horsepower

If you want to build a detailed version why wouldn't you start with the re release of the AMT '63? Then improve it with details.

iI did iit a little differently, I used a pin vise and drilled the wheels a little deeper, with the holes a little small it let me put the axle in only as far as I needed to.

Keep up with the practice, you're definitely improving with every job, the blue one is looking pretty good, I really like the color, could you give us the particulars on it? Keep building it's something you never get to where you can't learn something new, and sometimes you come across a trick no one else has discovered yet.

I know at least one of mine will trade axles with the Rat Roaster kit, its closer than the one that comes in its box.

Nice job, it's just to bad that this kit can't be lowered without substantial surgery required. Oh sorry, it might be hard to understand me with my tongue stuck in my cheek like it is

Since I know you will like the standard grille much better than the RS version, you can send me that one. I'm much more partial to it, that's the one my girlfriend (wife now) really wanted me to get back then, it's the least I can do to actually give her one now.

I also think some of it is kind of like remembering that hot cheerleader you lusted after in high school, when you actually get to look at her in the yearbook now you don't really understand what had all the boys trailing along behind her, there are definitely girls the same age who are much hotter today. (I know, we don't really notice them, but we do have to give the grandson tips don't we)

After looking at some 1:1 cars both finished and under construction I think that the front frame horns are correct it's just seeing them out of context without the surrounding pieces in place in changes the perspective somewhat. The ones I've seen appear to be straight form just ahead of where the headlight/shock mounts are on the frame, and is just in front of the radiator shell on almost every one, there were a couple that had the shell mounted an inch or so farther back, often depending on the model and year of engine used. But I'm with the apparent majority on the body change, to me they did a lot to make it appear as a nostalgic car, only to make substitutions of the modified body and the coil over shocks that are more contemporary than nostalgic.

Seeing the look on my mom's face when she came home from shopping with my wife in the '72 Pinto Runabout that WE put a '68 high compression 302 in, it kept the stock hood, and used the eight inch wide fifty series T/A radials on the thirteen inch wheels on the rear end a C-4 trans. The only thing that gave it away was two exhaust pipes coming out the right rear of the car and the exhaust note, they were coming home on the freeway and some kid in a hot rodded pickup kept pulling along side and standing on the gas then dropping back to them and doing it again, what he hadn't noticed is that the wife would speed up slightly every time he did this until she got to around 70 mph when he dropped back beside her that time she was ready and when he punched it that time she did too, she said it kicked down to second gear and started spinning the rear tires, she passed the kid about the time it shifted to high gear, and was still smoking both rear tires. She then let off and the kid almost locked up his brakes slowing down enough to pull in behind her, he never tried to pass again, and my mom still had a death grip on the dash pad and was just sitting staring straight ahead when they got home. We later put a seriously built 2.8 that put out close to 350 horsepower into another Pinto, it was much easier to drive and was actually faster and handled a lot better, it was the only car I have ever owned that would still be pulling strong in fourth gear at 7800 rpm when the poor choice for valve springs would give up and the valves would start to float. But the V-8 Pinto was the most impressive, you could spin the tires in any gear up to about 90 mph just by standing on the gas, on curvy roads you used the gas pedal almost more than the steering wheel to aim it, but it was scary on wet pavement.

I like the different finishes on your engine, especially like the way the blower turned out should make one mean looking roadster.

The wheels are from the Copperhead concept car, it was a snap kit from Revell.

The chrome that does run down the fenders doesn't go around the headlights, it's just a spear along the fender, the only chrome on the headlights is the chrome headlight doors, more like a ring than an eyebrow. And the 210 doesn't have that piece of trim, it and the small trim piece that goes down to the bumper area from the rear of the sidespears are part of the Bel-Air package.

The sweet wife made a special trip by on her way home from work yesterday, and the employees at our Michaels had no idea what she was talking about when she asked about plastic models on clearance, one even called the manager at home to ask about them. He was just as much in the dark as we were.

Testors also offered the "Boyds Hauler" shop truck in quick build and full detail, I don't think I have any of the full detail versions left in the stash but have several of the other offerings.

Given it was in Colma I'm guessing the damage wasn't from Visigoths. It Was Zombies!! that store can't afford to have sales, business has been dead lately.?

They have to make room for the new model A's somewhere, and the new Corvette will be coming before long too.

Just a thought, but it appears that the flathead is sitting lower in the chassis than the mock up with the 390, especially in the rear since the top of the transmission for it is lower than the surface of the floor. Lowering the engine down would provide clearance for the starter by allowing the engine to be moved rearward, this would also alleviate the problem with the OHV engines length, like I said it's just a thought and something you might want to look at. Happy building, this is looking like a keeper.

Heads, or tails?

I'm working on a pro street version with the chassis and floor pan from the late issue '57 with the blue car on the box and the big block engine, even though I think I'll use a new ZL-1 for power, and I've got an extra Viper engine to get the TKO T-56 transmission from.

Cool, it's a " "Four Wheeled, One Eyed, One Horned, Flyin' Purple People Eater" sort of, I had to add the four wheeled part, but that's what it made me think of, really like what you have going here.

I really hate to be the one to tell you, but having messed around with a full size blown Hemi 392 Chrysler in my brothers boat, and built almost every model of a Hemi engine that's been produced, the heads on the Revell kit are right on the instructions, you have yours on upside down, if you will look really close at the pictures of your original car, note the angle of the intake manifold area of the heads on it, then look at your model, you'll plainly see the difference. If you want, look at the thread on the Gasser Gremlin in this forum and look at the pictures of the 392 Hemi from AMT that he's using, you'll notice those heads are different than the ones on your model and are like the ones Revell shows on their instructions, I doubt if two different manufacturers would make the same mistake decades apart since the AMT version is a reissue of a '60s release. Happy building, love the looks you have going, if you wait a little longer you can make a real duplicate of the original one using the new Revell "A" as a body chassis donor, it even has the correct front axle..

Oh dear, there goes my Christmas budget. Maybe I'll just send pictures of my newest acquisitions instead of presents.

Just FYI, that rear suspension would definitely need a panhard bar, an easy one would be ala race cars with the nine inch rear, and use a bracket that bolted to the front of the housing using the bolts for the pinion gear bearing, this type can be easily indexed for a easy clearance and to make the roll center lower for better handling, it would use a short bar from the bracket to the frame rail, and wouldn't need clearance above the rear end..

Well at least the yellow base should work for nice base color for a pearl yellow top coat and some clear yellow for a duplicate of the new Corvette tint yellow color. Shoot, might even get away with a little clear pearl, then clear yellow to be really nice and different at the same time.

A little work with a razor saw could remove the heads cleanly enough to reuse without any problems. I've had pretty fair luck just scoring a line with a saw or the back of a #11 blade along the glue joints then flowing some liquid cement along the lines and letting them soak for awhile, usually then they can often be removed at the original glue joints. A little bit of information for the next time.