Mirage #1004 Mk.II build

[CraigB]

Well time to start this build thread off.

With the amount of time I have been spending away working offshore (I work in the UK offshore Oil and Gas industry) and the new emergent replica mono builders that simply weren't about 2 1/2 years ago (or at least weren't generally known about) I have taken the big step of moving away from my space frame project to one one the new Mirage chassis. As you might know from my previous build thread I have gathered many original spec Mk.II pieces that will now find their way onto the new car . The deposit is down and I am now the proud owner/deposit owner of Chassis 1004 (nothing to do with the Mk.I Le Mans 1965 car btw )

More pics as they happen - the 1st fit of a big bock into a Mirage shouldn't be far off now I think the phrase was "I see what they mean by BIG Block now!"

I was assigned 1004 because of all the chassis in build this was the least built up, so the modifications that Ford did to the Mk.I to turn it into the MK.II can more easily be done to this chassis.

Ray and Steve are a couple of great guys doing a FANTASTIC job there; the attention to detail is what really caught my eye, (JimmyMac has already posted the pic, but the build table is a piece of art in its own right). The repeatability they have achieved would make Ford blush when looking at the original cars!

A few photos for you to whet the appetite.

View#1 (front 1/4)

View#1 (rear through engine bay)

4 Monos in build (mine is furthest from camera), 1002, 1003, 1004 and 1005 present.

Mirage's build table. (about 1/2 inch thick steel laser cut to align each chassis.

Cheers

Craig

 

[JimmyMac]

Phewee !!,
Wow ~ that was quick Craig.
So we have MKI road and race cars, now a MKII in the shop, well who's going to try for the Mirage ?
Many congratulations at the inception of your new project.

 

[Keith]

Damn! That looks just like FAV back in the day. Cool or what......:wacko:

 

[CraigB]

Phewee !!,
Wow ~ that was quick Craig.
Many congratulations at the inception of your new project.

Thanks James - it's a REAL pleasure to be here We will chat soon I'm sure

And Keith - before my time I'm afraid (I was born during the Apollo 13 moon shot); I have seen pics though and you DO have a point!

 

[Dave Collins]

Craig,

Congratulations that look like it will be one special car.

Dave

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Damn! That looks just like FAV back in the day. Cool or what......:wacko:

Not really, FAV got the tubs welded and ready to "make a roller". This is harder when you start from scratch! Kudos to all, Mirage, Hi-Tech (SPF) and the others doing a proper mono.

 

[Will Parker]

Those are incredibly beautiful looking pieces of art!!! Do you make them to sell or is this just a special short run?

Will

 

[al nuttall]

DearCraig,
welcome to the Mirage owners club, i wish you every success with your build of your mk 2. i look forward to meeting you during the next few months.
best regards

alistair

 

[Mike Pass]

Excellent new project Craig. That should be quite a piece of kit with a proper big block bellowing away. Having seen the set up at Mirage I also think Ray and Steve are doing a superb job and the accuracy of the main jig is fantastic and probably more exact than the original. Should be a fun build and even more fun to drive. What are you going to do with the current chassis?
Cheers
Mike

 

[CraigB]

Just come back from a visit to Mirage to discuss the modifications needed to their design to replicate those done by Shelby and H&M back in 1966. I thought I would take the opportunity to post a few more pics of the mono under build (pics are mostly of 1004, but one or two are of 1005).

The left hand sponson will be replaced with a new one as the Mk.IIs never carried the later battery in the back modification some Mk.Is had. It was decided to replace rather than retrofit the area as most of the parts are already on their stock shelves and the LH sponson can be used in the next Mk.I build (probably 1007 whoever gets that ). This will also enable a full length fuel cell to be fitted rather than the shorter LH Mk.I tank.

The transverse cross-member behind the seats is also slated to be severely reworked on 1004 along with a host of detail changes; in fact, 3 of the cars now in production will have different designs in this area to replicate different stages in the evolution of the original cars to meet the owners specifications (demanding bunch eh ).

Cheers

Craig

 

[John W]

Looking good Craig.
I'll be watching progress with great interest

All the best,
John.

 

[CraigB]

My latest ebay find turned up the other day An original 1966 9.5"x15" GT40 "Champaign" Halibrand. I dropped lucky on this one as nobody else bid above the reserve price! My good luck for once I suppose.

The previous owner claimed it came off P1012 at Le Mans (maybe the practice in April) in 1966; nice story but any proven provenance will be thin on the ground.

Cheers

Craig

 

[Jac Mac]

8.5" wide according to the 'cast' size-- 9.5" will be the incorrect overall width.

 

[CraigB]

The photo is a little misleading because of the way the flash has caught the casting (I'll try to get a better one). The wheel measures 9 1/2" between the inner faces of the rim. Overall width (outer face to outer face) is 10 1/8".

Cheers

Craig

 

[CraigB]

I hope these are a little clearer. The surface looks a lot worse in these pics because I have had to play with the contrast a bit to get the casting marks clear - the wheel doesn't look THAT bad close up.

Cheers

Craig