1/8 Offenhauser powered Big T

[jbwelda]

here is something I have been working on for a couple years now: TDR Innovations Offy motor that will eventually find its way into a Big T based salt flat racer much like the 1/24 one I did some years ago. Similar but not exact, I may end up mounting the engine in the rear and having the pilot stick out of the cowl area...we will see. this promises to be a very long term project so don't expect updates very often...its a back burner.

but for now I have the TDR Ford 4 speed trans pretty much completed and the motor itself is nearly finished from the cylinder head on down, still a lot to do. this is not an especially easy project, or cheap: the hardware alone is running nearly a hundred bucks and the casting on the motor was very very rough. everyone knows an offy motor was pretty much polished metal but no way I was bringing this resin casting near to the state that it could be bare machined metal, so I chose hot rod red for the block and am doing the remainder of it in various metalizers.

heres a look at what I got so far...the chassis and body building will commence sometime this winter probably. meanwhile I am possibly going to use a pair of Weber carbs instead of the fuel injection, but final decision remains to be made after the cam covers and ignition wiring are added and the upper louvered covers done and in place (40 bolt heads per...into a very tiny space, that should be fun!

SCTA tag I made to cover an oops (this resin looks hardy but don't push it!):

ford 4 speed next to motor:

and set in place:

since its taken nearly two years to get to this point (maybe longer, I forget), I don't expect to have this done anytime soon...though the hard part is probably mostly done, that would be the prepping, sanding and filling of the motor itself. still some imperfections but most will be not very noticeable in the final product. I hope that doesn't make someone think I should never show it or something lame like that (boy some of these threads on this site are really something) and if you do think that, well, maybe you shouldn't look at this any more.

jb

[bobthehobbyguy]

Looking good so far. Any pictures of the earlier version you did.

[wayne swayze]

This will be very cool. Count me in to be watching your progress.

[jbwelda]

thanks guys. Bob, there are workbench and under glass threads on that earlier car, but for some reason it looks like the photos are not being found.

looks like my photo host is down maybe that's why the threads don't have any photos...might try looking here:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18339&hl=offy

once the host comes back up I will post a pic of the car here.

thanks again for looking!

edit: ok my photo host is back up and i think that link above should contain photos, but heres a couple for reference:

jb

Edited November 20, 2014 by jbwelda

[wayne swayze]

Wow! That is just sweet! Did you scratch build the small Offy, or did you find it in a kit? It looks so right in that car! I'm a big fan of Offenhauser engines. There's my version in my "lakes modified" on the workbench, but due to a very big set-back with my health in September, my model building has been put on hold. Love the history of Offy engines and the places they were run. I like your placement of the SCTA plate/decal on the front of the block also.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Definitely a cool project. Will be following.

[jbwelda]

that 1/24 offy is a resin kit from etzel speed classics, out of production for a while but now back and apparently available. nice little engine kit.

jb

[Harry P.]

A 1/8 version of what you did in smaller scale should make a pretty impressive model. Maybe you should put this project on the front burner and turn up the heat?

In other words... get cooking!

[jbwelda]

too many pots on the stove so to speak harry...

thanks for tuning in though...I do hope to make some significant progress this winter, starting with getting a body together and then fitting a chassis under it.

jb

[pharoah]

I'll be watching this with interest,William. I'm working on a 1/8th T too. not nearly as ambitious as yours though. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Krazy Rick]

Great project

[Art Laski]

This is going to be a good one. The engine looks great so far!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Wow...that little '27 track-nose job is just about perfect. Holy cow. Going to be stellar in 1/8.

[jbwelda]

well its been awhile amigos, but there has been some progress. I had front sheet metal including track nose made up for me because I am lazy, but so far I don't really think it is what I had in mind so not sure I am going to use it...if I do I think it will be in for some major restyling which really was what the exercise was for: get myself to a starting place. I also sourced a solid but soiled chassis that I am going to use as a test mule for some pretty major modifications...I want it to hug the offy engine and fit inside the narrow track nose hood.

I didn't take any photos of the body chassis because it is still so in flux but I have made some progress on the Offenhauser engine, I spent a near fortune on micro hardware with only mild success...the rough spots will probably be hidden by the intake and exhaust hardware and they actually look pretty good except for a few problems, mainly with scale.

here are the cam covers. really wish these parts were a little better out of the box, theres a lot of work put into them as they are now and unfortunately that work obliterated some details. the little crown nuts are a bit out of scale, if these base pieces were any better I would have taken the time to countersink them but my experience so far is that might well lead to the resin part crumbling under the stress. they are done in Metalizer aluminum plate which I have found gives the most realistic shiny metal of any of those paints, but it just shows up the flaws in the finish of the cam covers themselves. oh well its a hot rod...

here are some misc parts to finish off the covers: end plates, fuel block, fuel pump and drive, rear brace V:

on to the engine itself: as I mentioned there are a LOT of bolt heads on this motor, those two upper covers have 40 in each one! every buildup of this engine I have seen uses bolt heads that are too big to my eye, I consciously sought out smaller, more in scale ones. I think these are pretty close, small a bit if anything, but it made drilling the holes and spacing them properly without breaking the part edge a little easier. I was really stressing out on this and in the end it turned out looking ok at least despite me almost giving it the heave ho into the junk pile a couple times.

next I need to go to the electronics store and pick out some suitable 1/8 scale spark plug wire and then glue down the cam covers and wire the ignition. then I will be able to tackle the induction, not sure if I am going to go with the regular injection or switch over to some sidedraft Weber carbs...certainly the injection would be more correct and feasible but that just seems so common.

thanks again for looking and any comments please speak up!

jb

[wayne swayze]

I'm diggin' it! Nice work happening here! Been in love with Offys for a while. Subscribed!

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice paintwork on the valve covers. Really look like metal.

[AzTom]

Very Nice!

[swede70]

Very beautiful!

[vintagercr]

Very nice!

[jbwelda]

gonna start on narrowed Big T chassis soon, probably Z it some 6" more than it is, drop front end,  narrow it in the front to fit under track nose, fab a narrower front engine mount and a bunch of little stuff. actual build of car will probably go faster than this incredible time drain of an engine project. I cannot believe how much time I have spent sanding and smoothing to even get to this point. its looking good but its been a struggle and that's been spread over at least a couple years now!

jb