BUILDING A VINTAGE BENTLEY PART ONE
DISCLAIMER: IT`S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE I STARTED THIS BLOG AND IN THE MEANTIME THE BENTLEY SCENE HAS CHANGED, NOT ALWAYS FOR THE BEST!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ESTIMATES THAT I MADE OF THE COSTS OF BUILDING A BITSA ARE NOW OUT OF DATE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ESTIMATES THAT I MADE OF THE COSTS OF BUILDING A BITSA ARE NOW OUT OF DATE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON!
BENTLEY EXPERIMENTAL No. 2 IN 1923 GUISE WITH WIND DEFLECTOR AROUND THE COCKPIT AND FRONT
WHEEL BRAKES. AT THE WHEEL A RAFFISH LOOKING FRANK CLEMENTS. THIS WAS MY STARTING POINT.
WHEEL BRAKES. AT THE WHEEL A RAFFISH LOOKING FRANK CLEMENTS. THIS WAS MY STARTING POINT.
THIS IS MY ORIGINAL MARK UP ON THE EXP 2 PHOTO. SEE EXPLANATION BELOW IN THE TEXT.
HERE IS A MOCK UP OF MY CAR TO POSITION THE WINGS EARLY ON IN THE BUILD
JUST A PARAGRAPH TO EXPLAIN THE REASONS WHY I CHOSE TO BUILD A REPLICA OF THE SECOND PROTOTYPE BENTLEY "EXPERIMENTAL No. 2"
I HAD BEEN COLLECTING BENTLEY PARTS FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHAT TYPE OF BODYWORK I SHOULD GO FOR. TIM HOULDING HAD JUST PUBLISHED HIS EXCELLENT BOOK ENTITLED "EXPERIMENTAL No. 2" AND AFTER READING IT, I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT MAKING A REPLICA BODY FOR MY CAR, SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL VDP CLONES. ANOTHER GOOD THING WAS THAT EXPERIMENTAL No. 2 HAD NO DOORS SO THAT WOULD REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SPENT ON THE BODY
AS I HAD BEEN A CHASSIS DESIGNER AT FORD MOTOR CO. IT WOULD BE EASY FOR ME TO DESIGN AND MAKE DRAWINGS FOR THE BODY. THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING A BODY. eg TO GET THE ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT SEATING POSITION TO ENSURE COMFORT WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES AND THAT THE PEDALS WOULD BE EASY TO USE AND VISIBILITY OVER THE SCUTTLE BE SATISFACTORY etc.etc.
THE WAY TO START WAS TO COPY THE PHOTOS FROM TIM`S BOOK AND CALCULATE THE SCALE OF THE BODY. THIS WAS DONE BY MEASURING THE WHEELBASE ON THE PHOTO AND OBTAINING THE RATIO OF THE WHEELBASE ON THE PHOTO TO THE ACTUAL WHEELBASE OF THE CAR. THIS REQUIRES INTERPOLATION AS THE SCALE OF THE PHOTO VARIES DUE TO THE PARALLAX EFFECT OF THE CAMERA LENS.
AROUND THE SAME TIME I BOUGHT AN OLD HUMBER CHASSIS WHICH I THOUGHT CLOSELY RESEMBLED THE CHASSIS IN THE PHOTOS OF EXP 2, IT COST ME £50.
I MEASURED UP THE HUMBER CHASSIS AND TO MY SURPRISE BY USING STANDARD 3 LITRE FRONT SPRINGS AND SYMMETRICAL REAR SPRINGS AS ON THE 9 FOOT LE MANS CHASSIS, THE WHEELBASE WAS EXACTLY 9 FEET 4 INCHES LONG, EXACTLY THE SAME AS EXP 2. I HAD TO COMPROMISE AND MAKE THE FRONT OF THE CAR AS PER THE STANDARD 3 LITRE BENTLEY AS I DIDN`T HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF RADIATOR AS EXP 2 AND WAS GOING TO USE A STANDARD 3L RADIATOR AND STEERING COLUMN.
I HAD BEEN COLLECTING BENTLEY PARTS FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHAT TYPE OF BODYWORK I SHOULD GO FOR. TIM HOULDING HAD JUST PUBLISHED HIS EXCELLENT BOOK ENTITLED "EXPERIMENTAL No. 2" AND AFTER READING IT, I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT MAKING A REPLICA BODY FOR MY CAR, SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL VDP CLONES. ANOTHER GOOD THING WAS THAT EXPERIMENTAL No. 2 HAD NO DOORS SO THAT WOULD REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SPENT ON THE BODY
AS I HAD BEEN A CHASSIS DESIGNER AT FORD MOTOR CO. IT WOULD BE EASY FOR ME TO DESIGN AND MAKE DRAWINGS FOR THE BODY. THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING A BODY. eg TO GET THE ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT SEATING POSITION TO ENSURE COMFORT WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES AND THAT THE PEDALS WOULD BE EASY TO USE AND VISIBILITY OVER THE SCUTTLE BE SATISFACTORY etc.etc.
THE WAY TO START WAS TO COPY THE PHOTOS FROM TIM`S BOOK AND CALCULATE THE SCALE OF THE BODY. THIS WAS DONE BY MEASURING THE WHEELBASE ON THE PHOTO AND OBTAINING THE RATIO OF THE WHEELBASE ON THE PHOTO TO THE ACTUAL WHEELBASE OF THE CAR. THIS REQUIRES INTERPOLATION AS THE SCALE OF THE PHOTO VARIES DUE TO THE PARALLAX EFFECT OF THE CAMERA LENS.
AROUND THE SAME TIME I BOUGHT AN OLD HUMBER CHASSIS WHICH I THOUGHT CLOSELY RESEMBLED THE CHASSIS IN THE PHOTOS OF EXP 2, IT COST ME £50.
I MEASURED UP THE HUMBER CHASSIS AND TO MY SURPRISE BY USING STANDARD 3 LITRE FRONT SPRINGS AND SYMMETRICAL REAR SPRINGS AS ON THE 9 FOOT LE MANS CHASSIS, THE WHEELBASE WAS EXACTLY 9 FEET 4 INCHES LONG, EXACTLY THE SAME AS EXP 2. I HAD TO COMPROMISE AND MAKE THE FRONT OF THE CAR AS PER THE STANDARD 3 LITRE BENTLEY AS I DIDN`T HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF RADIATOR AS EXP 2 AND WAS GOING TO USE A STANDARD 3L RADIATOR AND STEERING COLUMN.
ABOVE LEFT, HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE BODY DRAWINGS THAT I PRODUCED. THIS IS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE FRONT AND REAR WINGS. ON THE RIGHT HAND IMAGE SEE THAT I`VE TITLED IT AS AN AUSTIN 12/4 SPECIAL. IF I HAD INSTEAD WRITTEN DOWN 4.5 LITRE VINTAGE BENTLEY IT WOULD HAVE COST ME DOUBLE!