Carmak

I found these locally over the last couple weeks. 71 Mustang is built (in the box) (MPC) Super Teen is just a very cool empty box 71 Camaro is partially built (MPC) 73 Camaro Warlord (MPC) 72 Road Runner (hand painted Sox & Martin) (MPC) 65 Imperial (AMT) 65 Chevelle (Time Machine AWB) (AMT) 67 Toronado (MPC) 71 Duster (MPC) 70 Chevy C-10 (AMT) 71 Torino (ElToro) (AMT) 69 Grand Prix (needs stock bumpers) (MPC) 67 Barracuda still has the slant 6 in it (missing the intake) (AMT) 66 Cadillac Ambulance (JoHan) 71 GTO (MPC)

I also have some random pieces that are molded in what I would call a "mid purge" aqua green. Possibly transitioning over to the turquoise color.

Has anybody done a side by side comparison of the "too many projects" and the Futurattraction Fairmonts?

This is the ghost of the 66 C-10. I received it from the friend of a former ERTL employee. It is a test shot (complete with ejector pin rust stains) from the 90's. I have everything except the tires and glass. I have been told that this test shot is most likely associated with American Satco and a limited run of 66 C-10 promo re-issues. At the time of the sampling the tooling was possibly owned by American Satco so it is unknow where the tool is now (Round 2 may or may not have it). I welcome any corrections to the story as I have it so far. Carmak

The 66 C-10 mold survived at least into the 90's and is quite possibly still around. This is a mid 90's test shot of the mold I got from a former ERTL employee.

Tim, As a lover of Mopar C-bodies seeing these builds is wonderful. What adds to it for me is that I have a mostly unrestored Citron Gold (code ZZ1) 66 Newport 4drHT. I like the story and description for each car. I have a couple 66 Monacos in the que for restoration and I appreciate seeing a corrected example. Lastly I noticed that you replicated the bamboo inserts on the door panels, very nice. Craig

If you want Round 2 to clone the 68 Coronet go out and buy the 63 Nova wagon and the two versions of the 64 Cutlass. The more of those that are sold the better the business case Round 2 will have for the 68 Coronet. I have happily bought multiples of the Nova and Cutlass and I will buy multiples of the Coronet if given the chance.

Welcome to Iowa from Iowa (Iowa City)! After moving this year I hope to get unpacked and start building this winter. Craig

30 years ago when I started as a design engineer for a medical device company I would scratch build my own small concept parts in ABS plastic. In the mid nineties we got an SLA machine and my skills became obsolete (at work). Carmak P.S. Sledsel, I love your 58. Saw it a few years ago at the Des Moines Good Guys and talked to you for a couple minutes about which headlight bezels you used.

Does the 66 Custom cab 4X4 have the non 4x4 suspension also? Does the 67 Service truck also have the stock bed? Thanks.

If you look at the paint section it calls our bumble bee OR double body side stripes. This was a double pin stripe. It was actually fairly common on the R/T in 68. It is rarely seen today as most restored cars sport the bumble bee stripe.

The previously mentioned methods are all sound but I would like to add to the freezer method: * First hold the glued together parts in a large freezer bag upside-down about a foot over boiling water for a couple minutes (I had a fixture for this). * Second put the bag in a deep freezer (colder temp that a typical combo fridge/freezer) for a couple days. * Third repeat a half a dozen times minimum. Of course this will not work on every nasty welded mess but it has worked more often than I thought it would when I started. The key is the steam vapor can work it's way into tiny seams, cracks and bubbles in the melted bond. When it freezes it pushes it apart just a little. When you repeat it the result can actually add up and get things apart you really did not expect to come apart.

I understand why you aren't changing the wheelbase but it completely changes the whole look of the car. Carmak

Did you ever go to the Ertl outlet in Dyersville? I remember getting kits there for as little as $.50 each in the mid 90's. I did work with the local injection molding companies so I was up there at least once a month.

They also got the colors backwards on my remote control promo

If it was the red 61 I saw it a few years ago in person at the Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, KY. As I was walking it idled past me smooth as silk. When I saw it parked a few minutes later with the hood open I coudn't hardly believe it was a Cammer! Super clean build!

I got this stash of models this morning. Guy bought an old house and found these. Good rebuilding material! Carmak

Once you are in it is fine. The back seat is really tight.

I have owned many 61-63 T-birds (I still have the 63 I drove when I dated my wife of 30 years) and they are not a big car. I am 6' tall and they are very difficult to get in and out of if you don't swing the steering column off to the side. My brother has a 62 Lincoln convertible and at 213" it is really not that big (by 60's car standards), it is a lot shorter than my 57 Coupe DeVille. What they lack in size they make up for in mass, they are really heavy. The 63 Thunderbird is a 4,200lb car. The is 600lbs more than a 63 Galaxie. The Lincoln convertible is 5,500lbs (by comparison my 57 Coupe Deville 4,600lbs).

69 GTO body from the Judge funny car + Chassis from 69 442 + new interior tub = Nice stock 1:25 69 GTO. But seriously 68 & 69 Coronet R/T Carmak

I have been designing small multi-piece injection molded medical components for nearly 30 years. I use many of the same tool houses AMT/MPC/ERTL/RC2 used in and around Dyersville, IA and I have worked through scores of fit problems with injection molded parts. It is a whole lot of no fun. I am very happy Round 2 is taking the time to correct things. Carmak

That is slick! Thanks for the pictures!!

Cool project! Did you 3D print the windshield frame pieces?

Just a heads up. Some of the SLA style 3D printing resins will inhibit silicone's cure process.

There are lots of factors at play here: * The original grade of the plastic. Economics and availability drive decisions of what grade (and therefore how brittle or soft) the styrene or ABS is. JoHan famously molded kits out of whatever they could get in the 80's (I always ended up with dark green or pale orange). * The color does matter. Some colorants need to run at a higher percentage than other to properly color the finished part. Some colorants require a specific grade of styrene or ABS to be mixed with. Metallic has additional effects. I work in the medical device industry and I have seen very significant changes to the properties of ABS with very slight colorant changes. I would say blue based colors are the worst * Styrene and ABS age. My company has retain devices stored in ideal conditions (cool dry vault) that are a couple decades old. The properties of these old parts are not the same as freshly molded ones. * Don't forget UV damage. Styrene and ABS are very susceptible to UV damage. Stabilizing additives can reduce the susceptibility but can not eliminate it. Most of us have seen late 50's / early 60's models that are almost tan from the UV damage. Having said all that I love restoring / rebuilding old kits. Brittle plastic is just another challenge like welded on fender skirts and missing glass.