Pocher Ferrari Testarossa rebuild and upgrade

[larchiefeng]

Thanks guys. I've kind of been giving the interior a little thought but, I haven't settled on anything in particular just yet. I received the new leather I ordered the other day for the Mercedes but, unfortunately it's still not a match. On the upside though, it's very thin and will be easy to stretch and wrap over edges and corners and it's kind of a light grey. Since the color of the TR is going to be a matte black I'll need a splash of color somewhere and I've been thinking about some red along with black on the interior. Now, I'm thinking perhaps, a tri color of red, grey and black might look Ok. I don't know, I'm just not quite ready for that yet so, we'll see. I still need to concentrate on the getting the body ready so, I can go back to detailing the engine and either painting or a combo paint and carbon fiber decal for the engine area. I'm also going to need to beef up the suspension a tad and add some detail in there to match the level of the engine otherwise it would look kind of stupid. One other thing that, I've been thinking about since I started the wiring and lights on the Mercedes is to add lights to the TR. Here, I need to thank a newer member to the forum, Pocherman, he mentioned another forum in his thread and I went there to look at something he had mentioned and while there, I stumbled on a Testarossa coupe build that the guy had added virtually all the lights on the car and, I must say, it is impressive! If this guy can get lights in window switches and light up the dash gauges and then add blinking flasher lights inside of that then, I can get the basic lights in there. So, something else to research and see where it goes but, I'll need to get that settled sooner than later.

As far as the auto fabric spray goes, I think I know what you're talking about but, I'd like to see what it is first. So, this should just about catch this thread up for today. It was another busy day and, not with the car. I have the next three days free and I hope to make some progress on the paint job before my last final big commitment I have on Monday with my attorney that, will wrap up the last two and half weeks of doctors and attorneys. Once, I get past next Monday it will be a lot less stressful and I can really devote more time to this and the Mercedes build's. More tomorrow, and I hope the car will be all one color, whatever that turns out to be.

Edited March 4, 2016 by larchiefeng

[Pouln]

Looking great, Wayne. multi colour interior will be a treat.

@Codger, what exactly do you mean with auto fabric spray and to what use would you put it in this rebuild?

[Codger]

Looking great, Wayne. multi colour interior will be a treat.

@Codger, what exactly do you mean with auto fabric spray and to what use would you put it in this rebuild?

I mean spray paint to refinish leather, vinyl and fabrics. Used extensively in the auto industry to either change or renew dashboards, seats etc.

There are dozens of brands; most are highly durable in 1:1 use and certainly fine for model use. An easy way to change a color if you can find a match like Wayne needs to do. Or he can change his scheme if he finds a pleasing alternative. Two of the best are made by SEM and Duplicolor:

http://www.colorbondpaint.com/collections/car-interior-paint-car-upholstery-paint

http://www.autozone.com/paint-and-body/paint-vinyl-and-fabric/dupli-color-desert-sand-vinyl-fabric-coating/645641_0_0/?checkfit=true

[larchiefeng]

I managed to get everything sanded down and the first primer coat on all the parts except the side mirrors. The first shot is in the spray booth which shows how big the body is trying to fit in there. The rest are back on the pool table mocked up. Sure makes a difference with the black body and the extra piece on the rear deck grille. Tomorrow, I'm going to check all the parts to make sure everything is smooth and make any corrections and then shoot everything black. I'm also going to drill the mounting holes in the rear grille to mount the scoop. It's supposed to snow tomorrow so, it'll be a good day to get the paint done.

More tomorrow

[Mpfiend]

Nice Progress Wayne,

My Mercedes is coming along very slowly at the moment thanks, hopefully I'll have an update soon.

Regards

Keith.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Mpfiend

[Codger]

Looks like a 'black and white' cop car right now...

Terrific rescue of this derelict.

[larchiefeng]

If it were green and white it could be an older police car from Dubai. It will be all black soon and the next pictures later today I'll drop the partially completed engine in it too, just for fun. It's pouring rain outside now and it'll turn to snow in a bit so, all painting will have to be done in the booth. I think, because of the weather, any final painting will have to wait until later when I can go outside and hang the body up and paint it.

[Codger]

If it were green and white it could be an older police car from Dubai. It will be all black soon and the next pictures later today I'll drop the partially completed engine in it too, just for fun. It's pouring rain outside now and it'll turn to snow in a bit so, all painting will have to be done in the booth. I think, because of the weather, any final painting will have to wait until later when I can go outside and hang the body up and paint it.

When you shoot this all black, you'll have to photo it off the bench - in much better light.

[larchiefeng]

Sorry, about the lighting and location but, at the moment I don't have anywhere else to take the pictures. It is also just mocked up and things only resting in place, barely. I did manage to get all the panels painted flat black in order to get it all one color. At this point, nothing is even sanded from the painting and the surface is rough. I still need to sand things down and check for any problems before moving on. I did get the holes drilled in the rear deck lid for the scoop to mount onto. Once I get all the imperfections sorted out, I have a screen that needs to be fitted and mounted under the deck lid. When I bought the screen, I thought it was a PE piece but, it is just a piece of screen material and some wire to tie it up to the vents. That's not happening, I will cut it to size and make a frame for it and then mount the whole assembly instead. I placed the engine in the rear engine compartment to get a better sense of what is going to be seen when installed. The rear panel will block some of it from the top and everything else is going to cover a lot of the detail on the engine; at least I know it's there. Anyway, it's all black now but, still quite a bit of finish work to do before I move on to the interior, front and rear suspension frames, finishing the engine, and giving the aluminum wheels a turn however, it's progress.

Busy day tomorrow so, I won't be getting back to this for a day or two.

[MetroRacing]

I don't usually comment on these big builds as I don't have anything that hasn't already been said lol.

But DAMN!!! that matt black looks stunning on that. Is that the look you're going for? Or is it just the Base coat lol?

Ashley

[larchiefeng]

Thanks Ashley. It is the base coat and a preview of the final coat too. It is exactly the aggressive look I'm going for. I looked at 100's of pictures of Testarossa's trying to decide what would look good on it. They are mostly red, white, and some were yellow and gloss black, and one silver. This car has a wedge shape design that is a little too rear end heavy, in my opinion and, I wanted a color that kind of de-emphasized that. I also wanted some different wheels because, I hated the stock TR wheels. They are too flat and too dull in apearance. I knew that if I could get the right color and wheels, I could make this a cool car. Along with that, the kit screams for details so, I started with the engine for that. But, back to the color for a minute. There is a trend of late, toward matte finish paint and black seems to be a favorite there. I've seen a lot of cars with matte black paint and I kind of like it. When the Pocher Lambo came out in matte black, it made it acceptable in a way for a Pocher to be matte black. Since I had an F40, I decided to compare the wheels for size to see if they would fit until I get better at turning on the lathe to make my own outer wheels that I could then mate with any number of slightly out of scale RC car wheels. The RC wheels are either too big in 1/8 or too small in 1/10 scales but the centers could work if I could turn the right size outer wheel. As I pondered this whole "look" thing I knew I needed to get rid of the wimpy look and bring this car into 2016 with a new attitude a' la the Lamborghini. This is a long way around to explain my color choice. I also thought that it needed something else to break up the expanse of rear deck area and I thought the air scoop on the later, mostly coupes, was the right thing for the Spyder and it is still all Ferrari. As it sits now, it's all Ferrari but, in a slightly rearranged updated form. I still think the car needs a pop of color and the plan is for the interior for where that's going happen. Nothing over the top but, just enough to accent the overall look. One other thing I'm toying with is, adding working lights to really show it off. I will probably watch some videos and place an order or two while I'm sitting in a room all day today during a mediation. So, stay tuned and we'll see what develops. And, Ashley, I'm glad you spoke up and asked the question. I know a lot of you out there watch some of what I do but, like Ashley feel that you don't know what to say but, feel free to ask questions that, is what this is all about, exchanging ideas and comments and critiques.

[Pouln]

This is getting really nice, Wayne. the color looks beautiful on the car.

@ Codger, thanks for your explanation on the auto fabric paint

[larchiefeng]

Tomorrow I'm picking up some different matte black paint and looking at LED sizes to see if they have any that I can fit in small spaces. Hopefully, I can get some pieces painted when I get back.

[Alex SZ1996]

nice build, i got a partially started Testarossa kit on ebay for a good price, so seeing some build logs will help when i start building.

did you decide on a color yet? i can give some suggestions if you would like.

by the way, is the Supra in your profile picture yours? my little brother have a white MkIII Turbo

Edited March 10, 2016 by Alex SZ1996

[larchiefeng]

Thanks Alex, yes, the Supra is mine. It's a 1991 turbo with the sport roof that comes off. As a matter of fact, it's nice and warm up here today so, I'm taking it out of the garage and driving it down the mountain for some exercise before the rain and snow comes back tomorrow. It's my fun car and a break from having to drive one of the 4WD SUV's we have, all the time.

I'm always interested in suggestions and I'm probably going to paint it the matte black like the Aventador. I also bought this as a built up model for a small price and took it apart. It's the best way to get these kits because they are so simple and easy to tear down and rebuild.

[larchiefeng]

I did get the paint today but, I got a little sidetracked as well. I got a good deal on a band saw, to be used to cut up the bar stock into more manageable lengths for the Unimat lathe. I've been wanting one for a long time for woodworking and, I used this as an excuse to buy this one today. Even though I have the F40 rims, the idea of turning my own wheels is still alive and well. There are a lot of moving parts on this build as well as the Mercedes. I'm not sure I'm going to use it yet but, I did order a light controller for working lights on the TR. While I was at the hobby shop today I was looking at lights and I realized that I need more information on the sizes that, I need and how many of each before I buy what I need. Since, I spent all day running around, tomorrow will be spent painting the entire car, I promise!

[Alex SZ1996]

personally i dont like matt colors, but i would choose something other than light colors to hide the the big panel gaps the old Pochers have. i would suggest something along this:

i think this one is Prugna Metallic, but not sure. anyway a dark wine red

blue sera

and a dark grey along this

if you want to look at other Ferrari colors, you can find the color names on gtcarlot here

[larchiefeng]

Alex, I must admit that those are some nice colors and I do like the wine color and the metallic grey, the blue's OK but, kind of blah on this car. Notice that, the Prugna metallic car has custom wheels and the grey one is a later model TR also, with custom wheels. The blue one is with boring stock wheels and you can see why I had to make those wheels go away. Nothing looks good with those wheels.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm kind of committed to the matte black but that grey is a good color for something else. Well, I made a bit of a mistake yesterday or the day before when I sprayed some semi gloss black on the deck lid, scoop, hood, and tonneau cover. I had a complete brain fart and sprayed an enamel and then today, even after sanding everything down and getting most of the paint off, I didn't shoot a coat of primer before spraying the matte black. Anyway, I had thin spots and a paint reaction between the enamel and lacquer so, now I need to sand down those three pieces I sprayed with the matte black. I'll have to get a primer coat back on before I shoot the matte black again. No big catastrophe just, time wasted. I did prime the deck lid before I shot the matte black and got a nice smooth perfect paint job on it. I have attached a couple of pictures to show the difference between the flat black on the main body and the matte black deck lid. Tonight, I'm going to finish sanding and priming the other piece so, I'll be ready to get everything painted matte black by tomorrow or even later tonight. I know, it's always tomorrow, with me but, it's not a job and there's no deadlines here

[Pouln]

That rear deck is looking​ really good, Wayne. I'm not a big fan of matte colors on 1:1 nor on models, but that is my personal opinion and taste.

Regarding wheels, I do agree that the stock wheels are not the most beautiful wheels you can think of, but still they were the stock wheels.

I decided to go with the stock ones, however I will see what I need to do to make them look more realistic as to when delivered by Pocher.

The 1:1 pictures of the Agnelli car show that this car still has the stock wheels.

Got to go with the 1:1 example...

[larchiefeng]

Poul, I know that the matte finish is not to everyone's taste and it took me a little time to get to like it as well. In your case, you're building a car to represent a specific vehicle and in my case I'm building a what if car that represents nothing in particular other than something I would like. It is a complete departure from the Mercedes which, is a more classical build. My idea with this Testarossa is to try and give it some of the attitude that the F40 has and get rid of the daily driver looks of blue one in the picture above. I remember when this car first came out, my boss where I worked was on the list to get one. When he took delivery of it, it came in on a trailer. It was a red one and quite the car in 1982 or 83. Now days it looks so old compared to all the exotics out there now but, for some reason the F40 still retains its attitude even with the new cars. I just want to see if I can bring it back a little. I know a lot of you may not like it but, it will be a little different. A quick update, I've been painting most of it today and Ive had some mixed results. Some of the panels have come out perfect and others I'm having some cracking in the paint with a reaction to the enamel/lacquer mixing. I tried to get around it and I'm just postponing the inevitable so, after dinner I'm just going to take all the bad pieces and sand them all the way back down to the original white and start over again. This may include the main body too, we'll see after I shoot a small section to see if there's a reaction.

[Alex SZ1996]

i know, but it was only to show the colors. ignore everything else than the color

but i agree with you about the wheels, they are not really that good looking. i would also like something else for my Testarossa.

[Pouln]

​It's not about what we like. It's about what you want to achieve with your model.

Pity that you ran into these troubles with the paintwork. Sorry to hear that.

I'm slowly getting used to doing everything at least twice. Double the fun? ehhh, let's say: not always

[larchiefeng]

Not so much, on the fun part. Last night I made a lot of progress on the paint for the matte black parts. I got both of the doors, rear deck lid and scoop, rear body panel, both rear view mirrors, painted matte black. I also got the body all sanded down and primed in Tamiya white primer, of all things! Everybody is out of Tamiya primer and it seems to be on back order from all my suppliers so, I have to use what I have on hand. I also managed to get the hood sanded and primed in the bad spot. Today, it was more doctor appointments and tomorrow I'll do a light sand on the body and make sure everything is ready and then I'll shoot the black. I also, will finish the hood and headlight doors tomorrow. I have pictures of the problems and the progress which, I'll post along with all the completed pictures tomorrow. Once the paint is done, I'm going to work on a variety of little projects for each car. Engine work on the TR, dash insert and door panels for the Mercedes, and when I get the saw blade the wheel outers on the lathe for the TR, lastly some lighting for the TR when I get the LED's. So, even though they're small stuff, they're all interesting and all will add a level of detail for each car that in some cases I hope will elevate them beyond a normal Pocher build. So, stay tuned, it will be a pretty steady go for a few weeks after one more Doctor appointment on Thursday!

[larchiefeng]

OK, painting on the TR body is finished! I'm not going to bore you with too many words because the first pictures are all of what I have talking about earlier. So, we start with the body being sanded all the way back to the original white and then primed white followed by the finished matte black paint job. The first few pictures in matte black are as they were coming out of the spray booth and then with the engine placed in for some color. One last note here; I'm going to have to re-shoot the hood because I got ahead of myself and shot the matte black before a last coat of primer to cover the sanded spot. No big deal, just a disclaimer. Now, on to other things like the engine and over to the Mercedes for some interior work.

Sanded and sprayed with the flat black inside areas.

Fresh white primer, looks like I haven't done a thing!

Body with the matte black finish coat

Various panels with matte black

Various angles with all the painted panels

With the engine placed in for a mock up.

Artsy shots

If I decide to keep the F40 wheels I'm going to bring them inside the rear wheel wells and not leave them out like they are now. I have enough material on the inside of the rim to remove that should allow the wheels to move in closer but, right now this is just a mock up and a way of showing what my vision for this car is.

[Codger]

This has a nice satin sheen to it. I'm generally not a fan of dull blacks on supercars - especially with black wheels- but this works nicely on this big aircraft carrier. Well done. Black wheels look dirty - brake-dusted - to me. But that's just me. Your machined jewels will sparkle on this canvas.

Most guys dream of building ONE Pocher. You're inhaling them two at a time...