Revell Visible V8 Engine Rebuild/Upgrade

[dr_gn]

Also filled the huge gaps in the transmission housing:



And started gathering parts for the battery box. I found a geared micro 12v motor, which I’m going to run at 9v. I ditched the idea of direct drive, and have instead made a step-down adapter for the original pinion. Also got a voltage reducer so I can use the 9v battery at 3v to power the spark plug lights. The original kit used two plastic push-buttons for the starter and ignition. I’ve got some single pole toggle switches which fit into the original button holes. I’ll drill out the buttons and glue them onto the switch stalks to keep it looking authentic:



The later version of the starter motor housing is just about the right size to fit over the motor:

[dr_gn]

The original carburettor was a bit of a lump:



So I added a few fasteners, and an inlet pipe. All probably incorrect, but at least it looks a bit more carburettor like now:



I’ve had to modify the distributor drive a bit, basically adding a light spring to press the bevel gear into the cam gear to make sure it doesn’t skip teeth:



Definitely the weak point of the whole model is the distributor drive. I think it would have been worth Revell fixing it rather than deleting it - the way the distributor works and fires the plugs is really cool.

[dr_gn]

Masked up the battery top and painted it to look more like a real battery:



Then final assembly. Of course the first switch-on revealed a blown bulb. Couldn’t believe it, especially since everything worked fine during soldering up, and everything’s now heat-shrunk together. I doubt those incandescent bulbs are available now. Anyway, it’s as done as it’s going to get for now:















Now takes its place among the other toys in the office…



I’ll post a link to it running once the bulb is repaired.