impcon

I never knew that they made a Bel Air convertible model. Wow!!!!!!!! Now that one deserves a full blown restoration if anything does - built bone stock - with tons of love and care. What are your plans for it? It amazes me to see stuff like this still bubbling to the surface - stuff that has been hidden away in boxes in attics and basements abd garages. It's good to know thatthis one never made it to the dumpster as I am sure, most old models do. Congratulations on your find!! I am very happy for you.

I always liked reading his articles and I have a bunch of those old magazines stored away. For the '59 Chevy review, Tom declared that that year's Chevy's decklid had "enough room to land a Piper Cub". Here's an editorial that is worth reading about Tom - yeah, he came from a time when life was far more simple, people had freedom, morals and principles and they weren't afraid to give an hoinest day's work for an hoinest day's pay. Plus, the music was DEFINITELY a whole lot better.. IMHO http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/editorial-in-praise-of-tom-mccahill/

Does anyone know of any model cxar shows/swap meets in the Pacific Northwest - particularly Washington Stae or B.C. Canada? I know of no other builder/collectors within an hour and half's drive of where I live and even then, my understanding is that there are not a whole lot of guys into this hobby. I live in the south Okanagan and Kelowna is the nearest center where there is a real hobby shop and even it's pretty small and the opwner doesn't stock hardly any building supplies. And as for shows, there are none that I am aware of in B.C. or Washington State. I feel like this guy for those of you who remember him............

It ain't fair I tell yuh!!!!!!!!!!!! Those HO guys have some stuff that we sure would like to have in our scale...........

There's a guy who claims that he is going to be producing that model - he sells on Ebay and he has posted here with his late '70's LTD sedan. I think his user name is Blue Oval or something like that. He has a '73-9 crew cab on the market - I'd like to know how good it is - and when I emailed him to ask if he had plans for a '73-9 Ford Super Cab, he said that he did but so far, nothing has appeared that I am aware of. I am like you guys - I'd love to have one of ewach year - preferably in a long wide box half ton.Ford trucks are obviously a popular thing with model guys as the Model King '73-9 reissue of the F350 Supoer Camper Special always sells on Ebay and even glue bombs bring high - sometimes stupid high, prices. These resin guys are really missing the boat with this one I think - especially if they were to offer the different grilles so that the truck could be built as any year. The '67's had some differences but on the outside, it was just that they had more narrow side trim and no side marker lights on the box so it would be a snap top convert say a '72 to a '67 except for the dash and door panels. The difference in the width of the side trim ( unless it was an XLT model are hard t discern even in 1;1 scale. The '67's had different heater controls unique to '67 only and the inside door handles and the arm rests were '67 only. Still it would be an easy enough conversion IF anyone would ever come forward with a kit.

Thanks Mark. That was exactly what I had figured on doing but your confirmation is greatly appreciated. Maybe I should photograph and document this and put it on the hints board.. I'll see how my day goes here.. Thanks Mark. That was exactly what I had figured on doing but your confirmation is greatly appreciated. Maybe I should photograph and document this and put it on the hints board.. I'll see how my day goes here..

I am in the process of working on a resin truck but the hood was not properly cast and the back edge where it butts up against the cowl of the cab needs to be built up and then sanded into shape. I want to glue some styrene strips to the back edge of the hood and then try to reform and align the back of the hood by sanding it into shape. So what would work best for attaching the styerene strips to the hood? I can post pictures if that would help as maybe someone may have a better idea as to how to deal with this issue than I do. I am not that experienced or good at fabricating although I am working to improve both of those challenges. Thanks in advance.

Hopefully somebody thought to take their camera and will post some pictures????? *nudge nudge wink wink*

I agree - a stock Gairmont in ANY form - twoo door - four door or a wagon - they were really a seetheart in woodie wagon form..and those hardtops are really pretty for sure....... sure be nice to be able to get one..or two.. or three.....

Ok........... so don't keep us guessing.. post somem ore photos.. I wont tell anyone - promise!

Holy cow!!! I thought that those last pictures were of a real 1:1 truck!The onky give away was the chrome on the front bumper isn't totally smooth but it too a second or two to pick up on that! Man, you sure do build a sweet model!!!!!!!!!!1

Pretty car! I REALLY like that blue.. betcha that car would look good in that blue with a white roof ... did you paint the flames or are they decals? ( probably a dumb question but I had to ask.. ) Pretty car! I REALLY like that blue.. betcha that car would look good in that blue with a white roof ... did you paint the flames or are they decals? ( probably a dumb question but I had to ask.. )

Sorry to hear of your challenge.. you can look at it as a victim or a student - look ay it as a victim and cry or look at it as a student and ask yourself how you can prevent such a thing from happening again. We all make mistakes - don't sweat it.. learn from it, and get on with your day!

Aw man..... that's just plain sick!!! To paraphrase the immortal words of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, "Just what in the heck is this world coming to???" Who would have believed such a thing five years ago? No offence to you Volksy folks but... I'm feelin' sort of ill...

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you just gotta love those old Mopars........... The body lines on thise are so sweet and flowing - a very beautiful combination of elegance, grace, class, beauty and an aggressive, no-nonsense, don't mess with me look. In short, they are a lovely automobile. If there is one flaw in those cars, it is in my ever to be humble opinion, the interior - especially the dash boards which were pretty spartan and plain for the most part. But it is not enough to stop me from lusting after those curvacious beauties when ever I see one. They are sure nice and I am surprised that they were so overlooked for so long. Now that most of them are gone and people have awakened to the gorgeous styling and radical but attractive colours - most of them are long gone. I'd like to follow your build if you do the conversion. Please keep us informed....

That sure is a heartbreaker!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a 1/18 die cast that colour and I really like it! It suits the car well! Nice build - I like the opening trunk and trunk mat too! Nice paint - nice colour - NICE car!!!!

That's about as nice a dump truck as I have ever seen!!!!! They pull trailers here behind dump trucks but not ones like that. Ours are just tandem trailers with a solid reach hitch set up.. I can't imagine the hours thatyou have in that. VERY well done..

They look so neat all lined up like a bunch of little road warriors! WHat model is the GMC/Chevrolet beside the Cracjerbox> It doesn't look like any truck model that I recall seeing. My dad had a GMC straight job with a van body that was that cab style. It had a "Toto Flow" diesel engine.. seeing that little truck brings back some memories.. Actually - just looked at the photo again and recognixed it as a General. My dad's had a short nose.. I'll have to see if I can find any photos of a truck like his.. found one - except my dad's was a long wheel base and navy blue in colour..I wonder if there is a resin cab like this available???

Have you considered the wheels and tires from the AMT 73-79 F 350? Those are 8 lug 16 or 16.5 wheels and tires on that kit I do believe. It's likely soimeone will have a set of wheels and tires kicking around if you post in the WANTED section.. hope this helps.

Sure is sweet!!!!!!!! I love those old corn binders.. it's a unique model.. wonder where he got the cab?

One of the sad things about life is that there are people who have issues where as the only way that they can feel any self worth is to put someone else down and belittle them and their efforts. Nine times out of ten, these people will never say anything to your face but rather they scurry around like weasels assuring themselves that they are better then the next person and what better way to do that than to criticize and tell th world ( their world more often than not consists solely of themselves ) how stupid or how incompetent other people are. It makes them feel better about themselves to call someone else a half wit or an idiot and these people should really be pittied rather than despised. But some days, it sure is hard to like them no matter who they are. I can tell you this - if I was at a show with someone and they made the kind of remarks that were quoted here about a young person's efforts, I'd disassociate myself with that person real quick. Remember that old saying - "Show me who you associate with and I'll show you who you are". I also by all means am no master builder but I do my best and I have seen models that were in shows and on forums that were far less than perfect and I know that I could probably have done a better job. I have learned to NEVER say anything critical of someone else's best efforts because guess what? I know that if the owner of that model is showing it off to the world, then he has built it to the best of his abilities and I am not going to knock him or his efforts because at least he is trying and much of lifes' learnings only comes from actual experience.They say that experience is the best teacher and it must be so because all to often, it is the most expensive way of learning. Plus the fact remains that really, who am I to judge? I mean, I know that there are far more capable and talented builders than me out there who look at what I do and compared to their workmanship , talents and abilities, they are in university and I am still playing in the sandbox. All I have to do is look on this forum and I see things that are wayyyyyyyyy beyong my scope and abilities and often, I just sit and look in awe at what some of you people have created. All I can do is my best - and as long as I have given it my best efforts and done the job to the best of my abilities, then I feel that I have every right to be proud of my accomplishmensts in life. Can I do better? Can that other builder do better? You betcha! Always! But often, doing better comes only from learning and experience and what was a good build a year ago, may be second rate to me today despite the fact that I gave it my all. We should always try to remember that when looking at the work of others rather than criticizing. Besides, not every young person has a parent or someone who cares enough to spend the time to sit withthem as you did with that boy, Michael, and teach them and show them the little tricks that we have learned. All too often, kids especially, are left to their own devices and they learn on their own because mom and dad are too busy working to support a lifestyle that they really can not afford. I could go on a real rant here on that subject........ It's so easy to be critical and to say words that hurt and like all of us, I have learned some lessons in life the hard way. First is be careful what you say. Words are very powerful and they can heal or they can hurt and kill. Words can never be taken back once they pass through your lips and the effect that a few words can have on a person - well - I believe that more times than not, we are never allowed to see the effects that a good deed or a kind word may have on a person. I have often wondered how many people have been on the very edge in life - ready to jump and call it quits, when a kind word, a smile, a hug or an act of kindness - stopped them and they stepped away from the abyss and walked away and carried on with their life and overcame their struggles and challenges. Second is never assume anything because we seldom know ALL of the facts. That boy who you sat with and mentored may well have not had a dad and this was an effort by him to find some sense of achiemement and acceptance. We have no way of knowing what is going on in someone else's life or in their mind. I have no doubt that your influence on him that day was a lot mor profound and positive than you may ever really know. When we look at and criticize some one els's efforts on anything in life, we had best make sure that we know all of the facts before we criticize or condemn. I am not saying that I am not as guilty of this as anyone else but I really do try to keep this in mind as much as I can. Michael - your actions that day say a lot about your character and you are an example to us all. You were humble enough to realize and admit to yourself and demonstrate to that boy that your words could have been better chosen and you made the decision to do something about it. You will likely never know for sure, but you may well have had more of an impact on his young life than you will ever know. You may also never know where he was at that point in his young life and young people can be and are often quite delicate and fragile to the point where the wrong words can do some serious damage as far as self esteem goes. Who knows what different choices he may have made in his life had you just walked away and left him standing there feeling totally discouraged and humiliated because of your remarks. He may well have walked away from modelling and put his efforts and attention into things that are better left alone. Your sitting there with him and teaching him may have given him just enough belief in himself to enable him to stay out of trouble plus, your actions were an example that he may well mimic for the rest of his life. If not at that time, then certainly later in his life, he will realize that your actions had a profound impact on him - and I have little doubt that in fact, they did. It is far better to lift up, build up and edify someone and their efforts in life than to tear down, damage, bruise and destroy with thoughtless words. Now if only we could ALL ( yours truly included ) learn something from that....

The sedan delivery and two door wagons shared the same doors with their squared off top edges as shown here: The two door sedan doors do not interchange because the top door edge slopes downward a bit to accomodate the roofline of the car. It is hard to discern in the picture below but the roof does slope downwards and the rear of the upper door frame does definitely have a slight slope to it - around 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch I believe. The upper door frames on the Flintstone sedan delivery are definitely El Camino doors with their distinctive forward rake on the rear door frame edges.. I have wondered if the body height is out of proportion but without being able to measure the heigth of the side panels from the bottom edges to the roof rail drip moldings and comparing those measurements to the Modelhaus '59 sedan delivery that I have, it is hard to say. It is possible that the slanted door frame gives the roof the illusion of being lower than it really is. I don't think that the old Quicksilver model was proportionally really all that accurate but then I have never had one to examine first hand. It may also be thatthe lower body is too thick that makes the roof look like it may be chopped slightly. Maybe I'll have to buy a Quicksilver lit to find out for real...

Thanks George.. DO you think that a Modelhause '59 sedan delivery interior would fit? I think that I can correct the door issues.. what do you think?

I can identify as I have a 1972 Chevy 1 ton with a big block ( 402 ) in it and it's pretty dismal as far as hauling power goes. I work it hard and the engine is definitely reliable but it's a hungry brute and gutless as all get out. I had a '66 GMC 1 ton with a 292 in it and it would out pull the '72 any day. The '72 is a cute little truck - short wheel base on duals with a wooden factory built grain box and dump on it and it drives like a car. Still, I love the little truck and it has really worked hard for me. It's hauled hundreds and hundreds of yards of fill into our property.. and I m not exaggerating. I used to take it to work every day and I'd haul a minimum of two yards of gravel home each day -= five days a week -- and then some days I would go and get another load from a local contractor. This was over a period of about four years.. There were times when I did not drive the truck for a few weeks at a time but it was my normal mode of transportation for going to work. As for the Caprice and Impala models - I really wish that someone would produce one of each year - '69 and '70. They really are a gorgeous car and I really appreciate the interior styling on them. We only drive Tina's Impala in the summer as I said and hopefully this coming Spring will see it in my shop for a repaint. We'll stay with the factory colours and while green is not my favorite colour, I do like the shade of green that the car is and I really like the aqua interior! We have a power seat for it and I'd like to add a tilt column but I may not add either as we enjoy the car just as it is. We know the original owner who bought the car new in Edmonton Alberta and then in 1977, he sold it Ted Galbraith and his wife. Ted was my wife's grade six school teacher and he drove a '70 Impala 4 door hardtop to work at the school each day and his wife drove the two door hardtop as her car. When Mrs. Galbraith passed away a few years ago, the family wanted someone who appreciated the car and who would not butcher it to have it as Ted no longer needed two cars. I had done some little repair jobs for the Galbraiths on the car over the years and both Ted and his son Allan who is a good friend knew that we liked the car. So, it was given to us as a gift with one condition - we would not destroy the car or "chop it up" in Allan's words. There was a waiting list of people who wanted the car and who would have paid good money for it but we were blessed to receive it and it will stay in our family. When the car was delivered to our home, I handed the keys to my wife and it became her car. It just seemed like the right thing to do and she sure does enjoy her old Chevy. I will in due course build a modell to duplicate it and paint it the same colour. The only challenge is the rear window and the roof line- The model is an Impala Custom with the concave rear glass and squared C pillars - our car has the Impala roof which is different. I'm sure that we can figure something out though. Sorry for rambling on like that.. iut's a story that I like to share.. sorry if I bored anyone..

I have been eyeing up the Jimmy Flintstone '60 Chevrolet sedan delivery bodies that are for sale on Ebay but it looks to me almost like it is just a casting of the old "Quicksilver" kit that cannot be built stock. The body on Ebay has the same goofed up upper door frames which are really El Camino doors.. that can be fixed but is the body proportioned in such away that a person could cobble together a stock looking version of the car? I understand that his castings are pretty good but if anyone has purchased one of those models, I'd like to hear your views on what you got for your money. I'd like to do a stock build but I would like some feedback before purchasing. Thanks in advance, guys.