AmericanMuscleFan

You are clearly younger than me Marcos and I bow in awe of modelers like you who are able to work on more than one project at a time! The only distraction I can afford is to start thinking about my next project when when the one I'm working on is in its last hours... ?

Thanks Marcos! It wasn't the hardest thing to do but I thought it would be interesting to explain the technique I chose to do it. I have much more complicated challenges in front of me... ?

Great improvement on the engine Mike! All that good work will pay off as the engine is in honor on these front engine dragsters. Are these the brass bolts from your German supplier? The chrome valve covers would look great and the Alclad will produce a perfect shine but be careful and avoid handling them too often, the Alclad finish tends to wear out rather easily and it's quite frustrating to have to redo the finish at the very end.

Hello everyone, I'm still working on the body panels and final adjustments these days so I have little to show for it as I didn't think it was relevant to take pictures of this operation. There are going to be scars on this body... fortunately the finishing putty was invented for that... Meanwhile, I made the fastening system for the tailgate and tried to recreate something that looks like what was the standard back then. I was initially preoccupied with having the brass pieces properly aligned and I will probably have to enlarge the holes to make a removable hook system in order to be able to open the panel as I wish. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Take care, Francis I engraved openings in the box and the tailgate to insert the fastening. I will probably have to make the holes larger in order to add a removable hook system. Different view. I filled the holes and the brass parts lined up nicely ?

Very good job Bill, powder blue is a very good choice for the truck, it gives it a vintage feel! Very nice details under the hood, it looks real. ?

Nice work inside and outside Steve, your hard work pays off and the color is awesome! Maybe you already mentioned it somewhere but what type of paint did you use for this project, acrylic, enamel or lacquer?

WOW Mike! It really is a great job going on here, this brass body is a work of art for sure! It'll definitely be a tough decision to cover this beautiful body with paint, but it's not like you can't do another one for another project, right? You have proven it more than once!!! We tend to forget that nail polish is an incredible source of very interesting colors, we often have the solution at your fingertips... ? I love what you are doing my friend!

It is absolutely beautiful Claude (as for all your builds my friend)!!! In the last 5 years (but sadly not last year... thanks to the coronavirus) I went to the NHRA New England Nationals with two of my good friends and there are always a few of these beauties on display near the entry of the competitors on the track. There is always a lot of traffic around the cars and it is even sometimes very difficult to be able to take pictures of them due to their great popularity. As with the Pro-Stock class, I found the Funny Cars of that era to be prettier than those of today because they looked like their original versions in every way. You know my weakness for the brand by the way... Well played again my friend, you certainly have a well garnished display cabinet! ?

Thanks Marcos, your version of 64 Dodge is also a pleasure to follow!

Thanks for the advice Tim, I usually try to keep or make a temporary and holding point on parts to be painted (or plated...), as I mentioned before I will definitely give Caswell's plating system another chance, this is arguably the most durable option for turning the color of brass into chrome. Francis

Glad to know that you have finally found Alclad's base in Germany, you are used to being served pretty well with specialty products across the Atlantic... I agree with Claude, your version of Ed Pink's dragster looks really good sir! Did you also make the hull with aluminum on this one?

I think that's bad for a good Marcos, the shorter wheelie bars are more appropriate for that big body. There are no such builds that are done without small adjustments along the way, you are heading in the right direction my friend! ?

WOW Daniel, I missed the start of this new project and I still have to admit that you impress me my friend! Everything you have done so far is done so well, the rusty effect is perfect! One of my good friends is a real enthusiast of these old work horses, he restored a few old trucks from that era and I am remember the look of the frame and the "well used" mechanical components was exactly like what you did. I didn't know styrene could rust and there are some good wizards (like you) who do it wonderfully on this forum!!! ? Do you give magic lessons?

Thank you for confirming this point Tim, I intended to make an attempt with their chrome plating solution and your details confirms the information I was looking for. Your bumper has exactly the kind of effect I'm looking for so I'll give their system another chance, if it works for others, I should eventually get there too ...!? I had planned to make the front bumper out of brass ? so the Caswell plating system should be the best solution, you proved it my friend! ? Francis

Thanks for the kind words Glen! My first goal was to reproduce the styrene body with as much detail and precision as possible but I have to admit that I got a bit carried away by the obsession with details. On the other hand, I honestly think that there are other talented model builders who have gone even further than me in terms of details and you can find them right here on this forum! I really appreciate your appreciation for my work sir and I still have a lot of work ahead of me, welcome to see more... Francis

Thanks Tim, I try to be as precise as possible with a show of hands because my beautiful precision equipments are not really useful on body panels... I still have to remember to keep a little clearance for the paint but I must admit that I go a little too tight sometimes and I have to correct this aspect of my building method! Thanks for the actual name of the bolts my friend, I was pretty sure the name (carriage) but we have so many words in our language that are borrowed from English (or distorted from English) that I am never sure if it's real or just jargon. By the way, I saw your reply on Mike William's thread regarding your Caswell plating system, do you have the "Plug N' Plate Copy Chrome kit" version? Mine is the "Plug N' Plate Nickel kit" and the results were nothing more than a sort of black chrome, not quite what I was looking for so I gave up. Francis

Thanks for telling me about this story Daniel, I didn't know but it just makes me like the guy even more. I will forever remember the great humanity and humility of this talented human being. He went through so many ordeal and his inner suffering never seemed to affect his work, a man of great discretion! Working Man ? Thanks again for you good words on my pickup Daniel, I do really appreciate, I hope my old uncles Philibert and Raymond are watching from above, it's a bit of homage to them that I'm doing it!! Francis

Thanks so much for the statement Joe, I can't resist making well-fitting parts even though it's not advisable to do so. I always try to keep the paint coverage of the parts to a minimum as this becomes a problem during the final assembly. Difficult to reconcile precision and realistic effect at the 1/25 scale... Take care, Francis

It's always fun to watch your progress Scott! Usually, I look for photos of my subject on the net with different angles to have as much detail as possible to recreate the parts but in your case, you are working from the photos of your subject which is under construction. It can only produce amazing results and your attention to detail is flawless! I really like your steering column, nice reproduction sir! ?

Thanks Daniel! I'm glad to know that we also have more in common than styrene, aluminum and brass! What could be more fun to make what you love while listening to good music from talented artists who will obviously be able to stand the test of time! Will hope that our scale models will be able to do the same... in any case my gratitude for your kind words will be there for a long time! Neil Peart comes out of this body!!! ? Francis

WOW, beautiful little truck Glen! I really like the choice of colors, the construction is super clean and the details are superb from bumper to bumper! ?

WOW, fantastic job Ronald! I have always liked scratch built projects and there is no doubt that I will have some here for my hollow tooth as they say... Whatever the subject, I am very interested and I will embark with you for the ride (probably a long trip...), your skills are obviously out of the ordinary sir!!! ?

Hello eveyone, It's still time to get back to work so I'm taking the time to update the thread with new photos of the latest progress and a few that I forgot to post last week before I installed the floor pan. I made a small ABS plastic fuse box to run the electrical wires through the firewall. The other photos are for the frame for which I made the adjustments and added the anchors which consist of brass rivets to simulate round head "bumper" type bolts (I don't remember the exact name of this kind of bolts). With the frame set in its final position, I will now be able to make the final adjustments to the body panels. Comments and suggestions are welcome! Take care, Francis Fuse box in the milling chuck. ABS fuse box final. The wires can pass through it. Test fit in the firewall. The frame is in its final position (it is straight like an arrow...) and fits the body like a glove! The frame is connected to the body with brass rivets, I will add aluminum nuts to sucure the whole thing. Back area under the bed. Frame in the main cabin brackets. Top view. The cabin is very dirty as you can see, the result of 2 years of manipulation, even Inspector Clouseau could claim that I am the culprit...

The engine is very beautiful and the black valve covers give the engine a vintage look, I like it!

Thank you for your kind and wise advice my friend! Plus, you supported it with the words of one of my favorite artist and certainly one of the greatest lyricists in rock history! I appreciate you even more for that even if you are already very high in my esteem! Time stand still... ? Francis