 
Revell Visible V−8 Engine kit as it appeared in the 1969
Sears Christmas Wish Book
Vintage Renwal Visible V−8 Engine kit box cover.
Roughly fifty years after my first failed attempt at building a 1/4th−scale
Visible V−8 Engine kit, I decided to buy another and try again. It is amazing
that the kit is still produced (by Revell now, not the original by Renwal), especially
given that very few of the old V-8s - the ones with points and condenser ignition,
mechanical carburetor, belt-driven cooling fan, etc. - are running anymore. Many,
unfortunately, were destroyed as part of the heinous
Cash for Clunkers program in 2009 that served primarily to remove
from service classic cars and trucks from U.S. manufactures ...but I digress.
If memory serves me properly, back in the era by the time I had all the moving
parts assembled and installed, none of them moved anymore. The original kit included
an electric motor that was contained inside the starter motor case, with the batteries
in a cool-looking lead-acid battery type enclosure. It also had miniature incandescent
(no LEDs then) bulbs that inserted into the spark plugs and lit in proper firing
order as determined by the contacts in the distributor. The new Revell kit does
not have a motor, but includes a hand crank that plugs into the rear of the engine.
There are no lights in the spark plugs, either, jut some hokey plastic tubing that
runs from the distributor cap to the spark plugs.
If you want those features, you'll need to look on eBay for a vintage
Renwal Visible V−8 Engine kit. Expect to
pay north of $100 + shipping for it. The
Revell Visible V−8 Engine kit can be purchased
new on Amazon for about $70 with free shipping.
After carefully following the directions and assuring free movement every step
of the way, this time around my Visible V−8 Engine actually cranks as it is
designed to do. The Amazon listing claims 320 parts that can be assembled in 5 hours.
It took me at least twice as many hours, stretched out over nearly a year of spare
time. Below are some photos of the assembly process and the completed model. The
left side of the engine is the driver's side (in the U.S. and most of the world);
basically the left side as viewed from the driver's seat (anywhere in the world).
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Kit box top & side art
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Kit parts in box
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Kit parts out of box
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Left-front view
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Left side view
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Left-front view
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Rear view
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Top view
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Front view
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Right-rear view
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Right side view
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Right-front view
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Crankshaft bottom
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Engine bottom view
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Crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods, camshaft
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Cylinder tops
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August 3, 2019
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