smellyfatdude

smellyfatdude's Activity

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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    2 August

   Sorry for the long delay, but I got sidetracked by some other projects. And of course, my pictures that were hosted on Photo*uckit disappeared, like everyone else's. Finally have the clear coat polished, and I started the foil, this morning. Since the drag kit had full side windows, I cut off the portion of the quarter windows, foiled 'em and stuck 'em in, to see how it'll look. I think the answer is . . . . . nice.
   
   
   And there's more story, to help put you to sleep.
   Of course, there were plenty of other rides in Joe's car, as the Satellite was always known. Usually, it didn't take too much convincing for gramps to grab the keys, and take Kevin along on some "errand", whenever they were visiting. Kevin thought the car was cool, and indeed it was unique. Karl knew that, though over the years all he had really told Kevin was Joe had gotten a good deal from someone he knew at Chrysler, and it was some kind of test model. Then there were the family trips out of town, to the lake for fishing. Karl would usually bring Joe's car, and grandma would insist that Kevin sit up front, with his grandpa. There were stories aplenty along the way, with the occasional murmur from grandma that Karl was telling that story yet again. As long as grandma had her knitting with her, she was usually in her own little world. That's why she really liked sitting in the back. Kevin listened intently, to every tale that his grandfather told him. Especially to the tidbits about the Satellite, and how it was the only new car Joe ever had. Once, gramps let it slip that the car had a high performance engine, and indeed over the years Kevin never did see another ' 65 Satellite with a hemi badge on the fender, like Joe's car. It was around the time he'd just turned thirteen, when he and gramps were heading to the hardware store in the Satellite, and he had mentioned that to Karl.
   "Well, like I told you, it was a test model. They didn't start building the Satellites with the hemi engine until ' 66. This is one they tried it out on, a year early." Kevin was even more curious now.
   "But gramps, how did Joe end up owning a car like that? And who gave him the deal on it?" I mean really, was the whole thing that mysterious?
   Karl tapped the brakes lightly, and started peering around from side to side. Kevin sensed he was looking for a place to pull over, and he motioned with his hand at the mini mall that was in the next block. Karl slowed, and pulled in. It was virtually empty, just a couple of kids in front of the convenience store, and one other car. He parked at the far end of the lot, and after a few seconds, shut the engine off. There was a long and very awkward moment where neither spoke, but Kevin sat patiently, silently. He sensed that grandpa was trying to find the words to tell him something, that wasn't easy to talk about.
   "You know . . . . I hope the world never has to go through anything like that, ever again. I hope you never do. That stupid war . . . . . "
   "The devil's curse". Kevin had hear his grandpa say it, enough times. Karl's eyes widened. The boy had actually been listening!
   "That's right! That's exactly what it was! What for men have to fight like that? Over land? Bahh! There's more than enough room in this world, for everybody. Now, in Europe, maybe a peaceful exchange of populations would have been the answer. I don't know, I'm not a politician. Never paid much attention to such things . . . . and that was the trouble".
   Karl looked out the driver's side window, then back at Kevin.
   "That madman! He did so many good things for our country, it's like we were all willing to turn a blind eye to the evil, that was right under our noses. But sometimes . . . . you just can't look away. That's the kind of man Joe was, you know. He couldn't stand to see anybody being mistreated. Not even an animal. Did I ever tell you the story about old Heinrich?"
   It seemed like gramps wanted to tell him something light hearted first, before the serious part. Indeed Karl was wearing a bit of a grin, while Kevin had reached down to push the seat a little farther back. Kevin shook his head.
   "He was the town drunk, back home. Used to start his every morning with a schnapps, and usually by the time lunch rolled around, he'd be plastered. Heinrich had a dog, a great dane that he used to keep tied up in his yard. But he was usually too drunk to tie a proper knot, and sometimes the dog would get loose and go running all over town. If it came back before Heinrich woke up from his nap, he would stand in his yard, yelling at the neighbors for untying his dog. If the dog hadn't come home yet, Heinrich would stagger up and down the streets, carrying his crooked old walking stick and calling out the dog's name. When the dog would finally come running, he'd drag the poor mutt by the collar all the way home, and give it a beating with that stick. Joe and I never saw him do it, but you could hear the dog yelping sometimes, and after awhile the poor thing had a bad limp.
   So, one evening Joe and I had taken our fishing poles, and walked about ten kilometers out of town to the creek to try our luck. It was a Saturday, but there was no pretty girls to chase, and I hadn't met your grandma yet. We were about seventeen, I think . . . .  I know we had just started our apprenticeships. We didn't catch a thing, but it was a good way to relax. As we got back to the edge of town we could hear Heinrich's dog yelping, and sure enough when we passed by his house, there he was in the yard laying in to that poor mutt with his stick. Without a word. Joe thrust his fishing pole at me, tore the gate off of Heinrich's fence, walked right up behind the old man and punched him, in the back of the head. Now the dog, he starts barking and growling at Joe, protecting it's master. So I called the dog over, and held him by his collar. Heinrich might have been old, and a drunk, but he wasn't about to take that from a seventeen year old kid. He got to his feet, called Joe a bunch of dirty names, and lunged at him. Joe grabbed his arm,  picked him up by his belt, lifted him over his head and threw the old man right against the side of his own house, like he was tossing an empty barrel. Old Heinrich, he landed on his back with a thud, in the flower bed. Joe picked up that stick, walked right over to him, and put his big boot square on the old geezers chest. He told Heinrich that if he ever hurt that dog again, Joe was going to take the stick and make him feel it like the dog had, only worse. Then he jammed that walking stick in to the ground so hard, it was just about stuck halfway down, and he helped the old man to his feet. I'd never seen him so angry, before that. He grabbed his fishing pole from me, and we walked home without a word. I could tell he was embarrased over losing his temper, but I didn't feel one bit sorry for that old drunk. He had it coming to him, and the good Lord just made sure someone was around to finally help that dog".
   Kevin could feel a new respect growing, for Joe. From the little bit Kevin remembered having been around him, he had always seemed distant, and somewhat uncaring about most
   things. Perhaps he'd been wrong. But now, there were even more questions.
    
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Ferguson Tractor    25 June

   That is a work of art. You should be proud of your efforts.
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic 1968 AMC Ambassador SST convertible    13 June

   Thanks for the feedback, it's appreciated. I'm glad my meager skills were up to saving this one. The last couple of these kits I've seen go by on evilpay, people are asking a small fortune for them. This one was definitely fixable, even by a bumpkin like me who usually breaks more things than he repairs.
   Thanks again to moparfarmer, for the chance to acquire this little gem!
   
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   smellyfatdude added a topic in Under Glass    13 June

   1968 AMC Ambassador SST convertible

   Once again, the car that American Motors never produced, but that Jo-han did. The build thread is here.
   
   The ironic thing is, interior wise this is probably the most accurate Jo-han AMC kit that I've built so far. Of a car that isn't real! The only non-box item is the side mirror.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    4 June

   Thank you, Charley. Last year, when I was still debating what color to paint the Satellite, I of course in the meantime acquired the Moebius Belvedere. When I found the Krylon satin Sea Glass at Michaels', I figured that color would not only look good on a 6 cyl. econobox, but possibly as an interior color, for a couple of projects.
   
   I also have this Jo-han Olds F-85 wagon, done up in the same Duplicolor bright teal. I've found some reference pics of a couple 1:1 cars that have interiors very close, to what I used on the Satellite. So, you may see these colors again.
    
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    29 May

   Thanks, Curtis. I do use bmf for masking some things, like the floor mats, if they're a different color from the carpeting. For seats and door panels, I usually use Tamiya tape. Putting the clear coat on after the primary color, usually stops the tape from peeling up any paint when you go to remove it.
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    28 May

   Here's some pics of the finished interior/chassis. The nice thing about kitbashing a Moebius kit, with another Moebius kit? The parts fit pretty good, he. No underside shots. but making the exhaust was pretty easy. I simply cut a couple of flanges from the racing exhaust in the drag kit, and drilled some holes in the centers, to attatch to the pins on the Revell exhaust manifolds. Then shorten the front exhaust pipes a little bit,  and voila! I can't find the painted end of the console, and while I do have another one, I'm all out of paint. So, off to the store tomorrow I shall be.
   
   
   
   And here's the test fit. Sorry for the lack of better lighting, but I slept through the brightest part of the day.
   
    
    
   And, our story continues . . . . .
   Kevin saw the lights flashing, two blocks ahead, and then the crossing guards come down as he approached. He hit the brakes. Nuts! Another freight train! Slowly, he exhaled, and put the van in to park. What are you going to do? He'd be here awhile, and there was no point in getting steamed about it. Besides, there was railroad blood somewhere back in the family line. Grandpa's own dad, great grandpa Wilhelm, had been a rail worker back home in Germany. And gramps used to tell him, you had to show a little respect.
   "Nothing in this country would run for very long, without the railroads. If those trains stopped, the shelves in the stores would be empty, service stations wouldn't have any gas to sell. Everything depends on those men, and those big trains." Kevin reached for a cigarette. Yeah, he knew it was a bad habit, and he had promised Cindy he'd try and quit.
   "You have two little girs who need you to stick around. And I need you too, you know. Besides, think of all the money we'd save." How in the hell do you argue with them, when they hit you right in your soft spot, like that? But, he had promised her. You'll do it tomorrow, he told himself, while he lit his smoke and savored the sweet taste. If he had to be stuck here, alone with his own thoughts, it was the best way he knew to relax while you let your mind wander. What exactly grandma wanted to see him about, was kind of a mystery. Something to do with the car, is all she would say. Kevin reclined back in the somewhat still cold, vinyl covered seat. He shivered a bit. Cripes, I wish dad would spring for some seat covers for this thing. After a moment, he looked down the tracks once again. Still no end in sight to the train. Kevin couldn't help remember the first time he ever got to have a ride, in Joe's car. It was the summer when he was six. and grandpa had just started driving it that spring. Of course, Kevin had seen the car for years, sitting in Joe's driveway. Joe had one side of his double garage set up as his workshop, and always had whatever car he owned parked in the driveway, while he was working in his shop. "Making a mess", is what grandpa always used to call it. Before he got the Satellite, Joe had only ever owned second hand vehicles. Still he always left them outside while he was building stuff. Wasn't going to take any chances, even with a used car. Certainly not with the only new car he ever had. That was the big difference, between grandpa and Joe. While he always spoke warmly of his years with Chrysler, even grandpa wasn't what you would call brand loyal. He and grandma had a ' 62 Rambler station wagon for years, until grandpa traded it in on the ' 70 Galaxie. But Joe, he not only worked for Chrysler, he drove their cars as well. That's why it was such a surprise, the first time Kevin saw the big, shiny green Plymouth sitting under a cover in his granparents garage. He and his mom had just pulled up to the house, and grandpa was putting the lawnmower away.
   "Grandpa. what's Joe's car doing here? Did he forget to take it with him?" Karl smiled. The things that come out of a five year olds mouth!
   "No Kevin. Joe didn't have any room to store the car, at his daughter's house. He couldn't drive anymore, as it was. So, he asked me to store it for him until he could find a place to keep it. Now, you put the cover back on it. That's Joe's car, not mine". Joe had arthritis in his right leg, quite badly by that time. Kevin remembered him limping on that cane, barely able to walk before he moved away. Johanna, Mrs.Joe as she was known to everbody, had passed away earlier that year, of a sudden heart attack. Joe was lost without her, grandpa told him. And his own health was so bad, since he'd developed diabetes as well. Joe's oldest daughter lived in Phoenix, and she convinced Joe to come live with her and her family. He'd hoped the change of climate would at least help with his arthritis, and I guess it did. For awhile anyway. But it was barely more than a year later, and Joe slid downhill pretty fast. Complications from the diabetes, and probably more than a touch of a broken heart, grandpa would say. He and grandma had just barely made it to Phoenix, and to the hospital before Joe passed. After that grandpa was in mourning, and Kevin remembered even now, how they didn't go visit for awhile after. Then grandpa got a phone call one day, from Joe's daughter. Joe had left the car to him, in his will, and she promised to send him the paperwork along with a sealed letter from her dad.
   It was the following summer, after first grade, when he first got to ride in Joe's car. Grandpa had promised to let him cut the grass, one Saturday afternoon. Of course, Karl still had to start the mower for him. Kevin could stand right on top of the thing, with both feet, and he couldn't even budge the cord on that ancient yellow beast of a gas mower. But after only two passes, the engine sputtered and died. Karl looked in the tank. Bone dry.
   "Shoot! And I'm out of gas, too. We'll have to go get some. Go tell your grandma we'll be gone for a bit". Kevin ran inside the front door, and told his mom sitting at the kitchen table that he and gramps were going to get gas for the mower. She held up his coat.
   "Put your jacket on, if you're going out".
   "But, mom!"
   She held it up and looked right at him, with that expression that mothers use to let you know that it isn't a request. Kevin slinked in to the kitchen, and slid his jacket on. Grandma didn't make grandpa wear his jacket, just to go to the gas station! By the time he sprinted back outside, Karl had the other garage door open, and was putting his small jerry can in to the trunk of the Satellite.
   "We'll take Joe's car. I just changed the oil, and it needs to run a bit." Kevin stood in wonder for a moment. Joe's car was cool! It had the shifter on the floor, and everything! Karl fired up the motor, and Kevin waited as patiently as a six year old can wait, while his grandpa pulled the car slowly out of the garage, and put the shift lever in park. He opened up the long door, and slid on to the smooth, two tone vinyl seat. Karl opened up the center console, retrieved a pair of sunglasses, and put them on.
   "Now, I'm ready. How about you? Are you ready?" Keving grinned and nodded. Karl put the transmission in gear, and backed the rest of the way out of the driveway. And still, Kevin could remember to this day the sweet rumble the exhaust made, when they got to the end of the block, and grandpa gave it a little gas. Even just a little.
    
    
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    26 May

   Ed, that's a great bit of history, and I thank you for sharing that in such a timely manner! The rest of my fictional story probably won't be very accurate, as far as the actual history of Chrysler. Hopefully though, it's at least entertaining.                                                                                                                                                                     I have some pics taken of the finished chassis/interior, and the first test fit to the body. I'll post 'em up, as soon as I have the next installment jotted down.
   
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   smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    25 May

   Thanks for the interest, mrmike, regarding both. The story has been floating around in my head, for awhile now. Just had to build some more of the model, before the next update. Currently the chassis is finished, and it should be up on wheels in a day or two, with the finished interior assembled. I'll post some new pics, and another installment of my "what if" Mopar tale, once I have that accomplished. For now, I've decided on one deviation from the box art theme. And I'll explain the reason why in an upcoming chapter.
   
       
    
   
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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic '65 Plymouth Satellite...The One That Got Away    21 May

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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic 1963 Oldsmobile Starfire convertible    20 May

    That's a beautiful replica, of a gorgeous sixties car.
    
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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic A bunch of my recent builds('80 Ramcharger, '70 Cuda 440-6, '70 Mustang Boss 302, Anniversary Camaros and more)    20 May

    They all look terrific, but the Boss 302 and the Z/28 really do it for me!
    
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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic What did you get today?    13 May

    This arrived yesterday, courtesy of my favorite ebay seller. A Jo-han ' 62 Lark hardtop promo, with original box. I intend to carefully, and I mean c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y take it apart, clean up the body, scribe the panels, polish out the plastic and foil it. I'll detail the interior as best I can, and call it good. So, if anyone has any advice on what's involved in the reverse assembly, like how hard are those pins holding the chassis on to remove, feel free to pipe up. Snake 45, where are you . . . . . ?
    
    
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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Moebius ' 65 Satellite box art build. . . . with a twist. Update 08/01 and pictures fixed    8 May

    Much thanks, mrmike!
    Here's the fully assembled hemi, using the exhaust manifolds from the Revell ' 70 cuda. I'll no doubt have to "adjust" the length of the exhaust pipes, but that's to be expected. I wanted to add plug wires and hoses, but my eyes simply aren't up to it, at the present time.
    
     
    And here's a quick mockup, showing the interior work so far. The panels and console are foiled, just have to detail the dash, foil the seats, add the decals, etc. Everything seems pretty accurate, and the level of detail is pretty darned nice!
    
     
    And, on with our story
    As he drove along, Kevin couldn't quite remember all of the details, about how Karl and Joe had ended up in their new homeland. It had been so long, since grandpa had been around to tell him that story. Having decided to try and make their way to Spain, Karl had procured a large delivery van, that had been sitting in his shop since the owner had died. His widow, unable to pay for the repairs had told Karl simply to keep it. Joe and his wife, Johanna, being a family of six with another on the way, travelled in the truck. Joe's boss had an old Mercedes that he let him have, but it needed a muffler. "Forget about getting car parts. You were lucky if there was enough to buy at the market to eat, by that time", grandpa had told him. "So you know what he did, Joe, that bugger? He made one! Took him about an hour. After that it sounded like a new car. And that's what your grandma and aunt Helena and I used to travel in. Once we'd reached Spain, and trust me it wasn't easy to get there, we applied to come here as refugees. But Mrs.Joe was expecting already, and there was some complications. So they had to stay behind, while she was admitted to hospital. Joe wanted me to go on ahead, and find us all a place to live. So your grandma and I arrived first, and I found out pretty quick that Detroit would be a good place to settle, that there would be jobs there for men like us who were used to building and fixing things, working with our hands. It turned out that was true, though it was a little bit of a rought start, at the beginning".
    Grandma and grandpa ariived in Detroit, and grandpa found work first as a construction laborer. Their first home had been a two room apartment, with no hot water. Still, they had more than some people did, and grandpa for one wasn't about to let the oppurtunity to start fresh get away. There was still a chance, even in his forties that he might be able to live a decent life in a peaceful land, have a decent job, a home, and give his children the oppurtunities that he himself never had.So Karl pushed along, working some days, some not. Very often he and his family had to rely on the charity of the local churches, for a meal or some clothing. After three months in the city of Detroit, someone told him that this would be a good time to try the automakers. Chrysler in particular,  still had military contracts to fill, and car production was set to resume. So he went and stood in a long line of men, all of them applying for chance to work there. When they asked him about his background, and he told them of his years fixing all types of vehicles back home, they hired him. As a painter, of all things! Karl was put to work in the paint shop, and while that was not the part of a car he was used to having anything to do with, he relished in the chance to learn a new skill. And it was work. A steady paycheque. A roof over their heads and food on the table.
    "So Joe and his family arrived about a month later, after I started my new job. Mrs.Joe was finally well enough to travel, and when they got here, they rented the apartment right above your grandma and I. Can you imagine? Six of them in those two rooms, and she's out to here with her belly, expecting one more. I had begged my landlady to hold that apartment for them, and I promised her that Joe would give her the rent money from his very first paycheque. And he did. It wasn't easy for him to find work. Could barely speak any English, and when he tried at the plant, my foreman in the paint shop wouldn't hire him. He wasn't sure what they were going to do. But they gave him a job on the line as a welder, and he thrived there. God, that man was good at making stuff! You give a him a torch, a hammer and some metal to play with, and he could build anything! You remember when you were small, and I finally got around to finishing the basement? I was all set to go buy the heating ducts for the two bedrooms downstairs, and he said no, he'd do it for me. He took the measurements, went home to his shop, and came back about two hours later, with the ducts all made up, ready to install. Welding up cars and trucks? Joe could do that with his eyes closed!" Karl sighed a bit, then looked at Kevin as he finished.
    "And you know, those first few months here in Detroit . . . that was the first time Joe and I had been apart, since we were this high" Karl held his hand a couple of feet off of the floor. Kevin couldn't help but smile, when he recalled that part of gramps' story. It had taken a few years to fully understand what an inseperable bond the two of them had shared, since boyhood. And how much grandpa truly loved Joe. And it was obviously mutual.
    After all, grandpa had Joe's car.
     
    
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    smellyfatdude added a post in a topic Board malfunctions on Firefox?    4 May

    Try clearing your browser cache, and any cookies. I'm running a very old version of Firefox, as newer versions no longer function with my XP 64-bit operating system. While the site is slow at times, I've never had any issues posting or replying to posts.