[MOC] 3T Sport Sedan - Finished

[Thirdwigg]

Over the past couple of months, I have very much enjoyed many of the build threads that have taken place on Eurobricks. Of note was the excellent Hammerhead thread by @Didumos69 where the build kept improving in no small part because of the feedback given by so many.

In this same vein, I wanted to embark on a less ambitious project. I'll try to update as often as I can.

The project is a manual sports sedan in mid-scale. Features (at this point, in order of priority):

• Four wheel independent suspension
• Rear Wheel Drive
• Steering (Steering Wheel, HOG)
• Four Doors
• Flat 6
• Opening Bonnet
• Opening Trunk
• Toddler Safe
• Transmission

Current Progress

Basically, the dimensions are set, and the suspension will not change much. Now I'm working on a transmission, which I have not decided if it will include. A manual gearbox puts the shifter a little too high for the scale, and this sequential will fit, but the changeover location is not great, either forward or rear. I'll update this again tonight, and see what I can figure out.

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Thirdwigg

[Thirdwigg]

I have now added a transmission, a four speed sequential. It's quite big, gummy, and I do not yet have a great way to control it once the body work is installed. And I am not sure where the steering is going to go.

Other than that, it's fine.

I'm going to play with one more transmission design tonight, and see if I can figure out the steering issue. I learned a lot from the Porsche 964; the steering and suspension worked well, but the transmission was not worth the effort to install it.

I'm pleased with the suspension, and with a little more chassis strengthening, it will be perfect for this MOC.

Stay tuned.

[tomek9210]

Very nice car you are building!

Could you show us the suspension? Am I seeing correctly that in the rear one spring is missing?

[Meatman]

Good start. Might be tricky to fit in a sequential at that scale. But hey, anything is possible.

[Alex Ilea]

34 minutes ago, Meatman said:

But hey, anything is possible.

 

So true 

[Thirdwigg]

43 minutes ago, Meatman said:

Good start. Might be tricky to fit in a sequential at that scale. But hey, anything is possible.

The sequential transmission is installed in the second photo, so it will fit. No changeover mechanism is installed, but currently the manual control setup used on the Porsche 919 from @steph77 is the my preferred option right now.

@tomek9210, yes, I'll need to add another shock for the rear. I'll take a better picture of the suspension tonight.

[Thirdwigg]

OK, I'm back with some updates. The four speed transmission worked, technically. But I didn't like it. After a couple of redesigns, and replacements, I decided it was distracting from the car. So I put in a manual two speed transmission. I know, I know, it's lame, and name two cars that have a two speed transmission. The car now rolls better, is stronger, and the cabin may actually be inhabitable. 

I have also added the basis for the steering; both HOG and the steering wheel are working.

The frame has been stiffened, though a little more around the front suspension will be worthwhile.

Red 1x15 liftarms are there to keep the dimensions in mind.

Here's a suspensions photo for your @tomek9210, complete with four rear shocks.

Next up, the dashboard and seating...

[steph77]

You takes the good decision to remove the gearbox i think. Design will be cleaner as well.

Curious to see the next step ;)

[BusterHaus]

Thanks for the WIP pictures, they show quite well how you approach the shape of the car.  I like the full-sized engine in the front, nice job eliminating space between it and the suspension.

[Jeroen Ottens]

Tough decision on the gearbox, but the right choice I think. At this scale simple things tend to explode in size relatively speaking. For example: fitting a differential already fills up most of your trunk

You'll be needing all the space you can get for some structural elements / connectionpoints for the paneling

Edited July 21, 2017 by Jeroen Ottens

[Thirdwigg]

16 hours ago, steph77 said:

You takes the good decision to remove the gearbox i think. Design will be cleaner as well.

Curious to see the next step ;)

Glad you like it. Next up is the cabin, and dashboard. Have any good ideas for seats? I need a creative design.

13 hours ago, BusterHaus said:

Thanks for the WIP pictures, they show quite well how you approach the shape of the car.  I like the full-sized engine in the front, nice job eliminating space between it and the suspension.

I'll keep the WIP pictures coming. Keeping space tight in the front is crucial for the four seats, now I need to take some more space out of the center tunnel. Maybe...

10 hours ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

Tough decision on the gearbox, but the right choice I think. At this scale simple things tend to explode in size relatively speaking. For example: fitting a differential already fills up most of your trunk

You'll be needing all the space you can get for some structural elements / connectionpoints for the paneling

Yep, all these things take space. I car can go without a transmission, but certainly not a differential, right?  . Paneling is always the most difficult, so hopefully space is available for future parts.

I agree with all of you, the transmission decision was the right choice. Thanks for the affirmation.

[steph77]

7 hours ago, Thirdwigg said:

Glad you like it. Next up is the cabin, and dashboard. Have any good ideas for seats? I need a creative design.

I think that  the seats of Paul's Deluxe supercar from 2006 would be ok for your car ;)

Edited July 22, 2017 by steph77

[Rudivdk]

Aahh, good to see another car with more than two doors and seats

Looks good sofar, well balanced and I think a good decision to keep it 'simple' when it comes to the gearbox. Will be following this one, keep it up!

Edited July 23, 2017 by Rudivdk

[Thirdwigg]

On 7/23/2017 at 2:56 AM, Rudivdk said:

Aahh, good to see another car with more than two doors and seats

Looks good sofar, well balanced and I think a good decision to keep it 'simple' when it comes to the gearbox. Will be following this one, keep it up!

Yep, I try to give a little love to something other than the the two door two seat car.

I did not have a lot of building time this weekend, so I did not work on the dashboard. But I did spend a little time on the seating.

The size is correct for the front, though the rear bench is one stud too tall.

I am not sure on the color, black has a tendency to look washed out, but it looks better with the mixture of liftarms and connectors. I find the the Dark Blueish Grey looks the best, but I cannot get the headrest part in that color, so a highlight of Light Blueish Grey or Black will be needed. Basically the center of the front seats will stay the same, but I am still trying some ideas for the bolsters. I'll leave the rear bench like this until I finalize the front seats. I might go with rear buckets as well.

[Rudivdk]

@ThirdwiggYou could make the dbg 5l beams black and leave the rest lbg. It gives two black stripes on an lbg seat, and it is easy to repeat on any form of backseat design as well. It would also give some sporty feel to the interior.

[Thirdwigg]

Thanks @Rudivdk, second color 5l beams look\ a little too much like prison stripes, but both colors are available in 5l thin liftarms, which might looks better with a thin black stripe on the LBG seats. I'll try it tonight.

[Thirdwigg]

I'm back at it after a little bit of time off. It's funny how life gets in the way of building. Is funny the right word?

The seating is basically set, though I will make some final changes depending on how the roof connects. I may do a rear bench, though the buckets are kindof fun. It feels Panamera-y. The transmissions tunnel will need to be changed a little bit as well, as it could be a little more stiff. But again, I will wait to do this once the roof takes a little more shape.

So it is time for me to start working on the body as this will start to finalize some of the chassis contact points. I'll work next on the front and rear bumpers, and the door sills. The doors may be simple #13 and #17 panels. Also, I mentioned the roof. Most sports sedans have a gentle curve to the roof, so I would like to add this feature, so I'll try a couple of options when I get some time.

[Alex Ilea]

Lookin' good !

[Thirdwigg]

I spend a little more time on this for the last couple of nights. I have placed a couple more panels on the front and the rear to start some exterior shopping. The car is looking a little too much like the W124 E Class "Hammer;" too boxy for my taste. So I'll need to add a some more curves. After some more work on the roof, and the rear quarter panels, maybe I can get the desired effect. Also, this is the third design for the front bumper/grill, and I still do not like it.

The rear bumper if fine, but the trunk will still take some work.

[Rudivdk]

This is shaping up nicely! And cool license plate in the rear

What size are the wheels? Are those from that race truck (dunno the set nr, I think 42051)?

[DugaldIC]

Looks good so far! Before you know it'll be all done. I have a question though what was your inspiration for the front headlights? 

[Thirdwigg]

6 hours ago, Rudivdk said:

This is shaping up nicely! And cool license plate in the rear

What size are the wheels? Are those from that race truck (dunno the set nr, I think 42051)?

They are the same as from 42041.

 

5 hours ago, DugaldIC said:

Looks good so far! Before you know it'll be all done. I have a question though what was your inspiration for the front headlights? 

The headlights are inspired from the "lightblade" theme running in most current Cadillacs. I'm not sure it works here. Styling is always something I struggle with...

[Paknaloid]

.

Edited January 4, 2018 by Paknaloid

[Rudivdk]

3 hours ago, Thirdwigg said:

They are the same as from 42041.

Thanx, thats the one I meant. Gotta have me those some time too, they are of good size for medium sized mocs.

[Thirdwigg]

I guess I have been a little distracted from this project, but I'm back to it.

I'm working on the bodywork right now, and trying to determine some of the external parts, so I can finalize the interior.

The two sides show two drafts of styling. The top has the sills facing down and with different panels on the front and rear quarterpanels. The bottom has the sills facing up, with a another option for above the rear wheel. Thoughts?

The roofline will still need to change, as will the C pillar. Closing up the trunk and rear bumber area are next on the list. I keep playing with the front grill, so we'll see how that settles.