Eighties Contest Entry: Opel Ascona 400 Gr.4 - 1983 - Ari Vatanen

[klutz_100]

Well, I'll be cheering you on!

Go for it!!!

[quadzero]

cool little car and interesting build up, really looking forward to seeing how you tackle the chassis. this is really gonna be nice when its done.

[mikkod]

Hello,

Nice start. What kind of wheels you are planning to use?

[rallymaster]

Hi,
thanks all for your words, that gives me more courage and willing !!

Originally Posted by mikkod

Hello,

Nice start. What kind of wheels you are planning to use?

Hi mikkod,
thank you for your kind words.
the wheels...? I will have to scratch them too !! Maybe trying to use another model as a base of work, but I don't see which one could look like the ascona ones...?!
I think I will keep the outside of the rim and scratch the inside, to be sure my wheels will be round !!
I never scratched a wheel...
Tyres will be taken from a Renaissance set or from an unused hasegawa or tamiya set...

Next update on this thread will come next week, I have to work tomorrow and have just come back now from the special french event "TELETHON", that collect founds for fight against rar genetic diseases, where we proposed to people to be a "one day codriver" in exchange of a little gift to the TELETHON...
such things might exists in other countries, does it?

Bye
Phil

[rallymaster]

Hello all,
here is my new update.
I am going on slowly, but I am going on !

work on the chassis starts by the inside at the front of the car.

I glued a little resin cube to the body, to have a base where to glue the part representing the inside of the "wheel compartment" - ?? - How do you call that in english, sorry I can remind it...?

it's made of paperboard (in fact I cut the part in tamiya sandpaper's paperboard !) formed on a small gadget found at home having the exact form expected...
that was not easy to glue, but processing step by step, from one extremity to the other, I could follow the exact form of the wheel compartment extension... (humm hoping you can understand what I mean...)



next step will be closing this wheel compartements (the sides) and build all the rest of the inside of the chassis on which undertray will lay down.

thanks for reading
bye
Phil

[rallymaster]

Hello,
here my new update.

I started to work more seriously on the inside scratch building.
after having built front wheel arches I have to make rear ones, which are attached to the chassis and which I must build keeping in my mind that I wand to detailed undertray...
not so easy but here is the first step, made in paerboard because I still have to improve my plastic card skills and don't want to lose some; so I won't replace paperboard by plastic card until being sure of the sizes and the positions of each part; moreover I think I won't replace paperboard parts if it's not absolutly needed (for some more rigidity for example).



In the same time I finished front hood and its triangle air intakes.



next update about chassis build to come soon.
Thanks for reading
comments welcomed !

bye
Phil

[RallyRaider]

Nice work with the metal bodywork. I personally hate working with large metal pieces.

[klutz_100]

- looking great

[Juha]

Originally Posted by rallymaster

talking about Gr. B, it seems that the ascona ran into the Gr.B cos' it did at the Monte Carlo, I could see that on a photo.
I suppose it did all the season, even if I couldn't find it back on other photos, but the ascona 400 was replaced by the Manta 400 during the season to be able to score points in the championship (only Gr.B cars could score in the chamionship from 1983 to 1986), then I suppose they had already put the Ascona into this group not to be able to score only half a season...
problem is that there is so much mud on the cars in Safari... I cannot see the Gr.b circle on the doors !!
I will go on searching pic to confirm my point of view.
anyway that won't change anything at the moment in the building.
update to come, maybe tonight. I've started the sintofer work !

Phil

Sorry to be so late, but here's the answer: it has driven in group B as a works car. They scored points in the first 5 rounds so the Ascona was group B. For the Monte Carlo '83, two sets of cars were prepared iin Germany, 2 Mantas and 2 Asconas. The Manta didn't get it's homologation so the Ascona was brought out. Later in '83 the Mantas took over from Corsica on.

Good luck with the build, it's one of my favourite cars.

And as for that picture site with Opels you find, compare this:
http://www.galiciaenralis.com/OPEL/A...4-E%5B1%5D.jpg
(notice the concrete post and change road surface)

To this pictures I made this year: http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6739/865ko.jpg
Now that's 2 Km from my house, the Ascona was owned by a local driver who lives 1km from there and happens to by my mother's cousin, and my dad worked for him and built the car. Bit of a rally thing here.

[malscar]

Good work there rallymaster. Watching your work to pick up ideas for when I build a metal Focus.

Photos I have of the '83 Safari do not show Grp B markings on any of the cars competing. You can see that in the World Rallying 6 book.

A bit more on the Grp B cars. '83 was a interim year for the change from Grp1-4 to Grp A / B. The Ascona was Grp 4 and changed to Grp B. If you were a Priority listed driver, you could not drive the old cars in championship events. Not sure of any actual changes to the cars. The Ascona's last factory outing was the Safari after which the Manta took over. It had not come out previously due to various homologation problems.

[rallymaster]

Hi everyone,
thanks for your posting here and answers you gave as for your king words about my progress.

Originally Posted by Juha

Sorry to be so late, but here's the answer: it has driven in group B as a works car. They scored points in the first 5 rounds so the Ascona was group B. For the Monte Carlo '83, two sets of cars were prepared iin Germany, 2 Mantas and 2 Asconas. The Manta didn't get it's homologation so the Ascona was brought out. Later in '83 the Mantas took over from Corsica on.

Thanks for your words on Gr. B homologation, that was exactly what I supposed to be, even if I had a doubt you all confirmed what I tought knowing about that, and by thinking of it it's now very clear !

Originally Posted by malscar

A bit more on the Grp B cars. '83 was a interim year for the change from Grp1-4 to Grp A / B. The Ascona was Grp 4 and changed to Grp B.

Well, not exactly as you mentioned... Interim year to change Gr.4 into Gr. B was 1982, that's why lancia 037 entered in 82 as a Gr.B.
In 1983 no car could score for the championship without Gr.B homologation.
Opel case is more particular, cos' they score with two different Gr.B cars the same year. in fact they did interim between their cars !
but they both scored, so they were automaticaly in Gr. B !
my only doubt was did they start with Gr.4 ascona and chose not to enter championship the whole year...? what would not have been very logical !
now everything is clear.

Originally Posted by Juha

And as for that picture site with Opels you find, compare this:
http://www.galiciaenralis.com/OPEL/A...4-E%5B1%5D.jpg
(notice the concrete post and change road surface)
To this pictures I made this year: http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6739/865ko.jpg
Now that's 2 Km from my house, the Ascona was owned by a local driver who lives 1km from there and happens to by my mother's cousin, and my dad worked for him and built the car. Bit of a rally thing here.

Hum sorry but second link shows Van Woensel M3 !!
what is not a problem in fact, nice car too !!

Phil

[rallymaster]

Hello all !
a quick new update before Christmas days and a week of hollyday skying till New Year's Day...!

I started plastic card work, what is something new for me...
this part of building requires much precision, and some tools to help !
I use grips to keep plastic card parts in place while I glue them or try to fit next part...



Rear part of the chassis begins to take its form, so that's now wheelarches turn to be formed...
For that I still use paperboard pieces, easyier to be folded, and grips to keep them fitting while glue dries.



That's all for 2005 !
thanks for reading

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Phil

[quadzero]

its coming along really nicely, cant wait to see it finished. merry christmas to you also.