Thanks to much Mark

I started the finishing work on underface of undertray. I spray 5 times of clear matt and final coat from far to give a rough look (especially in the flat zone).

- I extra add joint and hose to the brakes and clutch tank. Just add for photo because i'll fit the nose cone that will hide it.

- I polished the fire exstinguisher and the ducts from intercooler to inlet manifold.

- I added the bolts (with punch & die) to gearknob bracket and a final paint touch.

- I add some detail to showa sunspension control unit: i add the protection pad, the sticker R,F,E (rear, front, ecu), i added the fixing system to monocoque and i silver paint the plug to ECU. I also add the protection aluminium profile ad the base of tunnel legs.

So impressed by the level of detail you are adding to this and also your knowledge of what you are building.

Tony

Some beautiful detailing.

Mark

2/2

- I remade a little bit more rough welding lines on the oil tank\ vapor canister.

- Some pics on gearbox work in progress

Loving the attention to detail you are giving this.

Mark

Thanks too much Mark and Malc.


I quite finished the gearbox, just remaining some little details that will be completed when i'll fit with RA168e

- I fitted all hydraulic braided hoses (with heatshield alu) for gerabox lubrification and cooling system

- I added some head nuts on rear antiroll bar for a little extra details

- I placed the coooling bleeder hose that will run on water tank near the inlet manifold

- I started the last part of carbon work on upper face of undertray. I started to work on template to understand the carbon that i need (also with future heatshield)

- Just remaining some final nuts, but gearbox is quite completed.

Exhaust turbo pipes

- from previous work I had left out the 2 lambdas with relative protection. For the base I used a 2,5 m washer. aluminum-coated styrene tube and finally the lambda wiring


Intake manifold

- I installed the mounting system by opening the slot in order to insert the flange now welded to the ducts with the throttles that will join the intercoolers

- Another difference is that the main body of the collector is a semi-opaque, the ducts of the butterflies are a little bit shiny black.

- Another missing detail on the intake manifold is the missing of two bolts (perhaps for inspection or for other). Before being able to position them, I filed the poisition so as to make it oblique to give the right angle for the future bolts. Once this was done, I painted everything with the color combo described above and I made the bolts with the usual punch & die


Wastegate

- another peculiarity of this car is the different application of a wastegate pressure hose on the top of wastegate unit. This hose was not ever present in each GP. Fortunately, Hiro's book has a clear photo from above for Suzuka's GP, the tube was absent and there was the blind bolt.


Throttle body control.

- totally absent and quite visible in their absence.
I tried to reproduce them in my best personal way. I used a U-folded aluminum tape and drilled with a 1.4 drill.
I remade the spring with a 0.5 thread, everything was fixed with a screw. This will be followed by painting of the silver titanium brackets and future bolts

- I started to work on the main throttle control bar controlled by the tie rod of gas cable to the pedal.


Injector rail and fuel pressure valve:

- the petrol pressure valve is drilled to add the inlet and outlet fuel hoses. These hoses will run from pressure valve to the top of monocoque between Ecu unit and fuel filler

I started the resto mode of my RA168E

As suggested by good friend, all that is visible I must try to reproduced.

I started by rebuilding the fixing brackets of the electrical connectors on the upper front of rocker covers.

The connectors have been replaced with the TopStudio and the brackets have been painted in dark steel. I used the fixing plate of the engine to the monocoque to firmly fix the selfmade connector brackets

Another missing details:

- the brackets for the wastegate valves to avoid break due to excessive vibrations ... I selfmade with rod and I selfmade the little bracket on wastegate body and finally fixxed on the rear of cams cover.

- Other detail missed: a hosethat start from the wastegate and link to a tank fixed behind the heads (I think a compensation tank for pressure signal
- I made by myself the tanks that are positioned on the fixing screws (which were also hidden). The hose has been lined with heat shield aluminum

I have also added a series of PE bolts both on the intake ducts and on the three Allen screws that secure the spark plug ignition cover.

Another missing: the two sensors of the turbo pressure both on the turbo and on the exhaust manifold.
To recreate the 4 snsors on the manifolds and on the turbos: base with punch & die painted in burnt red steel, a nut with 1.4 m bolt and a 1.2metal rod

I also connected the oil-water cooler

Before to prooced with the mechanics, I need to work on some elements that are under processing by the expert and patient hands of my friends with some precision tools that I haven’t ..... so I moved my attention to the wings and bodyshell


The rear wing: I went away from this element that always makes me fear


Before starting, I analyzed the Gurney strip at the top of the highest profile: it was present in Suzuka.
I covered it in carbon and behind I give a light coat of panel line to highlight the alley screws that fix the Gurney


The central pillar was born divided by kits: now it was a little hard to fill and sand them in the middle: so I glued, I put aluminum strip and I think is a little better now.

After this I started the assembly of wings and I can say that also this work is gone.

After rear wing I returned to the bodyshell which has many small deficiencies:
First of all, the heat shield: I only used it in the area of the intercoolers and turbo-exhausts as per narrow reference ..... my doubt is to know if there was also part of the hump. I asked Sandro and Riccardo and they told me that probably not ..... not happy I wrote an email .... to the Mclaren factory. Maybe they'll take me crazy and trash, maybe they'll answer me


To finish the coating work I used the first shell as a template to avoid stressing the underlying carbon.


Other missing and reproduced elements:


- the fixing plate for the vents of the intercooler/radiators
- upper Allen screws always for fixing these vents
- paint detail bolts of transmission oil cooler vent
- plates and Allen screws underneath the gearbox oil cooler


Then I started studying the panels to increase and decrease the temperature of the radiator vents.
The book explains that to keep the temperatures under control (depending on the circuits and also of the sessions) these bulkheads were increased / decreased. The flow and temperatures were regulated only at the exit as the entrance was fixed. Steve Nichols could vary these openings up to 8 times per session.
This is to say that the Motegi MP4/4-5 is exposed with open vents.
In Suzuka (in the race) Ayrton had these bulkheads mounted on his MP4/4-2 to keep the temperature warmer

I go on with the wing and bodyshell.

I started from a mini brain teaser with decal: the Marlboro sponsor is divided into 4 on the rear wing profiles ....at lest I placed it without problem.

For the rear side I was not sure what combo there was on the back of the highest wing profile .... a photo of Ayrton's post in Suzuka soved me this doubt.

Another detail seen on the net: the wording written on the inside of bodyshell. I wanted to highlight the fact that Ayrton used in the race and won with the T-car.
I wanted to replicate the wording using the initials of the chassis ant T-car

I then started to place the rest of the sponsors.

I placed all easily….until with the front nose Marlboro logo that is wrong

To see the mistake: the left decal is from the Museum Collection and correct, as it is curved and with a portion of L and B that go to the monocoque.
The MSM Creation decals perfect in all (also in size) except for this decal which instead of the curve was made straight.

If only I had noticed before I would have split the decal and positioned by hand. I removed the wrong decal and I ordered a new decal for front nose.