foghorn62

Still piddling away at it. Got the engine mounted in the frame, with headers and side outlet exhaust. Installed stainless steel tie rods and made the front wheels posable. Been playing with nickel plating at home and experimented on the scratch built mufflers and driveshaft. Made a hitch reciver, and turned a hitch ball. I’ll nickel plate those too, just because I can. Installed some magnets in the uptop and convertible boot, so that they can be easily interchanged. Just a few more details to finish, and this one will be done.

Details details details…. My least favorite part of any build is final assembly. That’s the time when I have the greatest chance to mess up all of the work I have done. It’s also when I realize that I have forgotten to do something, or some minor but important detail that I should have done before this point still needs to be done. Here we are. These pics show everything in mock up ready for final glue. I’m making a punch list of what still needs to be done, so I don’t miss something. Wish me luck!

You are sure welcome anytime if you manage to convince her. Vermont is a beautiful place to visit, even outside of my basement. I do remember that road trip in my Cutlass. As I recall, Chuck was with us, and we went down to visit Tom Woodruff. That was in about 1976-7. Who’da thunk that trip may have been precursor to NNL#1 a couple of years later? TS

Nice Tim! Are you going to go and watch it come down the line? TS

These are great Pete! I really love the RPU! I’m a big fan of RPUs, and yours looks just right. The stance, the slicks, old school wires, rag top, dull blue paint, all come together beautifully! TS

Thank you Steve! Yes, that is definitely the look I was going for. It’s actually based on a show car from about twenty years ago by Pinkee’s Hot Rods in Windsor, CO called “Loaded”. Instead of a show car though, I wanted it to look more like something that the owner might have built in his own garage, and drives. I purposely didn’t polish the brass components so they would tarnish and deepen in color naturally. The interior is made from craft foam that I rubbed with boiled linseed oil so it would look like worn suede. I’m very happy that you noticed the steampunk vibe! Thank you for your comment and question. TS

First time on rubber. Stance is looking good.

I suspect there is going to be some very impressive stuff posted here in the next few days, so even though I have posted mine on numerous other sites and threads, I still love to share it here before it gets run over?. TS

Awe shucks Tim, I think I’m going to cry.?. As much as I would love to see the some 800 + world class models on display there, it’s truly the opportunity to renew and revisit the friendships that I have made, some dating back as many as fifty years, that I truly miss being part of.. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often, and not being able to be there with the rest of you…. As for the models, I know that others here and on other forums really appreciate the pictures and videos that you guys have taken and posted. I really understand the meaning of the phrase “living vicariously through others”. Guys like yourself, Alan Cozby, Paul Mackie, Roy Sorensen, Doug Whyte, and others have really made my days with the images that you all have and will share. Thank you very much for your kind words Tim, and for thinking about all of us out here! We all appreciate it more than you know. TS

I can’t wait! TS

Thank you very much Alan!

You are welcome Peter! I’m not a big fan of the Dumas kits, but I must admit, they do come out as a nice boat. Take your time and have fun with yours. If you have any questions that I can help with, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m happy to help any way that I can. TS

Thank you very much Chris! TS Thank you Charles! TS Very much appreciated Paul! TS

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted any updates, so before it all goes under glass, here are a few pics. The boat and trailer are nearly complete. Just a few details to finish up, but for now, I am turning my attention back to the Chevy. I’m currently working on replacing the Stovebolt Inline 6 with a V12 LS3 Chevy that matches the two in the boat. I’ve had to move the firewall back to accommodate the V12, reroute the steering shaft, and make a few other minor adjustments, but it’s coming along well. TS

Hi Peter, thank you for your kind words. Yea, the basswood inlays on the deck are part of the 21’ Cobra kit. I also have the 21’ Capri kit, and it has inlays as well, although somewhat different due to the additional seating area. Below are som updated pics of the nearly complete boat ant trailer.

Hi Tim, is that Mr. Color GX100 Super Clear that you are using? How do you like it? What did you use for your base coat under it? Did you use the leveling thinner? I have some of that clear, and I struggled with getting it to go on wet enough to flatten out the last time I used it, but I think I know what I was doing wrong. I had been spraying water base acrylics through the airbrush that I was using, and I don’t think it played nice with the clear despite my best attempts to clean the airbrush before switching paints. I have been determined to use acrylics for all of my color coats, but I’m still using solvent base for clear. I have since bought new tips for my airbrush that I use for acrylics, and a new airbrush to be dedicated to solvent base clears. I really like the way the acrylics lay down nice a flat, and with the right clear coat, they look very nice. I see that Createx has come out with a high gloss water base clear, but I haven’t tried it yet. TS

Thanks Paul! I might not paint it, but it’s so small, I doubt that many will notice it.

The 47 Chevy seems like a pretty good size car, and since the stock engine is a straight 6 Stove Bolt, one might think stuffing something larger under the hood like a V12 LS3, might not be that big of a challenge. That is of course until you realize that the open real estate where the steering shaft used to reside is now occupied by a six hole header from one side of the V12. 1/25 scale steering u-joints are really tiny! IMG_6658.MOV

Thank you David! I am happy that it has made progress, but will be happier when it’s done! I am a slow builder, and this set has been about a year in the making. I’d like to move on to a few other things, but then this one would never get finished. I just need to stick with it until it’s done. TS

Thank you very much Steve!

Thank you very much Greg!

Well, I’ve got at least one of them too. I started this build in about 1986. I was hoping to take it to a NNL Nats where I knew a bunch of my buddies would be with their amazing builds, and I was hoping to build something that I wouldn’t be ashamed to set on the table near all of theirs. I scratch built all brass working IFS, and IRS, headers, exhaust system, gas tank and had it all chrome plated. I also milled custom aluminum valve covers, oil pan, floor boards, firewall, and dash, and had them anodized, and polished. I opened the doors, filled the roof, and did ghost flames under Tamiya Clear Blue acrylic, over Tamiya XF56 Metaklic Grey. Everything was looking awesome, so after four days, I shot it with three coats of Tamiya X-22 Clear acrylic. I was overjoyed with how it looked with the clear on it, so I set it aside for a week to cure. When I came back to it a week later, I was horrified to see that the paint had all seriously cracked all the way down to the base coat. The paint was ruined. I was so deflated, that I threw everything in a box, and put it away for the next 32 years. I opened the box about five years ago, and pulled out all of the parts. Thinking that most of it was still ok, I decided to build a new frame out of brass, and strip the body. That is the extent of it for now, but I am pretty happy with the frame, so soon I hope to get back on this build, If not to complete it, maybe just build the frame as a roller with engine, and suspension components put the primered body on stands, and set it up in a garage diorama of a back yard hotrod project. Thanks for looking, TS

Just about done with the trailer and boat. Just a few little details remaining. Turning my attention back to the car. Really thought the engine would be a piece of cake, since the stock car had an inline six, I figured there would be plenty of room for the V12. Boy was I wrong! Wound up moving the fire wall back a scale 6”, widening the trans tunnel, and cutting out the battery tray. Bummer, since all of this had already been painted, but that’s what I get for getting ahead of myself. Got the engine fitting ok now, although still need to make some headers, reroute the steering column, and find another place for the battery. More fun to come?. TS

Oh the lines are sooo nice! I just love the clean crispness of the filler panel below the bed, the way it lines up with the kick up on the frame, and then the way it and the front of the bed follow the graceful curve on the back of the cab! The kick up on the frame is just as crisp as well! I’ve always said, paint and originality will get you notices. Workmanship and detail will Winn you trophies. This one is a chicken dinner for sure! TS

Tim, I’m pretty sure that I have already made my fondness for marine pleasure craft clear. Super sleek drag boats, jet ski boats, off shore, or mahogany runabouts, all have a place in my display case along side anything on wheels. I’ve already spent countless hours drooling over your Fotki files, in total awe. A common theme that grabs me frequently is a fondness for very colorful fun in the sun types. Boats, buggies, bikes, roadsters, and rods, all appeal to my desires, and you have numerous examples of them all! The subject of this thread is another wonderful addition to your extensive collection of masterpieces. After reading through this thread several times, along with the comments that others have made, I have a couple of additional comments. First of all, I love the 59 ElCamino RPU! Next, nine cans of paint, really? I haven’t priced Testors lacquer recently, but I’m pretty sure you could buy a nice Paasche air brush for less than nine cans. Finally, I thought I was the only one still using an antique Dremel with external speed control. TS