Mercedes C11 diffuser installation.
Thanks so much for your support by buying these kits.
They have been a labour of love and I'm glad others appreciate the time and effort that has gone into raising the detail level of the fabulous Tamiya C11 kit.
Body Details kit installation guide here:
Below is a run-through of the tips to install the diffuser and wing stays. It's pretty straight forward really.
Please do note, the diffuser is designed to fit the car in the low chassis position. That's the position described in the assembly manual.
In the box:
Wing stays
1200 grit paper
fitting screws.
The wing stays are CNC machined by me in 6082 T6 Alloy. This is a nice alloy to machine, it's hard but also can be a little brittle.
The included fine grit paper is for you to finish the stays as you wish. Some people might like to polish them, others might like to just break the edges and give then a brushed feel.
I though this step of involvement important for that hands-on and custom feel.
As tis is bare alloy I'd also suggest a light coating of lacquer to seal them. Not essential but aesthetically could be nice.
If you've just bought the wing stays, you're already also done. They fit on in exactly the same way as the original plastic stays and with the original bolts.
Wing stays in place and ready fro the wing to be fitted.
Do be careful though, this alloy is tempted so don't be too aggressive with the top tabs. To fold them they had to be heated before folding or they would snap off. As soon as the wing is bolted onto the tabs and the main mount bolts are all tightened I've found these to be very rigid .
Job done, wing on with original bolts and body fitted. Now that's so much better than the original plastic stays.
The full diffuser kit pictured below consists of:
Main diffuser
Rear panel (optional)
M3 Hex bolt and nut
M2 bolts.
if you're fitting this and the rear stays, the the assembly order is slightly different.Please note, this diffuser is made for the chassis in the lowest position.
Remove the rear wing stay holder unit.
Drop the M3 bolt through the hole in the unit and fix in place, I used a couple of drops of super glue for this. The head has to be firmly stuck to the the unit with the screw pushed right through.
Refit the stay support block to the car, making sure the M3 bolt is firmly fixed on the inside.
Either refit the original wing stays or the alloy ones with the original kit bolts.
Now the diffuser can be gently slid into place. The M3 bolt should easily slide though the hole in the part. If there is resistance I'd suggest just running a 3mm or 3.2mm drill through gently to make a clearance hole. Not much of the bolt protrudes but enough to put on the M3 nut to pull the part up tight. I'm dropped a little super glue gel into the end of my finished car to secure the nut.
Keep in mind, the diffuser is filament printed. Even though it's quite finely printed I know some people will want to go the extra effort of sanding, filling and painting the part for the ultimate in finish details. Personally I would keep post production to a minimum, cleaning up the trailing edge and maybe a satin black paint finish.
The underside of the diffuser you can see the tab is ticked on top of the FRP plate and the part butts up nicely.
I did test a version with a slither of double sides tape on that tab but found even without, it's pretty firmly fixed with just that single M3 bolt. How tidy is that!? :)
The top section of the diffuser, I made this to just cover the space under the body. A totally optional fit and I found a couple of ways to fit this.
You would have noticed 2 holes in the back of the diffuser before fitting, these are for the 2 x M2s6mm bolts. I would suggest screwing these into the diffuser before mounting everything, just to cut the thread in the plastic. This next stage is a lot easier then.
With a long hex driver ( I used the Tamiya driver) you can just fit the M2 screws through the top panel into the diffuser to secure the 2 parts together. It's a fiddle, go carefully but it works.
Alternatively. Good old super glue would secure the parts too.
Alternatively. Good old super glue would secure the parts too.
The M2 screw pulled up nicely to secure the rear panel to the diffuser.
Lastly, the dummy rear light can be fitted to hide the M3 nut.
This is resin printed so shouldn't need and post processing, just paint is as desired.
I stuck mine on with a light drop of superglue gel.
This is resin printed so shouldn't need and post processing, just paint is as desired.
I stuck mine on with a light drop of superglue gel.
Body on and job done!
You've now substantially smartened up the back end of your C11.
You've now substantially smartened up the back end of your C11.
I hope this explanation was clear and you've enjoyed the build. This together with the body detailing kit were the first accessory kits I've made but I certainly don't this the last.
They are all hand made by me in my shed so please do have a look around this site to see the other things I make, sell and enjoy doing.
They are all hand made by me in my shed so please do have a look around this site to see the other things I make, sell and enjoy doing.