Conversion Tamiya 1/12Ferrari 641/2 to 640 '89

[ferrarissimus]

The single oil cooler in the engine V is confirmed by Doug Nye, History Of The Grand Prix Car 1966-91, page 194:
'...while the original single oil cooler in the engine vee gave way to to twin lateral coolers'. This was a development for the Mexican GP plus the high airbox.

[JamesB]

Then this sounds like a radiator, rather than a "black box" type heat exchanger, aided by water radiators...
Good thing is that it'd be hidden... will search the pics.

[jaykay]

Interesting bit of information. I hadn't noticed that before. It's been a while since i read those books...
The note in the Benzing book about the heat exchanger in the engine vee doesn't really make sense though.
The 639 ( pre-season test car ) had heat exchangers ( two silver boxes ) on the floor of the sidepods left and right of the tank, with tubes running between the engine and radiators and exchangers ( F1Modeling magazine Vol.17 ).
All these are missing in the Tamiya 1:20 kits.
I don't have race by race pictures of the 640, so i can't tell when, but at some point these exchangers disappeared.
It would make sense if the early version still had them, but the late one didn't anymore.
I don't see a change in the main radiators or extra radiators though.
Again, pictorial evidence missing so far. Restored/current cars don't really count

[JamesB]

Honestly this is quite a mistery, but it would not be the firts time something has been misstyped, misexplained or whatever and then the mistake has been carried on.
I don't see much room inside a quite slender narrow Vee engine (60 degrees) to fit radiators. With what air flow??? remember the problems Brabham had in 1984, the nose cooler needed good intake and outlet.
Maybe a box like exchanger, but that's all.
Anyway, here's a good early season engine pic. Surely it's before the Le Mans race date which is freshly covered in same magazine.
Even if high inlet 640 is seen in the magazine, this one is the low one: you can tell by the shape of roll hoop.
Well, no extra radiators visible, but yes the tubes might indicate some piping is bound to the center of Vee where something might happen...

[jaykay]

In this picture you can't see where the heat exchangers would be James.
I'll see if i can post a picture tonight. None online...

[JMCARC1]

Hi all,

I think this project very interesting. I start do it some years ago, but I stop it.

I found this image related to the heat-exchange in the center of the engine V. Ferrari used a similar solution in the F187-F187/88C turbo engine. You can see the shape in the MFH 1/22 instructions manual. I think the solution was similar for both 639 and 640 early version.

Regards.

João.

[ferrarissimus]

Here are the first pictures of the conversion:

Top of the medial tank was cut and the height was reduced about 3-4 mm

The to the front slightly increasing height of the lateral tanks was reduced to get a horizontal line.

Top is removed now

Shape of the lat. tanks was reconstructed by styrene sheets

[ferrarissimus]

original and new shape compared

[jaykay]

Nice work on those sidepods...however, i don't think they are correct.
I haven't seen a single picture with that round shape. Only some sketches in the Benzing book show this and i think it's just incorrect/uninformed sketching. As far as i can see only the length of the monocoque in that area ( fuel tank size i guess ) changed but the shape was more or less the same as on the 641/2 kit part.

As promised here's a picture of the heat exchangers on the 639. Picture taken from F1Modeling Vol.17.

[ferrarissimus]

I'm a little bit shocked now. I analyzed thousands of pictures in my over hundred Ferrari books and internet. But there are very few pics from the car without the cowling. So I trusted in the drawings from Sergio Baretta and Giorgio Piola and the 1/20 reference car from Tamiya. All books and the Tamiya show the more rounded lateral tanks.
Finally I will not change that shape, even it will not 100% correct.