tedd60

Here's Modifier’s AWESOME 1/18th scale racing cars. His Brit Line up is TYPICAL of his outstanding work. I hope to get there soon: Attached are a couple pictures of the MGB trans. and slave cylinder, op rods and dust boot. The transmission as supplied by Corgi is generally shaped like an MGB trans, but required a LOT of sanding and grinding to get it a little closer. The butt end of the slave cyl. has been shaped like the the original and drilled for the hydraulic hose. Yeah ... I know that most of it just can't be seen, but I would really like to get this as right as I can. This is what I have after two days.

I have not seen this model, but I remember ALL of the Imperials as very large cars. At approx 12.5 inches the Ertl Dodge Charger Daytona is the longest car in my cabinet ... by a fin (OK ... wing. whatever.), I imagine this good looking model is quite large. Do the doors, hood or trunk open? What's it like in there?

WOW ... VERY nice custom. Just goes to show the range of stuff that can be done with 1/18 scale diecast. I like how the door handle is integrated into the side molding. The visor adds a nice detail as well. The license plate is another good touch. What's the interior like? T

Found one! Thanks again, Rick ... and you too, Sweed70 for mentioning the car up in another thread. You've made an old man very happy. His WIFE ain't too thrilled ... but I'm as happy as a pig in something I can't say on this forum! T LATE ADDITION: soanyoldways ... I was sitting with my morning coffee and thinking about this little car and how innovative it was ... so I did some digging. Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Tempest) tells us that it was a John DeLorean design. The development of the 1/2 389 engine was largely a cost saving measure, it could be build right on the same assembly line with the full-sized 389. In it's highest level, the 4 banger could put out 155 HP which is still pretty respectable, the 20 or so mpg it got wasn't bad, considering the times. As I go over the details, a cut-in-half V8 with a trans axle, manual or automatic and etc., I find that this car had more in common with the Porsche 944 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_944) INCLUDING the cut down V8 than anything else GM built. These little guys even had a bit of success in road racing. Here's a couple of articles I found: http://littleindians.com/racing Yeah ... this one is definitely going in the cabinet as a white convertible ... with half a V8 engine. AN EVEN LATER ADDITION: Although my model of this car has not arrived as yet, studying the pictures I can find of the model and the 1:1, I noticed that this car has the very same swing axle rear suspension as the early Corvair and the early VW Beetle (As I recall, up to about 1969 when the Bug was changed to a better IRS rear suspension). So I dug around some more and found that the Little Indian Racing website has a .pdf version of a Hot Rod Magazine publication discussing this car's suspension. http://littleindians.com/files/197.PDF Suffice to say, had Ralph Nader seen the pictures in this publication ... he'd have had a stroke. http://littleindians.com/files/197.PDF

BTW ... I wish to h - e double hockysticks (!!!) the makers would NOT put them cussed lugs for packaging screws on the bottom of these things. They are REALLY ugly and VERY hard to grind and fill. T

Hey Rick, I'm a son of a gun ... Yep ... that's it. The last time I was under that car was the summer of 1969. I don't remember having slicks on the car ... and some of the rest of the stuff down there is a little different ... but that is it. I'm guessing that you've done some modding to this one. I DO remember (I think) that the shifter for the automatic was a little spoon shaped thingie sticking out of the dash. I only had it one year. I hit a BIG pothole HARD with the right rear, broke something on the chassis and ripped the half shaft and a bunch of other stuff out of the rear. I replaced the car with a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville, another ragtop, red, white top, red gut. How I would LOVE a model of THAT car. I'm gonna have to start shopping for one that I can cut the top off. I already have a 1964 GTO. Maybe I can make the engine the way Pontiac did! Thank you VERY much! T

If you've never been there ... do take the time to go. they used to have a bleacher section where you could sit and watch "night" fall over the track. They even played the Star Spangled Banner. A great piece of Americana.

NOTE: OK ... I don't have it yet, but the tracking number indicates it's on the way. In order to save band with, this thread will become the build thread ... once it gets here. This should be a fairly straight forward build, disassembly and strip, hack off the top, repaint in the appropriate white, gussie up the interior, fabricate a cover for the folded top ... pull the 389 out of my GTO ... make a duplicate of the engine block, cut it in half, add the engine support pieces, install the 1/2-389 V8 into the Tempest LeMans and assemble. EZY PZY. I just found out that Highway 61 did a model of the 1963 Pontiac Tempest. Many years ago, when I was very young, I owned a 1961 Pontiac Tempest LeMans Convertible (white, brown top, brown gut) with the little "1/2 389" slant four cyl. It also had a torque tube and transaxle, very similar to that used in the Porsches 928 and 944 (and variants). It was a great little car, reliable and it handled very nicely as I recall. I checked out the Highway 61 version on the 'net and see that (of course) it has the V8 engine in it. Does anybody know if that model has the transaxle? I don't know if Pontiac dropped it to install a more convention trans up front/diff in the rear set-up.

Cute! I see it took about 14 or 15 of them little fellas to get the big one moving ... but I can't help but wonder how many it would take to get it to STOP! The things they are doing with RC ... and how real it is getting is simply amazing. About 5 years ago I saw a vid of a ready-to-fly RC Huey gunship that was so real it could give you flashbacks. Of course, I can't find it today ... but I did find this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnxtjorKcOo&list=PLYW_RP8C53ryGWGJX1AzYJ4Qz8cU_M-KT&index=17 That said, I've been racing on Sims for about a year now, and the realism is breath taking. Here's a side-by-side vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpSc56JzeMM&t=312s

VERY good stuff Mike! Do you have a list of stuff that is available? Is it OK to PM you for measurements, price and availability? T

I believe the engine used was a 1172 cc Ford 10 hp side-valve engine. There are some differences, but the 4 cyl. from the Model A wouldn't be a bad place to start. Although the engine in the picture is a very late engine, note where the upper radiator hose connects to the head in the attached picture. A search on the 'net should get you the pictures you'd need. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Sidevalve_engine

Over the last couple months I have really gotten into racing in Australia. I watch on Youtube. They don't fool around down there, there is ALWAYS a lot of action in their races. Just do a search for Improved Production Bathurst. This years Sebring was almost a walk in the park by comparison.

Thanks, allis200 for the heads up about Bathhurst and Nismo TV! I found the race on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmLdnnjC0q4 I've driven a couple enduros and 12 hour rallys (several through the Pocono area of Pennsy), I cannot imagine going over Mount Panorama at night. It's got to be darker than the inside of a cow up there. T

A Caddy sweep, and a Vette beat the Fords who beat the Porsches and the Ferrari. I watched the race on Fox Sports and thought the coverage was terrible. They didn't cover the start or most of the first hour. The race in the GTLM class had a number of lead changes and was pretty tight, not that you would know it from the Fox coverage. And the commercials ... I'm going to have to find another way to watch these things.

This is a terrific bit of work you've done. I'm glad you got curious took the time to open it up. Well done. T

I stopped watching car racing years ago, in most of the big series (NASCAR, Indy, F-1) the cars are pretty much all the same, and it seems whenever somebody builds up a lead, out comes a yellow for "debris on the track" to close up the field, so it just stopped being interesting for me. But a couple years ago I started sim racing (Assetto Corsa) and started watching the endurance events. I love the innovation, especially in the LMP (LeMans Prototype) classes and will watch the entire 12 or 24 hours if there is TV coverage. I'll be watching the race and keeping an eye out for those beautiful Fords and Caddys. EDIT ... I found a copy of the starting grid: http://autoweek.com/article/imsa/ford-gt-stages-1-2-qualifying-sweep-sebring

Yep ... the photo above pretty much sums up the whole thing. Just add some carbs, arms and about 3 heads. Looking real good.

Or in 1/18th scale. I know almost the entire Chaparral stable has been produced in 1/18, but the prices are such I can't afford to even LOOK at them too hard.

You build like those guys race! You are a GREAT builder and an inspiration to others. It's because of your build that I tore up the front bits of the MGB front suspension I was working on and started over. Let me suggest that you keep going to The Mountain to find your muse. Perhaps you might want to re-watch Jordan Cox in the little Honda pass Scottie Wilson at the top of Panorama this past February.

A beautiful car and a great build. T

I think Jim Hall's Chaparrals number among some of the most beautiful racing car ever drawn. This is a very good build.

Nice work on the seats!

Psychographic ...GREAT build!!!

Duck Sauce? I always loved these little cars. A long time ago I worked on one that had waddled down to NJ from Canada. A very nicely kept two-tone, red over black. As I recall, the driver was a pretty little bird as well.

Love the work you've done on these little Mustangs Over the past year I have become seriously addicted to Australian road racing ... especially up Mount Panorama (Bathurst), my second favorite track, next to Bridgehampton. If you love road racing and haven't seen it done "Australian Rules", you're really missing something. Here's a vid of your Mustangs in action at Lakeside in 1967: