lysleder

That is a great paint booth! I have one question though; have you used it yet? Does it flow well? The reason I'm asking is that I have a booth of my own, and also dust control issues - and I have yet to find the perfect way to deal with the problems. A paint booth is something one get in order to control paint overspray and nasty fumes, and and to get the fumes out one has a fan to pull them to the outside. Now, as air is being removed from the inside, new air must be allowed to enter. Otherwise a partial vacuum will develop and no significant amount of air will actually pass through the booth, making it less effective at collecting and removing the fumes. Are your fans able to pull enough air through the brushes to make it worthwhile? If it is, then I might try to implement some of your ideas into my own setup. Please let me know. My hobby room is in my basement, and I found by running my fan I actually pull air in from the outside through the clothes dryer vent in the laundry room next to mine. It is so bad that after painting for a while I will see particles and textile fibers float past my shoulders as I work. I need to find a better solution.

It might not be too much to look at at the moment, but your mentioning Dakar makes me officially scared. If you are showing up with anything that resembles the capabilities of the mighty KamAZ 4911, we (the rest of us) are up against some stiff competition!

On the other hand, if he has a minor mechanical breakdown (like a flat tyre or something). - then the law will not spot him while fixing it in the bushes off the side of the road. I too have been toying with the idea of sporting a low impact paintjob and maybe even carry a camo net for such moments.

Welcome Philippe. I like your avatar. It is perfect. Now, why didn't I think of that?

This will be the first time I enter the cannonball run. After long deliberation I have decided that I will prepare and race a R32 Nissan Skyline. This is a pointer as to what I have in mind; Now, please keep in mind that this is not my actual entry. I will start with the gr.A racecar kit, as it comes with a stripped and built interior. I have one ordered, but not received yet. This one in the pictures is the street version of the same kit. Note the full civilian interior. Once I get going, I will (of course) have to raise and sort the suspension, add roo bars and a rack on the back for the spares, body mods as needed - that is mostly adjustments to the fenders to accommodate the bigger wheels- auxiliary lighting, and the list goes on. Before I picked out my chosen ride, I took inventory of my stash looking for suitable candidates. I also researched the localities to get a idea of just what kind of challenges the course would bring. The Monogram CJ-7 and Tamiya Wrangler quickly fell to the floor for being just not fast enough. The Nissan Terrano and Mitsubishi Montero, while rugged, I felt could do with a lower centre of gravity. My Lindberg F-150 stayed in the running for the longest time, but in the end I figured it to be on the big and heavy side. Then there was a number of on-road cars like my Tamiya rally Peugeot, but the lack of an engine, but presence of LHD dash made them an less than ideal choice. So at the end I was left with the Skyline. A fairly low and sleek platform, equipped with a powerful engine and 4WD. And not to mention a closed coupe so I can have my air conditioner running. The drawback is that the undercarriage is just not up to the job, so that will have to be addressed. While researching I came to understand that although the corrugations will be bad, the course should be reasonably flat so that excessive ground clearance wouldn't be necessary. A decent amount of suspension travel would come in handy though. In case there is a sudden need to embark on a real off-road excursion. As in evading an obstacle or such. Then of course there is the question of reliability. Is a race tuned twin turbo inline six going to go the distance? And what about the independent suspension all around? For the engine I will have to de-tune it a bit down from gr.A spec, and for the suspension I'm going to take a good hard look at the two Paris-Dakar kits (remains of, that is) I have in my parts box. If a design/setup is good enough for that race, I figure that a similarly equipped car should be good enough for the Aussieball. Either way, I'll be back when I have something real to show

Oooo... Paris-Dakar decals! Now we just need someone to step up and produce the Sinpar 4wd pieces.

I have decided to join and on what to build, but I'm not at the ready yet. My chosen contender is on it's way to me in a postal parcel.

Usually I don't get to choose. It feels more like the kit chooses me

Thank you guys! That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. If this cannonball is a go, then I'm going to have fun. I am not in favor of having an optional full-asphalt route though. I would want to have checkpoints deep out in the outback.

From what I have found, and from listening to advise from the locals (Ray Helix) it seems to me that a WRC car that is set up for gravel should able to do the job. The downside / complication on your approach is that very few WRC kits ever came with an engine. But then again, that is just details - if you are changing the body you might as well drop in a choice engine . Now, if you are lucky enough to find (and afford) one of the old Tamiya full detail Dakar kits, that would give you a very potent competitor right out of the box. Maybe save for the left handed driver position. I am toying with a similar idea for my own entry, but I'd start with a fast vehicle and adjust the suspension and drive train to fit the conditions. Right now I am contemplating wether it would be worthwhile building a two-in-one car. One that can assume both a ground-hugging stance on street legal race tires, and then - by the push of a button and a change of wheels can turn into a (just) capable loose-surface racer. Of course that would mean stopping in Alice Springs for a pit stop and get the work done. For now the question is wether the benefit of driving a real roadworthy vehicle on the paved stretch would get me far enough ahead of the field to justify the stationary downtime while changing over to off-road mode. What do the rules say? Would I have to carry all of my parts, or could they be waiting for me at the roadside pit?

I cannot speak for Australia's rules on rolling stock, but most any developed country has laws on this matter. They are all designed to ascertain safe operation of the vehicle. As Erik pointed out,tire exposure is one aspect. Another is thread depth and design (no slicks allowed, inclusion of wear indicators etc). Another thing to keep an eye on is the manufacturers speed and service rating. It is generally not allowed to mount a tire with a speed rating lower than the top speed of the vehicle. I see ( in MT's listings) that the MTZs carry N and Q ratings depending on the size. This reads out as vehicle top speeds below 87mph and 99mph respectively. That might be fine for the off-road segment, but I for me plan to go faster than that on the paved road. Maybe you want to consider stopping to change wheels at the head of the trail. - unless, hang on.. the trail is considered public road too? But then again, this is another area where artistic license comes into play. You could always claim that you had MT custom make your tires for you to your spec..

I don't know guys. I'm all for this Aussie challenge but - I think we need a detailed route map or something. I have been Googling "old Ghan Heritage trail" and what I find is stories about an apparently graded and maintained gravel road. The descriptions claim that: "although it can be traversed in a regular passenger car, a 4x4 is strongly recommended. Especially if you plan to use any of the many side trails leading to the various scenic spots and points of interest along the way." So now I am somewhat confused. How demanding is this route really? From what I have found, it seems to me that a full SCORE sanctioned big-wheel monster might actually be less competitive than - say- a WRC rally car. Considering the amount of sealed surface road to travel and all.

Well, that is the beauty of this particular challenge. You set your design parameters so that your ride is a compromise that will work both on and off road.

It is not really my call, but I'd assume so, traveling on public roads and everything (if only for half the way or so). Then again there is a paradox in there. Racing on public roads implies a deliberate intention to break most if not all general motoring laws and rules. Does it make sense to strive to keep your car in compliance with the requirements of the law, when you show total disregard for any law regarding driving and conduct on the road? I would suggest a demand for regular light equipment, and DOT approved tires at least for the on-road sections. Other than that, I am hoping for the officials at the technical inspection to be lenient when it comes to things like emissions and environmental concerns. And safety equipment can be up to each participant to spec to his own demand. As for wipers, I don't know for Australia but in Europe I know for a fact that wipers are only required on cars that is fitted with a windshield (which by the way is not required. - ref Ariel Atom and Renault Sport Spider). Maybe one of the Aussies on here can chime in on that.

I would vote for: 1. #1 Outback Edition, Aussieball 2. #4 Euroball 3. #6 Cannonball of the 60s

A question on the criteria to vote on. As I understand the Cannonball is a coast-to-coast race, and these vehicles are built specifically to compete in this race. Should I factor in which vehicle I believe have a fair chance of actually winning the race (as in being able to travel the distance at elevated speeds), in addition to the above mentioned criteria?

This is mine.. The idea was to do all painting in the booth on the right, and build on the benchtop on the left. As it turned out, the booth was better lit than the bench workspace, so the building tend to happen in the booth as well. About the booth; It has two fans. One powerful high capacity squirrel cage that I turn on while spraying, for catching all overspray and fog. Then there is a tiny little box fan (about 2 CFM) mounted in the top of the booth , that I use when paint is drying. The idea is to collect the fumes and bring them outside, without loosing too much heated (read climate controlled) air. What I found while building in there was that that minute airflow is enough to keep the scent from the glue out of my nose. So in effect the booth turned out to be my workspace, and the rest of the room is storage...

A wise man once said : If a disorganized desk indicates an disorganized mind, what would an empty desk indicate? - I will post a picture of mine tomorrow. It is not a pretty sight..

This morning I saw that my neighbor Ron's '40 Ford rod had frost on it.

Since Ford used the same frame under several model years, you could do like me and drop the old monogram '36 body on it. It doesn't drop right on, but the track, wheelbase and shape of the frames are virtually identical. That won't make the finished product any closer to stock though..

Is that a clear driver's door with molded-in glass that I see? The infamous "French solutions" of car design extend even into the model car world. WooHoo. I wasn't going to buy any of these, but seeing the picture got me intrigued. I may end up owning one.

For Heller kits, I see Stevens International import them, but they don't seem to carry the whole catalog. In 1/24 they only have the three E-types listed as "in stock", and the Ferguson listed but not available yet. So those at least, you should be able to have your LHS get for you. If nothing else, you can always do business directly with Heller itself, http://www.heller.fr/en/

Heller is revitalized out of administration with a new owner and new management, and they are on a roll with new stuff coming out. Now, accurate predictions are hard to make, and especially about the future, but anyhow; For 2016 I think we will get the two announced Citroens, the HY van and the Mehari. Then we might get a new announcement of a Mehari kit spin-off. Since Heller's 2CV kit is fairly good, albeit simple, I would guess maybe a Citroen Ami is on cue. For re-issues I agree the BMW 328 is a good candidate, and so is the Alfa Romeo C6 1750 Zagato Talbot-Lago Record A variation of the Citroen B14. Ditto for the Citroen C4 light truck Any one of the open-wheel race cars of the early 70's (Brabham BT33) unless those tools resides in the far east from having been released by Union and Renaissance. What RoG comes out with next is anybody's guess, but to follow up on their run of semi-old compact cars I would guess for an BMW 'neue klasse" i.e. 2002 turbo.

That's right!

I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a boreIf I tell a joke, you've probably heard it beforeBut I have a talent, a wonderful thing'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing