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6 taillight — yes. Also consider removing/filling the front turn signal pods for a cleaner appearance.

That's a heckuva start. Please keep posting more pix as you progress. It's great to see someone doing massive re-working like this.

Like others who have posted, I never met Harry personally. My only knowledge of him was reading his articles and seeing his posts here. I'll miss him and the many things he did.

It's starting to look like a car (presuming a 3-wheeler is considered a car). The hood will be cemented in place. So, the model won't have any engine parts that can't be seen from underneath. The block was painted Model Master Ford Engine Red while the trans is Model Master German Silver + Dull Cote. The stock 1960 Ford engine would have been black but that would have been too dull. The front suspension was built using a Beatnik Bandit front wheel and brake plate, a spindle and bits of A-arms from the AMT '60 Ford kit and swingarms made from pieces cut from a Revell '68 Charger kit roll cage. The coil spring source is unknown and the shock is from the AMT '53 Ford pickup. At the rear, the wheels are from an AMT '39/'40 Ford sedan kit and the tires are from an AMT '66 Riviera with the whitewall inserts painted flat black and turned inward.

What a save! Your boot looks nice as does all the work put into restoring the body.

Spoon tests. Scroll down to see the colors that were used. Some close-ups of two: 1. Clear spoon Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L) White 87044 Model Master German Silver 2914 Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow, diluted, 30 psi Badger 150 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 2. Clear spoon Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L) White 87044 Model Master German Silver 2914 Createx Pearl White 5310, from bottle, 40 psi Badger 150 Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow, diluted, 30 psi Badger 150 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 3. Clear spoon Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L) White 87044 Model Master German Silver 2914 Silver flake in clear gloss, 40 psi Badger 150 Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow, diluted, 30 psi Badger 150 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 8. White spoon Testors 1214 Gloss Yellow 1214 Model Master German Silver 2914 Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow, diluted, 30 psi Badger 150 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 9. Clear spoon Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L) White 87044 Testors 1214 Gloss Yellow 1214 Left 1/2 of spoon: Createx Pearl White 5310, from bottle, 40 psi Badger 150 Right 1/2 of spoon: Silver flake in clear gloss, 40 psi Badger 150 Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow, diluted, 30 psi Badger 150 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 Here are some with faux plating. The powder is rubbed into the surface then lightly polished with a cloth pad. Here's a link to the manufacturer: http://www.c1-models.com/c1-metalizer/ . These are my first attempts at using it. It's a nice "black chrome" finish. Their website shows it as a more natural chrome when used over a brighter blue base coat. This photo was shot outdoors at mid-day. The white card in the background is vertical and is reflected in the spoons. 5. Clear spoon Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (L) White 87044 Model Master Gloss Black 1947 Upper 2/3 of spoon: C1 Metalizer 7. White spoon Model Master Blue Angel Blue 1972 Testors One-Coat Clear Lacquer 1834 Upper 2/3 of spoon: C1 Metalizer

Looks good! That body color is perfect.

I'll be there. It will be my first time at GSL or at any multi-day model car event.

One month left (presuming a day or two for getting to Salt Lake City). I'm only about a month behind in my building. I'll have to double my building time just to break even. How are you progressing? You can see what I'm doing here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/121481-3-wheeled-ford-for-2017-gsl/#comment-1770703 .

Two-piece fuel tank balloons to seven when minimized! Because of the narrowed frame, the stock tank needed to be modified to fit. The two tank parts were cemented. Since there is detail along the centerline that meant making four parallel cuts and discarding the resulting extra sections. That makes six parts. An extended fuel filler made from .080 styrene rod makes it seven. If I were to add straps, not likely, between the tank and the floor pan the count would be up to eleven.

I'm making lots of progress but very little of it shows. Here are the floor pans (front and rear are needed for assembly reasons) test-fitted into the body. Each pan is made of dozens of pieces plus more as reinforcements on the unseen top side. It's really a job to fill and smooth the joints. There is still more to do. Lots of other work has been done, too, but it isn't very interesting at this stage. For example, smoothing the engine* seam and giving it a coat of white primer; spraying under colors on spoons for body colors, smoothing frame joints... and on and on. There's plenty of time to philosophize while doing repetitive tasks: How good is "good enough"? Is "done" with some boo-boos better than nearly perfect, so far, but uncompleted? Why am I doing this? The model was just supposed to be a curbside with a dramatic customized body. It's not an award contender and won't have details like brake lines and hose clamps. Still, it shouldn't look unfinished but I never expected to spend so much time on things that will probably never be seen by 99% of people who will look at the finished model (see philosophy numbers 1 and 2 above — is this circular reasoning?). *and remembering too late that the '60 Ford kit has a manual transmission but to operate with the Beatnik Bandit joystick control (no steering wheel, shift lever or pedals) it would have to be an automatic.

That looks really sharp. The interior color works very well...and the matching wheel color brings it together.

The side wing-fins will have an exhaust pipe exiting from the rear. I've filled in door lines scribed when I thought that I wanted them. Now, the driver and passenger will have to hop in "sports car style" as on the original blue model. Here's an engine stand built from sheet plastic, brass tubing (with notches at the top to fit the engine mount "ears") and some steel wire extending into the rear of the trans. The taped-together engine was needed to locate the frame to the body. Still to be done will be to use the mock-up to locate a hole in the yet-to-be-made hood. There's five weeks left to finish this model. This one is behind because I spent too much time working on a second radical custom I was hoping to finish. I've stopped work on the second one until this one gets close to being completed. Is anybody else building GSL entries? Post what you're doing so we can see and learn.

Your panel-Nomad idea really works well. The ride height and the 15" wheels/tires are perfect. That would be a cool shop truck in 1:1.

That color is perfect for this car.

Here's the rough body. It will have a hinged hood (not made yet). Feel free to leave comments (positive, negative, recommendations, etc.).

Thanks. I forgot to mention earlier that comments, rotten tomatoes, suggestions, about the model are welcome. The Group model for 2017 is as follows (copied from the GSL downloads): "For GSL-XXVI, the “Group” kit is the 1969 Chevy Corvair. Entries may be built from any original or reissue release of the Round 2/AMT kit, in any style, with the skills and craftsmanship you have today, but using only parts, materials and supplies (except current putties, adhesives and paints) available 35 years ago (1982 or earlier). Entrants may use the newly re-issued Round 2 Corvair engine kit (AMTPP010) if desired. There are just three additional limitations: no one-off machined or photo-etched parts not fabricated entirely by the entrant; no aftermarket products not available in 1982 or earlier; and no resin bodies or resin body parts (regardless of who made these resin parts). Bare Metal Foil may be used." I bought a Corvair kit (at a good price since it was missing some parts) just in case I had time to do something with it. However, my glacier-like pace on the other two entries isn't likely to speed up enough for a third.

Here's a photo of my first build of it as a curbside in 2011 along with some in-process shots of some of the bodywork. I'm making some styling improvements to the sides but I don't have a mock-up photo to show. Except for color, the photo of the blue car is about how the new yellow version should look from this angle. The interior and bubble top are from Roth's Beatnik Bandit.

Russell C retired from the yellow 3-wheeled running gag for the "Group" category at the GSL since he snagged the Ed Roth award for his last '56 Victoria. So, I thought that it would be interesting to make my own version of a yellow 3-wheeled Ford to enter at the 2017 GSL in April. It will be my first time going there. Here's a pic of the unfinished underside.

Are GSL entrants posting progress pix of their entries? If so, I don't see them on this or other model car sites. Is there an unspoken protocol to keep them "secret" so their debut will be in Salt Lake City? This will be my first time at a GSL. My two entries are coming along but I'm really going to have to hustle to finish them. My reason for designing/building/entering them is to try out some styling ideas that, I hope, will get people talking. My intention isn't to win awards, it's more to see if my work attracts attention, so I won't be detailing them down to the last fuel line or emergency brake cable bracket. So, if it's OK to post your entries let's see what you're working on in the "On The Workbench" section — preferably with GSL in the subject line.

Fresh-toration, frestoration, refres-toration, uh...snakeslap sounds pretty good.

My 3-wheel yellow Ford entry is coming along, although it's a semi-serious design. Transforming the floor/frame/suspension of a 4-wheeled car into a 3 is much more time consuming than I had counted on. However, it's a really good artistic/engineering challenge. I've sent in my GSL competitor registration. How many others here (that we haven't heard from yet) are planning to be there?

Harry still needs our help with his medical expenses. I've just made another donation. Perhaps you could, too.

traditional, your improved models look really good. The wheels on the highway patrol version are supposed to be black. One thing to consider when making civilian versions of this die-cast is that body was only available to, as far as I know, the California Highway Patrol. It is a Special 2-door sedan body with a Century engine and front clip.

It doesn't matter to me. If I spend 40 hours on a $40 kit, that's a buck an hour (for the kit, not including paint glue, etc.). If it was a $30 kit, the hourly cost would be 75 cents. But then, I don't spend as much as many others do on other things. Zero on video games, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. My 10-year-old desk style computer works fine and so does my 15-year-old van. I could afford better but I don't. It's not really a miser thing — I just buy good to excellent quality stuff and keep it until it becomes unreliable.