Nova Salt Flat Racer

[Pierre Rivard]

On 4/12/2025 at 12:52 PM, BK9300 said:

Fantastic detailing, Pierre - very interesting subject!

Thank you Brian. I'm making an effort on detailing the engine as it pokes it's blower through the hood

On 4/12/2025 at 1:20 PM, Nacho Z said:

I don't get to spend as much time on MCM as I would like to, so I am always a little behind on being able to go through all of the posts.  I just now got to look through this thread.  If there is a Pierre Rivard fan club, I want to be the president of it!  I love the concept and I am really loving the finish on the body of the Nova!  I appreciate all of the updates and the captions / explanations of what you have done.  Keep it up and I'm looking forward to your next updates.

You are being too kind John but I accept the encouragement and will do my best not to disappoint. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the finish of the body. Engine work is not happening so easily though.

3 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

It's clear we're in for a great ride Pierre, it's starting strong!!! 👍

Thank you Francis Don't hold back with the advice. I sleep very well when I copy ideas from the master builders...😜

[Pierre Rivard]

Talking of engine detailing. My attempt at doing fuel lines. Going mostly by feel, that stuff is too small for me to see it clearly...

 

[MarkJ]

Awesome work on the blower, Pierre. 1/25 scale is not fun to do this kind of detail work to, but you are nailing it.

[Pierre Rivard]

7 hours ago, MarkJ said:

Awesome work on the blower, Pierre. 1/25 scale is not fun to do this kind of detail work to, but you are nailing it.

Pretty small stuff to work with. Hands are still steady but the eyesight is not so good. Working slowly at it and hoping my paint finishes will make the engine look fairly realistic.

[Pierre Rivard]

Blower assembly is done with fuel lines, valves and throttle all cooperating. I like the vintage look of it.

First time working with a distributor from Greg Stegall. Very nice.

Distributor fits behind the blower with less than 1 mm clearance. Measure twice... they say? True!

Decided on a finish adjustment for the valve covers. Chrome finish did not fit well for a "working engine" so they were toned down with a flat clear & dark brown wash.

 

[MarkJ]

Loving the contrast of the chrome valve covers with the finish on the blower and scoop. Looks very realistic.

[W-409]

Really nice work with engine detailing! 

I think toning down the chrome on valve covers was a good move. At least I've lately been using very few actual chrome parts on my engine bays. Instead, flat clear on top of kit chrome plating or different "chrome paints" which don't really give the perfect chrome effect, give usually a more realistic looking result, just like we see here.

[Mark W]

57 minutes ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Blower assembly is done with fuel lines, valves and throttle all cooperating. I like the vintage look of it.

First time working with a distributor from Greg Stegall. Very nice.

Distributor fits behind the blower with less than 1 mm clearance. Measure twice... they say? True!

Decided on a finish adjustment for the valve covers. Chrome finish did not fit well for a "working engine" so they were toned down with a flat clear & dark brown wash.

 

The injector lines are first class, it does pay to take you time. What did you use for the fittings?

Love the flat/washed finish on the valve covers.

[stavanzer]

Jaw Dropping Detail Work.

Just awesome the way you manage the small steps.

[slusher]

Impressive weathering on the body and engine detail also!

[Pierre Rivard]

16 hours ago, MarkJ said:

Loving the contrast of the chrome valve covers with the finish on the blower and scoop. Looks very realistic.

Thanks Mark. Toning down the chrome with the flat varnish + brown wash has reduced the contrast while keeping the variety of colors/textures I was aiming for. Getting there...engine should be finished today.

15 hours ago, W-409 said:

Really nice work with engine detailing! 

I think toning down the chrome on valve covers was a good move. At least I've lately been using very few actual chrome parts on my engine bays. Instead, flat clear on top of kit chrome plating or different "chrome paints" which don't really give the perfect chrome effect, give usually a more realistic looking result, just like we see here.

My approach is the same as your's Niko, but the chrome was surprisingly good on these valve covers so I thought I could use them untouched but it didn't work next to the unplaced look of the blower. Better with the flat clear layer.

12 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Jaw Dropping Detail Work.

Just awesome the way you manage the small steps.

Thanks Alan. I fear the engine build in every project so I make a list and take it step by step. It's the only way for me to slow down and avoid botching  the engine. Definitely my least favorite part of a project.

11 hours ago, slusher said:

Impressive weathering on the body and engine detail also!

Thanks Carl. The barn find type paint job was a first for me and worked out quite nice. Found the sponge technique surfing the net so I can't take credit for it.

[Pierre Rivard]

15 hours ago, Mark W said:

The injector lines are first class, it does pay to take you time. What did you use for the fittings?

Love the flat/washed finish on the valve covers.

Hi Mark, I used these from RB Motion. I've had a small quantity for a while, very nice... very small and pricey but the blower assembly will always be visible through the hood so I thought it would be worth the effort. Description says it's 0.026" (=0.66mm) but the 0.4mm plug wires I used for fuel lines are a pretty snug fit. Still experimenting with these.

 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

19 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Hands are still steady but the eyesight is not so good.

Pretty much the same situation for me Pierre, when it comes to vision, Optivisor comes to my rescue! 😉  Nice detail work by the way! 👌

[Pierre Rivard]

5 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Pretty much the same situation for me Pierre, when it comes to vision, Optivisor comes to my rescue! 😉  Nice detail work by the way! 👌

Thank you sir. On the positive side, so so eyesight makes me more indulgent of the defects I spent hours carefully applying on the parts I make.

[Pierre Rivard]

TERMINÉ!

FINITO!

DONE!

I mean... the engine part of it. A happy step for me. Did I say I don't like doing engines?

 

[Mark W]

12 minutes ago, Pierre Rivard said:

TERMINÉ!

FINITO!

DONE!

I mean... the engine part of it. A happy step for me. Did I say I don't like doing engines?

 

For sure that needs to be seen poking through the hood where it can be seen.

Going to pick up the RB motion ends for my Garlets dragster. Thanks for the info.

Yes, they are expensive, but we use but a few of them and the results are fantastic!

Edited April 15 by Mark W
Added to comment

[MarkJ]

16 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

TERMINÉ!

FINITO!

DONE!

I mean... the engine part of it. A happy step for me. Did I say I don't like doing engines?

 

Looks fabulous , Pierre. By the way I don't like engines either.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

16 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Did I say I don't like doing engines?

Luckily!!! 😎

[Speedpro]

Really like your approach to the weathering and adding nice new performance parts concept. Engine is looking great with the details you've added. Nice build.

[Belugawrx]

Nice engine work Pierre. Looks the part for sure !

[kensar]

It's good to push your modeling boundaries!

You're checking all the boxes so far!  I especially like the rust paint job on the body.

[charlie libby]

i am really excited about this build Pierre. a nova is great but a land speed racer awesome. the paint is perfect. i like it when people do something a little different and this is different. cant wait to see more.

[Claude Thibodeau]

Salut Pierre!

Wow, what an unusual subject for Bonneville, but unique and very well detailled. Can't wait to see it complete! 

CT

[Pierre Rivard]

On 4/15/2025 at 5:46 PM, Mark W said:

For sure that needs to be seen poking through the hood where it can be seen.

Going to pick up the RB motion ends for my Garlets dragster. Thanks for the info.

Yes, they are expensive, but we use but a few of them and the results are fantastic!

Chaparral, McLaren and now a Garlits dragster. You are a busy man Mark. Looking forward to more info about the resin fittings you have purchased.

The engine does poke through the hood on this car, but I might add a home made aero hump ahead of it. Maybe...

On 4/16/2025 at 9:52 AM, MarkJ said:

Looks fabulous , Pierre. By the way I don't like engines either.

I try to pull engine builds at the early stage of the build these days, get that out of the way...

On 4/16/2025 at 10:42 AM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Luckily!!! 😎

Next engine I'm farming out to the shops of Daniel or Francis... or Bruce, Ken, Charlie or Claude! Send in your quotes guys. Another problem solved. 

On 4/16/2025 at 1:10 PM, Speedpro said:

Really like your approach to the weathering and adding nice new performance parts concept. Engine is looking great with the details you've added. Nice build.

Thank you Paul. I think weathering the engine  helps the appearance I try to achieve for this low cost Bonneville effort

On 4/16/2025 at 2:15 PM, Belugawrx said:

Nice engine work Pierre. Looks the part for sure !

Thanks Bruce. I did the best I could starting with the blower that came from an old tooled MPC kit. The casting lacks precision but I gave it a well used finish which I think fits the theme of this build

On 4/16/2025 at 6:40 PM, kensar said:

It's good to push your modeling boundaries!

You're checking all the boxes so far!  I especially like the rust paint job on the body.

I like the body paint also. It's a new method I had never tried before. There is still a question on how I should handle the chrome bumpers. Still thinking about it.

12 hours ago, charlie libby said:

i am really excited about this build Pierre. a nova is great but a land speed racer awesome. the paint is perfect. i like it when people do something a little different and this is different. cant wait to see more.

Hi Charlie, super nice of you to stop by, much appreciated. I should have more soon, currently working on the interior, trying to match the theme of the body + roll cage etc.

10 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Salut Pierre!

Wow, what an unusual subject for Bonneville, but unique and very well detailled. Can't wait to see it complete! 

CT

Bonjour Claude, definitely unusual. I'm just starting to learn about Bonneville racing and totally fascinated by it. For a first effort I decided to start with a simpler Classic Altered construction, sort of dipping my toe in. This is all new to me so any advice from the SoCan racing unit would be most welcome!

[Claude Thibodeau]

5 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Chaparral, McLaren and now a Garlits dragster. You are a busy man Mark. Looking forward to more info about the resin fittings you have purchased.

The engine does poke through the hood on this car, but I might add a home made aero hump ahead of it. Maybe...

I try to pull engine builds at the early stage of the build these days, get that out of the way...

Next engine I'm farming out to the shops of Daniel or Francis... or Bruce, Ken, Charlie or Claude! Send in your quotes guys. Another problem solved. 

Thank you Paul. I think weathering the engine  helps the appearance I try to achieve for this low cost Bonneville effort

Thanks Bruce. I did the best I could starting with the blower that came from an old tooled MPC kit. The casting lacks precision but I gave it a well used finish which I think fits the theme of this build

I like the body paint also. It's a new method I had never tried before. There is still a question on how I should handle the chrome bumpers. Still thinking about it.

Hi Charlie, super nice of you to stop by, much appreciated. I should have more soon, currently working on the interior, trying to match the theme of the body + roll cage etc.

Bonjour Claude, definitely unusual. I'm just starting to learn about Bonneville racing and totally fascinated by it. For a first effort I decided to start with a simpler Classic Altered construction, sort of dipping my toe in. This is all new to me so any advice from the SoCan racing unit would be most welcome!

Salut Pierre!

I have built 6 or 7 Bonneville cars in the last few years, but only last year did I get the chance to make friend with fellow forum user MUNCIE, who happens to race 1/1 cars on tle lake. So, he was generous enough to send me one of the latest rule books. Needless to say, I now try to make sure that my cars "would pass inspection". 

I don't think I can add anything to your creativity, but if you'd like to consult the rules, we should find a way to get the book to you.

For instance, I'll be at the Trois-Rivières show on sunday the 27th. If you plan to be there, or have a friend who'll attend, let me know.I'll bring it with me. 

CT