Carmak

Years ago (1993 ish) when Ertl owned AMT and MPC there was an outlet near the factory in Dyersville, IA. I made occasional trips to Dyersville for work, it was hit and miss for kits worth buying. I think I came close to 100 one day. Typically damaged boxes sold for $2.50 or less and $1 kits were common. I was loading a second cart when one of the stockers came out with a damaged case (12) of the just released 69 Olds 442. I asked how much they would be and she said $6 for the case if she did not have to open it, on the cart it went.

My son has a 64 GMC with the 305 V 6. It is in the truck but I can try to get some dimensions. I also have a shop manual that may have some nice side and front view images you could scale off of.

I just took another look at mine. It's a bit of a mess. Molded in blue gray with clear glass (ALL of the glass has tire burns), hood does not have hinges, engine is missing, chassis is started, cab and hood look nice BUT it does have the Goodyear tire booklet in the box.

I recently got a started California Hauler kit with a stash of model cars. All of the car kits in the stash dated to 66-70 so I would assume the truck kit also dates to this time frame.. I know very little about big rigs. Is there anything special about the original issue of this kit? I do a quick search on this topic but most of what I found was about projects using the re-issue. Thanks. Carmak

For the purposes of modeling the 389 and 421 only differ externally in one way (other than part number). The 421 block has a small cast lug (about the size of a piece of Brach's caramel) directly above the top transmission bolt hole on the driver side. It is know as the transfer lug. After 1960 ALL Pontiac blocks that were not either 389 or 400 received a transfer lug. Therefore a 421 and 326 block are externally the same as they both have a transfer lug. Internally the big difference is larger main journal diameters. This was a blessing and a curse. The crank was stronger but the bearing surface speed was higher for a 421 than a 389 at any given RPM. A stock 421 could spin faster than it's oiling system keep up with. This typically did not end well.

I feel there has been a significant expansion of what a "glue bomb" is. People use is now to refer to any built model. I have rebuilt dozens of built models but only a few true "glue bombs" To me a glue bomb kit that has really been fused together, typically glass fused to the body, custom pieces fused to the body and interior. A true glue bomb is very tough to restore to stock or even rebuilt into something remotely presentable. As stated above they often become a custom, hot rod or race car. For a built kit I also agree with what is stated above about glass,.I also look for trim removed from the body and missing pieces. Now that Modelhaus is gone missing pieces are very hard to find. Lastly I look for currently or recently available kits that share parts with the built model in question. An obvious example would be a 62 Buick convertible built kit would only need a usable body and boot - everything else needed for the model is available from the 62 Buick hard top kit. I have a 68 GTO with a melted roof but otherwise decent body. I am going to graft the roof off of the MPC "The Judge" funny car 69 GTO onto it and help hide the seam with a vinyl top.I will use the glass also. Carmak

The Flintstone 57 Country Sedan (no wood-grain) sits very nicely on the Revell chassis.

Is it possible to tell from the box art which kits have the correct interior?

If I remember correctly a Bengal Charger was the only way to get a 318 (or any non-R/T) Charger with a stripe.

I like your direction for color. I painted my 1:1 57 Cadillac amethyst over bright white. Carmak

I like your progress! I used to have a 68 Coronet wagon. When the 66-67 B-bodies were updated in 68 the 2 and 4 door models got a slight top chop but the wagon and convertible models did not. This should not be an issue with your build since the Monogram 69 Coronet has always looked a little tall to my eye. Carmak

Take a look at Monogram 58 T-bird seats. The pattern is very close to what you need. They are 1/24 scale so it would be your call if they look right.

I thought it was made into the vampire van.

I did not get glass with it. I have the convertible glass and it fits well (front and rear).

I thought all the tooling went from Iowa to Mexico then to China. I can't remember when it left Iowa, I have had the T-bird 15+ years.

Just before the molds left Iowa the 66 T-bird promo / craftsman tool was sampled in error (wrong label on tool). This was not part of the hanger shot program, it was someone looking to find a particular model for personal reasons. I received a full set of nice looking parts (with engine block off plate) from a friend in Dyersville. The parts look good and very little flash. Would be interesting to know how many times something like this happened.

So would it be safe to assume the files are based on high quality laser scans? That would explain the exterior surfaces only aspect of the model. How good was the import file? Surface gaps and multi layered surfaces? Is the import a single file and you break it into multiple components to print? What cad are you using? Thanks. Carmak

My 63 is a Country Sedan. Not sure if they used the name all the way to 1970.

I could not agree more. I bought those wheels from the original owner who bought them in 67 for his new Camaro as summer wheels. When he traded the Camaro for a 73 Monte Carlo they would not fit (14") so he put them in the garage attic. I have owned them since 1992.

Here is a picture I took tonight. My son and I were working on the brakes. She has been off the road since the mid 90's.

I have a 1:1 63 Ford Country Sedan wagon. It has a 352/three on the tree/overdrive. It is also chestnut in color. In 63 you could not get overdrive in a big block wagon and chestnut was not available on wagons. I bought it from the son of the original owner (it is an 80% plus original paint car) and his dad ordered it that way. He was not a big wig, just a loyal Ford buyer the dealer wanted to keep happy.

It is my understanding that the roof and rear window are not just similar but the same on Tir-Five 2dr and 4dr sedans. In the 1:1 world people are converting 4dr sedans into 2dr sedans using repo parts. Funny how we are doing the opposite in the scale model world. Carmak

I saw the 66 Bonneville on E-bay. Was not sure if TM made it or was just selling it. Did not have look of other TM resins. Also saw the Coronet wagon TM has. I owned a 68 Coronet wagon for years and I would advise comparing the rear of the TM Coronet and a 1:1 to be sure you are OK with the differences (bumper and roof). Carmak

Very nice work! I have been thinking about printing a retro camper but I have been to busy with other projects to model it up. Which cad program did you use to model you truck? Would you be willing to share STL files? Carmak

Last night my wife calls me into the living room where she is watching the Hallmark movie Elevator Girl. The male lead in the movie builds model cars. I sit down and watch and they refer to them again and then show them again. All of the models are Revell / Monogram. So I have now watched a Hallmark movie looking for model cars. How about that! Carmak