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

[Noel Smith]

If anyone is looking for very small metric taps and miniature tools etc. there are plenty of specialist suppliers of model engineering supplies around

Try     Squires

          Eileen's Emporium

          Proops

          Shesto 

          Chronos

They are all UK companies.

Besides these there are suppliers to the model railway fraternity and also jewellers suppliers.

         

[Tankerman]

Sadly Eileens Emporium closed down in December, a great shame as their range of tools and material was exceptional and their service was outstanding.

 

Many excellent items for 1/12 scale and larger cars can be found here:  https://www.prime-miniatures.co.uk/home

[Griph]

30 minutes ago, Tankerman said:

Sadly Eileens Emporium closed down in December, a great shame as their range of tools and material was exceptional and their service was outstanding.

 

Many excellent items for 1/12 scale and larger cars can be found here:  https://www.prime-miniatures.co.uk/home

Thank you! That is extremely useful to know!

[cmatthewbacon]

 

 

Both callipers fitted. Glad that the new assembly order is clear that you need to get these on before the brake disks!

 

 

Ejector pin marks on the inside faces of the discs. I decided they had to go to make sure the two halves fitted as close together as possible.

 

 

First disc in place. The instructions suggest there should be a screw J (head with fixed washer) going into that small hole in the centre of the axle in part DC-37, but it's useless, being a smaller diameter than the hole in the main framework, not to mention being impossible to screw in (you can get one in with the screwdriver through the opposite hole, but once the first disc is in place the second one is inaccessible). All the drawings following this stage in the instructions show no screw in position either, so I've left it out for the moment.

 

 

Second disc in place. And part K-6. You can waste quite a lot of time looking for the second part K-6 in other bags and all over your workbench before noticing that they can nest neatly one inside the other and look like one slightly longer part... I only spotted the little so-and-so when I gave up and decided just to do one side before emailing Pocher for a spare.

 

 

Half shaft parts, including two separate K-6s. The boots only fit over the slotted end, so you need to fit them in order. The ball will go through the narrow end of the boot, but you need to flex it so the edge of the boot doesn't get caught in the slot. If it's not going in, turn the shaft 90 degrees and try again. I used black rubber-reinforced superglue to attach the boot to the golden ring (K-6)

 

 

 

And glued in place. Only the ring and boot are glued... I've left the shaft engaged with the "shelf" in the axle, but free to move.

 

 

Starting to fit the shock absorber. The top is screwed in place. I chose to add the the long screws (H) through the W-shaped lower mount at this stage, because otherwise the cylinder of the shock will spring off the top part every time you move anything. I ran the screw all the way through and then backed it off to get the cylinder in position. This spring is quite strong compared to the rear ones, so requires some careful clamping and lining up with one hand while screwing with the other.

 

 

Screws fully home, They will be backed off to fit the suspension struts.

 

 

The suspension mount on the A-arm hooks over the axis tube in the slot and then pivots into place at the other end (arrowed) where it's held in place by a screw.

 

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: at this point, you should add the drop links to the front anti roll bar (M15, p27). They clip over the bar in the central hole in the upper A arms, and will be a lot easier to get in place now when you can hold a link in one hand and the A-arm in the other and wiggle them around until the hook on the link snaps over the bar. If you're worried about it breaking after you've fitted it, slide it to the end next to the suspension mount and lightly tape the free end to the mount reinforcement.

 

 

The silver strut is why the lower arm is W-shaped (I knew we'd find out in the end). It goes in at an angle, allowed for by the top screw being free to pivot slightly in the mount on the A-arm, and the gap in the W at the shock end being wide enough to allow the ring to twist on the shaft of the screw.

 

 

 

 

The lower arm fits straightforwardly, though neither of the screws goes through from the inside, as the instructions suggest... Now, on with the right-hand side.

 

best,

M.

 

 

[cmatthewbacon]

 

 

 

 

The other side went on smoothly. Note that the lower arms have a handy "L" marked on DC-57.... the left lower arm.

 

 

Parts for the pedal box. The base plate is moulded in black, but the pictures in the Haynes manual suggest aluminium is more accurate. It's a bit of a challenge to get it together. In the end, I put the top plate in place, and screwed it down, then backed off the screws until it was barely still attached. That gave enough room to wiggle the  pedal pivots between the top plate and the base and into the slots. Holding it upside down so gravity was on my side, I then tightened the screws just enough to make sure the pedals stayed in position. That gave enough clearance to put the springs in one at a time, catching them on the pin on the pedal and using sharp tweezers to lift the other end up and over the pin in the base. With the springs in place, I could then tighten the screws fully to hold everything firmly together.

 

 

Like this. Not sure who will ever put their foot (or finger) down, but good to know you can!

 

 

The floor drops in place with the three actuator rods plugged into the three holes on the wall.  I mounted the steering column gear housing first (also painted silver) then dropped the pedal box in place, and finally added the steering column. The gear will pull back when the rack goes in place.

 

 

Which brings me to the end of Page 26...

 

best,

M.

[KeithAnthony]

Just had e-mail from Pocher advicing the new four part instructions mentioned earlier in the thread. Guess they rushed the first low res version out so we had something!

Edited February 28 by KeithAnthony

[KeithAnthony]

On 27/02/2023 at 20:34, Noel Smith said:

the model railway fraternity

For high quality engineering taps I use Tracy Tools  https://www.tracytools.com/

The 1.6mm size is very expensive for reasons I know not, but cheap taps in the size will break easily. They always seem to break 'flush', which means loads of fun getting it out!

[Noel Smith]

Sad to hear that Eileen's Emporium has closed down. I used to buy many small drills and other tools from them when they traded at SMW each year at Telford.

[silver911]

Regards breaking 'taps'...the golden rule...especially for white metal...is never use them dry!

White metal is a 'composite'...meaning it contains particles of harder metal...the softer particles clog the tap...whilst the harder ones are what cause it to break.

One tip I can offer...do not use WD40 as a lubricant!...it was never designed to be such...mearly a rust inhibitor to keep water at bay...and to break down resitance to binding of joined metals.

 

Ron

[Griph]

35 minutes ago, silver911 said:

Regards breaking 'taps'...the golden rule...especially for white metal...is never use them dry!

White metal is a 'composite'...meaning it contains particles of harder metal...the softer particles clog the tap...whilst the harder ones are what cause it to break.

One tip I can offer...do not use WD40 as a lubricant!...it was never designed to be such...mearly a rust inhibitor to keep water at bay...and to break down resitance to binding of joined metals.

 

Ron

Great advice Ron thanks. I don’t think I’d have the courage to use a 1.5mm tap anyway. But I use the screws with an in and out movement using 3 in one oil. I have silicone grease also, but find the 3 in 1 easier to use! 

[cmatthewbacon]

I’m using silicone “Plastic Parts Grease” so I don’t have to worry about whether there are plastic or diecast parts being joined. Still scarred by building a Revell Visible V8 with my dad when I was but a nipper, which self destructed dramatically after a few weeks because the lubricant rotted the styrene so it came to bits when I turned it over to show a friend!

Best,

M.

[Shed Man]

15 hours ago, KeithAnthony said:

Just had e-mail from Pocher advicing the new four part instructions mentioned earlier in the thread. Guess they rushed the first low res version out so we had something!

The other good thing besides being of a higher quality is that the new version is searchable, which means it should be easy to find the part that you forgot to add (as I did)!

[Griph]

3 hours ago, Shed Man said:

The other good thing besides being of a higher quality is that the new version is searchable, which means it should be easy to find the part that you forgot to add (as I did)!

Yes, overall its an improvement.  Just wish they included more information on the sequence of installation, to take some of the guess work away! But - from what I have seen before, that is typical with Pocher.

[Griph]

7 hours ago, cmatthewbacon said:

I’m using silicone “Plastic Parts Grease” so I don’t have to worry about whether there are plastic or diecast parts being joined. Still scarred by building a Revell Visible V8 with my dad when I was but a nipper, which self destructed dramatically after a few weeks because the lubricant rotted the styrene so it came to bits when I turned it over to show a friend!

Best,

M.

I've never used lubricant with screw fixings to plastic parts.  I can understand the shock when a model falls to pieces!

 

[JamesP]

Cutting fluid for tapping etc  is meant to work under high pressure. I did read that bacon fat worked. 
 

@cmatthewbacon the shocks have and odd cant to them? 

[elderly]

15 minutes ago, JamesP said:

Cutting fluid for tapping etc  is meant to work under high pressure. I did read that bacon fat worked. 
 

@cmatthewbacon the shocks have and odd cant to them? 

You are no longer allowed to say that cmathewbacon is fat  😜 

[Dinky]

On 2/28/2023 at 11:02 PM, cmatthewbacon said:

 

It looks like the right wishbone has the big conical hole at the bottom, if that is true you might have two left ones.  

[Dinky]

Where are your screws for the discs?

 

The sprocket of the steering shaft can be mounted in several ways, you have to take that into account, otherwise, the wheels may be straight but the steering wheel turned like this

Then loosen the 2 screws and turn the gear a quarter turn on the shaft until it is good. hopefully it will be ok with you right away, I had to unscrew it 3x hahaha

[silver911]

If I may...regards lubricants for tapping/drilling etc. ...oil (3in1/engine/gearbox/sewing machine etc.)...grease...washing up liquid...airbrush lube (although both of those are more suited to plastics) are all suitable candidates for hand drilling/tapping...and I have used all of them on my Proxxon Mill as well as by hand over the years with excellent results.

Candle wax/beeswax will also work with plastics...and any of the mentioned can be washed away with white spirit/meths/IPA to avoid issues with glues to avoid the previously mentioned problem with plastic disintegrating...although I have never encountered that one.

 

Ron

[Dinky]

I always use a bit of engine oil, a little bit with a toothpick in the hole, and start screwing.
Take it easy and sometimes turn back if it is too heavy to avoid breaking 

[cmatthewbacon]

21 minutes ago, Dinky said:

Where are your screws for the discs?

@Dinky I found the screws were useless. The washers go through the holes in the frames as far as I can see, and do nothing to align or retain the discs. There’s no sign of them in the drawings later in the book either.

Best,

M.

[KeithAnthony]

On 25/02/2023 at 22:41, JohnPlayerSpecial said:

me what size allen key bolts

I used 1.6mm (for 1.5mm kit screws), with tapped holes. Mostly silver, some black. There are also a few 2.0mm holding major components together. Again with tapped holes can pull together very well.

[JohnPlayerSpecial]

19 minutes ago, KeithAnthony said:

I used 1.6mm (for 1.5mm kit screws), with tapped holes. Mostly silver, some black. There are also a few 2.0mm holding major components together. Again with tapped holes can pull together very well.

Thanks... That's what I was thinking of using 1.6mm, I have never tapped a hole before, so I just hope I don't mess it up.

[brady]

Anyone (meaning everyone) needing more blue safety belt material, and not wanting to go grey waiting for a resupply from Hornby: it's merely a common type of hair ribbon called "Grosgrain". Find matching blue colors locally or online in 3mm and 5mm and have at it.

 

Looking at photos of the real belts the Grosgrain texture supplied looks too coarse for 1/8 scale, so maybe try some standard ribbon too.

http://scaleautoworks.com/images/Lotus72belts.jpg

 

It seems the kits supplied enough material according to the lengths called on page 30, without acknowledging you need "x 2" for each length.

[cmatthewbacon]

Thanks to @Dinky for heads-ups! So, I should have taken a few more in progress photos here. But lets just say the steering isn't easy.

 

 

I couldn't get the central steering rod with rack (DC-42) past the discs with the screws holding the linking rods at the ends in place. So I would start with just the central rod (but fit the end links and then unscrew them again to make it easier later). I also couldn't get it in with the steering gear mounting fixed in place either, so that had to come off. I could then slide the main rod through and get it centred with the ends evenly spaced against the outer edges of the subframe  as highlighted above. There are 7 "threads" on the steering rack, which means there's one in the middle when the rack is centred. Then I fiddled with the steering wheel column and the conical gear until I had 1 tooth vertical at the end. This goes into the central thread on the rack, and you fiddle around getting the housing screwed back on to the bulkhead without twisting the steering wheel or letting the gear and rack come apart and lose position. Not fun.

 

 

This screw HAS to go in from the back otherwise the head fouls the frame and jams the steering.

 

 

Fortunately, by winding the steering hard over, you can screw it in through the suspension from the back. It helps if you have a magnetic tipped thin screwdriver, mind.

 

 

It looks a bit weird because of the steering column offset, but this is now centered, and ready for the wheel carriers and outer half-axles

best,

M.