Peter Lombardo

This is a very nice build so far....I really like your opening up the doors and such...nice, also, I like how you are using the 57 Ford optional interior, looks good for this car.....one question though, why do you limit yourself to just Caddy's??? Loyalty to a mark is one thing...but, geeeze's, there are some other worthwhile cars out there to build.

Why not?? Hey, you could give this car wild hydraulics so it could lift up and go right over the car in front of it just like in the cartoons. Just kidding, you know I kinda’ like the idea of a NASCAR satire build….think about it, we modelers always strive to make a race car, especially NASCAR models, as real as possible, I think a little light-hearted twist on it is neat. This is different, and there is nothing wrong with different in my book. Have fun with it, just be careful that the ghost of old Bill France doesn’t come knocking one night to review this with you.

This is what I like to see...taking on a difficult conversion. So far it looks pretty good. 1949 Mercury's have been done just about every way they can be done, it is something with a different look to it and I applaud you. I am looking forward to seeing this one done. P.S. I like the rear door set back a little as you have it, if the fender rear ends are rounded in to meet the door, it would look sharp.....just my thought on it.

Harry, that is right, I forgot that you sit in the middle of some of the most corrupt politicians in the world, after this guy heads to the “Big House†will that make 3 former Governors on ice? Amazing!! I really enjoyed how the, also corrupt media, was so quick to point out that Obama had nothing to do with this. It seems to me that they started the defense before any questions were even raised…..maybe the Shakespeare line from Macbeth (I think)…â€Me thinks the Lady doth protest too much†is in order here?? Good luck in Chicago old friend.

I haven’t looked at this post in the past few days, in fact I thought it had run its course and was over…not so. You guys really ran with this one. One thing is certain, even though we have different views and different villains in our eyes we are all passionate in our feelings about the automobile industry and the pending doom that Washington is trying to reign down on them. I honestly believe that the truth is scattered all around the place. I have almost always found that matters are almost never black or white, but more often various shades of gray. Sure there is plenty of blame to place at the feet of the Domestic Manufacturers…they signed the deal with the unions. They signed the deals with the suppliers. They signed up their dealers with a close to ironclad contract that hurts them today. They were slow in addressing quality issues back in the 70’s and 80’s. But they also have many issues beyond their control that have conspired to bring them to the place they are today. Unfortunately they sell vehicles to the most fickle buyers in the world, the Americans. They are subjected to the whims of the American Congress and President who change the landscape as their political fortunes rise or fall. They are affected by energy costs and suppliers raw material costs that are completely out of their control. World politics thousands of miles away affect the production cycles in Detroit. World banking conditions, read: availability of credit for the manufacturer, the dealer and consumer, conspire to affect sales or more accurately, lack of sales. They have a difficult and dangerous path to navigate. When done properly, there are billions to be had…when done poorly, there are heads to be rolled. We are now experiencing the latter. As much as the Domestic guys garner my anger most of the time, I truly think the biggest problem we are facing in the auto retail environment comes from Washington and the State Capitals. Our elected leaders have shown a complete failure (I have said this all before, so I am consistent on this) of leadership. This so called “Perfect Storm†that has brought us to this point is clearly the offspring of a corrupt government run amuck in personal greed and power grabs. Please allow me to chart this step by step one more time as I see it. Please, if you disagree with my conclusions and assumptions, feel free to state your opinion. I think it begins in the mid 1970’s as the Middle East explodes with the Iranian Revolution, Israel / Arab conflicts and our reliance on the crude oil of that region. The Carter Administration embarks on two programs, one good, one bad. First they establish the Department of Energy, with, among other things, the lofty goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil, but it accomplishes nothing, and second they place into law the Community Redevelopment Act (basic name) that forces banks to loan money to non credit worthy recipients. This has its roots in well thinking politicians who see this as a way to improve the conditions of inner cities leading to lower crime and better neighborhoods. But like the Dept. of Energy, nothing is done. All during the Reagan and Bush #1 administrations, again, nothing happens. But during the Clinton years, ( at the demand of Andrew Cuomo, head of HUD) the banks make many, what are referred to as “sub prime†loans. The mortgage companies bundle them up and sell them to the big banks and they end up being spread all around the world banking community. In effect, we infected everyone with a serious virus that was laying there dormant just waiting for the ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) to reset to the higher rate. This was a time bomb just ticking away. In the 1980’s, (I said this before) the state, county and local governments mainly down south tripped over each other in making “Sweetheart†Deals for the foreign manufacturers to build a plant here to make cars cheaper than our domestic guys could. Tax breaks, land deals, no unions and young healthy workers and Detroit was put further behind. Domestic manufactures make three times the profit on a big SUV and Pickups as they do on small cars, mainly due to the high cost of labor. The price of Gasoline begins it’s slow up tick in the summer of 2005, due to world demand, weather induced drilling and refining shutdowns and then as dealers tell the manufactures that they will not order 2006 models because they have too many 2005’s on the ground, Detroit made, I believe a near fatal error in bring us “Employee Pricing†for everyone. That destroys the dealer’s opportunity to make a respectable profit per unit. As the price of gas moves up, the afore mentioned “fickle†American buyer begins to look to the smaller imported cars in a new lustful way and begins to shun the larger American vehicles. And all during this time frame our wonderful main stream media takes every opportunity to slam the American Auto Industry. Recalls for Honda and Toyota get hardly a mention as every little hiccup in the American builders lineup is blasted loud and clear. You know what they say, perception is reality and the perception is that American iron is just not up to par with the Imports. True or false, that is the feeling of many buyers. In the summer of 2008, the price of gas actually goes through the roof mainly due to very greedy Wall Street trader’s speculation. They bet that the price of gas will continue to rise and in a case of a self fulfilling prophecy, the price goes up and we are paying over $4.00 at the pump. As this is happening, the ARM mortgages are now resetting to the higher rates, monthly payments go crazy and people are facing the choice of food, gas or mortgage payment, but not all three. Bang, bang, bang, it all begins to unravel and the American buyer is now begging the Honda dealer to take his Ford Explorer or Chevy Tahoe on trade for a new Civic. Honda Civics becomes the most popular car in America and many dealers will not take Pickups or SUVs on trade. Domestic trucks, once the lifeblood of the American auto industry sit idle on most every dealer’s lots. On top of these problems, the credit freeze due to the banking upheaval limits who can even buy a new car should they want one. Dealers are turning back their franchise to Detroit and the industry is on the brink of a catastrophic meltdown. I don’t care what anyone says, our government was most influential in this series of screw ups. I know hindsight is 20/20, but if Washington had used good judgment, they would have established strong oversight for the banking and lending practices. I know the subprime market was a bad risk, the banks knew it was a bad risk, but Washington twisted their arms and forced the banks to do the loans. The banks didn’t cry too much as they saw the opportunity for a big pay day, but all I ask of government is fix the roads, protect the border, pick up my garbage and reign in out of control business practices, not encourage them. Government should placed tariffs and levies on the foreign manufacturers products here, not added bonuses to their production. Just keep the playing field level, not tilted in the favor of the other guys. Our government should have stepped in and slowed down the crazy gas price run up that hurt everyone, they sat back and allowed it all to happen using the excuse that they should not interfere with business as this is (was) a capitalist system. So they didn’t stop it then for fear of intervention, but publicly funded bailouts now are ok? This is worse…we are on the slippery slope of socialism. Our government has let us down and they point the “fickle finger of fate†at Detroit. As bad as Detroit has been (not as bad as the media lets on) Washington running Detroit is a disaster in the making. We are headed down the same path as Great Britain went down in the 70’s and 80’s…that path lead to the destruction of their industry, mainly automotive and we are following in their footsteps. Those that don’t learn the lessons of history are bound to repeat them. Gentleman, we must demand more from our government…..join together and demand term limits…kill the cronyism and stop the fleecing of our labor. We have the power if we band together for the common good of our society. If we allow this to continue unabated, we will lose our individual rights. As Ronald Reagan said, (something like this) Government is the problem, not the solution.

Lyle, this is looking really nice. My father-in-law had this exact car, in this exact color combo back when I met my wife. I always thought it was a great looking car...the vinyl roof always looked better then good on this car. Your model is looking perfect. Very nice, but I am used to that from you.

Hey guys, I think this is just the first of many disappointments with sports as we enter this new age of unjustified corporate greed and revenue failure. First, I have to state that I will NEVER pay any money to see millionaires play baseball, football, golf or auto racing. I will watch little league, Pop Warner football, high school, etc…. but the professional sporting world is out of control and I will not support it. I live just west of NY City, so I see and hear the New York sports teams and what the Jets, Giants, Yankees and Mets have done to their fans is just criminal. Why do the greedy Yankees need a stadium when they had the most hollowed ground in the baseball world with Yankee Stadium? The Mets, well, maybe Shea Stadium was warn down, but please do we really need a new multi billion dollar affair? You, all of you guys, and me, own our little part of Citibank, now that our tax dollars have bailed them out. Citibank signed on to have the naming rights to the new Mets Stadium, to be called Citipark Field, real catchy name. That deal pays the greedy Mets 400 million dollars over the next 10 years. Do you hear me, 400 million dollars of our tax dollars being used to put the name of this basically bankrupt bank on the side of a baseball park where over paid millionaire elitist athletes will run around and chase a small ball. The Yankees and the Giants are charging upwards of a 20 thousand dollar “vig†to idiot fans so they can have the pleasure of paying over 2 thousand dollars to watch other over paid millionaires run around a different stadium across town. The NJ Devils and Nets had a perfectly fine arena in the Meadowlands to play in but the corrupt (yes he was found guilty, so I can say Corrupt politician) Mayor of Newark New Jersey used his political muscle to have an arena built in downtown Newark NJ so that he and his “connected†friends could sell the town the land for the arena, land that they purchased a few years ago for “dirt cheap prices†and sold for major league, no actually it was more like Intergalactic profit, to the city. This is all so sick in these times of job cuts, and recession. Many of us are concerned about our jobs, and family costs, and sports has been getting more and more out of control every year. The Super Bowl advertising revenue is going to be off this coming game (2009)…estimates are as much as 15% to 20% off of recent highs and many of the regular advertisers are sitting this one out. Ok, it is not just the professional ball teams. Honda announced that they are dropping out of F1. Sure, F1 teams come and go as everyone wants a piece of that pie, but even Bernie said that if they don’t begin to lower the costs (they can’t and won’t) the sport is in major trouble. No kidding…all of the sports that rely on corporate sponsorship are going to get hurt. Look, Buick had to cut Tiger Woods loose for lack of capital. Cadillac will no longer sponsor the Masters Tournament, and if you are a golf fan, that is the Holy Grail. Golf in general is going to be hurt…they can not keep supporting the huge purses each week for the players if the corporations can’t pony up the cash and many can’t in this economic climate. Toyota said they are still in but, they will keep a careful eye on cost and if it continues to escalate, there will be cut backs. Ford, GM and Chrysler, with the government breathing down their necks, will have to watch every penny they spend on advertising…you know the cuts are coming. The major sponsors are all cutting back. Nascar will be hurt tremendously because there are so many teams and so many races. The cost to field a Nascar team is crazy…F1 is ten times as crazy. So in an effort to help the France family Great Great Great Grand Children’s trust funds, they slap a licensing fee on the plastic kit manufacturers because they use the “likeness†of their race cars. Give me a break!!! Personally, I am looking forward to the day that all sports goes the way of the greedy corrupt boxing industry. Let it all go to “Pay per viewâ€. Let the crazies who are willing to spend half a weeks pay to watch a bunch of arrogant millionaires run or drive around in circles. Look, I am not a fan of Nascar, so my opinion on the sport most likely holds no water with you guys that like the sport…all right, I’m ok with that…but think about it, they don’t care about you. All of these professional sports are the same, they constantly forget that without the fan, they have nothing. NOTHING!!!! Without the fans, the ballplayers would be playing in weekend pickup games. Without the fans, the touring golf professionals would be hustling members at the local private golf course. With out Nascar fans, most of the drivers would be banging nails or selling insurance during the day, and driving their own race car on the dirt tracks at night. These ruling authorities always stick it to the fan, the guy that supports and bleeds the team colors. I’ll give you an example of what I am talking about. A few years ago, my brother and I volunteered at a Senior (now called the Champions Tour) Golf Tournament that was held at Upper Montclair Country Club in cooperation with the NFL. NFL players played with the Professional golfers. My brother, his wife and I were Marshals on the eleventh hole, which means we gave up $60 dollars (for two shirts and a hat to wear) and 3 or 4 days of our time (vacation days for me) so that these guys could play golf. We would help locate wayward shots, handle the ropes, deal with “crowd†control and basically spend the whole day on our feet. I watched, time after time, the NFL guys refuse to give autographs to the kids in the gallery (and I mean on the practice day rounds, not in the heat of the battle days), the arrogant golf professionals turn their nose up to the fans as they would applaud a good shot, and a general dislike of the people being there. The players acted like they wished they were a million miles away. I could not understand the blatant dislike of the guys who make it all possible, the fan. If they are too important for the fans love, money and devotion then Screw Nascar. Well, that’s my take on it.

First off Dave, I don’t know you…I don’t know how you approach your/our hobby, or even how you begin the process of a model build. Having seen the work that you have displayed here, I have tremendous respect for the craftsmanship and quality of everything you have presented here. Your models would surely hold up under the scrutiny of the toughest of judges. I don’t think you need to be wringing your hands over this situation as much as you are though. I don’t think there has been an excess of negativity toward the builds I see posted. Sure, many are not as high a quality as yours and most of the guys here, but so what? I am happy to see guys posting their work here. It takes courage to post a build here if you have any doubt of your ability. You never know how it will be received. My mother used to always remind me that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at allâ€â€¦.well, that is a little too idealistic today, but I don’t think it is necessary to tell someone who has slaved over a model for days or months that their effort was not worth their time. I think we can always find something positive about most all builds, and besides, a little well placed criticism can help a younger less experienced builder learn and improve. Our skin is at least that thick, I think. Only WE are the true important critic of our own work. I say this all the time; I build cars for my own pleasure. I do not enter cars in any “Judged†shows, not because I am afraid or fearful I will not “cut itâ€. I don’t enter because that is not important to me. I only entered the on line contest for the “Beautiful Roadster†because I happened to complete a roadster, two weeks before the contest, that I was not aware of, was taking entry’s. I built my roadster for me and no one else. If others see it and enjoy it, well that is just great. I, as many of you guys, consider myself an artist. My “real†art is hanging on my walls. I don’t enter those art show/contests either…this is my hobby, and will always be one of my hobby’s. I built model cars long before I found this forum and I will build after it is gone (I hope it never goes away though). I don’t judge my builds by the number of responses I get to a posting. Sure it makes me feel great when a build is well received, but, I know in my heart if a build that I completed is right. I know if I hit it…I know if I successfully challenged myself and completed the build as I envisioned it….and that is all that matters. Forget the politics and forget the favorites, forget childish sniping and most of all forget the negativity……Do it all for yourself….for your personal pleasure…..I think building is a personal pleasure that is shared only at the completion of the journey.

Nice simple build, I especially like the flat finish for the paint...I have thought about doing that on one of my cars, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Everytime I think about it, the gloss clear comes out and I can't help myself. Anyway, nice job.

Gentlemen, there are so many reasons for why we are here, at this place in time, I can’t even begin to lay them all out, but I will try and list them to make it easier to follow. 1. In the late 1940’s, the Allies destroyed the German and Japanese manufacturing capacity with around the clock bombing. After the war, the US pours billions into their economies to sure them up. They turn to our leading manufacturing companies for assistance in rebuilding their production ability. 2. In the US, President Eisenhower embarks on a very ambitious plan to build the Interstate Highway network, thereby creating the American auto industries “Golden Eraâ€. 3. Gas is very cheap, under .30 cents a gallon and we develop a real apatite for big cars. 4. Americans, being who we are, desire new models and looks and colors every year. 5. The car companies are all too happy to provide us with new, poorly engineered product every year complete with shiny new paint schemes and more and more chrome. Durability is not important because we, Americans, want a new car every 2 or 3 years. 6. In the 1970’s, the energy crisis hits home hard and fast, and the fickle American buyer no longer wants the big gas guzzler anymore, he now wants one of the , formerly “cheap piece of junk from Japan†because of the high mileage and highly touted quality. 7. While the Americans are driving big cars, with our huge highway network and cheap plentiful gas, the Germans and Japanese are developing small fuel efficient autos for a consumer who has small roads, only local travel needs and very expensive gas cost. Also, because their economy is not as prolific as ours, they must hold on to their cars longer so quality and reliability are necessary. 8. Our manufacturers are caught flatfooted and take years to respond with the appropriate new product. The imports gain a strong foothold in America. 9. Being as affluent a country as we are, our standard of living is higher, therefore our workers earn more. 10. The unions forge strong contracts with the auto builders and the death grip is beginning to tighten around their necks. 11. We establish a Department of Energy to find a way to loosen the hold foreign oil has on us, but the lobbies in the Hydrocarbon industries are strong and well funded. The corrupt politicians do nothing to correct the situation. 12. The price of oil is relatively stable so nothing gets done all through the 1980’s and 1990’s. 13. American companies find that they can not compete with the lower priced imports, from a cost point, so they concentrate on bigger SUV’s, pickups and minivans where there is enough profit for them. Detroit, because of Wall Street demands for profit, quarter after quarter, must do whatever it takes to turn a profit…they build only profitable vehicles. The family sedan market is conceded to the imports. 14. In the 2000’s, the cost of energy begins to rise sharply do to higher demand from Asia and South America and a stagnant supply increase. The labor costs of American cars is steadily increasing as the imports hold steady due to their governments subsidies and our governments greed in giving unbelievable deals to them to build factories here in America. That is right, our government took an active roll in cementing the demise of the big 3’s ability to compete. 15. The gross hypocrisy of our completely corrupt feckless Congressmen and Senators grilling our American auto builders is beyond belief. 16. Sure, our guy’s are not without blame, but our government is just as guilty of a failure of leadership as they are. After all, the leaders of the big 3 today, are not the guys that created this mess…they inherited this mess from their predecessors and are now being blamed for the problem. 17. I give them credit for one thing though. I could not have sat there in front of those thieving bastards from Washington and taken their ###### without lashing back…I mean, who the hell are they to criticize anyone? How does that condescending arrogant elitist, Chris Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut, have the nerve to sit there and criticize when he was the recipient of a Sweetheart deal from the now defunct Countrywide Mortgage?? 18. The problem with Detroit, for the most part, is completely traceable back to Washington. We have a complete and total lack of leadership, all the way from Washington, to Detroit and on to Wall Street. As long as WE the people, elect feckless spineless leaders who are only in it for personal gain, we will have corrupt ineffective government. Gentlemen we have meet the enemy, and we are it!!!! Demand better…it is as simple as that…we have the power, we can change our direction, but only we the people can do it. We need to rise up and demand term limits…look, if left to the greedy politicians; they will stay in office until the day they die. We need to control our governments reckless selfish direction. We the people

Glad to hear she is better, I went through this with my mom 2 years ago, hospital to nursing home and back and forth, so I know the pain and time involved…hang tough and glad to hear she is doing better.

I have to tell you, the late 50’s and early 60’s were a great time to grow up in suburban America. Now, I am sure that many other generations would claim that their formative years were the “best time†and I can understand that, but my early years were a truly amazing time. We were so innocent and unspoiled. We had time to be a kid. Today, 12 year old kids know everything and most likely have tried everything because they have seen it on the internet…there are no surprises left for them. We were allowed, actually encouraged to be kids until we were in our late teens. We watched “Ozzie and Harrietâ€, “Father knows best†and “Leave it to Beaver†in black and white and it was the best, the best! We played Solitaire with a deck of actual playing cards. We, as a family would play “board games†like Monopoly and Parcheesi at night and actually talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company. Building model cars, even though I started building Army tanks and fighter aircraft first, was a great past time. We had no photo etched parts, no resin re pops, no detail wire so we used our mothers sewing thread to “wire†engines, and we thought we were “so cool†in doing that. Body putty (AMT Putty) was brand new and just unbelievable to us, I mean; we could actually change the contours of a model car…amazing! Then along came paint in a spray can, made just for model cars, and gone were the brush strokes just to be replaced by paint runs. AMT was producing 3 in 1 kits of the new cars, both hardtop and convertible versions every year (Ford and GM products) and Johan was doing most of the Chrysler products. AMT was making these kits with the custom front and tail sections that we could mold onto the stock car to change its looks which we (my building buddies and I) thought was just incredible. It was such a different time. We would save a portion of our allowance each week so we could save up and buy a new kit, maybe once a month. We would begin building it as soon as we could get it home and we tended to work on one car at a time. Buy it, build it, buy another and repeat, repeat, repeat. I have such fond memories of listening to the new Beach Boys album on the “record playerâ€, or Cousin Brucie (WABC AM)on my new 6 transistor radio (it was orange with a brown leather case) that I got for Christmas 1959 while I worked on my latest masterpiece. I remember, loading up all of the parts of my current build in the box and heading to my friends house on a Saturday afternoon, either a 20 minute car ride, IF, I could bum a ride or if the weather was good, I would ride my bike while the kit box was strapped to the bike. If all else failed, I would “Hitch Hike†to his house. Hitch Hike!!!! Today, no one would do that, back then, it was a perfectly acceptable mode of transportation. I remember when the 1957 Chevrolet and Ford Fairlane kits came out…gee, I loved those kits. I remember all of the great Revell Parts Packs and how we could change engines and taillights in our models…I remember the Revell Metal flake kits that were molded in translucent plastic with a deep heavy metal flake actually IN the plastic. Asw far as I am concerned, that was the Golden Age of modeling. I know many say that today is, but really, when you concider where modeling and kit production was before 1960, the advancements made and kits offered were such a giant steo forward, that in my mind, there is no question...that was THE GOLDEN ERA...Period. My favorite kit of that era was the 1962 Corvette convertible kit. It had a wild add on nose with a long extended forward grill opening and a fastback top unit with glass tee tops that pivoted open. I remember the frustrations I had with the AMT putty with that kit and the difficulty in painting it with red metallic AMT paint in the spray can. It took me to the edge, but in the end, I had it complete and looking pretty good to my youthful eye. GOD that was a great kit and so much fun to build. Too bad, it, and the rest of my early model collection along with my collection of baseball cards got trashed by my Mom while I was in the Navy…oh well! I remember one time, my friend and his sister and I went to the South Orange Armory to see the Beach Boys live. I was a big beach Boy fan (I still love the old music they did, and listen to it all the time on my CD stereo and MP3 player ( think about that…back then all we had was a record player, and we considered ourselves lucky if it was a “Stereo†player)) I remember that concert very vividly because I remember that I did not hear a single note of the music…the kids were screaming so loudly and the sound system was so bad it was impossible to hear anything…but who cared?? It was a live concert (my first rock concert, no less) and these were the Beach Boys. As a kid growing up in north central New Jersey, the Beach Boys and that Southern California lifestyle with surfing and hot rods were all I could dream about. Why was I in NJ? I should be in So Cal. The warm weather, the hot cars, the speed shops and custom shops and the Pacific Ocean! I lived much of my fantasy out through my model cars. I couldn’t be there in real life, but I could be there in my “Model Car†life. Through the music and the cars, I had my escape and my “Happy Placeâ€â€¦you know, that place where I could go and leave the stress of puberty and coming adolescence behind…it may have been a cold winter day in NJ but I was warm and sunny in my bedroom listening to “Shut Downâ€, “409†or “Don’t worry baby†and building my California hot rod on my work bench. My model building helped me get through those times and to this day, provides me one of my “Releasesâ€â€¦one of the ways I tune out the problems of the world like the difficulties of running a small business today in a downright horrible economy. As bad as the day is, the time at my work bench at night always calms me down….but back to the joys of a simpler time and place. The late 50’s were a great time in America, with the possible exception of the “Cold Warâ€, with its fear of the “Bomb†and racial intolerance that was coming to a head. We had won the Great War (WWII) , we were proud to be Americans and we had prosperity and hope for the future. Then I think, around the mid 1960’s you could see the changes coming. After the assassination of Kennedy and the beginning of the Vietnam War, things were not looking so bright anymore. Then came the “Summer of Loveâ€, 1967, the year I graduated High School, and the “awakening†of the free spirits, and free love movements. The racial riots, which I witnessed firsthand in Newark NJ, and the changes were coming and nothing was going to stop them. We lost our innocents. We were thrust headlong into a hot bubbling caldron of sexual awakening and racial demands for their undeniable equality. There was this revolution among the young, and I guess, I was swept up in it in a small way too, to rebel, not conform and undo the rigid structured lifestyle that we grow up in. Long hair, different style dress (remember those early pictures of Sonny and Cher?) acceptance of mind expanding drugs. Music changed too, physiodelic and heavy rock influenced our society. Sexual curiosity and promiscuity opened many to new feelings and ideas about relationships. Liberal thinking, a more European way of looking at things began to prevail and the past was lost for good. There was no going back, the Genie was out of the bottle for good, or worse, depending upon your view. I look back to that time with nothing but fond memories. I am so grateful that I got to experience it first hand and even though today’s youth have so many advantages, that we did not have, I would not change a thing. The internet, computers, cable TV, computer games, IPods’, and all the rest, not withstanding, I would not trade one minute of the time between 1950 and 1965 for all of the conveniences of today. It was a great time to be a kid, we learned real family values and knew how to make “our own fun†out of nothing. I was happy with less because I had more. It is like they say, “it’s the little things that make it greatâ€â€¦ So true. I will be lying on my death bed someday, looking back at that time with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye because I will know that I had a front row seat to the pinnacle of the modern society, I got to experience the best that ever was…and I will always know it was the BEST!!!

Is there such a thing as 'It looks too good??" 'Cause if there is such a thing, this build is there. Excellent job...but that is par for the course for you.

Thats it! Great to see the two together, they are a perfect foil for each other, you know ying and yang, salty and sweet, dark and light, and of course, plain and ornate. I really like the gold/orange two tone...long and low. Thanks for the pictures.

Very nice, Nick! A Smart Porsche, is that a Porsche that does its own oil change and tune up?

I have seen this before...it is very cool, mine ended up looking like a big "Smart" car this time...every panel was a different color (the first time I tried this I tried to give it "true fire" flames...don't really work). I realize that I may be the only guy on the planet that does not care for the look of this car. It just doesn't work for me, just like the 4 door Corvettes that have been built don't work in my book either...I guess it will sell. but as far as I am concerned, I like rear engined 2 door Porsche's.

Dave, very nice work, again! I love the small, but most important details, the emblems, the headlights and the side moldings are all first rate. I also remember theâ€golden days†in the late 50’s and 60’s. My older brother (his first car was a 1949 Mercury flat head coupe that he brought for $50.00, he would let me drive up and down the driveway, sold a year later for $50.00…I wish that car was still in his hands) , your age, had a couple of friends who were “hot roddersâ€, so I would always stick my younger nose into their projects. It was a great time, far more innocent and honest. There was no pretention….you were who and what you were…there was no hiding it. My brothers friend, Jimmy Jenson was a true hot rodder…he looked the part too, jeans, white tee shirt, pack of cigarettes rolled up in the shirt sleeve, hair combed back in the “duck tail†and a perpetual smile on his face. They were two doors down from our house and there was always a car alongside the garage being worked on. Jimmy’s dad was a crazy guy too. He had a big old Harley bike, black of course, and I would bum rides on the back of it on summer evenings. There I was, this 12 year old kid, no helmet and no jacket, sitting on the back with the wind in my hair and bugs in my teeth loving every minute of it. I guess I am getting older…looking back….it sure was a great time back then….news took a few days to reach us, only a few black and white TV channels and the only fear in the world was the next math test. Ah, youth! Anyway, Dave, the other night I was flipping through a Contest Issue magazine, from those other guys, from 2005 and in an Oregon contest was a neat looking Art Deco style two tone orange leadsled with great chrome details from a guy named Dave Susan. You know this guy? Just joking……anyway, could you post a few pictures here of that car? I think it will look great along with the black Mercury here. Anyway, great looking build.

Take a look at the modeling clay/putty I used here, it is made by Tamiya and is designed to do what you are looking to do here. Here is the link. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15607

This is just beautiful...it brings back many memories for me. Just out of high school, my good friend had a 1969 (I know wrong year, but close), that was a dead ringer for your build except his had the rally wheel "mag" not dog dish wheels. But the color, roof and interior were this car. You sure are doing it justice. Great job. Great detail work. You are getting everything just as it was back in the late 60's. I am very impressed with the quality of this one.

I missed this car from a few weeks ago...very nice, the color is perfect for it...it looks like a car that would have been on the streets of that time frame. Very accurate reproduction of a mild custom of the day. Nice work.

That is a beautiful roadster!! Very well planned out..everything fits the concept perfectly. The paint is great...the red candy draws attention to the design, which is incredibly........Sweet.

Simply beautiful...great rendition of an American Icon.

As much as these builds are not “my cup of teaâ€, you sure know what you are doing! Great vision on the paint jobs, I am very much impressed with your ability. Absolutely amazing paint!!! Great job.

Hey guys, thank you very much! I really appreciate the very kind words, again. I really did enjoy this build because it incorporated many different ideas and new challenges for me….homemade lambo hinges, sliding rear doors, ala minivan, tiny front and rear struts, two tone paint with a computer designed tribal stripe with a shadow stripe under it and four working doors. Plus it completed my 5 car series of Chrysler 300’s. Thanks again! P.S. I can’t wait to post the pictures of my current and nearing completion build that is on my workbench. I don’t want to post anything until it is done…but I really love how this one is working out…really good design, great paint scheme and a surprise feature that I think will impress you guys…I know I am setting the bar very high on this one, but I am lovin’ how this one is coming together.

He is a link to how I made Lambo doors, and the hinges for a Chrysler 300 Touring wagon I built last year. Follow the pictures and the text and you should get an idea of how to make it happen. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...c+touring+wagon Good luck.