Jantrix

Very nicely done.

Fujimi, has some 1/32 kits of that time frame if I'm not mistaken.

A quick note here. See the little vertical line on the corner of the hood? That's a mold line and it should be removed before primer/paint. Mark is dead right. You've got a very good clean build here, you should be quite proud, I would be. If this is your work now, as a beginner, I see an excellent future for you as a builder, if you stick with it. Welcome to the forums.

I think you did an excellent job. My advice to you is to keep this model, always. Don't get rid of it or rebuild it. It is the measuring stick all further work is compared to. Display it proudly. I still have my first model that I built after I realized that modeling was a serious adult hobby, and not just kid stuff. It is terrible, but I love it. It's one of my favorite models. Welcome to the forum.

It dawns on me that I haven't done much in the longroof category. That is something I shall have to remedy. It doesn't have a very long roof, but it IS a wagon.

Thanks guys. I'm going to try this week to get the side trim sanded off and the body taped off for channeling.

On my one day off I was able to get the chassis stretch accomplished. Started here. Finished up here. The wheelbase is now spot on.

Thanks Tim. Most likely my troubles with the interior was due to the fact that I glued the top to the body before painting. I'm looking forward to seeing yours with the two pieces painted separately.

Bill, there is a gap, on the inside. The two pieces are not flush. However it's the width of the whole assembly at the floorboard that makes it difficult to get in. You have to work it in from the wheel well, sliding forward. The gaps in the door panels make this a challenge as the front corner of the wheel well gets caught in them as you are sliding the interior in. Once you have gotten it mostly in, but not in place, push up and in, from the back of the interior. It should slide past the gap between top and bottom, which is covered by the door panels. Working carefully, I was able to get my interior in, fully assembled, dash and all. Also as I've noted before, if you glue in the roof panel before final assembly, you'll have to add the steering wheel through the drivers window, unless you find other, more creative options. I did and it worked out. If you find yourself in this situation, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know how I did it. It's pretty simple. Bill, I think I speak for all of us when I say, we'd love to see you tackle a hot rod project.

Per the IPMS website there are two clubs (one apparently model car specific) in the Peoria area. http://calendar.ipmsusa3.org/chapter-map Welcome to the forums.

In case you missed them in my build thread, here's my notes on this kit. 1. The windshield frame mounts from the OUTSIDE. Then the windshield goes in from the inside. The instructions say otherwise but it is all lies. Lies I tell you! 2. For the channeled version, DO NOT glue the interior floor to the chassis, (it say to says in the instructions, but it's just more lies!) until your final assembly. Build the interior as a separate assembly. It is not easy to get into the body, but it would be impossible with the chassis attached. 3. Even with un-upholstered panels, the battery and gas tank can hardly be seen from the outside of the model. Unless you are opening the trunk/rumble seat, I would just save those for another build. 4. The very tiny gauge decals are not worth the hassle. They are so small the adhesive is gone in a flash. 5. The headlights are beautiful. Although I would like to meet the engineer who decided to put a mounting tab right on the top of the part, which is a chromed piece. I have a few choice words for him/her. 6. The surface of the headlight support where it meets the chassis is shaped oddly. I'm not sure what the original plan was. 7. I will very likely build at least one more of these soon. A very unusual thing for me.

Well if I got more than 25% of my models at retail prices I might be concerned. But the fact is, I buy maybe three kits a year from a retail store. The rest of my model purchases are at the local swap meets. Average price $10 per kit. We have three swap meets a year here in Tampa Bay. You can spend a lot in this hobby, but you don't have to. There are plenty of low buck options for detailing as well. As hobbies go, even at $30 a kit, this is still a pretty darn inexpensive hobby. Fishing, bowling, real car building, RC cars - yeesh. Not cheap.

Well work is ramping up to 10 hour shifts, six days on, for the next six weeks. So taking my time will be a forced reality.

I'm not masochistic enough for that.

I'd no idea these even existed. Trying to achieve consistent bends has always been an issue for me, when doing roll cages or exhaust. It's a game changer. Thanks John.

Nice choice. The Revell '67 is one of the best kits ever. Be advised though, you cannot achieve the ride height shown in the cover art, using the kit parts. It is stock ride height with fancy wheels.

Thanks guys. Fabrizio, I agreee 100%. I think it's going to have a great look. Rick, I'm gonna do it the old fashioned way. Slowly, with the back of a #11 until the groove is deep enough and then bring in the zona saw. Jesse, you are exactly right. I'll be stretching the chassis right behind the seat about 8.5mm. That will get my wheelbase right and center the cage where it's supposed to be. I don't think chopping the top will be necessary based on my measurements. I'm not a fan of doing so in most cases.

Quick update. I've trimmed up the chassis and body, so that they will mate smoothly. The chassis still needs to be lengthened AND now based on this photo and my trusty caliper, it will need to be sectioned about 4.5mm. I was planning for this modification so it's no surprise. This kit definitely has some dimension issues in any case, and it will look much better once it's sectioned. I've channeled this kit once before about 25 years ago, and it looked great. I just wish I hadn't continued the custom work after that and screwed the whole thing up. I'll start by removing the side trim. Things are picking up at work for at least the next six weeks. So I'll get it done when I can.

We have lots of dropped axles in kits. Drill bits are cheap.

I've had In n Out when I'm on the left coast. Very good.

Fast food. We don't really do it anymore. The quality at every chain has suffered so drastically that we just gave up on em. If we do something fast-food-ish, it's someplace like Culvers, 5 Guys, Wow, or PDQ where the food is fresh. Where your burger started as ground beef on a grill, not a frozen pre-cooked patty in a micro-wave. The fries were a potato an hour ago, not potato slurry pushed through a press six months ago and have been sitting frozen somewhere since.

Not me, but it is a heck of an idea.

New project. This awesome '55 has inspired me to build something similar, but decidedly my style. This '55 according to Super Chevy, was built on an old Days of Thunder Lumina stock car chassis. In a lot of ways it's the perfect car. It's a track-ready, street legal hot rod. You can hit the track on Saturday, zip up Pikes Peak on Sunday. Swap in some narrower tires and hit he salt flats next weekend. Then throw on some radials and do the Hot Rod Power Tour the weekend after. This really appeals to me. So I'm going to give it a shot. http://www.superchevy.com/features/1509-1955-chevy-gets-some-handling-help-from-swapped-stock-car-chassis/ I'm going to use the Monogram '53 Chevy, and a Monogram stock car. Both 1/24. I have a 1/24 Nascar SBC that I'll swap in with some Weber style downdrafts. The '53 has a longer wheelbase, so the stock car chassis will have to be lengthened 8.5mm and we should be in business. First order of business is removing the wheel wells and firewall from the '53, removing the radiator tunnel and flattening the edge of the rear wheel tubs on the stock car chassis. Then I'll lengthen the chassis just aft of the front seats. As far as finish, I'm planning a "Cobra Merc" vibe. It'll have wheel discs and a low hood scoop. I'm planning on a patina'd white finish with various primers showing through. Door numbers at a minimum. Can't wait to start. More soon.

Casey, Ive missed the last couple of local shows. I have not seen the Torino. I'll try to contact Ron.

Saving weight is important, but so is strength. Unless you are going to add another cross member, something tubular to save weight, I'd leave it.