the black side window surrounds - these will allow me to glue the glass properly (probably with PVA) whilst keeping the black background - not gluing onto paint, basically. I've still got more work to do on the roof, particularly along the tops of the doors, but I have plans for this..

My final two photos for 2015 were a late addition to this update. Here's the latest 'kit shot':

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby908_zpsjyvts2bw.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby908_zpsjyvts2bw.jpg.html)

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby909_zpsaguvzdw0.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby909_zpsaguvzdw0.jpg.html)

Comparing this with last year's version, I'm happy that I've made some major progress during the last twelve months! There's still a lot to do, but most of the outstanding parts are now 'detailing' rather than 'significant assemblies'. Well, there's also the doors, steering wheel and column, seatbelts, electrics, plumbing, wheel covers, tyres, headlights, front roll-bar and so on, but I think you know what I'm getting at! Thanks for being patient - these are never going to be quick builds.

In response to ferrariman81...I am really trying not to think about 'the next project'! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking, though, and continue to add to the Porsche reference material. Given how time-consuming the Moby Dick has become, it would be nice to do something with more drawings available - and I do have some drawings for the 956...but that's probably something for 2017!

Thank you all for your comments and support during 2015, and I wish you all a very happy and successful 2016.

SB

Awesome update! Love the shot wth all the parts made so far :)

Happy new year!

Madonna santissima che bella SB

Thanks SB for another amazing year letting us take part on this great project.
IMHO you should definitely go with the 956 as the next project. It would perfectly fit into the row of legendary race cars that you've built. And it's one of my all-time favorites (a Bellof car would make it perfect) from Porsche besides the 917K.

So my best wishes for you for 2016.

If I can spend my 2cents... sb go with a ferrari.
maybe 312P...

Or a Gt40 mk1 Gulf flared.

Fantastic year of posts SB -

I'm with Stiwi - 956 for sure, and if that's not doable then 962C for sure.

I am just amazed at what you achieve with raw building materials SB - ever since I came across the 908 build a while back.

Thanks for sharing these awesome 1/8 builds with the forum and answering my questions along the way since I first happened across the 908 build.

I wish you a very Happy New Years and good fortune and look forward to another year of your fantastic and informative posts.

Cheers
John

Welcome to the first update of 2016 - Happy New Year to everyone (even though it's nearly the end of the month!). This year has to see the 935-78 coming together, as I'm beginning to run out of components to make - there's still plenty to do once the assembly process begins, of course!

The first job tackled in 2016 was to continue blending the rear window extension into the main roof section. Definitely one of those jobs I was trying to avoid, but my progress during the Christmas period gave me confidence. So, I started by gluing thin styrene strips onto the roof and along the windscreen pillar:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby911_zpsloaxyqpr.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby911_zpsloaxyqpr.jpg.html)

The overlap of the extension panel was glued down, and more styrene added to smooth the join. A final strip created the small step along the top of the doorframe, and would save the problem of getting a nice edge with filler.

I used small amounts of Revell 'Plasto' body putty to smooth out the roof, taking care not to apply it too thick and letting it dry before sanding:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby912_zpsw0b8x1ie.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby912_zpsw0b8x1ie.jpg.html)

It's now getting somewhere close, but still needs some work. The base of the windscreen also received some attention. So far, so good!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby913_zpsutj1v8he.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby913_zpsutj1v8he.jpg.html)

Next job was to continue the two turbo inlet ducts. I'd applied greenstuff before I took the 'kit photos' at the end of December, but now added a flange detail along each side with three layers of styrene strip:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby914_zpsusqki5ec.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby914_zpsusqki5ec.jpg.html)

To make the small connector hoses between the duct and the turbo, I wrapped strip around tube, cut to length, then added a small hose-clip detail from round bar and hex:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby915_zpsguyi0aji.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby915_zpsguyi0aji.jpg.html)

Here's the overall look:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby916_zps2n7ypo8h.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby916_zps2n7ypo8h.jpg.html)

I'll add the second hoseclip when I'm happy the length is correct. As with many jobs, I'm having to leave myself room for adjustment when the parts are finally assembled. One thing I did check at this stage was whether the inlet ducts would foul the rear bumper panel - no, they won't:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby917_zpsbdw6exdf.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby917_zpsbdw6exdf.jpg.html)

By this point in the month I wanted to do something different for a while, so I spent a few evenings working on the panelling between the front of the cockpit and the rad exit ducts. After making maybe five or six prototype panels from thin cardboard, here's the latest effort:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby918_zpsnb8zcmtq.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby918_zpsnb8zcmtq.jpg.html)

This will continue to evolve as I return to it during the next few weeks. The final panelling will be in fibreglass, so I don't want to cut that until I'm absolutely happy. It's one of those fiddly jobs, unfortunately - made harder by the fact that you don't/can't glue anything down at this stage. The cut-outs for the lower wishbones complicate things, and I have to allow for an anti-roll bar poking through each side too. The Freisinger photos don't quite show all the detail I'd like to see, so there's a little guesswork going on - 'What Would Porsche Do?'

to be continued...

wow...

continued from previous post...

The main focus for the last week or so has been making the components for the front anti-roll bar. Again, very few 'official' images of this area, so I'm using the Freisinger 935-77 rebuild as inspiration to fill in the blanks. Apologies for the lack of a 'component' photo, but here are the completed ends:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby919_zpsehbqtvts.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby919_zpsehbqtvts.jpg.html)

The main bar itself is 1/8" styrene, with aluminium tubing used to create the end bushes. The adjustable blades are 1.6mm x 3.8mm styrene, with 0.8mm brass rod used for the linkages. For now, everything works as it should - the blades can be rotated to change the stiffness, and the end fittings swivel and rotate to keep the droplinks in place. Very fiddly! The adjuster pushrods will eventually be cut to length and a cable attached to the other side of the fitting detail on the mounting block. These will run through the bulkhead into the cockpit, and attach to the lever beside the gearshift.

Here's the left-hand side in position - difficult to get a good photo. The split in the main crosstube will allow the two sides to move independently, and be hidden by the fuel tank. Two stop-collars will be fitted to prevent the roll-bar falling out!

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby920_zpshyugfp9g.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby920_zpshyugfp9g.jpg.html)

I still need to add some extra hex-nut detailing on the various bits of linkage, but it's 95% complete. Might even start painting it soon, too...

So, a bit of a mixture to start the year but it's all progress. Having tackled the fine detail of the roll-bar mechanism, I'm tempted to have another go at the steering column next - just hope my patience lasts!

Have a good week,

SB

amazing. i assume that the the anti-roll bar will also twist?

i really love the CF undertray :D

Great work.

Tell me, are you a super-hero escaped from a Marvel comics or just an alien ??:confused::screwy::biggrin::biggrin:

Following recent comments - unfortunately, I'm neither alien or super-hero; I just don't go out much...! Yes, the front roll-bar does twist and adjust for now, but the blades will eventually be locked in position when the adjuster cable detailing is finalised. The carbon floor has been a life-saver for this project - even with just a few pieces of tape holding it on, you can feel how it strengthens the tube frame.

So, continuing from the last update, while I was still in 'small fiddly parts' mode I added the steering arms to the base of the front uprights / hub carriers:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby921_zpspfnhihya.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby921_zpspfnhihya.jpg.html)

These pin through the central styrene tube and lock the hub carrier section to the strut. The outer end of the steering arm contains very small piece of ali tube which will allow me to connect the trackrods:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby922_zpskm2kqlec.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby922_zpskm2kqlec.jpg.html)

The clevis parts are cut from styrene box-section; the trackrods have an aluminium tube core beneath the 2.3mm styrene, with the 'rod-end joints' pinned into each end. Everything is pinned together with 0.8mm brass rod, with hex-nut detailing, etc.

Next job was to work on the two brake-disc cooling ducts. To start with, I made a simple duct part, then added a short length of flexible ribbed hose - this would give me a good idea of what was possible:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby923_zps2xk87e41.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby923_zps2xk87e41.jpg.html)

You can't see the dummy duct, but the 10mm ribbed hose doesn't have much space to fit between the roll-bar link and the side of the chassis panelling. Ideally I'd make it bigger, but I just don't think this will be possible.

With a position fixed for the hose, I modified the design of the solid duct and started making two correct versions:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby924_zpsg5gvpz5u.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby924_zpsg5gvpz5u.jpg.html)

The 'C' sections are cut from styrene box and are used to connect the two halves of the duct together, either side of the brake disc. The curved plates are layered together to build up some bulk to the shape. With some greenstuff and shaping, here are the final parts:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby925_zpshnh8ey1h.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby925_zpshnh8ey1h.jpg.html)

The tube is angled so that the flexible hose clears the steering arms, and doesn't have to snake completely around the back of the upright. I'll also add some hex-nut detailing to the caliper mounting lugs to 'secure' the duct.

Finally for tonight, I've had another attempt to make the two universal joints required for the steering column. I don't exactly enjoy making parts like this - there's always the possibility of something breaking at the last minute and spoiling everything you've done so far! So, take a deep breath, and start making some parts...

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby926_zpsxwex0zig.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby926_zpsxwex0zig.jpg.html)

Instead of trying to cut the main parts of the UJ from tube or box-section, I used two lengths of thin strip - 3.2mm x 0.5mm. The central 'spider' part is made from 2.3mm tube, with ali tube and 0.8mm brass rod as before. Providing the strip doesn't split, this method should work! To finish off each UJ I've added some small clamp and pinch-bolt detailing to both ends, and CA'd a small punched disc over the pins through the spider - this keeps the bent strips in place, but still allows the joint to flex and rotate:

http://i604.photobucket.com/albums/tt121/ScratchBuilt917/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby928_zpsp4kc7q9i.jpg (http://s604.photobucket.com/user/ScratchBuilt917/media/Scratchbuilt%20Porsche%20Moby%20Dick/moby928_zpsp4kc7q9i.jpg.html)

So, a weekend's work produces two 13mm long universal joints, and not much else! On a positive note, this does mean that I can now work on the steering column itself. I might not have enjoyed the creative process for these, but I'm happy with the final result.

Have a good week,

SB

Outstanding craftsmanship SB.

Thanks again for taking the time and effort to document your wonderfully inspiring builds. I especially like how you break down complex units into smaller and smaller basic shapes. Then show how you can easily create them by putting these basic shapes together.

I also applaud your constant dry fitting of subassemblies. Checking for fit and making changes and adjustments as you go. This is nothing short of masterful problem solving by shear hard work and the dogged attention to getting it all 'right' . Not to be forgotten you have the wherewithal to stick with a project for years to get the finished result you desire.

So thank you Sir. I don't build autos or in this scale but I have gained much from following your posts over the years and applied many lessons learned to numerous of my own projects.

You are a treasure and an inspiration.

Dan

Thanks Dan - much appreciated. I think the repeated test-fitting is also a reluctance on my part to actually commit to gluing parts together. I'm always worried that something is going to go wrong - if it's not glued, I've got an escape route!

I was hoping to do a proper update tonight, but for some reason Photobucket is not being co-operative right now. Not sure whether it's my connection, or a problem at the other end. I've not been slacking off during the last couple of weeks, just working on a few more detail parts.

The steering column now has a secure mounting through the upper firewall panel, and also a clamp-style fitting towards the bottom. I've made the shroud around the column stalks, and there's a welded bracket that bolts under the instrument pod. The steering wheel itself is still on the to-do list: I'm trying to determine what size it should be, and whether I can find a better way to make it!

I've also made the two brake master cylinder remote reservoirs - these hang from a bracket on one of the chassis X-frames in the nose. I glued several sizes of styrene tube together to create a very thick-wall tube, then set-to on the lathe to shape the ends and create a groove for the retaining straps. The screw-caps on top were detailed with multiple short strips of 0.4 x 0.5mm styrene. Fiddly, but it adds texture.

Also making an appearance will be some very useful styrene hex-nut detailing, from 'Wave'. I had a bunch of these arrive in the post last week from Australia, courtesy of a member of the modelling community. Four different sizes of hex-nut (1.0, 1.2, 1.6 and 2mm) plus a similar range of rivet-heads. I've started using some of the hex already, and they'll be very useful in adding some extra variety to my normal hand-made nuts. It's not often that you get a pleasant surprise in the post at work on a Monday morning, but this was definitely one of them! Once again, thank you David.

Next job is to make the bottle and pump for the screen-wash, before I tackle the steering wheel...

Hopefully photos will follow later tonight!

SB