Straightliner59

What WILL be accomplished, today, is the primer that's filling the chipped-out paint on the Firebird's wing will be wet-sanded, and, (I hope) will get some color shot back over it. Gotta' get 'er done. Right, Snake? ?

Fine craftsmanship is such a beautiful thing to observe.

Thank you, Mark. Your kind words are appreciated! I like the metal, for the radiator shell, too. The aluminum looks more like nickel plating than kit chrome does, I think. I have an idea that might help to clean up its form a bit. It's still going to be a squeeze, between the fan and the radiator. Thanks for your comments.

I got the fine-tuning on the roof a bit farther along. I thinned the plastic around the opening quite a fair amount. I will keep working at the interface between the body and the framework until the wood pretty much just snuggles into place (it doesn't, yet). I spent some time with a steel plate, some magnets and a blow dryer, and flattened the floor "plate". It was fairly humped, in the middle. Once that was done, I replaced the wood floorboards, inserted the interior door panels and dash, and set the assemblies together, and placed them on the chassis, to get a look at what I have, so far. I also tacky-glued the pressed aluminum grille shell to the chassis. I like where it's heading! Questions, comments and critiques always welcome! Thanks for checking it out!

Thank you, Robert! I am working on the roof, itself, now. I don't expect to get it down to scale thinness, but, it already looks tons better, with what I have already removed (not begun, in these photos).

Here's the new wooden roof framing. I evened out the spacing on the front three cross braces. Also notched them, and flushed them up with the frame. Next, I need to set up the Dremel to grind the roof thinner. Could be a little tricky! Wish me luck!

Looks awesome, JC. The stance is perfect!

I want to leave it open. I have been considering a roll-back canvas tonneau thingie for it. I also still need to notch the cross-pieces, so they will fit flush with the side rails. I need to thin the roof plastic, too. I needed to get it assembled, to see how it fit the body, though. Thank you, David! I appreciate your comment!

I am so envious of you guys who can build a body from scratch. This thing is fantastic! Hell, I can't even see half the stuff that others see wrong with kit bodies, until somebody specifically points it out, much less could I build a proper body. Excellent work!

Exactly why I said it isn't prototypically correct. The framing here is flush, because the sheet metal is thinner than the the plastic. I'll eliminate some of that thickness. I wanted to get it put together, because it was impossible to check the fit, without it assembled. Now, I can get to the fine-tuning! Thanks for your comments and observation, sir! ?

I got it a bit further along. Still need to do some straightening-up. It's not prototypically correct, at this point, but, it's almost "fudgeable".

I got some work done on the wood for the roof, tonight. I cut some little pockets for the ribs to sit in. It all fits together, pretty nicely! I'm stymied, trying to figure out how to temporarily assemble it, to check its fit in the roof of the real world, not just as numbers. Thanks for looking! Questions, comments, critiques always welcome!

Great book! So is his "Water Horse".

The best book on the history of drag racing is "High Performance" by Dr. Robert Post, hands-down!

Thank you, David! Your kind words are much appreciated. Indeed, they are. I had a bunch of different ones around that I bought for stirring stuff, so, I decided to use them on this project. I figured they've had plenty of time to dry out, so that they would remain straight, if they were straight, when I cut and shaped them. Thank you for checking in!

Thank you, JC and Steve. I thought I had read in this forum, somewhere about HRM's set, but, couldn't remember whose it was. Much appreciated! I see Model Builders Warehouse is out, at the moment. I'll see if I can hunt down a set. Maybe not having them will help keep me focused on my Model A. ? This Chaparral has been screaming at me, over the last couple of weeks, though.

Does anyone have a source, kit or otherwise, for wheels/tires for this kit? I think I can modify the kit's wheels to work, but, I don't really like any of the tires I have, on hand. Thanks, folks

That stuff looks great! They make it sound as if it's very durable, too. Thanks for the heads-up!

Thanks, Tom. I appreciate your kind words! I would have used basswood, but I didn't have any on hand, when I started playing with the roof framing. I had a lot of different sizes of craft sticks, so, I went ahead and used them. There were a couple of times I was thinking, "Hey, moron! Why don't you just make your life easier, and go get some basswood?!" ? The grille shell is indeed aluminum foil. I used tooling aluminum that I bought at Hobby Lobby, years ago. I simply embossed it over the kit piece. I decided to try that, because I discovered that I could use a little more room for the fan. Thanks for checking in!

Thank you, Chris. Much appreciated! I started using those handrail stanchions, years before there were any heim/ball joints specifically made for model cars. I bought a ton of them, back then (mid-'80s), and never ran out! ? They look pretty good, so I never saw a reason to buy anything else. Thanks for checking in!

Apparently, I have finally grown tired enough of looking at this thing, taking up space on the bench, that I decided to squirt a little white primer into a plastic cup, so that I could brush it on, to fill the chipped-out sections of paint, on the spoiler. Once it's cured a few days, I will block sand it, and shoot some color over it, re-stripe, as needed, give the entire thing a wet-sand, shoot a little more clear, and call it good...

Here are some wood pieces I've been working on, for the roof. I want it to be as prototypical, as I can make it. I've changed course, a couple of times, to try different sources for the wood, because I am determined to use something I have on hand. So far, I have used three different sizes of craft/stir sticks, and I still had to laminate pieces to make the front header.The cross-pieces need to be shaped, as they are fairly thin, in the real car. I've also included something I have been playing around with, regarding the radiator surround. Not sure I'll be able to get it to my liking, but, if I can, I think it'll be worth the effort. Also, the new head and water pump are visible. The old head is too thick, and interferes with the firewall. I wanted to make the water pump better, too. Mission accomplished, on both counts! Now, I have plenty of room for the pulleys and fan. As always, questions, critiques and comments are welcome! Thanks for looking in!

I have been building a new head and water pump for the Model A. Also started work on the wood framing for the roof.

Thanks, Kurt! That stuff used to be everywhere!

I wouldn't think a knobby tire would be necessary, for a street bike, but, if you need them, those bicycles look like a good choice.