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RENAULT 12

REPLICA OF THE RALLY CAR IN 1977 LONDON-SYDNEY RALLY, TEAM TURKEY.
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Started: 29 October 2005
Finished: 03 May 2009

Page 4 of 9

28 March 2006:
I began manufacturing the front panel and grille, by cutting from 0.5 mm styrene sheet.

30 March 2006:
I searched my whole stash and parts box for a suitable grille pattern but none would fit. So I composed a grille in scale, by stretching a piece of thread on a double-side sticking tape. I included the base for the emblem in the center too!

Then I got the casting mold from 5-minute mold putty.


And I got the raw casting in resin...

I heated and bent the raw resin to the proper curvature and trimmed with my Dremel cutter to fit behind the plastic.


23 July 2006:
After a long pause, I carried on with the front grille. I cut and  temporarily stuck backing plates for the reflectors. I glued the backing plates to the ends of the front grille so that the reflector mounting plane would be in proper axes with the body.

I took the grille out, and joined the resin and plastic with epoxy glue.

Then I tailored and glued the upper and lower triangular parts at the 4 corners.
24 July 2006:
I marked and drilled the headlamp openings.

I filed the openings to correct shape.

29 July 2006:
For the integral reflectors, I used a carburettor jet as a male and carved the female in a piece of wood, then pressed on a heated piece of styrene to get the shape.


I trimmed the reflectors and then glued to the back of the front grille.

19 August 2006:
To cast the front grille in resin, I prepared and glued runners to the master.



I made a silicon mold around this master and got the first resin copy.


I painted the part after trimming, to see how it would look like. In fact, my particular model will not have the central part of the grille, but only the headlamp parts. But  still, I made a full version for an alternative use in the future...

10 November 2006:
I glued the front to the body, tailored the lower panel from styrene sheet and filled the back with automotive polyester putty, then sanded the edges.
I will manufacture the real front panel with openings in it, then glue it over this base front lower panel.

07 December 2006:
I acid-etched the lower front grille panel from copper sheet. Then I fixed the panel on the body with double-sided sticky tape.

25 June 2007:
I manufactured the front and rear glass seals from half-round styrene profiles.
I also added the wheelarch profiles from styrene strips.



I made fillets to the wheelarches with Mr. Dissolved Putty.


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