Ford Flat Head V8 Engine Control Box

After I started to build the Ford Flathead V8 that Eric Harrell designed, and kindly made available to us, I decided I wanted a control box that matched the quality and detail of Eric’s engine. So I came up with this design that mimics the Exide batteries that I remember as a kid. I wanted something that was clean looking, yet allowed for the control of the V8 engine. I realize that this design isn’t for everyone, but I wanted to offer it to anyone that is as anal as I am about the details. Printing this requires multiple steps and some gluing to complete the assembly. I did this for 2 reasons. First, it allowed me to print the parts so that they can be assembled in steps for a better fit. And second, it allowed me to enhance the printing by having different pieces printed in a contrasting, and more realistic color. For instance, I decided to have the cell caps yellow. Instead of having to paint them later, I just need to glue the yellow caps in place. The front and back side panels are printed with a contrasting color for the letters and are printed better with the panels lying flat on the bed. I used the Prusa Slicer which allowed me to change colors at a specific layer in the printing process. In order to make a nice clean looking battery, I incorporated the cable connector into a battery terminal replica and made one of the battery posts the actual rheostat control knob to control the speed of the engine. And for the final touch, I added a chamber in the box to hold lead shot to give the unit some weight. This not only adds to the realism, but it also keeps the unit from moving around the table when operating the engine. To allow for portability, I wanted to use a USB Power Pack to provide the input power. I use a Booster circuit board to allow the input power to come from either a USB Charger or a USB Power Pack. The Booster increases the 5 volts from the USB connector to 12 volts required of the engine. The connector of choice is a USB Type C connector so you don’t have to worry about which side of the connector is up or down. Please read the attached PDF file for additional build information and assembly instructions.