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Pocher Bugatti T50 Coupé de Ville: a resurrection


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Hello

 

As I said in my introduction on this forum, 26 years have passed since I've begun the assembly of this precious and rare model, and 24 since I abandonned it on the shelf, gathering dust and rust.

Recently, I woke up, and decided to re-start it, and, if possible, achieve it.

 

I disassembled entirely the model and began this resurrection !

 

Actually, "she" is in this state:

 

- Chassis with frame rails, brakes, fuel tank, rear and front axle assembled

- engine with many extra details ( according to the reference photos of Paul Koo's DVD and other found on the net), mounted on the chassis with B002 Engine mount of MCM (Thanks Marvin )

- Steering box installed with personal and extra detailing.

- Firewall still on the workbench

 

As much as possible, I used bolts instead of screws, and, where not, I painted the screws in black, to mask them.

 

The chassis was painted with automotive black primer, which gave it a softly grained aspect.

 

For all the engine parts, I used Alclad metal paints with my airbrush, and here and there, tamiya paints with a soft or a dry brush.

 

Many details are scratched with aluminium sheet (0.3 mm thickness), brass or copper or alu tubes and rods (from 0.3 mm to 2 mm) , micro bolts and threaded rod, micro washers, destroyed watch parts default_wacko.png or photo-etched parts(engine cam covers, photo-etched grill for the radiator), thanks to Ebay default_wink.png

 

Several parts have been modified when necessary, especially to make them closer to the real ones.

 

And now, a few pictures....more to go later:

 

These pics were taken in june 2016 and shows the plastic parts of the engine assembled and sprayed.

 

I've modified the 4 inspection panels, with engine-turning inside (engine-turning was applied on a thin alu sheet 0.3 mm thickness, the sheet cutted at the good dimensions and the plates finally glued in place on the plastic part).

 

I began the assembly of the lubrication pipes, according to Paul Koo's DVD.

With the difference that I did'nt use alu rods but brass ones...They are more difficult to cut and drill, but I prefer their glossy aspect .

They are joined using soldering or brazing and not CA gel, and then,each sub-assembly has been glued in place on the engine.

 

28502463514_93a5f85a8f_b.jpg

 

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28502469554_023673b96a_b.jpg  28502484914_1c8384afea_b.jpg

 

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Then, I scratched the extra details of the fuel supply system on the carburetors, and the levers on the carburetors which permit to increase or decrease the acceleration.

These levers are functionnal, i.e they can move around their axle, and are joined together to move synchronous.

 

Later, a linkage will join the acceletor system on the firewall to these levers, and the all system will move, pressing the accelerator pedal..

 

Ingredients: Alu sheet,brass M1 micro-bolts, 0.8 and 1.5 mm brass rod, micro washers, micro-nuts and threadlock

 

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And after building the second lever, avec joining them:

 

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An overview:

 

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And finally, I've scratch-built the linkage which control the acceleration on the supercharger.

 

It too is "functionnal" as the previous one...

 

And I scratch-built too the lubrication line behind the supercharger

Same "ingredients", plus alu rod

 

28506106413_a7ee0be9e0_b.jpg

 

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As of now, that's all Folks :bye:

 

Let you digest that enormous post :eat:

 

Edited by CrazyCrank
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Thanks for this kind comment Keith.

I've a lot of pictures of this build, concerning the already completed work, and I'm OK to share my methods,tips and tricks if anyone is interested , but i must let guys breathe a little....until this evening at least :)

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Wonderful brass work and soldering Thierry. You must be an expert surgeon. The fact that you're making all parts functional is a huge advanced step. The layers of detail when finished will be a treat for the eye.

What references are you using to fabricate these obscure links and pipes? They are not often photographed in books or on the web.

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Welcome to the forum. Your modifications are stunning! I really like the linkage details you did. Getting those T connectors soldered must have taken some real patience and skill

Thanks a lot rjkk2002

Yes, it was a hard job, overall because I'd never soldered before, and I must learn over my misfortune...Have done and re-done hundred times the same parts, until satisfaction.

To braze T connectors, for example:

- first cut with a Dremel-grinder two lenghtes of brass tubes, various diameters as needed

- then drill at the diameter on center of a tube

- then push one tube in the hole of the other

- then fix temporarily the tubes on a second hand, adjust the angle between tubes, that must be right-angled corner

- then heat the brazing-wire (silver for me) until it melts and make it run into the hole of the recipient tube

- leave to cool....all is soldered, your fingers burnt too

- then trim and sand the assembly to clean it and get adequate dimensions.

- Now you must drill with the adequate bit your tubes, three holes, in order to make possible later the incoming of the connecting rods between T connectors, before solder or glue them

- etc....etc....

If it is unclear for you, I'll made a diagram

Edited by CrazyCrank
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Wonderful brass work and soldering Thierry. You must be an expert surgeon. The fact that you're making all parts functional is a huge advanced step. The layers of detail when finished will be a treat for the eye.

What references are you using to fabricate these obscure links and pipes? They are not often photographed in books or on the web.

Thanks a lot Codger, Im flattered an experienced observer as you, appreciate my work, which, I think, is only an amateur work

Expert surgeon ? you're joking my friend...seeing blood makes me faint :)

About the functional linkages, it's not very difficult...simple trim work...but it's necessary to consider the things before..

Frequently, when I've an idea, a project, , I take a long time to mull over it, until a morning, when I awake, I go to the bench, and perform the things, without difficulty.

If it is possible to post a video on this forum, I can place a sample of moving linkages...but I dont know how to !

About my linkages, I did'nt invent the wheel !

Paul Koo's DVD for the Bugatti's building is a bible, and there is on the net and other modeler's forum, a lot of detailed pictures of the true cars.

For instance, you can follow THIS link: http://www.scalemotorcars.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/514

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I'm stunned with the level of detail you add to this car.

I have the kit in my stash and will someday steal, ehhrr use a lot of the techniques you are showing.

yes, please, share all of it with us. You can be sure that none of us will be bored.

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Discovering this lovely work. Very glad you 'awoke' :guitar: and on such a great car and kit. Go for it and enjoy every bit.

Totally agree with you, nothing beats using real nuts, bolts, tubes etc. in different metals whenever possible.

The resulting visual effect is so good, you need much less weathering to reproduce depth and scale realism.

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Thanks for the tips on the T connectors. I have an extra Bugatti engine that I would like to stand next to my full car. I plan to detail that similar to what you have done with various oil lines and plumbing. The aluminum turned sheets are too ambitious for me tho.

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...g. The aluminum turned sheets are too ambitious for me tho.

I felt this way before proceeding ...to obtain an acceptable result...

But unfortunately, very bad when you see what is possible at home with good tools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6pMcDyx7PM

And you wrote you want to build an exposition copy of the engine...me too, later...And before, I've to find a kit on Ebay, if not, I could try to scratchbuild one...

Here is a possibly inspiration : http://www.cg-models.com/moteur50.html

Edited by CrazyCrank
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Hi fellows, I post now another photos of my yet completed work with pics of the detailed engine, and some explanations about how and why I did things.

These pics were taken in july and early august 2016.

To begin, some overviews:

 

Left Side: 29095414906_31cfb7a2d3_z.jpg

 

Right side:

 

29050945921_b766ca316d_b.jpg

 

Front view: 29050952901_c55b0e75ba_z.jpg

 

Rear view: 29051008251_831eab46ba_z.jpg

 

Top view:

 

29073035321_435950a8b2_b.jpg

 

Three-quaters view: 

 

29128253535_84015045dd_z.jpg

 

You can see these extra details:

 

- 1/ Brass bolts and nuts everywhere I could, to replace plastic ones, or added where necessary and not figured in the kit parts.

- 2/ Aluminium Engine head covers bought on ebay, with extra detailing added on them

- 3/ scratch re-built magneto with added levers and "authentic" electric wiring from MMC, and scratch-built locking latches

- 4/ Purge valve under the water-pump

- 5/ Oil purge valve on the upper right side inspection panel of the engine block

- 6/ metal heat shields on the exhaust pipes

- 7/ Alu loom guiding and hiding spark plugs ignition cables

- 8/ Scratch-built aluminium spark plugs sockets

- 9/ Alu plates on the front panel of the engine and on the front of the parts n° 76691-692 (cooling pump of the supercharger ?)

- 10/ And others whose name and function I ignore !

- 11/ The chromed watercooling manifold has been sanded and painted with Alclad chrome, then gloss cleared.

 

Details in the next posts

Edited by CrazyCrank
disappeared pictures
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1/ Brass bolts and nuts: For example on the front pannel of the engine (front cover)

In the kit, this panel is fixed on the body with 6 uggly screws, that of course do'nt exist in the real car, where this front cover is bolted with 12 bolts on the body !

I glued the front cover on the body after drilling missing holes, and then inserted bolts in these slots

I used M1 brass bolts with small size head, whose lenght was reduced.

29019947992_ee80200987_b.jpg

2/ Aluminium Engine head covers found on ebay

28537113404_00251b53d8_b.jpg

These etched-parts had to be shaped on the engine plastic covers, and in view of the material hardness, it was'nt an easy job, but the result is amazing

29081058861_43f0b1f277_b.jpg

The etched nuts coming with these covers are of poor quality, so I replaced them by M1 brass nuts, screwed on M1 brass bolts that were inserted in the slots from the inside.

On the right engine head cover, I've placed on 2 /4 nuts, two grommets. They'll be used for the further guiding of a cable that join the radiator and the water temperature indicator display on the dashboard, running through the firewall

29151632715_e140176bea.jpg

The grommet is scratch-bulit with a small band of alu sheet, were I shaped with a needle-file a notch, that will come onto the threaded shank of the bolt, like a jumper. The band is then rolled over a M1.5 rod to round it as a little tunnel.

28579294563_4f41d675ee.jpg

29188490545_9f057936a2_b.jpg

Edited by CrazyCrank
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3/ scratch re-built magneto with added levers and "authentic" electric wiring from MMC, and scratch-built locking latches

The kit's insructions show you the assembly with a long screw of two parts that form the magneto (distributor). According with the schema, the ignition lead set come out the magneto through a slot existing between the two parts:

29110498381_553008636c.jpg

This is absolutely wrong !

The 8 spark plug wires come out of the distributor through 8 holes located at the top of it, and regularly spaced around the circumference.

These holes are numbered from 1 to 8 on the cover of the distributor. what I depicted with 8 silvered points (my eyes ar 58 years olds, my hands trembled and I did'nt mange to paint the numeric characters)

I filled the slot betwenn body and cover of magneto with styrene sheet, then triming and sanding, primer and airbruh sprays, satin black for the body and Hull red for the cover

For the ignition wires, I use ignition wire provided by ModelMotorCars, yellow with thin black bands, that are really electrical wire, and that relatively well simulate the ignition cable available at this time.

On the body of the magneto, I put a decal where we can read (with better eyes than mine) the rade mark of the supplier: SCINTILLA, that was a Swiss manufacturer of electrical apparatus.

The decals for this bugatti are available on a dutch website: http://www.decal-sheets.nl/decals-18-pocher-schaal/pocher-bugatti-18-decals

On the right of the magneto's stand, you see a T-shaped lever that ends with threaded rod.

From what I understood, this lever permitted to act on a micrometric screw, to adjust the timing ignition point, according to the octane rating of the gasoline

On the left side, you can see a lever, that was linked through the firewall, to a lever on the dashboard, that permitted, unless I'm mistaken, to adjust the timing ignition point according to the engine running speed...

29155528596_3008cbf8dd_b.jpg

At last, the cover of this magneto is maintained on the body by two metallic clips, S-shaped, I scratch-built with iron wire 0.5 mm diameter, and micro-bolts

]28901275930_0a3415144d_b.jpg

Edited by CrazyCrank
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Superb detail work Dr T. You do very well with aluminum sheet and PE. Excellent photos keep a record of the hard work after the hood goes on.

Thanks a lot Codger for this kind comment.

After the hood goes on, the hard work still under it, and easily visible pulling it up.

And even if the hood is on, I know that the work and the beauty are here :popcorn:

Very nice work on the engine! I have this engine and the same valve covers sitting on my bench for what, was going to be my next project after the Mercedes but, after looking at yours I think I'll just forget it and do something else.

Very good idea, and if you believe my work can be an inspiration, I'm honoured !

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4/ Purge valve under the water-pump



While studying reference photos, I've noticed that there was a valve under the pump's body.


So, I scratch-built one, with brass tubes and rods, and brass nuts. I used here glue (CA gel) to join the parts.



28843219360_549542bb64_b.jpg28575104163_a9c95c83c9_b.jpg




5/ Oil purge valve on the upper left side pannel of the engine block



While studying reference photos, I've noticed too that there was a second valve on the upper right inspection panel.


So, I scratch-built one, with brass tubes and rods, and brass nuts. Here too, I used glue (CA gel) to join the parts.



28907733750_2aa1f4b423_b.jpg28907735780_cb96edd52b_b.jpg



On this last picture, you can notice too that I've modified the connectors located at the back end of the plates that cover the crankcase, and where will connect later the copper pipes coming out of the firewall.

Edited by CrazyCrank
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6/ metal heat shields on the exhaust pipes



They were scratch-built using my "all purpose" alu sheet of 0.3 mm thickness.



For the anecdote and the fun: this alu sheet was given to me by an orthopedic surgeon, friend of mine, and great scratch-builder of never-achieved plane models


These sheets protect in their boxes the artificial joints he implants in my patients !!!!


"Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed", said Lavoisier.



I've cutted in this sheet a plate whose shape matched more or less the exhaust one, and then adjust it try after try, with a soft cardboard file (from MMC).


Once satisfied, nothing simpler to fix it on the exhaust with a M1 brass bolt



28908175210_24b5b131b2.jpg29195906235_630a8ec1ac.jpg29195906655_e19fe456e9.jpg




7/ Alu loom guiding and hiding spark plugs ignition cables



At that time, the spark plug ignition cables rarely goes directly from the distributor to the spark plugs.


In order to protect them of the heat of engine, and to clean up the engine compartment, they was guided to their location in a metallic tube which carried as full of holes that ther was spark plugs, each hole located in front of its respective spark plug.



This part has been scratch built, without any difficulty, in an appropriate diameter alu tube, 4 mm for mine, with 1.5 mm drill for the holes.


To fix the loom, I've scratch-built two supports with my alu sheet: two thin (4 mm approximatively) U-shaped bands, fixed with a bolt on the engine head cover.


Refer to diagram of cross section below:



29162607166_1cb6bd77b1.jpg29151632715_e140176bea.jpg29073035321_435950a8b2_b.jpg



The aluminium loom has been polished and the painted with Alclad Chrome



8/ Scratch-built aluminium spark plugs sockets



I've replaced the uggly rubber spark plug covers by scratch-built sockets.


They're made, for seven of the 8, from a small band of alu sheet shaped and drilled .5 mm, according to the following diagram.



29162864346_c3205cffbb.jpg



Result is correct, but very fragile..and one the 8 I've built has broken a few weeks later, when I was working on the engine nearby, so I made a new one, with another method, very much simpler and faster


- Take an alu tube of 2 mm external diameter, and at least 1 mm internal...


- cut a 4mm section


- flatten one end with a plier, over 2 mm


- shape the flatten end to round it


- drill it 1.5 mm on the flatten end


- enter the ignition wire in the hole at the other end


- flattent softly this end, to pinch the wire


- that's all



Result is correct too, but less than with the first method, in my opinion



Each technic has benefits and limitations



You can see now the differences between two technics:



29118596076_d777f8f40f_b.jpg


Edited by CrazyCrank
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9/ Alu plates on the front panel of the engine and on the front of the parts n° 76691-692 (cooling pump of the supercharger ?)



29022636562_945c158ac7_z.jpg



Does'nt need any explanation !




10/ And others whose name and function I ignore !



For instance this one , that is located on the middle of the curved top of engine front panel :



29022635312_3477aef8fb_z.jpg29022780282_fe99ffdbcf.jpg



I think it might be a control knob of the fan belt tension, but nothing is certain !



I scratch-built it with brass M1 rod, brass 2 mm tube, alu sheet drilled disk and styrene 0.6 mm sheet




Edited by CrazyCrank
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That' s all for the engine as for now.

As I am aptly named, and rather mad, I also wasted time to make a realistic radiator grill

I hate this ugly grill with its simulated holes...so, I undertook to drill them default_ohmy.png, all default_blink.png....more than 4000 (four thousand) holes on the both sides, drilled to 0.8 mm...

About 20 hours of fastidious job, over 2 weeks, and a dozen of drill bits broken.

The result was amazing on the engine side, but less pleasant on the exterior side...so, I cut off the front drilled grill, to replace it by a photo-etched grill I found on ebay (2000 wasted holes and many hours of lost work default_angry.png)

28620647923_d2f7a4670a_z.jpg

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29207578086_35a8207a7f_b.jpg[/url

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I've replaced the kit's radiator cap by that one sold my MMC, silver plated.

On the inside panel of this radiator, I've scratch-built the connector for the cable wich go through the engine compartment, (fixed on the grommets of the engine right head cover), ,and then come through the firewall to join the dashboard, I think on the water temperature display.

29163131681_cd5a8c71db_z.jpg

It was a very long and fastidious work, but it was worth the effort.

Edited by CrazyCrank
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I like how you attached the loom to the cover. Placing the bolt under the loom is very clever and looks nicer than using tape to simulate the band.

The diagrams are very helpful and informative. The extra plumbing and aluminum plates really bring out the detail on this engine.

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