Pocher Mercedes 540K True Roadster Build

[larchiefeng]

I have a Nikon D3200 16MP camera but, you can only go so big on Photobucket. Besides, I'm trying to show the lights working and I turned off the lights so they light up better. So there, take that!

[Codger]

I have a Nikon D3200 16MP camera but, you can only go so big on Photobucket. Besides, I'm trying to show the lights working and I turned off the lights so they light up better. So there, take that!

Ahhhhhhh, I stand corrected.

[larchiefeng]

Today, despite all my best intentions I got nothing done. I started to sit down at the bench and do something but, I quickly realized I was looking at a mess and despite my to do list I didn't know where to start. So, I cleaned up the bench and as I was putting things away I realized that I was falling prey to a cluttered workbench as I am getting closer to what I thought was the end of the build. You notice, I said I thought I was getting to the end. The second part of my day I sat back down at the computer and went back to my "to do list" and realized it was very unorganized. The only organization about it was most of my notes were in one place but, scattered all over three pages. And, since I made the list I've checked things off and added things daily. As I sat there looking at my list and my new notes I realized that most of what is on the list are things to be done in order to get back to the actual build sequence that has to be followed. As I have fallen prey to, "Codgeritis" which, is to say I keep adding to and and changing the build as I go along that, has extended the build time quite a bit. This is not a bad thing and actually truth be told I'm grateful for the encouragement and advice I've been fortunate to have received from Codger and Roy as well as a number of other master builders along the way. Anyway, I'm a list kind of guy. I've always been that way because it helps me stay focused and in a way it's kind of like following an instruction sheet. So, my list is now back over a 100 items long but, it's broken down by interior, exterior, lighting, engine, chassis etc. and because there are so many things that need to be done I had to break it down further. The body is broken down by section like doors, fenders, hood, main body etc. So, tomorrow with a clean workbench and a clear direction I feel like I can make some real progress instead of looking at clutter and multiple scraps of paper and trying to figure out what to do first.

[larchiefeng]

Wow, the list and a clean workbench works! Except now, after an afternoon of working on a couple of projects it is a little messy again. I need to keep the bench clean after each day so, when I go back the next day I'm not overwhelmed with sensory overload. Sometimes when I stare at cluttered work space I tend to not know what to do next especially when I'm dealing with multiple small assemblies. Anyway, enough of that, today I decided to go back and change the gearshift and toggle switch connection. The small 1mm bolts and nuts just didn't seem like it was going to hold up in the long run and it felt a little wonky and wobbly. So, I decided to file down the toggle so it would be about 3/32" in diameter and would fit inside a length of copper tube far enough to be solid and then I grabbed a spare shift lever that would fit in far enough the other way and create a good solid switch mechanism. Here are the results of that, and yes, that is my list in the picture. This can be checked off the list.

I've been dancing around this modification for a while and I figured I'b better see if can do it and have it look right before I finish the main body. If I do go with it then I'm going to have to add it to the body and paint it along with the body. This whole thing came out of the reference material I have and from information from David Cox regarding this car. This is where my term, of Codgeritis, comes from even though he claims I've fallen under David's spell. Whomever is to blame, myself no doubt, this is an example of late in the build changes that extend the build time. I'm adding a metal cover, plastic, over what would be the convertible top boot, because that is what is shown on most of the 1937 and 1938 roadsters of this particular body style. The other reason I'm doing this is because I want mine to be more of a one off than having it look like all the other builds of this kit. That is also why I changed the interior color because black with red interior would have been a copy of Marvin and David's K91. So, here we go, first thing to do is to break out the contour gauge and make some templates.

On the prototype 1938 roadster the metal section is actually three pieces with a center section and the two side panels. So, there are two ways to do this. One is to do it like I'm laying out the templates here with a metal panel extending down to cover the drop down section or not doing that and adding some convertible top material to show underneath by leaving off the drop down section. I need more pictures of that exact section or I may have to take some artistic license and do it like it is laid out here. First thing is to transfer all these templates to plastic card and possibly brass for the sides because of the compound curves.

Now, I need to make a couple of plastic and brass side panels for fit and then make another center panel that might be if I want to show some top underneath and see which set looks the best against reference pictures. All this and the lighting and all the MMC parts etc. are things that were not part of this kit build and have significantly extended this build and I'm getting to the point that I want to see the sum of all the parts.

[Codger]

Don't blame me for this!!

You obviously are prone to this sort of 'I can do this' perfection-chasing because you have the skills and the tools to go down these paths of frustration. And get excellent results.

In my case, I wander blindly down those paths and try to drag my skills up to the required level to accomplish them. My desires are bigger than my skill set. We each have our own demons and Cox is definitely the main Instigator.

'Codgeritis' indeed..........

[larchiefeng]

I've had help from "friends" in this pursuit of so called perfection. I'll agree on the I have the tools part but the rest is up for debate; and yes David does play a part in all this. Another quick update before I call it a day; I've been trying to figure out just what I was going to use for the marker light lenses and had put in the "for later" pile. This morning I threw my old toothbrush away and tonight I happened to look at the old one and it hit me that the clear plastic would be the perfect size to make the lenses out of. That's what first pictures are. The next ones are a longer version of the metal cover that would show a bit of the convertible top under the edge. The end pieces are formed out of brass to make the compound bends and curves needed.

The shape needed to cover the boot

Brass corners taking shape

To be continued

[Mpfiend]

Hi Wayne.

Really nice progress. Nice work on the brass

When you built the front suspension. Did you have to modify the steering arms so that they didn't hit the suspension springs? I see this is one of Paul Koo's mods.

Best Regards

Keith.

[larchiefeng]

I've been trying to decide on how I wanted the "metal" tonneau cover to look. I've made lots of templates out of old file folders and transferred them to various thicknesses of plastic card and brass which have been taped to the body and pondered for the last week or so. I finally decided that I needed to make a decision good or bad, and just go with it. This is probably not my first choice but it fits and in the end it will look good. After I glued it on I realized that I should have used some under bracing or filler in order to prevent the dip in the cover but, that's what filler putty is for. Anyway, to start here are just a few of the templates.

Main cover piece

Trim pieces

The eventual one I went with because of the all around fit especially at the ends by the doors. It just gave me a a better way to finish the end caps

You can see the dip and it was there when I had everything taped up but when I finally decided to just glue it, it was the next day and I had forgotten about it. Oh well.

I suppose I could let it go but, then it wouldn't look like metal it would be more like fabric in look and that's not what I was going for with all this. Here it is glued down.

Trim piece fitting

Part of the trim glued on but, needs some trimming and shaping. the center runner is not down yet because I still need to fill in the dip with putty first.

I still need to make another smaller trim to run around the inside of the top piece but, I'll do that after I'm done with the putty. Needless to say the body now needs to be painted again; I've lost track of how many times this will make. And, to compound the problem it's really cold and as a matter of fact it's snowing right now. So, it will be a few days before I can get any kind of paint on it. I guess that's OK because it will give me time to straighten out the trim and get the putty smoothed out. In the mean time, the headlight bar is done and I have a good picture of the finished product and a reminder picture of where I started with it.

The beginning

Step two

Step three

Finished with the MMC replacement headlights.

[larchiefeng]

Keith, it's been so long ago that I don't remember doing anything special on the steering arms other than making the bends pointed out in the kit instructions. I assembled the front suspension over 20 years ago. WhenI first started this kit I got as far as the suspension and engine and then I put it up and finally came back to it. When I did start over I bought the MMC steering tie rods and center link to replace the awful kit tie rods. When in doubt go with Paul's mods.

[larchiefeng]

Time to use some putty to fill the dip in the rear panel in order to level it out. The first rough coat to start building up the amount needed

Trying to get a profile view for level

Second coat

Time to put some high build primer on to see what more I need to do

We'll see what tomorrow brings when it's dry

Got the headlights wired up and just mocked up at the moment

As I'm going through the list I thought it was appropriate that one of the things I'm checking off be on the actual list

Double checking that everything is working. At one point they didn't light up and then I discovered the the batteries had gone dead. Here we are with fresh batteries

Pretty bright with the lights off on the bench; here we are with the workbench lights on

More tomorrow

[Mpfiend]

Hi Wayne,

Really nice job on the tonneau cover and those headlights look superb, I was trying to resist having to buy those for my build, but seeing yours may have just tipped me over the edge.

My shopping list for Marvin is getting longer and longer by the minute.

Looking forward to the next update.

Best regards

Keith.

[larchiefeng]

Yea, I know it's kind like eating potato chips, once you start you can't just do one thing and not the other. If you go the full Monty with MMC parts you can figure on adding about another $1000 to the cost of the kit. Like I said before I got this kit almost 20 years ago and I only paid about $199 for it back then but, still....

I'm also under the weather myself and running a temperature of right at 102 so, I'm going to be down for a few days. Having my wife take me to the doctor in the morning.

Edited November 18, 2015 by larchiefeng

[larchiefeng]

Well, I'm sort of back among the living today. It's been a rough few days and nothing got done until a little bit yesterday. After some conversation with a fellow sick friend who informed me that I should immediately remove the Squadron Green putty from the cover because it will crack under the paint. When I finally was well enough to actually go downstairs and look at the Merc I saw that it had already cracked under the primer. It cracked so deep it went down to the plastic below the putty. I had to sand it all off completely and put new two part bondo on instead. I sanded the first coat down and will put a second coat on in the morning. I did take some pictures that I'll post tomorrow with tomorrow's progress pics. Thanks Mr. C, get better soon.

[larchiefeng]

The first photo shows the cracking on the primer.

The next two show just how deep the cracks went as you can see the remains in the plastic

After sanding the green off and the first coat of Bondo

Second coat and it will continue like this until I get it built up level with the kit body then back to painting so, no need for any more pictures as it would just be more of the same. When something new happens I'll update.

[Mpfiend]

Nice recovery Wayne,

I have had trouble with squadron green filler cracking in the past too. the automotive bondo is definitely the way to go.

Glad you are feeling better now.

Best Regards

Keith.

[larchiefeng]

Thanks Keith. Not much got done today as I spent the day doing things around here trying to clean up from being sick. I did some sanding on the bondo and as I was sanding I realized that I should be wearing a face mask or my respirator. Back in the day when I was in the car repair business I was around that stuff a lot and it really messes with your sinuses if you breath in the dust. Tomorrow I'm going to get a profile gauge on the cover and see if it is where it needs to be or if I need another coat before I primer it.

[larchiefeng]

Aside from being sick, this rear cover has been kicking my a.. I decided that I need to get some primer on it in order to see just where the problems are. When you start layering coats of bondo it's easy to not see where transitions are bad and need smoothing out. I also decided that I needed to get all the Frog tape off the body is case it starts leaving residue on the paint; it didn't but, it gives me a better idea of where I'm going without all that tape on it. I can see now, that I need to do some more sanding to feather out to the edges and add another skim coat of bondo to level it out some more. I spent a lot of time having to clean up around the edges where the front and rear sections meet because of a lousy tape job at those spots. I had taken the tape back when I had the green putty on and it didn't go back down well and I had bondo bleeding over. So, another reason to remove all the tape and start over. So, this being Thanksgiving here I'm just going to post a few pictures and pick this back up over the weekend when I'll probably start by spot painting the black on the new cover in order to build up a layer or two to match and blend what's already down before I have to re-shoot the entire body. I'm not sure where I'm going to do that yet as it's just way too cold outside, snowing today.

Looking closely you can still see a bit of a gap under the white piece that will continue the body line up to the trim piece above the seats. That's my gauge of the piece being flat as a metal cover should be and not with a dip in it.

[Codger]

The whole shape looks terrific Wayne. If you need to see dips or waves, brush on a coat of Future. The gloss will catch highlights. Fill or sand as needed. You could then wipe the Future off with a towel soaked with Windex.

[larchiefeng]

Thanks Mr. C. At the moment I can pretty well see the spots that needs attention. So, I'll sand it where needed and mask off around where the bondo needs another coat and after the next sanding I will try the Future trick. At that point I should be pretty close. Hope you're feeling better, and Happy Thanksgiving

Edited November 27, 2015 by larchiefeng

[larchiefeng]

I really didn't intend to post anything until I was done with the rear panel but, today I finally received the cream colored carpet. I ordered it back at the end of September and after some back and forth it seems the order was not filled then, it was out of stock and so on. Seeing as how I was trying to get a cream colored carpet to be a close match to the leather there weren't too many places that even had it but, it looked close so I ordered it. Then I had a heck of a time trying to match the piping to the cream leather. I don't want a darker contrasting color if I can at all help it. Here are the three pieces that have come from all over the world just to try and get a match; thank goodness for the internet. I'm still not real happy with the piping but, I don't know where else to look.

Sloppy but, it will do for now. I didn't mix enough and tried to put another over the first; not a good result. When it dries I'll just mix another batch and hit it again

[Codger]

Perfect mix ratio.

[larchiefeng]

Ever start something that you wish that you hadn't? I think I'm having some buyers remorse on this rear cover. I know that I've said that I won't bore you with more of the same pictures but, this stupid thing has taken on a life of its own. It is coming together and I'm about to shoot some more primer to see if I'm any closer to actually painting the gloss black; I doubt it but, I have to see. This issue I'm having is really one of time spent on getting the shape right and hoping the final product will actually look like what I envisioned. So, with that said here are a few shots of the mongrel dog before yet another coat of primer. You can see just how many layers of bondo and paint it's taken to get to this point.

Into the breach one more time

I can still see some ghosting under the primer. I may do another coat and then a sand to identify exactly how much needs work; it's a process.

Edited December 5, 2015 by larchiefeng

[Mpfiend]

More nice progress Wayne, Keep at it, I'm sure it will be worth it in the end.

Would a high build primer help with the ghosting rather than keep applying thicker layers of the Bondo? I use this after a coat of primer to help level out the surface before priming and top coat. Just a thought.

Best Regards

Keith.

[larchiefeng]

Maybe ghosting was a poor choice of words; what I really meant was that I can still see a ridge on the curve down. I've changed the "look" again in the process of doing the cover. Instead of having a visible line around the cover I decided to mold the entire piece as a permanent part of the body. This decision has made things more complicated than originally planned because I had to pull the front side edges closer to the body without having a huge bulge there. Anyway, now I have to concentrate on the curve downward to eliminate the bit of a seam line that has shown up between the filled edge and the white plastic card. I managed to get the top center nice and flat with no gaps between the new center molding that will continue the body line up from the deck and rumble seat. Now I have to add bondo from the belt line up to the center in order to smooth the transition from the top back down the belt line.

Like I said earlier this is probably one of the decisions I would have preferred not to make in retrospect had I known how much trouble and work it was going to be, not to mention the time lost on this part by itself. I'm so burned out on this that I'm considering putting it aside and starting another completely different kit and coming back to this later. I don't know, we'll see how today goes.

[larchiefeng]

I know I said that I wasn't going to post anymore pictures of this rear cover but, if you've noticed, I've been trying to get away with just trying to do sections and it isn't working. So, today I decided, no more half measures I'm going for it. Below is the the result. The problem I've been having is, every time I get some of the edges feathered out they start lifting or I get cracks here and there, because the bondo gets so thin. The other issue was, when wet sanding, water would get underneath some of the thin spots and lift a previous layer. The only way, short of removing everything, was to float the entire area and see what happens; at least it should all mostly be the same level. We'll see tomorrow or the next day when I get back to it. In the mean time, I did start another build, just to see some actual progress on something!

Edited December 7, 2015 by larchiefeng