OldTrucker

You either have to space the axle out further or reverse the torsion arms towards the front which requires reworking the steering components. Others have used early Ford front axles to lengthen the wheelbase.

Tom, that is the latter Super Beetle that had a strut front suspension. I hated those things!!!LOL

Who hired the inspector? My son had this happen and after he threatened a lawsuit the house got re-inspected and they only found one small issue which he fixed himself! Seemed like someone was trying to help the buyer a bit too much!

Awesome build Steve! How did you fabricate your bed cover to get it to resemble the 1:1 original?

Just look online for a bug with the fenders off. The inner well isn't all that much and shouldn't be too hard to replicate!

Did the old IMC kit have separate fenders? I know everything else opened on it but can't remember if the fenders were moded in.

Well didn't quite make it but should have enough days that will be good enough to get to 8 maybe 10. #7 just needs clear and #8 needs paint and clear to be done but it was too windy in my paint booth today!LOL

I saw the car at the Chicago Auto Show way long ago when I was still in school and the Auto Shop class went there! I just cannot get it in my mind just what the color (other than a gold color) it was. I've looked at magazine pictures and on line pictures but they just do not look like what I "THINK" (not a good thing for me to do according to my wife) I remember Any help would be greatly appreciated!

This is my holy grail kit! I sold mine to pay on doctor bills a few years ago.

Been waiting for this one! I'll build it as a tractor to use with a tank trailerwould be a good one to use with a flatbed or moving van!

If people thought the 427 Corbra was a real ride, imagine riding that wild beast!!!

Fired up the 66 Buick Special and the wife and I drove out of town to the small farming community where our son lives to visit with our youngest granddaughter and return a welder and other body tools I borrowed from my son! Had a nice short visit and cruised on back home making a stop to visit out late grandson and leave a new remembrance for him. The car still isn't running quite right, surges a little at times and the brakes need to be gone over and re-bled and adjusted. Think I'll go ahead and add a dual chamber master cylinder while I'm at it! Just wish I knew more about tuning this dang odd fire V6.

I am! By Monday I should have 8 Model car bodies in paint so that I will have plenty of models to finish over winter! Of course last time I did this it took me over a year to get them all done as real life got in the way!LOL

They should have grafted in the GTO rear wheel openings and it would have worked better. Still overall a good clean job of a vehicle GM should have put out! They should have done one from all the 3 makes!

Cool old thread! Even had one from me in another lifetime!LOL I guess this one was more dangerous for other drivers! Oil burning 53 Studebaker that looked like a mosquito fogger going down the road. Ran it on used or bulk oil. State police made me park it after one followed me seveal miles to my house and I had no idea he was behind me with his lights flashing. The exhaust was so loud didn't hear him either! LOL

That is just too cool!!!

Snake, remember seeing a 65 and 67 GTO "Gassers" at US 30 and Great Lakes in the late 70's. The 65 had been converted by the original owner to its racing form in 1966 according to the then owner. The 67 was restored back to original in the late 80's by a local guy who actually was able to track down the original engine! There were a lot of street gassers here local for a few years. (then they all seemed to disappear into a black hole or something???) Some home builds and some were ex drag cars made streetable! (barely) Most were early Falcons and Chevy II's with a mix of 50's shoebox Fords and Tri Five Chevy's.

I started as a kid in my room on an old kids dresser for a bench. After zi was married it was on the dining room table or coffee table in the living room. Eventually kept what I was working on in boxes stashed under an end table next to my recliner and used a TV tray for a work bench. After all the kids were out of the house then and only then did I have a room dedicated to build in that is shared with the wife's sewing machine. The great out doors is still my paint booth although wjen we were in our first apartment I would stand on a board on the bath tub and paint them out the bathroom window! We had a very colorful screen!LOL

X2 I tried to use his style merged with Kieth Moon's!

Great save and great tribute to the original builder! BTW, what paint did you use?

Early 70's Lace paint jobs were big in this area. A place called Customs Unlimited was set up in an old 1940's service station building with an added bay. They would buy out KMarts supply of plastic lace tables cloths every couple months until the trend dies out!

Terrible to hear. Prayers for all the families affected. I had the honor of flying on the Nine-O-Nine several years ago. I was out to the airport when they were there and took the tour of the planes. While standing watching the planes take off and return I was talking to a guy about them and that my dad whom we lost in Korea had flown B 17's along with his brother who was a navigator and his other brother was their line mechanic. They were on the ground getting ready for the next group and after they were loaded one of the crew runs up to the guy I was talking to and asks if there were any more. He said no and walked out to the plane with him and they talked for a minute then he ran back and asked "want to go up?" I had to ask him to repeat it and he said someone was a no show and tey had an open spot if I wanted it! I said no way I can affrd the price and he said "who said anything about paying? You want to go or not?" That was one of the greatest days of my life getting to see what my Dad must have seen (minus being attacked) flying in one of those great birds!

Yes on and off over 25 years combined including diesel mechanic certified by CAT! Had over 3000 dollars worth of tools and boxes stolen in the 1970's after a shop I worked at closed and locked us all out.

Unfortunately not all dealers are that dedicated. Here they came and went pretty regular. The best Snap on dealer hey had here owned his own repair shop and ran his tool route to boot. Then snapon divided his area up with two others and made it no longer profitables for the guy so he gave it up and it was all down hill from there.

All I can say is the quality of ALL of the big brand name tools has declined considerably over the last 15-20 years. The most breakage was with the most expensive of them, Snap off er on! Then if the tool man knew you had warranty he would avoid you and you had to literally chase him down!LOL The Mac dealer you had to fight with and call corporate to get something warrantied. Craftsman was just take it in and get it exchanged but god help you if you lost a wrench of socket because they would kill you with a replacement costs for a single item! I have found that most rounded bolts/nuts were more because of someones misuse of the tools rather than being caused by the tool itself! Local garage here with 4 full time and two part time mechanics furnished a tool box and tools for each of his mechanics (they share specialty tools) and he has mainly tools from Auto Zone and Harbor Freight. Just asked him how that has worked and he says that he has not seen any difference in failure of these tools and the name brands that he and his original two mechanics used in the 30 years past. Just says that there are those who are brand loyal and will always be and others that see a tool as a tool. Not talking the old cheap Taiwan tools with no warranty here.LOL The best sockets I have in my box though are Thorsen that I bought over 50 years ago at K Mart! Never broke a one and even used them with an impact at times! A little chrome peeling is about all that ever happened with them!