Straightliner59

That's exactly how I do brass tube. It works pretty effectively. One of these days, I am going to figure out a way to create a simple tubing notcher. Commercial units appear to use hole saws. I've been pondering this for quite a few years, now, I just haven't figured it all out, yet.

The injector manifold is, well, wrong! The stacks should be together, like a small block. I guess they figured they already have a Hemi injector manifold.

I got the reinforcing ribs added to the wheel "cutouts". Also mounted the spring brackets to the backing plates. The Winfield head is coming along...

Rat Packer

I have been working on a couple of things: First, I drilled the engine side cover to accept brass model RR bolts. As you can see, the bit (it was in the Dremel, mounted in the drill press) skipped in a few spots. On one of the holes, I was obviously a bit too aggressive, and ended up with an out-of-place hole. I will have to figure a way to disguise that! I also mage a pair of castings forthe brakes from a two-piece mold I made. I didn't do much cleanup on these, other than to sand off the mold lines. After that, I just washed them, and shot them with Testor's metalizers--stainless for the drum, titanium for the backing plate. I'm pretty happy with the way they came out. Questions, comments, critiques always welcome! Thanks for looking!

Hahaha! There are two chances of that happening: Slim and none!

Thank you, Jim. That illustrates just how versatile one of these machines can be. I reckon I'll need to set aside some time to delve into mine!

Hey! That could be a thing!

Bad Motor Scooter--A classic!

"One looked like a can full of worms, the next one looked like malaria germs..." Sammy Hagar has "Trans Am" and, of course, "I can't drive 55". While it's not a car, UFO's "Can You Roll Her" mentions a Vincent Black Shadow. Neil Peart's inspiration for "The Red Barchetta" came from a short story entitled "A Nice Sunday Drive" in Road & Track, I believe. I have read the story, I just can't recall which magazine it ran in. I would mess my drawers, if I ever saw anyone doing Rush, for karaoke! Good job, by you!

Will always be my choice for a car song!

Thank you for your kind words, Danno! The less expensive, the better, in my book. I'll be picking that up, next time I'm at Walmart. Thank you, Tom. It's one of those things you mentioned the other day, about trying stuff, just to see if you can do it. That's where this chassis came from. Somewhere, I have a '41 Plymouth chassis started, too. Thanks, Dennis. Thanks for looking in! I sent a PM, Tom. I love that description, regarding the hubcaps--perfect! Thanks for your feedback and for checking it out.

Thank you, Tim! I find an acorn from time-to-time. You, sir, are the guru, when it comes to kitbashing! I've been reading back through a lot of my old magazines, lately. That means I have also been enjoying a ton of your work. Thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do for this hobby.

Tom, maybe I like black, because it hides all my imperfections! ? Somewhere, I've seen some of these painted green, I thought. If not, I guess green is a part of my vision for this engine. I'm thinking a medium forest or olive green, maybe. Here are the first shots with the header in place, and the engine between the rails, with the body on. I will have to modify the pipes, so that they will clear the body. The stance isn't finalized here, the chassis is just sitting on blocks, to provide something close. I was absolutely sold on the BMW wheels...until I used a punch and dapping block on some tooling aluminum, to do this: The aluminum is scratched, and has tiny dents in it. That's just the look I want for this car. I have made three different centers for the Beemer wheels: While I used the rotary table and mill to make these centers, when I was finishing them, I used a tip that Ace (I think) mentioned that bears repeating: A few small milling bits can be handy to have around, even if you don't own a mill. A 1/16" ball-ended mill was used by hand to cut the reliefs in the disc, below. Small flat end mills can be used to square the bottom of an indentation. End mills with a 1/8" shank can be inserted into a pin vise. Lastly, this is probably my least favorite, because I think it looks too modern, for where I want this project to go. Anybody care to help me decide which of the four wheels to go with? I would very much appreciate everyone's feedback! Thanks for looking at this.

As I was looking through my photo files, I came across these pics of a speedster I started working on many years ago. These really are beautiful little flatties!

They will be the same as the old MPC Pro Stock Vegas. The chassis is a stock kit type with all the stock junk molded on, and the rear cut out for the slicks, and the front opened up to accept an engine. However, by using the chassis from the Dobbertin Olds, or Revell's pro street Beretta, you could build a pretty cool Super Gas car! I started playing with one, back in the '80s, so I know it can be made to work. As I recall, it was pretty simple to do.

I will be looking forward to that! I enjoy travelogues, and that one's a classic.

Micro Superfilm is safe for all decals. I have yet to hear of an instance in which it's failed to save an old sheet(although, I am sure there are exceptions). Just brush it on, and let it dry, and apply, as usual. They recommend multiple coats for older decals. Granted, once they've disintegrated in water, it's a bit late! ?

I have decided to use the Beemer wheels. I made a mold of the Heller piece, because I only found one of them. Once they were cast, the wheels just fell through the tire. I added a strip of Plastruct .030" half-round to the perimeter of the wheel, which, I think looks better than without it. I will get to the hobby shop in the next couple of weeks, and will pick up some .020" half-round, and try that, as well. Also, slightly visible is the milled indent for a hub. This one is 1/4", but, in order for it to fit the bolt pattern, I will go with 5/16" for the finished wheel. Right now, I am experimenting, working toward a master that I can make a final mold from, and have five lug disc wheel. The first photo illustrates the half-round,applied to the rim. The next features the new wheel, as well as the original Heller part, and the casting, without the flange, which is clearly too small. Finally, we have the modified casting alongside the "straight-from-the-mold" casting.

Are you doing a "Travels With Charlie" build? Did he not dub his truck "Rocinante"?

Obviously, this is a Comet, but...Hey! I can scan this for you, Tim, if it would be helpful. It's from Hot Rod Magazine's Yearbook number 11. It might take me a couple of days to get to it. I had forgotten that this one isn't a tubed-frame car. But, I guess that makes sense, since his was so early in Pro Stock's infancy. Thanks for the tip on Nostalgia Pro Stock, on FB. Excellent source!

I'm really enjoying your work on both this and the Corvette. I think the headlights on a deuce look so much better, "pulled in" like this. It's a much cleaner look. And--This is a great mantra!

It was. I have three of them, around here!

Thanks, David! I appreciate it! It's fun, in this wheelhouse! I've wanted and old style hot rod, for a long time, and one night, I opened the closet, and the little coupe called to me! Interestingly, the wire front wheels originally came out of this very kit. I'd shuffled them to several different projects/ideas, over the years. I first built them over 20 years ago! Now, they come home to stay. I have the Revell Woodie and the "Rat Rod" release of Revell's venerable roadster pickup. The engine in the Woodie is pretty nice! I was going to keep this simple, and use the engine from this kit, but, I hated the oil filler tube, and knew it would be way too much hassle to clean its remains from between the cylinders, and, off I went! I think I will make the oil line on the right side of the engine with copper line and brass fittings, just for appearance' sake. What would you recommend for green paint for the Engine? I think I want to go with that early Ford green. Thanks for your comments, Bernard!

While waiting for paint to cure on the Firebird, I worked on some stuff for this project. I am really liking the look of the wheels from the Heller BMW 328. They fit better with the rear suspension than the '37 pickup's wheels do. I will probably make new centers for these wheels (I made a mold), with detail for five lugs. Apparently, there are at least a thousand ways to attach the spring to the axle. If it sits low enough, I will mount the bracket where it's shown in the photo, If I need another couple or three inches, I will move it around, to the rear of the backing plate. Also visible is the area I cut out of the rear crossmember, to allow the spring to sit higher in the chassis. I didn't/don't want to "z" the frame. I made an aluminum side cover for the engine. It looked pretty lifeless, just as it was, so, I used a set of wide-jawed pliers to put a gentle fold down the center of its length, then used them to re-flatten the end. I still need to mark it, and drill it for mounting bolts. Comments, questions and critiques are always welcome! Thanks fer lookin'!