FASTBACK340

Too bad you let it go, but at least it's being restored anyway. Now about those dog dishes for your '66.....

It's been 2 months, time for a bump.... This build is incredible. Any up-dates Randy?

And yet it cries out for a set of dog dish hub caps.... Awesome score Tom. My grail cost almost as much as yours and I felt guilty too. But the longer you wait....the bigger the bite. BTW: Too bad about the Stude. Do you still have the old Barracuda?

I too have a Pep Boys "Speed Shop" store near me. While I can't vouch for model prices ( provided my store carries them now ) but when I bought my Mickey Thompson drag radials on line I only saved about $4 a tire compared to Pep boys....

Dinner with Wife, a little relax, and off to bed. Up at 5:30 tomorrow for work.... Upside is I'm off next Wed. so my Friday night is actually next Tues.

Wow.... Kinda hard to follow up work like that ! Nice building!

The kids at work all run rims 4" too wide for the tires, drop 'em on the stops, and drive on the sidewalls. These cars are no more (or less?) safe than a big horsepower T bucket with wire wheels and no brakes up front. Stupid. Dangerous. In style. Every generation has debate-able modifications. Think a pro street car handles any better? I think these Hellaflush cars look cool. Kinda takes "lowering" to the next level, no pun intended. And this is coming from an old muscle car guy in his 50's..... Embrace a new creative direction. New trends are fun.

Between daylight savings time & leap year we already missed 12-21-12! Relax.... buy some candies & pearls

Ironically, growing up I was limited to Morris Toy Store, a small, under-stocked store a block away from me in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, NY. They had little in stock and I never got to order from Auto World due to not having the cash. Fast forward to the late 70's when I rediscovered model cars. Now I had transportation & cash so I went hunting for hobby shops. First I found Big Daddy Livingstons ( long gone now...) on Northern Blvd. in Bayside, NY that was a time warp. Old, run down, and dirty. But the inventory! On my first visit I dropped almost my entire paycheck buying all the old kits I wanted as a child. Every Saturday morning I would get there and fill my trunk. I remember buying IMC Little Red Wagons for $5 a piece. I bought all 5 left on the shelves. I found a box with Revell parts packs and bought all 15 pieces for face value: 69 cents.... 99 cents..... then he brought more out from the basement! I must have bought 200 kits within the first 2 months knowing of this shop. Never paying collector prices for 15-20 yr old kits. Then lightning struck twice. Then I discovered Dave's Hobbies in Freeport on Long Island , NY. This is where I would find Revell double kits for $20 or vintage kits for $10 back in the. 80's when new kits were only $3-4. Dave's is still there run by the same eccentric gentleman that enjoys pulling something old & rare and putting it on the shelves so you can "find" it. It's always a treasure hunt, and if you add in the excitement of rummaging through an old hobby shop in disarray it's heaven. Unfortunately, Dave's is right near the coast. I know the store owner has property in the area with a large stash of vintage kits and cars, besides his personal life. I hope is well after Sandy. It would be a crying shame on many levels to hear otherwise.... Thanks for the memory nudge.

Beautiful build as usual Dave. Your another member who's builds are always a lesson. It's not finished and it's already stunning. BTW: Love your solution for adjusting the "ride" height!

The wheels & stance are everything: and you nailed it. Unique color looks great on that body style. Your cousin has a nice ride. and your off to a great start replicating it.

BTW: Beautiful cars EASTOWN

I love your wheels Brian. I wish I did the big bolt swap when I assembled my 'Cuda. I'd have the 5 stars too... Going to go look at an Infiniti this afternoon. The stable may grow by one today.

Sand & polish the clear. Then add decals, clear again, and carefully clean-up the polishing you already did.

Anything finished that nicely, and stuffed full of Hemi, is just fine by me! BTW: Did you resist the temptation of orienting some of those foot pedals differently?

School is in session.... Thanks Shawn, fabulous work!

Wow... that's an awesome build! Great idea and choice of wheels/tires. Beautiful!

I have too many hobbies. Besides the models that are in the basement, there's a spare bedroom with my Bass guitars, my stage gear lives on the porch, and the Mistress resides in the garage. Now the wife wants a drop top....I need a second job. I envy you guys with multiple cool-cars. Wish I could....

The recovery has been slow on Long Island too. Many areas still without power, insurance companies paying banks instead of homeowners and endorsing checks after repairs are made, no contractors will work that way, no supplies available. One big nightmare. Thank goodness our family came throught just fine.

Thanks Rich. I'm just grateful we didn't get seriously hurt. We both got whiplash and lost a few weeks of work. It could have been a bigger car that hit us, it could have stayed airborne and came through the windshield, or worst yet, it could have been the Barracuda. She really loved that VW......

Up until 3 weeks ago I was shopping for a Dune Buggy project. The Wife wants a drop-top, I want a slot car. Compromise was to be a Buggy set up with a full cage and some horsepower. Then we had our accident ..... Tow truck lost the Acura he was towing and it came over the divider into on-coming traffic. Seven cars involved, Amy's pride & joy, her MINT '04 GTI, was totaled. Everyone else got scrapes, I had an Integre land in my lap. Thank God we weren't hurt badly, but during the weeks after my Wife stated that if we were in a Dune Buggy..... Needless to say, we're no longer shopping for a Buggy. But she does want to see me building again, and a small Buggy would make her happy too. Gotta go ... Ironically , I'm at therapy now.

BTW: The idea rattling around is a tube frame Dune Buggy drag car. I need to know if aluminum beams are still being used, or if its all strut or even solid axles now. Plus they narrow the rears, run 4bbl's on turbos, etc. This is all new and fun stuff for me. Dual 44 Webers on a 2180 was the top dog back then.

Thanks for the advice guys. I was hoping for a fast link to get an idea as to what's state of the art. I was heavily into the air cooled VW scene in the 80's. A lot has changed in 30-odd years I bet. I have an idea for a possible project that needs to be fed. Speaking of which, Kawell Racing had that wicked-fast "convertible" Bus back then, Gene Bergs all steel '67 was pulling the wheels in every gear, and turbos and nitrous were years away.... and I was in my 20's and built a cool Cal Look Beetle for less that $5K. Those were the days.

Actually Dune Buggy. State of the art turbo set-up w/ tube frame.

I need a source for diagrams/pictures of a contemporary air cooled VW drag car chassis. I need roll cage specs, suspension, steering, etc. Thanks I've tried Google & got nowhere....