Codi

Appreciate the sentiments you've shared Brad. Still slow at what I do but still plugging away at this one. Dave, I couldn't machine a simple bracket plate for that motor. I'll let you do the big boy stuff while I sit in the corner and play with my toys. ? Cheers !

Hello everyone, I got the block and water pump/cam cover drawn up and started machining the block. I know that back in the day the blocks were cast aluminum but I wanted the look of alum so I'm machining it and will buff/polish and or media blast it for a proper look when done. The block is about 2/3 done. I have to add motor mount, freeze plug and oil housing detail among other odds and ends. The lower portion of the block on the passenger side needs done next but the two sides are a bit different so getting this look right has been more challenging than the Donovan engine in the Bantam. Took me the better part of a day just to machine the lower portion of the block you see below. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. Cheers, Tim

Thanks John. Patiently waiting on your next updates. Working on the block and waterpump/cam cover as we speak. I like the renderings and hopefully it'll transfer to metal. Cheers NYLIBUD, thanks but no thanks.

First let me say simply "grazi" Luca for posting here and sharing your talents. The photos / explanations you've shared are simply phenomenal. I love to scratch build but this is talent beyond anything I possess. Will certainly follow along as you progress. Cheers, Tim

nicely done.........like that detail you put on the rear of the drivers "shield".........cheers

Nice nice build. cheers, tim

Hi Mark, did you use caswells "Blacken-it"........just curious as I bought it but not used it yet. I like the look ALOT! cheers

Mad mad skills. Loved the rims / wheels but seeing these new 3D renderings are just head shaking. Some real talent you have sir. cheers

Kurt - coming from a fellow machinist.........that's very high praise. many thanks. Chris, Ray, Wayne & Bob.....thanks so much too.....Dave (comp1839) has given me some more great info (dimensions) that give me the green light to do a bit more for this engine than originally intended. Not going to share what just yet but as I make progress on each of the key pieces, I'll certainly share. Shawn - If you go back a page you'll see my reply to a similar question. I think it will be of some help to you. Cheers, Tim

Would love to see pics of this car outside in the sun. That paint is great. cheers

A lot of imagination to bring that manifold to life Kurt. Like seeing the process. For the Ford script, are you going to try to replicate that too? It would be very cool if you could pull that off somehow too. cheers, tim

Thank you Claude & Mike........making a pair is time consuming. 8 hours to make 1. yup, I admit that. Dave, well, I've not been doing this for a bit but I think these are better than my Donovan valve covers. Thanks as always! Kurt, agreed, after getting them done, it would be a shame to have to do that to them. It's still going to be the 494 Alum. Can-Am motor all the same. Thanks too1 Well Doug, you stumped me but I learned something today. I never even heard of magetic polishing. Looked it up and it seems really intriguing. I used 0000 Steel wool and my dremel with a polishing wheel. The pair are done other than parting them off, some minor shaping, adding the bolts and they're finished. Cheers to all that are following along. tim

well Dave. 1 down, 1 to go. Thanks again for the info you shared. These things are complicated (at least for me) to figure out and machine. Just got to part this one off but I'm going to get started right away on its twin before I forget what the heck I did. ? I was intending on doing the experimental 16 plug heads Wayne Gap was developing but after getting the top part cut in, I didn't want to mess it up by adding more holes etc. to it. I liked the singular plug look better.

Thanks fellas for all your contributions. At this point I'm now set on what I'm doing for the build and have the info I need......well, I might have to ask Dave if he might have some "numbers" possibly but other than a few odds and ends, I'm now ready to get on with this. Next week if all goes well I'll have a pretty accurate set of aluminum valve covers to share and this will be off and running. Its been some time since I've sat at the mill and even though I'm shakin' off some rust, its fun to get back to it. Till next week, cheers, tim

Stunning pieces. Love the way you did the throttle linkage and gives me some ideas that I might "borrow" as well. Can't wait to see what you put these pieces to. cheers, tim

Nice, VERY nice.

Apologize for the delay in responding. Thank you Art for the wonderful sentiments. It was a long time coming that's for sure. Same to you Dave (Goatguy) and the next time I see you I'll be sure to show you the car. Cheers fellas!

I wanted to reply to Kurts question about research. Going on-line has been most helpful. Go to Facebook page "Nostalgia Pro Stock" as I noted above and you'll find tons of great pics / info. I also spent a couple hundred dollars buying old early 70's magazines that featured these cars. The most useful IMO were Car Craft, Super Stock and Drag Illustrated and lastly Drag Racing USA. There are a few good books you can buy as well (Sox & Martin among them along with books on Pro Stock racing back in that period) Lastly, I've turned to some great contacts for certain info that is just hard to come by. Dave (Com1839) has provided me with great renderings/measurements for the Holley Dominators and Boss 429 heads and valve covers. Makes machining these pieces infinitely easier. THANKS DAVE!!! I have many hours of time so far in research and have two 2 1/2" binders filled with pertinent info. 1 for the Hemi Colt and 1 for the Maverick. Lastly, I found on the Gapp On-Line site great info as well and conveniently a copy/outline of the NHRA rules for Pro Stock for 1973. Great transitioning year for the class. Hope this helps. Cheers, Tim

Hakan, I think if that Maverick in the pic had slicks under it the stance would be virtually identical. I think it's on the right track. thanks too. Chris, thanks too.........Starting with the valve covers. TodayI spent some time "proofing" the valve cover detail. I wanted to see how well I could replicate the ribbed detail on the original Boss 429 valve covers. As mentioned, the valve covers I want to replicate are the experimental twin plug heads that Wayne Gapp had been developing. Only a single pic of these exist that I could find so I wanted to see how close I could mimic them. Pic one shows the detail without the plug & oil breather holes drilled. The 2nd pic has them drilled and I think it's REALLY close to the pic. The valve covers on this car are highly visible and I want to do a decent job copying them in 1/25th. btw, the ribs are only .2mm in width. cheers, tim The original experimental valve cover

A most sincere thank you Niko & Jim. The Maverick is starting to take on a life of its own. The planning is starting to snowball into something a bit more than I originally intended. Hope you continue to follow along on the new build. Cheers ! btw, Niko, love that wheels up shot of your drag car.

Thanks for the laugh Derrick. I didn't have one but we remember the days well. I wanted to share that the last week or so I've been doing tons of research and planning on this new build. I found a great site for those that like 70's Pro Stock cars that has hundreds (think more than 500) that was a wealth of insight. Visit "Nostalgia Pro Stock" on Facebook. It's a public site and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. With that in mind, many details have been set to paper. It will have a scratch-built brass / alum. chassis to replace the stock kit. I'll likely use the interior tub, make a new firewall and follow the NHRA 1973 Pro Stock rule book. This was an interesting year as it was during this time that prominent existing and new chassis builders were coming to the fore. I'll be putting in a lenco 4 speed as well. A lot of new ideas were being put to practice and I'm going to incorporate them in the car. I'll have to scratch build my headers, frame rails etc. as part of this. I always loved the stance of the early 71' Mavericks but I wanted to push this towards the direction that the chassis builders & pro stock teams were starting to explore. I'm dropping the stance among those changes to this car. The rubber slicks are from Futurattraction. His 32x15" which I sanded down about 1.0mm on my lathe. A couple pics to give you an idea.......btw, the Boss 494 I'm doing for this will have one of the earliest dry sump systems in drag racing so the engine will sit a wee bit lower in the chassis as well. That will help to meet the NHRA rules stating that the hood scoop can't exceed 7" in height. I'll be modifying the mailbox scoop on the car to reflect this as well. Cheers!!

Has anyone heard from Shawn lately? I'd love to see his updates on this particular build but it is truly interesting. cheers, tim

Hi Mike, so appreciate your comments and that you like the finished product. I'm well into the planning on the Maverick now. Hope you follow along again. cheers, tim Chris, thank you my friend. I so miss your work and hope you have something soon for all of us. If you need something give me a ring. cheers Michal, thank you sir. Not often I get a comment from the Czech Republic. Cheers, Tim Randy D. - I can't express what your kind words mean. You're a phenomenal scratch builder that I've always followed. After seeing your cars, I dug up old posts of your trains and trucks. You can do it all. Like Chris S., I sincerely hope you both come back soon with some updates on your projects. The forum is better for it as it's something we can all aspire to. cheers, Tim

You captured those details beautifully Kurt. Impressive skills. cheers, tim

That's a sweet looking car Guido. To clarify regarding pictures, I'm most interested in chassis shots of either stock or race (Pro Stock class circa early 1970's) pictures. I think I'm going to end up fabricating about most a chassis when all is said and done. We'll see. Thanks in advance and if you'd prefer you can send me a PM and I'll reply in kind regarding pics. Cheers, Tim