kermn8r

Count me in with a smooth riding, all powerful land yacht 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. It is probably too early for livery, but I am toying with something along the lines of a John Player Special scheme.

I have a build in mind that could easily meet Bill or Enzo's suggestions, so these comments won't affect my build but may help others. For the Mopar crowd a restriction to bolt on parts could restrict a very popular 1:1 restomod modification, i.e. replacing the torsion bar front suspension with a coil over from AlterKation or similar. I might be overthinking this but subframe connectors can be bolt in or weld in. The welded ones are more effective but is the difference important in scale. I would like to see the use of wider wheels/tires with mini tubs allowed, but no flares. Minitubs could be made to look almost factory, but is not a bolt in mod. Again, I could be overthinking, but I believe the restriction on bolt pattern should actually be a restriction on number of lugs. The main reason is the early Chrysler A bodies came with a 5x4 bolt pattern. It is not unusual to swap in a K-frame from a later A body with a 5x4-1/2 bolt circle to have a wider selection of wheel choices, like 15" & larger. The rear axles are replaced with aftermarket axles with the larger bolt pattern. Would shaving the chrome be acceptable as a subtle trim change? Would a bagged or hydraulic suspension be acceptable if the factory pick up points were used?

Today was the first chance I had to take finished photos. This build of a 1954 Corvette was originally going to be for last year's Year of Birth Cannonball, but by the time I figured out what I was going to build I only had enough spare time to open the boxes and clean the parts. I knew I would not finish so I did not enter. I was warming up to the concept so this year's Cannonball gave me a 2nd opportunity. I started with an AMT 1954 Corvette that I got years ago as a Walmart 4 pack. In my research I found the main difference between a 1954 and 1955 Corvette was the 6 banger in the 1954 and a V8 in the 1955. Because I had to find a 6 cylinder engine anyway, I decided to use the 2JZ with transmission from an AMT Supra. The kit parts do not accurately portray the turbo piping, but after a failed attempt to correct this I resorted to the kit parts due to time constraints. Most everything else is from the Corvette, except I used the seats from the Supra. It looked like it would have been fairly simple to swap in the independent rear suspension from the Supra, but I wanted to get this project finished for a change. This was my first experience in opening up a grill to hopefully show off the intercooler/radiator. Once the backing was ground away, I found the center bar had no connecting point to the perimeter. I made a screen out of a Kirkland green tea bag and super glued it to the bar and perimeter. I used the generic radial tires from the Revell '70 Hemi Cuda kit because everything else I have is either bias ply or too rubber band looking for my tastes. The wheels came from a 1955 Chevy PU street machine kit. The color is inspired by one of the options available on the 1954 Corvette, Pennant blue with a beige interior. I was looking for Honda Atomic blue, which one of the forum members suggested as a close match, but time got short, I was in HL and saw Krylon Short Cuts Deep Blue. This was top coated with Future. The engine color is craft paint that was inspired by the color of the Blue Flame 6. There are quite a few things I an not thrilled with, but some things I am really happy with. Al in all, it was very educational and looking forward to next year.

This is entry #22 in this year's Cannonball. I wound up with less spare time than I thought I would this year. I was able to scrimp enough time to build, but not enough to post progress. I was able to get this done enough in time. Things were going Okay up until today. There are things I would have done differently if I had more time to work on it. Still, the entire project was a great learning experience because of using new techniques since the last time I actually finished something. I will post photos in the Finished build thread before voting starts. 3rd.

I don't think I got my text in the correct window on the above post.

Sorry I am dredging this up from the past, but I just happened to come across it. Dan Dowdy built it and still owns it. I first became aware of this truck in 2006 so it already has over 17 years on it. If you want to see it in person, Dan is planning to bring this and his Studebaker to the Dolan Springs Community Celebration on October 7, 2023.

I've had a patch of life getting in the way. At least right now, next week is looking clear to get back to this.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't think it looked right, but wasn't at the point of checking it out more thoroughly. If I were doing this in 1:1, I would go the two turbo concept as it seems to have more tractable power than a single turbo for gonzo power.

I saw this thread back in August, but am just now getting around to posting the origin of kermn8r. Many years ago, a friend of mine in Vegas, bought a basket case 1970 Plymouth Barracuda 440, 4 barrel, automatic as a project car. It was the type of thing where the trunk floor pan didn't rust because the transmission was sitting in the trunk leaking fluid. It was lime green and his wife said it looked like Kermit the Frog. It took about 3 years, but he did a really nice job with a Day 2 restoration. He thought the Mopar reds had too much orange in them so he painted it Mazda Classic Red with a black vinyl top. He also put a 6 Pack set up on it and swapped the automatic for a 4 speed. WE were sitting around one night talking about a personalized Nevada plate where you had 7 letters to work with. During the discussion, I said something about it isn't Kermit anymore, it is more like a Terminator. That's it it's Kerminator. Then we made it work in 7 letters for a license plate. He wound up going with something else. I am not creative coming up with identities for myself, but I liked the kermin8r so that I used.

I would like to play along and the toy I am bringing is the 1/24 Revell AAR 'Cuda. As can be seen by teh price tag, I bought this cheap as a parts kit years ago. The past couple years I have been thinking what I could do with this, so this build is perfect. The theme I am thinking is 1980's IMSA with some modern touches.

I would to join in with a 1954 Corvette. This was going to be the YOB build, but I did not want to commit until I felt I had the time to finish it. I lost the first part of the year trying to figure out what excited me for 1954. I finally got it figured out and at the end of October; I thought I was going to have time available, so I started construction. I thought I would be able to get a basic effort done, but time got away from me. I am glad I have a chance to revisit it this year, as it was starting to grow on me. I am starting with the AMT 1955 Corvette. The main difference between a 1954 and 1955 Corvette is the Blue Flame 6 versus a V-8. To keep with the spirit of the 1954 Corvette, I am going to put a 6 cylinder in it, but it will be the 2JZ from the AMT Supra. The 1954 Corvette was offered in Red or White with a red interior or Pennant Blue with a tan or beige interior. Again, keeping in the spirit of the 1954, I plan to do some kind of blue with tan interior. With more time available this year, maybe I can add some other touches instead of just an engine/tranny transplant. Below is the starting point and the current condition,

But I heard the adults are in charge now. I am in a rural area where coverage for everything but Verizon is iffy. We were happy with Sprint in Vegas, but after we moved we didn't have service in our living room so we switched to Verizon. At least in the stores I have been to, they are good with customer service & resolving issues.

I got it on the third read through.

Oops. Reminds me of the time the tower gantry crane fell down in high winds during construction of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge. It took way longer than I thought it should for construction to resume for recovery from a crane accident. My personal belief is something about the crane accident, possibly higher winds than expected due to local geography, caused a relook and changes to the bridge design. Nobody was talking about anything other than blaming the crane collapse on a mobile crane hitting a stay of one of the gantry towers.

Looks fantastic. The dog dishes give it a look that is a cross between an unmarked police car and a sleeper muscle car.

Possibly, as I think that vintage of .60 size glow engine is good for 3/4 to 1 HP. The bigger issue would be how efficient the prop is overcoming the weight and wheel friction. It would be a lot easier to maintain a speed once she was manually pushed to a speed than it would be to get going from a standing start.

Late 1940s to 1950s is the right time frame, but not so much an E scooter. Look closely below the McCoy sign & you will see a McCoy model airplane engine spinning a prop. McCoy was a manufacturer of large glow plug engines after the war into the 1950s. They scaled back to the .049 size in the late 50s, early 60s.

I am staying cool enough. I grew up in Havasu and here is about 10 degrees or so cooler than Havasu, Bullhead or Needles. However, this blew through last night. Good thing you put the top on that Mercedes. Craig, I have been remiss, that is an very interesting take on a classic (in an excellent way). And it even has black California plates.

Great job, Kurt. I really like how subtle the rear flares blend in with the body.

Paul, I hope I can add to the topic of cooling. The attached photos show a friend's old jet boat. On the view of the starboard exhaust manifold, you can see a hose running from the bottom of the boat to the intake manifold. I didn't get a photo of under the engine, but I believe this is a water intake. You can also see a hose going into the end of the exhaust manifold. It doesn't show in the photo, but it comes from the water pump. I also included some other photos of this boat, which show some of the cooling system if you look hard. As this boat was run in fresh water, it did not use a heat exchanger as there was no concern getting salt water into the engine internals. The boat's transom, where the boat ends, is at the brown line. The rest of the stuff in the background of the photo with a tank and hoses is something else from his yard. Being a jet board, the engine is mounted with the front of the engine facing the front of the boat and the rear connected directly to the jet pump.Notice that the exhaust manifolds are oriented in the same way as in a wheeled vehicle. Also, he was using exhaust manifolds that were routed out the back of the transom, rather than the more common header like wet stacks. In the photo of the blue engine above, the manifolds are mounted backwards, which leads me to believe this engine was set up for an inboard V-drive, with the rear of the engine facing to the front with a shaft going forward to a V-drive. Another shaft would come out of the bottom of the V-drive and run rearward to the prop. The engine in the photo below that is also set up for a V-drive, as you can see the housing for the shaft to the pop below the shaft coming from the engine. BTW, I am really digging that Power Wagon.

Maybe try the headlight surrounds from the 1978 Dodge pickup. It should be deep enough because Dodge went to dual, stacked rectangular head lights in 1979 with essentially the same grill.

To lend further credibility, to me, that looks like Maurice Petty on the right with the glasses.

Isn't that the same V-6 that wound up as the 2.8 liter option in the 80's Ford Ranger mini truck? If so, that might be another option to explore.

Very nice. I really like the blacked out window trim.

I am hoping to join, but I am still working out a project. I have a couple thoughts but would really like to use something from the existing stash rather than adding to the stash. Does anyone know if the AMT 1955 Vette, I think kit 6210 issued about 1998, has a hard top included? Even though shown in the Gumball Rally, I can't see running across country at those speeds with the top down.