Harold

I feel that megapixels in a camera are like horsepower in a race car- the more the merrier. A few years back I had a 4meg Canon Powershot that was OK, and even though it had a manual feature it still left something to be desired. Without filters for polarization, outside shots were always iffy as to whether or not I'd get a good shot or a light- blasted mess. Today, even the low-end point and shoots have double the resolution of my old Powershot, and they can be had for very reasonable prices. Canon now has a point and shoot that has more megs (14) than my Rebel xsi (12.2) and, like my Rebel, shoots in RAW format. This means that when you open a RAW image for editing, you're working with the actual information from the camera before it gets compressed into JPEG format, which means mucho better pics.All come with some form of editing software to adjust everything in post, but if you can swing the price, Photoshop CS4 is a great tool.

Last night I got the beginings of the rear deck in place. Armed with a Dremel, a cutoff wheel and some .040 Evergreen, I went at it. The first order of business was to put a 90 degree bend in the plastic. After a bit of hot water and final shaping using a lighter, I got it bent without breaking. Then I grabbed the Dremel and removed the rear deck by cutting along the inside edges of the fins and 1/4 inch behind the interior opening to retain some structural integrity. After tacking it in place with gap filling CA and Zip- Kicker, iran a bead all around the seam on the underside of the car, and gave it another spritz of accelerant. As far as the windshield, I've found myself looking at blister packs, and I think the one from my Mach lll might do the trick- maybe. I'm toying with the idea of using a mid- 60's Corvette for the hood and the basic front of the car (they appear to be similar). Tonight I'll probably get the fins shaped and installed and start slinging some Bondo. Also, thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement.

Great pics. I like your shallow depth of field and the colors are great. What kind of camera and how many megs?

Probably a balsa wood buck and some nicely warmed clear plastic.

The bodywork really emphasizes the 'less is more' approach to chopping and sectioning. This car just looks right.

Sweet resto there, Dave. The latest issue of Collectible Automobile has a great article on the '63- '66 Valiants that might come in handy for detailing. Looking good.

Each of us has that one car that makes us go nuts. One that you obsess over and drive everybody you know crazy by prattling on about it. For me, that would be Packard's last show car, the Predictor. When I first saw this in a magazine some thirty years ago, I thought it was the coolest thing ever, and I've never lost that feeling. Then Ed asked about the car in my sig and if I'd do a model of it. After much thought (yeah, right), I figured the best car to start with would be the Revellogram '58 T- Bird. I'd be converting a 1/24 scale car to 1/25, and lo and behold, from the cowl forward it was near perfect. The first order of business was to alter the doors. I made a vertical cut right at the fifth hashmark on the door, and glued that to the body. I then made a vertical cut on the body at the leading edge of the door opening up to the cowl line and glued that to the door. Next up was the first of several overlays made from Evergreen sheet. The lower body is .040, 12mm high which I glued to the 'rocket' along the lower body. Next, .020 was used to fill the Lebaron sweep from the doors forward. Again I used .020 for the overlay which runs front to back and encompasses the beginnings of the Predictor's unique fins. Then there's that .040 piece that will become the new deck area.

Nice to know Harry wasn't out without adult supervision :lol:

The Ford wagons, Customs and Custom 300's of '57- '58 rode a 116" wheelbase, while the Fairlane and Fairlane 500's used a longer chassis with a wheelbase of 118". Since the Ranchero was based on the two- door Ranch Wagon, it rode the shorter chassis. The Edsel's a good source for the chassis- just shorten it 2 scale inches aft of the doors. Good luck.

Amen, Dave. However, you and I know that there will be people who will gripe about anything, especially if their skin is no thicker than a piece of vellum. The rules are quite simple- no political or religious discussions. I've been a good kid and haven't spouted off my views since July (and there's times I really want to). It's like when you come to my house or ride in my car- I have a no smoking policy. This is along the same lines- house rules.

Good luck getting the Orkin man to tackle this job....

Well, that's disheartening. The thread said '1985 Lemans'. Imagine my chagrin when, instead of seeing pics of that crappy Korean built Opel, there's pics of a whole bunch of ^%$ *&^% race cars. Cool stuff, BTW.

Amen, BIll. This, I feel is one of the most important parts of a build. I spent the better part of two days one time trying to figure out how the rear quarter panel and rocker were attached on the '78 and newer El Camino so I could cut in the proper panel lines. Great tutorial.

The Super Marauder was in the MEL (Mercury- Edsel- Lincoln) engine family. A good source for the basic MEL block is in the '65 Continental kit (although you need to fill the hole in the block). When I did my '65, I used the water pump, front cover and several other bits from a '65 Ford (although the Edsel pieces would do fine since you're using the chassis). As for the air cleaner, do an image search to find what you need, but you'll probably have to scratchbuild it.

Or understood the concept behind 'Wheel of Fortune'.

They didn't have the wheel, either. What does that tell you?

Our former police chief (who is now being tried in federal court for fraud) is named Richard Dicks.

If Paula Abdul married Kareem Abdul- Jabar, woul she be Paula Abdul- Jabar? If Jeff Bridges married the Gorton Fisherman, would he be Jeff Gorton?

My neighbor down the street has a '96 LHS for sale.

If Bjorn Borg was assimilated by the Borg, would he then be Bjorn Borg Borg?

Morse code. The original binary code.

Well, we can debate about nonsense conspiracy theories and the end of the world as we know it, but we have to take our own transience into account. When the sun burns out in 5 billion years, it won't matter anyway.

Live long and perspire, you say???

Sorry to hear about your job loss. The last few years I've been an unemployed college student living on student loans.

Lookin' good...every time I buy one of these kits, the chassis, engine compartment and floorpan seem to end up under different GM cars from that era. Can't wait to see yours finished.