Ferrari 166 Replica Project
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Hi all,
I've embarked on a project to build a replica of a 1948-52 Ferrari 166. This was one of the most influential car designs of all time. Although I've had some limited success as a metal shaper I have a LONG way to go. I hope to earn my wings on this project, but they will be a long time coming, I'm sure. I used a laser scan of a real 166 to pull stations off of it every 4 inches. I used those files to order a laser cutting shop to blast out 36 buck stations using 1/2" blondwood plywood. After I test fitted the buck over a TR-6 chassis last spring, I removed it and spent the summer installing a 2.8 liter Chevy narrow V-6... same horsepower as the Ferrari 2.0 liter V-12. Because of a bad ankle I also chose to install a GM 700R4 auto trans. I removed the Triumph in-line 6 and moved the Chevy engine back 15 inches and dropped it 4 inches. Last October I got it running and drive-able (custom CV drive shaft), and then put it away until this May (travel and writing projects kept me busy.) Now I've re-installed the buck over the drive train and have completed a semi-hammerform nose. I hope to start banging metal next week. The biggest problem I've faced so far is how to form the "V" bodyline that runs along the side of the car. I've asked many people in the US and Italy, but although I've gotten suggestions, all of them seem unsatisfactory. Do you know how it was done? My biggest resource for the project so far has been Mark Savory who has restored this type of car and sent me many helpful photographs so I could understand the Superleggera under-structure. My plan is to build it out of .063 (1.5mm) instead of the original .050 (1.2mm) aluminum. Wish me luck as I go along, and I hope you won't mind me peppering you with LOTS of questions! Attachment 41922 Attachment 41923 Attachment 41924 Attachment 41925 Attachment 41926 Attachment 41927 Attachment 41928 Attachment 41929 Attachment 41930 |
Looks like a worthy project, to say the least...
Last fall at his class at RockHillWill's shop, Peter talked very openly about a recent challenge of producing a somewhat similar detail ridge within a large panel. Long story short, he made it as a separate piece to be welded into place. |
Very cool project. How did you go about making the nose section?
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I plan on making a Flexible Shape Pattern of the whole nose, and then dividing that up into small sections. I'll use my Mechammer to shape each piece to fit the FSP. Final finishing will be done on the nose buck, including the rounding over of the "mouth". The "mouth" must be turned over an inner tubular "mouth" which is part of the Superleggera system. I painted the nose glass grey so the first layer of FSP tape would peel off more easily. Attachment 41939 Attachment 41940 Attachment 41941 Attachment 41942 Attachment 41943 Attachment 41944 Attachment 41945 Attachment 41946 Attachment 41947 |
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The Touring Barchettas I am familiar with (004, 008, 010, and a later one that was really rough when I went to look at bringing it back) used .040 aluminum, and not .050. I'm thinking there were variations per customer ....? The #22 car you show here, s/n 008, I believe?, was once owned by Tom Perkins. Tom asked me to restore it for him while I was doing s/n 010. I could not fit him in my shop as fast as he wanted (Year of Ferrari at Laguna and the first Int'l Ferrari concours coming up and all that) ... so Tom sent the car to Italy and had it rebodied, so the #22 car body is not "real." The rebody was a big secret of course, so when Bob Lee acquired it for his extensive collection in Reno, NV it was as an "original," and not as a "replica body." I believe that replica body is .050 thickness....? As for your query about the lip/belt line on these cars, I'm no expert on this Touring body thing, but I have researched a few while working on a couple of them - the marks I saw on this car, s/n 010 .... Attachment 41948 were made by a male/female rolling die machine of some sort, and match marks on other original bodies. Your progress will be very informative and will make a good study. You will have a very nice sporty car when done. :):) |
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Current thinking on "V" bodyline: The line may have been made with some sort of rotary tool, perhaps hand caulking tools, or maybe a Pullmax type machine.
My good buddy Don Houseman flew from California to NC to make me a die set! Here are some photos: Attachment 41949 Attachment 41950 Attachment 41951 Attachment 41952 Attachment 41953 |
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Kent,
That's super helpful information! Can you tell me how by using a rotary machine Touring was able to get the line to "fade" away at the back? Attachment 41955 |
I've always loved the Barchetta.
Influential is right. Lots of significant cars were based on its flowing minimalist lines. |
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But I can tell / show you how we do fadeaways here in my shop, using a non-Baleigh/non-Mittler rotary machine, vintage about 1910 ...... :cool: The first job we set this operation up for was for a set of very pronounced Vignale wheel arch flares ... like this .... Attachment 41958 .050 3003 aluminum. We decided to do each completed quarter panel, in turn, making the flares start at 0" rise, go to the maximum of 1.5" and return back to 0". It took three of us working together in unison to manage the quarters, turn both handles on the rotary machine, and to pre-anneal. Attachment 41959 We had calculated the handle cranking beforehand, marking out the rise and fade increments on each panel. The set-down crank had a degree wheel added (not shown) to synchronize it with the set marks on the panel. The test parts worked according to the math - and so did the four quarters, as you can see. There was no filing or sanding needed, at all, anywhere on those flares. Nice job, every time.:) Attachment 41960 Again, I don't know how Touring did their fadeaways, but this worked very well for us.:):) |
looks like a great project there bill, I surprised that someone is not offering scan of classic for sale to allow other to have bucks made, I know the Porsche is a popular project car too 356 ? I think they are.
looking forward to seeing your progress Cheers David |
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