larchiefeng

Not much to show here tonight despite spending about 3 hours on all this little stuff. Most of the time was spent repairing the pieces that came off of the old assembled model that were broken for one reason or another. The first couple of pictures are the A/C compressor that gets one PE piece but the bracket had been broken off the bottom of the engine and the tabs that the compressor attach to were gone. So, that's the first little bit here. Old piece and new piece but, I decided to use the old part and if I broke it more, I still had the new piece. The belt adjusting bar had to come off anyway to be replaced with the PE part. All the parts that needed work. The flat piece need the old molded adjust bar cut off and cleaned up and a hole drilled for the new PE piece. The bracket in the bottom left had a few tabs broken off and needed brass rod for new tabs. I thought the A?C compressor clutch was a PE replacement but, I don't see one anywhere on any of the PE sheets. Everything cleaned up and repaired Everything repaired, painted and ready to be assembled I had to take some more off of the ends of the water pipes that touch the sides of the heads for the two sets of gaskets that mount on the end of each pipe. Here, I'm just test fitting to see how much more I need to remove so it all clears. The picture above actually shows the pipes in the engine with the A&N fittings painted silver in preparation for the clear red and clear blue. There's still a bunch of little stuff that needs to be prepped before this layer and front layer can be attached to the engine, as I move on to the next bits and pieces. Lots of little mods, painting and fitting but, it's starting to come together.

Thanks Pascal, I sure wish the transkit hose clamps looked that good and they came like that. While I was looking for some aluminum to put between the clamp and the screw part for soldering I happened to notice a bunch of square sided toothpicks sitting on my bench. Solder isn't going to stick to wood either and the shape of the toothpicks made them the perfect thing to put inside the folded part to hold the shape and better form them. The next you know, I'm making hose clamps like an assembly line! Here's how the whole thing went. Now, I have about 30 clamps to just continue working without having to stop and make them as needed. Here's the first hose to get the clamps, I had to remove the outlet from the back of the head to get the clamps on but, now I know that the clamps will have to go on the hoses before being attached to anything. It's just so much easier to deal with than trying to wrap a hose clap around something already installed in a small tight location. I was working on this before I realized that I need to write more instructions and I got on a roll with the clamps. However, I did print about 75 pages of engine reference pictures for the next few steps and I'm trying to sort through them and get them in order for the next set of rewritten instructions. Tomorrow, I'm going to do some more work on the engine and work on the instructions off and on. So, I should have some more pictures tomorrow. Toothpicks! Who would have thought that that was the answer to assembling hose clamps? 🤬

You must have been reading my mind Pascal! I was going to ask you about this build in your 1/18 thread. As much as you are doing on it this, is your master class for scratch building! What I’m doing with all the PE and the white metal and resin, you are doing with scratch building. They are both based on the 1/8 Pocher F-40 and as close as they are from a starting point they couldn’t be more different now. I continue to get a lot of great ideas from you on this build. Good to see this one back on the forum, I hope that you continue to update it!

Good to see you back Pascal! I see that we both are looking for some more time this year to get back to the Ferrari's! Your idea of clamping the PE to aluminum plate made me think about something. When you solder the PE with the aluminum plate under it, am I correct in assuming the solder will only stick to the PE and not the aluminum? If so, then, I know how I'm going to finish off the hose clamps on the transkit. I can put a thin strip of aluminum between the folded section and only solder the side of the clamp and then slide out the aluminum strip and still have the opening for the rest of the clamp to go through without closing up the opening with solder or super glue.

I’ve watched this video a few different times while doing the research for my Monza build. I know that it’s a replica built by those guys in Argentina but, they do the best most accurate replicas in the world. I was looking at completely different areas of the car and I never noticed the reversed stamping on the firewall ribs much less the different profile of the section that you just corrected. You can clearly see that your firewall is closer to the replica than the kit. I’m not sure if I’m going to spend the time to correct that or not. Now that I’m back working on the Ferrari I haven’t given the Alfa much thought. And, I still don’t have the paint I ordered back in October. You’re doing great work on this Alfa! You have made so many corrections that it’s going to be hard to look at another straight Alfa Spyder build again and think of it as an accurate representation.

Thanks Roy! As I was working on some of this stuff last night, I realized when I was looking at the master book of instructions, shown in the last picture. When I was doing the rewrite, I still have one or two more pages to write. Each page has three steps and three small pictures to cover each of the steps. I’m going to have to go through all my reference pictures and make a bunch of copies of pictures to show what is contained in each step and then write my own order of assembly that is more detailed than the 3-4 sentences with pictures that have 20-40 pieces in each one and trying to make sense of it all. So, I’m going to have to spend most of today going through all this and then printing out the pictures before I go any further. I don’t expect to have anything to post for a couple of days when I have a better idea of what comes next.

Thanks guys! Not much here tonight just a couple of picture updates with some of the parts painted and getting gathered together for some more assembly tomorrow.

I've managed to get a small amount done but, my knee makes it hard to get up and down the stairs where the man cave is. I did figure out the hose clamps as I mentioned on the last post; it was kind of all in how you look at it and which direction the hole for the screw should be facing. I was over complicating the whole thing but, I'm good now. The first picture shows the one where I figured it out. I'm working on mocking up some of the upper half of the engine components to see how everything is going to fit and also doing some hand painting on a few parts. When I took a few of these shots tonight, the paint was still wet and some will need a light sanding prior to assembly. This is by no means the finished product on any of the add on pieces, more just part of the process so you can get an idea where this is all going. Once this water pipe assembly is dry I'll be doing a little more detail painting on the AN fittings and then gluing it in place. Next the water pump when it's painted and the hoses and clamps etc are installed. Then we can start building over the top of that.

Thierry, I'm so sorry to hear of your health issues but, I am glad to hear that you are going to recover and are currently on the mend!! I'm familiar with health issues although mine were different and more than likely not as serious but, I can certainly empathize. Here's hoping to a speedy and complete recovery!! Our little fraternity of Pocher builders seems to be getting smaller and yours is one of the pre-eminent builds on the forum so, take care and we'll be looking forward to your return!!

Thanks SJ, the hose clamps are just the standard screw type hose clamps. I took a closer look at them today and I think that I figured them out. I just need to get the hose ready to go on the engine and then add the clamp to be sure. I should have never taken the one piece off the long ribbed screw piece. It’s made to fold up and over as one piece. I didn’t get anything done today as I had planned for. We had about 8-10” of snow Saturday night and while I was outside cleaning it up, I twisted my knee pretty good and I can barely stand up or walk. After enough proper medication I spent the rest of the day with my leg propped up with an ice bag on it. It was this evening that I played around with the clamps and then I cleaned up the resin intake pieces and sort of mocked the assembly up on top of the engine. I should be ready to paint and work on the intake manifold, water pump, water pipes and so forth when I can get to the workbench and sit down for a while. Things are actually starting to move forward and I’m comfortable with getting the engine detailed further. I have some more pictures from today and will probably have more tomorrow. Pictures always tell more of the story than words so, until tomorrow.

Thanks Codger. On that note, I've spend what seems like an inordinate amount of time that last two days looking at a lot pictures and looking for the parts I need in all the boxes to complete a couple of steps. I wasn't sure what the very small pictures in the Autograph instructions were showing me i.e. is it a transkit part or a Pocher part? I think that, I got most of that figured out and in a couple of cases, I just made some bushings from hose. I hadn't planned on wiring up the starter since it's not really going to be visible when it's all assembled but, I went ahead and added them anyway. I'm almost done with the whole step 10 through 14b sections with the exception of the stupid hose clamps. There's a lot of them in this kit and they a PIA to put together so, I guess that I'd better spend some time figuring out the best method of put one together so, I can have process in place to assemble them as needed. I'm fully anticipating spending a while on trying to hold on to these small pieces and bend to shape. That's the hardest part, holding on the the tiny PE and working with it. Anyhow, this is today's meager offering. Wires for the starter Shift rod with bushings Starter wiring in place, I might go back and change out the red wire for a black one or just paint it Getting a little head start on cleaning up the pieces for the water piping on the intake My nemesis, the dreaded hose clamps! I still am not quite sure how they are supposed to go together. Something is not right here. I'm open for ant explanation or suggestions. The MMC hose clamps are so simple and these made more difficult by the lack of a clear explanation Hopefully, I'll actually get some done tomorrow but, at least I'm getting through with and completing some of these steps and moving on.

What you’re doing here with this Alfa makes what I’m doing with the F-40 seem like a walk in the park! This body has been cut and glued back together so many times that it probably looks like Frankenstein’s stitched head on the underneath side of the body. I have to admire your single minded devotion to getting this body as close to your prototype as humanly possible! 🤪 Great work Dave!!

Thanks Ron. I just got back from the dentist and the Novocaine is wearing off and things are starting to hurt so, I'm going to take a break tonight. I did take some pictures of my Instructions though. They're not much more than what was written by Autograph but, they are in an order that seems like a step by step instead of a run o sentence. I also make notes for myself where appropriate and in the first picture, you will notice that the number sequence does not follow Autographs sequence but, are the more logical progression of the build. This is where redoing it has put the build sequence the correct order to avoid taking things apart to do the next section. You see that I went from the step 14b sheet which ends with step 15a to step 24a and then the step 25 pages go to the step 37a pages. Anyway, it works for me and keeps me from flipping back and forth making sure that, I won't have a problem later on. This is an example of one set of pages that represent one page of the Autograph instructions. I have good reference and with a more organized step by step for each picture, I can check things off on a page that is big enough to read rather than having it all crammed onto one 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of paper that's really too small. This has made it easier to get going again and I thought that by seeing what I was talking about you guys would get a better sense of how I'm having to work on this upgrade.

Thanks Roy, SJ, Harvey and Dan! I see that we all have had the same experience at one time or another. I was getting a little bit overwhelmed at the time and I was kinda losing motivation and momentum. Then out of nowhere I got the job offer and I realized that I wasn’t going to have a lot of time to keep working on it and work at the same time. So, I decided that I was at a good stopping point and I packed everything up in plastic containers. When I got the kit it was a used, dusty and somewhat assembled mess and it didn’t have the kit box and I bought two pretty big containers and four 13”x13”x3” flat containers to store all the PE sheets and all of my excess leather and interior parts and other miscellaneous parts and put it all under the card table next to the workbench. When, I was working on it before I stopped, I was having a problem with the instructions and sequence of the transkit assembly as it relates to the actual model assembly. This was the single biggest frustration that I was having with the build. I just couldn’t get my head around what was going on and when things should be done. So, I decided to rewrite the transkit/model instructions in a more sensible manner and one that, I could follow and accounted for everything that needed to be done in the actual order it needed to be done and not just hinted at in the Autograph instructions. I took each page of the Autograph instructions which actually contain three steps per page and only with brief explanations and small pictures with only exploded parts photos. It is not very detailed and leaves a lot to interpret. The time spent to redo each page with written instructions that take me through each step one at a time as I thought about it has been instrumental in getting me back up to speed quickly. Had I tried to remember everything that, I had thought about 8 months ago, I’d still be playing catch-up. It’s probably the single smartest thing that, I did during the first part of the build. I have enough written instructions for the next 6-8 steps beyond where I am now and, as I work my way through those and get my head really back in the build, I’ll get back in the book and continue to write the instruction sequence to continue all the way through the build. Part of the reason why I did this in the first place was that there are other steps that needed to be done earlier than the Autograph instructions show. As you well know, with any Pocher, you need to account for and make modifications to account for something that comes later in the build. The last thing you want to do is go back and take something apart to modify or add to that should have been done already. The other thing that you bring up about starting another kit and leaving one lie is something that I did do but, for any particular reason other than to have something simple to do and keep mildly busy. I built a 1/24 McClaren P1 for fun but, it wasn’t very satisfying. So, I decided to pull out the Alfa Monza and putter around with it. This is the kit that I was going to build before I started on the F-40 conversion. I had already acquired most of the MMC parts for it so, I decided to do some work on it which, because of where I was in the process of that kit, made it easier to work on. Then my hours at work changed and the road block on getting the paint for it allowed me to go back to the Ferrari. I had intended to work on each going forward anyway. Even though I don’t have a thread on it, I do have all the pictures and some documentation for it should, I decide to post. As with the Ferrari and any Pocher for that matter, I don’t want to start another thread only to have it stalled out for months so, better to hold off until I’m closer to finishing it while continuing to work on this one. Anyway, I feel pretty good about being able to start this one back up and continuing to make progress. Hopefully, I’ll have something more interesting to post later today with pictures, lol! 😬

Thanks guys! I must say that I am pretty surprised at the response this post has received since last night! I want you all to know that I appreciate your response and support. With that in mind, I sat down this afternoon and did some more work on the engine, mainly the cam covers. i think that each one has 15-17 pieces including the 0.8 mm brass hex bolts on the back of each PE brass back plate. They all had to be drilled out with a 0.9 mm drill so I could just drop in each 2.5 mm long bolt. I also realized that I had put the rear bracket on the transaxle on the wrong section and had to remove it and move it forward one section. I did permanently attach the braided line on the side of the transaxle to the oil pan. Anyway, most of this stuff was pretty fiddly work and just because it was so small and precise type work it took a good three hours to just get this little bit done today. Well, here are the pictures of today's efforts and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get some more done. I do have a dentist appointment tomorrow so, we'll see how I'm feeling afterwards. Oh, as I was posting the pictures I noticed a couple of things regarding the cam covers. They have some damage on the plastic; remember that this kit was a used salvage kit that I took apart to build this with the transkit. I still have the metal engine but, I'm thinking more along the lines of a display engine for that one. Here is where I moved the rear bracket. It used to be behind the rear engine mount and now it's in front of the rear mount. Back in the frame to check the fit. I'm probable going to need to do some light weather on the front covers to it matches the rest of the engine Hopefully, more tomorrow

Thanks SJ. It’s good to see that there’s still some guys out there that haven’t given up on my thread! I was just too far along to not keep going with it but, as I mentioned back in June, I went back to work full time after being forced into retirement five years ago with a work injury. I decided after a few months of work that I really don’t want to work full time and I was fortunate enough to work out a deal with my employer to be more of a consultant. By changing my schedule around to essentially a half time work load I now only work 20 hours a week; 4 days a week 5 hours a day. This is now the perfect scenario for me and it gives me enough extra income and plenty of free time to get back to working on my models. As I mentioned to Sam, I’m also building a Pocher Alfa Monza. It’s got most of the MMC aftermarket Alfa parts on it like, the springs, shocks, front axle and a bunch of small parts as well. It’s probably about a third to half done but, I don’t know if I’m going to start another thread on it or not. Part of the problem has been waiting on the paint for it. I ordered quite a bit of Zero Paint for it and other projects back in the beginning of October and I still haven’t received the order so, it’s kind of stalled until I get the paint. When I get the paint order and get some color on it I might change my mind, we’ll see. So, for now I’m going to see how much progress I can make on the Ferrari.

As promised in Sam's thread on the Gurney Eagle build, I am now back on the F-40. I think the six month break and going back to work has given me a little different outlook on this build. Anyway, I'm not going to say a lot about what is going here other than to say, it took me a little while to reacquaint myself with where I left off. I managed to make some decent progress on the engine today and finally glued everything together with the engine and transaxle. I've done some weathering on the whole thing mainly because this is going to be a weekend racer and it gets a little dirty and grimy from the road surface. It's easier to wash the body off than to get under it and detail the engine and transaxle. At least that's my explanation and I like the way it sort of brings out the detail and shadows. Now that it's essentially in one piece the rest of the engine parts will start getting added to the main assembly. I also pulled out the painted body parts and rear frame so I could get a better idea of how it's going to look as it starts going together. So, here's today's pictures.

Thanks Sam. Funny that, you should mention the F-40. But, before I go there, I wanted to point out that I forgot to mention Codger in my last post. I think that he has been instrumental in helping keep your team going and driving the build resurrection for Paul's family. I actually sat down last night and got the F-40 out of the box to reacquaint myself with where I left off and, to start working on it again. I should have something to post in the next few days. In the meantime, I have been working on a Pocher Alfa Monza which is moving along. I have not started a thread on it and I'm not sure if I will or not. I have been taking lots of pictures of it so, it could become a build thread very easily. I've been following Dave's Alfa and his is so much more than what I'm doing that, the Monza might be a little too simple, if a Pocher is ever simple. Anyway, right now, I am working on two Pochers at the same time, I just haven't posted anything on them. Sorry, I didn't mean to high jack your thread, anything further will be on my F-40 thread. Hang in there Sam!

Sam, you’re doing a great job. Your work and Ron’s is a great testament to the modeling community here on this forum and more importantly being able to maintain the high quality and standards started by Paul! I know that these higher end kits are not easy to work on and get right. I’ve had my own struggles working with white metal and resin parts so, I know how challenging it can be at times. Anyway, it’s been a while since I commented here and I just wanted you, Ron and Paul’s wife to know that I’m here with you guys and support everything that you are doing. If you need anything and I can help, just let me know. Keep up the great work! Happy New Year!

Very new school “Wingroveesq”

I knew that there was a reason why I never built the Spyder. At least the Monza I’m working on doesn’t have any doors to complicate it. Like Codger said 😵

Yeah but the Pocher Rolls Sedanca kit is already on the list but the Mercedes is not; that was my point

I still say that the Pocher K80 Mercedes 540K Roadster belongs on the list as it represents one of most beautiful classic cars of all time.

Great work Sam! You, Ron and the project manager, Chas are doing justice to Paul’s unfinished masterpiece and it will end up looking like he was able to have built the entire model. I know that is the aim for his family here so, you guys keep up the great work!

Oh boy Miguel, you’re making Codger a happy guy with this Rolls! Codger has pretty much mastered the building and modifications on the Pocher Rolls; my advice is this. If you are in doubt and are having any problem with any part or section of your build, I would take it apart and follow Codger’s advice on the best way to assemble or re-assemble that section.