Ragtop Man

That distinctive 'phart' exhaust sound of the S10-engined mail truck would wake our beloved dog Rosie out of a hard slumber, and send her racing to the door to scarf the treats from our mail carrier. For as much grief as the longitudinal 4-cylinder base engine in the S-10 accrued, they sure seemed to last a long time.

Also, Halberstam was the only one who got DeLorean's dismissal from GM correct. Turns out that very innovative antenna in the windshield of the Grand Prix (subject of an award winning campaign for Pontiac) had a big stockholder in direct conflict of interest with company policy... (SFX: FINAL JEAPORDY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYS) leading to the "I fired GM" cover story. Ironically, in the final chapter of his book "On a Clear Day" in his parting shot, he lays out the idea for an "Ethical Sports Car" that sounds exactly like the original brief for Fiero. Space frame, mid-engine design, body panels that would never dent or rust, light enough for good performance and excellent fuel economy... aye, we barely knew ye.

Well, if this isn't the most screaming 3D or resin opportunity in the bidness, I don't know what is. AMC was not looking for extra work or investement at the time, so I'd wager most of whatever needs changing would happen at a convenient panel line. As for, "What in blue hell were they thinking...?" AMC was probably looking at other entries in the market (Bronco, Scout, rumored Blazer) thinking they needed an easy way to keep interest in the product going. Since that modern look was working for the others... why not for them? Strikes me much akin to Studebaker adding the notch style Thunderbird roof and Benzo grille to the Hawk/Starliner to make the GT.

Everyone felt the pain in the era including Ford, but they seemed to have the ability to see up to and a litte over the horizion. Explorer 4-door, F-Series and Taurus made the fumbles with other less successful models (Tempo, Escort, et. al.) a sideshow. They were printing money at the time, but after Don Petersen stepped down the leadership was inconsistent. I'd go on, but the chronicles of the era including "The Reckoning" by Halberstam and "Wheels for the World" by Brinkley align very well with the tales my father told (Ford exec 38 years.) Both books deal with the heavy influence of the family on daily affairs of the company, modern Medici princes toiling in an otherwise faceless corporate world.

Super fly, indeed - looks terrific. The gold is right on, looks like the 1:1. The front clip swap is a great move - I fell into the trap of trying to sand the vinyl on a builder, which remains firmly in the box pending conversion to a convertible.

Someone who had a 'hip' dealer who was tuned into what L-M was doing, or knew folks within Ford might have been able to score one. Edwards in Lansing, Pfeiffer in Grand Rapids, Sachs in Downey CA... maybe even Mulligan in Detroit would be able to move the paper mountain enough to get the order through the system. A good friend of mine has a black/black '64 that he bought from a Ford employee, super low miles, secured under the promise he would not hot rod it. It looks like an HP, but last time I saw it was just as a lot of scholarship on the "K" vs. "D" was surfacing so it was hard to tell for sure.

If you want to start a flame war that would put Iwo Jima to shame, did up some of the crosstalk in the Ford Forums about what is or is not a legit 1964 Comet with the 289 high performance (solid lifter) engine. As noted earlier the idea that "K" = 271 HP as with the Fairlane and Mustang was different for Comet. I have no doubt this was a bit of homologation subtrefuge by Fran Hernandez, who had multiple Comet programs cooking at the same time: Daytona Durability Run, E.African Safari, NHRA A/FX and B/FX. There ARE legit 1964 HP cars in the Merciverse, but they are very difficult to document, most having lived hard lives, compounded by inconsistent reference in the Ford- and Mercury Master Parts Catalogs of the era. The most accurate reference is the paperwork, which can be found under seats or carpets, sometimes buried behind the IP, with a few documented cars having build sheets with teletype notation "COMET DRAGSTER" or hand-written "Dragster" in crayon on the sheet. Equipment includes the HD "Daytona" pinion 9" rear axle with tapered shafts, heavy-duty prop shaft, solid-lifter HP engine with transistor ignition and a dual-point distributor. Chrome valve covers and air cleaner were included, but those frequntly found their way to "K" Cyclones and Calientes. Lansing, MI based writer Roger Huntington documented one 289 HP post sedan 404 (!) sold through mid-Michigan dealer Al Edwards that was fitted with the Cobra "Paxton" supercharger kit, no idea where that rare bear ever ended up.

Brain melted. These are perfection.

That really sings! Nice job!

I think the 3D industry is a great candiate for supplying the true restomod/custom content; have seen some very interesting items lately. They can track the trends with much greater speed than kit companies. The only real barrier is branding and marketing, and knowing who makes what and what fits what. Additionally, watchers, it makes sense for OEs to assist/inform the better resin and 3D designers/printers, cos committing tool money for alternate versions to chase 'fashion' items like wheels, engine accessories is risky, given how quickly items (such as those in the earlier parts of the thread) can look/feel outdated. As an industry leader said, "every one of yours sells one of ours." While I doubt that MLRC moved their needle much with a few dozen bodies, the exposure for the builds that used our products was / is outsized within the hobby. To another point, I agree that the Foose '56 is a standout, have never seen a bad build. Moby must be watching and thinking... "hmmmm... THERE'S an idea" and that future versions of newly tooled pickups ('67-72 Chevys) would be wise follow a similar path with a true (Kindig, et. al.) version. To hijack a bit, I'm surprised we have not seen a similar pro touring approach for one of the Moby B-body Mopars, there are now pretty much every '64-'67 iteration known out in the market or inexpensive if out of production.

Never put two and two together, but, it sure looks like Limelight was the inspiration (maybe the mix formula?) for the old AMT Surf Green lacquer - ?

First the build is terrific. We sure miss Shawn, Tom Coolige and Don in a mighty, mighty way. I don't think 3D will ever capture their craftsmanship or passion for the hobby. Second, there was no MEL option in the Ford - that was reserved for the Mercury Edsel and Lincoln. That said, FE to MEL is fairly straightforward swap; bellhousing and engine mounts were common to '60 (?) maybe '61. Mercury products were available with MEL 383 and manual transmission, that became the workaround for the '59 Daytona T-Birds, which were NOT available with a manual transmission. Ford did have some MEL / Ford and Edsel-branded light car (Galaxie/Fairlane) prototypes circulating Dearborn in '58-59 era, but the vehicle dynamics once it diverged from a straight line were awful to the point of dangerous.

Would like it to fit within a booth I am designing - seen that SilentAire makes several, guessing there are probably others as well. What is working best for you, would like something of a more compact scroll-type. It there's a good link to prior discussion, LMK and accept my thanks for your patience in advance! Need to give the electrician some direction on power to the designated booth area. Thanks!

Fiero was pegged as an affordable, lightweight two seat commuter car, but with really aggressive Pontiac styling. At the time, X1-9 was big, and the idea of a really innovative car that could be a stalking horse for new manufacturing techniques was hot - enduraflex body panels, mill-and-drill construction, space frame design, etc. Pontiac had an entire divisional concept built around the car - they would become 'center of expertise' for this type of construction. A very innovative 4-cylinder engine was also planned (Manhattan) that was similar in concept to the Offy - with no separate cylinder head (!) - that weighed only a little more than a 4-stroke motorcycle engine of similar type. As twin turbo 2.9L was also in the plan, as was a body to be pressed from lightweight HSLA (high strength, low alloy) steel. Other Pontiacs would follow the idea - light space frame cars with innovative styling, great handling and great fuel economy, and the campus at Joslyn Rd would go from stone age to high tech, keeping a large and loyal workforce busy for a generation. Then ... came the GM law of gravity. Namely, "yea, fellas, that all sounds good, but we have all this other stuff laying around, so use that instead." The suspension that debuted in '88 for the final year was planned for all in '84 and instead components from X car and chevette were substitituted. Engine came from the Pontiac foundry - the clunky Iron Duke derived 2.5L - instead of Manhattan. Purchasing killed HSLA steel, claiming it was too expensive and hard to press with conventional GM tools. What was once a beauty became the beast...

Pontiac gave blood to keep Fiero exclusive, so I doubt that was in the cards. Initial demand had the shop at full tilt for two years, then as the service issues heated up (literally) and demand cooled... the writing was on the wall. The plant would have broken even with one full shift, but, Bob Stemple had other plans as GM struggled mightily in the dawn of gulf war 1989. Reiterating the Bill Cosby line: "I brought you into this world, I can take you out..." he croaked Fiero even though Special Vehicles had a signed deal with ASC to turn over the plants and contracts to sell Fiero through all GM dealers and overseas.

And if the chassis/powetrain doesn't wind up under the Moby '65 Comets.. AMTs Comet/Fairlane/Meteor/Rancheros of similar dimension and origin...Revell Thunderbolts... Giveaway Trumpeter Falcons and Rancheros... I'll be very surprised. FWIW modern hot rod and street machine publications as well as SEMA and Ridler competitions would debate the idea that pro touring or whatever you want to call it is anything but alive and well. Not always my cup of tea, but I think this will be a terrific addition to their portfolio. Some very sharp creative vision and wise investment on Moby's part, IMHO.

Totally grooving on this - and it would definitely be a Harb's Hobby Finalist for sure. Getting closure on a long stalled project is one of the great feelings in the hobby. To review, though: is this the original 25T chassis? Love, love, love the idea of repurposing the early hemi for this, although I would keep a fire extinguisher handy for when a float sticks in one of those old Teapots.

Not sure my money would be on the table for it - but I would also bet that a 3D printed Magnum or 300 transkit would be a popular and profitable download, in that same commercial pocket as '70s Grand Am/Grand Prix with high interest in a narrow scope. FWIW, in 1979, I thought that 300 was the absolute shyte - Chrysler had resurrected a great name! Stalked the downriver dealer in Taylor after arrival, was sized up by the salesman as having insufficent funds for further conversation, but he did say they had a lot of interest and a markup on it. As 1979 unfolded and Detroit collapsed in the Iran oil crisis... the markup was gone and I'm fairly sure the salesman was, too. In the end, my last visit, the poor thing had been marked down to the bone, and I'm not sure if the store survived ChryCo BK.

Innaday, GM was a pretty soft touch for the planners on S-Truck - any means they had to increase retail sales penetration would get an audience. They needed as many 4-cylinder S' in the mix as possible, the better to chin the CAFE bar for the V-8s in full-size pickups that were stupendously profitable. No one has mentioned - yet - in 1:1 scale the S-Truck is an excellent low-cost frame donor for an early Chevy "advance design" pickup. If I'm recalling the story properly, the rig of choice is an extended cab standard bed, which puts the wheelbase in nearly the perfect location, and cab/bed mounts within backyard adjustment. In 1:25, I'd imagine similar results would be possible, might make a neat conversion if you had a partial or started kit just sitting there looking for some attention.

Can't say that MPC wasn't really trying hard in that era to bring value to the builder! As a kid, I learned a lot about 1:1 from 1:25 kits - and I also recall they went together fairly well. Sure would like to find a '68-'69 Jeepster builder kit, IIRC they were an early source for the diecast Ford XL wheel covers, or were pretty close.

In '74 There was a great story in CARS Magazine (maybe SSDI?) about that exact 1:1 vehicle and powertrain. Mag went in thinking they would get the last 440 but apparently missed a cutoff, ordered the hot 360 after a tip from their PR contact. Black on black, with just the wheel lip moldings, Rallys and G60 Goodyears, hood pins, TF+slap stik, Tuff wheel, guages, yadda yadda. Left off the kiddy candy, car looked like a million bucks. A B-Body was pretty heavy, then, so it was unlikely to ET but it was otherwise an excellent performance car.

Tim: Do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The winner swap for this would be the 3.4L TDC V6 that was in the Revell Grand Prix - I drove a prototype in the day and it was ALL that, unfortunately nixed just when they had it right. Northstars/Shortstars were a thing for a minute; 3800 is gutty and fun, LS4 transverse V8 from the GXP is a cool swap, too. Nice kit that I really need to revisit.

"Tilt"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is incredible.

Need to get this out in natural light and pump some love into the roof.quarter so we can see it better!