Jairus

I have so far counted members owning 3 Corvairs! Wow. I learned to drive in a '66 Corsa manual box btw.

Too cool! Mine is both a daily driver and a project car.

Which is why I did this illustration a few years ago as a phantom Edsel.

Anybody notice the 2-door Edsel wagon? Nothing like that was ever produced...

Oh... that's right! Maybe I should say the engine in my wagon is a 427 then?

The Engine in the '58 is actually an FE motor which was introduced that year. Probably a 352. The tranny is an automatic and it is indeed scaled a true 1/24th. I would use a 428 cobra jet duel quad manifold or a 3-deuce manifold to give it some style... but keep the chrome to a minimum as these engines came with none. At any rate, the FE is a good choice and quite logical. However, if I remember right, that '37 kit has a front independent street rod suspension?!? Like a "Heidts" or something similar. (Don't have my kit here to look at so I could be wrong.) If so, you might find the front crossmember gets in the way of the oil sump if you use any vintage Ford motors. So... to be totally accurate to the era or period... find a doner front suspension and front crossmember from a Monogram 1936 Ford (1/24th) coupe. That's what I would do.

You know... shooting pictures into the sun is generally not suggested. But you really pulled it off here as it tends to convince the eye that this is actually a full size VW. Very impressive use of "Solar flair" and glare. Of course the bug is quite nice too, weathering and all. (I gotta try that) Welcome to MCM forums!

Really? What do I win Ed? Actually, most self described "Rat Rods" are usually either one of three: "In-progress project", "Nostalgic barn-find in-progress vintage project" or "Cartoon art car". But I don't know where the idea that Rob's project was suppose to be a "Rat". He never mentioned it in the O.P. This I take it, is suppose to be a "Traditional Rod" or vintage build set between 'post war' and at least '40 years ago'. (1946 - 1963)

Unless it's a Hemi... most engines are not really that big. And, the '37 was a fairly large car being quite a bit wider longer and heavier than the Model "B" bodies. 1/24th and 1/25th are so close as to be almost indistinguishable with engine parts. That said, some manufacturers do tend to cast engine parts smaller than they really were just to fit it in to the model, or mistakes in scaling down. The 1970 AMT Mustang kits come to mind.... My picks would be the Revell Parts Pak 354 Cadillac motor with a brace of 6 deuce carbs. A real headache to plumb and wire but it was a staple of most hot rodders and comes well detailed. Strip all the chrome on this one and paint accordingly. Vintage Hemi from the Chrysler 300 is another great one. You can make the Chevy mill into a vintage piece by swapping manifold and valve covers with vintage Corvette stuff. (Just a thought) Most hot rodders back in the day didn't use a lot of chrome unless it was a show car. Maybe chrome air cleaners at the most. But the rest was raw aluminum castings and original engine paint complete with chips and grease as pulled from the wreck. When building any model kit, especially a street rod, I pick an era and a theme and stick to that. You don't need a back story, but it helps. For example, your '37: Consider it's to be built in 1963 using a barn-find survivor and the kid is fresh out of High School with a great job that his Dad got him at the corner hardware store. Get it? You have then established a believable structure in-which to build your car in a realistic way. A theme should be established based on the kids influences in 1963, ie: Drag racing, Rod & Custom and HRC magazines. The biggest flaw I see in most model builds is mixing themes and trends. If I see that I usually hit the back key and move on, doesn't matter how WELL the model is constructed. You want to build a rat rod? DON'T USE DONK WHEELS! You want to build a Pro-Street? DON'T RUN LOW PROFILE RUBBER! You want to build a period Street Rod? Don't install parts and pieces manufactured prior to the period in which you choose to build.

I don't understand the statement? To "abandon" means to leave it behind and never return. Seems silly since it is just a "tool" in the arsenal that's available to the modeler just like an Xacto saw or a Dremel. For me, the rattle can and the airbrush are used depending on the paint, temp and application. Sometimes a rattle can is more effective, sometimes the airbrush is. To have both in your "tool box" is a win-win. However, if you are having problems or can't get a hang of it. That is a whole different thing. You see, the airbrush is not something you can just pick up and use without learning how it works, how to clean it correctly and proper technique. The best way to do that is to use it! I started out with my first airbrush in highschool. It was a Binks Wren and I ran out of those pressurized cans pretty quick before seeking out a compressor. I also learned about water traps the hard way and about failure to clean the airbrush completely. (spitting sucks) I am now 53 and I still have lots of learn but it's an excellent tool for me and I would never ever consider giving it up. Maybe you should practice more?

Cool racers Joe!

The chassis is not bad. It's kind of a mix of vintage and new tech with a compromise to allow the same tooling to work for both 1/24 and 1/32 scale. Wish I could find the time to get the body detailing done tho....

Rarely David. Mostly they ask others to do that. (without pay I might add)

Art Anderson use to work for the prev iteration of the AMT/Polar Lights model company. Wish he worked for the current one. Me, I just finished two pieces of box art for the current owners of AMT and am working on another piece for Galaxie LTD. I have also done work for Polar Lights, Revell and Johnny Lightning.

Maybe I will... if you scratch build your own 4-door Impala.

Nice theme and the cars look great, especially that "Eco Challenge" car. Very funny episode that.

Dang, I started one of those couple years ago using a Lindberg kit with the roof line from an AMT Buick. Got all the doors scribed in even sourced up another set of door handles and the correct 327 engine. Checked my files and guess I didn't take any pictures... Will be interested to see your take on it Alex, cause this is (another)one I really want to finish. P.S. I swiped the pics to start my file, thanks.

And now for something completely different...

I guess the only way to "have time" is to make time so... after burning out on the current projects on the bench, I changed tact and pulled this one back out of the box. Ground away at the guide holder so it could fit a decent flag by Parma and a set of standard pickup braids. The front axle holes fit a set of 3/32" axle ball bearing races with-out modification. Out back however, it took a stepped drill to open up the holes to 1/4" in order to accept 1/8" axle bearings. However in this case, since the rear end was so narrow I used a set of "Duffy made" extensions soldered into the openings to extend the track of the bearings a little wider. Still, the ride height under the chassis screws is quite a bit above the minimum 1/16" track clearance. Looks like I might need to turn down the rear wheels a bit... or mount the rear chassis lead weight UNDER the frame, thus keeping the CGI low as possible. At any rate, here is the finished, modified chassis ready for the track. (Think the paint on the body is pretty much cured, time to decal and finish this puppy!)

Prepaired my "modification kit" as posted: Pro-track wheels Parma guide, braids, gear ProSlot motor Professor Motor repop Russkit drivers head and chassis lead, Lancer driver station sourced from P.M. Drill blank 1/8" axles And some modifications to the chassis: Wish I had time to play with it...

Pretty sure it's a '46-'48 Ford fordor sedan. Even the engine is a big block Ford, prob. a 400c.i. truck motor. Why they painted it bright red is a mystery tho...

It's a lighted driver. That bus is that "Coffee In Motion" double decker bus that I posted pics of a while back. (on another thread) The bus was not an RLM but some residential version with a middle door. I made plans to visit a real RLM residing at a local High School here in Salem. They use it to drive to away-games and other school functions. I am just too busy with work to do much modeling.... and it's been raining here daily. Probably won't be till May before I can get out and take pictures of it.

Sorry Kurt, didn't mean to start any thread drift. Joe Dirt is one of my favorite movies and you did the car total justice. Beautiful job!

You need a shorter driver then. And raise the seat! The floor in the real one is pretty high! I found a perfect driver figure at Scale Equipment. His name is Earl: http://www.seltd.net/ez-catalog/X344897/17/20023 As for a conductor, I ordered and got this one: http://www.seltd.net/ez-catalog/X344897/17/20016 I also ordered a drunk sitting on a park bench, but Ric sent me the park bench. I guess I gave him the wrong item number.

Yeah, but they are not great pics. Had to shoot through the windows. Cranky, I got one of these a month ago and got the chassis and motor built and prepared for paint. But with my current workload, can't seem to get back to the bench. Hoping to write an article about this one, because I'm taking lots of pictures.