clovis

isn't it amazing how well that guy...a guy who doesn't even speak English as his first language, can sound so good? When i first heard that they were touring again with a new guy, from the Philippines, of all places, I was like "Pssst. Whatever. Dude will sound awful." Shows how much I know!

Mike, I have to say that when I read your post, I was a little bit in shock. So much in shock that I really haven't posted here. They say that aortic aneurysms can be hereditary, My mom has a sister with a minor AA and a brother who had a huge one! Just last week, while walking into the hobby shop, I got a cramp in my back so bad that I thought I was going to pass out. I've had lots of back cramps, but this one...my goodness, I tell ya, it was bad. If I could have made it to the sidewalk, I would have laid down on it, but was too afraid to lay down on the blazing hot asphalt for fear that I couldn't stand up again. I almost told the wife to call the fire department, just so I could have a gurney to lay down on until it passed. Now you have me worried...my mother had immense back pain too when she was taken to the ER.

My goodness, Tom. I love that old '56. I have a soft spot for the 55-57 Chevy.

I was in Detroit yesterday. The Woodward Dream Cruise ended on Saturday, and there were plenty of cars to be seen, even though most of them had gone home. Some faves: '85 Mustang rag top, cherry condition Tons of prewar cars '65 Impala convert...possibly the nicest example that I've ever seen. '14 Camaro SS that had been tricked out. Not my style or colors, but I can appreciate car pride when I see it. '67 Camaro '59 Impala '64 Impala '50's era Chevy truck New Vettes...does everyone in Detroit own a new 2014 Vette? I actually saw so many cool cars that it is hard to remember them all. No wonder they call Detroit the Motor City!

I love that story! People of today's society have no idea how hard life was years ago for some folks.

I doubt that anyone is getting rich selling parts from kits. Aside from the eBay and Paypal fees, they still have considerable risk when they sell the parts. "I didn't get it" and "It arrived broken" are two excuses commonly used by thieves and scammers. There is also risk that you sell three parts to a crazy guy somewhere, and after throwing a huge hissy fit over some perceived and imagined issue, like 'The parts are for a model, not my real Datsun" or better yet, "Why didn't you tell me that these were plastic and not resin?!?!?!!!" Those folks can then leave negatives for some CRAZY and SILLY reasons: "Took 5 days to get here" "Seller shipped in a box. Parts should have been packed in a wood crate!" "Total rip-off!!! Whole kit only costs $15 on ebay. Seller a thief." "Had to drive 27 minutes into town. Post office wouldn't deliver to my new address." "Poorly packed. Sent in a wood crate. Seller should have put it in an iron box too." "Seller didn't say that my plastic model part smelled like smoke." "Bought Datsun part. Won't fit my Camaro model. Seller refunded and I kept part for free, but should have said in the description that 1/24 Datsun parts don't fit 1/12 Camaro kits." "Instructions not included? I thought that the trunk lid, doors, and entire kit was included. Avoid!" "Seller sent one part. I thought I was getting the entire kit.Seller is a scam artist." "Took 10 days to get here. Ebay said it would take 5." "Seller shipped plastic part in brown box. Should have been in a white box." Another problem with those selling the parts is that the next college boy that finds an incomplete kit at a thrift will list all of his parts for 1.99, and after that, a SAHM will list her parts for 99 cents, with free shipping. Next thing you know, the market for that kit will be utterly destroyed...ask me how I know this. I think, once it is said and done, ebay and PP will take about 15% of the sale, give or take some. When the ebay listings end, it will cost them .20 each to relist, if you already have a store @ $15.99 a month. 50 listings will cost $10. It adds up quick.

I have recently been able to open and review the new Revell Foose '69 Camaro. I haven't built the kit, but it looks very, very nice. I am impressed. While I understand that Revell isn't interested in pursuing new large scale subjects, it seems to me that they could do more with this kit. Of course, I am just a guy sitting behind a computer, with somewhat limited model experience, and no tool and die or designing experience, whatsoever. It appears, at least to me, that if Revell would tool up a new 68-72 GM A-body, they could use nearly every piece and every sprue from the new Foose kit. Sure, the model wouldn't be dead accurate, and they would have to fudge a little here, and a little there. I'm sure that scale builders, especially the bolt counters, would scream like no tomorrow, but Revell would have a new kit to offer. Many have surmised and 'swagged' that a new kit costs $250,000 in tooling, design, and development. I would guess that if Revell made new body using the Foose Camaro as a basis, they could slash that cost immensely. I would think that a new Chevelle might be a top seller for them, but a GTO with a Judge option would sell well too. The Skylark or Olds would do well, but the Olds would outsell a Skylark 10 to 1, IMO. One note is that the dash out of the Foose kit would be inaccurate for an A-body, I think. As well, they would have to tool new front and rear windshields for an A-body too. Thoughts? Am I crazy?

Extremely impressive. Guys like you are wizards...I am proud of myself for completing a vintage box stock kit, and not having a pile of parts left over.

Thank you for the kind words, but I have to admit that I am saddened for our friend, Andy, here on the forum.

Thank you for the replies. It is very interesting to hear about everyone's respective experiences. I wasn't a rich kid, but at least I had a car, and I am thankful for that. I have to admit, I was hoping to hear from some of the guys that are older, who might have remembered Model A's, and possibly Model T's, being driven to school. My uncle, who was in high school during the 1950's, remembers many Model T's. I would also like to hear from those younger than I. It seemed like the younger kids, for a while, all drove Pontiac Grand Prix from the early 80's, as well as the Buick and Olds versions. There also seemed to be a time, after me, that used Mustangs (all post 1972 models) were the rage.

Interesting thread. I will always be a fan of John Mellencamp, but his sound definitely changed when Larry Crane left the band many years ago. If you've ever liked older Mellencamp, AKA Johnny Cougar, or any of his songs, what you really liked was Mellencamp with Larry Crane. Any talented guitar player in the world can play Pink Houses, Hurts So Good, Play Guitar or Jack and Diane, but no one in the world can play it like Crane can. It was lead guitarist Larry Crane, and honestly, drummer Kenny Aronoff, and guitarist Toby Meyers, among others, that gave Mellencamp his signature sound. While it will never happen in a million years, I'd love to see Mellencamp and Crane on stage again.

Wow...I am so sorry, Andy. I really am.

I have no idea how or why a Polish native found her way to the hospital where my mother taken, or how she ended up working the graveyard shift on a Saturday night, but I will be forever thankful to her, and for God's plan, that the doctor knew to check for low hemoglobin, and then saw that it was low. I am just as amazed that she was able to quickly diagnose that low hemoglobin was the result of the aneurysm, which saved my mother's life. BTW, my mother is only 66, and while not active like a kick-boxer or a bungee jumper, my mother is no couch potato.

Three weeks ago today, my mother, who has been a healthy and very active person, collapsed on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night. She couldn't get up, even with my father's help, and said that she couldn't move or feel her legs. My father called 911, and for the first time in their lives, the local all volunteer fire department showed up. The VFD was there within 2 or 3 minutes. They rushed her to a hospital in Indianapolis where a Polish born female doctor asked about 8 million questions, and ran a battery of tests. Within what seemed to be twenty minutes, even though it was longer, this ER doctor came running down the hall, almost in a dead sprint, and said that a Life Line helicopter was ordered to take her to a hospital across the city. Of course, we were shocked, to say the least. Life Line? Really? To a hospital across town??? Turns out that my mother had an aortic dissection, which is a fancy way of saying 'aortic aneurysm.' I don't know if you all know this, but having an aortic aneurysm is not something you really want to face in your life. It ranks way above having stumped your toe, having the flu, and getting glue on a windshield, all at the same time. After an emergency surgery, which lasted about 5 hours, and three weeks in the hospital, I am thrilled to report that my mother is back at home, using the same bathroom where she collapsed. She still has a long road to recovery, and we are cautioned that life may not return to 100% normal again, but I am thankful that God spared my mother's life.

No, not a cult. I'm just a freak. Plain and simple. Nothing more, and nothing less.

That is going to be an issue should we ever want or need upgrade houses. But then again, once we sold this place, and used the cash against the other house, it should help lower the debt to asset ratio. I'm just praying, that if that ever happens, a local banker will see that it will be cool to loan $65,000 against a house worth $200,000. (Those numbers only used to illustrate a point.)

You are right, Harry P.

In my opinion, a credit score is really an "I love debt" score. The more a person uses credit, within their limits, and pays it back in a timely manner, the higher the score. That score will drop like a rock if you don't borrow money on a continued basis. Living under a person's means, some hard work, dedication to being frugal and debt free, along with a whole bunch of God's blessings, a person really can live debt free.

We haven't had a credit card in 11 years, maybe longer. (We got married 11 years ago) I know that, personally, I haven't owned or used a credit card since 1997.

Just hang out with me for a while, and you will soon figure out that I can't spell, LOL. Nonetheless, having a $43,000 price tag, they can keep their beautiful Buick.

We could be fast friends, Tom. We are debt free, and the last new car I bought was in '06. 99.9999% of the world thinks that we are the poorest people on earth, or something is majorly wrong with us. I've been blessed to have had some great quality cars, and we try to take care of them. Just last weekend, one of our neighbor was bemoaning the fact that they have (yet another) financial crisis, and they have "no credit to even buy a car." She looked at me and said, "I mean, you guys understand that, right...not having credit and all, right???." It was awkward to find the right words, and not sound like a pompous butt, but I politely explained that I really had no idea. If we have no credit score, it is because we have not borrowed a single dime in years, and my hope is to never borrow money ever again for as long as I live, God willing. Dave Ramsey is my hero!!!

Lasabre, Lacerne, Lacrosse. Too many 'La' cars. Sorry for the screw up. Like I said, I almost fainted when I saw the sticker, and had some memory loss.

Thank you for the replies! Can I assume that I can pull up to one of the main entrances at Ford Field, assuming that the road isn't blocked off, and drop them off, curbside? A person can do this in Indy at LO stadium, but if you go to IU to see a football game, once you pull off the street, you are immediately in a $15 parking lot, and have to walk a decent distance to the building, IIRC.

This forum, IMO, seriously needs a 'like' button. I'd hit the like on your post in a hillbilly heartbeat. If more people were like you (and I), we would live in another world. I have some neighbors who think that because I drive old, paid for cars, that I can't get credit, or can't afford to buy a new car. These people, I kid you not, live paycheck to paycheck because of their insistence to max out their credit to the nth degree, just so they can be considered 'successful'. What is funny though...I have chosen not to buy new cars, and this neighbor has been extremely vocal with his opinion about me buying a new car, even though I have never, ever once asked for his opinion, or even brought up cars with him, I have witnessed three repos out of his drive, and there have been numerous times that their primary vehicle is no where to be found or seen, for weeks, and weeks, and weeks at a time. Keep on doing what you are doing, young man. It will pay off in spades down the road. Every month, and every mile you can eek out of your 2003 is like money in the bank.

Jesse, I love that old Pontiac!