dontgobrassit

Thank you George for the Model Car awards. I would also like to Thank everyone who voted for the El Marador People's Choice Award.                     

Hey Guys,     Is there anybody out there that is going to GLS in Uath this year ?   I would like to see you there.

El Matador

Here are a few pictures of my friend Jerry Cardinal's model of Bill Cushenbery's 60's classic; El Matador.

Like many of Jerry's other models, this one is made mostly from brass. Here are a few pictures of the solid brass block, transmission, heads and intake manifold.


Here are a few shots of the working front and rear suspension, rotating U-joints and the drum brakes. If you look closely enough you can see the retaining springs and clips used to hold the brake shoes in place while the primary return springs get loaded.


Here's a couple of shots of the all brass chassis with and without the brass driveline, mufflers and gas tank in place.


Not being able to find the correct wheels for this build didn't slow Jerry down for long. Being a veteran of making the best 1:24th scale wire wheels I've ever seen in both brass and aluminum, Jerry spun aluminum tubing in his custom made tooling to form the awesome rims and center sections. Yes, the wheels are mounted on threaded studs.


Starting with the Revell '40 For coupe body, Jerry made several modifications to match the shape and proportions of Cushenbury's original work in 1:1, including grafting on sections of brass sheet where plastic would not have been strong enough for the thin section areas of the body.


Since the dash and console in the El Matador was fully custom, Jerry mastered his own replica, then molded it in resin for the final product.


Here are a few pictures of the brass carburetors that Jerry fabricated for this build. No, those beautiful resin and photoetched carbs from Model car Garage just wouldn't do for Jerry. He wanted to make his own.


Here are a few shots of the U-joints and the headers that Jerry fabricated. Jerry often makes special tooling, like what's pictured below for the headers, whenever he needs to make more than one set of something.


Here are a few shots of the interior, chassis and a top view of the finished model.


Here are a few shots of the finished model with a picture of the 1:1 car. If you ask me, Jerry nailed it on this one, right down to the color.


Congratulations, my friend, on an awesome build. Click here to see all of the pictures of Jerry's El Matador.

Thanks for looking,

I would like to THANK everyone for their support and encouragement during the build of the El Matador. I was shocked to my scoks when I won the awards: Adult People's Choice and the Model Cars MCM Award from NNL 2009.

A special THANKS goes to Raul for his help in getting the pictures on line for all to enjoy.

Next stop is Goodguys Pleasant, California April 3rd to April 5th, then on to GSL, Salt Lake City, Utah April 30 to May 3. I hope to see you there.

SO once again I would like to THANK ALL of YOU.


Jerry Cardinal

Thanks for all of your comments!!

I really appreciate them!!

Jerry