Using a 3D printer, it was possible to save the car that participated in the 1914 Grand Prix

3D printing technology has allowed to keep the classic vintage car. ABC News

article translated for you Top 3D Shop .

Australia - the birthplace of the only surviving car that participated in the 1914 Grand Prix - is the “Delage Type-S” model car. Thanks to the feat of restorers, this rare car is still on the move.

In 2014, when the cylinder block cracked and water got into the exhaust system, the car stalled and was sent to a mechanical workshop in Castlemein, 130 km northeast of Melbourne.

Video:

Motor car

Motor restored by mechanic Grant Cowie.

In view of the lack of spare parts or original drawings, and since only a handful of specialists had the traditional skills of manufacturing parts of antique cars, pre-war engineer Grant Cowie began to look for alternative ways to recreate a complex motor with 16 valves.

“I knew that using the traditional method, which involves creating a wooden model, would be an extremely expensive project and, with such a complicated casting, it would probably take several attempts to fix this motor,” Mr. Cowie said.

He decided that using the digital technology to create a copy of the original cylinder block would be the most accurate, efficient, and inexpensive way to get a car back online.

The catch was that before the repair of such complexity, Cowie did not.

History of the Delage Model

• In 1914, only 3 Delage Type-S cars were created for the premier race in French Lyon.
• A month after the Grand Prix, World War I broke out and car racing in Europe stopped.
• Delage Type-S cars were sold in the USA and then, in the twenties of the XX century, one of them was resold to Australia for auto racing.
• This car was driven by one of the first Australian race car drivers and was later owned by legendary racer Lex Davison.

Recreating the engine block

A laser 3D scanner scanned the engine block from the inside and out - a job that would have taken many months without such equipment was done in a few days.



The data obtained during the scan were used to digitally “repair” the cracked motor on the computer. Then , a mold was created using a 3D printer .

The process of creating an engine block

The original engine block was scanned.

According to the manufactured form, the engine was cast at a local iron foundry, after which the traditional processing of the finished product on a manually controlled machine was performed.


A mold was created using 3D printing, a new engine block was cast on it.

“It's one thing to complete the processing, and quite another to assemble all the parts together,” says Cowie.

“When the engine was assembled and started, it was a real relief.”


In the photo - Grant Cowie, an engineer for pre-war cars.

While many modern auto parts are printed on 3D printers , project manager Philip Gilfoyle commented that repairs of this magnitude are unique.


“As far as I know, this has not yet been done in the field of car restoration,” said Gilfoyl.

Stuart Murdoch, the owner of the car, insisted that all parts used must accurately repeat the original ones.


“I believed in these experts and was not disappointed,” he said.

Feat of engineering

Now that the 103-year-old has returned to service, Murdoch is a very satisfied customer.


“This is an outstanding achievement for all of its members and, I can say, very significant for Australian engineering,” he said.

Automotive historian Douglas Blaine is amazed at the fact that one of the priceless S-Type models is still on the move: “The fact that this model exists in its original form is maintained in this state and used by the owner, rather than being dusted in a museum behind glass really amazing fact. ”

Gilfoyle believes that digital repair technology could revolutionize car restoration, and mechanics like Mr. Cowie are becoming less dependent on auto parts and stopping industry from using old technology.


Type-S model at the 750 km race at the Grand Prix in Lyon, France, 1914.

Where do you think you can still apply this technology? Where would you apply it? For what? Share your opinion in the comments.