Brian Austin

One could write a book regarding all the various truck builders that utilized the Ford C cab. Montreal fire apparatus builder Thibault also used the C cab, or just bits and pieces, depending on the particular model.

These cabs got around... Yankee-FWD airport fire apparatus, using the Ford/Budd cab.

I believe the Athearn Ford Cs are their own. According to their website, they offer a wide range of vintage Ford trucks. Note this fire truck of theirs sports a canopy cab... https://1-87vehicles.org/Reviews/athearn_ford_fire_truck.php Info on Heljan's issue of the Revell HO vehicle kits: http://www.87thscale.info/heljan.htm

Well, if you want big modern brakes, you're going to need big modern wheels to fit over them. :-)

There used to be a chain in the Boston area called HobbyTown. I think they're not related to the current chain, but may be related to HobbyTown of Boston, an HO scale model railroad supplier (that's no longer located in Boston!).

I think it's likely a Chevrolet chassis/cab with Cadillac front clip.

This is precisely the attitude that irks me. It comes across as patronizing and condescending. Electric vehicles are as "real" as IC vehicles! To me, a "real car guy" finds all types of vehicular propulsion of interest. To me, gasoline, steam, and electric power all have fascinating histories and technical aspects. Heck there was even a guy tinkering with a land speed record racer powered by rubber bands. More power to him for thinking out side of the box. People complain about the "silent" aspects of electric cars, when ICE cars can just be just too noisy at times. I'm sure neighbors LOVE it when cars loudly rev their engines when exiting car shows. :-P But to me, as it pertains to the car hobby, this doesn't have to be a "this OR that" type of thing. We can enjoy all kinds. Electric cars aren't replacing IC cars in the hobby. You can enjoy your sounds and sensations driving your IC car, while other folks can enjoy their sounds and sensations as well. Anyway, I did happen to see an unusual EV-conversion this afternoon ad a microcar event at the Lars Anderson Museum in Massachusetts. This is the owner's website with the car's history. It apparently was built in the '70s. https://www.maxmatic.com/vespa_400/index.html (Counterbalancing this EV was a Trabant sedan that had also attended the Microcar meet, belching acrid smoke from its tailpipe on its way down the street as I happened to be briefly behind it on my way home.) Further EV reading: Jaguar E Type EV: https://www.jaguar.com/about-jaguar/jaguar-classic/authentic-cars/e-type-zero.html Aston Martin EV conversion (and it's even reversible!): https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/05/aston-martin-ev-conversions-electric-1970-db6-volante/ And, for fun... Mister Rogers briefly drove a prototype EV in one of his show's episodes: https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/03/29/lost-and-found-overflow-that-time-mr-rogers-visited-a-mystery-ev-builder/ (Note in the comments section,at the bottom, the builder is identified, and he seems like an interesting guy as well. Also, in another point in that episode, Mister Rogers picks up Trolley from its track and turns it over to show the TV viewer the electric motor and chain drive that runs it.)

While I try to track down the origin of the Wheel Ants illustration, here is an actual period "suggestion" from the pages of Popular Mechanics. Compiled in the volume Motorist's Handbook, ca.1948. Combine two bad tires to make one "good" one!

The 1:32 line of Matchbox kits is probably not as well known as other manufacturers' kits, but I recall they were pretty nicely done. IIRC the tooling went to Revell. This site has pictures of built-up examples. (Packard is on the second page): http://www.matchboxkits.org/index.php?cPath=86&osCsid=oopp424btq9deapgm7e59opp27

Any worse than home-built hot rods? Can't be easy to build a car from scratch.

Links for reference. Note there is more than one type of tow truck pictured here: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/northside-performance-towing-chicago https://www.merchantcircle.com/northside-performance-towing1-chicago-il

This page has been posted a few times of late I guess, but if you haven't seen it, it has scanned dimension drawings of various Ford pickup models, and links to diagrams showing the F350 chassis (1964 and 1966): http://www.fordification.info/tech/bodybuilder.htm

I said "sadly" because the Blog reports on a variety of topics relating to the hobby, and the complaining relating to stories that don't involve internal combustion power gets a little old. The small number of EV-converted classics described in the articles won't replace all classics. I like the variety of topics presented on the Hemmings Blog. There's more to life than muscle cars! :-)

The Hemmings Blog has been running articles on classic Jaguars and Aston Martins that are being built with modern RV drivetrains. Sadly the Hemmings Blog commenters tend to be mostly negative in those posts.

Aren't Chevy Suburbans "real" SUVs? Depending on era, they came in 2-, 3-, or 4 doors. Also, does the Rally Fighter count as a two-door SUV? I've seen one like this, in plain white, driven by a middle-aged woman out in the suburbs. I have no idea whether she goes off road with it, but she does use it literally as a grocery-getter.

IIRC the Lee '58 Cadillac was not a re-pop but a mere copy of the IMEX version, at lower quality. I have two of the IMEX ones, and my impression was that the chassis and mechanicals were quite close in scale to the Revell '59s, while the body was way too wide, even for the stated 1:24 scale. The Jada '58 Cadillac does look interesting.

Bear in mind when converting the old AMT "unibody" F100 the roof and door panels need to be modified to match the separate-cab items. And while I'm at it, I've been waiting decades to build this.

There's also the Boeing-Kenworth partnership that experimented with turbines. Lighter weight and more compact design were said to be advantages, but were offset by poor economy among other issues. Also, three American LaFrance fire trucks were built with turbines.

https://fuchsia.bandcamp.com/album/fuchsia-2 Fuchsia, 1971. Fuchsia recorded one album and then split up. The band's leader, Tony Durant, then became aware of the album's resurgence in the internet era. The original album has now been reissued and new material recorded. Scroll down the linked page for band history and a documentary film: http://www.fuchsiamusic.com/

Today's big wheels may not age well either. :-)

Uh-oh... They're bringing out the eight-by-ten color glossy pictures with circles and arrows And a paragraph on the back of each one, if I may paraprhrase Arlo Guthrie. :-)

Today I'm in the mood for this one. Part of Ghia's "Supersonic" series, a single Aston Martin chassis was given the treatment in 1956. Similar bodies were fitted to Jaguar and FIAT chassis, with slightly differing proportions and details. https://www.motor1.com/news/38458/one-off-1956-aston-martin-db2-4-mkii-supersonic-by-carrozzeria-ghia-up-for-auction/ also https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/ny13/new-york---art-of-the-automobile/lots/r101-1956-aston-martin-db24-mk-ii-supersonic-by-carrozzeria-ghia/296142

This appears to be a Buddy-L station. This display is set up every year at the show in Taunton, MA (formerly known as the MassCar show).

Is that livery authentic?

What are the two small models (#7, #8) in the middle-bottom row of the display?