Claude Thibodeau

Hi Sir! I was browsing trough clippings from old issues of SAE (kept for reference), and I saw a picture of your car atop a painting stand. You were using the car as a "demo" for a painting feature article, and described the source of the parts. I was impressed, and still am! CT

Hi Sir! That engine is a work of art... but we saw it coming for a while. Now the engine stand... WOW! This thing looks sturdy, and is of olympic precision. Impressive. Bravo! CT

Hi Francis! Wow, this thing is impressive on the four wheels. Bravo! It looks strangely like a 1/1 1970 Mustang Pro-Touring that I was building a frame for in my garage last spring... Goes to say how realistic your work is! CT

Hi Tom! Great stance, and the flame job is impressive, even more so in the extreme close-ups. Bravo! Just curious: did-you have any after-toughts about leaving the side-molding on it? The flame masking must have been complicated? CT

Hi Josh! Thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow. I could use this wire for many applications! CT

Hi Sir! Welcome back to styreneland! You'll be able to observe that many among us are old enought to get free refills at McDo. Isn't life great at this point? Enjoy your projects, and share them with us. We learn from the group! CT

Hi Francis! Well, since we are both getting older by the day, I guess we will ultimately be vaccinated, and break free of that mess. In the meantime, happy holidays to you and your loved ones. Joyeuses Fêtes mon ami! CT

Hi Tim! Thank you so much. It seems the panel of three ACME Presidents (current and former) were favorably impressed. Lucky me! CT

Hi Francis! I'll try, but it will test my photographer's talent... It is a curved and beveled slab of glass, with the markings etched or glass-beaded from the back. Stunning, but hard to photograph the semi-transparent markings. I'll try soon! CT

Hi Greg! Lately, I've been chroming many fairly big parts with the Molotow ink... but NOT with the pen. I bought a Molotow REFILL at an art supply store (about 25$), and I just put a drop or two in a shallow paint palette, and use a fine brush to apply a liberal heavy coat over my parts. The trick is to NOT try any recoat before it is dry, otherwise, the finish will not be as smooth. It works incredibly well, is not too sensible to handling (reasonnably, of course), and remains very lustrous and shiny. You could "fill" your chip very wet in one application, and let it dry flat for a day. My guess is nobody would be able to tell... CT

Hi Chuck! Great idea, and superb execution. Bravo! And the wind farm in the background is "in the theme" to say the least... CT

HI! Today, my postman delivered a beautifull crystal sculpted award from ACME. It is proudly displayed on my chimney mantle. Many thanks to all involved, quite an honour! CT

Hi Sir! The stance is absolutely perfect for the salt flats. Bravo! CT

Hi Uelder! Very neat weathering. And what happened to the passenger-side rear stoplight reflector? You may get pulled over by a patrol car... CT

Hi Mike! Well, all those smaller parts amount to a great engine compartment. Everything looks "in scale". Bravo! CT

Hi John! The blower scoop on this 36 was shot with a Krylon spray-can finish, that gave a sheen that is less bright than regular chrome, but lighter in hue than the usual Alclad on a black enamel base. So is the counter top on the food truck. Speakin of Alclad, I tried it on a white enamel base, and it then mimicks more polished aluminium than the darker chrome on black enamel. (see Duster scoop below) For what it's worth, just my two cents... CT

Hi Francis! Wow, impressive as always. I'm curious about the starter ring gear around the flywheel... You made it, or is-it some kind of watch or clock gear that you fitted there? It looks the part! CT

Hi Steve! Great work, it will provide luminous results, I'm certain! To your smoke tint: I've seen that Billet Specialties started to offer a smoke finish on some of their polished billet wheels about two years ago. A smidge less dark than yours, but I can't wait to see yours in place. A report on the 2019 SEMA show indicated that all sorts of "tinted" wheels are the rage. Many feature a frosted candy look. Keep on! CT

Hi Steve! Very nice, the colour combo is perfect. And the green wire wheels are a nice contrast. CT

Hi Dax! Very impressive, bravo! A great future is waiting for you in a movie studio's props department if you ever want it... CT

Hi Martin! I didn't know about this aftermarket IFS, so I look forward to discovering it trough your project. Your new "lower and longer" stance reminds me of a car that was very similar to the Luce coupe, but was built in 1/1 by an Oklahoma shop. I think they called it the "Chrome shop special" back then in the rod mags. It had, however, a grille similar to the famous Jake Jacob's yellow 3W. Regarding the Boyd wheels that were on the Luce coupe, I saw something very similar in a kit, but I just can't remember exactly which one. I'm still searching, but I'm also getting older by the day, so... Keep on! CT

Hi Martin! Now, THIS is an iconic car. The one who started the whole "smooth look" in contemporary rods. And you seem to have the rake/proportions right in your mock-up. Nice. Do you plan to scratchbuild the IFS, or aim to transplant something? The closest thing to the delicate scale required might be the Buttera's tall coupe IFS. Monogram had one in the 37 sedan street-rod, and AMT in the Phantom Vicky, but both (nice units) are a smidge too "massive" in the a-arm department, IMHO. Just curious... CT

Hi Gerry! That's a beauty, bravo! CT

Hi Oliver! You are mistaken my friend... The root beer car is Steve's. But I'll route the compliment his way. He deserves it! CT

Hi Steve! This picture was found while browsing for ideas before I started the resto process for my friend. If you look closely, it's simple: a 2-door body had the roof cut short and moved forward, including the roll-down rear window bulkhead section. The continuous trunk and rear seat area hence became the "box", and a tonneau cover was fabricated. Working on a real 1/1 car convinced me that it was a fairly simple conversion, even more so because the car has a very sturdy body on frame construction. But my friend chose otherwise. He even fancied side pipes, which was a no-no for me, but... at least, I was able to convince him to remove the Continental rear tire kit that came with the car. The car is seen below. Have a good week! CT