Mark

Same problem as other Cragar wheels...plating got punky after a couple of summers. There's one of those Eighties billet-wannabe Cragar wheels that, in addition to the chrome plated aluminum center, had a plastic center cap (not the usual 3" or so one, but one that covered the lug nut area). Besides the plating on the aluminum peeling off, the plating on the plastic went away when owners used the same cleaner on it as on the rest of the wheel. I saw a set of those on a car last summer, the guy was still trying to keep the centers clean but had painted the center caps.

Around here, Cragars never seemed to look new after two or three summers, even if the wheels were stored inside and kept away from the streets in winter. The plating on the centers would start peeling. It isn't officially an automotive swap meet around here without a set of old Cragars with the centers painted over. Those wheels were first sold in late 1963...cast aluminum center with steel tabs cast in around the perimeter, enabling the center to be welded to the steel outer rim/hoop. Both sections are plated, not 100% certain but I would guess prior to assembly. You'd think that over the course of 55 plus years, they'd either have figured out that aluminum and chrome plating don't really go together, or (like the American TTII) make both parts out of aluminum and just polish them. I wouldn't trade my TTIIs for ten sets of Cragars, yet last time I checked the Cragars sell at a higher price.

Maybe check stock '65 Dodge colors?

Two choices for now...either the Coke version or the ramp truck. Either way, if you just want a pickup, you shouldn't have trouble swapping the extras off for something you can use. I'm surprised these releases haven't brought about a Great Unloading of earlier issue kits, as has happened with Nova wagons and '64 Cutlasses. Watch for an avalanche of hardtops as we speak...

MPC (pre-Ertl) did that grille/bumper for the Cannonball Run issue.

Like everyone says, only emblems and interior upholstery patterns differ year to year. The side markers first appeared on the '69 kit, as the '68 offering was a '67 minus stock wheels. A while back, I converted one of the '69 kits to a '66 Yenko Stinger. The Yenko cars didn't have any Corvair script or emblems, and mine has a gutted interior so I only had to deal with the inner door panels (and I probably could have gotten away with plain aluminum panels for a racing version).

Monogram's 1/8 scale kits came first. Pyro didn't issue their 1/16 scale kits until 1964 or 1965. The old CAR MODEL magazine had a preview article about them, as well as a couple of build articles in later issues.

The engine/transmission in the Wedge was newly tooled by Ertl when they combined parts from the AMT and MPC pickups into one kit. AMT (ex-GMC) kit, cab changed to Chevrolet trim (better than the old MPC kit IMO) with MPC interior, newly tooled engine/transmission, grille/front bumper, taillights, rear bumper, and rear half of chassis. The MPC engine and transmission are a bit better, again my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions.

The 429 Ford engine is probably the best starting point for a conversion. Builders of 1:1 late Cad engines adapt aftermarket Ford intakes, and sometimes valve covers, to the Cadillac mill. Before starting a conversion though, maybe check vendors of 3D printed conversion parts...maybe someone already offers a late Cadillac engine.

The 1949-63 and 1964-up engines are two different generations, different designs for the most part. The first generation engines have the distributor at the back, the later engines have it at the front. The Jo-Han DeVille kits first included engines for 1963. These are simplified assemblies. There is no separate carburetor on the early engines. The intake manifold and cylinder heads are molded as a unit, with the distributor molded as part of the intake. At some point, the distributor was moved from back to front, by simply reversing the intake/cylinder heads piece and moving the locating pins on the engine block! The runners on the intake manifold were squared off a bit also. My '63 kits have the early setup (more rounded intake runners, distributor at the rear) while my '66 annual has the later setup (squared off intake runners, distributor at the front). The '68 convertible reissue and USA Oldies '64 kits have the later configuration also. I don't have a '64 or '65 annual kit, my guess is that the change was made in either of those kits.

The AMT Nova piece represents a TH350 also, but it's not quite as good as the MPC part. MPC used a very similar small-block/automatic combo in several late Seventies Chevy kits. Besides the Monte Carlos, the MPC Chevy Monzas, El Camino/GMC Diablo, '78-'82 Corvettes, and '78-'85 Chevy/GMC pickups all have a very similar engine/transmission combo.

They are definitely from the two 1961 issues of the Ranchero. Annual and flat box Styline kit that was sold through '62. Not in any of the issues after those, and not in any of the Falcon sedan kits. I have all of the kits in question, and am positive about this.

The DeVille kits used a simplified engine, probably the same engine with some crude revisions from 1963-70. Jo-Han may have retooled the cylinder heads/intake/distributor (all one piece) to move the distributor around to the front, maybe they just reversed the existing piece, maybe they didn't change it at all. I've got kits for most years but don't have them handy to check. In any event, the DeVille engine isn't worth bothering with.

Those are from the original (annual and Styline) issues of the '61 Ranchero.

Paddle faster, I think I heard a banjo..

It was never banned that I know of, but for a long time the stores around here would only sell it to adults, not kids. One kid in my class bragged about sniffing the stuff...he was somewhat messed up, but then again he was like that all along...

I'd bet those can still be had as reproduction items, as other GM cars would have used them. One of my brothers had a '62 Falcon sedan delivery in the late Seventies. He got new door handles at the Ford dealer. The first generation Bronco ('66-'77) used the exact same parts, and Ford was still building those at the time!

The '66 or '67 Plymouth wagon in there would indicate that those cars were probably put there in the Seventies. I'm surprised this sort of thing was still being done then, though locally it was done around the same time. A bunch of cars struck by plows after being abandoned on the NYS Thruway during a bad early Seventies snow storm were hauled off and used as fill. Some parts were removed first: engine/transmission, probably wheels/tires, and naturally I'd assume fuel tanks even after those were drained.

I haven't messed with pearl white too much, only one paint job and that one was with Duplicolor. I anticipate doing a few more jobs however, as my 1:1 car is pearl white and I've taken a liking to the color. Next pearl job, regardless of paint brand, I'm leaning towards a base of solid plain white and just dusting on enough pearl white to get the desired effect. The pearl doesn't dry with any appreciable gloss, and you can't polish it out, so you have to clearcoat it regardless.

No-Tox was actually branded and sold by MPC. I've actually got a tube or two in a display case with a collection of paint sets, I should take a look at it and see if the actual manufacturer is named. I tried the stuff, didn't use it much though. I'm told that, to this day, if you separate parts glued with it (it isn't tough to do), you can still briefly get a whiff of lemon scent.

If I understand correctly, you applied putty to correct problems found in the first coat of paint. Don't do that, you'll then have to put a lot more primer and paint on in order to smooth everything out. Instead, remove the paint and start over. Tamiya lacquer can be removed with 91% rubbing alcohol which can be problematic to get lately. Once everything is clean, I'd start over with a base coat of solid white, or white primer if any putty was needed anywhere. (The previous "paint correction" putty should all be removed...in general, most, if not all, paint removal will take putty along with it.) The bubbling was likely caused by applying the paint right after shaking it. I believe there is propellant mixed in with the paint. Next time, let the can sit for a few minutes after shaking before spraying. Even then, spray something else briefly before going right to this project. The pearl will be translucent, so you do need a solid base color under it. When applying one coat of Tamiya over another, you'll have to check the directions...you may have to apply the pearl (and clear over that) within a certain amount of time, or wait a couple of weeks to make sure the base is thoroughly dry. No doubt others will offer advice too...let a few more folks chime in before finalizing a plan of action.

Testors recently added a craft enamel spray line, apparently to compete against Short Cuts and other craft sprays. That line has some flat and some gloss colors, the gloss colors include a coral and (IIRC) a turquoise that would be suitable for some Fifties cars. I think there are some bottled paints too, but those could be acrylic. Their other recent experiments like the CreateFX craft paints apparently didn't go over too well...Michael's had them for only a short time, the stores here were blowing them out pretty soon after they started carrying them.

Must be old stock. I bought a tube over the weekend, it was fine. I don't use it as-is, but dump some of it into part of a bottle of liquid cement. The mix still flows like liquid but doesn't evaporate as fast.

My previous issue kit does not have printed tires. The tire lettering is raised enough so as to make painting them pretty easy.

Did Petty run the later body (with those quarter window openings) with the Hemi? I was under the impression that he was transitioning away from the Hemi as early as the latter part of the '71 season.