bill-e-boy

Hi All In the last post I filled the hole in the Lil John dash. I was not happy with the shallow engraving on the dash so I smoothed it out for some photo etch I have had for yonks. I painted the dash dark blue flat with semi-gloss clear to match the rest of the interior The slot at the top of the dash looked a bit blah so I cut some silver plated craft wire long enough to fit into the slot - 3 pieces worked OK This is a huge improvement - looks better with less magnification Next up was the steering column. I have an after market one as shown but the hub is too long for this application. The billet dash is a S&S item that I cut the supplied gauge faces and glued to the back. This was glued to the dash with some Tamiya clear which was also used for the gauge glasses For a more suitable column I machined a hub to fit some 2.4mm dia ally tube and fitted to the Lil John steering wheel. I actually machined 2 hubs 1x 3mm dia and the other 3.5mm. I will use the 3mm with a column drop that is waiting for paint

Thats how it is done

I made a stand for the bed candy I was not happy with the bare look to the rear end. I tried the rolled pan that is in the kit but it is a bit blah. I had removed the moulded in tail lights but could see that it was not going to gel with the overall theme. Also it looks like it does not fit very well either and it would be a glue on part later So I have used a simpler approach and filled in the gap between the bed rails. I also filled in the under part too Waiting for the glue to set up I moved on the the cab interior I am using the Lil'John dash so need to fill the steering hole I will replace the blah dash detail with some photo etch More to come Thanks for looking

Kit - I hope you can get your hands on the SD40 - looks like a cool project with a lot of history I have been spending time on the bed candy - nearly done Got some colour on the interior parts Tamiya flat blue with semigloss on the seats, door cards and headlining - i need to break up the monotony of Pacific Blue that everything else is/will be painted The floor parts and cab roof left in flat - it has a bit more gloss than what I would expect from a flat paint More work to be done on cab alignment, door fitting and hood so will post when I have done a bit more Thanks for looking

Thanks guys - good vid of kit - see what you get before buying

++ for the Tamiya filler primer in white and grey. I thin the bottle stuff quite heavily - at least 150% with lacquer thinners as it is quite thick and I use a small tip in my air brush The rattle can is good too but I rarely use rattle cans

Re the AMT 69 Torino Cobra Jet fast back -does this kit have a fully detailed chassis or a simple promo style chassis with moulded in rear end etc If it does not have a full detail chassis what is a suitable donor kit

That's a big YES from me too All of the above replies cover the mix ratios but I do thin mine a bit more as I use a fine tip on my airbrush The Tamiya rattle cans are good too

Hi Jim Using my new computer and hit the submit button too soon ..... When machining small diameter parts the speed need to be very high to get a good finish. Also if you can support with a steady at the non chuck end with a lathe centre in the tailstock end Cheers Bill-e-boy

Hi Jim The success to making long thin parts like a steering column is to make it from some shorter parts. Like make up the parallel main column and drill a hole at each end for the locator at the bottom and one for the top od the column. Then turn the column top which is shorter and will not flex so much. When machining smal diameter

Nice Job Zippi I like the way the big meats fill the deep wheel wells that on these kits

Good work Mark I like the bumper choice - even a piece of rusty rectangular plastic stock suitably weathered would have fit the theme of the build as well Keep up the good work

I was able to catch up with the owner of the Banger powered 32 Pickup and was able to get some more pix of the other side of the motor I have squirted some colour onto my banger - Tamiya Titanium Gold - and have partly assembled the motor The gold has picked up the green from the work mat A comparison - Banger vs Billet In the background I have been steadily working on parts getting ready for paint and some are in first coat of primer to check that prep work is looking OK. There is an amazing amount of sink marks that need attention on the body parts which I suppose is not surprising giving the age of the kit and the knowledge base that was available back when the kit was designed - injection moulding was fairly new technology in the early 60's Thanks for looking

Stick it under a 49 Chebby pick up - hehe

Looking good There is just something about a roadster with big meats hangin' out the back I built this over 30 years ago

Hi Jim I am liking the build - you are doing a great job I have a similar project that was shelved to participate in another build thread I cant help wondering as the pick up is so low a bit could come out of the top of the cab and some length out of the bed Like this

Kit - I hope round two of your paint job works out better than the first I have been spending time getting things cleaned up ready for paint I block sanded the inner of the tail gate only to find it is blank on the outside - but at least it is smooth on the inside. Been working on the firewall recess and floor board area, cleaning up the pick up bed. There are lots of shrink holes all over the kit so takes time to sand and fill these areas. Next will be the doors When rummaging around in the bottom of the model boxes I found some bits and just could not help myself We recently went on a mid-week cruise and ended up at a Rodder's place and he had a 32 PU with a banger with OHV conversion - which caused a light bulb moment - PU bed candy So I started with the basis A block, gear box and other bits. The Cragar head is basically just a lump and that was easy to build up by layering plastic sheet to get the ight height. The original water pump bolts up as does the inlet manifold Head needed a little machining to create the spark plug recesses - onto the mill to do that. had to make up a 2mm cutter to do that first The head bolts are on a landed area so drilled out and glued some round stock - just need tidying up The crowning glory is an ally rocker cover I machined up - it was a mission as it is the first rocker cover I have machine so I now have a system that should work in the future So a little side trip to break up the tension with being heavily involved in a one kit build Thanks for looking

Is there a catalogue available for Drag City

Yup I hear you. Mines a 56 Dodge, its a driver, tidy but not a show car. Sometimes I just have to suck it and back it out in the cold and wet to get work done in the garage.

There is also an excellent tutorial on Wingnut Wings site under hints and tips

Zippi I paint in the garage and have used a light box for years. I paint any time of the year and warm the model and paint in the hot box before painting. It does not get as cold here - 6-8deg C - but I do not have any issues. In fact the light box was a game changer as it does more than warm the paint. It cures the paint quicker than leaving it in ambient air temps. The most important is it decreases the chances of BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH getting into the paint finish I recently got around to building a spray booth and incorporated the hot box which is under the booth. I put it on wheels so that I can move it about the workshop and stash it when not needed. The filter is a unit I changed from a air exchange unit in the house. I use throw away wrags that come on a roll as a sacrificial pre filter. The main body of the spray booth is particle board (we call customwood down here) and was titivated with a coat of white paint. I also recessed an LED light into the roof for lighting. I also made up a drawer so that I can stash my airbrushes, cleaning gear, empty bottles and BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH associated with painting. The other good thing about a booth is you do not get all the fumes in your face and lungs The booth has worked fine but I find I still take up space on the bench with paint prep etc I am sure with your abilities you could coble one together - I just procrastinated as I have had the parts for ages Cheers Bill-e-boy

Steve Your real car looks almost as good as one of your models, lol Looking forward to a build up of it and will follow along like I have with your other builds Always inspiring

Nice build to what started life as a basic kit Would be a hairy ride in real life with a huffed elephant and skinny cross plies on wires - !!!!

What a nice clean build with fabulous paint job. You deserve the accolades

Did this a few years ago. Mostly spare parts from the AMT 29A Roadster and T Bucket kits. The rest from the parts boxes Paint is Tamiya white undercoat tinted with a splash of green