Muncie

Long long ago, in a classic Chevy club around here... some of us referred to '55's and 57's as parts cars. Of course it worked the other way sometimes as well.

I agree. Well said. Frustrating when the same person has started multiple topics that are all the same question...

Unfortunately, black wheels are becoming more practical as more states switch over to magnesium chloride as a winter deicer. My alloy wheels are covered with dark spots where rock chips in the clear coat allowed the deicer to work its way in and start corrosion on the aluminum. Next car will have black wheels.

make sure it's the latest issue with the retooled plastic hood - There was another reissue with a resin hood and I never had one of those so I don't know about the wheels . The box art looks like it could be original artwork. not sure what year it is

Probably a quick update for Revell to get another kit out in the Hot Rod magazine series. It was the late eighties (early '90's?) and some of the Orange Crate tooling was used up. The wheels were shot - Quick fix, cover them up with some moon discs. Plain moon discs would be too dated so just add louvers for some '1989 style... It was a simple solution - easier then repairing or replacing the tooling for the wheels. To Revell's credit, the tooling was repaired for the beautiful Halibrands in a later reissue of the Orange Crate.

The original 1963 Nova Station Wagon Customizing kit contained a lot of parts along with a stock engine that wasn't in the Craftsman series, There is so much in the customizing kit that it only takes about 20% of what's in the box to build the Craftsman series station wagon. The rest is other fun stuff that may still exist in Round 2's tooling library. Maybe that's future reissue material?. The extra parts included a utility (U-Haul) trailer, an extra drag engine to put in the trailer, customizing parts and a few accessories. https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/amt-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/chevrolet/1961-1970/amt-63-chevy-ii-sta/?view=roll#1. The body was modified extensively for the Boss Nova - removing trim, filling door gaps, a hole in the roof for the mid-engine air intake... Rivets around the windows were added to the window insert. https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/amt-instructions/straightline-competition/amt-boss-nova-model/?view=roll#1 The drag engine also showed up in the Boss Nova. New tooling for the body is probably the only reasonable way to produce new kits. I'm surprised they did it, but I'm looking forward to any 1963 Nova wagon that Round 2 gives us.

Same here - communicated with Jim Haught by email - same response you got - I considered SAE to be an accomplice. The ads continued so I cancelled my long term subscription and requested a refund. MCM to their credit had dropped those advertisers but SAE would not.

https://www.modelhaustires.com/

Snake, thanks for posting. A very interesting list Top 500 music lists will always be a subject of debate. My top album topped put at 413 but it's my favorite because so many things were happening when it was on radio playlists. Always cranked it up! I found the Rolling Stone list helpful. Before things shut down, I was thinking about some of the bands that I missed in the golden days of my youth - Need to make a list and visit Music Millennium, I've heard that they do curbside delivery.

Interesting picture. Notice the purple anodized rims on the front wheels - leftover from Kenny Goodell. Steve McGee only ran the wedge for a couple of races and then removed it. Too much hassle to work on the car for basically no performance gain.

this may help - a good Freightliner discussion here -

me too!

Sorry, I can't recall right off which kits have the Hendrickson suspension... Odd place for it but maybe the Kenworth T600... there are probably others.. The walking beam is a two axle suspension. https://hendrickson-intl.com/Truck/Vocational/RT-RTE A pusher non-drive axle ahead of the tandem could be added. For tri-drive, see Bill72sj's beautiful Freightliner - looks like a four spring with an additional spring suspension for the third axle.

Not the final answer, but here's more information. Wikipedia says the Payhauler curb weight is 36 tons (86 tons loaded). The normal weight capacity for an axle with 4 tires is 20,000 pounds - but it was a little less on most of the trailers that were around at that time. - let's say 18,000 pounds per axle for this heavy duty application. But the axles also have to carry the weight of the trailer. I think what we are not seeing in these pictures is the dolly at the front of the trailer that distributes the load between the dolly and the rear of the tractor. Here's another picture that shows the dolly. Three axles at the rear of the trailer, two axles on the dolly, plus two drive axles on the tractor. Since this truck will have some off highway miles, I'd probably go with a tractor kit that has the Hendrickson walking beam rear suspension rather than a four spring or air ride. hope this helps

pretty cars, but I agree with those that have said demand would not cover the expense of bringing these to production They aren't as close the the 1955-57 Chevrolets as they look - so pretty much all new tools would be required for the kits and no way to combine tooling for one make to another. Wheelbase, engine and chassis are also different 1955-57 Chevrolet wheelbase 115" 1955 Buick wheel base: Special, Century - 122" Super, Roadmaster - 127" 1955 Oldsmobile 88 - 122" Oldsmobile 98 - 126" -- there may be more... 1955 Pontiac 122", there may be other wheelbases I doubt that the 122" wheelbase chassis have many common parts between Buick Pontiac and Oldsmobile. GM didn't work that way then. In the end, I'd rather see something newer or something else that would have a longer life in production for the next generation of model builders.

Steve, Great tip on the boots - I have a couple of MAD distributors that I haven't used - was wondering what that extra material was for. Larger hole means I won't break as many drill bits.

I was drafting this when Steve was posting I defer to his experience and knowledge. The models that he has posted show his techniques work. In fact, I was going to suggest looking at some of his how-to posts for using Bare Metal foil. Here are my thoughts --- I'm with you - CA doesn't give me a comfortable feeling for adding detail bits. I have difficulty controlling CA and accidents will always cause damage in the most visible places. How a drop of CA can find it's way to the top of a painted hood across the work bench is a mystery. So, this is a job where I like to use a clear windshield adhesive - Micro Kristal Clear from Microscale is a good one. It's easy to apply where it is needed with the tip of a toothpick. It won't damage paint and can be cleaned up easily from places where it is not wanted. Kristal Clear is a little bit tacky so the part can be moved to position it. It will work on anything I see in the picture. Most hobby shops carry it. Drill holes in the engine with a small drill bit (#72) in a pin vise for the plug end of the wire. The hole will hold the wires in place. Install the plug wires with a little extra curve to simulate the way gravity bends a real plug wire.

No word from Car-Tech yet on the pre-order, but I've received the two books that I ordered with it - so I know I'm on the list. patience, patience

Alan, I am extremely honored by your gratitude. You built something that had been on the shelf for way too long. I am grateful to you for putting it to good use. This is beautiful, the color absolutely pops and the whitewalls are the missing part from the original kit that makes it come to life. Well done. Looking forward to meeting down the road. Steve

two thoughts for less than a penny - and that may be all they are worth. You've probably already looked, but it's worth mentioning - for whatever car you are building, if it's an early Ford, a Mopar beast or a tri-five Chevy..., darn near everything has at least one forum on the internet like this one for your car. There will be people that have already been where you are and have figured out the good parts or bad and they will post their stories. The answers may be two clicks of the mouse away. Probably a good place to ask questions. Most reliable manufacturers have good tech support - just a toll free call or email away. The last thing they want is upset customers spreading bad words about their products so they will gladly get you headed in the right direction. It's not a knock on anybody that's been there, but cooling systems are one area where the aftermarket technology and parts are changing/improving rapidly.

1/16" diameter rod - cut to length - best to use a cutoff wheel on a Dremel - the hobby shop steel rod will damage cutting pliers. -- or use brass, and file the end smooth so it doesn't damage the wheel. The hobby shops and ACE hardware stores around here carry both.

A scoop that is almost good enough is in the Monogram 1966 Malibu Street Rat. It measures 1-5/16" wide, 1-23/32" long and 1/4" tall. I think the base part needs to be a little taller.

You reading the internet again? Oh wait, this is the internet too... I'm glad you understand my English - I hate working to write correctly by the grammar book rules. I'm glad you are putting it into a table -will be glad to see it. Turbinliner - ah yes, well before my time but interesting and sadly, most of the people who would have known about them are gone. That is another thing that I should have learned about when I had a chance. I believe only two were built as test trucks, at least one with a Boeing turbine. They may have had some test runs with a customer but it never made it to production. Consolidated Freightways owned Freightliner at the time so some assumptions are probably accurate about who was interested. They that didn't have the performance or fuel economy. Don't know until you try. Several other truck manufacturers were also giving turbines a try at the time. They made tremendous press for everybody even if combustion engines were still king. I've been trying to find a technical paper at SAE but haven't spent a lot of effort looking. All of the cab lengths for the 61 and 71 series are below - they were not all available at first. Some were added for special customer applications or to make larger cabs available as customers wanted more deluxe accommodations. I think the other cab sizes are earlier, probably non-tilt cabs, based on what I saw on the internet yesterday... had to look 48" special customer application 51" The 51" has more than a family relationship with the conventional. The FLC conventional was derived from the 51" COE with some cab common parts. The left and right cab decks are basically the same but the floor uses a lower and narrower tunnel for the conventional - much lower, much narrower (The 56" is maybe a typo but at Freightliner??? it's may have been something earlier) 63" - this is the AMT kit day cab single drive, common for fleets. Most common size for non-sleepers. 72" - very small bunk - probably useful only for storage. This worked well when trucks had an optional air intake and/or exhaust that routed inside the cab at the rear corners. Check the air intake bonnet on the red and white truck at the beginning. I bet there is something like that for exhaust on the other side. 75" sleeper, a little more room 86" - we know this as the AMT kit sleeper cab dual drive sleeper. Most common option 96" and 104". Cab Width (outside surface to outside surface, give some tolerance for the way they were built or designed depending on who's saying it) is 90.38" for 61 series, and 94.38" for 71 series. Steps mirrors, turnsignals, grabhandles were excluded from overall width measurement. The AMT kit is right on. An assortment(13", 18" and 24") of baggage doors was available. 18"x18" was most common with a single door on each side for the 86" cab In the days of the COE before 1982, cab size was driven significantly by the size and weight regulations. Vehicle size and weight were controlled by the states - size was governed by the overall length of the combined tractor and trailer. A larger cab meant less freight, meant less revenue. Trucks were tools to do a job. After the Surface Transportation Assistance Act in 1982, the Federal Government specified that the size regulations would be based on just size of the trailer. The Federal government couldn't directly tell the states what the regulations would be but they could be persuasive by connecting the regulations to economic assistance thru the interstate high way system. Pretty effective. Interstate fleets wanted the change because it basically changed 50 different state regulations to one. They had to have different trucks in some states. Overnight, the truck market changed to conventionals.

As I remember it, the original Treatment product in the late 1970's was sold to do-it yourselfers to restore auto finishes. It was a wax that had a bit of polish in it. The polish was not as aggressive as the abrasives in most of the auto parts store polishes. You could get a really good shine with it. It's kind of both - somewhere in-between a wax and a polish. The polishing rag would come up with the paint color. The Treatment was a really big thing in the market for a while but it went away quickly. At this point, I agree that it will probably cause more problems than it will solve - especially with the decals. A general rule - polish for shine, wax for protection. No wax on model cars.

Good questions, You caught the obvious detail that I missed. Prior to 1958 The cab did not tilt. Engine access was thru the tunnel in the cab but there were several custom variations.. You're right , I am misidentifying what I've been calling the the 21 series. I'm learning also - I did some checking on the internet. I agree with you and the red and white truck with the solid plate below the grille in the first picture is a 61 series - prior to the 61 series raised cab. My good knowledge, what's left, starts mid 1970's. and is for the 61 series raised cab, and 71 series. I try not to talk about things that I don't know but I also make mistakes - not many (I hope) but it happens. I should have picked up a few pieces of the old documentation for reference long ago when I had the opportunity, but who knew. The Powerliner was it's own animal. The outside cab dimensions were the same as the wider 71 Series. Detroit Diesel, Cummins and Caterpillar came up with with some big power engines in the 1970's. Way beyond the normal 250 to 300 for the time. At first, Powerliner was minimum 400 horsepower but later became minimum 600 HP. A huge 1200 square inch radiator to cool all that horsepower was behind that big grille. They were expensive trucks. Mostly an owner-operator truck but there were a couple of small fleets that had them.. Very few were built and each one took a lot of custom engineering work. The front of the chassis was unique. As you can see in the photos, Powerliner owners loved their trucks and all of them were well taken care of. Looking at the photos I found one more thing. The licenses plate bracket on the cab is hinged so that it doesn't interfere with the steering gear. The pitman arm goes thru a notch in the cab in a hard left turn. The license plate bracket could be ordered in several sizes - one to match could be added on the passenger side, also hinged - and one below the bumper could be ordered in various sizes, also hinged. what fun that was