David G.

Nice Rambler, very well done! David G.

Spectacular detail! I thought at first it was a 1:18 kit. David G.

Looks great- excellent photos too! I may just have to get one of these. David G.

No, they're not pre-lettered, I painted them with white acrylic paint using a toothpick as a brush. Thanks for the compliment Pat. David G. Da

Thanks Dan, I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. David G.

Thank you Gaute. I buy them to build them and enjoy them. David G.

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Oven cleaner might work but I use Castrol Super Clean. Affectionately known also as "the purple pond". It's available at most auto parts stores. Thanks again, David G.

Finally, I have some time to post a few more photos. Stripping the kit chrome and preparing to replace with Alclad. The trickiest part of the process is achieving the flawless gloss black undercoat. The chrome is re-chromed and ready for additional detailing. Wheels! As always, thanks for looking and feel free to comment. David G.

Excellent work! David G.

Time for a little update. The chassis masked and painted with oxide primer, semi-gloss black and aluminum plate paint. This is why we test fit. When mounted in the proper position on the chassis, the front end of the exhaust pipe fails to meet the manifold. One way to fix this is to add material behind the original bend then fill and file to fit. After getting the manifold end of the pipe in the correct location, I needed to attach the cross-over pipe. I pinned it by drilling a hole through the pipe into the cross-over with an index drill bit (#75 I think) and inserting a wire to hold them together. The wire helps them stay together after the glue dries. I also decided to change the location of the cat along the exhaust system. The slot I'm filling in was there to clear the transmission support cross member which placed the cat right next to the transmission oil pan- bad location. The left side pipe now meets the manifold properly and I've attached and pinned the right side cross-over. Weathering the completed exhaust and chassis with pastels. As always, thanks for looking and feel free to share your opinions. David G.

Looks great Brian but pro street is not really my thing. David G.

Nice and gritty! David G.

Well done sir! Looks great. David G.

Nicely done, good color choice. BTW, how do you swap the rear wheels? David G.

Thank you Greg. It's an AMT original 1977 release. David G.

Great work! That came out really nice. David G.

Excellent work! You have amazing scratch-building skills. David G.

Thanks Charlie. The alternator bracket is sheet plastic. The one for the air pump is a modified parts-box bit, a suspension part I believe. David G.

Cool. The paint makes it look like it's carved from wood. Very nicely done, David G.

Wow! Looks fantastic. David G.

I but them to build them! David G.

Thanks Carl. I agree. The one I'm looking for though, is the 77 Hornet hatchback. David G.

Thanks Brian. I saw my first Matador in 1974 at the age of 10 and immediately fell in love with it. Maybe being 10 years old had something to do with that . I also have a Pacer kit. While standing in line at the checkout counter of my LHS with the Pacer kit, one of the employees there commented on my selection, "A Pacer?!" I replied, "Yeah, a Pacer." "Why would you get a Pacer, did you used to own one?" He asked with a slight air of derision. "No, I just like the orphans, the oddballs. You know." He still wasn't convinced of the wisdom of my selection. "But... a Pacer?" "Well, you know, I could put it back." With that, he saw that the path that this conversation was taking was in conflict with his goals as an employee and he decided to change his tack, "Naw, it's cool man." As I got ready to complete my purchase, I glanced up at the cashier and noticed that she was glaring at him. I smiled at her to let her know that all was well and bought my Pacer. David G.

Thanks Mike. On this one the axle rides under the shallow part of the oil pan. David G.

Here's my current project: One of my all-time favorite cars. I was lucky to find this kit at the most recent Desert Scale Classic in April. I usually start with the engine. Here I've got most of the bits already painted. I don't like "floating alternators" so I usually make some kind of believable bracket. The silver thing on the front of the engine block is the bracket I made to "support" the air pump instead of having it hang solely from the fan belt. Here's the finished engine complete with spark plug wires and fuel line. As always, thanks for looking and feel free to comment. David G.