Kromolly

Great looking build on a really interesting subject. Well done!

My first car was a '68 Ford Galaxie fastback. What's wrong with that?, you say? Well, it was probably the only one to roll off of the assembly line with a 240 CID 6-cylinder and three in the tree and really tall gears, like 2.7 or 3.08'ish. My dad wouldn't buy anything unless it was an inline 6-cyl and manual. He gave it to a friend after he bought a new pickup. Not long after, I was old enough to drive. He made me buy it from the guy and that was my first car. Man, I was pissed. Anyway, gutless 6-cyl, manual steering and brakes. What a pig, couldn't get out of its own way. I hated that car, put a FOR SALE sign in it on my 18th birthday and brought home my '65 Buick Skylark Gran Sport that I had been hiding. Now that car was another story... 401 Nailhead with 325 factory HP and 445 lb-ft torque, dialed up by my rebuild and hot cam. And alas, manual drum brakes. Man, that thing would not stop! Loved the Buick, it was fast. But I wouldn't drive either today. I would burn the Galaxie to the ground, and I would put modern braking on the Buick and have a ball.

Very nice. It's fun to see the functional utility vehicles. Nice fabrication work.

There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. This one really caught my eye and I had to study it. You just raised the bar for me. Outstanding details. VERY VERY well done!

Great concept and well executed. Love the color, stance and tasteful mods. Very nice job on this kitbash!

This picture of mine isn't much better. Wish I had more... wish I still had the car! It had a black vinyl top, but I didn't replicate that on the model.

Thank you Steve! The baby blue was pretty hideous on that big body. It looked like a completely different car in midnight blue. I bet that was something else in plum crazy! What a car... there's just nothing like those cars anymore.

Thank you. Yes, they were great cars. I took some long trips in that car back in the day. It was a fantastic driver. "Personal luxury car". ?

Thank you Richard. I've seen your work, your compliments are humbling and much appreciated.

Thank you Tom. I had the advantage of a good memory back then, and it had probably been 10 years or less since I sold the car, so the details were somewhat fresh in my mind. I'd love to see pictures of the ones you have built/are building.

Thanks guys, your compliments are very much appreciated.

Fantastic, so much character. The weathering is very, very well done. So many artistic touches make this pickup look like the real thing at 10-15 years old. Used to see them everywhere.

Sweet! Very nicely done. Fantastic subject.

Welcome! Cool project!

This seems to be a popular subject, models we built to replicate a car we owned. I actually built this one about 25 years ago. I hope someday to actually be able to complete some kits again, but there are just too many competing priorities these days. Anyway, this was a replica of a '69 Buick Riviera I owned in the early '80s. The car was originally baby blue with the silver-blue interior, repainted midnight blue metallic very closely replicated by the color of this model. If I remember correctly I mixed metallic blue and metallic black to my satisfaction then clear coated with Testors gloss clear. The five spoke mags were the closest thing I could find at the time to somewhat replicate the Buick Riviera factory mags.

Looks great. That reminds me of the silver-blue '66 Impala Super Sport my grandpa had when I was a kid. He probably bought it in around '68-'69. Had the 283 w/powerglide. My dad always bought the base model cars with the 6 cyl & 3 in the tree, bench seat, etc. so I thought grandpa's car was really cool. That must have been about the time I started to appreciate cars. Anyway, good job on that. Depending on the paint you use, look into techniques and supplies for color sanding and polishing (solid colors). I clear coat metallic paints. I use enamel paints myself. When using a car wax for polishing, I learned the hard way many years ago to not use a cleaner wax. Destroyed a paint job with that. There is a lot of information and help on this forum.

Beautifully done. Looks just like one a friend had just out of high school. I love the extra details you added... trunk and wing window. Superb.

Really great example and sorry for your injuries. One thing that has inarguably been achieved in modern cars is a much higher level of safety. It is surprising to see what people walk away from today.

The video that began this post can be misleading. The tech determined that voltage was below minimum and systems were shutting down. Battery was changed and running voltage was determined to be only battery voltage level, no charging output. We shouldn't assume a catastrophic failure. It may very well be a failed alternator. All of those codes likely resulted from low voltage to the modules. That does not necessarily translate to toasted modules or a junkyard car. Address the charging problem, clear the codes, and drive the car. Codes may even clear themselves. Odds are that there will not be any problem. Been there done that with German and domestic cars. I too think there is too much complexity in new cars and unless a reliable aftermarket source exists, electronics will probably be what does them in. Module repair companies exist now. For the majority of people though, the diagnostics will be their limiting factor and will make repairs in a shop more expensive than the car is worth, which I think was the original and valid point of this post. But that's nothing new, people have always assessed a repair cost vs the value of their car. Obviously there is a market for these ultra luxury and techno-gadgetry laden vehicles. I don't care to own them and prefer to keep my older cars. I have to face the fact though that eventually I will not be physically or perhaps cognitively capable of repairing my own cars and will have to succumb to the "under warranty" plan.

Beautifully done. Awesome subject. "When cars were cars."

Not too many years ago I would find model kits at reasonable prices. Not anymore. The rare times I see a kit it's typically been started, may or may not be complete, and it's overpriced.

I agree, I am seeing the decline in nice available stuff at Goodwill and other thrift stores. It's hard to imagine that with all of the shipping and extra handling, time & labor to list, etc. that the thrift stores are making anything more than if they just sold the stuff in the store. The other sad thing is that they will look to see what someone is LISTING an item for on ebay and then price and item accordingly. The internet has all but ruined the good deal at thrift stores. But once in a while I'll still find a good score.

My wife and I (selectively) buy a lot of stuff at the Goodwill. All of her cookware is the Revereware copper-bottom pots & pans, made in USA. She used my 3M headlight polishing air tools to remove years of tarnish and now she shines them every time she uses them. We've also occasionally found old US made cast iron skillets. Lamps, furniture, tools (cherry picking made in USA), recently a key cabinet, clothes. I picked up cross country skis and boots, snow shoes, a winter coat. My wife finds cut crystal glassware. Movies, vintage (~1960s) sewing machine, vintage stereo equipment, vintage small appliances (the ones mom bought and kept for a lifetime), complete movie/surround-sound system witn 4 subwoofers... lots of stuff, too much to think of or list. A lot of what we buy is our best attempt to avoid buying anything new from China. We have a Goodwill in town that's on the way home from work. I am noticing though that less and less of the good stuff is ending up on the shelves. Donors are lined up to the street but the shelves aren't full. A lot is going online and that's too bad. And prices are starting to get ridiculous.

I recommend a handmade belt from Amish Made Belts online. It very well may be the last belt you buy. Made in USA of real leather, very thick single layer leather, and the quality is superb. They will tell you how to order by size. I try to buy made in USA whenever possible... which isn't easy these days.

Excellent job. Thank you.