FASTBACK340

If your referring the the box on the table behind my little boy, it's the AMT VW Rabbit kit. The Edsel is crawling along.... Maybe we finish it this week . Maybe not ......

Barring unforeseen circumstances, we'll be there too. With a model...... we'll see.

I wasn't aware Norm stopped making the O's. I'll have to ask him about them when we see him at NNL East. Thanks for the compliment. When I restored my 1:1 car I documented all the separate sub-assemblies as they were rebuilt, detailed, and re-assembled. I have over 1,000 photographs documenting the build, from a rolling shell to the magazine coverage it received. I do the same when building. If I'm about to assemble something I think might explain something to someone, I'll shoot & post. I know some people are intimidated or have difficulty doing certain tasks. I try & share what I know. This is how I learn from those with better skills than me. Read & try. For anyone who's interested in the Barracuda resurrection: http://public.fotki.com/FASTBACK340/barracuda_stuff/

Didn't catch that as I don't speak fluent Ford! But still, insane build. Those cars were scarey with the stock 260....

At the moment, it's an ambitious idea as I don't have much spare time. It's taken me a month to half-finish a pre-painted kit! Imagine a project w/ paint & detailing.... Me & my wife Amy will be there in the flesh as I'm less than an hour away. Hopefully I'll have something to participate with.

I just got the reminder in the mail for NNL East. Show cars & Factory Stock. Hmmmm.... Maybe I crack open a `68 Barracuda annual & do a stock 340-S version of my car? After all, I'll have 3 months to put it off until days before the show.

Man, spare time has been slim! We're having one of the mildest winter's I can remember here in N.Y. and I seem to be running all over. This afternoon me & some friends are installing a set of dropped springs/shocks in his Del Sol. I can't ever remember doing car repairs VOLUNTARILY in JANUARY! So model time has taken a back seat. All I've done so far is make a set of mufflers for the planned dual exhaust I'm making. I have a post on how I made them in Tips & Tricks http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=53304

Here's the auction link for the 427 Tiger. http://mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0112-121235

While building the Edsel (which is crawling along...) I decided to add a set of dual exhaust. Simplest way was to bend up some aluminum rod and find mufflers. Well, I decided to make mufflers instead. I used aluminum rod, and the next 2 sizes up that will slip over the rod & the next sized tubing. Size is your decision. Also used was Wizards O's from Replicas & Miniatures & Detail Master muffler clamps. Cut the tubing about 3/16" shorter than the inside tube, leaving a short section on each end for the muffler clamp. Then we drop the Wirards O ring over the end, giving the seam a finished look. Now we wrap a lenght of wire around a section of tubing matching the end of the muffler, leaving the end LONG. Then bend up the actual clamp and thread it over the wire ends. Then trim the excess wire after epoxing the pieces together. Being the masochist I am, I still have to install the nuts. Now you slide the mufflers over the aluminum rod used for the pipes and you have a nice looking system for a muscle car or street rod.

FWIY: I'm watching live coverage of the Mecum auto auction from Kissimee and a 427 Tiger just rolled across the block! It was Red w/ Silver stripes and a Beige top riding on Gold Minilite-style rims with KILLER rubber. It also had a Tremec 6 spd., 9" w/ 3:50 gears, and fuel injection. They are rolling cars on & off screen before the final bids are completed. This reached $55K the last I saw it...

Wow... Nice to see a fresh take on an old subject! Great job!

I bet you could have bought at least 150 kits at the original price for what that darn kit cost me.... But after all, I had to have it. Glad to press the "way-back" button for you.

I had bought one of those "I must have it or I'll die" grail-kits only to have it re-issued. Guess the original will sit.....

The Sports Special is the 8' bed. Here's the others: http://www.modelhaus.com/index.php?c=4247

Google is our friend! Here's Megahobby's link: http://www.megahobby.com/leafspringshacklehangers4pkphotoetched1/24-1/25modelcargarage.aspx

You mean beep-BEEP...

I personally have built in both plastic & metal. The general die-cast dilemma at times is the lack of detail and scale realism at times. Plus it's difficult to add opening panels or body cutting & modifying. But yes, there are subjects you can't get in other scales/mediums. And die-cast HAS gotten so much better over the years. You have no idea how happy I was to see a 1/18th. 1968 Barracuda 340-S get into production.... with opening panels and photo-etched scripts. Now with a set of tires & wheels, an engine swap from an AAR `Cuda with a 6bbl. small block, and I'll have a real close replica to mine. Yeah, looks like an order is coming your way Brian.

Ironically, the 2 speed wiper motor in the kit doesn't fit with the Hemi air cleaner lid on actual Mopar's. Does another kit have the 3 speed motor, which lays flat against the firewall?

At the moment this is where I'm at..... I have the interior finished for the Edsel.... And I've re-foiled the painted-on trim on the body. Maybe we finish it over the weekend?

This is such a cool build! Looking forward to seeing how you do the hood.

I'm happy to see you have things sorted to the point where you can build again. That's good news! Welcome back, and if there's any updates, we're all eagerly waiting for them.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm not a model snob. I've built stuff based on Hot Wheels.... I've built large scale plastic......I've built 1/25 die cast. I was just wondering with the aftermarket supporting the larger scale stuff if people would be more supportive? BTW: The anti-die cast mentality stems from people having "model" collections.. of die cast. This more or less separated them from "builders". To give a similar comparison,I know I will NEVER try Guitar Hero, because I can play a REAL guitar. Some model builders will NEVER touch a die cast because it's not a "model". All I know is while this guys doors are open, I'm supporting him. I just heard from Brian, a rep from the site, this morning. They are in the process of doing 1/18th scale Centerlines to go with my Mickey Thompson E-T's for my Barracuda. Maybe I'll do my Barracuda next after I finish the Edsel, which is coming along nicely. I've updated the thread several times recently.

This afternoon I applied bare metal foil over the pre-painted silver trim. While the application is OK, the irregular paint edge on the pre-paint was frustrating. Here's a few shots showing the difference:

Another small update: I glued two pieces together. ....OK, three pieces. The point is I'm making time & progress. Not much, but progress. I'm off today. More to follow later on. This thread is Buddy Approved

Back in the early 80's I worked at an independent European Auto repair shop. Great place in a wealthy neighborhood on the South Shore of Long Island. We had customers with some unusual grey-market cars which were quite popular back then (Turbo BMW's, standard shift M-B 450SL's, Siata's, etc...) and one had an old Sunbeam Tiger. Man, talk about a scarey ride! And working on it.... In order to remove the last 2 spark plugs on the drivers side you went INSIDE the car, reached down next to the accelerator pedal, and removed a rubber plug in the side of the bulged firewall to get at `em. And let's not mention the 8"disc brakes and matching sized drum brakes out back.Stopping was always a questionable request with this little widow maker. But when your 22 yrs. old, it's pure adrenaline. I probably wouldn't go near one today.But seeing the look on the guys face next to you at a red light when he hears a muscle car and see's a go-kart was priceless. You idea of a 427 Tiger is overkill at it's best. So freakin insane it's perfect! You'd need stones of steel to drive it for sure. Just put some brakes in it....