Talladega Engine Buildup  

1.  This page will focus on building up the engine pieces.  This page will cover the modifications that I like to do to these parts as well as cover which pieces I assemble ahead of time VS attaching after the engine is in the chassis.  This first photo shows all of the engine parts removed from the tree and cleaned up for assembly and painting.  This build will be of a 429, however, all of the modifications and assemblies are done for the 427's as well.

2.  First up we'll attach the breather caps to the valve covers.  Locate the 2 breather and the 2 valve covers.  You may have to open up the hole in the valve covers slightly.

3.  Here is a photo with the breathers installed.  Set both aside for paint.
 

4. Next up are the headers.  Locate the halves for both sets.

5. Glue both sets together and let them dry completely.

6. I install the headers after the motor is glued in to the chassis.  Without modifying them they will be too long and will drag on the ground.  To fix that issue simply remove some length of the pipes that attach to the cylinder heads. The portion I remove is marked in black.

7. Use a sharp knife and cut all 4 at the same time making sure to remove the same amount form all 4 pipes..

8. Modified header on the right and an unmodified one on the left.

9. From another angle that gives a better view of  how much material was removed.

10. Since we are dealing with the exhaust, let's tackle the exhaust pipes right away.  First thing I do is open up the end by either drilling them out with a drill bit or using a knife and rotating the blade and hollowing out the end.  The one on the right is done.

11. Out of the box, the headers will not touch the exhaust pipes.  A simple fix to that is to add some length to either the headers or the pipes.  I like to find a piece of sprue that matches the diameter of the exhaust pipe and simply glue about 1/4 inch od material to the pipe.  This will be trimmed done when we assemble the exhaust pipes.

12. This shot shows the difference between the modified pipe on the bottom and the unmodified piece on the top.

13. Now we will get the bell housing and transmission ready.  Glue the 2 transmission halves together.  You will need to clean up the mounting surface and remove the mounting pin from the bottom of the transmission - shown again in black.

14. Modified piece on the bottom...

15. Now for the bell housing.  On the 429's this is comprised of a plate and the actual housing.  Here is a shot prior to assembly.

16. And after assembly..

17. Now let's glue most of the motor together.  Start by gathering all of the parts shown below.

18. Start by gluing the heads to the block.

19. Next, add the intake

20. Followed by the front cover

21. And the water pump.

22. Flip the motor over and add the oil pan.

23. Now we can glue the motor, bell housing, and transmission together.

24. Motor and bell housing attached...

25. Transmission added...

26. Next piece to add is the oil filler.

27. The last part I add to the motor prior to painting is the fuel pump.  I've glued it on after priming in the photo below.  Once this is done, finished painting as you like and set it aside until it is ready to install.
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