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Alfa Romeo Coupe Elegant 1/8


Pouln

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17 hours ago, silver911 said:

Very nice attention to detail Poul...a mutual friend of ours will be smiling at this progress 😉😇

 

Ron

Thanks, I think he will, Ron.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Hi guys, It's been quite some time since my last update.

There is not much to report as I have been playing too much with my CNC devices.

Done yet? Not really, but I made progress.

Another thing that has keeping me busy was my new Anycubic Mono X 3D printer.

I received it with an allegedly broken LCD. Replacement that was sent did not help much (it came here damaged).

Another replacement was sent but that still did not solve all issues (I really think that the original display was not faulty at all).

New motherboard was sent and that did it.

Since then I have been tuning and fine tuning the print process.

 

So what is the actual update on this build?

Well, you may recall that I made 3D designs of the knock-offs.

I have decent prints, "chromed" with the help of Mr Molotow

 

sIMG_12425_knock-off.jpg

 

To have a bit more visible detail, I have added some black panel liner to the text and logo.

 

sIMG_12428_knock-off_destro.jpg

 

 

sIMG_12429_knock-off_sinistro.jpg

 

Side views:

 


sIMG_12434_knock-off_side_view.jpg

 

sIMG_12436_knock-off_destro_sv.jpg

 

Mind you, you are looking at a merciless blow up of a knock-off that is in real life just 13 mm in diameter. The SMONTARE, DESTRO and SINISTRO text at the bottom and top of these knock-off has a letter height of just under 1mm.

Anyway, coming out like this and holding it in my hands is quite satisfactory. Will be much, much better looking on the model that those supplied by Mr Pocher.  

 

sIMG_12437_knock-off_Pocher.jpg

 

Furthermore I printed the 3d designs of the axle stands.

Here are the resulting 4 parts:

 

sIMG_12431_axle_stand.jpg

 

sIMG_12432_axle_stand.jpg

 

And yes, the center part with the ratchet is moveable

 

sIMG_12433_axle_stand.jpg

 

sIMG_12438_axle_stand.jpg

 

Just need to make the handle and a little chain for the safety pin.

 

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  • 5 months later...

Good day to you all.

It has been far too long since my last update.
I've been very busy, mostly not with this model, but I will show you what I've been up to.

 

First the status of the Coupe Elegant.
I came to the point where chassis and body shell could be merged as well as adding the wings.

Before I did that, I installed the running lights on the wings.
Here's a picture of the right side.

 

sIMG_13176.jpg

 

The fit of the individual parts of the classic Pocher is not bad at all.
I tested this earlier and found that things should be all right, however at this time after attaching the wings, the lower bonnet half would not totally go down on the chassis rail at the front and this caused problems with alignment at the front and the back of the lower bonnet half.
Luckily I was able to lower the wing just a little bit which did it,

 

Here you see the running light. The lenses are very flimsy (printed in 3D), however it is just as if a stone broke it, so I think I'll leave it as it is. Might just as well happen on the real car too.
 
sIMG_13177.jpg

 

Next fitting the top half of the bonnet. Fits nicely.

 

sIMG_13184.jpg

 

sIMG_13185.jpg

 

Then I added the lower half (not yet connected to the upper half.
Here you can see that the lower have is pushed upwards a bit.

 

sIMG_13188.jpg

 

sIMG_13192.jpg

 

sIMG_13194.jpg

 

sIMG_13196.jpg

 

 

When I closely looked at the pictures I noticed that I used the left lower half instead of the right. 
Exchanging it for the correct (right) one, produced a much better fit.
Certainly where front and back met the other body parts.

 

sIMG_13208.jpg

 

I have some very small hinges to connect lower and upper half of the bonnet.
They are used by Franklin mint as hinges for their RR Silver Ghost and I acquired several years ago a lot of broken cars. Not many usable parts but I kept the hinges. Much better (longer and thinner) than the Pocher hinges.
We'l see how that works out.

sIMG_13207.jpg

 

Unfortunatley the hinge of the left door came off when I put the body shell on the chassis. 
Now it will be quite difficult to get it attched correctly. For that matter (and only that), it would be easier to take the body off the chassis.

The risk of breaking things in other places is too high, so I will try to attach it without removing the body shell.

Here are some pics made from the left side, where you can see that the leather strap that limits opening of the right hand door is attached. That was quite a struggle to get it in place.

 

sIMG_13199.jpg

 

sIMG_13200.jpg

 

sIMG_13203.jpg

 


sIMG_13197.jpg

 

So far the status of the Coupe.

 

More to follow (question is when as my track record is not too good 🙂

 

 

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OK, what have I been doing besides this?


A lot but much not relevant for this forum 😉 


One thing though has kept me busy for about 4 months.

 

I have created 3D drawings of the Alfa 8C 2300 engine.

 

I am stil working n the drawings but most of it is done.

 

The engine is strictly show, not operating. However I designed it in parts just as AR did. 
The largest piece being the crank case. Cylinder block comprises two 4-cylinder blocks. Same goes for the cylinder head.

Next phase will be printing and there I am hampered (like @nick) because I'm waiting for the Elegoo Jupiter.
I no longer have my Anycubic Mono X as I was totally fed up with it. Something was wrong with it which made it impossible to create crisp prints.
At such times you find that support from China is not good at all.

Anyway, I do have a smaller printer I can use for starters and see where it brings me.

This is what I came up with. Bear in mind that I did not design linkages and other small bits that will be made from metal (like the advance/retard mechanism at and linkage to the distributor, accelerator linkage etc).

 

sIMG_s5651.jpg

 

sIMG_s5663.jpg

 

sIMG_s5580.jpg

 

sIMG_s5657.jpg

 

sIMG_s5582.jpg

 

sIMG_s5583.jpg

 

sIMG_s5665.jpg

 

sIMG_s5661.jpg

 

Spark plugs are modelled after a classic Champion plug, much like the ones mentioned in the maintenance book for this engine.

 

sIMG_s5655.jpg 

 

sIMG_s5585.jpg

 

sIMG_s5659.jpg

 

sIMG_s5660.jpg

 

sIMG_s5658.jpg

 

sIMG_s5656.jpg

 

sIMG_s5587.jpg

 

I added most of the scriptures as on the real engines, I have stamped the motor number and part numbers in the same irregular way as AR did back then. Every character indivudually.

 

sIMG_s5588.jpg

 

sIMG_s5591.jpg

 

sIMG_s5590.jpg

 

sIMG_s5652.jpg

 

It will be some time before everything gets printed, but I wanted to show to you all what I'm doing here.

 

Based on reference pics and whatever I could get a hold on, I am sure that the engine is not 100% correct. I have had to make many guesses on how things were done and I unfortunately do not have the real thing in my garage, which is a real pity (for several reasons) 😉 

However, compared to the Pocher version, it is many, many times better.

Hope you like it.

That's it for now.

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That's looking very good! What CAD program are you using? I don't think that it's Fusion360, as you have raised script on a double curvature surface - something that Fusion has yet to master.

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Thanks, Jo. Much appreciated.

 

Indeed it is not Fusion360.

I drew this with Shapr3D, all on my ipad. 

I think that it should be possible to get script on double curvatures.

What I did is create the script independently, not connected to any body in the drawing.

I then pushed it halfway into the lid of the carb (I guess that is what made you make this remark).

Next I used the subtract function, which cuts the characters according to the surface of the lid.

All I had to do then was raise the part of the text that was inside the lid. Bingo. Text following the the surface.

 

I really think this method would work with Fusion too.

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Beautiful car and beautiful work, congratulations. This model I have always wanted I hope one day to be able to have it in my hands. One question, I never understood why Pocher made the rough black roof, from the vintage photos I seem to have always seen it smooth in a glossy color or am I wrong?

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Thanks Mirage. Really appreciated.

Well, it is kind of funny, because the car that Pocher modelled never was. There are/were several coupes and the one that most looks like this Coupe Elegant has quite a lot of pictures in the Moore books. 

It actually started as a racing car with a racing body, but was rebodied in the ‘30s.  

That body is lost lost in history, but Simon Moore did see this in the ‘70s and photographed it extensively. At that time it did have a leather clad roof top.

Like I said, it is not exactly the same car as the hinges of the doors are different from what Pocher made of it.

And from the time in the ‘30s till the last pictures Mr Moore took, this car underwent a lot of changes, specifically at the front-end (radiator area) and the lights.

But none was exactly how Pocher pictured it.

 

Every now and then an unbuilt or partly built kit surfaces on ebay, so maybe you will be able to find one.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello to you all

Time for a little update.
I managed to get the passenger door installed (sorry, no picture at this time).

 

Next were the hinges connecting the lower and top parts of the bonnet.
I decided to use rivets to ensure a firm attachment of the bonnet parts.

 

sIMG_13218.jpg

 

I took a little bit off the top to make them flatter and painted them.

 

sIMG_13221.jpg

 

In place with working hinges that do not obstruct movement.
I also removed the chrome trim from the top part of the bonnet.

 

sIMG_13275.jpg

 

Next was the Alfa shield that goes at the front of the radiator shield.
Painted it as good as I could and I'm not unhappy with result. Mind you the thing is less than 5mm in diameter)

 

sIMG_13241.jpg

 

The Pocher part for the radiator shield is quite ugly, so I decided to make a new version.
I just kept the surround and created a vertical grating inside it.
On top of that I put a mesh.

Here's my version compared with the Pocher part.

 

sIMG_13234.jpg

 

sIMG_13249.jpg

 

And the final result with rechromed Alfa script and painted logo

 

sIMG_13273.jpg

 

Next it was time to work on the radiator cowl and its attachments
I rechromed the head light reflectors.

 

sIMG_13245.jpg

 

Front view and back view of the cowl

 

 

 

sIMG_13248.jpg

 

sIMG_13247.jpg

 

This just needs the leds to be installed and then final attachments of the reflectors and the glasses.

 

Other small thing that Pocher delivered that is really ugly is the nut for the spare wheel attachment.
I used the Pocher part to create a version that looks like the real thing

 

sIMG_13268.jpg

 

Current rear view of the model, notice that the rearlights and the licenseplate holder and light is in place.

 

sIMG_13269.jpg

 

sIMG_13271.jpg

 

Well, that's where I am today.

 

Next is the water temp thingy that goes on top of the radiator, installation of the headlights and after that the radiator cowl on the model.
Then some tweeking of the bonnet to get a good fit.

Anyway, stay tuned if you like. More to follow.

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I forgot to mention that the fit between body and wings is really good. 

However I decided to add a 1 mm black leather string between those parts starting at the back and going right over the rear wheel arches up until the start of the bonnet.

You can see it clearly in the pictures above. I think that’s much more as it looks in reality.

I drilled 1.1mm holes at the beginning and the end and used tiny amounts of CA glue to hold them in place. 

Along the way, where necessary I added a very small amount of CA to keep it in place. Quite fiddly to get the end into the hole, I must say, but it worked.

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4 hours ago, silver911 said:

Fabulous progress and solutions/modifications where needed...love the seal strip (leather string) 👍

 

Ron

Thanks, Ron. Much appreciated. 

It’s the feedback that helps us along. 

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Dear friends, what have I been up to.

Well, I completed the radiator cowl, installed the lights, rims and lenses.

 

sIMG_13281.jpg

 

sIMG_13283.jpg

 

I installed the leds facing backwards, thinking that the reflectors will do their job better than when facing forward.
And the lights work, happy with the results


sIMG_13285.jpg

 

Then it was time to put this assembly on the model. No difficulties there.

 

sIMG_13286.jpg

 

I also repaired the broken lens of the right side light

 

sIMG_13287.jpg

 

So time to mount the bonnet assembly.
That did not take much tweaking as I have fitted this many times before. Happy to see that this paid out.
The bonnet is kept close by a thingie (don't know what it is called).
That thingie does not stay in a closed/locked position. Need to find a method that it will.

 

sIMG_13289.jpg

 

Bonnet seen from the passenger side and thermometer on radiator top installed.
No troubles there to get a good fit.
On this pic you can also see the brake drums, and wheels, ready to be fitted.

 

sIMG_13291.jpg

 

sIMG_13292.jpg

 

And as you can see the bonnet opens quite far. Top of the bonnet cannot open further, but lower part opens completely.

 

sIMG_13294.jpg

 

Well, that's where I am right now. Nearing the finish line.
What needs yet to be done?
 - rear view mirror needs to be mounted on the door.
 - find a solution for the bonnet locks (btw, these are not the Pocher parts but some parts I purchased many years ago.
 - finish wiring of the lights. Here I had an unhappy event. The tiny/tiny, very tiny (did I say tiny?) wires of the micro leds I'm using of the right rear light broke. That is something I cannot repair anymore, unless I make new rearlight unit, with new Leds in place. I just might be doing that.
 - mount the brake drums
 - mount the wheels
 - print the knock-offs with my new high res 3D printer and paint them.
 - then the knock-offs can be installed

 - oil filler tube and cap

 

I think that's all that needs to be done, so this year, the 26th after acquiring the kit and 14th after starting this build, I guess I will finish it.

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1 hour ago, mirage said:

A real gem is coming. compliments

Thanks, Luca. Very much appreciated coming from you. 

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Beautiful work Poul, that radiator / headlight assembly is looking rather good, especially with the lights on. 

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Good afternoon, fellow modellers.

 

I've been working on the final stages of this build.

I used the outer part of round electric wire to simulate a rubber tube for the oil filler and I chromed and installed the filler cap.

Some clean up still needed.

 

sIMG_13316.jpg

 

Here's a final picture of the radiator shell.

 

sIMG_13295.jpg

 

I decided to make a new rear light. Here is the housing painted and chromed reflectors

 

sIMG_13304.jpg

 

LED's installed and working. License plate light works also.

 

sIMG_13307.jpg

 

I printed the knock-offs again with my new printer. At the bottom is the previous version printed on the Anycubic Mono X. above that the result with my new printer.

Huge difference. The characters at the top "SINISTRO" and bottom "SMONTARE" are just over 1 mm height.

 

sIMG_13384.jpg

 

Really happy with the result.

Chrome paint needs to dry thoroughly and then I can glue them on top of the M4 bolts I used to mount the wheels.

Yes, the wheels are mounted and I will show pictures with the knock-offs later.

 

So what's further to do?

- install rear view mirrow (why do we call that a rear view mirror? There are no side view or front view mirrors 😉 

- modify bonnet locks

- I ordered 4mm perspex for the display case, which I will make myself. I'm expecting that next week.

- Still thinking about the base. I could go for wood or for black perspex. I haven't decided yet.

 

That will conclude this build.

 

Anyway, that's it for now. Of course I will udate with the final results and I will create a RFI thread. 

 

 

 

 

 

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7 hours ago, Pouln said:

I printed the knock-offs again with my new printer. At the bottom is the previous version printed on the Anycubic Mono X.

Makes me wonder what model your new printer is? The print quality is excellent!

 

While I'm not around here anymore too often and won't be anytime soon (Toddler, real car, house with garden and a job to pay it all...) I still follow the progress of your model. The updates never fail to amaze me.

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On 6/11/2022 at 11:28 PM, Schwarz-Brot said:

Makes me wonder what model your new printer is? The print quality is excellent!

 

While I'm not around here anymore too often and won't be anytime soon (Toddler, real car, house with garden and a job to pay it all...) I still follow the progress of your model. The updates never fail to amaze me.

Thanks, much appreciated.

The new printer is a Phrozen Mini 8K. Less build volume compared to the Anycubic but fantastic for details. 

The knock-offs were printed with 0,02mm layer height and with normal basic resin. 

I’m told that resolution will still be better using special formulated 8k resins, but I have quite a lot of the basic resins that need to be used first.

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Hi Poul,

This is looking great! It's amazing what the addition of the 3D printer does to enhance your already great skills. I think that, as more people get the 3D printers and can fabricate parts and details that, were not as accurate and good looking as simple scratch building and, without having to spend lots of money on aftermarket parts these Pochers might see the light of day again. Your work has always been high level and this just takes it to another level. I have been on a building  hiatus for the last year plus and it looks like it will continue for at least a couple more months. We sold our house and I'm packing up all my models, tools and paint for the move. I have something like 7 pretty good sized boxes just for all the F40 parts alone, I hope that I can find them when we get to the new house, Lol! Anyway, it looks great and you should be proud of your work. I know that Chas would have been one of your biggest cheerleaders as you have moved through the final stages of the build. Looking back on some of my big builds, I think the last 10% is always the hardest for me to complete. Looking for to the RFI.

W

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Thanks Wayne. Very much appreciated coming from you.

Yes, 3D printing is changing or our hobby quite a lot (or at least makes it possible to change it).

Hope you will have a nice workshop in your new home and that we will see a continuance of your splendid work when you are settled.

 

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