Plowboy

I wonder if it was maybe the body lines from the MPC cab didn't match the GMC bed? One more question Steve. Does the '72 Chevy have dual or single exhaust molded to the chassis? One big goof they did when they turned the GMC into the short bed was where they shortened it. The wood from the bed goes up under the cab several scale inches and it leaves a big square open space at the cab corners.

None of those have the impact of the first set of wheels IMO. I can see it with those and a modern Hemi from a Challenger or Charger. But, that's how I look at it. You gotta do what suits you best. If you want something that's kinda between modern and old school, check out a set of the Pegasus Shuey wheels. Another is the Hellas. You can get them in 19 and 23".

This is the '68 dash. This is the rest of it. I keep putting off hacking it up thinking I'll come across one that's in a little rougher shape. But, when I do, they go for way more than I'm willing to give.

The cab corner is messed up on the MPC kit too. It sticks out past the door. Last night, I located my built '72 Chevy that's been in a box for almost twenty years. It definitely is the old GMC cab. I had forgot what the grille looked like. It's not even close compared to the MPC grille. Still, it makes me wonder why? Every time the '72 Chevy subject comes up, I'm like, yeah I need one! But, then I remember that I have a '68 in the stash and I realize that I really don't need one. I can't believe what these kits are commanding currently!

I think if you painted the lip and face of the spokes aluminum on the first set of wheels, you would have something. You could do it easily and quickly with a Silver Sharpie to see if you like the look. This has given me an idea of what to do with that ugly '62 Dart I have.

The MPC kit has the same issue behind the driver's door. The GMC hood doesn't fit the GMC cab very well at all. I had to add styrene on both sides to get a decent panel gap when I built that kit. If the GMC short bed came out before the Chevy, I don't see AMT going back and making the frame longer after they had made it short. Then, there's also the issue that the GMC cab didn't have the trim that the Chevy does. The marker lights are also different. It doesn't make sense that they would make all of those changes to the GMC cab when they already had the exact cab they needed with the MPC cab. Plus, they would have also had to change the hood. The front of the GMC hood is more upright and had the letters that would have had to be removed. What about the interior tubs Steve? How do they compare?

I don't think it is. Wasn't the last issue of the GMC (with custom wheels, Gatorbacks and mirrors) around the same time as the Chevy? I always figured they used the MPC cab, chassis plate and their GMC bed to make the '72 Chevy long bed and how the GMC came to be a short stepside. It would be interesting to compare the three cabs.

I built one around twenty years ago. I don't recall having an issue with the front end. What issue are you having Carl?

I've done it a few times. But, only on subjects I really care about. A JoHan '62 Dart isn't worth the effort to me.

Nice looking little LRE Mike! Your changes made a big difference! I never was a fan of the stacks on these trucks. If I ever get around to building mine, those will be deleted.

Scott, if you want to trade the '60 F-100, let me know.

I'd take the '60 ,'61-'63 Ford pickups and the two early '60s Chevy pickups and let the friend have the rest.

I have a '62 Dart molded in the nasty mustard yellow. The overly shallow interior renders it almost useless. I may do a drag car with it and just make new door/quarter panels out of flat styrene. Maybe use a Lindberg Dodge for a chassis donor.

Thanx Carl! I have the chassis done. The exhaust is loose until I get the engine installed permanently. I stuck the body on for one last fitment check. Good thing I did as I had a couple of fit issues. One was the air intake/filter stuck up too high. Two was an issue between the hatch and interior panel. Both issues have been fixed and now I can work on getting the body polished, foiled and glass installed. Then it will be down to all of the little bits and pieces. I'm hoping to have it finished in a week or so.

I literally just did this with the engine in my '58 Edsel project. The block, heads and transmission are painted with Mica Silver. The pulleys are painted Dupli Color Stainless Steel. The intake and cam covers are painted with Tamiya Gun Metal. Headers are painted with Plasti Kote Aluminum. I was a little concerned about how it would look in the engine bay. But, when I stuck it in, I am really happy with how it looks. I definitely want to do another engine in a similar, if not the same manner.

Regardless of how you feel about the Revell '29, it makes a pretty nice little hot rod right out of the box. Then you can take the leftovers, another '29 body, engine/trans, front end, rearend, wheels/tires and build another hot rod. How many single kits can you do that with?

I built this a few years ago. It was to be the modern version of my '40 coupe. But, it doesn't have the same "feel" as the '40. I started by ditching the fenders/running boards. Then, I filled in the rear wheel arches, chopped the top 3.5 mms. and added a '37 pickup grille. The headlights are from the kit with buckets formed from putty. Wheels and tires are from an Alumi Coupe. Paint is Tamiya Pearl Green and Champagne Gold. If I had it to do over, I would push the front suspension forward and the rearend back to balance it out better. Also, I would place the master cylinder on the frame. Still, I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. Thanx for checking it out!

Carl, I've never had a problem with TS-13 cracking and have sprayed it over other paints besides Tamiya.

It actually works well Tom. I usually do two coats of paint, sand, one coat of paint / one coat of clear, sand, two coats of clear, sand and polish. I have only used the wet look clear one time. It worked OK. But, not well enough for me to stick with it.

Thanx Steve and David! I've got the engine as far as possible before going into the chassis. The rest will have to come once it's installed. I've had a bit of frustration with the engine that's my fault. I first painted it Chrome Yellow. As soon as I placed it into the engine bay, I was put off by it. So, I had to strip and start over. This time, I painted it with Mica Silver. For some contrast, I painted the cam covers and intake with Tamiya Gun Metal. I really like the way it looks! Especially when placed down into the engine bay. All I've added to the kit engine is a fuel rail, plug wires, headers and throttle body linkage.

The wheels measure .705 in./ 17.5 mms lip to lip. So, they're definitely a 16 in. wheel. Front tires are .99 in./ 25 mms tall by .35 in. 10.5 mms wide. Rear tires are 1.17 in/ 30.5 mms tall by .55 in./13.5 mms wide

Valspar ruined Plasti Kote and now it looks like Rustoleum has ruined Testors. Glad I already made the switch over to Tamiya.

I have a built model with those wheels and tires. I'll measure them and let you know.

The way I look at vintage kits is it's mine. I'll do whatever I want with it. I don't care what some shmoe 40 years from now is going to want to do with it. Just as the person before me didn't when they glued every custom piece in the box on the body. I'm going to build it the way I want. If I want to cut it up, I'm going to. Some people think every one is the last one. Yet they pop up on ebay all of the time. What value does a kit have if you never enjoy it? I just recently got a '64 Fairlane Sports Coupe and have been in the process of stripping who knows how many layers of paint from it. At first, my plan was to cut the roof off and stick it on a Revell body and use part of the interior, hood and taillight panel. Just like a full scale, I discovered that paint can hide some serious sins. The roof is actually crazed terribly while the body isn't. Not sure if it can be salvaged or not. I may have to pitch the body and try to sell the parts to recoup some of my money. I'll just have to see how bad it is when all of the paint is off. The guy or guys before me didn't consider me when they did what they did. But, they enjoyed it when they had it.

That's a cool little hot rod Tom! I like the color on it! Really cool that it's built from spare parts!