pibull63

where did the hood come from? inquiring minds would like to know..............steve

hey guys, i'm a bit out of my usual model zone with this project, so i came here with a question. i'm doing a project for a customer who wants a petty car done. my question is where can i find "petty blue" paint? any help is greatly appreciated...........steve

i've used the purple degreaser for years. even forgot parts in the bucket once or twice. never had a problem with it. cuts paint real good, and doesnt smell like oven cleaner..................steve

heres another angle. the rear down tubesare inverted inward. two down tubes were added in the front. front shock mounts were changed. front bumper is changed. the rear suspension will be leaf spring. working on front motor plate and tranny mount

ok guys. heres the start of a new build. a scratch built tobias frame. more pics to come as i add more to it. thanx for lookin'

nobody in particular. always liked orange and white. in the process learning how to do decals, soon as i get it right it will be numbered and lettered

here are some pics of the latest one. i couldnt get them on here, but they are at http://photobucket.com/pibull63 check them out, let me know what ya think. thanx for looking

hey crazyjim, thats a pretty slick trick. i gotta remember that one. but doesnt the cold turn the plastic brittle? just wondering.

looks pretty sweet. did you use a rattle can or airbrush?

i had a harbor frieght air brush. iwas surprised to get a few years use from it. i just got a badger cresendo 175 from michaels a few weeks ago. price was $150.00 the girl at the register had a 40% off coupon she gave to me and it knocked the price down to $85. i went away happy. seems to be working quite well, i have real good results with it. it is a dual action brush, came with 3 needles, 3 tips and 2 jars. no hose.

my first idea would be a sanding drum. unless you have acess to a lathe, you could bore it

the way i make my headers is with aluminum welding wire. the collecters, i use a plastic drinking straw. its flexible enough so when you slide it over the headers, it stretches just a bit. i dont even glue it on. just leave it, because it is so tight. try it and let me know how you make out

i gotta agree with davkin. i like the changes, but its your kit. if ya spend your time pleasing everyone else, you'll make yourself nuts. just my .02

there are several ways to make rust. one is to take steel wool #oooo, put it in a glass jar, (mason), fill the jar with vinegar. leave the lid loose, as this mixture will give off gas as it rots the steel wool. when it is evaporated, youcan brush it on anything and it will give a rusty haze. this works good for diaramas, because it gives wood a weathered look. another is a product called ROTTENSTONE. it makes anything look old and weathered. i used it years ago on my railroad with excellent results. i got it at a craft store, i believe. its been years since i have used it, but i believe it is still available

i'll put my two cents in......how bout a space hover vehicle? why i thought of that i don't know. but, thats the first thought that came to me. i think i've been inside too long

come on guys, weve all done it at least once. ive even drilled a hole in my finger at least once

yeah i know, i get to yakkin' and wander off the subject. it's a wonder we haven't caught hell yet. there's another forum, if ya get off the subject within 1 or 2 posts, the moderator gets excited. i think wer'e the only two here. anyway, i think i'm too far along for a wip, but i will do it for the next one. wer'e getting a camera this week, so as soon as i figure out how to put pics on here, i'll put them up to let ya see what i've been up to. i got the other shock done today. so the front end is ready as soon as i paint the radius rods, and put them on. i was going to make them functional, but decided against it, i think the front end might get too weak with all the moving parts....... Steve

Art, i just wanted to tell you that engine is truly a work of art. IMPRESSIVE

the modified i have now, i cut the 4 bar suspension off the rear and installed leaf springs. the front shock mounts were removed and i put the upswept posts on. made a set of coil overs for the front. i made the shocks and springs. i cut the stubs off the front axle ends and made a set of spindles and king pins, so the front wheels are poseable. i'm now building a tie rod, and drag link so it all moves with the front wheels. the hood was made from sheet plastic, and the scoop used to be a plastic spoon flipped upside down and trimmed. the seat, i used the kit seat, but upholstered it with a piece of parachute pants the girls outgrew and was in the trash. so i cut a big piece out of it so i have enuff to do several seats. i made the firewall out of sheet plastic. the roof and top of the hood are white, the body and sides of the hood, and frame are tangerine pearl. the rims are white with tangerine hubs. they also have valve stems in them. the front, rear, and side rail are aluminum welding rod. bent then polished. we're going to get a camera this week so i can take pics of some of this stuff. i'll show ya the falcon body i got this week. i shortened 3/4 inch, slid the roof back 1/2 inch, then narrowed the body 1/2 inch, so it will sit snug down on the frame. i was looking today and found a load of merc pics. put them all in a file for when i start that one. it will probably end up as a long term wip. you know how that goes. that tobias frame, actually is pretty easy, its all 90 degree bends for the rails. the cage you build to fit the body. i found some .080 rod that bends pretty easy without heating. gotta go bac k to the tie rod, i think the glue is set up...............steve

ok, i am going to order it this coming friday. no rush, i've got alot sittin' in front of me now. there's a tobias chassis modified with a gremlin body. i'm at the point....to detail or not....i got a falcon modified body that came yesterday. i've already slid the roof back, and narrowed it to fit the tobias frame. i started to scratchbuild a tobias frame. there's also a sprint car floatin' around over there somewhere. ok, gettin' off the subject. the merc will be the first street car in 20 years. i have another, that i chopped the top shaved the chrome, peaked the hood, and a few other things, then it got put back in the box and forgot. maybe i'll use the doors from it. i'm thinking no B pillars either. maybe no center post in the windshield, or the two posts in the back window. what do ya think?..................steve..................oh yeah, i'll try your grill trick too

ok, back to the topic. i remember back in the late 80's, there was an article in S A E. it was about how to chop a merc top, and your mod about the round grill opening. it was done in detail how to make merc modifications. now remember, this was 20 something years ago, i THINK it was an S A E, like an annual addition. i do remember it was a very informative article. anyone else know what i'm talking about? anyway, has anybody purchased the merc custom kit with the chop top? that is going to be my next project, i was just curious about the quality, and is it a decent chop? what detail parts if any come with it? does the hood and trunk open? doors? anybody know?..........steve

guys, it don't matter who cut the first lid off a merc. ya can't find nothing sweeter than a '49,'50,'51 with mailslot windows, draggin' the bumpers in the weeds. sweeeeet. just my 2 cents

because it's cheaper to build in small scale than it is to build in 1:1. besides, it lowers my blood pressure and that makes mrs. pibull63 happy

the thing i use to join aluminum is epoxy. no, ya cant solder aluminum. any good hobby shop carries a stock of k&s brass sheet and all kinds of shapes. just get a handful, and practice. after a few burnt fingers youll get the hang of it, its not that hard. i recommend getting a good soldering iron, flux and good solder. dont save a nickel buying the cheap stuff, it will show in the end. like my ol' man used to say, the only way yer gonna learn this stuff is to practice. another tip, is to get come tiny c clamps to act as a heat sink when you solder more than one spot. because as you heat your next joint, you will also unsolder what you just did. the c clamp will soak up the excess heat and stop it from spreading. as far as a tube bender, take a look at the one you saw in the muffler shop, and build your own. i made the mandrels ( the round parts that bend the tube) out of aluminum rod from the local metal supply shop. i machined a groove in the center in the lathe. if you dont have a lathe, put your electric drill in a vice, clamp the rod in the chuck, and machine it cown to the shape your looking with a file, whether its a full size file or a small jewelers file, cut a groove in the center so it looks like a pulleydrill a hole thru that to mount it solid an bend the tube around that. if you can give me a couple of days i can post a drawing on how to make one.................steve

for headers i use aluminum welding wire, you can also use it for rollbars. for braided lines i use solder and roll a file over it. looks just like braided lines. remember to seal off the ends. i use clear fingernail polish