New TDR Products and REVIEWS

[Hawk312]

Ok guys, here is the SBC engine kit. The kit contains everything you see here, most of which you would see in a Chevy long block in 1:1, plus an oil filter and alternator. As what appears to be a slight hint of custom, it appears the crank pulley is an under drive pulley. Nice touch!

Packaging

For this one, I completely unwrapped everything, but most parts were grouped together this time when they arrived. The cylinder heads were grouped together in a single package, as were the valve covers. From memory, most of the smaller items (pulleys, alternator, etc.) were also in a package together. The engine block and oil pan were individually wrapped. The complete set of parts, about 5 or so packages, were then wrapped together in bubble wrap and then surrounded by peanuts. All parts arrived without issue and in perfect condition. Again, it seems like it would take a lot to damage these parts in shipping the way it was packaged. I am impressed with the packaging in both this kit and the Mustang kit above.

Impression

The texture on this kit is not as noticeable, likely because of it`s size, especially compared to the Mustang body. I think I am actually going to leave some parts like the heads, block, water pump, and alternator alone and not sand these smooth, as the texture looks perfect compared to a real 1:1 block! Everything appears to be accurate and proportional compared to the real deal. I actually have handled a few real small block GM engines, and this very much reminds me of the real thing. One aspect that surprised me a little is that all these parts have holes where bolts should be. But this is accurate to the 1:1 parts, and I will probably make my own bolts or find some very small hex nuts which would look more convincing than molded in detail anyway. The lack of bolts would also make the parts themselves good candidates for dioramas. I already have visions of a 1:8 scale garage scene! :o

There are so many possibilities I can think of with this kit. It would work in the `32 duece kit as a straight basic "plain Jane" block, maybe with a monochrome theme. Or maybe in the `82 Z28 or `85 Iroc kits, to represent a Z or Iroc that had the aging, tired stock block replaced with a new Chevy crate motor. Lord knows, there are plenty of them around in 1:1 scale. Or maybe paint it Pontiac blue and drop it in the `81 Trans Am kit. As I mentioned, it would work in a diorama; maybe a garage scene where one of the above are getting a heart transplant.

I am pretty excited about this one, so I think I am going to start building it first. Now only if I could decide on wether to go with a 60`s/early 70`s Chevy Orange, a late 70`s/early 80`s blue, or a basic crate motor black.....hmmmm.....

Edited April 2, 2010 by Hawk312

[comp1839]

i've been studying the pictures of the small block cyl. head and from here it looks to be an 18 degree bow tie head. an added bonus for you performance minded chevy enthusiasts.

[G-MAN]

i've been studying the pictures of the small block cyl. head and from here it looks to be an 18 degree bow tie head. an added bonus for you performance minded chevy enthusiasts.

Fantastic! I knew those TDR guys were able to pull that one off. Edited April 5, 2010 by G-MAN

[Hawk312]

Guys,

I apologize for the delay. I am working on this kit, and will hopefully have some pictures up soon. I am trying to decide where to go with a few things. Overall, I am very impressed with this engine. It seems almost every detail is there from the real 1:1! And the texture on the block is perfect.

[Hawk312]

Guys,

Again, I apologize for the delay.

Everything is now in primer, most of it ready for color:

Here you can see the contrast between the sanded surfaces and the bare "textured" surfaces which have had no sanding. In the foreground, the oil pan and timing chain cover were sanded with 180 grit sandpaper followed by 220 and on up. I used a cheap Krylon primer, which is very thin. Next time, I am going to go with a high build primer, as TDR suggests. It would have made my work alot easier. There was a little more effort needed to sand away the textured surface than I initially thought, but still it wasn`t too bad. I have mocked up the block a couple times, and it is a very convincing replica, much better then what you might see in the typical model kit.

Here, the heads were just sanded smooth on the bottom and then primered. The textured surface looks close to scale, IMO.

The oil pan was a little tricky, trying to be aggressive with the sanding, and yet trying not to create any new curves or lines.

The pulleys and oil filter were the tricky parts, just because they are smaller and more awkward to work with. I may sand these a second time, and use a file to clean up some of the recessed and hollow areas.

That`s it for now. I should shortly have this in color for you. I think I am going to go with Orange, just so everyone can see the details a little more clearly. I will be posting pics as assembly begins.

[jbwelda]

thanks for the photos. i gotta get back to the offy I started some time ago, i have a feeling once the prep is done it will be a breeze! ive found a few of the parts to be too delicate to really do much sanding on, and a few i now have to reconstruct (intake manifold for one). sweet looking stuff though!

[Hawk312]

I was actually pleasantly surprised with the strength of the parts. I was worried they would be too brittle to really work with. But I find myself having no concern at all about breaking the parts when I am handling them, even when I am going to town sanding them down.

Anyway, finished sanding some of the parts again. The block and other soon to be orange parts are now in white primer. I was thinking about going just a little custom, with chrome oil pan, valve covers, an timing cover. I was thinking maybe aluminum heads too. What does everyone think?

[GrandpaMcGurk]

Looking good Hawk, bend up a dip stick for it, add a little eye candy and it sounds like a winner to me.

Edited April 18, 2010 by GrandpaMcGurk

[comp1839]

since you asked......i think you should build it the way that best suits your needs. if a little custom is where it needs to go, then by all means, make it a little custom. i do believe you should push your own envelope though. try some details you've never done before, the dipstick idea sounded great. working in 1/8 affords you the opportunity to take your detail skills to the next level. so......have some fun! it looks good so far!

[Hawk312]

Thanks guys. I am also going to be giving a more descriptive step-by-step run-down of everything I am doing once I have everything figured out. This is a new experience for me.

I was able to get color on the block and water pump. As you can see, the texture looks convincing straight out of the box. Besides sanding the mating endges, nothing has been sanded, filled, or modified from the way it was when I unpacked it.

My favorite part has to be these heads. Again, the rough texture is straight out of the box. I sanding the areas around the exhaust port and the front and backs of the head with 220 grit, then primered and sanded smooth with 1000 grit. I then applied Testors Aluminum metalizer and buffed out the sanded areas. I think this gives a realistic appearance, compared to 1:1 heads. The idea is to have them look like a set of aftermarket AFR or Edelbrock headers.

Here are the soon-to-be-chrome parts with a base coat of black. Almost all the imperfections and texture are gone after some sanding and 2 applications of regular primer (not high-build primer). Again, next time I think I can get away with just one application if I use some high-build primer.

Thanks for looking. More to come soon!

[Hawk312]

Ok guys.....assembly finally beginning.

For the chrome pieces, I used duplicolor black base coat, which I rubbed out to a glossy finish. I then used Duplicolor chrome. I think it came out decent, with a polished aluminum look to it. I drilled out some of the mounting holes in the block and painted the insides silver for a machined look. I had to make all of the bolts, because I am too lazy to use bill w`s great tip here:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27930.

To make mine, I just used some left over plastic sprue flattened on six sides with a pair of needle nose pliers, and then cut with a hobby knife. It`s hard to tell in the pictures, but it actually is pretty convincing in person.

Here is just a test fit of the heads.

I drilled out the manifold mounting holes around the exhaust ports and the front of the heads. I think this makes for a much more convincing appearance. Ive found that the drill bits "bite" into this material more quickly and sharply than typical kit styrene. I am not sure exactly why this is, but I am assuming it is because of the more brittle nature of the material.

Back to building.....please let me know if you have any questions.

[arick]

When drilling/cleaning/reeming holes in TDR products, use a hand drill. We don't recommend the use of power tools when working our products.

[Hawk312]

Guys,

I apologize for the lack of clarification on my part. I am using a pin vice and several different size drill bits for the drilling...no power tools.

Also, lately, I am spending more time on taking and editing photos than I am on actually building. Everything is going together very smoothly. More pictures coming soon.

[DaytonaTim]

I have actually found that using a Dremel drillpress works really nice on these rapid prototyped parts. I don't use the drill press in is usual way. Instead I just let the Dremel tool run in the drillpress and grip the part with both hands and move the part to the bit. By holding it in both hands you have a lot more control so when the bit "bites" into the material it does not jerk it out of your hands and cause problems.

[GrandpaMcGurk]

I guess this is one of things that's going to have to be left up the individual modeler to decide what works best for them.

I've found (personally) that a light touch using a pin vise with a sharp quality micro bit works well for most stuff including pilot holes without the bite that causes the material to break out. However at 62 I tend to get a bit ham fisted at times and bugger up a part.

I've also thrown parts at a high velocity across the hobby room using a bench mounted drill press. Can you yell INCOMING!

In Mario's case, he drills taps and does all sorts of things that are way beyond my skill levels.

I also found that in many cases it's easier (for me, whenever possible) to bond the parts together with CA and then drill the holes for the real or fake bolt. This approach allows me to drill both parts at the same time with less chance of break out as there is more material to prevent my over exuberance.

[Hawk312]

As I mentioned before, I am taking more time taking pictures and posting them then I am actually building this. Everything is going together perfectly without any fitment problems.

The heads, water pump, and balancer are now installed. The heads had nice locating tabs which made them a snap to install. The balancer fit perfectly into the timing chain cover and was "secure" (fit tightly), which was nice as it took out the guesswork of whether or not the balance was mounted level. I fabricated a dipstick and bracket with some wire, tubing, and sheet styrene. The oil drain bolt on the oil pan is just aluminum tubing flattened on 6 sides with needle nose pliers, and then filled with putty and painted.

If I had it to do over again, I would either paint the oil pan orange, or wait and install the oil pan last. s you can see, the sensitive chrome paint is getting marked up pretty easily.

Let me know what you think.

[GrandpaMcGurk]

SWEET!

[Hawk312]

Thanks!

I need ideas for the cylinder head bolts. As many of you know, they are typically a bolt with a large round beveled area at the bottom of the hex area, and it is a little difficult to fabricate 20 of them in 1/8 scale. Any ideas?

[Hawk312]

A little more progress. Added the crank and water pump pulleys.

[comp1839]

i use 00-80 x 1/4 socket head cap screws for head bolts. it's an internal wrenching bolt, so the head is small enough to fit in the c-bore on the head bolt flange. i use either black oxided carbon or stainless depending on the contrast i'm looking for.

[Hawk312]

Thanks for the tip! Ill give that a try.

[sjordan2]

Is there anything at modelmotorcars.com that you can work with?

http://www.modelmotorcars.com/store/store_hrdwr.htm

[Harry P.]

Looks like the fit between valve cover, head, and block is a bit imprecise.

Would a little more sanding of the mating surfaces tightened up those joints a bit?

[Hawk312]

Looks like the fit between valve cover, head, and block is a bit imprecise.

Would a little more sanding of the mating surfaces tightened up those joints a bit?

Hi Harry,

Yeah, that is my fault. I built up the paint on the block a little too much, and now the head fits really tight because the paint is so thick. It seems to be just on the passenger side though....the driver`s side seems fine. I pulled it apart and am sanding the mating surfaces. I`ll post more pics once I get everything fitting right.

The last thing I have to do, besides the head bolts, is the alternator. It is molded open, so I am going to try building this from the inside out with visible coils and everything. I`ll be posting more pics soon.

[bill w]

Is the oil dip stick on the passenger side or the driver side?

Bill