Helipilot16

Here is where I stand now. I'm getting closer to painting.

I can tell you from experience. It's very weak. The Columbia unit was not even strong enough for stock flatheads. These rearends were pulled out of most cars and replaced with standard units. That's why quickchange rearends were developed in the 30s and 40s.

Take a little advice from someone who has "been there and done that". Starting your own business is very tempting because you would be your own boss, work your own hours, and set your own prices. It isn't that simple. There are many things you have to plan for. One of the worst is dealing with recalcitrant customers. Anyone who has been in business for any amount of time has been sued in small claims court. There is no justice in these "justice" courts. If you're in business you're assumed to be a cheating liar. I worked for myself for many years. I found that having yourself for a boss means you're working for a real taskmaster. Long hours are the norm. Disappointments are many. Anyone who can succeed in a small business is one who has paid his dues and gets my admiration.

If I remember correctly, the 6 volt generator was slightly larger and had more windings. Of course my memory could be incorrect . It's really looking good so far.

Lookin good. I like the stance. I would use the nail head Buick engine.

I really like your paint job. I'll be watching this one.

You best is plenty excellent. Great job!

Here is the chassis with the front Corvette crossmember and rear suspension. Here is the fuel injection system without it's airhorns, which I'm waiting for.

The body work is now complete and about ready for paint. I'm working on the chassis now. I found a complete C2 Corvette frame in my parts bin and adapted the front and rear suspensions to the original frame. Pictures of the chassis are to follow.

Nancy and I are real animal lovers. We have two cats and four dogs; all rescues. The dogs are a Dalmation, a Basenji, a Kelpie, and the latest; an Airedale. They are all very expensive dogs that either got loose from their owners or were given up by them to adoption agencies. We got the Dalmation in 1997. We were at a night race at Top Gun Raceway. A Dalmation came wandering out of the desert. He had roofing tar up to his belly. Someone had dumped him in hot roofing tar and turned him loose. It took two days at the vet and two gallons of ether to remove it. He almost died. We live out in the desert, and exercise our dogs regularly with long walks. The two cats are kept indoors at all times.

Nancy and I volunteered to keep score at a national wrestling tournament (World of Wrestling)in Reno this weekend. We have done it for the last 15 years and really enjoy it. It's for kids of all ages up through high school. It's one of the three biggest tournament in the world. I am a retired wrestling coach, among other things I've done in my life. I had a club up until we moved to Fallon five years ago. The only bad thing about it is I have to be away from my work bench until Sunday night. I really miss it when I'm not building. I'm sitting in a motel room right now thinking about what I am going to do when I get back.

I couldn't have said it better if I tried. I was just thinking about this very subject when I came across your post. It's about FUN. My life is made immeasurably better by my model building. The funny thing is, it has taught me many lessons about looking outside of myself. As I study others' builds, I am forced to look at life through the eyes of the builders. Super egocentricity will turn rapidly into narcissism if left unchecked, and that's a truly scary mental disease. Looking outside of yourself is the only way to stay sane. When I am building, I don't watch TV or listen to radio. I get into a zone of Zen meditation, which slows my heartbeat and lowers my blood pressure. Everyone should think about why he or she is building models. If it is about self glorification, maybe you should step back away from it for a while until your head is right.

I am using monofilament fishing line for the bolts on the cam covers. I looks very realistic in scale even though it isn't hex. I will paint the engine several different shades using Testors metalizers. The block will be painted aluminum using KustomKolor. The transmission is a Ford AOD from a 32 Ford kit.

Beautiful job on what I consider a bad kit. I like the smooth look.

Here is the new Fordoni engine. The other one wasn't turning out right. The new one is very similar, but different in some major ways. The new cams will have their chain drives in front of the engine. The heads are scratchbuilt using laminated styrene. The fuel injection bases were built out of styrene tubing. I have ordered some air funnels from Hong Kong. Here is the engine story: I started with two aluminum low deck 347 cu inch Ford small blocks welded front to rear. I added a billet steel 16 cylinder crankshaft. The heads are aluminum overhead cam (four cams). The fuel injection is a custom built electronic Hillborn style.

I watched and enjoyed it, as I have nearly every race for the last few years. The rules mean very little, as is proven by the fact that the cars get faster nearly every year. The only thing wrong with F1 as I see it is Bernie Ecclestone. The team owners should own and control the series they support, as there would be no F1 without them.

Thank you Dave for this wonderful trip down memory lane.

I have one of these and one of the NART Spider versions to build some day. I have already completed one of the spider models, but it didn't turn out very well. I will do better on the next one.

I'm sorry I never saw this request sooner. Here is the link: Fordoni engine

It's always been my aim to do everything I do to the best of my ability. For that reason, I have vowed to build my '40 Ford convertible as perfectly as possible. I am detailing it to the max and smoothing the body until it's perfect. That means it will take me quite a while to complete it. My new catchword is patience.

Very nice job and very realistic.

My sympathy and condolences go out to you and your family. Remember, we'll all be here when you return to building.

I have a Canon EOS 20D DSLR and love it. It has every control you could possible need, including aperture priority. Most of the time I simply point and shoot for fast and dirty pictures, but when I have finished my current models, I will try and get more artistic.

Very, very nice. This is one Chevy that could be built in any era.

I'm trying not to be too influenced by those cars, despite the name I've chosen. Think of them as my inspiration, not my prototypes. I don't want to seem to be copying anything. My headlights will be stacked modern headlamps set behind a clear cover, somewhat like those of some modern cars.