NJJeff

Wow, very realistic, I bet you can almost smell the mouse nests under the seats! Well done!

Beautiful build of a great car. Super clean and excellently detailed!

Very, very nice!

Well done!

Looks good Phillip! I'm wondering if by moving the engine forward, that there's something keeping the body from sitting down in the front. On the one I built a few months ago, I didn't experience any engine placement issues and the front edge of the body sits about 1/16" off the ground. You may have some interference going on under there?

Excellent workmanship! The finish on those valve covers is outstanding!

http://wareagleracing.com/1982.jpg Thanks James, I'm shooting for the '82 Firebird. Competition Resins sent me a replacement body yesterday at no cost and i'm in the process of prepping it. Once it's ready, I'll primer it and wait a few days to make sure I don't have the same issue as before. Looking forward to getting some paint on it.

Thanks guys, i'm plugging away at the chassis using the old body for fitting everything. Hopefully, the new body will get here this week and be better.

Quick update: engine and fuel cell are in, now i'm working on connectig fuel lines and control cables.

Thanks Roger, much appreciated.

Like Force said, it's a scavenging system to allow blowby gases out of the crankcase using the exhaust. There's also a one-way valve on each header collector to prevent exhaust from entering the hoses.

On the late model Revell funny car kits, the handbrake lever has 2 other levers attached to it. Are they for the fire bottles and chute release? If that's the case would the fuel shutoff lever be on the left side of the cockpit? Before I start running mystery cables all over the place, just want to get it right. Any help will be appreciated, thanks. (my ongoing build is in the On the Workbench area- War Eagle WIP)

These MPC kits build up nicely and have a great stance. You've got a killer build going Phillip!

Barrel valve is done and added a couple of fuel lines. Seems like the older I get, the smaller these parts get, lol!

Looking good!

Nice choice of subject and well done!

Well, while I wait for a replacement body, I'm continuing on with the chassis. Thanks for the comments and encouragement. I've tried everything to salvage the body, but despite all my efforts, it continues to leach an oily residue that wrecks the paint. The experts tell me it's not fixable, either out of date components or improper mix ratio of the resin. Got the brakes installed, the seats and belts, and have been working on the motor. I'm currently building a barrel valve and making fuel lines. Here's a few pics...

Nicely done! Excellent work on the engine detail.

Really nice Jim. Beautiful build.

Thanks Joe, I appreciate the info. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I even restripped it, recleaned it and shot it with enamel. Same result. I'll try contacting the manufacturer again. My first note went unanswered.

This project is shelved. Having huge issues with the resin body. Something is leaching out of the resin and wrecking the paint. Soaking, cleaning, scrubbing.....nothing I've done has fixed or even lessened the issue. Maybe I'll get back to it sometime....too frustrated to continue.

Ok folks, thats it. I quit. 24 hour soak in Bleche-White, rinsed, scrubbed with dish detergent, then a 2 hour soak in Spray-Nine, rinsed, scrubbed, rinsed, and an isopropanol alcohol rinse. Primed, and painted. 2 hours later, the leaching returned in all the same spots. This body is unusable. I am extremely frustrated. I've absolutely wasted 20 plus hours on this body, plus the chassis was painted and detailed for this specific car..... I expect challenges and issues on every build but this is too much.

It's a Competition Resins body. I've used rwo others in the past with no issues like this. Here's where it gets really ugly. After my success with the underside, I masked it off, primered and painted the topside. It came out great. There's a pic on thworkbench forum under War Eagle WIP. I went to bed a happy camper. This morning when I checked it, all the gooey spots had returned on both sides.....so after briefly contemplating stomping on it, I left it on the porch to cure when I went to work. When I got home, there was no change. Still tacky (like masking tape) everywhere I had agressively removed material. I sighed, gave it a swim in lacquer thinner, removed all the paint, scrubbed it , dried it and threw it overboard in fresh Bleche-White. Four hours later, I removed it, scrubbed it, wet sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper, and dumped it back in the cleaner where it will remain until tomorrow night. I'll scrub it again, primer it and wait another day. If the issue returns, well, thats it, I'm done with it. I've already got about 20 hours into this body and that's too much. I sent Roger (Comp Resins) a note about my issue but havent heard back yet. I could put a firecracker under it, set it off, and glue what remains of the front clip on the chassis and viola', a blower explosion diorama... And thanks for the notes, its nice to have the support and help.

Now you're talkin'!!! Can't wait to see 'em!

Update: it must have been because I soaked the body prior to all the material removal. Sanding that deep must have uncovered fresh resin because I later painted the outside of the body with no issues at all. Now I know to resoak post-sanding as well.