Roger Zimmermann

You have now super luxury hinges! It's nice for such a job to have the required machines. Nice job, almost indestructible!

That's correct, they bought the Ford factory in 1954. This move allowed Simca to produce the "Vedette", a scale-down Mercury with a very small V-8.

Many years ago, I used a company called SMS (not the one for the upholstery!). If the people who are restoring hinges don't have access to the square pin's end, I understand them. What for a luck I had: for my rusty '56 Biarritz, I found an used hinge assembly; I cleaned it, new paint and could install it with no issue.

If I'm right, the Simca 1000 was the sole to have a rear engine.

Interesting job. I'm amazed that the front fenders were welded to the structure...In the fifties, Studebaker had even removable rear quarters!

Thanks Paulie! For the moment, I have no trouble posting. Well, I'm not totally ready with the carbs: I tried to install one under the manifold assembly; it's almost mission impossible to turn the bolts as the space is very tight for one bolt. Maybe studs and nuts could help, but I prefer the following set-up: the carbs will be attached with a central screw from the exhaust manifold when the intake manifold is not yet installed, plus dummy bolts.

Good catch! A Simca Aronde must be an unusual car in the US! This one is good looking; the wheel covers are not the ones commonly seen in Europe.

Finally the carbs are over. I skipped some details as well as all springs because they are so small it makes no sense to add more complication. The actuating lever is a strange one, its shape is dictated by the exhaust manifold. Nothing is moving on the carbs; shaft, accelerator pump lever, idle lever and actuating lever are all together soft soldered . Once the carbs are installed, almost no lever can be seen as they are facing the engine.

Randy, thanks for your comments! Don't worry about the air cleaner: they are not on the carbs like you can see on the first picture. By the way, not only Cadillac used that kind of carb: Packard used them too. The cover over the float is just different. On my carbs, I will use a decal. Carbs making is not very exciting. Plus the sale of one of my cars was a real "distraction" for more than one month. Anyway, I did some small additions like the accelerator pump, which is in my case just a rod as well as other small details you could maybe catch on the attached pictures. The float's cover is attached by fake screws. I still have to make the butterfly shaft and levers.

Finally, I could finish the "casting" from both carbs. As I wrote earlier, some minute details were skipped. One of the most difficult element to be added to the throttle bodies was the accelerator pump castings. Thanks to the main carb on which the position of the accelerator pump was well located, I could do a fixture with a long screw giving the location in the space for that small "casting". This is the first picture. As the accelerator pump casting was threaded, it could be vertically located at the right place. Then, it was a matter to do a spacer, adjust it at the proper dimension and silver soldering it on the throttle body. Now I can do the various element which will be screwed on the carbs.

The main body from both carbs are ready. Some cleaning finishing will be necessary before paint. Now, I can continue the throttle bodies as the main bodies will be a guide to attach what's still missing on the throttle bodies. Of course, I still will have to fabricate the external elements like metering pin, inlet etc.

Many years ago I did the same on one of my cars. Later, I had issues with the brakes. The excessive grease quantity expanded when warm/hot and went past the front wheel seals on the brake shoes...

The next job was to do the float bowl; each one is constituted with 5 elements silver soldered. By looking at the drawings/pictures, both elements are not at the same level, therefore I had to make a tool allowing me to screw both elements on the tool for final soldering. Both pictures are showing one assembled carb and the other one on the tool as well as both carbs. There are still numerous small details which will be either silver or soft soldered.

Thanks Martin! Well, I can do them so small with a lot of experience and good eyes...

The lower parts (looking like a tube) are made with 5 pieces each. The upper ones, much more, 6 I believe, but I don't remember exactly!

Randy, thanks for your comments. I assume for the similar category, frames are almost the same... The next parts I did are the air intakes which are attached to the throttle body with two screws. That is way not finished, the float chambers must be attached to the air intakes. As it can happens, I did a major error with the first set of air intakes. The diameter was too large, more than 1/2 mm. I wondered why I has so few space for the screws at the flange...Obviously, I took the dimension from another similar part. Silver soldered parts can be separated to save some elements, but in this case, I preferred to redo all elements because all was too much concentered.

Ah! repro parts...Better than nothing, but why the manufacturer of those hinges could not work with more precision? With the hinges now aligned perfectly to the body, you still don't know how the hood will be aligned...

Well, I began the lower element a few days ago; all went well until I noticed that I took the wrong dimension for the intake air channel! I must have been distracted...

Thanks for the positive answers. I'll have to do short cuts because at my scale, all is tiny...I have now to begin with the lower part because it will be needed as a guide to attach some elements to the throttle body which are now just in the air...

This is what I intend to replicate. Wish me luck!

Thanks Pat for the kind words! According to the parts book, the carbs for the V-12 are not the same as the ones for the V-16. However, many parts are identical; I suppose the difference is with the calibration.

Due to other tasks, the progress is slow on the scale model. I'm doing now the throttle bodies; the one pictured is not yet ready. There are some important details to add...

How to destroy a good design!

Thanks Martin, I cannot complain!

The construction of the model resumed slowly after our return from France; the second intake manifold is done. I will now try to replicate the carburators, the "fun" will begin!