charlie8575

Sounds like you're planning on leaving the city proper, John? Wherever you land, best wishes and enjoy your new house. I've played real estate off and on, and it's a good gig. Feels good when someone finds a place they like and you helped make it happen. Charlie Larkin

A Collectible Automobilie car puzzle come to life! Fins look like an Imperial. Early Rambler front clip. I agree about the Ranger doors. Could it be a Ranger under all that mess? Charlie Larkin

I think it was abuses like this that penalized people like me, their very loyal hand-tool customers (I always preferred B&D or Milwaukee for small electrics,) and got rid of their Gauranteed Forever Craftsman hand-tools. Well, that and Sears is being run by idiots now. Charlie Larkin Actually, that is not true. Craftsman(not "Sears" brand or "Evo" both Sears Brands) still have a lifetime guarantee on all "hand" tools. Hand meaning non-power manual tools. What went away was the "Satisfaction Guaranteed or your money back". Again, because of idiot abuse. You can't own a dishwasher for 20 years(Yes I have seen that) and suddenly decide your not "Satisfied". What I have seen and it annoyed the heck out of me were people coming in with buckets of burnt tools after a wild fire and exchanging them. Sears still will do that but these people are beneath contempt. I guarantee that they collected the insurance money on the tools and are getting new tools for free. There are also scavengers going through burned out homes picking up burnt tools and replacing them only to turn around and sell them in the package at the swap meet. By the way, after working for Sears for 17 years, I have to agree about top management. They have destroyed what was a great company! I was always under the impression "Gauranteed Forever" meant that, and "lifetime" was for the life of the purchaser. I worked at Sears for a while in college, and remember seeing 40-50 year-old ratchets, screwdrivers, and whatever coming in, we'd exchange it, no questions asked. The ratchets were usually rebuilt unless they were so old, no parts were available, and I remember that happened a few times, or a similar one wasn't available in the rebuilds, in which case, we'd give them an all-new one, again, no questions asked. If someone wanted to keep a ratchet for some reason (shape, sentimental value,) our manager would give them a rebuild kit at no charge. In any event, any more Craftsman I buy will be the Pro line from the catalog, which at least is still made here and reminds me nicely of the Sears I grew up with, and the stuff I got from my grandparents and the older stuff my dad has. The only amelioration I have is that I'm not screwing anyone out of commission. They got rid of that when I was there in 2000. I agree with people and the dishwashers and other stuff like that. That is clearly an abuse. Our Kenmore dishwasher finally died a couple of years ago after sixteen years when one of the pegs on the dish-rack rotted and punctured the pump. We're going shopping this weekend for a new unit with Massachusetts' sales tax holiday, and we'll probably be getting another Kenmore in all likelihood. If the new dishwashers are even half as good, we'll be happy. This time, though, we're getting the Nylon racks to make sure there aren't any problems. Charlie Larkin

I think it was abuses like this that penalized people like me, their very loyal hand-tool customers (I always preferred B&D or Milwaukee for small electrics,) and got rid of their Gauranteed Forever Craftsman hand-tools. Well, that and Sears is being run by idiots now. Charlie Larkin

I second Ray's suggestion. Could be less frustrating, too, in the long run. Charlie Larkin

At least there's enough material there that you can whittle the base of the C-pillar into the correct shape. Ever built a '60 or '61 AMT Valiant? Now that's got mold lines - all over the rear end... Second that. Charlie Larkin

Want to get really irked? Figure out the cost per quart or gallon. Better be sitting down. The cost of "model paints" is completely off the charts. That's why I use anything but "model paints" whenever possible. It's the same with Testors thinner/brush cleaner. Five bucks for a little glass bottle. I can get a quart of the stuff at the home center for less. Bought a bottle of brush cleaner. The bottle is convenient for brushes based on size. I re-charge it every so often with fresh paint thinner. Works out well. Charlie Larkin

Excellent job. Charlie Larkin

Bill, you didn't happen to video-tape this? Call me...whatever you like, but I had a little trouble following exactly where to poke and prod. Even looking at the pictures of the body vs. that dead-on one you supplied, I'm having a little trouble seeing the problem. Charlie Larkin

The paint scheme sounds nice. I have a bit of a glue-bomb convertible to dismantle and re-do. I know this will be another great success. Charlie Larkin

From reading elsewhere, the fluting on the transmission pan isn't stock. Sand it off and you're ready to go. Charlie Larkin

LOVE this! Where did you find it? Charlie Larkin

Been a nice last few days here. And my birthday Wednesday went nicely. Dinner with my parents, and I'll be having a small party for a few friends next week, as it was the soonest we could get everyone's schedule to work. Charlie Larkin

Couldn't agree more. His work was inspirational and the books, when found, are astronomical. I do hope Kalmbach sees fit to re-print them. Charlie Larkin

Older doesn't necessarily mean antique. My '92 Chevy has a comparitively simple computer that can't be hacked, and is very reliable. I know people that do drive cars from the 1950s-60s on a daily basis, at least in the nice weather. Some are original, save for some items, like belts, hoses, and the like. Some are restored to "driver" condition. Reliability is there, regardless of age, if proper maintenance and intelligent driving practices are followed. While money, in certain cases, might be similar, there are intangibles in either choice that can't be quantified. The buyback has nothing to do with the U-Connect thing. And I agree with Joe. I've never heard of Jeeps having a propensity to blowing up, or Rams for that matter. Sounds to me like the buyback is being forced by the government in yet another attempt to social-engineer transportation choices and contribute to the over-inflating of used car and truck prices. Charlie Larkin

I dread something like that happening with my glue bombs, but you're doing a nice job cleaning it up. I love the 1961-'69 Continentals, they, to me, are as close to perfect a design as any car ever produced. It'll be interesting to see what you add for some mild customizing touches. Charlie Larkin

Couldn't have said it better. Charlie Larkin

Glad to see this happen. Nice-looking car, horribly uncomfortable (well, for me,) but great to look at. Sign me up for one. Charlie Larkin

Looking forward to one. My local shop hasn't been able to re-stock the '71 Ford pickup yet. Did you sell those out? Charlie Larkin

I probably would've ordered the tan interior with that color. Actually I probably would've gone with Medium Blue Glow and the blue interior. Charlie Larkin

If they do I promise full access to a 1/1.......... Let Moebius know what you want!!! Yes to all of the above, especially the Packard and the Javelin. Tom- like your idea of doing some mid-'60s A-bodies. I like Barracudas, and I would very happily purchase Valiants and Darts. If someone goes really adventurous and does a Dart/Valiant wagon....I'm all in. Rich- I would also welcome a selection of early '50s iron that isn't a Ford or a Chevy. For more early NASCAR, how about a '50 Plymouth fastback and a '51 Chrysler Saratoga? Instant diversification. I'd like to see a Pontiac or two and a bathtub Nash, as well. Charlie Larkin

While I suspect that Monogram based the kit on their Phantom II Henley roadster, all I can find about the car you're describing is that it's a 1929 Springfield Phantom I Sport Phaeton (which would explain why Art insists the Monogram kit is a Phantom I). Google that description and check the chassis/engine against the kit. I bet it's a Phantom II engine in the kit. In any case, I don't have any reference for that or any Phantom I. While the Monogram classics look great, they also fudged big-time on their kits for the Mercedes 540k cabriolet and coupe. Located not far from me is what I believe was the ACTUAL car that the Monogram kit was based on. It is indeed a Springfield-built Rolls and has been lovingly cared for by the same family for well over fifty years. It is, if nothing else, the same body and model that the Monogram kit depicts. The car is kept in a the repair garage of a semi-retired gentleman and is kept covered and very clean. The maroon and black lacquer are about fifty years old, and still look as good as it did then. I'm going to see if I can get over there and take a few pictures. Charlie Larkin

You could be dehydrated too Charlie, especially this time of year with the heat. I always drink several glasses of water in the evening before bed to avoid such problems. Not too much of a problem, Mike, because it's been so humid and periodically hot, I've been drinking plenty of water lately. I ended up taking a potassium pill in hopes of some temporary relief, and it worked. Good thing, all I could find were green bananas. Charlie Larkin

Kitchen Aids are pretty decent appliances. They're made by Whirlpool, and use the top-spec Whirlpool parts generally, with a few extra features or a little different design. Our Kitchen Aid was bough in November, 1992, when I was a senior in high school, and is still kicking along, although I'm talking with my father about replacing the door gaskets, age may have caught up to them. Dad and I have also talked about gutting and redoing the kitchen from the top down, and I was looking at some refrigerators. The salesman at Home Depot recommended getting a surge protector for any appliance less than about 15-18 years old, as many of them have micro-processors, and the slightest surge in power can wreck the micro-processor, and give you a kitchen of scrap metal. One thing we're almost certainly going to do is buy a new washer/dryer. The only ones I'm telling my father to take seriously are Speed Queens. They have no complex electronics and a real water level control, as opposed to the scale most machines use now, and, unlike a lot of white goods now, are still engineered to last for a long time, with testing showing about 25-30 years in normal residential use. Funny you mention that. The fridge was bought in 2001, so it's pretty old as far as kitchen appliance lifespans go. But this was the first time it ever had any problems in all those years, so I figure I've gotten my money's worth out of it. The repair guy said the average age of a refrigerator that needs repair is four years old! So I lucked out big time, going more than three times that long before needing repairs. We'll see how it goes. I may be good to go for another 14 years. Or it may break down again in a month. It's a Kitchen-Aid, which is supposedly a good brand. We'll see... Yep. But one of those things you don't think sbout until you wish you had it! Funny how everybody is always harping on how much better cars, appliances and every other piece of carp under the sun is today. We have a vintage fridge in the shop been running since 1955. Never repaired, just engineered and designed with top-quality parts and materials to operate well, and not cost-engineered into trash. Of course, it doesn't have any iPhone apps, and it doesn't connect to the internet to remind you when your box of wine is getting low...it just keeps food cold. What a concept. I like Bill's approach the best. When I finally build my own house, I'm seriously thinking about going with mostly pre-1980 appliances. They last and work well, and many of the parts are still available, believe it or not. Charlie Larkin Especially when these clowns part out a super-rare kit with a low demand for parts, but his Pavlovian response kicks in rather than actually thinking. I found one in that category, and If this bozo didn't sell any or much of it, I'm thinking of shooting him an e-Mail to make me an offer for the whole thing. Charlie Larkin

I've used toothpaste and Novus both with decent success. If you use the Novus, it might be wise to give the window unit a wipe-down with some alcohol to get any of the silicone residue off of the window to make sure you don't have any problems with any glue or paint. Charlie Larkin