customline

Bob, the rocker covers are not accurate. The hold-down studs are missing. The designer was apparently a Chevy man. ? The more I look at that Y-Block, the better I like it. I ran a '56 272 out of oil on I-95 one day back in '68. ?

That's a great photo, Bob. It looks like it was being driven while the bodywork was being done. Anyone you know?

Looks fantastic!

This is fascinating. Who made this kit? What scale?

Looks fantastic, Bob! Cool headlight work. Great idea! The Y-block is a neat-o choice, too.

Nice work on the engine, Greg. Now I feel lazy ?.....but I thought about doing all that.....no I didn't ?. That thing with the wire and drilling the holes is pure genius. The way you made the wire loom is clearly outside-the-box-thinking. Very impressive.

Paul, I think adding some length to the doors is a great idea and leaning the windshield back is a good look for this car if it's not too severe. Cool project!

I could write a book, Len ?.

YES! Great idea! I love a good Ranchero. And nah, it's not that bad but I have to protect it from bumping it or getting it wet. Don't want it to start bleeding again ?. Just an inconvenience until it gets some "closing" of the hole I created on the tip. ?

I firmly endorse Bondo Professional spot putty, the one you mix with hardener. you can get a lot done with it because you can sand it in 15 minutes or, in most cases, less. Sand plastic with 320 before application for a good bond. Shape it with the same. I am happy to see this, Dave, I just got a tube of this stuff but have not used it yet.

https://www.customcarchronicle.com/custom-cars/30-40-fomoco-sedan-customs/ Paul, have you seen this?

My first reaction to the last question is "no rake-back" but I believe the 1:1 looks good that way. I have not done it but would consider it for this type of job. I noticed also the gutters are shaved and you should do that if only to make the subsequent work on the back easier. You can always add them back after the chop if you prefer. I would not chop the backlights but cut them out as a unit and work it into the new contours, as is. You picked a tough one to chop, Paul. You don't see many chopped tudors. You have my attention!

To be different, I think you should go with the Fairlane 500.....wagon ☺️

Oh yeah.....Great project, I'm on board.

It wasn't that hacksaw, Greg, you're off the hook. The Old Lady had a project for me. It involved metal. Jagged aluminum to be specific; the last stroke with the saw when it finally cuts through. The index finger on my right hand, on my saw handle, got in the way and it slammed against the fresh cut on the left. No, the mini-hacksaw was not the culprit. Not this time. That would have been jagged copper tubing. Nope, no guilt. Edit: Please excuse the foul language I omitted ?

I love a good story like this, Len. It's totally relatable. I'd love to tell y'all about what I did to the tip of my right index finger with a hacksaw yesterday but it may bring up bad memories for too many of us. Needless to say, I won't be doing much detail work for a few(?) days ?. Sorry about the wire thing. I didn't mean to cause trouble for anyone. ? Yup. Doing a special project for Wifey. Long story.

1.2 tons....yeah, that's a handy little tool. Who needs guages?

Wow. It looks like it has tons of compound leverage. It looks pretty old, too (the metal box). A nice collectible, for sure.

That's a serious tool, Greg. I'll bet you could punch sheet metal with that thing. Dimples are ? cute.

The headlight plugs are kind of interesting, Greg. How'd you do that?

Well, even if I had the right tools, I still need better eyes and hands. This grille mod is just beyond my current abilities. I may try again, because I'm pretty stubborn and I have another spare grille. Greg suggested a hacksaw blade and I think I may try stripping the chrome (to improve visibility) and try a mini-hacksaw (that I have out in my truck if I can find it but had not thought of until now)...maybe. I actually had that drill you pictured. My grandkids loved to annoy me with it for years. Much as they tried, they were never able to kill the battery in that damned thing. ?

I tried. I really did. It's just too much for me. Luckily, it was a spare grille. ?

How about giving us a tutorial on how you slotted out the grilles. What did you use to cut the slots so neatly?I just tried with several tools at my disposal but nothing I have in my arsenal will do a proper job so....what did you use and where can I get one? ?

Don't scrimp on magnification, Greg, you might be surprised when you zoom your photos- happens to me all the time ?.

I'm glad somebody appreciates my sense of humor ?. Well, the yellow plastic makes the toy comparison easy. Yeah, the fenders could be "rounder" but some work with a sharp #11 on the headlight bezels and opening the holes downward will get the headlight-to-fender top relationship in a better way. Keep Band-aids handy (I prefer Curad 1" plastic strips myself but it's a personal choice). Then there's the windshield issue, sorta like the Fleetline situation but not as bad. The more you look, the worse it gets. I'm drawing the line at the nose job ? Maybe I'll try something with the windshield....more on this later....maybe. stop looking ?!