I had a working model of V8 engine I bought for my 3 sons, we had great times with model, and kids learned a lot. My 4 year old grandson on a visit with his dad got facinated by some farm equipment. I searched Ebay and found your model......BIG HIT! Below from my son on birthday present! Thank you for the birthday present for William! He loves the engine and knows, cylinder, piston crankshaft, timing belt, etc... He is very much into mechanical things and I hope he continues to grow with a mechanical mind/logical mindset. Building this engine was very similar to rebuilding the oldsmobile cutlass sierra engine. I wish i had this engine before rebuilding the cutlass engine...this engine took me down memory lane... love Mark, William, and Julia
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I know about 4-cylinder engines, but not in detail. I thought it interesting to know how it works. Half way through the process of building it I gave up. The components do not fit well together; putting the camshaft components together, for instance, required a hammer. Some of the screws were difficult to put in. The drawings/instructions were sometimes unclear and not well defined. If there is doubt as to the proper procedure the fun of building it is taken away and there is no guarantee that the engine will work in the end. I am an adult and after my experience I would not purchase it for a child to learn from. M Jolly
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
There are a number of negative reviews about this engine and so I intend to write a good one. This is a good little model IF you follow the directions. You must remove any plastic slag or the pistons and rockers will hang up. They warn you of this. I noticed several people complained about timing. The distributor is set to the first cylinder and the order is correct for this particular model. Remember not all engines are made in the USA. I had fun putting it together and kids 12 and older should not have a problem since the instructions are clear and they have the patience to read the instructions. Most parts use small screws which are easy to lose, but there are spares included, Some parts need glue since inserting them into position may not hold them together. The springs are also easy to lose in that I lost one and used half of a stretched pen spring. It works, just don't lose the springs. My kit had a defective distributor mechanism and the spark plugs did not light. I called the company number that is listed and received a new distributor in just a few days. Bottom line BE PATIENT or this model is not for you. I have a nice poster to hang in my den (which is large enough to cover up my mother-in-laws picture) as an extra bonus. Yes, it is made in China, But it is well constructed and I suppose they have mother-in-laws too.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
I got this for my 10yo son. I explained to him how an engine works as we built it together. Building the camshaft was a little tricky getting the lopes in the right position. We also placed did not follow the crank installation instructions. We built it as if we were building a real engine by installing the crank first, then the rods and pistons down from the top, as I would have done with a real engine.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I bought it used from some one who bought it at a yard sale and could not verify if complete. It turns out kit was complete minus the instructions but can be had online so no big deal for me. My sixteen year old will assemble it. It is a simple basic mechanical kit like the old v8 engine kits I had assembled in the past and the Wankel kit I assembled years ago. Parts are bagged in order and very little flash. A lot of small parts however for my big fingers to loose so be carefull. Cleaning flash from parts is critical for smooth operation and success in it's building. Should make a nice display piece.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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