iamsuperdan

There it is again!

The Volkswagen VR6 engine was fantastic. However... THere is a coolant pipe that runs along the front of the engine. It is of course, made from plastic. Well as you might guess, after a few years of hot coolant, cold temperatures, and hot engines, that plastic gets brittle, and it WILL fail. Luckily, the aftermarket has a fix for VW's "crackpipe." And on a related note, the first generation Porsche Cayenne S. This one came with a 4.5L V8 that is a sweet, sweet engine. People should be swapping this into vehicles instead of the LS. Anyway, it has a flaw. The plastic coolant pipe...that runs in the V of the engine. Of course, it will always fail. And of course, the aftermarket has a bulletproof aluminum replacement. But the labour involved to get to it is ridiculous. Still...I've been eyeballing those first gen Cayenne S models. They're inexpensive to buy, parts are not as ridiculous as people think, and they are fun to drive; on road, off road, and on a track.

Oooh, and the mid-90s GM V6 cars that need to have the entire engine tilted forward to access the rear spark plugs.

Got any more pics of that Volvo 740 wagon? I love me some Volvo wagon.

I don't know why, but this thing is speaking to me. Want.

So if anyone is having any trouble thinking of the perfect birthday gift for me this year, you can just box up and send me that red Capri bubbleback with the t-tops. Thanks in advance!

Of course, one can get carried away things. Well that was disappointing. Time to end this.

A couple of my favourite bits of engineering. C4 Corvette. To access the battery for replacement, you need to remove a body panel. Chevy Lumina, again, to access the battery for replacement, you need to remove an engine brace, the washer fluid tank, and then the airbox gets in the way. One could do it without removing the airbox, but it's probably less frustrating to just take it out. And on vehicles Iactually own: 2006 Volvo XC90 - replacing the front foglights. Driver side is easy, lots of room to get underneath, unbolt the light assembly, and replace. Passenger side requires removal of one computer module and the washer fluid tank, which ultimately means removing the RF wheel and inner fender liner too. Chevrolet/GMC GMT400 trucks/SUVs - inner door handles are made of plastic, so they break. And from factory, the door handle assembly is riveted in to the door. So drill out the rivets, then when putting the new handle in, just use normal screws. Because that door handle WILL break again. Despite that, these are still my favourite truck ever.

I've played with the AI generators like Google Gemini and ChatGPT. Some things it's pretty good at, others...VERY questionable results. Want to see what your car looks like in a different colour? Easy. I've been toying with making our XC90 look like an R model. So I asked Google Gemini to change the colour to Cream Yellow like a T5R, and change the wheels to the dark grey Volvo used. Turned out pretty good. I asked ChatGpt to turn a Ram truck into a RatFink style truck. Interesting results. Make a Ram truck look like it was in Back To The Future. Make this car white with wheels and mirrors painted in Porsche Riviera Blue. Not bad.

I think it turned out really well. It would be an interesting comparison to see you build another, but in your usual style. Adding the extra details and whatnot.

That's coming along really well. Excellent work. 👍

Well, kind of. As a contributing write to Model Cars Magazine, I was paid for my articles. And that was enough to purchase more supplies and paints and whatnot. So yes, I guess I did profit from my hobby. I have a VERY hard time building to a timeframe though, so ultimately had to step back.

Not a sports car per se, but definitely sporting. We loved our '23 GT, and another is on the shortlist to replace wifey's current vehicle. I already have suspension mods picked out. I have the 3d print kit for it, and I figure that if Revell can make a kit of the Audi e-tron GT, then they should knock out one of these too. I would predict many a V8 mod to that kit.

Yeah, there are a lot of engines that can work in the GT4 kit. But then one still needs to fabricate the entire engine bay; including the underside of the hood, strut towers, radiator and supports, all the ancillary things like brake booster, washer fluid tank, abs unit, etc. Some of us don't have the scratchbuilding skills or time to do that. I'd like to see a transkit that gets us partially there. Kind of like this: 🚗 ENGINE BAY for MAZDA MIATA For TAMIYA 1/24・ 3D File for ・Cults

I've seen body and interior there, but never the engine bay.

Unfortunately, you're probably right. If one can afford $1 million plus for a car, then really, $20k for an oil service is pocket change. And the even sadder reality is that most of these owners don't bother with the oil changes, because they never get driven. Just go poke around Bring A Trailer. The number of hypercars and exotics that are 5 years old, with 1500 miles, and 6 previous owners is staggering. I mean, check this one out. 2008 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 for sale on BaT Auctions - closed on June 13, 2025 (Lot #195,706) | Bring a Trailer It's a 2008, 4 previous owners, less than 4000 miles. There was a Porsche on there in the past week or so. A 2022 with 6 previous owners and less than 2k miles.

I'm actually surprised I haven't seen a transkit for the Tamiya Mustang GT4. Either 3d printed or a retail version by ZoomOn or Hobby Design or something.

Thinking about it, most body shops can mix up small batches. It would probably be a pint, which is a lot for scale models! There's also this company, which will mix up smaller quantities of literally anything. ScratchesHappen | Superior Touch Up Paint Kits I plan on trying these guys out. Just thin it down and see what happens. Pricing is reasonable.

Splash Paints will custom mix anything you want. Airbrush Ready. Shake, Load, N' Spray!

Meh, that's what ChatGPT spit out. My point stands. We're in for a lot of obituaries soon.

You just wait. The next couple of years are going to be crazy for celebrity deaths. Just think about how many classic musicians are now in their 70s and 80s, and have lived a lifetime full of unhealthy activities. Gene Simmons (b. 1949) - 76 Paul Stanley (b. 1952) - 73 Peter Criss (b. 1945) - 79 Paul McCartney (b. 1942) – 83 Ringo Starr (b. 1940) – 85 Mick Jagger (b. 1943) – 82 Keith Richards (b. 1943) – 82 Ronnie Wood (b. 1947) – 78 Pete Townshend (b. 1945) – 80 Roger Daltrey (b. 1944) – 81 Bob Dylan (b. 1941) – 84 Neil Young (b. 1945) – 79 David Gilmour (b. 1946) – 79 Roger Waters (b. 1943) – 82 Eric Clapton (b. 1945) – 80 Brian May (b. 1947) – 78 Ozzy Osbourne (b. 1948) – 76 Robert Plant (b. 1948) – 77 Jimmy Page (b. 1944) – 81 Steven Tyler (b. 1948) – 77 Alice Cooper (b. 1948) – 77 Elton John (b. 1947) – 78 Rod Stewart (b. 1945) – 80 Billy Joel (b. 1949) – 76 Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949) – 76 Smokey Robinson (b. 1940) – 85 Diana Ross (b. 1944) – 81 Stevie Wonder (b. 1950) – 75 Gladys Knight (b. 1944) – 81 Lionel Richie (b. 1949) – 76 Willie Nelson (b. 1933) – 92 Dolly Parton (b. 1946) – 79 Emmylou Harris (b. 1947) – 78 Kris Kristofferson (b. 1936) – 89 Joan Baez (b. 1941) – 84 Joni Mitchell (b. 1943) – 82 Van Morrison (b. 1945) – 80 Bonnie Raitt (b. 1949) – 76 Taj Mahal (b. 1942) – 83 Herbie Hancock (b. 1940) – 85 Paul Simon (b. 1941) – 84 Art Garfunkel (b. 1941) – 84 James Taylor (b. 1948) – 77 Jackson Browne (b. 1948) – 77 Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys, b. 1942) – 83 Mike Love (The Beach Boys, b. 1941) – 84 Iggy Pop (b. 1947) – 78 Debbie Harry (b. 1945) – 80 Grace Slick (b. 1939) – 86 Patti Smith (b. 1946) – 79 Neil Diamond (b. 1941) – 84 Barbra Streisand (b. 1942) – 83 Cher (b. 1946) – 79 Bette Midler (b. 1945) – 80 And this doesn't even touch tv or movie stars. And then think of all the musicians that were big in the 80s. They're all well into their 60s now. All the hair metal and thrash metal musicians I loved in high school; plus all the new wave artists. Going to be a sad few years.

Many will deny it, but there isn't a rock guitarist of the present day that hasn't been influenced by Ace in some way. I've never been a huge KISS fan, but Ace's influence cannot be denied.

Interesting. Looks far too detailed to be an ESCI kit. Every ESCI kit I have seen has been a very basic curbside. Did they actually make full detail kits?

I like this one. A little Indiana Jones reference?

Beauty! I was drooling over, and watching this one over the past couple of days. Dang. Missed out. 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe 5-Speed for sale on BaT Auctions - sold for $125,999 on October 14, 2025 (Lot #214,769) | Bring a Trailer