blizzy63

Tri-Power ended with the 389 and 421 in 1966. 1967 was 400 and 428. 1966 Pontiac brochure page below:

This 1967 Pontiac brochure page says that that air cleaner was factory stock:

That story had me scratching my head a bit since I recall the "streaker" fad occurred around 1973-74. The AMT F85 'Streaker' Funny Car kit came out in 1967 which, I believe, was pretty much still in the "mooning" era. Someone "streaking" in 1967 would be considered a unique, one-off occurrence.

To answer my own question: I believe that I'm thinking of the styrene Goodyear tire overlays in the original AMT #6167 '67 Ford Mustang GT fastback kit. (Also in the AMT #6168 '68 Mustang GT kit.)

While we're talking kit tires, I'd love to see someone produce a Goodyear Blue Streak Sports Car Special for early '60s track racers like Shelby Cobras and Z06 Corvettes, etc. (I believe AMT made some 2-piece styrene racing tires of this type in a couple of their kits circa-1967-68.)

I'll be checking out that new Monkeemobile kit. Hope the wheels look something like this:

"Yugo Edsel... What are you gonna do?" [Old Midas commercial] It's funny how at the time of this kit release (1967), the '58 Edsel was merely a 9 year old car. Shows you what a cultural joke the make was. (In my eyes, a '58 Edsel was no better or worse than a '58 Ford or '58 Mercury.)

...but an outhouse door bolted to the front is OK.... ??

Rear tires appear to be the same 2-piece Firestone "Bonneville" tires in the AMT/Round2 '37 Chevy Salt Shaker kit. Tires are molded in black and the seam sands out acceptably smooth. No tread detail; More like early track racing slick.

Here are my AMT go-to Cragar S/S mags sources. For decades, I've liked their realistic look and Cragar hub detail: AMT '50 Ford Convertible, '65 Pontiac Grand Prix (deep, wide mags), '65 Ford Galaxie, '65 Chevelle Wagon (and '65 El Camino), '70-1/2 Baldwin Motion Camaro.

I agree. I'm not a Mustang guy either but this one looks like a must-have winner. A first-gen-Mustang-GT mid-'60s dragger will look good on the shelf...

Or...I can just build another 'Boot Hill Express'...

It signalled the end of the Custom Car era. This "custom" was all about the car show circus...er...circuit. 1968 was owned by drag racing and muscle cars. Below: The begining....and the end...?

It appears that the grille/front bumper unit has definately been, um, modified... The hood has gained a pair of hood pins. The separate hood hinges are still in the kit. The rear bumper/taillight bezels appear untouched but there are no clear red taillight lenses.

If I dreamt that a bunch of guys were doing that to a vintage Ford...it would be a nightmare! I can picture it: I'd be struggling with them and shouting "Nooooo!" But to no avail; they would continue cutting the steel and slapping on the Bondo... (Kinda like my Grade 10 Autobody Class in 1979!)

Eccch! Fake-'50s hot rod for a fake-'50s musical...

IMHO, the best thing AMT Round2 can do with this old Shelby Cobra kit is to restore it to its original 1963 glory and leave it be (It should have its old Halibrand mag wheels back!). It's the original Cobra kit from back in the day and if a modeller finds it lacking, they should modify it or find themselves a more preferable Cobra kit. Below is one of my COVID 2020 builds. It was an enjoyable challenge with an experimental paint job and it got the building of an AMT Shelby Cobra kit off my bucket list...

Put three-blade knockoff centers on those Cragar S/S wheels and I'm with you...

I'm familiar with this AMT/Ertl release (#6601) from 1991 but I've never seen its contents or instruction sheet. I understand that it contains the solid-front-axle gasser suspension from the original AMT '55 Nomad kit (1965). Does it also contain the rear ladder/traction bars as well?

Yes. To replicate a version of the 'Two Lane Blacktop' '55 Chevy would be a project. AMT (Round2) needs to refocus the theme of their 1955 Chevy Bel Air kit from the now-dated 'Street Machines' to the current 'Retro-Gassers'. With the existing Gasser parts in their '55 Nomad kit, there's enough to start a basic early Gasser. Add colored window-glass, a generous decal sheet, rear wheel cut-out scribing, roll bar, and perhaps a needed transmission mount bracket...and you're on your way!

The first two issues of the AMT '32 Ford Model 'B' Roadster came with uptops but were never re-issued again (shame). The kits pictured are AMT No. 132 "The Deuce" (1959) and No. 332 Sport Roadster (1960-61). These parts come up now and again on eBay.

Actually, I believe that this '56er and at least two '57 Ford Customs used in the films were genuine stock car racers. The rest of the cars were jalopy racers. At least one of the '57s sported a late-model Ford FE 427 engine (see screen grab). The other two may have as well. We never got to see the engine in the red '56er but she was clearly a strong runner on the track. While I suspected an FE in the actual car, I kept the 312 Y-Block in the model but replaced the "Teapot" Holley 4-barrel carb with a more '60s-modern low-profile carb and aftermarket chrome air cleaner.

Completed a scale model copy of a movie car that I was itching to recreate. The subject is a 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria stock car racer that ran at Ascot Park Speedway in Gardena, CA circa-1966. It was featured in the films Fireball 500 (1966) and Thunder Alley (1967). The kit used was the AMT 1956 Ford Victoria.