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Building the Pocher 1/8 Lotus 72D, Emerson Fittipaldi 1972


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1 hour ago, cmatthewbacon said:

Does anyone know if the fine-thread A screws and coarser-pitch B screws are aimed at one material or the other? Instinct suggests the one should screw into plastic pieces and the other into metal, but it doesn't seem to work like that in the call-outs.

 

One handy hint that I should have remembered sooner from when I built the Meng "snap-together" bike kit: if you have any small magnets about the bench (mine came from some paint racks which could be use them to stack together), if you pop one onto your screwdriver slightly above the tip, it will pick up and then lock the screws into place on the bit. Handy for precise targeting.

 

The coarse thread screws "should" be for plastic parts, and the finer thread ones for metal.

 

You can also use an inexpensive magnetizer to magnetize the whole screwdriver to the degree necessary. 

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I had a look in the two books from MFH searching for pictures of the cockpit. In the 1973-1975 book I found nothing so I went to the 1970-1972 book and found a picture of the 1972 car. Sadly it was in black and white but all belts looked like they had the same colour. Later I found a picture from 1970 in colour. There was ha big heap of belts. Impossible to make out which was a hip and which was crotch-belt but they were all blue. 

I wouldn't trust the Haynes book to much. It is hard to tell if it is original or restored cars on the pictures.

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12 hours ago, brady said:

In period photos the front rims do look a bit wider than the tires, but not to the extent of the ones in the kit:

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That is a good find, didnt realise that! 

Still the Pocher is wider as it should be unfortunate 

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6 hours ago, Orso said:

I had a look in the two books from MFH searching for pictures of the cockpit. In the 1973-1975 book I found nothing so I went to the 1970-1972 book and found a picture of the 1972 car. Sadly it was in black and white but all belts looked like they had the same colour. Later I found a picture from 1970 in colour. There was ha big heap of belts. Impossible to make out which was a hip and which was crotch-belt but they were all blue. 

 

Hi Orso, any chance you could post pictures of the pictures you found? I would be very grateful as I have never seen period pics of the cockpit insides.

 

Malc.

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9 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

underside-right.jpg

 

side-right.jpg

M.

 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for these! They have solved a long standing question from me as to where and how the oil lines from the cooler under the wing actually connect to the engine!

 

Malc,

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53 minutes ago, Smallworld said:

Lotus 72

Lotus 72

Just experimenting with posting photos. Useful for others to have reference photos especially as I find diagrams in manual difficult to orientate at times. Probably my age…

Looking good! You have omitted the rubber gaiters - choice? Also see you have split the difference on the discs!

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This bit seemed to work OK, with one small gotcha of my own making. The revised instructions are correct in both part numbers and screw types!

 

right-exhausts.jpg

 

right-exhausts-from-above.jpg

 

right-exhausts-from-below.jpg

 

As you can see above, the exhausts have the assembly sequence numbers cast into the underside, which is a useful additional check. The tabs fixing them to the block are keyed to ensure they only fit one way. Having built a couple of these serpentine exhausts before, it's also helpful to know that the outboard ends form a neat square which will go into the collector junction.

 

both-exhausts.jpg

 

both-exhausts-2.jpg

 

The right screw labels help a lot. I also remembered a school metalwork lesson, and tapped every receiving hole using the screw -- half a turn forward, quarter turn back until it's in -- and lubricated the hole with a tiny dab of wax. It made getting them in during the real assembly a lot easier.

 

heads-on-block.jpg

 

block-from-underneath.jpg

 

from-the-inside.jpg

 

This is the gotcha -- I didn't test assemble, and discovered... although the instructions aren't clear, you need to put the lower section, with pumps, in place in the Y-shaped end moulding first, and then slide each side along and into position before screwing it to the end. That way the tubes mounted on the side at the bottom (Long and Short, as now noted into the instructions) can plug into the appropriate socket on the other parts.

 

Feeling happier about this section now.

 

best,

M.

 

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Great progress and just to let you know this model features in next weeks Hornby: A model world (06/02/23 @ 20:00 hrs on the Yesterday channel) - Andy 

Edited by Toftdale
Forgot to mention the channel 😅
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5 hours ago, KeithAnthony said:

Seat harness re-done with help from Stuart at Pocher

 

Pocher Lotus 72

 

Wondering how you got so much material for the harnesses. I have just about enough SB-1 to make the upper and mid ones, and a single piece of SB-2 to make one of the lower (or the cross pieces to which SB-3 is attached). Did you have to get hold of additional material from Pocher, or was I missing something? I've been in contact with Stuart too, he's been very helpful, but I'm still to get a response re this issue.

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44 minutes ago, moxie2207 said:

Wondering how you got so much material for the harnesses

Yes,the kit SB-1 contains 20cm, and you need double that. Stuart did indeed send another  SB-1 as well as provide the pics posted here. I raised the fact that from the total of their  own measurements in the instructions 20cm is not enough, but no explanation forthcoming!

Although I quite like the way Pocher have done the decorative stitching and I have replicated it, but I have a pic in one book which shows the white stitching starting at the very top and finishing at the top of the "Willans" logo, and starting again with no gap and finishing at buckle. There is enough decal to do this if you prefer.

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sliding-in-injectors.jpg

 

The top of the block slides in along the inner edges of the cam covers, completing the Y-section. The injectors go in in pairs with the fore and aft pairs with pipe nubbins pointing towards the middle of the block. Note the banks are staggered, and Z end of the plate goes against the block end that is still to be added.

 

injectors-in-1.jpg

 

Like this. The transmission fits here.

 

injectors-in-front.jpg

 

The other end, where the triangle is the engine mount.

 

dampers-on.jpg

 

A pair of dampers hang loose, awaiting the drive train. That's the end of the engine, for now, as we move on to building the transmission and rear axle.

 

from-below.jpg

 

Unusual angle. Shout out to @JamesP who persuaded me to buy this weighty and handy pin-based clamp/vice thingy at SMW last year, which is proving very useful!

best,

M.

 

 

 

 

 

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diff-1.jpg

 

diff2.jpg

 

Not quite as straightforward as I'd have liked it to be, but got there in the end. It's just hard to hold the callipers in to screw them home. I think the order is build both discs (I went for the square-hole orientation) and fix them to their respective side pieces, then add each calliper (I tried putting in one screw and rotating the calliper onto the disc after adding the disc later, but that doesn't work). I got one calliper to hold with the E screws prescribed, but had to use longer Fs for the other one to get it to stay in place, for some reason. Then add the plastic piece J-10 to bottom panel. Push the bottom panel onto one side and slide the top ?-section  piece into its sockets on the same side. Finally add the second side and fix with the two screws. The aligment of the bottom panel is very slightly off but I'll fettle that if needed later.

 

best,

M.

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Neat all those photos and explanation, I have a small addition. When mounting the rear shock absorber bracket (DCB-11 and 12 on page 8), make sure that the thick part is on the outside, otherwise it will be crooked. Of course the same applies to the right side.

 

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I also have a question to the people that completed the rear side, How visible is the silver part of the exhaust collector, especially the seams and the screw hole when everything is assembled?


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discs-in.jpg

 

transmission-top-down.jpg

 

I'm not doing a lot of painting or weathering, but the walkaround book I have and the Haynes manual both show the outer edges of the discs as rusted, so some MiG pigment has been applied. It's not as pink and shiny as it looks in pictures. Also added a nod to brake pistons/pads. This bit works as the instructions would have it.

 

wrapped-for-fit.jpg

 

Not sure what this is, but the fit of the shaft into the main cylinder is very sloppy. I wrapped the end in some aluminium tape to get a firm, centered, joint.

 

thingy-in-place.jpg

 

And here it is in place.

 

spider-from-mars-2.jpg

 

spider-from-mars.jpg

 

Despite the instructions, the screws that hold the arms into the H piece go in from the outside, not inside the arms. That's good, because you can access them, and they slide easily through the outer hole and self-tap into the inner. The other way they wouldn't be fixed at the end.

 

EDIT: At this stage, I would assemble the H piece and rods, but leave it off the model. You can add it much later, when fitting the wheel carriers, and those rods are vulnerable throughout the next stages of the build. I broke one at the last minute before fitting the second wheel carrier, and it is a pain to fix!

 

best,

M.

Edited by cmatthewbacon
Better hard-earned advice
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On 30/01/2023 at 17:58, Dinky said:

I meant the vent holes indeed, thanks for the seatbelt pictures thats going to be helpful.

 

Part of a photo I saw passing by online, here you see that the front rims are wider than the tire which looks a bit weird.

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@moxie2207 You mounted your rims and tires, how do they look for you? 

Hey @Dinky , the tyres look okay on the rims - managed to get a photo uploaded on page 2 I think. Am not at the stage of putting them on the vehicle yet, as I've been waylaid with the harnesses (lack of material). Just about through that now, so should be on the final stages in the next day or so. Will post some pictures then.

Edited by moxie2207
Name correction
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