customline

I sense a little frustration....let's all give Bob some space.....?

I'm sorry Bob, it must have been great to have a partner to share your interest. My first wife certainly didn't ?. I figured the track rules differed from place to place. The frame looks great.

Sometimes what you have to do is say "_ _ _ _ it" and start cutting ? (but I don't recommend it ?.)

That's awesome, you and Wifey! Well, I'm watching this build for some insight on the way these critters are built, Bob. You got me thinking about using the '41 Plymouth or maybe the AMT '40 coupe for a '50s, early '60s Sportsman. The Ford with the flathead would make more sense but who knows. I don't have a clue about the rules. Need to research it.

I really like what you did with the radiator support. And the chassis mods. Did you build 1:1s?

Yeah, Bob, this is an interesting project. It looks to me that Jesus had it nailed. I sure would like to see more of the construction details but there's enough here to point the way for me. This sort of work is what I enjoy the most. I am aware of the "pancaking" technique, but making that happen in styrene is a real "learn-as-you -go" thing. I think I understand how he did it from the photos, but I sure would like to see more details. On a Fleetline the trick is getting it all to flow correctly and the trunk becomes the focus of that. Sam Barris had it down cold.

I guess this is a Ghost from Christmas Past ?. Maybe we can wake him up. The work on this is really nice. The work on the trunk lid is of particular interest to me. I am considering a custom Fleetline with a chop. The trunk is the big problem. So I ask myself "what would Jesus do ?" I think the answer may be here in these photos. ?

It's on the shelf in an acrylic display box, guys. I'm done with it; as for being finished, probably not. I think it's missing the right, outside door handle (I never did find it). Ferbz, it looks like you got the chop down to perfection. I didn't go that low but I plan to the next time. Thanks for dredging this one back up.

Thank you, Bill.

These items were included in an open box purchase on Ebay. The fenders were one of my reasons for bidding for this kit. They will eventually find their way to a couple of '50s style hot rods I want to build. I'm just curious as to what kit(s) they may have wandered away from. I think the wheels may have been removed from a die-cast model, probably an exotic sports car. They appear to be a white metal casting and the tires seem to be bonded to the rims. The "axles" seem to have screw threads. Maybe someone out there can satisfy my curiosity ?. Thanks for your interest.

This is where it stands today. I still have to actually glue it all together but I still have all those annoying little details to clean up but in case that doesn't happen for a while, here's a few quick shots. Thanks for your interest.

Wow! It looks absolutely real. Fantastic! I think it's alien technology ?. The truth is out there.

Thanks, Bob. I like it a lot too. I remember building one of these in 1:32nd scale when I was a yung-un. I think it was a Lindberg kit.

Thanks, Jim. Gotta decide on paint now. Maybe hit it with clear and rub through it in a few places to expose the red primer below.....oh...wait....I didn't use the red primer....$h1t! ?

The local track in my area back in the late '60s/early '70s was an asphalt 1/4 mile oval with an X across the infield, located in Seekonk, MA. As I recall, the figure 8 race was part of a holiday weekend schedule, along with the Demo Derby and "Powder Puff" races. My memory is the cars were more like what you might see in the Demo Derby but I could be wrong. They may have been "Cadet Division" cars. You know, two laps and a caution light, speedy dry, repeat. Some had professional paint, others not so much. A flying wheel now and then. Great fun. F8 racing was probably more prevalent in other parts of the country but back home it was only on special weekends, not a regular thing. Lots of laughs, though. Sportsman cars had the front suspension/steering modified for the banked, short track and that would make them impractical for a right turn. I'm glad you got me thinking about this, Bob. ?

Sorry, Bob. I got carried away. My thinking is while stripping the 1:1 body of glass and extra weight, one would logically remove the glass channel, window regulators, latches, handles, etc. The driver has to climb in through the window opening (because the doors are welded shut) so in order to make that easier....well, anyway....?...I'll be quiet.

You have launched me into a different mental realm with your F8 build. So I looked at one of my Ollie's purchases- the AMT/ERTL '41 Plymouth Coupe, and found the tires intended for the stock version would be perfect for my stock Fleetline. So I tried them and I was delighted to find they fit the Fleetline's wheels perfectly. I am a very happy camper. Thank you Bob. (You see how this works?) what a difference the white walls make on a stock build of this era. You would think the well-paid employees at AMT would have thought of this. They already had the tires that would fit. ? I dunno....

Wow, Bob....looks like you got this! I'm following for sure ?! You don't need any glass in it, just some cloudy Lexan in front of the driver and I would loose the vent window posts. The doors get welded shut too. Great fun here, Bob! Maybe some crumpled tin foil on the rear quarter. I have a couple of '41 Plymouths that would make great '60s era Sportsman class cars. This is inspirational ?.

Yeah, it's a whole interior re-do for a stock car. Stripped of upholstery, skeletonized.

There's not much space between the floor and the transmission mount. Look how small the kit tyranny is. AMT wants you to install the engine on the frame and the floorboard goes on later. If you choose to glue the floor to the frame in order to paint as a unit (like I did), and install the engine after, you may have a problem. It's tight but a little filing of the mount was the answer for me. Your 3D transmission may be bigger and longer (and probably is). That may give you some re-engineering work to do. But that's why we do this, right? The front suspension lacks precise joining of parts. The sway bar is wrong and the tie rod is a mystery. The fun never ends ?. I built the Bel Air as a lead sled custom and didn't use the air ducts due to a V8 engine swap so I don't recall having trouble with the engine bay assembly. But I sure did this time. Again, the parts don't have a precise fit.

Yeah, me too.....just waiting on the weather, John.....like a lot of us here ?. We do get some good days, though. I just need to be patient (something I'm not good at ?.)

This sort of modification work is what elevates my enthusiasm, Dave. It "gets the juices flowing", to use a well worn cliche. Once I get the "main idea" done, the project becomes routine and my enthusiasm sorta fades. Then I start thinking about the next "big idea". ?. I have another Fleetline kit that I decided will get the kustom treatment but I need to finish a half dozen other builds before I can put my hands on that one. It's quite a mess I have going here ☺️.

I think the '51 would make a great short track car. The kit's not great but the car is worth the work. I hope to see it soon, Bob.

Moving along with the chassis, exhaust system, and rear end, and the interior, I figured it was time for a mock-up since I had the body ready for paint (almost- I spotted a few glitches that I may or may not try to smooth out). I should have the dash completed in a few days but it's just waiting on guage faces. Just an FYI on paint. I obtained 5 "jars" (?) of Revell Aqua Colors to see what that was all about. First, I gotta say whoever designed the containers has never, ever used paint and probably graduated from some tech college in East Germany at the bottom of her class. I have made a habit of cleaning my paint bottle threads and caps to prevent difficulty opening them. I'm afraid, with these strangely designed vessels, that will be way too difficult for my.....somewhat compromised dexterity. So no more of that, I don't need another paint spill in the dining room. And just so you know, I'm not real crazy about Tamiya bottles either. Even if I liked this water based paint for models, the cans(?) are the deal killer. Thanks for listening ?. I wired the tail pipe to the floor and cut about an eighth inch off the manifold end to get the system up tighter against the bottom. I pinned it at the manifold. The pipe was painted with MM metalizer "magnesium ". Soon it will be no more. ☹️ The interior is just primer gray.... nothing to see here..... The inner fender/ firewall/ radiator/air ducts thing is a bit askew but it's staying that way as a reminder ( I scored another one of these kits ) it's not obvious to the casual observer (I hope) I think there's a slight twist affecting alignments but it's too late to fix it now ( I don't care ?). Thanks for looking!

Thanks, Roger, that's where the fun is ?. Now I wait for the weather to let me paint all that. This kit is, let's say......not the best. After much awkward manipulation using tape and glue, I was able to assemble the firewall/ inner fender/radiator/air ducts. Now it can be painted as a unit. The assembling of this kit, I think, must be completely re-sequenced by the builder in a way that makes painting a priority. The instructions are weak and in some instances wrong or confusing. This Millennium version provides an instruction sheet made like a road map ( remember those?) and handling it gets old very quickly. I don't usually build OOB so maybe this is why I'm struggling ?.