samdiego

This is for a truck but wasn't the sedan set-up similar?

To really render them realistically, you need skills and an art program. They are pricey, but if you go with one of the biggies the possibilities are endless. I think the graphics industry still favors Adobe Illustrator. I have used CorelDraw since the 80's and prefer it. There are a lot of other choices, I'm sure there are less expensive ones. If you haven't done much drawing in a comp or are unfamiliar with graphics programs, you might be able to Photoshop some of it from photos or dealer brochures or the web. Look for straight on shots of the headlights and such. Then you need a printer and the decal paper. Kinko's has the major graphics programs on their in-house rental comps, also a little pricey, if you don't know anyone set up to do this stuff. You can also print your stuff there. Check with the aftermarket decal companies first, if you haven't already.

It's like most everything else, Once it becomes a matter of who can do it better, there are always people with more money than I who will pay for the honor. But where do you draw the line? When I started competing, there wasn't a whole lot of aftermarket beyond the AutoWorld catalog. The big expense was the kits bought for parts. This led to an entire mindset of seeing model car parts in everyday items, a talent I still hone. I also work in an industry that uses a lot of stuff that can be adapted to model making (I made a perfect, 3D, 1/8 scale '56 tag for my Lindberg T with an industrial laser). I quit competing about the same time the aftermarket really picked up. I was a successful competitor, 22 comps with 17 firsts and five second places, plus a few "best" awards, back when you could only really do about three or four shows a year. I just hit a burn-out point trying to compete with guys with more money. It's definitely a sour grapes thing with me, kind of like saying I'd never really want to own a Ferrari. Hell yes, I would, but I don't really think it's gonna happen, so I stick wth that story and my allegiance to Detroit. It was frustrating to compete with cars that were "professionally" painted and overstocked with pre-assembled after market stuff. But that's the way it goes. If I could afford it, I'd buy the stuff too. My salvation is that i have a 40+ year accumulation of parts to dig through and a huge stash of paints and tools. In some schools that could be considered an unfair advantage. I build constantly. I've been that way through thick and thin since the 60's. Now I'm building just for me and I'm really liking it. Here's that tag I mentioned.

The Corvair offers the Spyder version, that's the turbo. The Spyder motors were different on the inside, too, beefier everything.

Nice seats or not, that ride must draw a lot of attention in Stockholm.

bbvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvffffft . . . poip!

Geez, no kiddin'. A treasure trove of excellent engine shots. Is there a site like that for interiors? The May'08 issue of Hemmings Classic Car has a black '61 300 on the cover. Good article for history and a few good photos.

Ahhhh, that's better! Downright zippy.

Try using more of the same tape. Stick some fresh stuff over the residue and peel it away slowly. A little warmth wouldn't hurt either.

I've competed a lot and I've judged a lot. The only thing that you can count on is that it's a ###### shoot. My real job is the same way. What one customer thinks is a stroke of genius, the next will completely ignore. When I started to build toward what I thought people wanted to see, the fun was diminished. It's a different mind set, I was successful, but I wasn't having as much fun. I showed up at one show with a "display only" set of bicycles from the AMT Woodie kit done as a parody of the Stock, Custom and Drag choices that were common when I was young. Somebody grabbed them and classed them in Misc. and I actually trophied. They were just there to cause some grins (my only real goal in life), but when dealing with the general public, you never know. That's part of the thrill. Just between you and me, only once did I lose to a car that I truly thought was deserving.

"so it is most certainly NOT the size of the incoming "pipe". " I thought they were tubes and everybody knows that all you have to do in Seattle is stick your arm out the window and somebody will put a $tarbucks in it, so that's not a valid time reference and . . .nutz, i waited so long for this to load, I forgot what I wanted to say. I thought it was my PC, I just upgraded from the water wheel to coal-fired!

What an awesome reference photo. Is that the same induction that comes with the Revell '67 Corvette?

It looks like we have the experts here, let me sneek in a stupid question. Two or three years ago I hit the Lowrider Magazine show here in SD. What's up with the guys who remove the dash, steering and pedals and smooth all of that area? Just wonderin'

I remember a couple of years ago, one of the $$ guys rodded a '34 Chrysler Airflow. Lots of people were upset about that one. I'm pretty sure the guy started with a basket case. I thought it was cool. My Dad's a purist, I remember him catching me hacksawing the AMT '40 Sedan into a town car config and lecturing me on the trouble and expense the engineers went through to make the kit and the original (He's an industrial engineer) then I polka dotted it. That's when he knew I had gone to the dark side. I think I was 9 at the time.

Oh, and Dayton Wire opened in 1916 . . . I was there.

I had a good time with mine. The racing stripe through the hood louvers was a pain, but I pretty much brought that on myself.

monkeyclaw said wetspot

Of course there is another magazine out there, don't all you guys read Rod and Custom?

I'm considering ram-air, I really need to vacuum

Gary Schmidt, the incredible Gerald Wingrove, Tom and Lynn Gaffney, Budd Anderson, who personally answered a letter I wrote in 1965 (and sent a nice Bud the Cat decal).

Just got home from helping a couple hundred kids snap together a couple hundred '70 Chevelles. What a day! What a show. I love doing this and the kids are really stoked as well. Some of the San Diego Model Car Club members do this every year, Thanks Darryl. It's really a great thing. The model car contest was a good one again, too. And, if anybody up there is paying attention, Thanks Revell for making this happen once again!

I haven't vacuumed in a month because I can't find a lense for my Fairlane. I hate it when you are precisely super-glueing two parts together only to end up with 1 part glued to a finger and 1 part glued to your thumb.

My method for emblems is to apply after the paint is hard, then trimming by cutting against the side of the emblem with the blade flat against the body as opposed to cutting down into the paint. Then I infill the openings with body color instead of trying to cut the inside of the letters away. I've found that round and flat toothpicks work great for burnishing into tight areas, I shape the pick with sandpaper to suit my application. I do the same with q-tips, sometimes cutting the stick into a tool. To mash the foil into a recess, take a square of toilet paper, fold it until it's about a 1/4in thick and wet it. put the wad over the foil and press it in as hard as the part will allow and then work what is left with the toothpicks. The number 1 tip I can offer is to cut a piece of cardstock the same size as the BMF sheet and keep it in the envelope with the foil. This keeps it from flexing and developing fractures in the foil. You can now just slide the foil out a few inches and use the cardstock as a cutting board. The weight of a fresh blade is enough pressure to cut. I prefer the original style as the "shiny" foil is stiffer and tends to curl when taken off of the liner. BMF is one of the products that changed modeling for me in the early 80's, I love the stuff. I've been using it to simulate aluminum heads too, even wierd ones like the 409 and big block Fords.

I've had pretty excellent results with the Micro Mesh system. I spend a lot of time with abrasives in my job and the 12,000 grit feels a lot finer than 2,000 grit to me. I believe this system came from what they use to polish fighter canopies and don't feel that is a bogus product.

I think water resistant might be a better description. peeling it away works for me too, in most situations, but hot water will definitely soften the glue