Making Headers

me being who i am, can never leave well enough alone.

while the kit supplied headers in the 66 nova kit look “ok” i feel i have to try to make them better.

i always preferred the look of big bore coated headers

out to the garage to grab some solder of the appropriate diameter

i want 8 lengths of this, i snip them off with a pair of cutters, problem is they come off a bit bent.

secret to getting them straight again lies in 2 pieces of wood. set one block on the table, set a piece of solder on it, cover with the other block of wood and move it back and forth.

when you are done rolling it, the piece will be straight.

do this with all 8 pieces

now i have seen people bend up headers right on the actual engine before, i prefer not to do that. i grab a piece of wood to use as a buck or a template.

use the kit supplied headers as a guide and drill 4 holes just big enough to hold the pieces of solder. make them close, exact is not required for this step

insert 4 of the pieces of solder into the holes

starting with the lowest rear tube, start forming them into the correct position

i normally use a small jewelers screwdriver as a helper when bending headers, when you need a bend you can either lay it flat and curve over it or put the tip in the wood and bend around it

tweak and bend until you get the shape you want.

this puts me close on the right side, so out comes the superglue

put a drop around where the collectors will be and let it set up

now you have one side with extended front and rear tubes

keep it in the template just for ease of holding it still. with a saw or knife trim the collector side of the tubes down to size.

remove from the template and cut the mounting side slightly longer than flush ( these will push into holes in the head when it is time to install.

repeat process for other side.

when done you should end up with something like this

headers are now in a basic raw form and shape,

now to add collectors and drill holes in the block to accept them.

grab a piece of heat shrink tubing ( electrical store item) that just covers the end of the headers, cut 2 pieces about 1/2 inch long. length really doesnt matter at this time, what does matter is that your cuts are straight.

slide the heat shrink over the headers on the collector side so about 1/4 inch is covering the end of the headers

than grab our friend the portable heat source =o)

slowly heat the heat shrink tubing till it closes in on the headers and created the “collector”

at this time the collector ends are too long for my liking, trim then back with a sharp hobby blade to a length that suits you.

now it is time to sort out where these will fit on our engine.

grab a drill bit the same size as your solder headers

carefully drill out your cylinder heads in the correct locations

patiently test fit your headers onto the block by sliding each tube into each hole on the engine ( these will get detail master header flanges installed before final assembly but you could also ” fake” flanges with paint )

being made of solder, the headers are somewhat flexible if you are careful, originally these were a bit too wide so i simply squeezed them a bit to where i needed them.

before final assembly i will have to notch the frame slightly for a little bit of clearance but that is because the tube diameter is a bit bigger than the kit supplied versions.

cya next time

Cheap Modeling Gear

check your local dollar store and have a look in the beauty aisle

mainly because , yes i am that flat broke busted lol

here are some of the things you can find

everything you see there was 7 dollars plus tax, each pack of emery boards has 36 boards of varying grit in them, beats the hell out of prices hobby lobby wants for sanding sticks and work just as well for 90% of the applications

the black rubber bands in the top right corner will be used for my fan belts ( they are that thin and made of real rubber)

thick and thin superglue, 2 for a dollar on each of those

and a dental kit, i picked this one because it has a double ended pic in it that is great for rescribing panel lines or getting into those hard to reach places

the toothbrush will be used for clearing sanding debris from the panel lines ans the mirror thingy has a spatula thing on the end that will be a putty spreader for a while. hey for a dollar ya cant knock it. lol

and the last item in this haul is a pack of electrical shrink wrap ( think header collectors or roll bar padding)

if you know where to look, the hobby doesnt have to be expensive

Spice Bottle Brush Cleaner

spice bottles….
flip top cap, made of glass and everyone has them in the house somewhere ( providing you cook )
when the spice is gone its time to recycle =o)
wash the bottle out and let dry

i find it easier to snip out the divider in the cap but some of you might chose to leave it in


i would normally find a piece of screen to put in the bottom of the bottle, this allows a place for you to “scrub” the bristles of the brush without touching the sediment in the bottom feeling your bristles nicer for longer. dont have any screen atm so i am goin commando on this one

the flip top stops your thinner from evaporating in between uses.
cheap and cheerful

Want your name in the Limelight?

Looking for builders willing to document their builds.

scale does not matter and neither does genre. if you are willing to document a build from start to finish, in pictures and text, then Kitbash Korner needs your help.

Many of you already take pics of your builds in progress and share them on facebook. This is offering you the opportunity to do exactly that but also to be able to put the pictures in a relevant timeline and add as much detail of the building process as possible. By doing this, more people see your hard work, if the build is explained step by step then others who are new to the hobby can learn from what you have done.

you do not have to be a contest quality builder, nor do you have to build a kit directly out of the box. as long as what you are doing is explained in detail, you can build any way you choose.

some people will ask “whats in it for me?”

the simple answer is, you get the chance for more people to see your builds, in an arena other than facebook. you also get the satisfaction of knowing that in a year or two, when someone is looking for inspiration for a build they have, they can learn from what you have shown to make their build better.

from opening the box, fixing imperfections, adding details, using aftermarket parts and even scratch building, outlining the whole process gives others a clear idea of the time, effort and skill that goes into your builds.

i have found that by documenting my own builds, i have become a better modeler. because you know the pics you take and descriptions you write will all reflect your personal building habits, it tends to make you slow down and think things through more than it would by just slapping a kit together.

if anyone is interested, either drop me an e mail @ kitbash2012@gmail.com or inbox me on facebook Kitbash Korner

for those of you that already take progress pics of builds, this is a simple thing. for those that have never done so before, it is still not complicated at all.

hope to hear from some of you soon

all the best,

wayne