GrandpaMcGurk

Lots of possibilities Steve, not sure what direction I'll go with mine.....probably early street/drag.

Just havin' some fun Dave as this "termite candy" build is simply therapy for me and gives me an opportunity to hands on evaluate some of the TDR goodies. Whenever I start getting burned out on the Cuda I tinker with this. I'm thinking I'm going to need some eye candy (just for giggles) to display this car with. TDR is sending me a "Strevo" mastered resin surf board & I'll make a couple of fishing poles to strap to the roof. I had an old MiniCraft "Rocket" steam engine gathering dust...don't remember what scale it was. I took it apart because I could see the "bones" of one of those tow behind BBQ smokers hiding under all that Rail Road stuff. I'll convert this to a smoker on a trailer.....like I said "havin' fun".

Started gathering up parts (and de-chroming) to get a handle on what I can kit bash or scrounge from the parts box. The rest of what I need I'll have to cobble up best I can. I'm using the W/W big & little's from the latest Big "T" kit. I'll have to fill these tires with floral foam or something to keep them from sagging (flat spots) over time. They are kind of flimsy compared to the old Monogram semi-pneumatic, painted W/W tires. I found a couple of coil springs for the rear in an old defunct printer.....lots of cool parts for 1/8th builds inside the junk most folks just toss in the trash. I cut the closed drive shaft tube off the kit "T" as I'll be using TDR U-joints and aluminum tubing for the the shaft. I'll probably replace the kit radius rods and shocks with long traction bars and working shocks. I'll use the kit brake drums and backing plates. Disc brakes on the front (I'm going to open up drilled rotor holes a little more). Started piecing together a log manifold for the carbs.....I had intended to use 6 single barrels but didn't want to have to build 6 of 'em. 6-2 barrels won't fit......5 looks goofy, so I settled on four, that's plenty for a six in a row anyway.

David, being I'm involved with TDR...many thanks for the input, we do listen.....I think a "What's New" or "New Products" section on the web site is a great idea!

Well done Tim...looks great. Any possibility you would make up a few "kits"? If so put my name on the list, this is going to look fantastic with the addition rivets and "fancy" wood.

I have no doubt that the "Cuda" will raise the bar considerably......problem is, it's going to be a tough act follow.

Incredible Dave. The cables & 2" offset are over the top........now that's what I call some serious attention to detail. I wonder how many guys would have known what the cables were for if you hadn't explained them in your text. It's obvious that you've spent many hours with 1:1 toys.

Ha, ha.....they are purely functional Tim. The holes cut down on wind drag when "drifting" sideways.

Just a couple of update pics...... This build is deciding what it wants to be as it goes along. I usually have a pretty good idea of what the finished car wants to be, but this one is just plain fun. I've decided to use the QC rear from a big T kit, no buggy spring however. I'll being fabbing up a coil/shock absorber rear suspension (no, not coil-over). I'm not going to kit bash the front suspension...I have something a little different in mind for it.

When I first saw one I thought it was an old International Harvester truck......it's not, but it looks a bit like an I.H. Scout.

Harry, Big Daddy Don's place is not very from where I live. I had driven a Hemi R.R. down for last year's Christmas car show and was parked 5 cars away from one of these gem's. If you think the pic is butt ugly you should see one in person. The one I saw was pro-restored (not many around), I couldn't help but wonder why?

I drilled some oversize holes in the frame rails. Cut a few short lengths of tubing...... The tubing will be sanded flush with the frame rails, filled and sanded. When glued in place, the round tubing in the holes will actually make the frame stronger and less likely to twist or distort.

Just went and looked online, didn't see them listed either, however at my local store they still had them...no Deuces though. Model Expo still had them in their catalog and I'm sure others do also.

Blower looks great Dave.

When I was younger my dad owned a Chrysler dealership, before they went belly up it was a Studebaker gig. The Charger in Casey's picture is pretty much the same car as the hi-line "Cordoba".........love the styling on that car but the lean burn 400 inch engine...the electronic control unit was inside the air cleaner and prone to problems....drove me nuts. Anyway......great looking car with a boat anchor engine...the age of pollution control had begun and the car manufacturers were scrambling to put band aids on everything to meet the new smog regulations.

I started mocking up the frame so I could make cross-members and mounts......oppppps! Looks like I'm going to have to shorten the oil can quite a bit more or go with a remote filter set-up. Just one of those little gremlins that pop up when you are building outside the box.

The ratchet piece is included in the kits, I think the ones that were a comp item were just samples. A question was asked if you could get just the stands, contact TDR by email (tdr.innovations@gmail.com) and I'm sure they would sell just the stands.

Thanks Skip. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Greg, the TDR catalog has pics, prices, descriptions, bacic assembly art and photos of current engines and products. More engines, bodies and products are being added as they go into production.

www.tdrcatalog.com tdr.innovations@gmail.com

Rick, Ive started laying out the body on paper to use as a pattern for the wood.....nothing fancy here, just woood strips and L.H.S. materials. I will post the hand drawn patterns and dimensions as I go along if you guys would like to print them out & build a hack of your own at some time.

I was flipping through an old issue of Hot Rod magazine and this car caught my eye, looks kinda like an old depot hack running a Jag engine. At any rate, I'm overdue for a little wood working so using this as my "inspiration" I'll see if I can cobble up my own version along these lines. This project is a lot of fun for for me...it just keeps morphing and stays interesting as it goes along.

Very impressive Al and thanks for your interest in what I have been or am doing. My models (the ones I haven't sold, given away or caniblized) are stored in boxes under beds and in closets.....why? Because I've moved my wife's feathered kids (2 large Amazon parrots) into the computer/office room. The vacant room has been gutted and is well on it's way to being my new hobby room. When it's done and the shevles etc. are in I'll gladly post pics just for you. BTW.....what scale is that Merc in your photo, you mentioned that other than the top shelf the cars were 1/8th.......the sled looks a little small compared to the other cars. Maybe it's just the photo or my tired eyes?

Hawk, what you decide on for a home for this engine is really up to you. Both the T & the Deuce would make for great builds. I agree that it would be shame to hide your engine under a closed hood. Keep in mind that the re-released Big Tub is still available at the LHS. If you score one at Hobby Lobby with the 40% OFF coupon you'll get a lot of bang for your buck. Not many folks are building tubs but with a little imagination and your skill it could be transformed into a very unique build.

I use Krylon for priming jobs, gray, black or red oxide. Never had any problems. Fine spray, dries fast, inexpensive & I can get it at Wally World. I'm not fond of tearing down and cleaning my airbrush every time I want to spray a small part. I've never had any problems with finish coats over the Krylon either...regardless of what I airbrush for a top coat.

I keep a box of those cheap latex "powder free" gloves on my work bench. I use them when I assemble pre-painted parts, especially chrome or flat colors. They keep natural skin oils from being absorbed by the finishes. Besides, if I get a little adhesive on my digits it's a simple matter to dispose of the glove rather than inadvertently transferring it to my fresh paint.