My take on the Porsche 917K

[Siffert917]

After 30 years pursuing other hobbies, I got into the 1/8 scale car models when I purchase the Pocher Lotus 72D. I really enjoyed the additional upgrades on the Lotus and I want to do the same thing with the Porsche 917K. I  decided to change the Steve McQueen Nr. 20 to the Siffert/Redman Spa 1970 winning car with the Nr. 24. Before I received the first package, I already started the project.

 

After downloading hundreds of pictures, I started with the left front suspensions and add nuts and bolt instead of the kit's provided Phillips screws. I scratch build the inside of hub carrier piece. I found on the internet a video series of a 917 restoration, that showed this side of the part. It is not 100% accurate but good enough without cutting the hub carrier apart.

[Siffert917]

The next step is Stage 4. I filled off the dummy screw and added M1.2 nuts and bolts. The crosspiece got two upgrades. Instead of the FM screws, I glued in a brass tubing and painted it silver. They are a little recessed to simulate the right position of the headless hex bolts. The crosspiece plate got 4 hex screw dummies. On the other side of the disc, I painted the molded on hex head silver to match the bolts on the other side.

 

[Siffert917]

I worked a little bit on the gearbox parts than came in the first package.

I added M1.2 bolts and nuts to the back part of the gearbox. There was not much of a lip and I might use fake nuts and bolts that are smaller, if I would do it again. The bigger holes will be filled with a glued in rod to make the M1.2 bolts work.

I also added a M1 nut that above the left hole for the muffler holder.

I filled off all the molded  on nuts, drilled holes and will add M0.8 nuts and bolts. Although the color of the gearbox seemed to be spot on, I scratched the pieces too much for just a touch up job.

 

The right gearbox had all the fasteners missing. The mounting bracket needed 4 bolts in the corners. Before final painting, I will remove the Phillips screw and patch the hole.

The side shifter needed a little bit more work. I had to add some plastic pieces and putty to give me some room to add 3 additional nuts and bolts.

I have to wait for the second package for the other side of the gearbox but that should be arriving soon.

 

[Mark, The Master Modeller]

Love the amazing attention to detail!

[Siffert917]

Thanks.

i am actually using your built to already check out my changes for the next packages and find pictures of those parts.

[Siffert917]

I got the second box and finished the gearbox.  A lot of work went into drilling holes on the left gearbox side, 15 just for the circle. I also dirty up the starter. I could not find a picture where the starter was still snow white. I repainted the entire gear box brown and use a black wash. The pictures show the gearbox much darker/blacker than it acutely is. The muffler plate also got bolts and nuts and a Tamyia Panel Line treatment. I used 0.8mm and 1.2mm real bolts and nuts but had to paint them silver, since I could only find them in brass. Original pictures showed more bolts but the casting did not have the space to add them and there is a limit how much I want to change the casting.

I added a few half round styrene piece on the gearbox to give the added nuts and bolts on the rear gearbox cover a more convincing way to be attached.

[Siffert917]

I finished the 2 pack. I spend a lot of time on adding bolts and nuts on the different parts or painted them if the were part of the mold.

I also upgraded the 2 alternators with 3 cables and repainted it in aluminum. The cooling blades were painted gray to simulate that type of sheet metal they would have used. The fuel pump got the missing hook ups in the back according to pictures I found on the internet. I noticed, they were to indentations in the mold at that spot and I believe this hook up part was planed originally and never made it to the production line.

I used Tamiya Panel Line for the cylinders to give them a little bit more depth. I did not want to spent to much time on them, since they will not be really visible at the end.

The most time I spent on the fuel pump. I added a lot of screws, nuts and bolts and repainted every piece (except the yellow plates) to match my pictures I found on the internet. On the cover plate, the bolts were missing although the prototypical indentations where provided. The 2 Bosch plates where copied from an original fuel pump that I found on a sellers website. They are too small to read but I know they are there.

The muffler holder plate was updated with nuts and bolts and got a Tamiya Panel Line treatment.

 

[Mark, The Master Modeller]

Im really enjoying the extra detail you’re adding to the model. 
I'm a fan of Tamiya panel liner too.  

[Siffert917]

I studied more pictures with the fuel pump. I realized, the red hex plug is just a plastic plug, used when the motor is out of the car. This is actually the connection to the fuel tanks. I had to remove the red piece and I made the first test fuel line, since the model does not come with the tubing.

Some 917 had rubber tubing some had breaded hoses. I just like the breaded hoses for there looks.

[Siffert917]

There was a delay in the next stage since the piece 'Upper Airflow Guide' was missing in the package. It took some time until it arrived and I was surprised, that it was sent from England.

I cut off all molded on pieces on the 'Air Cooling Chamber Top' and replaced them with printed nuts and bolts. Since the top looked to shiny, I hit it with Tamiya flat but the color reacted strange to the flat spray. I decided to simulate dirty fiberglass with deluded Vallejo Wood Grain and it looks in my eyes great.

I added two wires to the distributor bases. Some pictures show four but there was not enough room and even my thinnest wires were just too oversized.

The oil hose seemed to me just too simplified and I upgraded to hook ups. I also switched to braided hoses. They used them later and to me it just looks much cooler.

On the engine block plates, I painted the molded on nuts and bolts, around the spark plugs I added some red color. I drilled out the spark plugs to add later thinner wires, which I would not be able to fit over the pins.

I am still try to figure out, how to make the two screw heads invisible, that hold the engine block in place. They are more obvious on the picture than looking at the model.

A lot of work went into attaching and painting the fake nuts and bolts and I might never see them again, but it just part of the fun.

 

[TonvanB]

Quote

I decided to simulate dirty fiberglass with deluded Vallejo Wood Grain and it looks in my eyes great.

Spot on! I will keep this one in mind!

[Siffert917]

Next step needed some work. The velocity stacks and throttle bodies got some paint and a fair amount of 3D printed bolts and nuts. Most of the time I spent carefully to cut off the molded on nuts, while preserving the factory paint.

The throttle linkage rods and parts are to thick but it would have taken to much time to make better ones. I drilled at least al the holes out and repainted them in a more pleasing color.

The engine fan got the 4 missing nuts inside the fan and I added better looking nuts to the fan hub cap. A little paint helped to get it more 3D looking.

I spent good amount of prep work on the cylinders. I will replace all the provided screws for the mufflers with 1.4mm nuts and bolts. I had to cut off the pins and tap 2 out of 3 the wholes for the 1.4mm bolts. The 2 pieces are super glued together and I hope, it works. The nut driver is on order. Luckily on photos of the real thing, the bolts are the same color and I don't have to paint them.

[TonvanB]

Great Job on the bolts

[Siffert917]

Not my idea. I saw it on another build of 1/8 model. Biggest Problem is to find those small nuts and bolts. Hobby shops sell them for around $1 per bolt. Luckily on ebay I found a source that had all sizes I needed for around $5 for package of 100.

[TonvanB]

have you tried this company ? https://knupfer.info/shop/

[Siffert917]

Thanks for the tip. 

[Siffert917]

With some vacation delays, I finally added the mufflers to the Motor. Most pictures I found of the original 917, the muffler was more silver/aluminum than white, and so I repainted the pieces. I could also get rid of some of the mold lines. The nuts and bolts took more time than expected and some I had to glue in place, since I could not reach them with the nut driver.

As suggested in a post, I drilled out the end of the muffler, part 21C, to reduce the visible wall thickness. Not  an easy tusk but at the end it worked.

I am not very happy with the gap between the pieces but I checked the post of Mark, the Master Modeller and World of Wayne and both showed the same problem. I might fill the gap in place with some silver putty and see, if it looks better.

The entire Stage took forever and is probably not worth it but that would not stop me next time.

 

 

[Siffert917]

Stage 22 finished and it took me only 4 hours.

I replaced the thick tubing with 28AWG wire. It might be a little bit on the thin side but that's what I had in my spare box. Unfortunately the model is missing 1 indentation (for number 2 bundle from left) but is not obvious. The little yellow markers are pieces of masking tape colored yellow and the black clips for the cable bundle are pieces of black masking tape.

I still have not figured out, how to improve the gaps on the muffler pieces. Maybe somebody has found a way to improve it.

[Siffert917]

I am looking already forward to the stage 24, with the windshield water tank and the pump. Agoras manual does not make much sense. You got the tank 24H and on the side attached the pump 24I with a tubing that connects the 2 pieces but then it goes nowhere .

Regular Porsches have also a tank with and attached pump but the 2 pieces are internally connected, which makes sense, especially for a race car. You don't want too many hoses, if you can prevent it. In the model, there is no hose to the wiper, which I can easily add with a small hole in the right place.

I found one picture from (mayb)e 1970 with an open front trunk and the reservoir visible. Unfortunately it is a different piece and has the pump on top integrated. No help there.

Maybe somebody here has a picture of the setup Agora decided to use, otherwise I have to scratchbuild the tank I have a picture off.

[Siffert917]

Correction first: I mentioned, that on the Cam Cover 12A is an indentation missing, where the cable 4-6 run down. I found a photo of an engine from the 1970s, that had the same design with only 3 instead for indentations.

Although I have not done the other 12 plug leads on the left side, I started on Stage 24 to do something different. I could not find a picture of the washer fluid tank online and decided to scratch-build  the one, that I have multiple photos of. The pump is on top in this configuration.

 

I changed the tubing for the brake cylinders to 1mm wire. I will do additional lines, when the front suspension is in place.

 

The foot rest plate got a small upgrade. I drilled a few holes and added cable ties (photo etched from ebay) and I added one cable that was not mention in the manual. The plate actually has a spot for this missing cable. I repainted the pieces with the pedals in gunmetal gray and the master cylinders in aluminum. it also gave me the chance to clean the mold lines. I did not install the brake light push button, since everybody mention, it is almost impossible to push the brake pedal, when the car is finished. I will have a button outside the car.

 

[Siffert917]

I finally finished the right sight of the wiring.

I also finished the last Stage of the package. I did change much except to give the metal a coat of black paint since I had to repaint the suspension from the first package. Since this 917 raced in Le Mans, I added a blinker. According to the rules, the blinker has to work, which is ridiculous but so is the spare tire.

 

[Siffert917]

New package arrived and I spend some time on figuring out, how I made the front suspension that came in the first package.

After that, it upgraded the brake housing with a wire to simulated the tubing according to old photos I found on the internet. This is not modeled on the Agora 917 although they molded necessary pins for it. Big help again was the YouTube video of the restoration of a 917K by the Team Gunnar. The last pin became a filler nipple.

Since I needed to repaint the housing, I removed the flash on the plastic and repainted the entire piece and painted the hex bolts black.

I cut out the bridge in the housing and glued in a cross, according to pictures I found.

I also changed the hook up for the brake tubing. I hope, it will not interfere with the body or I have to shorten the wire a little bit.

 

[Siffert917]

It does not look like much, but I have been working for some time on the wiring board/fuse panel. I found a picture of a 1970s 917 with a different board than Agora supplies in the kit. Since I wanted to add some cable I started from scratch. 

 

[Siffert917]

Finishing right before the next box arrives. I found a picture on the internet (Restoration Canepa or Gunnar, not sure) from the same angle. I noticed that Agoras oil hoses are too thin compared to the original. Since I will use braided hoses (looks cooler), I adjusted the size and modeled the hook up to the oil pump housing.

I also added the missing brake lines from the brake pedal cylinder.  I only found one picture on the internet, that actually shows that part. I had a hard time to take a picture of the my model and that is properly the reason for the lack of original pictures of the real thing, as well.

I don't know, what those orange wires are for but I assume they are coming from a sensor.