Harry P. Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 The distributor cap hold downs were added per reference photos. They are made of soft silver wire and four Pocher small screws... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I've been working on adding missing oil lines, missing fuel lines, missing linkages, etc. It's slow and tedious, scratchbuilding all those tiny details, but the right side of the engine is getting there. See what I mean about those cool BUGATTI name plaques disappearing once the engine gets closer to finished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 The exhaust manifolds are incorrect. There are no mounting flanges or mounting bolts. First step is to add some short lengths of styrene tube cut off at a 45 degree angle to each of the individual pipes... The joints were filled with Bondo... The seams were sanded smooth, and flanges were created with sheet styrene, bolts are pieces of hex-shaped styrene rod... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 The frame on this kit is metal... very stiff and sturdy, and when you bolt it together it's square and flat, unlike the soft, wiggly plastic frame on my Pocher RR woody. The metal frame is a much better way to go. Lots of detail on this one, including all of these little pulleys located on the inside of the frame rails. Cars of this era had mechanical brakes (not hydraulic), and different manufacturers had different approaches as to how best to design a braking system. My RR woody has an incredibly complex rat's nest of rods and levers to make up the braking system, but on the Bugatti the brakes were actuated by cables. These pulleys will ultimately be threaded with brake cables. A much cleaner and simpler approach than Rolls' way of doing things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Up front this Bugatti had a fairly typical suspension setup... solid axle and leaf springs. But in back they went a different way. Instead of the typical leaf spring setup, they went with quarter-elliptical springs, mounted "upside down" to the way leaf springs are typically mounted. Here are the parts for one of the rear springs. Spring leaves are real spring steel... Here are the completed rear springs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 And here you can see how the springs attach to the (almost finished) rear axle. It's different, that's for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Here you can see how the rear springs look installed on the chassis. A different way of doing things than was typical in the early '30s. Notice the twin holes in the gas tank for the filler tubes. Yes, two of them, one on each side. You could pull up to the pump in this car from either side and "fill 'er up." A nice feature! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Speaking of the gas tank... the metal straps that hold the tank in place come flat, the builder has to bend them to shape. Would have been nice if Pocher had supplied a template or diagram, but nooooooo. You're on your own! Kinda tricky to get the correct bends in the exact right places to wrap neatly and tightly around the tank without gaps, but eventually I got it. Here we are looking at the chassis upside-down with the straps ready for the tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b-body fan Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 That's very cool. I'll bet they actually rode nice with that spring set up. What an awesome kit. What an awesome job you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Sometimes you'll find a "tool" in the strangest place. My bottle of liquid cement just happened to be the perfect diameter to fit the front recess in the gas tank perfectly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Before hydraulic shock absorbers came along, cars had friction shocks. Each shock absorber consisted of a series of metal plates sandwiched with discs of friction material between them. The amount of stiffness in the shock was adjusted by how much you tightened the outside cap. The more the plates and friction discs were compressed, the tighter or "harder" the shock action. Here are the parts for the four friction shocks... And here, with the shocks assembled, you get a better idea how they worked. Two of the arms were atached to the axle, the other two arms to the chassis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Harry Unbelievable detail. I see why you were so excited when you got it. Ken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Bugattis were known for their "clean" engine compartments. Things were neat, tidy, and uncluttered under a Bugatti's hood, and they had a few tricks to make it that way. For example, here is the unique position of the generator, mounted to the inside of the frame rail, and driven by a belt off the driveshaft. Doing it this way obviously kept the generator out of the engine bay and kept the Bugatti's engine looking clean and uncluttered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 The left side of the engine, bolted to the frame. You can see the modified exhaust manifolds with added mounting flanges and "bolts" that are cut from hex-shaped styrene rod, and some of the scratchbuilt external oil lines and fittings. That round gizmo at the left front of the engine is the water pump... the round hole in the center is where the hose to the radiator will go... And the right side, with scratchbuilt linkages... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 The front shocks were a real pain! I tried mounting them to the front axle and frame rails, but they didn't fit. It took me a while to figure out that the inner two leaves on the shock had to be bent outward, in order for the shock mounting stud to fit between the frame rail and the shock. No mention of that little trick anywhere in the instructions, though. And there's no easy, foolproof way to know exactly how much to bend those leaves. You have to eyeball it, sort of take a guess, bend them, and try installing the shock. If it doesn't fit, take off the shock, re-bend the leaves, reinstall the shock... etc. But once I got them to fit, I have to admit they look pretty cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Here's how the rear shocks are installed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Beautiful work. The finishes on fhe parts is superb. Just curious how much time have you spent on this so far? Looks like the kit is well worth the price for what you get. And with the extra detailing it really looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 I have no idea how much time I have into it... I don't keep track. No idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Here are the various components of the steering box... some brass, some steel, some plastic... typical Pocher mix of materials... And also typical of Pocher... fit issues. The steering box cap doesn't fit into the opening. Simple solution: ream out the opening. Parts that Pocher engineered for a friction fit, like the steering box cap, are almost always engineered too tightly to fit. If you force things, I guarantee something is gonna break... And the finished item installed on the right frame rail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Looks like the kit is well worth the price for what you get.This kit is by far the most I've ever spent on a Pocher kit, but I have to admit, I'm liking this kit a lot. Loads of cool detail, lots of metal parts (much more so than the typical Pocher "Classic" kit), metal frame as opposed to the RR flimsy plastic frame. It cost me a ton of $$$, but I'm glad I finally bit the bullet and coughed up the cash for a Pocher Bugatti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 A long, long time ago... (thank you, Don Mclean)... A long, long time ago in this WIP I described how I used a razor saw to remove the molded-in water pipe flanges on the engine's valley cover. I have no idea why Pocher molded those flanges onto the valley cover–they are part of the water pipe. I could have left them there, and just detail-painted them to match the water pipe, but there were sink marks in the cover and it would have been a nightmare to try and work around those molded-in flanges to fix the sink marks. Much easier to just remove the flanges and sand the valley cover surface smooth. But I saved the flanges (I can see Dan Aykroyd doing his Julia Child impression here... "save the liver!"... )... sprayed them "chrome" to match the water pipe, then slipped each one up onto each of the four "legs" of the water pipe, glued the pipe in place, then pushed the flanges down flush to the valley cover. I don't think I could have gotten as sharp and clean a break on the flanges if I had left them in place and tried to detail paint them. This was definitely the better way to go... a little extra work, but worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle potts Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I am amazed at your ability to adjust the build and scratchbuild any missing parts and get so much done so quickly. And you do such a clean job. I always find your builds a joy to follow, and are educational as well. As always thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twokidsnosleep Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) Impressive progress!!! Looks like you are enjoying this Bugatti more than that RollsThe suspension work is excellent and the radiator and grill are just glowing. Agree that the water pipe and spark plug area is improved with your razor saw solutionI like what you did on the exhaust manifold as well. As we say in Canada, you are "just given-er" i.e. going very rapidly Edited August 31, 2015 by Twokidsnosleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 Impressive progress!!! Looks like you are enjoying this Bugatti more than that RollsWell, sort of. I'm liking this kit because I don't have to worry about scratchbuilding a body!My plan is to get this one as far as finished chassis up on wheels, then putting it aside and finishing up the RR woody... then back to the Bugatti. I don't want to leave the woody unfinished for too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjordan2 Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 As usual, between this, your woody and Cato's Rolls, this is all so exotic compared to anything I know that there's nothing I can say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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