You do not have to go to such extremes to make moulds for individual panels but the better you make the mould the easier life is every time you turn out a new panel. There is quite a difference between making moulds for small discreet parts of a car such as bumpers, wings, bonnets, etc. and making moulds so that you can create a complete body shell. Unlike a steel (or other metal) bodied car it is possible to make almost the whole body shell as one piece. The advantage of this is that overall the shell can be lighter yet stronger when compared to a shell that has made in separate parts and then bonded together. It is also less hassle than having to align lots of separate panels. What has to be done to achieve this it is to create a multipart mould that when bolted together is perfectly aligned and will not distort through the heat generated during the curing process. The moulds for the Mondial Z will eventually incorporate a space frame at a distance from the actual mould to make alignment and strength easier. By fitting an A-frame at each end, the complete mould assembly can be rotated on its longitudinal axis to facilitate the laying up process. The body shells that turn out from such a mould will be quite easy to work with when it comes to bonding them to the chassis and prepping for painting. This is a fairly serious project.
Referring back to my intention to build a three seater using the 360 engine and transmission here is an interesting image. I took a side elevation of both the Mondial and the 430 and superimposed the Mondial on the 430. I have aligned the rear axles on both drawings. Interestingly the Mondial has a wheelbase only 50 mm longer than the 430 (which is the same as the 360). The Mondial is actually only 20 mm taller than the 430. It is quite interesting how the dimensions and lines are very similar in these cars which are separated by quarter of a century. You can see that it is possible to put the modern longitudinal drive train into the Mondial chassis without too much difficulty yet still retain the efficient use of space that is a characteristic of the Mondial. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That interesting, I never realised you had looked that deep into it, its interesting on the wheelbases, I was possibly looking in a few years time to buy a rotten Mondial and see about building a Lm replica of a late 60's early 70's racer, or seeing if something like a P4 replica body would fit onto a Mondial
Well, not quite. With all of the interest in carb/EFI conversions, a lightweight intake manifold for a QV/3.2 ( only takes four pieces consisting of two identical runners) that would fit a Weber 40 DCNF and a TWM throttle body (same hole/bolt pattern). I think there would be a small, but avid market. Frank Capo in Australia used to do them in aluminmum (what I used with 40 DCNFs), but does not any more. My interest would be for a "cross ram" longer runner that fit a 40 or 45 DCOE side draft Weber (also would fit another TWM throttle body) much like a 365 GTC/4. This theoretically would significantly boost torque and response (and the sound). I apologize for the fuzziness, but here is a photo of the Capo DCNF/throttle body compatable manifolds on a 3.2, and a photo of a previous mock-up of an experimental cross ram manifold that was never completed by a west coast machine shop. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry no, I meant really small stuff like switches and lights. PS: That intake tube is kewl. Where could I get one like that?
I have seen what I would call bellmouths for carbs or injectors, but not cf parts that actually fit onto the engine
Well, that answered the question of how much space a 360 would take up in the garage. I was always amazed at how small the 308 really is relative to not only its brother in the line up, but also to modern Ferraris.
Just for you, a 308QV on top of a 360, again with the rear axles aligned. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This thread is fascinating. Zertec, where did you learn to do all this work - the modelling of the new body style, mould making, etc - or do you just learn as you go? I'm amazed every time I look at this thread...
