We will begin a new engine build with some collected parts shown in Pic1. This engine is a combination of parts from many models. Sometimes known as "junkyard" models on EBAY. I have 2 fan belts to chose from. Painting has been started on the engine. This engine is similar to an engine I had in my real 58 Corvette 30 years ago. In fact, I still have its engine in the garage. The trans was an aluminum Borg Warner (thus the model is silver). The real Cross Ram manifold was aluminum but the model is chrome. I will leave it chrome. It looks better. I have to decide whether to paint the oil filter and or starter motor, which are part of the chrome oil pan. Note you can zoom in on most pictures to see fine detail.
On the engine block near the left front is where the fuel bowl goes and there is a place for it but nothing there. So to make it a little more realistic, I took a piece of plastic tree (see Pic2) that the parts come on and filed one end round with the shown file. A modeler needs to have some good tools like a set of files Exacto knife and hobby saw for example. I cut about 1 mm of the end of the tree, which you can see below the tree. It is a 1/2 sphere about 2 mm dia. After cutting, I fit it to the engine but it interfered with the oil pan I had selected. Using an Exacto knife to cut about 1/3 of the sphere off I glued it to the block, making sure the pan still fit. See Pic3 for the finished bowl. These kinds of details make the model more interesting. In the old days I used to go and look at real engines and tried to put on spark plug wires and other details. Maybe later.
Detail Work: To look at detail work on a small part, click here on Detail Work, it shows some steps to fine craft a small part. Below is the pan selection. I am choosing the separate pan, starter and oil filter over the chrome integrated unit. It looks more real but lacks the full chrome. This is an esthetic choice. I painted the starter in black and the attached solenoid in silver to look more interesting (and realistic). On the right is the finished engine with a 4 barrel carburetor (like the original corvette engine) and beside it is the cross ram dual Holley's I later installed. Notice the gear shift linkage. See 3 more views below with the cross ram I had on the car for about 3 years of daily driving to college.