swede70

Greetings, I only have a few projects, although most exist as two-thirds finished mock-ups begging for slight sorting and of course - paint and final assembly. What follows would be a brief record of what are a pair of scale models of the oddball Herb Adams 'Gray Ghost' SCCA Trans Am '64 Tempest, the entry run with fleeting success in the 1971 series. At a glance something of a joke effort, nevertheless the project was undertaken by skilled Pontiac engineers in their spare time, embodying considerable thought even as it was packaged in a decidedly odd wrapper. Based in nearby Rochester, MI. (an error this - see below. M.K.), the team and the history of such has personal interest, while a rare opportunity afforded to me to make an inspection of the actual racer before it was restored recently prompted me to take on first a 1:25th scale project, and later a 1:18th diecast-based project even as a subpage on this board exists for such. I'll try to toss out things I did consistent with lending value to anyone attempting a like-project, although don't register shock if things go silent. More text will be afforded to the 1:25th project here, while if I do more with the 1:18th diecast effort, a new thread charting progress will emerge and take form there. Thanks... ...this would be the topic late-season in 1971. Obviously not your typical 5.0 liter svelte road racing sedan, as a positive it didn't have parallel leaf springs holding matters up in the rear. ...this would constitute my much-massaged 1:25th scale project. The body, bumpers, tail light lenses and decals are from a Scale Coachworks release of which maybe 50-70 examples were made. The shell is based on the old AMT annual release, while the model was sold with what would seems to have been a Modelhaus '64 Tempest hood which would be sans faux hood scoops otherwise witnessed on a like-year GTO. Should one compare this photo to other examples of the Scale Coachworks body online, one will note that I've filed off a lot of material consistent with reshaping the openings and softening the flares to come up with what is seen. On a happy note, it can be said that I didn't have to add anything here, with the as-delivered shell only requiring a lot of referral to period photos to largely make right. Other things discerned and in brief then. Tires are ancient MPC Goodyear Blue Streak NASCAR tires in the same size front to rear. Wheels are resin clones of Jo-Han Javelin-sourced Minilites with turned aluminum outer rims sporting a taper. Grilles are Lindberg items, while the interior panels and dash are sourced from the same '64 GTO tool. The chassis is from a recent vintage AMT '66 Oldsmobile 442 which at least tosses in a good B.O.P. rear end if nothing more. The engine is a mix of recent Pontiac kit releases consistent with coming up with better than the ancient MPC rendition of the 400 c.i.d. Pontiac. The actual car ran a 303, although this based upon the heavy tall deck block topped with Ram Air IV heads. The oiling system on the actual car is very interesting indeed. Although some discreet exterior lettering is missing on the as-supplied decal sheet, in the main the Scale Coachworks decal art is well thought out. If you happen to chance across a body or whole transkit on sale , harbor an interest in vintage SCCA Trans Am topics, etc., do consider gathering it up for it's an honest effort of something special. ...just in brief then, this is my much modified 1:18th scale Sun Star '64 GTO telegraphing as a '64 Tempest for a great deal of work. The cast-in metal faux hood scoops were filed down by hand and gone over with a sanding block for about a month to afford the profile seen here. The effort was nothing short of ghastly... This would be a much cleaner rendition of a July '71 Motor Trend race report under hood image taken at the Lime Rock event - the first of the season then. The picture was found on the new PP/SEMA online archive which I recommend to everyone like-inclined. The engine is quite basic from a glance at the exterior, with an old Edelbrock RD4 dual-plane intake, just a single 4 BBL as per the rules, etc. ...with mostly scratch built under hood paneling, plus scratch built intake and hand-sculpted flares. The left side grille was cast in resin and done twice over to avoid use of the standard model grille otherwise found on the right that bears the expected 'GTO' identification, while the headlamp block out plates are polished aluminum rod wafers cut to fit. Uber time-consuming all this, while the scribble noticed is that of one Herb Adams who I met briefly at an area book signing. Mr. Adams was able to inspect the model, and I hope bless it in a scale-model sense... ...rear three-quarter then, with lightly glued on renditions of decal art to come consistent with me getting a bearing on what I'm doing. O.K. - no more diecast stuff here then! Thanks for reviewing this post and thread. Mike K./Swede70

Indeed - I'll start a new thread, although consistent with something part of a theme with regards to Herb Adams and Co., here would be a single short succession of photos. Replies regarding this might be better attached to a separate thread. Indeed - a brace of H.L. Mencken books were spied behind one of my projects. Pleased you caught that! I have two projects of the old Gray Ghost Trans Am '64 Tempest going, one in 1:25th scale based upon the Scale Coachworks transkit, the other based on a 1:18th Sun Star diecast model given that modifying such is what I normally do. I started with the smaller plastic kit, while for access to the 1:1 topic prompted me to splurge and gather up the larger model. It's really rare for me to be allowed to inspect a period racer close-in, hence what would seem a duplication of effort. Anything spied in white is either a resin clone of something or scratch built. Short descriptions (big intake of breath here given I often overdo it) follow: ...the topic late-season in 1971. ...a 1:25th scale Scale Coachworks resin-bodied Gray Ghost with Lindberg interior panels, a AMT '66 Olds 442 chassis, and a bitsa Pontiac engine beneath an old Modelhaus hood. ...the Sun Star 'Ghost with much scratch built. The taped-on markings are preliminary decal art in-process. ...the topic underhood at Lime Rock '71. From the new PP/SEMA archive, and a clearer version of what showed up in Motor Trend in-period. This is the best period photo bar none, although if you'd like I'd be happy to send along other images of smaller assemblies taken close-in even as they reflect what the vehicle was like in 2011 or so. ...my model with revised 1:18th GMP '70 Judge 'power'. Underhood panelwork is scratch built then. ...rear three-quarter - and I'm done! No more dwelling on me then. Love the Herb Adams connection, while the scribble on the plaque is his when I briefly met him at a local book signing. He was able to see the model, and in a scale-sense, bless the effort. Thanks and I really like the NASCAR Grand Am effort Dr. Larry is working up here. Mike K./Swede70

I tried to edit my post seen above to pump up the content. I think I took about 150 Gray Ghost pictures when I was on the scene, hence other detail photographs are at my beck and call if only I sift through them carefully enough. As for the 1:1 car, for quite some time the G.G. was quietly resting in a garage in nearby Brighton, MI., and for some exchange of messages, I was invited out to record everything I could with my digital camera, calipers, etc. Gosh - the fellow even put the 1:1 car on jackstands so that I could further pour over it. A terrific and rare experience this was as I'm sure you'll agree. As to my projects, I worried that it would be tacky to dilute focus from your own work for posting my own stuff on what is your thread. Say 'please' and I could be persuaded to gingerly post some. Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, My Testor's-issue SC/Rambler parts car arrived, hence I was able to cut into the chassis and trunk castings to prepare something for implantation into my '68 RKE Javelin. Seen below is some experimentation in this direction. ...this is my late-'70 season chassis again, while note how the floor pan still utilizes the old kit material where mufflers might otherwise be expected on the standard production car. At the time I fitted the SC/Rambler parts seen, I didn't strictly make use of all the material availed so that the surface transition would be as smooth as was later judged possible. A better effort is seen below even as a few parts are absent... Regarding the late-'70 chassis again, note the now-priceless Rebel Machine front suspension fitted plus subframe rail 'implants' to clean up the damage for removing the axle location 'blocks'. Also note the angled radiator installation that appeared on the Penske-constructed AMC Trans Am Javelins, here utilizing an old 1:24th Monogram NASCAR core. Lastly, the white resin tire masters seen on the back which are slightly wider than standard MPC Goodyear Stock Car Specials, modified here to look a bit better on the '70 and later Trans Am Javelin. Same tread, same sidewall, just doubled up in resin to come up with the added width then... ...this a mock up on an existing SS/AMX chassis using the parts bin stuff that just arrived. Notice I've used all the material I could get from the SC/Rambler floor between the rear frame rails. A gap is seen given there just isn't enough material to bridge things, hence happy I am that I made a low-risk test of sorts here. I expect to leave things a bit longer and grind off the faint strengthening ribs seen on the standard Jo-Han race chassis to blend things effectively. Notice too that if one spends enough time filing down the top of the frame rails and carefully fitting the rear hump half to the forward half of said hump, matters can be tightened up considerably as contrasted to what is discerned on the late-'70 effort shown further up this post. ...and lastly, it's pretty common to see the neat flush American Motors exterior door handles drown under a layer of primer, a layer of paint, a subsequent layer of clear and finally foil. Trying to combat this dilemma, I thought that maybe if I trimmed some very clean handles from a junk shell and created a mold to cast duplicate apart and away from the build, perhaps hope would exist to finish them with greater delicacy and care. The idea is to seek to have these plated, then apply a wash of Testor's Model Master Magnesium Buffing, and then lastly, apply some semi-gloss clear with the intent of coming up with something good to simply drop onto the work. Filing out flush door handles on a shell isn't fun, but if something like these can be finished to a high standard before anything is strictly carved out of the body, then the effort might be worth it. Thanks for skimming this most recent update. Mike K./Swede70

Looks great - very agreeable progress right across the chassis. Looking forward to more then... Oh - and as usual and after the fact, here would be some close-in pictures of the remote filter mount sporting the pair of filters. Locally I was afforded the opportunity to pour over the Herb Adams Gray Ghost ''71 Trans Am '64 Tempest before it was restored, hence the both the photos and their implied relevance. I have a pair of projects going in relation to the 'Ghost in differing scales, although just in the moment, I thought I could plug in these images should they be of value to you. Mike K./Swede70

Looks pretty decent. It's nice to think that some of these parts store premiums are improving and that some intrepid searching can turn up good quality items for little. Thanks for sharing... Mike K./Swede70

Good - glad to help in some small way. For searching the same PP archive, a long series of '73 Daytona 500 images turn up, while one has the topic shown nearly face on whilst on the banking. It's in color, and while efforts to link you to a particular image via a URL haven't really translated to value, search '1973 NASCAR' or perhaps '1973 Daytona' and I'm confident you will find it. Thanks... Mike K./Swede70

Thanks for the kind displays of interest, Not knowing quite where to post this, I very recently stumbled onto the new Petersen Publishing SEMA Archive accessible online. Used to reviewing material on the David Friedman Collection/Benson Ford Research Center and well as the Rev's Collection/Stanford University, for carefully sifting photos on the PP archive, suddenly it seems my online capabilities have been improved by a third. Certainly a great many photos to support this project have been found, while if coverage for what you care about in turn is afforded, why not try? In particular, for restricting my search to something as simple as '1968 Trans Am', a half dozen underhood image of the Ronnie Kaplan Javelins taken at the Riverside Mission Bell 250 were uncovered that answer quite a few questions I'd harbored. Now I know that the cowl induction vents cut into the top of the firewall weren't covered for conversion to the late-season fresh air system and aluminum air intake 'box' run, that the oil blowby breathers were painted black and mounted at a certain angle, etc. Do consider giving the utility an inspection, although understand that the search term function is limited in it's power given the cataloging of the images isn't very deep or comprehensive. A fair amount is misfiled and misidentified, so if you in turn have the insight to share to help them relabel what requires such, then consider doing this too given we all can't be expert concerning everything. In short, the value you quietly lend to the scene today may be quietly rewarded to you tomorrow. See then: https://archive.petersen.org/pages/search.php Mike K./Swede70

Neat topic - I hope to follow along with your progress. Mike K./Swede70

This would be a brief update then... Mostly waiting for a Testor's branded reissue of the Jo-Han SC/Rambler kit to arrive, nevertheless some work has been done as other things are contemplated. I hope to cut out the egregious rear axle and 'hump' detail and replace such with the Rambler kit parts as I've depicted in photos below. It obviously helps if one has the old Jo-Han Funny Car kit-sourced Model 20 rear end as it's nice indeed and makes the effort worthwhile. Further, if one harbors ambitions to add a Panhard rod or a sway with linkage detail, then the space freed up is invaluable. A few photos then of recent work undertaken... ...note the stamped in bumper mount profile, hitherto missing on my model. ...likely to be redone and certainly reshaped for aggressive file work, nevertheless an improvement here. Whoops - I lost the thin length of strip plastic atop the rear valence panel license plate cut out along the top here. Such has since been fixed. Small things, but the scratch built bellhousing was removed and reshaped, while a thin mounting lip was cut and shaped so that it largely matches what photos I could find. Also and just in passing, the Borg-Warner T10 transmission was trimmed a bit at the end, while the tailshaft housing was also reshaped so that it would be round versus the odd rectangular profile the Jo-Han parts sport as-delivered. Discreet stuff is the removal of the undesired Gen. I AMC V8 oil filter mount on the block that here has been ground away. Yes - Jo-Han AMC engines come through with two oil filter mounts given they opted to do a light retool of the existing Gen. I engine for later releases versus tool a Gen. II V8 from scratch. ...practicing on a spare SS/AMX chassis, here can be spied the aforementioned AMC Model 20 rear end w/axle tubes. The cast-in driveshaft is no more given it was cut out, while a new tool Revell '69 Camaro Z/28 featuring much better U-joint detail has been substituted in. Also seen is a separate transmission cross member cut free to facilitate better paint application apart and away from the chassis. For casting duplicates of the Model 20 rear end, the rear cover too can be isolated and painted with greater ease. ...a different Javelin chassis here, the image communicates how cleanly the two-piece SC/Rambler floor back of the wheel housings can be integrated once the old-school cast-in axle is cut out. ...and viewed from the topside. Again, quite clean and affording open trunk detail if one is so inclined to add such. ...and lastly, how things will likely look on the '68 - at least towards the rear. SC/Rambler spring overlays, lower shock absorber mounts from the same, and early issue Funny Car Model 20 rear end parts from a glue bomb purchased long ago. The fuel cell housing is from before, while better Revell '69 Z/28 driveshaft detail will improve upon what is seen here. Thanks for reviewing this project update... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Looking around at my period magazines and searching for stuff to call out or identify, at the very least I can call your attention to a particular title and issue if you don't already have such in hand. The May 1973 issue of Stock Car Racing apparently caught the debut of the effort even if the race report of the Winston Western 500/Riverside contest is dominated by event winner Mark Donohue in the Penske Matador. Given reference to the Grand Am effort you are doing is short, I'll relate the paragraph to you here in full: ...A new team showed up and was warmly greeted by the road racing set. Jerry Thompson of Clawson, Michigan, often suspected of fielding a backdoor General Motors entry in the Trans-Am, showed up with a Pontiac Grand-Am and a couple of Pontiac engineer types. They had the usual trouble new teams experience getting through NASCAR's very tough technical inspection, qualified fastest on the second day, and motored around to finish 15th overall. Undoubtedly the crew's inexperience held Thompson back in his NASCAR debut. On its first pit stop the crew got the back wheels up before they stopped spinning, causing considerably delay. Later they had to put out a carburetor fire during a brake-changing and engine-tuning session in the pits... As race reports go, this is a long article and hence there was much else going on that drowned out whatever further attention might have been paid to the fledgling outfit. Hope this helps! Oh - also see this color image via the new Petersen Publishing Archive. Scan down a bit and you'll see it towards the left bottom: https://archive.petersen.org/pages/search.php?search=riverside+winston+western+500+1973&k=&modal=&display=xlthumbs&order_by=relevance&offset=0&per_page=48&archive=&sort=DESC&restypes=1%2C3&recentdaylimit=&foredit=&go=next&offset=48 Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, I've seen them up close, and indeed they are nice. Certainly each represent eclectic fodder for the Ford enthusiast and in a sense are overdue in scale. The cost of each is rather steep, while on the other hand, who would take the time to tool them again or in a larger scale at that? If you aren't already aware of the existence of such, do follow the link to be afforded a '69 Super 8 film taken during an open house at Kar Kraft in Brighton, MI. Some Mach II material is seen, along with a wide range of all that KK was doing during in-period. Believe me when I say that it's stunning: https://www.facebook.com/BrightonAreaHistoricalSociety/videos/kar-kraft-1969-by-larry-lawrence/2461333023315/ Mike K./Swede70

Very beautiful; i.e. terrific paint, precisely finish application and correct choices in evidence across the chassis, etc. Thanks for sharing... Mike K./Swede70

Oh, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate the interest and support! Mike K./Swede70

You'll likely be off to the hobby shop to gather some Plastruct half-round rod material or some such, while heating strips of the same in hot water to ensure that such is pliable prior to adding the same around each respective wheelhouse would be a good idea. I've not had much success with Plastruct glue per se, hence maybe reach for Tamiya cement (liquid in a small Octagon-shaped glass bottle with an orange cap). Discreet sanding stick work will likely clean up what you've added to suit. If you have a spare body (given you'll be new to all this), practice on it first given things will likely go amiss the first time out. Even if everything goes bogus, do not lose hope for only by taking measured chances do we improve our respective skill sets. Greetings from nearby Fraser, MI. Mike K./Swede 70

Thanks everyone for checking into my little hobby universe, A short while back I did succeed in having a pair of small decals made up to support what may in time be three Autodynamics Challenger 1:18th diecast models, with these constituting a pair of modified ACME factory releases, as well as the outstanding #76 late-season entry with flares that stands to be completed. I contacted someone by the name of Kenny Terry and did my best to work up what I needed, while he in turn did his best to afford us what we see here. Note that while he would surely have this work on file, I only had him reproduce three decal images in total, hence it would be misleading to suggest that one could wholly reproduce what is seen here for simply making a call to place an order. Above left is seen a cropped underhood image of the Autodynamics Challenger at Laguna Seca '70. sourced from a period copy of Car Life. The DODGE oval art employs font from the pre-'70 DODGE Fever advertising campaign, while from what little color period photos I've seen of the art, the lettering is black, while the field is grayish silver. A well meaning person online claims it was yellow and he'd seen an image confirming such, although this I've not (yet) discovered. Towards the rear of the valve cover is found a Keith Black Racing Engines disc decal less the sometimes seen 'Black Magic' reference, while finally, the photo to the right depicts the images stacked two deep for color and clarity on my converted ACME #77. A sharpened brass tube was used to punch out the KB decals given trimming something so small accurately otherwise proved impossible. ...and for scrambling a bit, I changed over all of the accessory markings after having first washed off the old. The reference photo is again from the Laguna Seca contest in 1970, the first of the season in fact. As would be expected, the appearance of the car altered slightly for decal placement, etc. all year long. Difficult to see, I did have the Dodge Scat Pack Club disc decal made up, while the Keith Black image is a duplicate of what is seen underhood on the rear of the valve cover face. Everything else was cobbled up from my limited store of waterslides saved for situations like this. The DSPC image was eventually cut out with a fortuitously sized hole punch, although I killed quite a few for not having the image on-center relative to the position of the punch. Notice again the GOODYEAR decals added to the hood on opposite sides of the scoop, as well as the black and white GOODYEAR diamond logo situated right forward of the #77 i.d. on the hood. The blue and yellow GOODYEAR diamond seen on the restored 1:1 vehicle is incorrect. And just in passing, the slightly muddy SCCA Trans-American Championship decal was sourced from a 1:25th AMT Warren Tope Mustang plastic kit reissue. Thanks for reviewing this update... Mike K./Swede70

Nice save there. The Hwy. 61 tool of this topic is very nice, and it would be a loss not to rehabilitate any that may be helped so. Thanks for sharing. Mike K./Swede70

Thanks everyone for the kind words and interest displayed... I wasn't going to grab the new 1:18th ACME Swede Savage AAR 'Cuda '70 Road America (according to the decal placement seen) race release, but then it seems no one will soon do the model in the alternate color or tool up much more or better at this point. With this said, I might take up again was is intended to be a '70 Bridgehampton SCCA Trans Am Swede Savage project ; i.e. the one with the wider tires in white resin seen further up this thread. What follows here are a few very discreet mods. that can be done to help the version just released without declaring firm fidelity to 100% accuracy given I won't do much here. As Dirty Harry relates to us through time, "..a man's got to know his limitations" - or some such given so much I do doesn't strictly see an end! ...at least to the extent of matching the accessory decal markings, this would be the 1:1 car and driver doing their thing at Road America where Swede would finish a reasoned second. ...not much is really on view here, although I've scratched off the door-situated driver's identification decals (which come off cleanly, whereas a very lightly stamped down length to Tamiya tape across the numerals just below didn't damage them) were replaced with brighter, sharply registered markings from the new Mike's Decals 1:25th scale Dan Gurney/Swede Savage Trans Am AAR 'Cuda waterslide sheet now for sale. Strange as it is to report, the new waterslide images of the 'SWEDE SAVAGE' lettering is rendered larger on the 1:25th sheet than on the model as-delivered, whereas applying replacement markings by hand allows one to shift thing about to align things with greater skill. Other modest things discerned will be the flush exterior door handle detail washed with Testor's Model Master Magnesium Buffing given they'd come through done in black, while the jack point fluorescent flashes where first scrubbed out with acetone to be replaced with tiny lengths of R/C aircraft decorative vinyl tape. The tape is thin and vibrant enough of color to eliminate from consideration water slide decal options that might otherwise be tapped. ...again, not a big deal here. The ACME models come through with photo etched inner grille surround detail that is frankly unwanted. In short, one would otherwise see tiny chrome trim around each thin opening each of the two little grilles here as per-stock, although these pieces can be prying out with tweezers for little risk. Paint will chip off, although glue residue wasn't noticed by me. Tamiya bottled Semi-Gloss Black/X18 is the stuff to use to touch-in any damage, while don't worry overmuch if the application of this would seem at first to obscure detail beneath. For experience I've learned that the paint will air out and visibly thin consistent with affording you an invisible fix. Unnoticed and by design, the grille inset 'PLYMOUTH' identification other present to the right was likewise painted out. Finally as even as not everyone will have such spares, I took a set of old Hwy. 61 front indicator lenses and painted them the same shade before using the pair as fill panels. The ACME AAR 'Cuda race releases come through without these parts even as their absence is all but indiscernable. Happily I have enough spares to cover all Barracuda project in relation to some of the little trim things; i.e. I needed three sets of the front turn indicator signal lenses to cover both ACME race releases and what is being done up solo on the project that begins this thread... ...and kind of last of the little stuff (for now), I decided I didn't want the recent Goodwood Revival/DAN GURNEY FOR PRESIDENT bumpersticker on the back bumper. And yes - I have the Car & Driver issue from 1964 with an inserted copy of the actual bumpersticker available in-period, hence I hope I'm still in good standing as a card-carrying Dan Gurney enthusiast. As for the tiny bumper and the rendition of this marking in scale, now I know that it will scratch off without much effort. I regret to relate that I comprehensively wrecked mine for attempting to remove the bumper entire, otherwise I would have had something to sell on eBay to recoup costs in a sense. Thankfully I had a spare Hwy. 61 bumper to replace it, while at the same time I took the opportunity to touch in the spots atop the casting where one can see bare plastic consistent with the practice of chroming the part with it still being on a plastic tree or sprue. Nothing beats a Molotow pen in this regard (o.k. - one could replate the entire thing!) , hence this looks a touch better for all the pain endured for wasting bumper number one. Thanks for reading this update... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Looking really nice both. Another thing to seek out is the WIX oil/air filter promotion 1:24th Cobra which can go for very little online. When new there would be people trying to sell them for $80 at area shows, and I was almost tempted at that. In particular, whoever tooled and designated finishes for the model opted to color stain the exhaust dumps in a very accomplished fashion. I grabbed one these for less than $30 if my memory of such is accurate, whereas if you can come up with an example for something close, do consider it. If it tells you anything, my initial ambition was simply to steal the tires for an SCCA Trans Am road racing project, but then I just couldn't kill it without regret. Thanks... Mike K./Swede70

...some small updates then, Seen will be a new Group 19 Ronnie Kaplan Engineering wing assembly for the deck lid, inscribed front indicator recesses suggesting that the front fenders were never punched to allow standard indicators to be fitted, as well as new jacking points underneath the model just aft of the exhaust dumps. The wing material is from a Heller 1:48th scale helicopter kit, which afforded a consistently shaped profile across the length I desired twice over given I had to mate a pair of elements in a vague shape of a boomerang. Desiring down-force rather than lift, indeed - I assembled what is seen here effectively upside down. The mounts were fabricated from sheet plastic, while the end hardware is simply hex rod cut to size and located with care. Also spied even as it registers as minor stuff, the exhaust dumps have been trimmed back, while the aforementioned fender side indicator 'dimples' were etched on after first removing the raised stock detail for light sanding and scrubbing. Worried that I'd situate them incorrectly, I carefully taped off the lense detail as seen on a spare '69 AMX body taking extra care to very firmly press the edges of the mask onto the surrounding panel work to best define where things were, and then transferred the tape mask onto the '68 Javelin shell before lightly etching what is seen here. Further and lastly, a five-panel Wink rear view mirror housing was fabricated and fitted, although I'll likely redo the mounts in brass or some such given they strike me as a bit heavy. Thanks for reviewing this update. ...notice if you will the thin spoiler hanging in space on the rear of the deck lid. These had aluminum mounts with two options as to the level of the element sought, whereas I've opted to position mine on the second and thus lower option. ...hard to see given I've used a recycled promo deck lid cast in avocado-colored plastic with the new Group 19 wing being olive drab, things nevertheless look o.k. ...hardly visible again, nevertheless the size of the wing element isn't far off; i.e. I was fortunate not to have to purchase multiple helicopter kits to find something suitable. The Wink rear view mirror assembly can just be made out, while the small cylindrical jack point behind the near side exhaust dump is readily noticed. Yes - some reasoned and not too large spring shackles stand to be added. ...revealing the slight boomerang profile I spoke of, the profile from the top isn't terrible. ...and finally the view from the front three-quarter. The Wink mirror assembly is perhaps a bit too prominent, although period photographs do telegraph the size of the same. In the main, I don't have much in the way of room to tuck things in higher, whereas I trust what dimensions I was able to find and subsequently work up. The trimmed exhaust dumps look a bit better, while the fender indicator indentations spoken of are cleanly executed. Thanks for reviewing this update again... Mike K./Swede70

Looks great - very impressive overall.

Greetings, Just in passing given I've found it helpful, the link provided will take one to a website where one can isolate and identify typefaces/fonts consistent with reverse-engineering graphics to understand what materials are needed to do decals in-scale. I'd been encountering difficulties given the wide range of styles and cluttered web search results, although for framing matters as a pursuit of '1960's numeral fonts'', I eventually tripped across the resource revealed here. The results are intended for use on a '68 Ronnie Kaplan Engineering Javelin, although the utility of www.identifont.com will hopefully come across to the user as plain. It seems I'll be in the market for Battista, with Carousel as a possible alternate. That one can compare finalists side-by-side really lends utility to the site, while what I've attached communicates how I've used it. Try then: http://www.identifont.com/differences?first=Battista&second=Carousel ...contrast then to the below reproduced image: Thanks... Mike K./Swede70

Probably already know to you, but this I found nice and agreeably detailed. See: http://www.tachrev.com/GrandAm1973Nascar.htm

Indeed - looks like a nice tool. Thanks for photographing each tree plus decals so that we might look over your virtual shoulder. Mike K./Swede70

That would be a neat and certain strong collection of spares to work with to create both a stock as well as suitably-modified Trans Am racer. Indeed, the flared shells were for a time sold en masse and for very little on eBay, although it seems now that the supply had ebbed. Jimmy Flintstone still sells the transkit with the old school cast white metal roll cage parts off of their website for about $70 if it might help anyone. My late-season '70 effort is based upon one of the first transkits sold from way back in 1995, while the early-season car and shell is based upon one of the fire sale $15 eBay listings that have since dried up. Although disconcerting to view just how much clean up is necessary to render the flared shell casting usable, for careful effort it's certainly possible and shouldn't form a barrier to others contemplating this pathway forward... And just in passing, know that the front bumper found on the '70 Jo-Han Mark Donohue Trans-Am release differs from the Jim Pachal NASCAR GT/annual release given it doesn't 'feature' the cast-in 'JAVELIN' license plate detail akin to what is seen on the promos. I too have a standard production '70 Mark Donohue kit taking form as a stack 'o parts, although there isn't really anything worth seeing at this point. Thanks for your reply and shared enthusiasm... Mike K./Swede70