Spex84

That one ain't even close to being the worst offender! But I appreciate your colorful turn of phrase Plus, there's a Juke in the family, so I've had time to make my peace with it.

Ya know what, many modern cars are so ugly, the Aztek doesn't even strike me as particularly offensive any more. It was ahead of its time! ...and I actually like this version!

I don't want to hate on things that are neato and built with care...but hoo boy. Sometimes, I just want a blobby year-2000 GPS unit with sparkly moving pistons inside to cradle on my hairless wrist while I make engine noises...ya know? 280 grand is a total steal for that kind of bliss and status. On a less snarky note, that patina'd ~'31 Cadillac V16 is sweet!!

Looking good! That blue piece would make a great '60s-style custom-rod grille.

Very neat, very classy. Nicely done :) Just goes to show how much can be achieved with old AMT parts! Those front tires are from the Revell Orange Crate kit, by the way.

It's all beautifully and cleanly done, but the wood treatment really caught my eye! Hard to believe it's just Tamiya clear orange. Wow!

Nicely done! Thanks for the parts breakdown. I've been thinking of doing my own '85 Blazer build for a while now (it's not priority yet) and it's great to know there's a source for the grille. Despite the struggle you may have had with the resin components, this project has turned out well. The AMT Tahoe tires are proportionally just what I'd be looking for.

Wow! This is a very ambitious project and I can't wait to see more. I'm very impressed that you scratchbuilt your wheels...not many people attempt that!

If I was going to build a "dream model A roadster" I'd cut the AMT and Revell bodies about 1cm behind the doors...and splice the AMT front and the Revell rear together. The wheel arches could stay raised, especially if I was building a contemporary retro-styled "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" sort of project. Otherwise, I'd have to lower the wheel arches. I know the wheel arch rib stampings are inverted on the AMT body, but that's one detail that I barely care about, considering the wheels largely hide them! Then I'd throw a flat panel behind the butchered Revell cowl/doors and make a ratty RPU or modified out of it. This kit is a kit-bashing dream, regardless of any quibbles I have with it. I only have one, and I'm kinda hoarding it until I can get another to actually build.

I like the dry lakes lettering and "Paso or bust" decals. Cool stuff.

Mucho respect for what you're doing here. Not easy by any means!! Pete--thanks for the comment on actual rim diameter (above). I know I've made that mistake in 3D modeling when matching my wheels to 15" templates!

As the years go by I find myself appreciating a wider range of cars. I use to be "meh" on muscle cars, now I like 'em. I didn't care much for 80s and 90s cars, but I actually quite like the Iroc-Z, Grand National, 300ZX, Supra, etc, so my interest is growing. I had no appreciation for '70s behemoths, but now I'm almost kind of impressed by the size and bloaty swagger of the 70s T-bird, Grand Marquis, Cadillacs, and so on. The concept art from that era was so much cooler than the actual cars. I used to think they were all demolition derby fodder...but I recently saw a mint '70s car (T-bird I think) for sale at $20k. Who knows...the seller might have to wait a while, but they might actually get their asking price eventually, for such a well-preserved example. '70s Custom vans are gross, but fascinating, and I have found I like their cheerful excess. At a certain point, with any luck, I'll love and appreciate absolutely everything, haha.

Nice spot! So...you live in the trailer and the barn is for the model cars, right?? //I work in a library, and we've just closed until further notice. Guess I'd better resurrect some projects!

I'd love to know what stencil material you used as well....as I now have access to a Cricut cutter The Grim-pala is looking amazing so far! Looking forward to seeing the final results of this ambitious painting process.

I prefer the 2-part style with solid rubber tires, but that's because I like to build hot rods and '50s customs. Most of those cars had drum brakes and brake backing plates which fill most of the wheel-back area anyway. Maybe if I was building modern cars with low-profile tires and disc brakes I'd prefer one-piece...actually no, I'd like to have a "3/4 vs 1/4" system, where 3/4 of the wheel is attached to the front side, and then there's a rim that attaches to the backside. Fantastic for mixing, matching, deepening other wheels, and generally customizing stuff.

Reversing a spring doesn't involve cutting and welding (as far as I know), just pressing the spring until it's curved in the opposite direction from original. I don't think I've ever read about a spring eye "unwrapping" and causing a crash...but who knows, maybe it's happened.

Thanks guys, I totally overlooked the 2 most obvious mods: torching coils and installing lowering blocks! We haven't touched on Z-ing frames, but I'm not sure many (any?) customs used that technique, even if it became common for hot rods.

Back in the '50s lead sleds had mostly static suspension drops. There were a number of ways of doing this: -coils cut from front coil springs -dropped spindles -leaf springs reversed ("reversed spring eyes") so they'd wrap under the shackles instead of over. -rear leaf spring mounts sunk into pockets in the frame/new spring mounts added in a higher position so the car sits lower. -front A-arms modified with pockets to drop the coil springs lower and still retain all the coils -stepped A-arms Hydraulic suspension showed up in its early form in the X-sonic and Jim Logue's X54. https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Hydraulics In 1957 Cadillac introduced a version of air suspension that was intended to give a cushy ride, and in 1958 Buick introduced air-cusion shock absorbers that could apparently raise the car 5.5 inches for use on rough roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_suspension

I think Jeffery's definition above is closest to my own. As Richard mentions, the term "street rod" has been around for a long time and I'd suggest it has perhaps shifted a little. IMHO, these days when people say "street rod" they're generally talking about a car with late-model engine and suspension components and a modern-style interior, as opposed to the current "hot rod" aesthetic that is more focused on vintage-inspired design and engineering choices. It's mostly about the "spirit" of the car: if it's designed for speed at any cost (ie poor comfort or handling)...it has something in common with the earliest hot rods. This can be applied to more modern cars too, like a Mazda Miata with a Dodge Hellcat engine. Hot Rod Magazine has gone this route. If it's designed for driveability, reliability, cruising, and looking tough while using all the latest gadgets...it feels more like a street rod. Power steering, a late-model engine, GPS, power seats, digital gauges, modern wheels and tires...if the builder has gone out of his way to make the car seem as much like a new car as possible, I'd classify it as a Street Rod. That said, just about everyone has their own opinion! Hot rods: Street Rods: (the pink/yellow Chevy was someone's idea of "modern" back in the 1980s! )

Awesome scratchbuilding so far--the stance on this hearse is just nuts!I think it would look stunning with 70s-style psychedelic paint.

Cool! I like the exposed rear machinery on this one, especially in contrast to the rounded shapes of the roof. Looking forward to seeing this one evolve!

Beautiful work so far. Wow....I can't get enough of the little stanchion rod-ends. The water pump detailing is delightful. Good stuff right here!

Very cool! I like the unusual design choices, including the transaxle and red headers. I dig the seat belts too! So...are there transfer cases on the back of the engine and the front of the differential to drop the driveshaft under the floor? Neat trick, if so!

Wow, impressive work! I love the overall effect of having the truck and rat rod match each other in theme and detailing. Thanks for the excellent photos.

Cool. A beautiful car, and it looks like you've made a very solid start in replicating it in scale! I feel the windshield is one of the most distinctive features of the car, so I'd be impressed if you found a way to add that detail. It's a tricky piece though!