Impalow

So cool! I'm always intrigued by these custom bodies....this is one of the nicest Ive seen done.. Great work!

Like it? I love it!

Great idea Al! I actually like that better than the mid century modern ones I was thinking... and the pattern is instantly distinguishable as luggage... I think i will go this route. Thanks again! Very much excited for the show tomorrow...

Thank you Tom! So i felt that a plain old aluminum gas tank would be a bit boring...so i wanted to do something more unique. I came up with the idea of a luggage rack then hiding the tank in a piece of vintage luggage. Still need to add the detail items, leather straps, handles, hinges and latches.. but all in all im happy with it. Plan is to finish it to look something like these.... The rack I think has to be chrome. Scratchbuilt luggage rack Scratchbuilt luggage... not my cleanest work by far... but with some sanding and priming it should work.

Amazing... Great fabrication and techniques here. Thank you for sharing!

Gorgeous! I cant wait it see it in person...

Thank you all for the compliments! Will do! I actually forgot about the 3d printed pieces I have done... I will make sure to throw them in the box. Thank you Martin! Hahaha.. Yeah, the Flatheads were quirky with the 3 pipes like that... Im not quite sure why, but i know that's how they were... The whole engine is wonky really, which I think creates its appeal. No real progress last night... I tossed the flame arrestors on, and took it to the model club meeting. I do have a funky idea for the fuel tank that I'm going to try and implement tonight.

Quick update from last night... realized the supercharger was sitting a bit crooked on the engine, so pulled it back apart and straightened it out. While it was off i made a fuel block, and added some clear red fishing line to simulate fuel line. Grabbed the other carbs from the Tweedy Pie kit (the ones with the funnels on them) Cropped,stripped and drilled them.. I have the Replicas & Miniatures flame arrestors painted with AlClad chrome and waiting to be installed.

Thank you carl! That was a bit of the inspiration... for sure... also thinking of vintage record players. Thank you Bob! I really enjoy the cutter... and i keep coming up with new ideas on how to use it. Its a wonderful tool. hahaha...Thank you... and don't go giving up, I've recently returned to the hobby myself, this is only my 3rd build back. I'm absolutely overwhelmed with the advancements in the kits, paint and technology at the moment. Its great to have this sort of freedom of creative expression. It will be at Toledo for sure...I don't know about overwhelming but we will have a few interesting things on that table.

oh wow!! i missed this finished post... soooo cool... absolutely love it.. nice work!

perfect color indeed!! nice work as usual james!

Great work Steve! It looks really good!

so pretty! great job Steve... perfect color choice and high quality work!

Thank you guys!! I really enjoy the feedback and insight. Had a somewhat productive weekend.. its getting closer... Yeah, I have to layout all the files in the computer, then send them over to the cutter.. for example this is what the dash file looked like. By the way...Making this made me feel like a crazy person, which usual is a clue i'm doing something cool... haha Raw assembled dash. and with some paint and BMF on it.... need to come up with some gauge faces. After that was done I started back on the engine.. remade the intake tubes out of aluminum then brushed it with a 3m pad, added the plug wires, belt drive and headers... the headers are alclad with some light heat staining. Next up are the carbs and fuel lines. Not sure if this will be done for Toledo... but im not going to rush it.

Great job dude! Can't wait to see it in person..

this is the cutter i have... http://www.walmart.com/ip/36474605?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227026288577&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42968107712&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=81460544072&veh=sem This is the smaller unit...they make larger cut width units also. However the newer cricut machine is supposedly better for cutting thicker material and smaller details... so it may be worth a look. I picked mine up used off Ebay for 90.00...with some extras.

Thank you Dave... just cheapo lacquer thinner... I seem to thin it just a bit more than you think it should be and it sprays nice (if that makes sense) haha.. i know.. I've given up on the whole rat rod thing... I'm building it as I would a 1:1 car I would want to own.

Randy awesome job! I just picked one of these kits last weekend.

Thank you martin! I wanted to do something super challenging with the cutter to test what is possible and how accurate it is. So i came up with this kooky idea for the dashboard, layer contour cut .020 to make a ribbed dash. I love the dash in posies "thunder road" so i used it as the inspiration. It ended up being 21 individual cut pieces. I still have a .010 accent panel to add to the top (matches the seat) and then i need to work out the gauge panel that goes in the center. Still needs some cleanup and shaping, but im happy with it so far... Thinking the dark blue with chrome ribs... The steering wheel in the mockup is too big, going to find something a little smaller in the parts bin

Thank you.. It is the Flathead from the 50 ford pickup. Thank you mitch! yeah it is... i keep wondering if i really need to add a body... haha.. the good news is its still all pretty visible with the body on. Thanks Paul! I'm not quite sure what type of rod this will be considered... but it will be cool.

Thanks guys! I'm also quite excited to get this done... Got a little bit of bench time tonight.. 1st thing was to fix the mix matched center caps on wire wheels. I grabbed some rivets from the local hardware store, chucked them up in the drill press and brushed them. Drilled the wheels and glued them in place. then I moved on to the torque tube... ever since I decided to do the seat, I've toyed around with a torque tube mounted arm rest. Well I finally took the plunge and made it. Not sure how real word feasible this would be, but it looks cool, and works great with the overall concept of the car. Still needs to be washed, and weathered... The tube itself is aluminum tubing and a cut down Mercedes torque tube donated it's ends.

No worries about the deadline taking over... its going to Toledo no matter what... even if it looks as it does now. I will not be in dayton friday.. I didn't even know about that, what is it?

Thank you john! It was nice to meet you and chat at both the shows...Congrats on your awards as well! you too tom!

Congratulations Rich! Your work was amazing to see in person, I love that interior in the 40! and yes that car is beautiful.. great job!

Thanks guys!! Quick update... Totally missed the deadline on this, and that's okay because I kinda missed the theme as well.. Haha... I got going on the chassis assembly tonight.. I've been doing light washes with the Vallejo washes to give it more contrast and slight weathering. Really happy with how it's progressing... New goal is Toledo... Still thinking a baremetal body.