whale392

You are correct Mark, the 2.3T/SROD was just an update of the earlier versions that Monogram tooled. And the T/C swap is dead-simple and yields a nice looking engine. I also took the engine bay and k-member from the T/C, removed the active ride control shields on the strut towers, and used it for the SVO bay. The 8.8" in the T/C is also a nice unit......it too resides under an SVO now!

Joe, I just got off the phone with Hobbytown and they got theirs in this morning. They have 3 on the shelves when I talked to them about a half hour ago. I live 65 miles from the Hobbytown, so I will have to wait to go grab some up. I too am disappointed by the spoiler arrangement, but as this is a straight re-issue (i knew that coming into this) I can live with it and know how to correct it. Believe it or not, the intake is my biggest peeve of the kit. I know it was based off the 84 SVO and later updated to the 85.5-86 SVO, so I will give it a pass. The intake is the inline-4 style (1984-early85), and the later SVO would have the square4 style (found in Revells very nice 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe kit). Also, the T/C kit has a nice T-5 tranny versus the SVOs silly attempt at the SROD (not correct for any car after 1983). The one thing the inline4 intake does allow is me to build a correct 1984 Mustang GT Turbo engine, and by combining the front end of the 83-84 convertible with the doors-back of the 1979-82 itinerations of the hatchback kits. Taillights would also come from the 83-84 GLX, but the steering wheel would have to be made (even the 83-84 GLX convertible has the 1979-82 style wheel). All in all, I am happy to see the SVO back. Now, if I can only get Ed moving on that 1/25th 1991-93 Coupe we have been discussing!).

I have 4 or 5 of the originals; and if the re-issue is the same as the original but in white, I will grab two or three of them. The red plastic isn't bad, but I think I can use the white plastic for light colored paints. Combining this kit with the 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe kit will yield a very nice and more accurate SVO. Looks like it is time to call Hobbytown and see if they have them in stock.

I like it. Overall, it looks clean and it flows well color-wise. A friend has a 1985 elky that we are working on. He has put the 1993 Camaro Z28 wheels onto it and is in the process of building up a 383 powerplant for. His plans are to shoot it Charcoal/Maroon 2-tone.

That is an earlier model isn't it? Before the Gundam line got all crazy-funky in design/wackiness.

Are you guys coming down to the Columbus show in March? If so, can you bring a body or two (interior tub will work for one as well)?

The engine bay looks very good! Rest of the car isn't bad either, but I don't quite know yet about the interior colors going well with the exterior colors.

Very well done Tony! Looks like one of the local yard dogs here.

Looks like the guy you got the bumpers from tossed in a pretty nice set of taillights too!

Any more done to her since bringing it home Andy?

Picked up two today at my local Hobby Shop. One I will send to dad, the other will wait until I can pick up a third to stretch it into a double-bunk like the one dad drove when it was new.

Went down to one of my local Hobby Shops versus HobbyTown USA today. They had the AMT K123 re-issues when HobbyTown didn't. Also got #154 and #155! Both great issues. This is why I get a little miffed when I can't find them/stores don't have them. They are a good magazine, and not being able to get it is aggrevating. I am glad I got them today and have already read through both. Looking forward to the next installment. And Gregg/Harry: You both do a great job with the magazine and with the forum. Thanks to you two (and others here who make it work) for both and providing a second opinion/outlet for the styrene disease/addiction.

Scrap Aluminum, Titanium, Stainless Steel, heat shrink of all sizes, shielded wire (the shielding makes great wrap to duplicate the flexible couplings in exhaust), aluminum tape, all sizes of rivets and O-rings, double-bubble/Hysol; all sorts of cool stuff. Access to carbon fiber, kevlar, honeycomb composites, and heat ovens for baking paint.

Perhaps you would know them better as the 'Stage IV' and 'Stage V' engines then? Or maybe the 'Super Stock Stage IV' for the 426 Wedge? No disrespect to you 6bblbird (like the screenname by the way). Yes, the Hemi also had the more common 'Race Hemi' name attached to it, but it was refered to as the Maxi Hemi. Had I the time and airfare, I would fly home and make the copies of the literature dad recieved when he bought his Hemicar new as well as all of the TSBs and factory race tune-tips for both the Maxi and Street Hemis. I am NO expert on these by any stretch of the imagination, but growing up with these engines (and the rest of the B/RB family) has given me some hands-on into them. Having a 440+6 of my own (a 1969&1/2 stuffed into a 1965 Dodge) and a D/S prepped 383 has given me a close-up look at these beasts too. I love my Mopars, as much or more than I love my FOX Mustangs. They will always be my first automotive love, and I will build another 1:1 B-body. Android, keep at this Dart. The 67-69 Dart is by far my favorite A-body, with 68 being the top of the heap for me.

Now need to find a 1/25th scale Cat 3408 and I can build a model of the last rig dad drove (of course, I will need 2 kits as dads was a super-sleeper). I remember seeing these pics before; I do believe you did another thread on this. No matter, seeing it again cemented the notion that I need to get this kit!

Nah, no fight. Just the sharing of information.

Thank you Dave. If you want to be technical, yes it was called a Race Hemi. HOWEVER, it is refered to (in factory literature AND press) as the Maxi(mum Effort) Hemi (following in the lines of the Max Wedge naming scheme). Depending on whether the 'Hemi' was destined for NASCAR or NHRA dictated intake and compression ratios. The 'Max' Hemi was 12:1 compression, with the aluminum (some were magnesium) short-ram intake. NASCAR banned the Hemi in 1965, stating that it was NOT a production engine, yet the Maxi Hemi soldered on in NHRA classes. 1966 saw the introduction of the 10.5:1 'Street Hemi' to homologate the engine for NASCAR. It also saw the death of the 'Maxi' Hemi under NHRA for the reasons of the Street Hemi intro (yet I know of and have seen documented ONE 1966 Maxi Hemi). The Street Hemi was actually solid-lifter with adjustable rockers in 1966 and 67, 68-71 was hydraulic lifters and non-adjustable rockers. Also, the 1966-67 inline2x4 intake was different than the 1968-71 intakes in casting stampings and heat riser tube inlet geometry. 1968 RO23 and BO29 cars had a Hemi very similar to the 1964-65 Maxi units, with very little revision (mostly valvetrain and head revisions). From the factory, NO Street Hemi got anything but the inline2x4 intake. Now, quite a few aftermarket manufacturers offered different intakes for the Street Hemi (one had interchangable upper plates that even allowed the 440+6 3x2 carb set-up to be run). As to color, the 'Maxi' color is Much darker red-tinted orange than the Street Hemi lighter orange.

Cool story and great start to this build. I just have one thing for you Andy....it is a 426 Maxi Hemi, NOT a Max Wedge. The Max Wedges were the RB series block with the wedge heads (not the Hemi heads). The 426 Hemi came from the wedge platform, but has relocated and an extra row of cylinder head bolts, plus is 4 bolt-mained on #2,#3, and #4 mains. They both have the short 4x2 crossram intake, but again the wedge intake will not bolt to the Hemi due to the extra width of the Hemi heads, and the intake port spacing/intake bolt locations. The 426 Max Wedge was availible late 63 and early 64 (taking the place of the 413 Sonoramic Commando) and the Maxi Hemi was availibly late 64 and 65.........then again in 1968.

What manufacturer/type of paint is the Silver you are trying to strip? Easy-Off oven cleaner (in the Yellow can) will take most any paint off without harming the plastic underneath. Brake fluid has been known to embrittle styrene, but I think you would be safe at a few hours in the fluid.

I read MCM religiously........as in 'Oh my God, they actually have it this visit'! Yeah, still haven't seen 153 show up here yet, and you guys are getting 154-155. Wonder if Ohio is a Black Hole for MCM?

Remember how Ford had a Unitbody pickup in the early 60s? How about integrating the 'cab' and bed together as one unit; kind-of like making a full-size version of the A100?

Looking good Jeff. The pace is one of my favorite FOXes, and you are doing it proud. Tony, got your PM. I am sending the bezels, as the headlights are the same and I still nned the set for a build. I will see what else I have laying around and if I have a spare set of lenses that will work, I will swing those your way as well.

Sinister, dark, and downright menacing looking. Very cool indeed.

yup, being that yours has headers and the kit has exhaust manifolds, I can see how you would think the V8 could be misconstrued as a V6. I am not a big fan of the siamesed-type center runners for the exhaust, even though almost all Mopar/Chevy V8 engines (Hemi and BB Chevy/LS series small block excluded) share this design.

That photoetch set looks great, Scott. As you can see by what I have pictured in this build thread, I will be looking to your build for ideas as to how to construct certain aspects of my build (as I continue to try new processes and attemps at creating certain parts). I also have a 2.3T/Volvo head swap project going on (both in real and in scale) and am working on getting the scale parts worked out, mastered, and cast by one of my club members for future updates/mods as my real combo changes. The scale version will be fit down into a 1987 Thunderbird TurboCoupe that is getting the Pro-Touring treatment (along with dimensional corrections), and I really want it (along with the scale rendition of my 1991 Mustang GT seen here) to stop people when they walk by. I will have to have it sitting up off a lit, mirrored surface for everyone to see the extreme amounts of chassis detail I am going into, but I think I will be OK with that. Keep at the Futura Scott, I really want to see this come to fruition. Tony, I know what you mean with keeping full-sized cars running.......I have 4 Foxes, my Dakota, and two motorcycles to spread my money between (my Dakota and the 1991 Mustang are the main sources of monetary leaching at the moment, but the 84 Mustang GT Turbo project is quickly re-asserting its grip on my wallet). Also, as I assume you haven't recieved the headlight bezels yet (USPS is blaming the crazy weather for delays in delivery), I have a second set ready to go. If you have FedEx in Canada, let me know as I work right next to a FedEx station and can drop it off on my way to work. Thanks Tony. P.S: I hear we are in for some warm weather this coming week. Looks like I might just get some projects into paint this coming weekend (well, my weekend anyway.....Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat morning).