BigTallDad

It appears to my tired old eyes that the part is inside the oil pan; if that's the case, it isn't an oil filter...

Next time, invert the bottle and place a drop or two of lacquer thinner at the base of the cap. After a minute or two, the thinner has loosened the dried paint, allowing you to open the jar.

As a minor favor....I celebrated my 75th birthday last week, so I don't exactly consider myself a "kid" or, in your terms, an "expert"; perhaps a better choice of words might be in order. All that aside, avail yourself of the prep and polishing advice listed above. Rattle cans work! This is a 48 Ford done with Ace Hardware enamel right out of the can

Nice work! My youngest son had one of these, and we spent more than a few hours together spinning wrenches on it. An unusual thing about the hood scoop: its not for fuel/air combustion mixture...it's for the intercooler.

So much for trying to be helpful.

I'm not sure I'd endorse the use of Comet. It's an abrasive, and if it is not thinned with enough water/Dawn, it becomes a paste that can scratch the part.

For fabric, cut some strips from an old beater umbrella, silk tie, or (do they still make these?) silk handkerchief. The silk is very thin and has a texture you might like. I'd soak the material in white glue first, let it dry, then cut it. A dab of Windex will help the bending process.

Very nice rust job! Maybe it's just me, but the nice shiny wheels and clean interior seem out of place.

Awesome!

I lean towards a flat or satin finish. This is the 327 I had in my daily driver '55 2-dr post way back when.

Soak the thread in white glue, such as Elmer's. Apply to the desired area...if you smudge a little, clean up with windex after the glue dries. I'd suggest a clear coat afterwards...Elmer's on a painted surface is not a very strong glue bond. I used black thread to install the fender welting (front and rear) on this '40 Ford convert.

Nice work on that '55...reminds me of the days when I had a 2-dr post 55 Chevy with a 327 in it. It appears the blue Maverick is right-hand steering.

I'm the consummate pack rat, so I save the screw-off tips and the caps. I keep them in an olive jar (short and fat) with acetone in it, so if the tip I'm currently using clogs up, I just swap it with one from the jar.

Maybe I missed it, but I've not seen anything about water traps or the use of a separate regulator. Hopefully this isn't considered free advertising...I use the MicroMark regulator with a built in water trap (I live in humid SW Florida). The regulator only goes to 70 psi, meaning finer adjustments are more easily obtained. Try dialing in 18 psi on a regulator, that goes to 125 psi, when the gauge is an inch or so in diameter!

Now, if only these threads are read...thanks, Casey Normally I try not to include any pictures etc. so as not to repeat what already has been said/shown. In this case, I was unable to do that.

I have some extra popcorn if anybody's interested...

Although the plastic in the spoon might not be same as the styrene used in the kit, the spoon provides an excellent testing tool for paint compatibility. For example, if you want to use Brand X primer, Brand Y color coat, and Brand Z clear coat, spoons are the way to go. I'd rather see the cracking/crazing on a spoon instead of a model. Just make sure you use the same procedures you would use on a model (washing, painting. sanding, etc.) on the spoon. One of the earlier comments mentioned how easily the paint scraped off the spoon...perhaps there was still some release agent on the spoon.

You are correct! I tried a Sharpie on a chrome sprue and, in spite of the number of "coats", there was (depending on the angle when viewed) more than just a hint of purple. I then sanded off the chrome on a section of the sprue and used a Sharpie...very nice color. To me, using a Sharpie in this situation (to darken a couple small strips) is easier than setting up, using, and cleaning an airbrush...maybe I'm getting lazy in my old age.

Absolutely stunning! When are you going to do an open fresh-air vent? I'm also curious...you mentioned the Standard came with black wheels; does that imply you had to order the Deluxe to get color-matching wheels? I thought the Standard only had one taillight and the Deluxe had two.

I'm old school when it comes to using drafting pens; the ones I used had to be "filled" with ink from a bottle. With that in mind, I'd be concerned that the ink would just bead up and run off any chrome surface, especially if there was body oil on it.

Why not just use a felt-tip marker (its a lot less expensive and as easy to control)? Mask off the surrounding chrome, then use the marker; it might take several coats, allowing 5 or so minutes between coats.

What an extremely clean build! Excellent paint, decal, and BMF! I'm not sure I like the orange plug wires...maybe they'll grow on me.

I second that motion.

I pull all the bristles out of a battery-operated tooth brush, then glue a circular piece of sandpaper on the tooth brush head. I use wet/dry sandpaper of the desired grit and CA cement. To replace the sandpaper, cut it off using a worn Xacto blade; place the head on sandpaper and sand off any irregularities, then glue the new sandpaper on. After turning it on, the tooth brush does all the sanding work, not your arthritic hands.

Nice looking '55! I also had a 1:1 '55 in a similar color...