Alfa Romeo 158

1652 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by tifosi, Mar 31, 2018

tifosi

Discussion Starter · Mar 29, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

Hi here is a simple kitbash of the Merit/SMER Alfa Romeo 158 Alfetta.

Body is SMER, quite the nastiest plastic that I think I have ever dealt with. Chassis is Dynamic, Motor is a Revell PittMan RP77 good for a whole 20,000 RPM (!), tyres are bits box front and Ultimatt Urethanes rear. Wheels are vintage? (You will have to ask Phil Smith/Scaleslotcars), Inserts are Matchbox Jaguar SS100 kit wheels. driver is an Immense Miniatures Tazio Nuvolari. Wheel drum brakes are George Turner. Gears MRRC Bevels.

The mirrors sit inside the bodywork, either side of the steering wheel in front of the dashboard. I chromed them and then faffed and fiddled for 10 minutes getting them into place.

Then I refitted 'Taz' and realised that they could not be seen.

DoH!

The Alfa handles really nice but the RP77 has little go.

Built for 'Big Birds' at Rockingham next weekend, I hope that you like it.

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gus3049

· #2 · Mar 29, 2018

tifosi said:
The Alfa handles really nice but the RP77 has little go.

I have the same problem with my first choice concours car for Bordo. Big old Pittman that sort of gathers speed but it handles so well I'm hoping that it will still do OK in the races.

Good luck at Rockingham. Nice car, you can never go wrong with an Alfa

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tifosi

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 29, 2018

Well look at that, an Alfa Romeo 158/9 at Goodwood in 1951!

(with thanks to Getty Images)

So my new Alfa can be a Bordo reserve (with a couple of minor changes).

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gus3049

· #4 · Mar 29, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

Right numbers too!

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Mark50

· #5 · Mar 29, 2018

Looking good Pete....it will be interesting to see how the Revell compares to the Aristocraft in my (Smer) Talbot Lago. With a bit of a run it goes reasonably well, but gets bogged down if you get sideways in a corner. A re-zap did not make much difference. I found the body plastic very brittle and chipped easily when trying to trim it. Nice to see a vintage guide position as well!

Mark

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ArJayAytch

· #6 · Mar 30, 2018

Pete, how did you attach the body to chassis please?

Look forward to seeing it and 'tous mes amis anglais' at Bordo in June.

Richard

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tifosi

Discussion Starter · #7 · Mar 30, 2018

Hi Richard, I simply cut a piece of plastic 'box section' to length and glued it in. I then measure the centre and cut a small hole. I then push a brass 'acorn' (Old school Revell type) body mount into place with a warm soldering iron, pop some super glue around the rim where it joins the plastic and there you are, body mounts. A matching screw goes through the chassis into the mount and that is it.

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dgersh

· #8 · Mar 30, 2018

Peter, just thought of something.

If you want a little more grunt, look for a Pittman DC70-6 or DC77-6 - both 6 volt motors and definitely faster than the RP77 (which I kind of doubt makes it up to 20k!). They're all pretty much the same size - in fact the RP77 is based on the DC70, and then PIttman did their own version of the RP77!

Don

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ArJayAytch

· #9 · Mar 31, 2018 (Edited by Moderator)

Peter and Don, thanks for this.

Next question...! What gearing on a car like this for Bordo's AMT raceway please? Having tried the track briefly after the recent SW team race round it seems that horsepower isn't at a premium because of low grip, but something smooth to drive would be good...?

Richard

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tifosi

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 31, 2018

Richard, I start off by gearing for acceleration and brakes. If both are OK but top speed needs improving I will then try and re-gear for a little more speed .

So start at 4 or 4.5:1 and then fit a smaller (fewer teeth) crown if more speed needed and brakes/acceleration are OK.

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