Chuck Most

Showed up here yesterday.

Took about 30 steps back with my rotary Courier... but it's still on the to-do pile.

Cool! The Deere is one of my favorite models- good to see some "deleted scenes" from the project.

Great. Just don't try to bring it to a complete stop from 60 in less than half a mile or try to turn a corner any faster than about 5mph and you'll do just fine.

Complexity for the sake of complexity makes no sense. And yes, that is present on modern cars. I don't want or need heated/cooled/massaging leather seats and a satellite-guided ashtray. But even taking that into consideration I have to say we've got it better now than enthusiasts did 40 years ago. Consider... Would you rather have a 400 horsepower car based on existing compact car underpinnings, with a four-speed manual trans, dinky drum brakes, rock hard bias ply tires, that can't handle anything but a straight line... oh, and struggles to average low single-digits for MPG... ...or a 600 horsepower purpose-designed performance car, with a six-speed, four wheel discs, nice sticky radials, turns like it's on rails, and knocks down 25mpg or more on average? I don't know about you, but I'm gonna have to go with option B.

You aren't the only one entertaining that idea.

Old Challenger Vs. New.... why's the new one heavier, despite being built out of plastics and lightweight alloys? Well, how many old Challengers had air conditioning? Or antilock brakes? Or front and side airbags? Or power EVERYTHING? That all adds weight. The old Challenger, like most muscle cars, was a tin can with a big engine, while the new one is a Rolls-Royce by way of comparison. Same deal for the Mustangs, Camaros, or any other name from the musclecar era that has survived or been revived.

It's the grille. The grille just kills it for me. If it had the standard Ram grille, I'd personally like it.

Thread necromancy time... Finished the bodywork on the Hudson-powered '41 Chevy "bobber", and got the first few coats of bronze on the cab and bed. I was goint to paint them the same yellow as the scoop, but decided to match them to the frame. I might go another route with the scoop now, too. I guess we'll see.

Not counting ones that fall prey to some sort of catastrophic mishap during the process, 100%.... eventually. It may happen ten years after I start, but it WILL happen. Count the catastrophic mishaps... that number falls to about, oh, 50 to 60 percent.

That paint combo looks great on a Dentside.

Anyone remember that episode of BBC Top Gear, where the English and Australian presenters were competing against each other? And the Ford Transit (which turned out to be fitted with the V6 from a Jag XJ220) laid waste to the 'Vette-V8-powered Holden in a drag race? A drag race... where apparently V8 engines are supposed to rule supreme? Yeah...

Even if it happens (and that's a big IF), who cares? Eventually there will come a day when internal combustion engines of all kinds are consigned to the dustbin of history. Today, nobody mourns the loss of the Stanley Steamer.

Leaning toward a junked C600 or Dodge L700. Or I might go off in some other direction. I guess I'll find out when I plop something on the trailer and like how it looks.

"Durrrrrrrrr..... needs two more cylinders" cry the knuckle-dragging meatheads...

The closest paint I have that matches them is Ford Wimbledon White- it's just a touch lighter than the decals but pretty close.

Push the fenders out and add a bit of material to the hood sides. WAY less effort than trying to narrow the grille.

Yep- they're two different companies. AB Volvo still owns the truck manufacturer, and is itself owned by a Swedish industrial investment firm. The car and truck sides have been separate since the 1990s.

Back to the trailer for the '59- I used the axle, wheels, and tires from an AMT dry van. I also lifted it a bit, so it would sit level when hooked to the tractor.

It's a Mustang... I don't care if your Mustang is an old non-turbo 2.3 four or a built-to-the-hilt Roush 427 small block, you're going to drive in a bit of a "spirited" manner. That just happens when you drive a Mustang. Naturally, it's never going to get as many MPG as Ford and/or the EPA says it is going to.

I'm torn between the two choices. Model kits are one of the few items where you don't always see the actual product on the box before you open it. You buy a coffee maker- there's a picture of the actual coffee maker on the box. You buy a model kit... maybe it's a picture of the actual model on the box. Or maybe it's a photo of the actual car. Maybe it's a drawing. I kind of like to see what I'm getting, but on the other hand, some of the old and reissue box art is pretty cool. I do like Round 2's practice of putting a silhouette image of the parts trees on the bottom of the box- that's certainly better than nothing. I think I have to say my favorite practice is how Moebius has been doing it- a nice, eye-catching painting of the model on the box lid and ends, with photos of the actual model on the sides.

Nice! I did one in a similar color combo a few years back.

What did I see on the road today? Ice. Lots and lots of ice. Yeah...