Alfa Romeo Spider Gran Touring by gjdale - FINISHED - Pocher - Scale 1:8

[gjdale]

USPS last tracked the replacement Cam covers having travelled from the USPS distribution centre in LA on 16 April to LA International Airport on 18 May (32 days to travel that far!). Hopefully they are now finally boarding an aircraft on the way here.

 

In the meantime, I have decided to proceed with the next phase of construction.

 

The Transmission

 

Building the transmission follows essentially the same procedure as building the engine – ie, test fit and adjust all parts, then disassemble, paint, and re-assemble. Sounds straight forward but Paul Koo produced a photo essay of some 48 photographs to supplement the Pocher drawings, illustrating clearly where the problem areas are and how to fix them, as well as some good advice on assembly sequence so that you don’t “paint yourself into a corner”.

 

Here are all of the parts after test fitting and painting. Some sub-assemblies here have been pre-assembled (eg foot pedals and gear knob/handbrake handle).

 

 

Once all of the fit issues are taken care, the remainder of the assembly is fairly straight forward. The only part glued here is the tiny access hatch on the top forward end of the transmission. Here are some pictures of the completed assembly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the transmission fitted to the engine block. Again, no glue, the whole transmission is held in place by some tight fitting joints and two screws.

 

 

 

 

 

The Steering Gearbox

 

The Steering Gearbox is tackled next as it needs to be fitted to the engine block prior to installation in the chassis. Once again, the sequence of test fit, adjust, paint, re-assemble is followed. Another 28 photos from Paul Koo to show this relatively simple assembly! Here are the parts after test fitting and painting:

 

 

The steering system actually works, however some fettling is required to ensure that the gear will actually turn. I had to adjust the teeth on the cog gear with a file, clean up the worm gear on the shaft, and adjust the clearance in the housing to enable it to all turn freely once assembled. Here is what it looks like inside the gearbox:

 

 

 And here is the completed steering gearbox:

 

 

And finally, here is the steering gearbox installed onto the engine block:

 

 

And a close-up:

 

The next phase will see the Main Frame assembled...

[Canute]

Very nice job, Grant. The details are tremendous.

[yvesvidal]

Superb. Your explanations will come handy, when I resume the building of my Alfa Romeo.

 

Yves

[Keith Black]

I've always thought this model would look great done up with cycle fenders. I once had this kit and I was going to do cycle fenders and even inquired about buying a set from an eBay supplier who said he had a set. I can't remember the price as that was many years ago. 

[popeye the sailor]

almost like your building a real car   looks awesome!

[md1400cs]

Denis,

 

Indeed it is - for members that might not know these sites - wonderful world of Classic Pocher examples wayback when.

Also they come up - unbuilt new "in box" occasionally on eBay - I bought a Mercedes many years ago - never finished it - sold it partially assembled ....

 

Grant you're doing a great job as well as showing us how amazing these kits -- still are.

 

https://scaledetails.com/

 

and many superb finished examples here;   https://www.modelmotorcars.com/

  

 

[mtaylor]

I have to keep telling myself "this is a model" over and over again.   The detail in the kit and what you're adding Grant is mindboggling.

[gjdale]

Thanks ken, Yves, Keith, Denis, Michael, and Mark for the kind comments, and to all of the'likes'.

 

The replacement Cam covers have at last arrived in country – they arrived in Sydney on 26 May. A week later and they still haven’t made it out of Sydney…. In the meantime, progress continues…

The Chassis

 

The basic sequence of assembly for the chassis is:

·      Main Frame

·      Radiator assembly and test fitting

·      Test fit body parts

·      Check engine position and decide whether to relocate the engine

·      Paint the main frame

·      Assemble the chassis components

 

Note that the above list involves a lot of test fitting, which implies a lot of adjustment, and the almost ‘throw-away’ line of deciding whether to relocate the engine!

 

The journey begins with the main frame itself. A number of adjustments are needed to allow the radiator cross member to fit properly. Failure to get this right will result in the front end being too wide and the body and suspension parts not fitting properly. It’s a relatively simple fix but once again, without Paul Koo’s guidance here this could end up a real mess!

 

The next issue to be addressed is the mounting arrangement for the firewall. On older kits (like mine) the firewall is attached to the mainframe by two screws accessed from inside the mainframe, making access extremely difficult because of the presence of the transmission. On newer kits, this problem was remedied by making through-holes in the frame and placing the bolts from the outside – a whole lot easier! Needless to say, Paul provides instructions for how to convert the older style kit to the new mounting arrangements.

 

The firewall is also modelled incorrectly in that only four wires for each of the two fuse boxes are used, and their routing is also incorrect. Following Paul’s advice, two new (slightly larger) fuse boxes were scratch built and holes drilled for the correct wiring. I bought some rainbow ribbon wire from my local electronics store and stripped this down to provide some different coloured wiring.

 

The next issue is the fit of the radiator and the cross brace. An incorrect radiator position will affect the fit of the front nose. When properly positioned, the radiator must be slanted to the rear when viewed from the side. The radiator brace, which joins to the firewall, must be horizontal (ie parallel to the main frame) however the brace is tightly fixed to the radiator at an angle of 90 degrees. If this is not fixed, when the brace is attached to the firewall, it will push the radiator into a vertical (incorrect) position and once again cause fit problems with the front nose and hood. The fix for this is to attach the brace to the radiator, and then apply heat from a soldering iron to the metal brace. The heat will then start to melt the plastic surround at the radiator mounting point, which allows the brace to then be lifted up about 20 degrees and held there while the plastic cools. Now, experienced plastic modellers are probably quite familiar with this type of technique, but it was a first and somewhat nerve-wracking time for me. It did however, work exactly as advertised.

 

The next issue is the hole in the bottom of the radiator for the engine hand crank. With the radiator mounted correctly at a slight angle, the hand crank will not pass through the hole in the bottom of the radiator assembly. This one is an easy fix, requiring only that the hole be slightly elongated on the rear side.

 

Once all of these issues had been addressed, the engine and firewall could be assembled to the main frame. 

 

 

With these issues addressed, it was time to test fit all of the body parts, starting with the main body. The first issue to be addressed is that the main body must fit flush against the main frame. However, there are a couple of (unnecessary) raised moulded details that prevent this, along with the presence of the bolt heads for the engine mount and firewall (see photo above). The moulded details are easily taken care of by sanding flush. The bolt heads on the other hand require a different approach – enter the soldering iron once more. In this case, a hot soldering iron is touched to the bolt heads and once the plastic starts to melt, the bolt is pushed into the plastic until it is flush with or just below the surface. As it goes in, the plastic moulds itself around the bolt thread, forming additional threading inside the now longer hole. It’s a brilliant technique!

 

There is still some additional tweaking required to the main body plastic, although mine didn’t seem to need as much as some others clearly do from Paul’s descriptions/pictures.

 

 

With the main body in place, the fenders can be test fitted. There is a fair amount of clean-up required on these, and the two of the mounting holes are misaligned on the main body, requiring new mounting holes to be drilled and threaded. Two additional mounting points are also created by drilling and using the “melting method” to drive screws right through the main body and into the main frame to close up some residual gaps. Again, this method worked really well. The front nose was also adjusted to allow it to fit properly over the radiator. Then further adjustments to the fenders were required, including removal of a significant amount of material from the front ends, to allow them to fit properly around the front nose.

 

 

 

Once the fenders were fitted correctly, it was time to remove the fenders and main body again in order to test fit the engine hood panels.

 

Paul’s instructions suggested that quite a bit of finessing would be required to make the side and hood panels all fit together with the main body. I must have gotten lucky here as mine needed only a very slight adjustment to allow them to fit properly. In the photo below, they are held in place with masking tape and placed back on the mainframe to check for overall fit. As you can see, all seems to be well with no significant gaps around the front nose.

 

 

The final tasks in test fitting the body panels included the two covers (just behind the seats), the doors, and the rear end (moulding line). Of these, the only tricky part was the doors, which required quite a bit of very fiddly adjustment. I forgot to take any progress photos of these, but they do fit now.

 

Once all of these adjustments were made, the whole lot was disassembled again, including removing the engine and fire wall, so that the main frame and firewall can now be painted.

 

The issue of relocating the engine is one of considerable debate. According to Paul Koo’s notes, the problem arises from part of the model being designed with the engine in its current placement, and part being designed with the engine approximately 10mm further to the rear. Paul offers four options to remedy this – a 10mm rearward move, a 5mm rearward move, a 2 mm rearward move, and no move. Of these, he recommends the last option – no move. Any move of the engine rearwards will result in significant further changes being required as the model progresses. The no move option involves omitting one part and accepting that the hole in the top of the radiator will not be aligned with the hole in the top of the front nose (a detail that will not be visible on the completed model). The part is a threaded base that attaches to the top of the radiator and passes through the front nose. If it is inserted with the engine in the current position, it will pull the radiator into a vertical position again, causing subsequent fit problems. By omitting this part, the radiator can stay as is, the radiator cap then subsequently gets glued to the front nose, rather than being attached by a threaded component. 

 

I’ve decided to go with Paul’s recommendation of ‘no move’ – this build is hard enough as it is without adding further complications! 

 

Next up, painting the mainframe and re-assembly.

 

[rshousha]

Hi, 

 

I don't think you were lucky with the fit of the hood panels. All the work you did in advance of inserting them helped prepare the way for a reasonably good fit. A lot of people fit the body panels without realizing that the chassis is being deformed in the process. Then, when they get to the engine panels, the fit is off. A builder recently asked me for advice and his pictures showed a solid 1/4" of misalignment. 

 

Anyway, just for kicks, here's a picture of one of my Alfas. It looks like yours will be even nicer. 

 

Note that the outdoor picture has no wing. I tried to imitate a picture of an Alfa I saw in a magazine from that era. It didn't have the wing. This just looked wrong in the finished model so I went back and added it in the final delivery.  The fit of the wing is quite subtle. The one you see on my model is scratch built. After some fiddling, it just seemed easier to toss the original and replace it with a customized part. 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Nice work Grant, and you too Rick!  I have this kit, but am a few kits away from getting the experience and confidence to do this kit justice.  Your models are very inspirational though!

[rshousha]

Believe me, it is a hundred times harder to get through a wood ship kit than any Pocher! I have a huge respect for anyone who can get through a wood ship kit. 

[gjdale]

Thanks Rick and Mike.

 

That’s a lovely looking finished model you have there Rick. Yes, that tail fin is going to be a challenge from what I’ve read so far!

 

MIke - I am not an experienced modeller in plastic by any stretch of the imagination. What is allowing me to do a half way decent job is the amazing instructions and photo essays from Paul Koo. I say, “go for it”.

[mtaylor]

22 hours ago, gjdale said:

Note that the above list involves a lot of test fitting, which implies a lot of adjustment, and the almost ‘throw-away’ line of deciding whether to relocate the engine!

 

Since these lovely machines were handmade by craftsmen, it would stand to reason.... lots of adjustments.  The model apparently follows that tradition.  In spite of (or maybe more like "becuase of ")  all the fitting, testing, etc. it's still coming out looking beautiful.

[rshousha]

You're giving waaaaaaaaay too much credit to the company.  They're simply very poor models! Not that I am complaining, though. When one considers fun, "by the hour", spending a grand on these older Pocher kits is good value. Spending a grand on a ship model is better value in the "by the hour" column but Pocher kits are a good deal cheaper than, say, Tamiya or Lego. 

 

Hey, don't jump all over the comment about Lego. With people getting older, and finding themselves in residences where they are not allowed to create noise or smells, some of the new Lego kits are really fun.  Lego is certainly expensive "by the hour" but you can't undo a ship model and start over. 

 

[md1400cs]

Rick re:  You're giving waaaaaaaaay too much credit to the company.  They're simply very poor models!    Really!!! that is a very stetched opinion ----- in my opinion 😂 

 

A Pocher done "right" is an incredible amount of work- especially the leather interior details, and paint - just the spoke wheels alone could be 800 parts+ in the agragate..IMO again comparing apples to oranges - diff. skill sets 

 

Oh have fun ineed some Lego kits are really special 

 

 

[rshousha]

Yes, I have built nineteen of these models so I know my way around them a little. What I keep telling people is "if two parts fit from the first shot, you did it wrong". So, what I mean by poor kits is that nothing fits. Indeed, they make spectacular models when done right but it's important for first-time builders to realize these are not your typical plastic models. So this is what I meant by poor kits. Not poor so much overall but poor fit. 

 

As for those wheels, I must have done 200 of them for various people. Just last summer I built about twenty of them for a single client, who no longer has even strength or dexterity in his hands to work on them. 

[md1400cs]

Noted Rick 😊 You've been around a few blocks indeed.!

[mtaylor]

5 hours ago, rshousha said:

Yes, I have built nineteen of these models so I know my way around them a little. What I keep telling people is "if two parts fit from the first shot, you did it wrong". So, what I mean by poor kits is that nothing fits. Indeed, they make spectacular models when done right but it's important for first-time builders to realize these are not your typical plastic models. So this is what I meant by poor kits. Not poor so much overall but poor fit. 

So more like making the real thing from scratch then?  Or maybe more like semi-scratch.   Buy all the pieces, make some, end up with a one of a kind car.

[Egilman]

41 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

So more like making the real thing from scratch then?  Or maybe more like semi-scratch.   Buy all the pieces, make some, end up with a one of a kind car.

When you build a full sized kit car, they give you the pieces, tell you where they go and leave the rest of it to you to figger out.....

 

Pocher kits follw the same paradigm, they make the basic parts some of them fit nice some of them do not, some of them are beautiful out of the package, some of them need major reworking, most of them depend on other parts to say where the particular part your working on goes....

 

Think of it as building a full sized kit car, it takes about the same amount of time, (and the same level of talent) to do it right.....

 

But when someone comes and looks at your finished kit, they react the same as if you pulled up in a show winning Lamborghini/Fiaro....

 

Literally stunned...

 

I have two pocher kits, even at this date, they are way beyond my talent level to do with the finish you are watching here....

[mtaylor]

8 minutes ago, Egilman said:

When you build a full sized kit car, they give you the pieces, tell you where they go and leave the rest of it to you to figger out.....

Back in the day, I did drag racers with a somewhat stock body (Gassers.. early 70's usually Vegas with big blocks).  The chassis company would ship a set of plans for the chassis and a pile of pipe of different lengths, diameters and that was about it.  For the body and all the running gear you were on your own.

 

Knowing what I know now, I think I'd rather build a Pocher model.

[Egilman]

2 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Back in the day, I did drag racers with a somewhat stock body (Gassers.. early 70's usually Vegas with big blocks).  The chassis company would ship a set of plans for the chassis and a pile of pipe of different lengths, diameters and that was about it.  For the body and all the running gear you were on your own.

 

Knowing what I know now, I think I'd rather build a Pocher model.

I did 1/4 mile oval racers in superstock claiming class.... So I understand....  you go and look, observe how everyone else does it (cause you have to take the plans and fit them within the rules of the class also) then try like heck not to go outside the rules....

 

Thankfully, we don't have rules building models.....

[Keith Black]

Back in the day.......

[Egilman]

Now that is downright purrr.......rty.... 👍 (dig the manifold pressure gauge mounted right there on the manifold)

[popeye the sailor]

👀  lots of good content here!  I will never get to build one......too rich for my blood..........     your progress looks super Grant.......good choice to keep things as they are.   move the engine.........move the drivetrain.

 

nice looking car Rick!  

[gjdale]

Thanks for all the kind comments and for all of the 'likes' as well.

 

The replacement Cam covers finally arrived. After painting they were fitted to the Engine Head and two decals applied. These are aftermarket replacements for the stickers provided in the kit. Here is the assembled Engine Head – I have yet to fit the ignition wiring, which will be left until much later in the build as the Engine Head is still removable at this stage.

 

 

The firewall was also painted and then re-assembled with the modified wiring arrangement:

 

 

Once the remainder of the Main Frame had been painted, it too was reassembled – a relatively easy job thanks to all the test fitting and adjustment previously completed:

 

 

The Dashboard

 

The Dashboard presents no particular problems, although I opted to dress up the provided plastic piece a bit by making a real wood dashboard veneer using the plastic part as a template and some 1/64” thick walnut I had in my stash. Again, I replaced most of the kit provided instrument faces with aftermarket decals from Model Motorcars. While the decals look a lot better, they are very fragile and I think just about all of them broke in at least one place while fitting them. Not sure if it was my technique at fault, or the very, very thin decal material. Anyway, I managed to get the pieces re-aligned with a minimum of colourful language! Here is where we are at to date:

 

[fnick]

Wow that is stunning! 😮

[Canute]

Nicely done, Grant. The wiring is top notch and that dash is superb.

[usedtosail]

Agreed, stunning!

[Landlubber Mike]

Amazing work Grant!  Those dials look fantastic.  Love the real wood effect.  I've got the Fiat and one of the Rolls Royce kits on the shelf alongside this one, and I've been considering using real wood in place of the kit "wood" parts.  Nothing beats real wood!

 

The Vallejo metal paints look very rich.  I'm using them for the first time on my F3F builds.  If I get half the effect that you are getting I will be a happy camper.

[yvesvidal]

Magnifique !! How about the colors of the wires? Is that the original way, Alfa Romeo wired their cars?

 

Yves