restoman

I had no idea... that's awesome!

From the re-issue of the Double Dragster kit. A fun build, a few fit issues, but still fun. Box stock. I kinda wish now that I had wired the plugs... maybe next time. Comments always welcome!

Cool stuff! Might have to look into this...

Very nice job. I really like it!

I bought a couple Dodge pickup grills and some bumpers from them last year. Might have bought a Dodge tailgate too... No complaints at all. Nice castings.

Nice!

I'd be interested in this... the '66 Coupe DeVille is my favourite Cadillac and I've got a friend who has two of them for reference.

Nice work!

For me, it's this one... Though I built it as a base model 383, bench seat, column shift Bee, it invokes strong memories of my first introduction to muscle cars in 1970. In grade 1, owned by a teacher at the two room school I went to, the Turquoise machine left an indelible imprint on my impressionable young mind.

That's frigging awesome! Female or not, automotive trades need more young folks entering it, with passion and commitment to life-long learning. It can be a good life. There's nothing quite like being able to fix what's broken, or designing something that didn't exist before, or creating something better. It's what drove me for over 30 years. Tell your Baby Girl we're all rooting for her!

Very nice! I re-did a glue bomb of this kit last year and had fun doing it. Yours looks fantastic!

Very nice work!

Fair warning: Do not look at those fotki links unless you're ready to spend some money. Placed my order last week...

I love it!!!! I've got something similar in the planning stages, hope it turns out half as nice as yours!

I bought the '69 300, as well as his '78/'79 Chrysler, and while I haven't started the '69 yet, it's close to the top of the heap. I owned a '69 Chrysler that I cloned into a 300 back in the mid to late '80s, and the resin kit is pretty much spot-on as far as I can see. Mine will be a bit of a custom, the way my 1:1 was. Never finished the 1:1 version but the resin one will be! The '78/'79 Chrysler is very nice as well, and is active on my bench. IIRC, I think I spent close to $300 CDN for both kits and shipping to Canada. I don't regret spending a nickel of that.

Nice, clean build. Very, very nice!

Very nice! Lovin' the bodywork and paint, and the six cylinder is a great touch!

What a difference! Nice work, as usual.

Very nice! I'm a sucker for Pontiacs of the 60s and early 70s, GTOs in particular.

Ayup... I feel the same. To me, it's all about having fun and relaxing. The need to be seen or recognized has never been with me, the need to be creative has.

Thank you. Nice to hear that from another car guy. I miss the work greatly, but it's beyond my abilities now. Every once in a while, I'll drop by my buddy's shop just to get the feel again. They're primarily a collision shop but the sounds and some of the smells are the same.

'69 Charger. My last full-on body job. I started this in '07 and finished it to this stage in the summer of '13. Not as slow as it sounds, as it sat in storage for 4 of those years. Another from another "shop", I ended up replacing the left front frame rail, the torsion bar crossmember, both complete rockers, front fender aprons, both rear rail sections, taillight panel, lower rear panel, both quarters, right front fender and the hood. US Car Tool frame connectors were added. Oh yeah.. both doors were welded up and the decklid got a new right lip repair. The fiberglass, duct tape (yes - duct tape) and tar weren't good enough for the $14+ the owner paid the other guy. Surprisingly enough the floors and trunk floor installed by the other fella were usable. This pic is when it left my house for the long ride back to the St Catherines area. It's owned by the same guy who owns the '71 New Yorker. One of the best customers I've ever had. It's not finished beyond what the pics show yet. A 440, bucket and console automatic, with A/C, power windows and seats car, in the original F6 green. It'll have a white vinyl top some day. And last, and sometimes, least: My '74 Super Beetle. We've owned it since 1995, been driving it since the late summer of '96. This is the first of maybe a dozen VWs I've done, and Boy!, was it a learning curve. I never should have bought this particular car, it was so rusted and cobbled. Covered in bondo and flat black paint, it fooled me completely. Wasn't till I started taking it apart that I started feeling embarrassed for having been snookered. Everything except the engine and transaxle has been re-done, and it's refinished in Honda Milano Red, and Chrysler Cool Vanilla base clear, with a white interior. I've owned a lot of cars, from big block B bodies, to Volvos, to Toyotas. but even though this is the slowest of the bunch (if you're in a hurry, take the bus!), it's the most fun to drive car I've ever owned. It's due for a freshening after 23 years - hidden hinges, roll back roof, different wheels, etc, but it's going to be the same old Bug we've come to love! Comments always welcome!

Last ones... The '34 Ford shell... it was pretty much scrap when he brought it in. Way back somewhere in it's life, it had been rolled and left for dead. I think it came from the US high plains area. Rough doesn't begin to describe what I started with... Straightened it up, converted the deck lid, put a floor in it, as well as most of the firewall, lower front panels, and lower quarters. I can't for the life of me remember what the colour name was, but it's done in single layer urethane, matched to a small bit that was still glossy in the cowl vent opening. The owner put it together - I re-did the fenders, boards, hood, etc. - and it looks gorgeous the odd time it's out in the sun. Jaguar. I spent two days aligning the sheet metal after another *shop* did some *work* on it. I had to wait till the owner left before I could begin to manipulate things to fit. He was pretty adamant that he did not want to have to paint anything. A lot of gentle bending, some not-so-gentle bending and a good bit of brute force got it all back to acceptable standards. He let me drive it around the block a few times. Nice! Unlike anything I've ever driven before. '71 Westy...locally owned, brought from Wisconsin for his daughter. Wisconsin should tell you all you need to know about the shape it was in. IIRC, the bodyshop bill was around $20k, in 2005 dollars. The mechanical bill was close to half of that. A new Scat crate engine, dual Kadrons, header/extractor, all new brakes with rear discs, etc... She still owns it and it still looks great. It was originally orange and white. Hell Blau and white now. The two '56 Mercurys belong to the fella who owns the Lincoln and the Merc woody. A nice set of bookends. Another shop had done the convertible for him, in yellow and white. When the colour literally fell off in sheets, he brought it to me. This is the only car he ever complained about the price with me. Understandable, since he'd already paid someone else to do it. The Sun Valley is stunning! These pics are taken in the owners yard, after he put them back together.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

I once worked in a shop early in my career where most of the guys spent as little as possible on their tools and a visit from the MAC dealer was sporadic. Being the tool slut that I am, I was the exception when it came to buying. He often made it a point to drop in or call just to see if I needed anything, even warranty. He didn't bother with the non-buyers. That was the ONLY place where the tool guys were hit and miss, and that was 30 some-odd years ago. My good friend, who also happens to be my last Snap-On dealer, explains his philosophy: "You spend money with me, I look after you, because I want you to keep spending money on my truck." Simple, direct and easy to understand. I think I put his kids through college...