Snake45

Looks fabulous! Well done and Model On!

Time to put this one Under Glass. See the finished pics here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94685 But here's a couple "Previews of Coming Attractions:" Thanks to all who followed along with this and posted comments and words of encouragement! You guys are the best!

I had so much so-called “fun” recently rebuilding my 45-year old “dune buggy in a sandwich bag” that I decided to restore/rebuild the only hot rod I ever built as a kid, AMT's “Sand T” which I built around 1968. For those who came in late, full Workbench story with rebuild photos can be seen here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93734 Long story short, here's what I started with: Well the little monster is finished, after about 4 hours of final assembly yesterday morning. Oh it could use taillights and a couple other little things but I'll get to those someday when I find something I like. But it's “done enough” to go on the shelf. As with my recent dune buggy rebuild project, I had a set of self-imposed rules on this, which were: Git Er Done. Try to maintain much of the “flavor” of the original 1968 build. Use original parts as much as possible. If original parts not available, harvest parts from one of the “glue bomb” organ donors. If #2 and #3 not applicable, use parts from new reissue AMT Fruit Wagon kit, as long as this wouldn't compromise my planned build of that kit. If nothing else available, scratchbuild or hit the spare parts stash. Leave body, engine, and wheels/tires detachable, “Switcher-style,” so the rolling chassis can be used for further engine and body experiments. I spent over 40 hours on this “simple” rebuild/resto project, much of that disassembling and repairing the original frame and suspension. As with my dune buggy rebuild project, I could have done it all in maybe half the time working from a new, unbuilt kit. However, I consider it time well spent, as I learned a LOT about building this kit that will be useful when I get around to building the Fruit Wagon and the other two copies of this kit I have. This is the first time this model has EVER had headlights and a windshield. They weren't included in the original AMT Sand T kit. I always thought the thing looked “headless” and/or blind because of that. I'll eventually come up with a better windshield but I came down with Git Er Done Fever and just robbed this one out of an unbuilt AMT '25 T kit, I think from the '80s or '90s. It's just stuck on with Elmer's Glue so I can easily remove it anytime. The headlights were harvested and reworked from one of the glue bomb organ donors. Mr. Glue Bomber had installed the lenses with so much tube glue that they'd sunk into the buckets and about half disappeared. I found that the lenses from a Monogram '70 SS Chevelle fit into the buckets almost perfectly, and the old lenses were sunk in so deep there was room to install the new ones. On to the pictures. Notice that the wire front axle is missing. I found that if you don't care about the model rolling, the front wheel backs/brakes and the hublets on the front axle are almost a perfect press-fit. I have the front wheels held on with a spot of Elmers, but I can always easily remove them if the mood strikes me to change them in the future. This pic shows my paint detailing on the wheels pretty well. I've been reading some early '60s Rod & Custom magazines and found out these wheels (sourced from the recent AMT reissue Fruit Wagon T) seem to be some made by American Racing in the very early '60s. And my paint detailing turned out to be pretty close to correct for them. You might notice that I turned the whitewalls on the slicks to the inside. Someday I'll find a set of good whitewalls for the fronts and I'll put them on and reverse the slicks again. Maybe. I kinda like the blacks. This pic shows off my drilling job on the header ends, one of my better efforts at this kind of thing. It doesn't really show up in the pic, but I pulled a sneaky trick on the dashboard. I was gonna cover all the gauges with Krystal Kleer or Future, and was thinking that the wood dashboard needed a gloss coat, and then got the evil idea to just cover the whole thing (the dashboard insert piece) with super-clear packaging tape before installing it. So I did. It works! BTW, I was going for an early to mid-'60s look for the thing. Thanks for looking and comments welcome.

Isn't that TV Tommy Ivo?

Now there's something I didn't know! I'll have to try to find that.

"Underrated" and "competent" aren't mutually exclusive, especially when so many people seem to have such a low opinion of Ringo. Can't disagree with you on Moon. Come to think of it, we could have a pretty good thread on who's overrated and who's underrated in rock.

The picture was there when I posted it. Really.

Me neither, but I was trying to tone a very flaky paint that was a perfect color match for a factory color back to the look of a factory metallic, preferably in scale. The flat coat did that beautifully! Perfect color with just a hint of flake in it. Then I glossed it (as I would on the model) and all the flake and sparkle came back 100%. Sigh.

Ringo was on Letterman many years ago and Dave asked him, "Who's the best drummer in rock n roll?" And with no hesitation whatsoever, and not sounding joking or ironic at all, Ringo said, "I am." And of course I laughed at him. And from then on, every time I hear any Beatles song, I listen carefully to the drumming. And you know what? It's just possible that he was right! He's not flashy, but damned if he doesn't always lay down the absolutely perfect drum track for every song. He's far underrated, IMHO.

Well, uhhh...some days, everybody!

That's the Johnnie Cochran-like lawyer from Seinfeld, but I don't remember his name.

I can tell you, because I just tried it last week, that when you hit metalflake with a flat coat, you lose about 80% of the metalflake effect. Maybe more. What colors are you thinking of using?

Exact firing order is less important than just avoiding the dreaded "hair parted in the middle" look if it's not appropriate. Or, conversely, DOING the "hair parted in the middle" thing if that IS correct for this system. If I'm not gonna try to make it look at least somewhat right, why bother wiring it at all?

Spent 4 hours on it today and Got Er Done. Or as done as it's gonna be for right now, anyway. Will try to take and post pics tomorrow.

I don't mind the body mods on that one, but I'd have to do something about the wheels/tires and the whole stance. That one's save-able.

Well I've got 3 votes for gasser and 4.5 votes for street/canyon carver. (I gave jbwelda's post a half vote in this direction.) Think I'm gonna try to go gasser or gasser-ish with this one, and canyon carver-ish with the new reissue.

I've got a feature on the Cotton T in an old Rod & Custom, and a color pic of it in one of the Street Rod Pictorials. I always thought that was a cool car, sitting so low. The pics I have look like the ones you just posted, except without the top. Very cool car!

Thanks for the details. It's always good to know what's working for everyone!

Great thread, seems to be EXACTLY what I need to know is there (might take me a while to figger it out)! Thanks so much. I consider this question answered and will lock the thread to avoid further effort. Or I'd lock it if I could figger out how. Oh well.

Working on a couple '60s drag builds using the magnetos in the Double Dragster. I tried googling to answer these questions, no joy. Maybe someone here will know. 1. I know that some (most?) had all the wires coming out the same place. Were there any where four wires came out each side? 2. Is there any particular firing order, i.e., if I'm wiring a 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 firing order, where do those individual wires go on the magneto? Or does it matter, in the case of the ones where the wires are all on one side? Thanks in advance for any help.

I can't say I'm completely on board with the whole concept, but there's no denying that your imagination and your craftsmanship are first-rate.

Okay, I found a couple different kind of slicks that will just barely fit inside the body wheel openings. With an inch or two of jacking for clearance, they'll look the part for the purposes of this build. There's interference on the inside of the fenderwell, either the interior or the chassis, but that's not a big deal--I have a Dremel and I'm not afraid to use it. Thinking of maybe using the wheels from the flip-nose '57 Vette gasser kit. They look sharp--would they be appropriate for early '70s gasser use, or are they from a later period? Next step: Disassembly and paint stripping. The body seems to be broken at both the A and B pillars on the left side, but that's not a big deal at all.

Personally, for our purposes, I'd say something designed, built, and intended for competition on an off-road, dedicated 1/8 or 1/4 mile drag strip. Street legality and/or potential street use entirely optional.