I need help desperately!!! please!

[The Red Ranger]

Im talking Distributor, coil, ignition, battery, brake, fuel.... I want the full nancy, an di need to know mostly what to buy... i can figure out how really on my own, annd with online tutorials.. but i dont even know where to begin as far as what to buy and stuff... so can people please help me out with whatever you may know?

[Peter Lombardo]

Ok Red, there is a lot of ground to cover, but we'll look at the short version. I go back to the days of raiding my mothers sewing box for thread, and thinking it was really cool to add ignition wires. Today, some of these builders here go down to each nut and bolt on the car. huge growth in detail over the past thirty years. And best of all, it is not beyond your or anyones reach today. First, find the nearest Radio Shack and get some wraping wire coils. They have white, red and bright blue at my local store. It is very cheap, as one roll will last at least a year, unless you use it to tie down your cat. They also have thin metal wraping wire that is great for fuel lines. Now, you can paint, with markers, the wire to change to color, so there is no limit to the rainbow of colors you can use. If you buy these wires in the hobby store you will pay 10 times the amount, so go to Radio Shack first. I would take a little time to go to a craft store like A.C. Moore or Michaels and just walk up and down the aisles and look at EVERYTHING with an eye to how that will work on a model. There are so many items, that are really cheap, that will work as wires, hoses, grills, hinges, interior fabric, the list is almost endless. Over the years, many of the modeling publications have presented "How to" articles on wiring every aspect of a model car or truck. Go to a local model swap meet, most likely there will be someone selling old magazines. See what you can find. I would go to any model show I could find, look at the cars, talk to the builders, they will be happy to tell and show everything they did and where they got the material for it. If none of this works, go on line. If you can't find it on the internet, you are blind or it does not exist. Spend a little time studying real car books and magazines. They are an invaluable source of detailing information. Check out the hobby vendors, they stock every kind of building supply you can think of, paint, wire, metal brading, photoetched parts, you name it, you can find it. Just google it, you will find it. And lastly, look at what the builders on the forum that are posting here. Dare I say that you will see the BEST modeling and technique available anywhere right here. The builders who post here are crazy good. They are always willing to share how they did something. Look, listen and you will learn. And lastly, just do it. Don't be afraid that you can't do it. You can, just try, it will get better the next time if the first was less then you wanted. I always try something new, so that the next time it will be easier. Enjoy.

[bobss396]

I wouldn't jump right in and try to do everything on one car at once. Drop in a wired distributor for starters, wire up the battery. Plumb the radiator and heater, maybe the AC. Add brake lines to the master cylinder.

Peter offers great advice, ask other builders at shows what they use. Detail Master has a great line of braided lines and fittings, I use their battery terminal PE set. Replicas & Miniatures of Md. makes great resin distributor caps.

I used to shop online at Scale Dreams but they're closing down. You can order direct from Detail Master, but also try Model Car Garage and PSF Hobbies. They all have a good mail order service. Or buy at shows if you go and parts vendors are there.

Bob

[Andy Wyatt]

I'm by no means an expert, but engine detailing is probably my favorite part of a build. Like was mentioned before...go to Radio Shack for some 30 AWG wire wrap (comes in red and blue...for black wires I just color it with a black Sharpie marker.) and go to the craft store and check out the beading section. For plug wires, vacuum lines I use the Radio Shack wire. Strip the insulation off of it for brake lines and hose clamps. Fuel lines you can use braided beading wire or buy aftermarket stuff. For heater hoses and battery cables I use slightly heavier wire, 26 AWG works well...The best place to get wire is from junk appliances and telephones because it's free! One pointer when going whole hog on the wiring and plumbing...if in doubt smaller is better than too big. Plumbing and wiring that is too big for scale looks worse than if it's just a bit too small in my opinion.

[bobss396]

I agree that wiring up and plumbing an engine is a big part of making a model look real. And agreeing with Andy, it has to look natural and in-scale to be effective.

I judge at least one show a year and I get to see a lot of builds close up. I've seen some pretty extensive detail jobs that were rather sloppy in execution. In one class, a car that should have been a 1st wound up being a 3rd, losing out to cars of lesser detail that were built a lot cleaner.

Bob

[MrObsessive]

Yes, if your somewhat of a beginner, I highly recommend taking one or two steps at a time! Like you, I once found engine detailing daunting, but like anything else with practice, comes perfection. I work with electronics, so I have some access to different size wire we throw out for scrap.

At times though what I have isn't quite right for the appearance I want in scale, so I'll resort to the aftermarket to get what I need. When your skills get proficient enough, you might want to consider purchasing a used shop manual to see exactly where all the nuts and bolts and such go. That's what I used to detail this '58 Chevy Impala motor....................

While this took a while to build...............I looked at each assembly as a kit in itself...............then it didn't seem so bad!

As always, take your time! No need to rush everything all at once! As they say "Patience is a virtue".

[bobss396]

Yes, if your somewhat of a beginner, I highly recommend taking one or two steps at a time! Like you, I once found engine detailing daunting, but like anything else with practice, comes perfection. I work with electronics, so I have some access to different size wire we throw out for scrap.

At times though what I have isn't quite right for the appearance I want in scale, so I'll resort to the aftermarket to get what I need. When your skills get proficient enough, you might want to consider purchasing a used shop manual to see exactly where all the nuts and bolts and such go. That's what I used to detail this '58 Chevy Impala motor....................

While this took a while to build...............I looked at each assembly as a kit in itself...............then it didn't seem so bad!

As always, take your time! No need to rush everything all at once! As they say "Patience is a virtue".

(Certain people are destined for occupancy of a small room with padded walls, we mention no names.)