Eshaver

Neal , thats some outstanding detail there man! If I didn't know better I would say that the building looks identical to a store , I guess i'ts still there in Franklin West Virginia on U S 33 just across the West Virginia , Virginia border. You know that theres a show in Winston Salem N C try Carolinia Kustom Modlers. The show is August 16th , be there I would love to see it there!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

Clay, Denny Hamlin the race car driver had a Ford Ranger like that in high school. Attractive as it was I worried about him especially at where we all worked as the drive looked like the surface of the moon I just hope you dont ever come to Richmond Va in that truck cuz yer gonna bottom out man!! Ed Shaver

Ya'all too young to member wha us ole foogey bodymen be doin backindda 60's PAN CAKE HOODS! CANTED QUAD HEAdLIGHTS! ROLLAND PLEATED PADS IN DA FENDER WELLS BUBBLE TOPS and not just the stuff Starbird did either Chrome Bullits on the reverse wheels! Packard Tail lights! VERY VERY VERY detailed trunks!!!! Common find sum chrome gas-oil water cans fronm an A M T 63 annual T- Bird ! Man if myou aint near sixty like me you missed out on a very REAL PIECE of LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

Clayton , Im curious as to weather the old Gulf oil decals are in the kit would you P M me if they are maybe theres so0mething I have that we can trade if you're not using them. By the way the custom pieces are based on George Barrisis styiling ideas. He built msuch a truck and was subsiquently burned along with his Ala- Kart in 63. Meanwhile enjoy yer new 53 Ford , Ive been enjoying my 1-1 53 Ford truck sinc I put it on the road in 1982. Ed shaver

Is this where Micky tompson came out of his grave and met Chuck Jordan's gost and colaborated on a Land speed racer? Hey keep me posted as I really like where you're taking the project O K ? Ed Shaver

Oh yeah I meant the stock rims , you know the Budd wheels? Ed Shaver

Hey man if you dont use the wheels, uh wanna trade fer sumthin? Ed Shaver

Jerry, I have a friend I am going to call and I want him to see you're car , uh model . He has a sedan, same year. I think youres is outstanding, now lets go to the B B Q joint in it !!! Ed shaver

Gramps, uh you go man !!!!! You know i9f Chevrolet had built such a car we might have seen a continuation of S S Impalas!!! Ed Shaver

I don't meanto be picky but the trim in the middle of the grille goes body color! . outside of that you did an outstanding job of a very poorly exicuted kit. I like the coloe too ! Ed Shaver

The photograph is well exposed however its fuzzy, I love the A M X that was the pinnacle of their styling . Ed Shaver

hey Bill If yo have any detail Pictures I could borrow I would love to . As for 1-1 I own a 53 Foed Panel Delivery. It's not in very good shape these days as it was a daily driver for me up until several years ago. Still. ive managed to do what body work that was required on it a sthat was my job for years. Ia lso have a 78 Ford Van, its not pretty as I never really finished the truck. In fact , it was headed for thje wrecking yard. Many yards of fiberglass and countless gallons of filler later, I had a completed 78 Ford E150 Van with an engine in it that included help from Denny Hamlin (FAMOUS RACE DRIVER) , his Dad Dennis Hamlin who guided the engine into it with his forklift. Yeah kids hit this van, make sure you're weraring safety glasses when ya do to! EdShaver

For what it's worth , This is a model of the truck I drove when I wa san employee at WoodFin Oil Co here in Richmond Virginia. The actual truck had a 3208 Catapillar engine coupled to a Detroit Allison ten speed automatic transmission. The Heil manufactured tank could hold 3800 gallons of number #2 heating oil and could pump out about thirty five gallons a minute at idle. The model took about nine months to complete as I had to rebuild the tank twice to get the correct shape. I used 015. Evergreen plastic along with 060 shet plastic inside to make baffles to support the overall shape. The plumbing was accomplished by incorperating various pieces of Plastruct tubing. The decals were the absolute hardest part. I wound up going to the company that makes the signs for Woodfin Oil, getting permission from Mr. woodfin and the owner then printed out the actual art work onto white and clear decal paper . The finish on the tank is probably something that fools most everybody. Iused Testors Metalizer Brushed Aluminnum paint. The trick is to have the smoothest finish you mcan produce. I mean smooth! The primer was taken down to 2000 grit paper . I wouldn't recomend this fine a grade on other surfaces as the paint might not "BITE" . I will soon be posting some pictureds of a Roll -Back wrecker I owned back in the early 90;s . The bed on it was aluminum and you can see where prep work is everything there too. Thanks for looking and ######-N, hey you Rock dude!

O k , now for the story on the Shell station: First there really is such a station in Winston Salem North Carolina . They were erected in and around 1930-1932 by Mr. Joe Glen Jr. , the new head of Quality oil co. The station was to be TWENTY FEET WIDE AT IT's widest point within it's perimeter. and SIXTEEN FEET TALL. Mr. Charles R. Johnson a draftsman who worked at the Frank Blum construction company was given the assignment to carry out the design of the " Shell" building in 1930. In the same year, the first "Shell " shaped building opened in Winston Salem. It's reported that newspapers printed the fact that it was to be the "First station of it's kind in the world". This station was then followed by seven more similar stations in the area with the last being built at Spring and Sprauge streets in Winston Salem in 1932. Over the years these unique stations were sacrificed in the name of progress. That is all but one, the Spring and Sprauge location somehow managed to operate as a lawn mower repair shop well into the late 1980's About 1994, the State Historic comission fo North Carolina decided to buy the building . It's said that 30,000.00 was raised to rebuild the structure through private donations. In 1996, replacement pumps were placed on their origional islands complete with reproduction Shell globes. The metal canopy on the left side was rebuilt to rtesemble the origional was bay. A wooden grease rack was also added as per the old plans called out. Now it's also been reported that Shell Corperate officials pressured Quality oil not to build any more of the Shell shaped buildings because they couldn't accomodate mechanical services. Shell was following the lead of Texaco and Gulf Oil companies as they were building stations with service bays that were enclosed on the Eastern Markets due to the weather encountered there. This was also about the time that Texaco introduced their " Functional " porclean box stations that became thye basis for all service stations built up until thye early 1960's Now if any one out there has any photographs of stations they might want me to make a model of , Please let me know. I would like to do a station or two from the west coast as they had their own building styles. If you have the actual building measurments, it really helps too. Ed Shaver

Uh I want to thank every one who took the time to comment on the Shell station however My computer blew up. since I'm trying to pay for getting the Chrysler from hell paid for I"<M making a general statement here. I will be aT THE cLEMMONS sHOW . THATS JUST OUTSIDE wINSTON sALEM n c AUGUST 16TH FOR EVERY ONE TOSEE BOTH THE pURE STATION AND THE sHELL STATION tHANK YOU EVERYNE FOR YOUR COMMENTS eD sHAVER

Here is the model of the Shell Shaped Shell Station i have been talking about for months now. Ed Shaver.

That color blue has always to me ,been one of my favorites Years ago I owned a 61 Bel-Air then I bought a 61 Corvair, that was a FUN car to drive! Ed Shaver Oh yes, nice job too!

Let me add my take and some history on the 53 Ford and Trailer. First the trailer was an accessory to the A M T Chevrolet Apachie Pick up truck kit, BY THE WAY IT WAS ACCURATE TOO ! All of A M T 's offerings of the day were the wire axle variety. My gosh we would roll those suckers on the floor all day long. Yeah, the hitch was revised several years ago but outside of that and the addition of a tire rack. this is the same trailer we've come to adore over the years I don't know if A M T still includes the metal Hood clip for the 53 Ford but some moddler will probably go on and on about that not being accurate either. Comm on the engine dosent have the correct motor mounts either. Look folks I own a 1953 Ford F100 , I've had it for twenty five years and I'll probably have it a few more! Go take the 1950 Ford V-8 from the Revell F-1 kit, splice the transmission to the 53, and viola, you got a pretty decent 53 8-B A V-8 engine to go in your 53 Ford F-ioo .Now here I am , 58, and I still like to roll my models with my nine year old, he wants to be a wrecker driver , just like what I did for years. Look, with sheet plastic,Bondo and some time you can accomplish what were dreams back in the 1960's come on GO SCRATCH BUILD SOMETHING KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

Man, I don't think I have a clue as to what you're talking about Cal, please enlighten us FUDDY DUDDIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

Very pretty, too bad an ole fart like me cant utilize sumthin like dat no mo Ed shaver

Harry, Bill and Abe I too have had more than my fair share with "Bare Metal, especially their ULTRA BRIGHT that ###### only sticks to me or the blade that cuts it nothing else! If I didnt worry so much about giving info on the phone or the puter, I'd go with Detail Master I beleive Norman sells it now. Ed Shaver

Danged if tha truck looks right outta Rod and Custom Magazine , keep it up Ed Shaver

Go with the Turquoise Ed Shaver

Peter Lombardo , this story is you man! Well , Here I am , THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT < RICHMOND VIRGINIA !!! Well, it's gotten a little better. It was 1961 Richmond Motor company was having some sort of National contest combined with A M T. All one had to do was to come over and get a model car, no charge no nothing! Just come by, it was really easy! My dad was in a good mos one night so I asked him to take me over there which he did. Both of us marveled at some of the entries as I was maybe 8-9 then . I got a Thunderbird Convertible. I mean to tell you this thing could be built three ways! It was so neat I mean it ,I was beside myself! My Dad was also kind enough to stop at the local drug store so I could have glue and of course, his cigarettes. As long as I live, I will never forget that kit, yeah i made hash out of it, but it was something that I built with my own two hands! I was addicted to plastic cars! Well, to support my new found habit I had to find any kind of work that could be offered to a nine year old kid. I had discovered the Toy store in a shopping center near where I was living had all kinds of these A M T cars! And guess what, they were only $ 1.49 each! What a deal The instructions told you how to trade parts with other kits and by 1962 they were giving you pieces to build a motorcycle in every box! And what about those cool Trucks! Yeah , both the Chevrolet with the trailer and the Ford that the trailer was also a neat display stand! All this for $2,00 wow!!!And here we are today writing all this stuff on a computer of all things. I gotta tell ya , It's hard to beleive! Ed Shaver

Mike, down in Texas , we call that a "Boom" truck why dont you scrounge about and glue apiece of big Plastruct to the front you know, an " I " beam perhaps thats what the drill rig boys do there......just a thought . Ed shaver