charlie8575

Excellent job on that paint. So far, it's coming out very nicely. Charlie Larkin

Interesting, and quite useful, Virgil. I could see this working quite well for buildings, too. Thanks for the tips. Charlie Larkin

Agreed. Internet Explorer has degraded by and large into a bad joke. Charlie Larkin

A painful, and very expensive, lesson. And one that appears to be well-learned. With some degree of luck, they will turn up, but as noted, there is a small chance of theft.I'll make note to keep my eye open at shows, etc. Charlie Larkin

Great ideas, Wayne. It's too bad GM didn't go just a little further with the SS. I agree with Harry, though. I'd stick to the stock rims on that car, those rims look a little spindly for one of those, although I must say, the provide a refreshing break in the massiveness of the car. Charlie Larkin

Mike- looks really good. This is coming along beautifully...well, relatively speaking given the condition of the subject. Ryan- GREAT work on those rims. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. The colors are nice, and the details are well-executed. Thanks for sharing it. Charlie Larkin

COOL! Of course, stupid nanny-state U.S. auto regs will proably prevent its importation. If not...sign me up. Charlie Larkin

Very nice so far. What did you use for the interior paint? That looks very good for a lot of the tan/saddle interiors used by various manufacturers in that period. Charlie Larkin

Excellent work. For the trim panel on the trunk, try hitting it lightly with some 5-aught steel wool to make the foil more of a satin-like finish. Charlie Larkin

Please do get this cast. If getting the raised roof and long wheelbase proves too difficult...how about a standard Cutlass Cruiser? Now talk about different! Here are some dimensions and other information that might help you. 1972 Olds brochure Charlie Larkin

1. Any feel for the timing of the official announcement? 2. Does this mean Okey has agreed to sell whatever is left of the Jo-Han tooling that was still usable? I hope that some of the Gold Cup kits, like the Classics and the Turbine Car get re-issued. Charlie Larkin

Reminds me of what might happen if a Celica and present-design Nissan Z mated....strange looking car. Charlie Larkin

What a fantastic piece of work. Very, very nicely done. Charlie Larkin

Coming along nicely, Mike. Charlie Larkin

This should be interesting. Charlie Larkin

I was reading the reader comments underneath. Sometimes, those are more informative and/or interesting than the article. One reader observed "he seems to have sold his soul to the Devil." And working like that, I have to agree. As much as I'd like to have insane amounts of money, I value the rest of my life too much to have burned myself out probably by 30, based on that guy, to have done that. As the old song "Enjoy Yourself" goes, "What good is all that money when you're sitting there in your rocking chair?" Perhaps if he actually did take the time to build a model or two, it might help him put life into perspective. Being in my mid-30s and back in college, it amazes me how over-driven so many younger people are. On the one hand, it's nice to see them develop some drive, which I rarely saw in almost a decade teaching, but it's come too often at the expense of humanity, ethics, and developing the rest of their personalities and minds. That, to me, is far too high a price to be paid, and should be discouraged. Balance is key to success. While everyone's balance is different, to run yourself at full-speed all the time and to feel badly about "unproductive" time like a movie, as the subject of the article stated, leads me to believe that this young man is far, far out of balance. Contrary to his statements, friends aren't utilitarian. They're the people that'll still be there when your latest money-maker doesn't work as envisioned or some other calamity occurs. And for God's sake...I don't care how driven/smart he is, if my kid dropped out of any Ivy League school, I'd skin him alive! Well...at least he wouldn't have to worry about working then. Charlie Larkin

As stated before, the Bonneville is essentially a Le Sabre. That established, a Bonneville is a good choice, as well. The 3800 is a strong, long-lived engine that's remarkably efficient, quiet and reliable. The automatic transmission is reasonably stout and will stand up to New York City and its environs with reasonable care. I've never heard of the front hubs failing, though. The biggest thing you need to watch is rust in the rocker panels and underneath, which can be helped by washing the car regularly, especially in winter. Only the 3100/3400 had trouble with intake manifold gaskets from what I've seen and been told. As those only came on midsize and compact cars, if you're concentrating on a C/H-Body, you needn't worry about them. They're basically good engines, but as previously mentioned, the intake manifold gaskets can be problematic. However, if you get them before they fail, you'll have no problems with the engine otherwise. You'll know if it's been done by red RTV around the intake. As to extra tires, most people I know with these cars don't run snows. They're heavy enough to have decent traction even with regular tires. However, it might be a good idea to get a winter set if your car has aluminum wheels to keep them from getting too badly chewed up. Blizzaks are good snow tires, as are BF Goodrich Slaloms and Cooper Weather-Masters. Charlie Larkin

It's a different kit than the AMT kits, which are a Bel Air "bubbletop" and an Impala SS convertible. I have both of those and they're nice, well-thought out kits that build up nicely when they're completed. The Revell '62 is a standard-issue Impala Sport Coupe. I have the 1963 kit which this tool is based off of, as they were the same frame, floors, and associated running gear. That's also a very nice, well-executed product, and from the reviews I read, also well-done. There are a couple of small glitches in the trim on the Revell kit, but overall, it seems to be very well-executed. I say buy any of the above with confidence. Charlie Larkin

Wooden you know this would bring out all the bad jokes. Watch out, they're starting to spalt.... Interesting pictorial, by the way. Thanks, Greg. Charlie Larkin

That's a good idea, too, and one I forgot. I always warm the cans, no matter the temperature, before painting. It really does help any paint, lacquer or enamel spray and flow out better and mix more thoroughly. You also get more paint out of the can because the higher pressure in the can forces the paint to mix more thoroughly when you shake it. To do this: take a small saucepan, say a 2-quart and put about two cups of water in it. Put the can in and turn the heat on to medium. Let the can sit in the water for about five-ten minutes, or more, until the can is warm to the touch. Once warm, start shaking it immediately, if it's a little hot, use a couple of paper towels to act as hot-mitts of sorts, just be careful to keep the paper out of the way of the spray. Spray as usual. If cold, and especially if spraying enamel, you may need to move in a little closer than normal for the paint to work properly. Be forewarned though, that you might need to adjust the thickness of each coat of paint to avoid having too much paint go on at one time. Experiment with some scrap plastic or cardboard to get a feel for what will work for you. Charlie Larkin

Nice work, Bob. I can't wait to see what the super-detailed one is going to be like. Cahrlie Larkin

I second this. I had a LeSabre for a short time and 31-33 miles a gallon wasn't unreasonable, even in-town with the air conditioner on, it was still good for around 24-25 miles a gallon. Most people I know that have these have found them to be exceptionally reliable, well-built, long-lived and very comfortable. Their only real weak spots seem to be the rocker panels and some people have said they will rust at the subframe/main body attachment points. I've found myself looking for a new car recently, and these on very much on the list. For the record, I live in Massachusetts, so I know the type of weather you're going to be dealing with. The same C/H Body are the Olds Ninety-Eight and Eighty-Eight and Pontiac Bonneville. The 1997-up Park Ave and 2000-up LeSabres are the G-body, same as the Olds Aurora. Charlie Larkin

Looking good, nice battery, too. What's the wire on the chassis? Charlie Larkin

Looking great and the redlines are an interesting addition in place of whitewalls. Charlie Larkin