iamsuperdan

So here's the actual press release, attached here in pdf if you want to read it. And the relevant fun part. So from what I'm reading, even the Focus will be replaced with this new Focus Active crossover, whatever that is. I get it, but it still surprsies me to see them kill off the Fusion, especially when they recently announced the new 2019 changes and revamp of the car. And with all the lack of apparent profitability, I find it hard to believe that the Mustang is any better than the Focus. Really? Are Mustang sales vs the cost to produce and market really that profitable? Compared to the Focus? I find that odd. If anything, I would think the Mustang would be on the chopping block. Personally, I'm glad Ford is having a problem and needs to restructure. FRom my business point of view, Ford are a serious pain to deal with. Their entire fleet operation, allocation procedures...everything is far more difficult and convoluted than any other manufacturer I deal with. It's gotten to the point where I will not recommend a Ford product or quote a Ford product at all unelss I have a sepcific request from a client. It's just too much work for a vehicle that can be replaced by pretty much anything else on the market. There is nothing uniques or special. Combine that with some awful experiences of warranty and repair, and that seals the deal for me. 2017 F350 Platinum, two warranty issues in first 7500km. 2015 F150 Platinum, 4 warranty issues and two tows in the first 4500km, 2012 F250 XLT, two warranty issues, 2010 F150 King Ranch, three warranty issues, two tows in the first 5000km. Warranty issues included, rear diff failure, transmission failure, tailgate microswitch stopped working, rendering tailgate unuseable, door lock failuire, front upper door hinge not attached to the truck, instrument cluster failure, turbo failure, ongoing ABS warning lights. 2017 F150 XLT Sport, over $800 CDN to repair a door ding from a shopping cart. Gotta love that aluminum body. By comparison, I've had light duty and heavy duty trucks from all four of the other manufacturers, plus a couple of SUVs, probably 20 vehicles total, and compined those had no warranty issues or trips to the dealer. Won't sadden me at all to see Ford have to restructure, or disappear entirely. 1q18-financials.pdf

I was sort of one off those guys. I' m not a fan of bags, so in the 93 Passat wagon I had, I put in coilovers and dialled them right down. Not a single low as possible, but pretty low. Had to change the oil pump and oil pan to make it work. Front crossmember was still only about 4 inches off the ground. If that. Had to be careful around speed bumps, manhole covers, and entrances too parking lots. The car was so low that the roof racks were still lower than the top of the bed on a half ton truck. Many would say it was junk. Usually the Mustang and Corvette crowd. And then my wagon would blow them away. Ahh...good times.

Where did you guys read this? Seeing at how well the Fusion sells, I'd be surprised to see that go away. And the Taurus may stick around, purely because of the Interceptor sedan. Having said that, ALL police departments around here are running the Interceptor SUV, so maybe that one could die. Interesting.

100% agree! Is that the gloss, the semi-gloss, or the flat black? hmm... lolz

Those look great! Once I get the final coats on and let them cure for a couple of days, this should polish out into something nice. In the meantime, on to the interior and chassis! Duran Duran was my soundtrack last night.

Meh, there are plenty of things I wouldn't do, but I keep those opinions to myself. And there are others who really should just keep their opinions to themselves. I'll explain. There are plenty of builds out there with flaws, mine included. No matter how well intended, criticism can drag a lot of people's attitudes down. And what better way to squash one's enthusiasm for a hobby than to tell them they got a colour wrong, or a wire in the wrong place, or just didn't do something correctly. I know there are a lot of very knowledgable guys here who truly just want to help and offer advise, and really don't want to or plan to come across as meansprited, but some of those same people maybe don't quite have the tact needed to get their point across. It's all about perception. I'm not saying don't try to offer advise, I'm just saying pause, take a couple of seconds to consider your words, then type.

Exactly. There are a ton of shops that build vehicles on par with guys like Foose or Kindig or countless others, but choose to finish with a patina look or a rat look. Just because it looks junky, doesn't mean it is. Of course there are shops that cut corners and truly build junk, but in Canada at least, there's a pretty serious certification and licensing program for mechanics and shops. Doesn't stop the backyard guys though. Even guitar companies do it. This one, and all of its components are brand new. And it is definitely engineered to be a hotrodded shred guitar.

As a VW fan, I first thought that was just a cool van. Then I saw the Maiden decal. Best van here!

Very cool. Love the diorama too!

"Happened to go really well?" Understatement. Of. The. Year. Dude, the paint is amazing. The whole build, just wow.

This could be the nicest Firebird build I've seen around here. Love it.

As a wagon lover, I approve! Fantastic work you've done here.

Got some sanding and smoothing done, and the first coats of colour. I think this colour captures the spirit of Radwood.

Finally got one of these. Not sure why a curbside has such a large box, but okay.

I think it's funny how fired up people get over this stuff. Dude built a car the way he wanted. And much like every other automotive customization trend that has ever existed, people will like it and people will hate it. To see the amount of hatred directed at this though, I don't get it. It's not my scene, but as with anyone that puts real time and effort into a build, I can respect the work that goes into it, even when it looks like it's supposed to be a junker. It takes a lot of attention to detail to make it driveable, yet look completely unroadworthy. The engineering and thought required to make somehting that looks like this actually driveable? it's there. And I'd argue it's just as roadworthy and just as safe as something like this thing. Which I think is even more ugly and ridiculous. And just as safe, and probably has more thought in it than something like this, which I love. Different strokes for different folks. I'll always applaud effort.

Okay, it's been a while, but I have a little progress on this thing. The weather is finally nice, so I've bene in the garage doing some spraying. I have the body primed, and it will be sanded and painted this week. Hoepfully some of it done tonight. I've also primed and painted the chassis, so I can start assembling the powertrain and suspension. Interior has been coming along nicely. More importantly, last night's sound track wasn't purely 80s, although Pop Will Eat Itself did get their start in the 80s.

Hi Bob, I'll shoot you a PM about those. Other than Judge Dredd, I know nothing about comics. Doing some online research, but I'm no expert. It's mainly old Conans, Kull, Red Sonja. There's a few Batman, some Thor and other Marvel stuff. Mostly 70s vintage.

Doing a fantastic job on this one.

Dan, I think I can maybe offer a little insight into the track times, and why the "faster" car is actually slower. I used to work for Porsche, and have been lucky enough to drive both the GT2 and GT3 on a track, Barber Motorsports in Alabama. The GT3 is the slower of the two, no question, but when you actually get on to the track, you can get the power down a lot faster in the GT3, and it hooks up faster. Getting out of corners faster got me better times in the GT3 than the GT2 by a significant margin. The GT2 is a rear engined 500hp monster. And when those turbos kick in, it can bite you! Now a professional driver can probably get that thing to hook up and launch much faster, but I'm not that brave. Being fast in a straight line is easy. Being fast in the corners? That's another thing entirely.

I like it!

THat looks awesome! Very nicely done.

I like it. That livery suits the car.

The Levante. We just leased one out. I think they're kind of ugly. But the interior is something to experience, and it drives beautifully. The V8 is basically a Ferrari engine, so it has some pedigree and performance to go with it.

A local antique mall has a couple of Palmer Cougar kits in one of the booths. They've been there a long time. For $10CDN for the pair, I'm tempted to grab them and see what the fuss is about.

Wonky box art aside, I like this kit. Want.