DoctorLarry

I got the floor pans out and tried to see how the "fix" truck arms would fit and I can't see how they would work with the floors. Maybe I just need a better look but it does not look like it just drops in. I will probably use a TBird rear and front suspension. The floors are totally wrong as well. Should be stock frame and partial floor pans, not a generic flat plate. I use a GM A body frame/floor (Cutlass or GTO) and cut the front frame off and cut the pans for a fuel cell and the truck arms.

Experimented for awhile with paint and could not get it perfect without a custom mix, so I settled for Testor's Fiery Orange and Graphite Dust with gold striping. Tamiya TS-13 clear. Speedway Decals is working on the artwork for the decals now and they should be ready in a couple of weeks. It was hard to tell what the color was. In some photos it looked more orange and in some redder. I tried using Tamiya Clear Red over the orange and then it was too red so I sanded it down and started over. Tried yellow striping but it was way too bright. The real car is probably somewhere in there in between. Close but not perfect, but it laid out slick.

My supplier of choice. I use fine beads and beading wire for small braided line and Detail Master and large beads for the radiator hoses. This stuff came from Hobby Lobby as well.

What did you use for the braided lines and spark plug wires?

Wiring and plumbing looks great. Nice build.

Got any pictures?

The new Salvinos kits have been extensively dissected here an in other places. I have two Cutlasses waiting to be built.One of the weak areas is the chassis. Evidently it mimics the old MPC NASCAR chassis with a Chrysler type chassis with torsion bars in the front and leaf springs in the back, which is wrong on all sorts of fronts. I ordered the rear suspension "fix" which is a truck arm modification. As Dave Van (I think) noted, it is way off on scale, particularly the length of the arms. Has anyone actually built a kit using the replacement rear suspension? I am contemplating whether to 1) use the Salvino rear with a T Bird front clip grafted on or 2) scratch build the whole thing. Any thoughts? BTW, I will also modify the body because the tops of the body and lower body have no lines so they also need some help. Tim did some of that to his Busch Cutlass in his post.

Paint may have worn off as well. Here is a restored David Pearson Torino. Clearly white here.

Always wondered about that but they are not always done that way. Either black or rusty metal on Cale's Busch Cutlass.

T Bird chassis or did you use the kit chassis?

And it's a V-6! Six speed all wheel drive. This pretty much sums up Ken Block style.

I match the tubing size to match the roll cage I use. I think this was 1/16" tubing. I have a whole box of evergreen and other plastic rods, sheets, tubes, square tubes, triangles, grids, etc. and I use them all.

Ken Block Hoonigan drift Ford Truck: 914 horsepower twin turbo insanity.

I found a rather interesting alternative to auto pinstriping tape. I found this by accident online. It is 1 mm tape made for striping fingernails! I got 15 rolls of different colors for about 5 bucks on EBAY after I bought some at Ulta Beauty. They recommend covering it with nail top coat so I bet you can clear over it.

Based on the number of your builds, I would believe it! Now I just try to find the chassis separately since I don't use the bodies either.

I've found the TBird kits on EBAY for as little as $5 and I have done the same thing-bought the chassis components in a bag. I have one coming this week, in fact!

It is a lot more work!

In reality, this car would likely have a stock frame and part of the floor with the "Ford Galaxie" front clip welded in. It would then have a truck arm rear suspension from Chevy trucks with a Ford 9 inch rear. Tim is right that the T Bird is a good replica. I used a GM intermediate rear and glued the T Bird front clip on. I cut the gas tank and part of the floor out and used the fuel cell from the TBird. I also modified the floor pan to use the T bird truck arm rear assembly. Lots more work but I wanted to build one like it was done. In these pictures of the 77 Busch Olds you can see the stock rear half of the frame and the stock floor pans.

Body is ready for paint. I set the wheels in place and slipped the body over the chassis. I have to finish the chassis details and get the mounting points right but this is close to where the body will set. I think the back needs to be lowered. I also think the rear wheels need to be tucked in a bit. Thoughts? The hood will sit right when I raise the body mounts up a smidge.

Chassis is about done and body has been final sanded. Still a couple of minor touch ups and it can be painted. I still need to put the exhaust and rear window filler panel on and it will be ready for paint. I also have to paint and mount the wheels and tires.

Were you working from a picture of the car? I don't think I have ever seen a picture of a Buick in this scheme-only the Cutlass.

Compare: Look at the roof lines on the 51 car and the 2 car. Or, look at the 2 car compared to the Cutlasses. The fastback style was used on all intermediates. Some were "big window" (triangle) like the Cutlasses and some were "opera window" (rectangle) like the 51 car. The formal roof was not sloped as much.

I've got that picture as well. That is the formal roof line rather than the fastback. That was the one that Tim (Yellowsportwagon) just did with Salvino's bodies.

Yes. I have to get the master right then I will make up the mold and cast them. I'm slowly moving in that direction.

Made some progress. Body is 95% done. I need to do some fill work on the body by the bumpers and finish the bumpers off (the ends were too long) and final blocking. Also need to thin the hood edges so it sits flush. After that, wet sand and one more sealer coat then on to paint. After I paint the body I will make a mold and cast it in resin. Last shot is my chassis/engine. I ordered a salvage kit engine off EBAY so it needs to be wired and plumbed. I painted it and added a Fireball resin Holley. Detail is astounding on his carbs! Then finish off the chassis plumbing, mount the wheels and adjust stance.