Muncie

Matt, yes the instructions are dark, fuzzy, and the pictures are impossible to figure out.- very poor copy - looks like a forth gen photo copy from the original kit - but they are what the latest issue came with. to complicate things, the rubber bands for the blower belt were in the bag with some electric motor parts, didn't even look like a part for the kit... But, still grateful to have the kit and it will get built someday. I'm enjoying your build up, it's looking good, I like it! Steve

The thing that tricks our eyes with the AMT White Freightliner COE kit is the width of the cab. The cab is a 61 series at 90.38" wide which has not been commonly seen on the road since the late 70's. They are rarely, rarely, rarely ever seen anymore. In the mid 70's, Freightliner introduced the 71 series which is wider at 94.38" and included the rubber fender extenders that cover the front tires. The cab was widened to provide adequate room for the larger radiator required for the modern higher horsepower engines.

splitting Evergreen (say 1/8 or larger) plastic tubing freehnad is a pretty straightforward deal with a thin fine tooth hobby saw - lay the tubing on the bench and don't aim the blade at any vital body parts - leave a little bit extra to straighten and cleanup the line with a long fine tooth file. Might be easier to split the tubing to a semi circle then split that to get a 90 for a corner piece - Now I'm not working to make four pieces out of a length of tubing. One corner piece per length is success for me. Also works with hobby aluminum tubing.

All good ideas - but sometimes I go all in for the least delicate workshop method for precision material removal - Warning, this might be overkill... the part looks like a wheel back so appearance on the other side is not a concern - If chiseling it down doesn't work, I just drill all of the way thru with the diameter of the raised mounting boss, then replace it with hub cut down from another wheel back to fit the axle. It is recommended to drill under-size and file for size and position of the hole.

Thanks, Ron - That will work - You've done some nice clean work - I had trouble with the "carefully" part - more to fix.

I really like this one - well done - it's got soul! as a Chevy guy, the 1949 and 1950 Ford kits had little interest for me 6 months ago - I liked them when I saw one well built but that was it Well, about 3 weeks ago the reissued '50 convert found it's way to the work bench and then the '49 followed it home. Through the forum, I was able to obtain the original Carson top for the convertible. So, I have a question - Both kits have holes in the chassis to lower the front, but there is nothing in these new kits to lower the rear. What is the best way to lower the rear - Thank you in advance, Steve

The rubber bands probably work better to hold the frame together... I don't like the idea of tension on the rubber band belts pulling the glue joints apart over time on the engine assembly Making a belt (more electrical tape?) might be a better solution - anyways, thank you for the inspiration. - looks like a fun kit.

A quick look over on the H.A.M.B shows this street blower set-up on a 292 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/blower-set-up-for-292-312-y-block.441284/ Just popped open one of the kits - it has a couple of tan rubber bands for the blower belt and a full 360 degree belt guard on the chrome tree. Matt, I'm liking your project - it's going to make me move mine up on the build schedule.

The thinner in automotive lacquer color coats will soften a lacquer primer - once it gets thru to the plastic, it starts affecting the body work or single stage lacquer base putties under the primer. I prefer a sealer after the primer and then start with light coats of primer so they dry before the thinner gets to the plastic - but it's still possible to see some read thru if I start applying too much paint too quickly. Your paint supplier may have some advice or a good sealer for their paint. Plenty of information here information here in Bill Geary's tutorial -http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/22834-1949-mercury/ more here ----

How 'bout... Preservation - a rebuild with some new parts and upgrades that keeps the character of the original model but is not a restoration. (but, I like snakeslap)

Jairus had a good tip in the latest Slot Cars Magazine - spray adhesive (photo shows 3M photo mount) - spray lightly on the lace and allowed to tack up to hold the lace in position. spray the paint in a light coat, too heavy and the paint will flow under the lace. This magazine is worth the price of admission just for the tips and tricks that can be used on model cars

I have an old metal juice can with a small opening in the top. It also gets used as a paint stand for primer... No kids in the house. When it's full, just tape it over and into recycling

Greg, good to see you back on this, it's looking good, nice clean build - hope all is well with your folks

WOW!!!!!!!!!! Great photos Tim, lots of stuff there -

Great looking wheels! there will be a lot of correct answers based on different preferences... these are my go to favorites For the rough cast texture on the center - Krylon dull aluminum - can be hard to find - some ACE hardware stores have it - good paint, easy to use For the machined finish on the rim - most hardware store or auto part store chrome rattle can will have a bright finish, but not as bright as the Spaz stick or Alclad hobby paints - Krylon may still make this in the hobby and craft size. Looks good for polished or bright machined aluminum finish Art supply stores sell a brush on masking fluid - different brands have different consistencies so they take some experimentation to find the one that works the best

That's a great looking trailer - thank you for the building tips - it's much better than what's in the kit

no regrets - They all had a time and a reason to go... but the first car is still in the garage 45 years later - just felt like there would be too much disappointment if I had to find it again.

John - good pics, thanks for posting, good to see what was there.

Good looking Harley The dollars per part describes the situation. I haven't seen a complete part pack but have found parts and partial sprues... fractions of the price but may never be able to accumulate a complete kit.

sorry to see you guys moving on - always enjoyed your posts and learned a lot. I'm glad you shared your experience and knowledge while you were here - it was much appreciated.

ahhhh, the golden age of Car Craft Magazine... Rick Vogelin, Norm Mayerson, Ro McGonegal.. The Car Craft Project cars were great, nothing trick but real race cars that ran hard - The Malibu 4 door, Clockwork Chevy, and the econo modified Camaro... Alan, thank you for posting your drag racing models and projects - all well done and very cleanly built. I've enjoyed looking at them - .brings back a lot of memories.

Terry, that is correct - thank you for catching it and posting a correction - memory failure...

Prudhomme Wedge, Flying Wedge and Black Beauty wedge dragster kits - the chassis/engine, axles, even the wheels appear to be the same - there may have been minor differences in the details The full size wedge dragsters were built by several different chassis builders so they are different in construction and details When Prudhomme's wedge didn't work out, he removed the wedge but the car was still too heavy. He replaced it with a much lighter Garlits' chassis.

already curious to see what's in the kits when they hit the hobby shops - it looks like Round 2 has new tooling for two different wedge body sections... The leading edge of the wedge in Terry's Prudhomme link above is perpendicular to the main body. The front of the orange wedge in Tim Boyd's review of the new Flying Wedge is angled aft... Could we see more kits to support Round 2's tooling investment - that would be good! Have a couple of partial old kits in the archive - AMT had two bodies back in the day - It looks like the original flying wedge body had the leading edge perpendicular and the Black Beauty had the angled front on the wedge with a ton of way too heavy rivet detail. There may have been other differences but both of these had the main body and wedge molded together in one piece with a separate nose section. Looking forward to these and another inquiring mind wants to know if the Kenny Goodell decals will fit either new body

I don't do ebay so I missed these on my first lap thru this topic - (I apologize to the seller) Seller is forward_resin - good feedback - lots of wheels available well known around here - others have posted their experiences with good parts and good service