’72 Dodge Demon Drag Racer 1/25 scale

[AmericanMuscleFan]

6 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Francis, you do amazing machine work! I was silly enough, the other day, to ponder the idea of attempting a Donovan for one of my dragsters. I quickly came to my senses! I doubt I could ever keep my cuts and sequence in order. You, Tim and Charlie are in a whole different league! My hat is off to all of you!

Thanks Daniel, machining an engine block (at least anything convincing) seems a lot easier to do than it looks, there's an incredible amount of cutting and turning involved in getting it done.  It's oddly one of the hardest things to do and I can attest to that, I'm in the middle of it right now.  I have not finished and I could not count the operations I have gone through.  I took a lot of pictures but I didn't cover everything, I would never have finished but it will give a good idea of the process.

By peeling back the aluminum rod, it seems that there was an engine block hidden beneath the surface and I can't wait to deliver the photos of the final result.

It looks promising to me, but you'll have to wait a little longer! 😊

Francis

[charlie libby]

i have machined several fuel cells out of plastic. how come yours looks so much nicer?

[AmericanMuscleFan]

19 hours ago, charlie libby said:

i have machined several fuel cells out of plastic. how come yours looks so much nicer?

You're just being too harsh on yourself Charlie, everything you do is absolutely fantastic.  I'm just making it smaller because of the scale, that's all!

I have almost finished machining the engine block, I am in the details if I may say so, I hope to be able to publish the results in the next few days if all goes well.

Francis

[rv1963]

I am waiting for the next update, engine details my favorite part.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 4/22/2025 at 12:57 PM, rv1963 said:

I am waiting for the next update, engine details my favorite part.

Be patient Robert, it's coming, just a few more hours and I'll be able to show you the result.  I'm not sure if all the time and work I put into this sole piece is really reasonable, but you don't realize it until you're done.  It's promising, though! 😊

Francis

[Codi]

Francis, you big tease.......come on, show the pics....cheers, tim

[charlie libby]

17 hours ago, Codi said:

Francis, you big tease.......come on, show the pics....cheers, tim

 

[charlie libby]

We want to to see before the warm weather hits up there

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 4/26/2025 at 4:29 PM, Codi said:

Francis, you big tease.......come on, show the pics....cheers, tim

With the kind of detailed project you're working on, I thought you were a patient guy? 😁   I was waiting for a nice day to unbox my new media blasting kit and try it out on a piece of aluminum. It's a bit your fault if it stretches, you're the one who put it in my head and proved to me how worth it it was!  By the way, it's very nice here today........ 😉

Francis

On 4/27/2025 at 10:27 AM, charlie libby said:

We want to to see before the warm weather hits up there

Spring is slow to arrive here this year, today is one of the first truly beautiful warm days of spring!

On the other hand, I see the end of my modeling season fast approaching, I hope to have something other than the engine block to offer you. The engine block photos are for this week, I promise! 😊

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Hello everyone,

Tonight, a long-awaited update from several friends who follow my project and who have a preference for the mechanical part, more specifically the engine.  What may seem like an easy piece to make is, in my opinion, one of the most difficult with all the intricate details that characterize it. This is not my first engine block and I don't want to deny what I made before, but I sincerely think that this engine block is a big step forward in terms of dimensional accuracy versus a real one.  I have done a lot of research on the web and found a large number of documents and technical drawings to guide me and I have followed them as precisely as possible to produce what I have to offer you this evening.  There are about 100 hours of work in this piece alone and I couldn't count the number of cuts, rotations, repositioning and tool changes to get to this.  I took a ton of pictures but it doesn't make sense to post them all, I'll limit myself to a few but I'll be happy to post the ones that might answer specific questions you might have, if they exist in the ones I took.  I wanted to take the time to thank Tim (Codi) for the inspiration and for recommending me to buy a media blasting kit, you were right my friend, it does the job!  Technically, the block represents a 528 cu. in. Indy-type racing block, but with some freedom of detail because I found lots of photos with visual differences in most cases.  However, the front part which forms the timing gear housing and the water pump inlet/outlet is precise to the thousandth, it was a long job to do.  In all modesty, the pictures are not bad but they do not do it justice, it is even more beautiful in real life, I think I have a good basis to continue! Questions or comments are welcome.

Francis

First, some photos of the machining at different stages of progress.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Now the engine block in the final stage.

[BK9300]

Goodness, Francis, you are amazingly proficient at creating these scale marvels.  The effort you've put in is well understood - a continuing pleasure to watch!

[Moparman18064]

Spectacular!!! The intricate machine work in the timing cover area, the brass expansion plugs, mounting bosses, just WOW! I haven’t touched a model in months now, this is certainly stimulating those needs again Francis.

[Straightliner59]

I am awestruck, my friend! To any of us who've attempted millwork, the amount of effort and planning you put into this, is apparent. Bravo!

Edited Wednesday at 09:18 AM by Straightliner59

[Codi]

That makes MY head hurt Francis.  

Your comment about the efforts to make the block and with this level of detail can truly only be appreciated by a machinist IMO.  Not being arrogant or rude but I can sit here and just go through the number of steps etc. to make it and I'm sure I'd still miss a few.  To be that accurate with "tear-downs" etc. from one to the other is quite the achievement but you have pulled it off beautifully.  You're stretching yourself now and it's great to see you hitting the marks. You've got every reason to be proud of her.  

I sent you a PM btw about a tool I've found helpful on Sherline machines that might be of use to you.

Cheers, Tim

[Belugawrx]

Incredible, when I saw that tiny piece of brass on your fingertip I said..hes not... and then,  yep frost plugs.

Really enjoying watching your progress Francis...amazing work

 

[rv1963]

Awesome update Francis, the detail on that engine block is amazing, the best one you have done so far. Wow 100 hours into this engine and well worth it in my opinion. The work you have done should inspire others to give this a try, it did with me.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

13 hours ago, BK9300 said:

Goodness, Francis, you are amazingly proficient at creating these scale marvels.  The effort you've put in is well understood - a continuing pleasure to watch!

Thanks Brian, I had a lot of fun and a few cold sweats, but in the end I think it's the best machined part I've ever made.  I have many sources of motivation on the forum and your amazing truck build is definitely one of them!

Francis

11 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

Spectacular!!! The intricate machine work in the timing cover area, the brass expansion plugs, mounting bosses, just WOW! I haven’t touched a model in months now, this is certainly stimulating those needs again Francis.

Thanks Rich,  There are a lot of steps in this thing, I took 36 photos during the machining and that only covers a few steps. It didn't make sense to publish them all but it will give me a kind of user manual for the future.  I have to pinch myself to convince myself that I did this, I'm rather proud I must admit!

Francis

5 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I am awestruck, my friend! To any of us who've attempted millwork, the amount of effort and planning you put into this, is apparent. Bravo!

Thanks Daniel, It's definitely not the easiest piece to make and I've always agreed with the saying: You must walk before you can run!  I made a lot of aluminum shavings fly before I got to this point, but I realize that you can do great things when you really want to.  Your determination proves it my friend, you are a great modeler and I take great pleasure in following your exploits.

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

4 hours ago, Codi said:

That makes MY head hurt Francis.  

Your comment about the efforts to make the block and with this level of detail can truly only be appreciated by a machinist IMO.  Not being arrogant or rude but I can sit here and just go through the number of steps etc. to make it and I'm sure I'd still miss a few.  To be that accurate with "tear-downs" etc. from one to the other is quite the achievement but you have pulled it off beautifully.  You're stretching yourself now and it's great to see you hitting the marks. You've got every reason to be proud of her.  

I sent you a PM btw about a tool I've found helpful on Sherline machines that might be of use to you.

Cheers, Tim

Thank you Tim, your comments are much appreciated, especially coming from an accomplished and skillful fabricator like you.  Let's just say I've improved the recipe over my previous efforts and I see this as a logical progression when you're passionate and motivated from all over the forum, with your own project setting the bar ever higher.  The media blasted finish is one of the little details that I never thought would have contributed so much to the look of the finished product, thanks again for pushing me in this direction, you were right again as my mother would say! 😁

Francis

[bobthehobbyguy]

Impressive work. I'm impressed that it only took a hundred hours to do.  Can't image the stress that one mistake would mean starting from square 1.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

4 hours ago, Belugawrx said:

Incredible, when I saw that tiny piece of brass on your fingertip I said..hes not... and then,  yep frost plugs.

Really enjoying watching your progress Francis...amazing work

 

Thanks Bruce, Sometimes it's the less obvious or simple details that make you react, the antifreeze plugs are miniature and not very visible but sometimes it's just to tell yourself that you've covered as much detail as possible.  It was just for the sake, at the point I was at, it wasn't one or two hours more that made that much difference.

Francis

2 hours ago, rv1963 said:

Awesome update Francis, the detail on that engine block is amazing, the best one you have done so far. Wow 100 hours into this engine and well worth it in my opinion. The work you have done should inspire others to give this a try, it did with me.

Thanks Robert, you're right, this is definitely my best effort so far and 100 hours seems like a lot for a single piece but there are thousands to put into this kind of project.  This should not be seen as hours spent but as quality hours invested in oneself; exercising one's brain can only be beneficial in pushing back the cognitive problems that age sometimes brings when one begins to have less motivation.  I am well placed to speak about it, my father has reached the venerable age of 94 and I am witnessing his decline because the motivation is no longer there, he who was a very talented carpenter and who was still tinkering in his workshop not so long ago.  Be proud of what you do, it's remarkable and few have the drive to do it, you must not give up!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 4/30/2025 at 11:21 AM, bobthehobbyguy said:

Impressive work. I'm impressed that it only took a hundred hours to do.  Can't image the stress that one mistake would mean starting from square 1.

Thanks Bob, I didn't write down the exact time I spent on it (I never do that for any piece) but it's in that range.  My approach is to work slowly and plan the next operations so as not to remove material that will form subsequent details, I don't have a technical plan, it's all in my head so to speak..  Measure twice, cut once as they say! 😉

I'll be working on engine heads and valve covers next, hopefully I'll have a bit more time before I close up shop for the summer, I'm into what I love most at the moment!

Francis

[iBorg]

If this had been done in CNC, I would be impressed. Knowing it was done manually I'm gobsmacked. The one thing that stands out to me are the freeze plugs. How did you machine the external round shape?

Truly fantastic workmanship.