Nostalgia Fuel Dragster--Blower Manifold (01/28/23)

[Ian McLaren]

Everything looks great, what are you using to represent all of the fasteners ? Well done 

[Tortuga Kustomz]

On 1/14/2023 at 7:53 PM, Straightliner59 said:

Marcos, I saw your Color Me Gone car in the latest issue. Congratulations, man! Nice job!

Thank you man, much appreciate 

[Tortuga Kustomz]

This project is coming so good that i wish i can be there in the moment you put it on a show table

[Straightliner59]

13 hours ago, Ian McLaren said:

Everything looks great, what are you using to represent all of the fasteners ? Well done 

For bolts/nuts, I generally use model railroad hex castings--either brass or plastic, depending on the size needed, or what the application is and what I have on-hand. If the bolt goes through, and requires a nut, I use either bored out hex styrene, or small bits of wire insulation. Thank you, my friend!

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

This project is coming so good that i wish i can be there in the moment you put it on a show table

That would be cool! I'm hoping to make the local Fall show, with it. I should be able to finish it, by then.

[Straightliner59]

18 hours ago, Joe Nunes said:

This is so much fun to look over all of those details you have constructed and added to the dragster. I do admire your talent!  ?

Joe

Thank you, Joe. That's very kind of you, to say, my friend! I'll see if I can keep it coming along!

[Codi]

It's been a while since I've checked in Daniel, nice to see the progress you've made.  cheers, tim

[Straightliner59]

12 hours ago, Codi said:

It's been a while since I've checked in Daniel, nice to see the progress you've made.  cheers, tim

Thanks for checking in, Tim! Thank you for the kind words, as well. Sorry about your health issues. It's especially difficult, when our hands are causing us problems. Hope they're able to get you fixed up, my friend.

[Straightliner59]

I haven't posted any updates, lately, because I haven't been working on anything that's "photogenic"! Therefore, these photos are kinda boring! In them, you can see areas and items marked with red Sharpie. The marked items (body tabs, mainly) will be removed. The red-marked areas are places that need some sort of attention. I did a little bit of cleanup with the Dremel, then decided to put the chassis in the purple lake. I also replaced an upright that was missing from the left side of the chassis. Now, I'll finish the cleanup, and add back a couple of pieces that inadvertently left the chassis. After all that's done, I should be able to repaint the chassis, and begin installing some parts! As always, your comments are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks for looking!

Edited January 24, 2023 by Straightliner59

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Purple lake always does the trick to remove paint on plastic but I've never tried it on anything else, does it attack the brass surface?

[Straightliner59]

5 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Purple lake always does the trick to remove paint on plastic but I've never tried it on anything else, does it attack the brass surface?

It doesn't seem to affect brass or solder, at all. Don't ever put aluminum into it, though! It will turn that to jelly!

[Straightliner59]

10 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Purple lake always does the trick to remove paint on plastic but I've never tried it on anything else, does it attack the brass surface?

I can confidently say that Super Clean won't hurt brass, or solder joints! This has now been in and out of the pond several times, for a total of five or six hours, and neither shows any ill- effects. The joints aren't quite as shiny, but they aren't brittle or soft. That said, I think this is ready to add any missing pieces back on, then it can be repainted. It will be a bare-metal color from what I have left over of Testors Metalizers. I'll probably go with stainless steel. That may be what it was, the first time, too.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

9 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

It doesn't seem to affect brass or solder, at all. Don't ever put aluminum into it, though! It will turn that to jelly!

Glad to hear that Daniel, I remember seeing someone soak the brass parts in vinegar to clean them and prepare them for priming and/or painting.  It should not smell good but vinegar is a mild acid and it should not attack the brass too much.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Coming along nicely.

[Straightliner59]

16 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Glad to hear that Daniel, I remember seeing someone soak the brass parts in vinegar to clean them and prepare them for priming and/or painting.  It should not smell good but vinegar is a mild acid and it should not attack the brass too much.

Yep! Good, old pickling solution! Probably acetic acid, which is just a stronger vinegar solution. Vinegar should work fine. The first time I painted it, it was simply washed with an old toothbrush and Soft Scrub liquid cleanser. If I hadn't had to make the repairs, it wouldn't have needed to be stripped! Maybe that'll teach me not to wait 25 years on a project, again!?

[Straightliner59]

16 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Coming along nicely.

Thanks, Bob! I'm pretty happy with the progress I've been making. I'm kinda messing around with the motor, now. 

[Straightliner59]

I didn't like my original heads--they really didn't look like Donovan heads. I used a set of heads cast by my late friend, Mark Brown, from a Miss Deal kit. They're very nicely done--as would be expected, knowing Mark's attention to detail. I also started working on the valley cover. It's made of flashing. The oil filler is turned from a dollar store aluminum knitting needle--a great source for cheap stock! Blower manifolds for early hemis don't seem to be exactly plentiful! Those with any detail, even fewer (obviously!?). I found one in my parts box, but have no idea where it came from. It'll still need plenty of work! I'm sticking with the blower case and front cover, but will be looking for a new rear cover, or filing the one I have, now, thinner. That's a bit down the road. I am building the valley cover to match the one in the reference photo, which, oddly enough, has an early-'80s Portland Trailblazers poster, in the background. I think that might be Fat Lever!? Anyway, there's a lot to go, but, here's the start. Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for looking

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Those heads are looking good Daniel and your valley cover too! ?

[Straightliner59]

11 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Those heads are looking good Daniel and your valley cover too! ?

Thank you, kindly! Those really are beautiful heads. Mark did an excellent job with the castings!

[Tortuga Kustomz]

That's awesome, what a nice detail

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

That's awesome, what a nice detail

Thank you, Marcos. I found a blower manifold that will work, nicely, with a little modification, detail-wise. It fits the heads, great, though. It's not quite straight, in these photos, but, all the angles fit together. I also added some copper head gaskets. I'm having a good time, with this thing! Comments are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[Tortuga Kustomz]

WOW just look that you add some details on the side on the engine block, i though on doing that before, but never pull that of, that's a nice touch and makes the engine look more realistic

[Straightliner59]

4 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

WOW just look that you add some details on the side on the engine block, i though on doing that before, but never pull that of, that's a nice touch and makes the engine look more realistic

Thanks, Marcos! I needed it to be a Donovan 417, based on the rules I was using, when I started it (ANRA). This one's a late-model, from the '90s. The early 417s had the "DONOVAN 417" lettering in the girdle. I made one of those, too!? I have an ancient mold for a JP-1, around here, somewhere.

[Ian McLaren]

Great update, you have really improved the engine. Both the block and heads make a big difference. Well done!  I can however see a possible issue with boring the block to fit the 4 D shaped pistons.  It must have been an early  "D"onovan deal.

[Joe Nunes]

A real treat to see this coming together!  ?

Joe