blunc

or maybe an existing show/contest can up their game...

Old post quoted and photos added due to the Photobucket debacle

YAY, quit the job that kept me away from this last year!!! Now I have a job that fits better ..., and, I get to go to DSC again. Nothing ready to enter, but I can take photos again.

I have this kit in my queue, am well aware of the kit shortcomings but am ready to remove the ugly and add details to my level. Of course, the windshield angle will have to get fixed, the suspension upgraded and some better tires/wheels (along with strengthening the body to support better hinges and open the trunk). I feel the 1/16 scale kits are a neglected canvas with regard to detail and there are many opportunities to turn a pigs ear into a silk purse. I just have so many other projects ahead of this one

rather than pie-cutting the rear quarters, you could add/mold in some plastic to the top of the quarters to resolve the straight top line of the wagon rear quarters.

Google search mainly shows Optiplex GX620 machines. I have experience with the GX models, I have seen them typically run the fan very fast on startup, a lot of people upgrade the original CPU's to Pentium D (dual core Pentium) and Pentium D CPU's tend to run hotter than original CPUs. the smaller form factor cases usually have slots for only one or two stick of RAM and the motherboard chipset can only make use of 4gb max of RAM even if 64bit Win7 is installed. I expect that Win7 32bit was installed since you stated it had 2gb of ram (nothing wrong with this version of Win7). the size of hard drive could still be a factor in your computer performance.

I assumed (based on TJ's original post) that TJ may not be familiar enough with computer terms to accurately relate the problem he is having with his computer since the general public is usually not aware of the finer points of computer memory. If his computer lives on the floor, it may be totally clogged with dust and may indeed be overheating. if I knew the exact model number of his Optiplex, I could tell him how much ram he could install and if it would benefit him. C R A P Cleaner is free for personal use and can help clean up his hard drive but he should still defrag after cleaning, and if he has less than 10% space left on his hard drive then the hard drive could become corrupted when downloading large files like windows updates. There are most likely programs that launch when the computer is started that are not needed and are using system resources that make the computer slower.

I build all the computers in my household... there are things you can do to speed up your computer but you will have better chance of success if you have an experienced friend helping. there are 2 types of "memory in your puter, the hard drive which is considered storage and RAM which is temporary and goes away when you turn it off. the hard drive may be getting full (which will cause it to run slow while it tries to find places to put files), the hard drive may be fragmented (if you don't run the defrag utility) or the hard drive may just be getting old and have bad sectors. Cloning your drive to a newer SSD will make you system seem like it's brand new. you can check the Dell website for how much RAM you can add (there is a limit to how much you can add), and more RAM is always good (up to a point), crucial.com has a good utility to tell you compatible ram they will sell you. Windows updates tend to slow down all computers, older ones tend to (seemingly) drag on, if you've been using a newer one elsewhere. and you may have a virus, malwarebytes and Rogue Killer are my "goto" bug bombs. "BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH Cleaner" is also a known good utility for cleaning up computer file systems.

I seem to recall that Memphis has lots of "drawl" ;-)

this effect sometimes brings out the tourettes in me...

micro screens from electric shavers can be used for custom grilles (I think I've seen the toothbrush idea in a magazine..)

bump...

About five years ago, there was a lot of activity in the "What if" thread here (if you haven't gone through it, you should check it out here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/61461-what-if/). While participating in that thread, I decided to apply some of the body mods to a '67 Ford Galaxie that Chip Foose had done to the '65 Chevy Impala (2015 Ridler winner) that is called The Imposter, below is the resultant PhotoChop: Here is the original for comparison:

I too have been wanting one of these kits, but not going to pay collector price for a kit that is going under the knife. I photoChopped one a while ago and want to build the resulting concept car. (see why here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/138289-this-is-why-i-want-to-find-an-amt-67-ford-galaxie-kit/) will be following this build.

another fine specimen of 3D art

the tri-power carbs (Rochester 2bbl) carbs were used across most of the GM car lines and were externally mostly identical...so, yes, the 442 set could be used.

In my experience with Rochester 2BBl carbs, the main external difference (that would be noticeable in this scale) is where the fuel enters the carb top section...either the front or the passenger side, and the outer two carbs. For the most part the fuel bowl section, throttle plate section would all look the same at this scale (IMHO) and the top section has minor differences, the main visible difference in this instance is that the outer carbs don't have the "air valve" commonly referred to as the choke plate. Since the outer carbs aren't used during cold engine running (they are locked out of use by factory design) the only carb that will have a choke plate will be the center carb with the required choke spring and heat pipe plumbed to the intake manifold cross over runner.

Seth, the white plastic tri-power carb set in your photoshould look fine once you cut them apart, although it looks like the throttle plate section of the carbs was cast onto the manifold rather than the bottom of the carbs. The '66 tri-power carbs were a little smaller than the '67 tri-power carbs, and once you get them detailed (not much to the 2BBl Rochesters) with fuel lines and throttle linkage, they will look fine. Although you may want to ask Bill where he got the carbs for the tri-power on his '59 Impala...or was that a '58 ...

got the wall pack from goodwill for $5, power switch was taken from a dead computer power supply.

I converted a very old cordless (that they don't make batteries for) to a corded one using a 1 amp 5v wall pack.

I may be one of the few that would spot it :-) I have direct experience with the Rochester 2-bbl carbs on the Tri-Power manifold and most other GM vehicles that have factory installed Rochester carbs. In my experience, the fuel bowl (square boxy part of the carb) faces forward. Your engine looks great anyway, no need to change something that most people would not see.

the tri-power carbs may be on backwards (if it matters to you)

that's a little harsh...

that's a great looking conversion. I think extending the "cove" past the back of the door and closer to the rear wheel opening might reduce the "heavy" look of the back half of the wagon that the new roof line is creating. (just a thought)

faceborg would reduce my already nonexistent model building time...