restoman

Oh, I don't know... he did manage to make it to the podium 26 times. He wasn't his Dad on the track, no doubt, and the Earnhardt name is a big one, but I think he managed to get and keep the sponsors on his own. Sponsors spend to get their name out their - there is no other reason - and like it or not, Jr. delivered that, along with some decent race results throughout his career. I thin the majority of fans see him as a bit of a throwback to the way things used to be. He's about as honest and plain-spoken as anyone in the garage. Chase Elliot is going to pick up a lot of Jr. fans, so if you aren't wild about particular drivers getting a lot of air time hold onto your hat: it ain't over yet!

...And it was a big part of their win, but the 78 team was a league ahead of everyone this year. To get to the Championship level in such a short time frame is incredible - help from JGR or not. Pretty happy they won - especially by beating the 18 - but I was a little disappointed to not hear anyone throw some thanks out to Kurt Busch. His brief stay with them was the beginning of them going from "the little team from Denver" to Nascar Champion.

Before SHR switched to Ford, they had a close working relationship with Hendrick and used Hendrick engines and chassis, with a fair bit of engineering help from Hendrick teams...it was really some of the best equipment in the series. She has had some good runs but never enough to be anywhere near the consistency needed to be competitive. Whether it was a lack of chemistry with her crew chiefs or a failure on her part to communicate what she needed to run fast, she never really made it out of the 25-30th place field. In a "what have you done lately" series, she couldn't produce. Tony Stewart is a results-driven guy himself - you had to know that at some point, her lack of said results and loads of torn-up equipment was going to factor in to her future. Throw in a lack of big $$$$ sponsorship and it was her time to leave. I gotta admit though: she was a lot easier to like once the talking heads stopped telling us how good she was, usually seconds before she stuffed the car into the wall.

8 wins on the year - pretty darned hard to beat a team that does that. So glad the 18 couldn't catch him... the guy is a phenomenal driver but for some reason still acts like a punk. I used to watch Cole Pearn race the #20 Kubota car in the old Cascar series up here. Stoked to see him win a Championship as a #1 crew chief!

Back to it... For some reason, foiling the side trim has been, uh, fun. I used enough foil to do two cars. Think I need my eyes checked...

Got some colour on it... a light polish and that will be good. Fiddling with the interior now, trying to get it to look more like a Heb and less like a Cabriolet. I chopped down the high-back bucket seats and re-formed the seat backs to look more period-correct. I think they turned out ok. Presently working on the rear storage/jump seat/convertible top area... fun, fun, fun! Not sure if I'm liking the Fuchs wheels now... got a set of chrome steel wheels from a Porsche 904 kit and some wide whites that I might use instead... Comments always welcome.

I like it!

The 383 in my '69 Road Runner was red. It's long gone now, no idea on a build date. It was the original engine according to the original owner... The 383 HP in my A/C equipped '69 Newport Custom was turquoise... Also long gone.

I've bought several parts from him. Initially they were pretty decent but the last two orders had quite a few pinholes. He replaced a Duster bench seat for me, at his choice, and included it in my last order. There was no hesitation on his part to do that, so I can say I've never had any problems with the service from him. I'd buy from him again but I won't be expecting flawless parts. Just part of resin parts purchasing...He does offer parts that don't seem available elsewhere.

Yup, A Stupor Beetle. At 5'11" I had ample room, but my 6'3" son can't even get his legs past the steering wheel...

Yeah, the Qashqai has that X-Tronic sport mode as well. Haven't tried it yet... Up until the day when I could no longer move my feet fast enough to step on the brakes in a hurry, this was my chosen daily driver: about as basic as you can get and still not get the s*&t kicked out of going down the road. Wish I could still drive it... No computers, no fancy back up systems, no A\C, no ABS, etc... just a basic car.

We just leased a 2017 Nissan Qashqai, AWD with a CVT. It's...ok. As a gearhead (pun intended) I just can't get used to the "something is missing" feeling when it's accelerating. I'm sure it's great on gas - haven't had it long enough yet to know how great - but compared to the fantastic automatic in our old S40 Volvo, it's not much fun. That Volvo unit always seemed to be in the right gear and the full-throttle-turbo-spooled-up shifts are a thing of beauty! On a side-note, I cannot believe how difficult is it nowadays to get a manual transmission in some vehicles.

Looks great Bill! Nice work. The last full size body-resto I did was on a '69 Charger in just about as rough shape, though the firewall and cowl were fine. I got it after another "body man" botched it horribly: I replaced the left front rail, rad support, torsion bar crossmember, both rockers, rear rails, taillight panel and rear filler, dutchman panel, quarters, decklid and one front fender. The other guy actually used silver tape on the rockers and other places, and charged big bucks for "metal work"... I had it for four years, working on it on an off-and-on basis. It's a 440, auto, A/C, power windows and locks, buckets and console car. Currently awaiting the owner to get the desire to finish it.

This one is going to be lowered somewhat, Porsche wheels (not the ones pictured) and red and black two tone... so I'm close.

Ready for final prep and paint... I added the side moldings along the belt line, as well as on the hood and running boards. Had one on the decklid too, but didn't like it. And the convertible top molding was a me creation. Paint tomorrow, hopefully.

I use both, though rarely do I spray a body with 1K. Everything above is on the money, but thirty+ years of holding a spray gun in my mitt makes me much more comfortable with 2K. That, and all it takes is that one time when the 1K spray nozzle spits a glob or three of paint or clear and the euphoria of a simple paint job is ruined for me. For me, I just like the fact that with a spray can I'm at the mercy of a 50 cent nozzle while with the mini HVLP I have all the control. I also dig the fact that when I spray that one over-thinned coat of clear, I'm done except for possibly a speck of dust or two. I've spent years polishing 1:1 scale cars but don't really have much luck polishing 1/25 scale... it's a skill that I haven't quite gotten a handle on. I'm completely envious of some of the paint jobs I see on this forum, especially when I read they're from a spray can like that hood above.

Our local hobby shop is hurting. The owner is looking at closing, possibly before winter. Says there just isn't any money in it anymore and it's so hard to get stock from his supplier. The Canadian exchange rate hurts him to the point of razor-slim margins. I support him as much as possible, because when he's gone there is no one left in town other than Michaels. I hate that place... There is a Hobby Lobby across the river in Port Huron Michigan, about 20 minutes away and they've got a decent stock of kits and supplies, but I like dealing local whenever possible. Besides, the local owner has an awesome, sarcastic personality and we hit it off just great. Also drives a nice '70 Challeger R/T in the summer.

Very nice job!

Finally finished and Under Glass.

My version of what a talented home-builder on a budget might have come up with in the early to mid-fifties... I couldn't give this kit away so i decided to do something with it myself. I kept the kits' main body, dash, seat, steering wheel, front suspension and front tires radius rods and the headlamps. The body needed lots of work, like scribing in doors, fitting a new floor and tunnel and smoothing out the firewall. The seat went through some serious changes, too. Likewise the windshield frame. The flathead is from a '49 Merc, the rear is a '37 Ford truck unit and the slicks are from the '49 Ford Gas Man kit. Steel wheels are from Lindberg's '40 Ford. The grill and rad cap are parts box items. Steering box and U-joints are heavily modified Nascar pieces. I built the frame and crossmembers, gas tank, headers and exhaust, box and tailgate. This was my first try at woodgraining on this scale. Painted with Testor's Ivory and clear coat. I remember now why I don't like Testor's spray paints... But, I like it. Comments very welcome.

Funny you mention that... doing some foil work to the car and thought "What about traction bars? Traction bars would look cool!" The triangular air cleaner is a great idea. I think I've got a few of those.

Back at it. I just might finish it off this go-round.

Yep, '71 Charger for the donor. But... the Charger rear end is an 8 3/4" which was not available in the Cordoba/300 B body. I found a 9.25" corporate rear that will do the trick, but the 8.25" rear was the most common. I'm not aware of such an animal in any kit, so the 9.25 will have to do... I also found the windshield from the Charger is just a bit too small, so I'll be making a copy with a clear plastic bottle and a heat gun. Hopefully, it's a bit bigger.

A little more... primer makes everything look better! Still lots to do, but it's coming along... slowly. Comments always welcome.

Two door. I haven't done much to it yet other than a little flash clean-up. It's on the build list for this summer.