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Post by vintagerpm on Jun 12, 2020 3:39:45 GMT -8
I was at the Can Am race at Texas International Speedway in 1969 working for Union 76, where Seppi brought the Porsche 917PA. Here are some pictures from Getty Images which pretty clearly show that at that race (and if memory serves me right, I can confirm) it was normally aspirated. I think it received the STP livery until the 1971 season. No 917 was turbocharged before 1972. The 1969 car was a 917PA, which started with rounded front bodywork, but ended the season with the wedgy bodywork. The 1971 STP car was the first 917/10. Mike |
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 12, 2020 9:41:03 GMT -8
 Of course the Heller Porsche 917 instructions are in french and I no comprendo so Part #79 mounts with the brake master cylinder , kinda looks like some sort of electronics or? Anyone have an idea what it may be??? I have lines coming out of the bake cylinders but what the heck is this piece? Thanks Chris |
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Post by afx on Jul 13, 2020 3:40:02 GMT -8
Maybe some one with a MFH Porsche 917 kit could provide information?
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Post by Joel_W on Jul 13, 2020 4:59:47 GMT -8
Chris,
What an unusual build project for sure. I'll be following along with great interest for sure, so please keep the updates coming.
joel
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Post by Rob de Bie on Jul 13, 2020 14:24:22 GMT -8
It's a humble washer fluid bottle.. White plastic, rectangular, black cap, small cilinderal motor on the front side. In 'The undercover story' it's seen on pages 134, 145 and 153.
Rob
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 14, 2020 9:24:59 GMT -8
Rob, if anyone would know it would be you, Your excellent website is a treasure of Porsche kits and Race cars. Thanks again Please join up with us, I think I have been on your site since day one and as a fellow member of GPMA. Your valuable input would be greatly appreciated... Chris for all you Guys who are not familiar with Rob check out Rob De Bie's Scale Model Kits site link.. robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models.htm |
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Post by Rob de Bie on Jul 16, 2020 14:32:10 GMT -8
Thanks for your kind words! But I'm not that knowledgeable: I had to look it up in my books.
My Porsche 917 and 935 kit lists were born out of a slight frustration of which kit was the best to start with, and lots of confusion about the numerous versions. Now that is sorted, I can start building :-)
BTW, initially I thought you were building the resin body by Racecarmodeler (RCM) by Allen James (deceased), but your Ebay link show another body. It's the 148th entry in the list now :-) But I wonder whether the Ebay seller was the producer or not?
Rob
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 16, 2020 16:58:06 GMT -8
Rob, I do not believe that the seller cast them, he has been on ebay for years and I have done a lot of business with him, I can try to ask though. I worked with Allen a bit with the resizing on the 917PA decals for the Entex 1/20th kit I have stashed away as a future scratch bash build.. Great Guy, Sad Loss.. Chris
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 19, 2020 6:46:24 GMT -8
Rob, I was able to ask Scott, the seller, Who poured these? and he did answer me, they were done by Loon Resins out of Minnesota USA. Never heard of them but it looks to be probably someone who does aircraft ( some top notch workmanship ), PROS, smooth, no warpage, minimal bubbles under the surface , relatively little flash. CONS, a little thick in a few areas, ( at the firewall ) right where one would cut the rear deck off to allow a opening deck there are large square sections of resin, right where the Oil tanks would be too, other than spending hours of grinding I have not worked out a solution. Overall rating 8 out of 10 and very buildable. Chris
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Post by Rob de Bie on Jul 21, 2020 3:34:24 GMT -8
Thanks for checking! I rechecked the Ebay auction, and 'Loon Models' is listed as the brand - but I overlooked it. I found this webpage where Tom Tanner announces the then-new transkit (about halfway the page). Apparently it fits the Fujimi 917.
www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/new-model-kit-thread.180496/page-150He calls it a 1971 PA, so I looked into that a bit more. The tail fins indeed make it a 1971 PA version, as raced by Milt Minter for Vasek Polak Racing during the 1971 Can-Am season. Judging from the photos of the 917-028 chassis history on Racing Sports Cars ( www.racingsportscars.com/chassis/photo/917-028.html) the tail fins appeared at the Laguna Seca race, but by then it also had a squarish radiator outlet in the nose. Therefore I'm not sure what the body represents. Do you know maybe? I like the looks of the car, and it makes a great project. Rob |
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 21, 2020 4:18:03 GMT -8
Rob, I did check it against the Fujimi chassis and also the Heller (which is what I chose ) and I didnt see any advantage to using that set up. The Heller is a full detail kit so I went that way, Man that chassis and suspension is a hot mess of little pieces of tubing that have no connection points, I am correcting that though. Using RB Motion pieces to make up the suspension more accurately helps a lot. This is the early Interseries Prototype version I am doing, well except the headlamps and a few other bits, but it will come out nicely .  I am out to lunch on the radiator exhaust vents on the nose since I have a few Interseries pics of the car without. I guess at best it is going to be a What If version but only by a little. I am using the Historic Racing Models 917 Transkit with full engine and it too is looking good, a fine casting by Harold no doubt. Watch for more developments, since i work slowly but almost everyday.  |
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Post by Rob de Bie on Jul 21, 2020 5:53:56 GMT -8
I for one am happy that you're using the Heller kit! As far as I have been able to figure out, it is far more accurate than the Fujimi kit. The Fujimi is 4 mm too wide on the front axle. On the other hand, the Heller kit is not easy to build. As you write: lots of details and a vague fit. But if you study it well, you can make a great model. Here's for example what I'm doing with the rear half of the chassis. Black is Heller, white is mine:
![https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/images/917k-18.jpg]() The Historic Racing Models 917 engine is really sweet, but I don't understand why the heads are canted so much. That's what's stopping me from building it, so far. If you're combing the Heller kit with the HRM enige, be aware that the Heller kit has a 'cross' of tubes under the engine, that shouldn't be there. Maybe that's what makes the engine(s) sit too high in the chassis, that prevents the rear bodywork from fitting properly. Rob |
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Post by Rob de Bie on Jul 21, 2020 5:56:21 GMT -8
I don't the photo, here's a link instead:
Rob
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Post by afx on Jul 21, 2020 7:50:37 GMT -8
Rob's photo:  |
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Jul 31, 2020 7:17:32 GMT -8
  Here is my progress on the front suspension, I made small blocks to hold the upper sway bar, the kit shows to just balance them and glue, no locator pins...nada it all just balances? so I made sway bar links and tried to solidify the set up a bit. it has been a royal pain but I am moving on . I will making brakets , blocks and pins, etc. to make it go together a little more reasonable.. Chris |
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