Ace-Garageguy

Here they are, folks...the 13 picks for america's best for this year. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/2017-ambr-contenders.1047964/ PLEASE TO NOTICE: the THIRD car down, James Hetfield's "Blackjack", was built by Josh Mills here in Marietta, a shop I've worked with for several years. Though I had NOTHING to do with this particular build (other than cheering from the sidelines as I was engrossed in building an electronics-laden '47 Caddy convertible) it's indicative of the kind of work produced on a regular basis by this shop. Am I bragging? Yeah, probably kinda. It's nice to have worked alongside somebody who is producing cars at this level, and to be thought of as "good enough" to be a part of the team. The car I'm rooting for, Blackjack... This is an all-steel ORIGINAL '32 Ford roadster, about as period-correct hot-rod as you can get. NOTHING significant on this car is newer than 1949, and everything is either built from old junk, or it's NOS, barn-finds, etc. Even the finned "hot" cast-aluminum cylinder heads for the flathead were made in Atlanta in the post-WW II period. Mills and his small crew designed, hand-fabricated and upholstered the Carson-style removable top, too. The car is not actually black. The body, hood and grille shell are a rich dark brown, with only the frame and suspension pieces being black. The photos really don't do it justice.

Landman PM'd me asking for some assistance interpreting the maze of hoses that are sometimes seen on these somewhat unusual drag-racing blower / mechanical fuel-injection setups. Thinking this might be of interest to other modelers here, I've decided to put the answer up in tutorial form for everyone to see and bookmark for future reference. There are two distinct plumbing styles for these setups, one of which is simple and only runs lines to the injector bodies mounted to the side of the blower itself, and a more complex arrangement that routes lines to individual injectors (one for each cylinder) drilled into the ports on the intake manifold. The simple arrangement was the more common in the time-space continuum I inhabited when real competition cars still ran these things, but we'll cover both types (some rather famous cars did in fact appear with both types of plumbing at different times). The shot below is of the famous old Mooneyes Dragster, and it's shown here running the same relatively simple setup that the equally famous Orange Crate appeared with (as was modeled by Revell). Both of these cars also appeared at different points in time with the more complex setup, which may have been because of mixture-distribution problems arising from the simpler style. This is kinda the "standard" setup, and if you understand what's happening here and generally how it works, you'll have no trouble interpreting photos of cars that have other plumbing arrangements. Notice that the injection pump is bolted to and driven from the front of the blower housing. Also notice that the injector body has 4 ports cast as a unit, and that there are no injector lines on top of the engine. There is usually a large supply hose running from the tank to one side of the pump, and a slightly smaller return line running from the pump back to the tank. Tuning is accomplished by changing the size of the orifice in the restrictor "pill" on the return side. A pill with a larger hole allows more fuel to bypass the engine and return to the tank, making the mixture leaner. A smaller hole in the pill forces more fuel to flow TO the engine, richening the mixture. These things were designed to really only work at WOT (wide-open-throttle), so tuning wasn't very precise under other engine conditions. From the high-pressure side of the pump, a line runs to the throttle valve (sometimes called the "barrel valve") which is connected via linkage to the throttle pedal and butterflies. As the throttle is opened, this valve also opens, allowing more fuel to pass through it. From the throttle valve, fuel flows to the injectors themselves. The barrel valve can be seen just aft of the injector body in this shot (still looking at the photo above) with 4 lines running to the injectors...and that's about it. Here's a shot of the Orange Crate, running the same basic setup, but with only two injector ports bolted to the blower this time. The more complex variation on the same basic theme is shown below. The pump is again mounted to and driven from the front of the blower, and the supply and return lines and tank are fairly clearly visible. The barrel-valve is also located on the other side we can't see, linked to the throttle as before. However, here an additional line goes up to a "spider" mounted on top of the manifold. This can be nothing more than a fuel-distribution block (or if it's known as a "metering block" other tuning adjustments may be possible, and the throttle linkage may also control opening and closing, synchronized with the butterflies) and eight individual pressure lines run to eight individual injectors mounted directly in the intake ports. This arrangement lessens the likelihood of uneven fuel distribution due to poor mixing or pooling of the fuel in the intake tract, and can also make a blower explosion a little less likely (the facts that the blower was lying on its side, and that the long curved intake pipes had to travel UP to get to the intake manifold, could tend to cause uneven fuel / air distribution to the cylinders; atomized fuel could easily fall out of suspension in the air stream, due to the twists and turns and sharp corners in the intake tract). You'll almost always see a backfire "popoff" valve on the rectangular box the long intake pipes come out of, too. It's really pretty simple once you understand how it's supposed to work. All the Hilborn-style mechanical injection systems work basically the same way, though there can be many specific detail, plumbing and linkage differences from car to car, and as noted earlier, even on the same car at different times. Any questions? IMAGES TAKEN FROM OPEN INTERNET SOURCES AND USED UNDER FAIR-USE DEFINITION IN COPYRIGHT LAW

I believe you'll find that only the AMT "Authentic Model Turnpike" track is fully compatible with the AMT cars. They have a dedicated pickup-shoe that also runs the working steering, and keeps the cars on the track in the event of a spinout.

Yup, model trains, 1:1 aircraft and cars, AI, physics and engineering...name it and you'll find "issues...such as opinions, personalities, differences and most importantly the ability to hide behind a keyboard!"

I come here to learn, to see what other builders are doing, to find inspiration from builders whose skills exceed my own, and to offer technical advice on 1:1 subjects as well as modeling (usually learned from first-hand experience) given freely to the community in the spirit of helping. It is also pleasant to have my own work appreciated and commented on, and I often learn something in the process of reading those comments. While I have a fairly extensive background in engineering and mechanics, there's always somebody in the world who knows something I don't, or catches me in a moment of fuzzy thinking, or saying something I remember incorrectly and get wrong...and I appreciate being corrected by anyone who actually knows what he's talking about. The"general" section allows me to point car enthusiasts towards something they might otherwise not be aware of, and to voice opinions on things like styling and mechanical over-complication, and ALWAYS more in an effort to make people THINK rather than to try to shove my own ideas down anyone's throat. The off-topic area also allows me to share with other members things I'm interested in...like steam engines, aircraft, alternative energy, AI, and the declining literacy rate in the developed world and what that means for our collective future and the legacy we're leaving to our children.

Looking good. Interior colors are very beachy, remind me of Florida. Woodgrain looks good, nice job. Looking forward to seeing the porthole panels installed too.

Hey, I apologize if my comment seemed anything other than friendly. I've enjoyed seeing your work and the old Hawk model's contribution too. Since you were up in the "general" section, I think we all thought it would be OK to post links to some car-surf music to get the juices flowing, without taking anything away from an ongoing build. Your work on this kit has sparked an interest in me to do something with one of these too, so double thanks for showing us what you've been doing on it.

Interesting. I work for myself as a subcontractor providing technical services to other companies that essentially re-sell my services at a substantial markup. I sure as hell bill for my time, as well as any material expense I incur, and short-lived tools or equipment that may be necessary to perform a particular task. Right now, I'm "mastering" a set of custom parts for a full-scale Jaguar, and I'll be making the tooling to duplicate them, as well as manufacturing the production pieces. And I bill for every minute of it. The selling price of the products I develop is usually not established until we find out HOW LONG it takes me to produce masters and tooling, what that equates to in expenses and wages paid to me, and how much money per-unit has to be added to amortize the development cost...based on projected sales numbers.

Perfect.

Maybe...but this isn't the WIP section anyway.

IMHO, not much stupider than calling a laundry detergent or a salad "awesome".

Exactly. Funding appeals for the local NPR stations almost always include challenges from individuals or businesses for other contributors to match. Not at all unusual. They also remind us that we can almost ALL forego a few lattes, or a dinner out, or a couple of movies, if we value what we're contributing to support. Personally, I VALUE Harry, and it's worth the price of a few kits to help keep him around and possibly at least partially alleviate some of his anxiety. But if every user of this board just contributed ONE DOLLAR, that would be a pretty big chunk of change.

While our hopes and prayers and well-wishing are certainly important to Harry, it's also vitally important that we don't forget to keep on contributing to his fundraiser. As soon as I get my next check, i'll forward at least $100 to help him. Who's with me? https://www.gofundme.com/2pndgj5w

While it's always nice to see what everyone is buying, we all also need to remember our good friend Harry Pristovnik, the former and hopefully future moderator of this board, and a huge contributor to MCM, this website, and a constant source of inspirational, beautifully executed models. In case you don't know, or forgot, Harry is fighting cancer, has had a serious heart attack brought on by his chemo treatments, and is STILL fighting for his life. He can't work, is incapacitated, and HE STILL NEEDS OUR HELP. I'm sure everyone here can afford $25 a month to help him, and if not that, at least $10. There's been no funding activity on his site...which means nobody has sent any money...since about the first of the year. I'll send $100 as soon as I get my next check. Who's with me? https://www.gofundme.com/2pndgj5w

Come on people. Harry still needs our financial help. He can't work, and he's having a rough time. Let's keep the donations going, OK? Soon as I get my next billing in this week, I'll forward at least $100 to his fund. Who's with me? https://www.gofundme.com/2pndgj5w

While superglue will 'stick' flexible vinyl parts together, it may not give optimum results. There are specific solvent-type glues made for flexible vinyl. Ace Hardware usually carries one, but I can't recall the name. This is another one. I've used it successfully to make almost invisible seams on some of the two-part vinyl tires, but I can't tell you from which kits. http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/pvc-vinyl-glue/ips4784-1-5oz Another product from the same manufacturer, specifically for flexible and rigid vinyl, but not available in small tubes Though a pint of the #66 might seem a little pricey for model work, if you do much waterbed, rubber-boat, vinyl clothing or camping equipment repair, you might find it to be handy.

I've had the late-'60s version for a long time. After reading the reviews of the latest issue, it looks like I may need to get it as well. thanks for the heads-up.

Seriously, I feel like Harry is as much a friend as some of the people I see regularly in my real-world. I've been concerned that we haven't heard anything from him lately, but sometimes people simply prefer to deal with extreme difficulty on their own, and others clamoring for their attention can be a nuisance (at least, that is my own response when I'm having health problems). But I didn't realize he was so alone, just assumed he had some intimate family there pretty much all the time. Hopefully he'll be back online soon, so we can show continuing support and encouragement.

Really wanna get on a surf buggy building roll? Here's 56 old tunes, back to back. If this doesn't get you going, nothing will.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Surfer Girl...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omG-hZfN6zk

White acrylic gesso also works well. Also an "art store" product, it's used as a primer for canvas (among other things).

A few months ago, a member here posted that he'd had good results doing tire lettering with white gel-pens. I had the post flagged, but it appears to have been removed for some reason. Anyway, I've used the gel-pens for years. They're easily controllable for the larger lettering and usually work fine, seem to dry thoroughly on flexible "rubber" tires, and don't flake off.

Same guy donates his time free as an amateur aerospace engineer...

In the dark.