mrmike

Thank you Carl! As I mentioned previously, additional work was needed on the front valance. I applied some putty after doing some sanding and a little shaping of the corners of the fenders and front valance panel. I assembled the front and rear suspension. I mockup the drivetrain so I could set the rear axle angle. I noticed that when I glued the rear springs to the axle, the springs tilted in towards the axle center. This was a result of the molded U-bolt that went around the axle itself. I removed part of the bolt that interfered with the spring sitting flat. The wheels have been painted and the lug nuts picked out in silver paint. I may repaint the tire lettering. More to come...

That truck is currently owned by KC Mathieu of Gas Monkey Garage. He blew the transmission doing burnouts and donuts in the shop parking lot.

I've been painting this afternoon. I got the front valance installed, but I am not completely happy with the fit. This will need some additional work. More to come...

The Story Angry with Capt. Ferrow for jumping the gun on the attempted capture of assassin Peter Danka, McNally returns to Boston, but stops at Vic's Garage to spend a little time working on the Road Runner before going home He sees that the engine and trans have been pulled from the car and he sets to separating the two so Vic's transmission specialist can repair the trans and the engine heads can be pulled off and sent out to a machine shop to have hardened valve seats put in. Vic stops at the Road Runner and asks McNally about his plans for the car. McNally wants the body repaired and painted a light metallic blue, the mis-matched wheels will be replaced with a matching set of steel wheels with hubcaps and new tires. The rest of the car will be gone over as time allows McNally to do so. The Build After looking at my reference pictures again, I noticed that the ends of the turn signal and shift levers needed to be painted black. I little semi gloss black took care of that. I also forgot to foil the headrests. The engine is complete and installed permanently into the chassis. McNally will return...

The standard engine in the Eliminator was a 351 2 bbl. with the 4 bbl., 428 CI, and the Boss 302 optional. My info came from a '69 Cougar Eliminator owner and expert. My original question from several months ago, concerns the kit engine and the more research I did, the more info centers on the fact that the original issue of this kit had a big block FE engine and this reissue has a 428 logo hood stripe decal, but with Boss 302 written on the instructions. I compared the AMT engine with the Revell 428 SCJ Mustang engine and both are the same size.

I had reached the conclusion that the engine in this kit is a 428 FE engine instead of the Boss 302 as stated on the box art and the instructions. This engine is comparable in size with the 428 CI engine in the Revell '69 Mustang Mach I Cobra Jet. I am building this kit as a standard Cougar with the 428 Super Cobra Jet engine. The wheels come courtesy of Classic Plastic Model Club member Barry Fadden aka Mr. Prestigious. The wheels are the factory issue optional Styled Steel wheels. My paint is Testors #1628 Gloss Orange aka Competition Orange courtesy of Classic Plastic Model Club member John Davison. I have already started on some bodywork by filling in the holes on the trunk lid for the spoiler, removing mold lines and flash. I still need to fit the front valance panel to the body. More to come...

Thank you guys! Just as long as the colored plastic has no swirls or marks in the plastic, you can polish it to a very nice shine.

Thanks guys! I did use the Tamiya TS-54 Light Metallic Blue for the interior and will be used on the exterior as well. This blue is quite close, but not exactly the same as the B5 variants that Mopar has used over the years. Maybe that's why I like it so much!

Thanks guys! Yes, I did. The body was molded in color with very few flaws and I liked the color, so why bother painting if only than to change the color? In the past, I have tried to darken panel lines with less than satisfactory results. I chose not to darken the panels lines until I can get a better grip on darkening them.

Thanks Glenn, John, and Carl! The Story It was agreed that Capt. Ferrow and the State Police would supply backup when Danka meets with McNally. A site was picked, a parking lot at an old warehouse outside of Springfield. As McNally drives over to the parking lot to scope it out, Danka calls him on his cellphone. "You have something I want and I want it now!" He replies, "Meet me at the old warehouse at 2:00 PM or I turn everything over to the Staties and you can deal with them." Reluctantly he says, "OK, but no cops, no guns and come alone or you won't see the end of the day!" "Agreed, replies McNally. McNally arrives at the old warehouse and waits for Danka to arrive. He has the cardboard box sitting on the hood of his Shelby GT500 and the State Police are waiting out of sight with a sniper on the roof of the warehouse. At 2:00 PM an old Honda Accord sedan zips into the parking lot and stops in front of McNally's Shelby. A young man quickly gets out with an AK47 trained on McNally. Suddenly, the sound of sirens and State Police cruisers entering the parking lot and Danka yells, "You tricked me!" He fires a shot at McNally and takes off running for the woods at the edge of the parking lot with a couple of Staties running after him. The Build The chassis is almost complete. I found a set of shocks in my parts box and made a set of brackets for them. A mockup with the body to check the stance. I finished the interior this morning. McNally will return..

Thanks Stan and Glenn! I have finished my '67 Chevelle SS396 and it is posted in Under Glass. I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to view and to comment on my WIP.

This is my '67 Chevelle SS396 with polished light blue metallic plastic and a matching interior. The engine is wired and plumbed. The kit wheels were replaced with a set of Cragar SS mags and the tires have Shabo Tire Graphics.

The Challenger SE has a smaller rear window with a vinyl roof top and different trim inside. The AMT kit is of a non-SE Challenger.

Thanks guys! I had to repaint the rear bumper again after I messed up the chrome paint application. I cleaned up the bumper and repainted the chrome and it came out much better. I now have to repaint the black trim, add the taillights and install the bumper. I want to finish the Chevelle for this Saturday's Classic Plastic Model Club meeting.

Thanks guys! I don't have any CA on hand, so I guess I'll have to get some.

Thanks Jonathan! The Story McNally arrives at the Mass. State Police Barracks in Springfield, Mass. and prepares himself for the confrontation with Capt. Ferrow. Capt. Ferrow doesn't like McNally because of a prior case involving a kidnapped daughter of a local businessman and his wife, a local attorney. McNally had saved the little girl's life, got the money back, and captured the kidnapper, much to Ferrow's chagrin. Ferrow threatens to have McNally arrested for obstruction of justice if he doesn't tell him where to find the assassin, McNally counters with pulling out his cellphone and calling his attorney Charlotte "Charlie" Rothmann and letting the Captain deal with her. Ferrow reluctantly agrees to help the Boston PI. The Build I have installed the plug wires into the distributor and mounted it on the engine. I found two different size Goodyear tires in my partsbox. I applied Shabo Tire Graphics to the sidewalls and assembled the wheels. A mockup to check the rake of the chassis...I like it!!! McNally will return...

Thanks guys! John, I know the color will be great as I have used this Tamiya TS-54 in the past. The Story McNally tells Lt. Det. Troy that the dealer who sold him the car called him to say that the nephew wants the belongings in the car back and that he is waiting for him to call. He'll set a meet and hopefully take him down as the assassin wanted by the Feds and the Mass. State Police. McNally now has the unpleasant task of arranging a capture of the assassin known as Peter Danka with State Police Capt. Ferrow, who will try to stop him from capturing Danka on his own. The Build I am becoming increasingly frustrated with this hood! The lines of the cover still show through the Bondo even with very light sanding. I think part of the problem is that the cover is only glued on two sides of the hood and not on all four and the cover flexes as I sand it. I cleaned out as much putty from the inside of the cover as I could and filled the space with glue and then inserted two thin strips of styrene and pushed them into the space and let it dry. My pushing the styrene into the space below has push Bondo up through the top of the hood and I'll sand this down. A coat of primer will show if the line still exists. If it does, I'll probably try the same procedure on top of the hood. I mocked up the engine and chassis and found the the trans mount is too high and I notch it to lower the trans and make additional clearance for it with the interior floor in place. McNally will return...

Thanks guys! I finally got some gloss black paint, but not just any gloss black paint. I bought a bottle of Alclad II Gloss Black to try it. This is just a couple of light coats. I got my heater hoses hooked up and my ground to the engine block installed. The radiator is set to go in! More to come...

Thanks guys! Yes, it did! But, it doesn't remove the lacquer undercoat which is fine with me since I plan on using primer on the wheels before paint. The Story McNally receives a phone call from his friend Wayne, the dealership owner. Wayne tells him that the nephew of the owner of the Lincoln wants the belongings he had in the Road Runner back ASAP. McNally tells Wayne to give him his business card and to have him call to set up a meet. Wayne asks about the belongings and McNally tells him that he won't tell him anything the belongings for his own protection. The less he knows, the better off he'll be. Wayne says he understands and he will give the nephew McNally's business card. The following morning finds McNally entering the Detectives Squad Room at BPD Headquarters. Det. Darvell is attempting to fill out a report on his computer using the "chicken-pecking" method. Lt. Det. Troy is in his office reviewing reports and he sees McNally and waves him into his office. He tells McNally about the "mess" that he handed to him. The gun was used in several murders in southwestern Mass. northern Connecticut, and New York state. The Build I am struggling a bit with the hood cover. The gap towards the front of the hood keeps showing after filling with putty, but I'll keep at it. The floor pan is ready for embossing powder after sanding and filling the shifter hole. I separated the exhaust from the rear axle.. Then I sanded a beveled edge on the exhaust tips. The tips will be painted gloss black and Aclad II Chrome paint. I drilled a hole in the steering column for a column shift lever. The distributor has been drilled out for plug wires and the carb has been painted with Model Master Aluminium Metalizer. I was anxious to see some color, so I went and painted the wheels and wheel backs. I like the color! The 383 CI engine was primered and then given a coat of Mopar Street Hemi Orange Engine Enamel. McNally will return...

Thanks Jim! Carl, I use Bondo Glazing And Spot Putty. I'll probably putty those seams this weekend. The Story Lt. Det. Troy and Det. Darvell arrive at McNally's home to pick up the fingerprint samples that were found on the Colt. Adam is happy to see his friend, while Darvell has his usual look of disgust on his face. McNally shows them the box and the gun and money that was inside. Adam will take all the evidence downtown to Forensics to see if they can find more prints and to test fire the gun for ballistics. The Build The wheels, valve covers, and carb have been dechromed and cleaned and are ready for paint. I drilled plug holes in the heads of the 383 CI engine. I have a picture on my desktop of a '70 Road Runner without wheel opening moldings. I really like that picture and so my Dremel came out and removed the moldings from the Road Runner body. I need to do more sanding to smooth out the fenders. The hood is ready for primer after I puttied the air scoop cover as I want a smooth hood. McNally will return...

Thanks guys! Riley, you are not the first one to suggest that and you'll probably won't be the last. I have a friend who has written a detective novel at around 90,000 words and he has not been able to sell it anywhere in several years and it hasn't stopped him from writing more stories. I would expect about the same if I tried writing a novel myself. Besides, I am strictly an amatuer at writing and my stories are lacking in details. I keep them short for a reason, they're just to illustrate what is driving my build of a model and to provide a little entertainment along the way. Pssst...Harry, I've seen it both ways, but I corrected it just for you Buddy! Thanks! The Story McNally gets out his fingerprint kit and starts disassembling the Colt. He finds a few partial prints on the barrel and several complete fingerprints on the empty magazine in the gun. He removes the prints with 2" wide clear tape and then he calls his friend Lt. Det. Adam Troy of the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit. Adam tells him that he'll be right over to get the fingerprint samples and he'll run them through Forensics. The Build First order of business here is to strip the chrome plating from the wheels, valve covers, and carb. I am trying bleach this time to remove the chrome and I am very impressed with how well it works. There is a large sink hole on the transmission pan and I filled it with Bondo Spot and Glazing Putty. I scraped the seams and will putty them later. Since this Road Runner has a standard 383, I glued in the flat hood panel and covered it with Bondo. McNally will return...

A new project for me and a new case for McNally, Boston PI. The story is only to show what is driving the build of this kit. The story is a complete work of fiction and anyone described in it is not related to anyone living or deceased. The Build I am using the Monogram 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner kit #85-0892. My plan for this build is to replace the engine with the 440 from the Monogram '71 Plymouth Satellite as a 383 with a TorqueFlite A727 automatic transmission, column shift, and no hood or side stripes. I will use the slotted police wheels and white lettered tires. The engine from the '71 Satellite and my paint, Tamiya TS-54 Light Metallic Blue. The Story McNally arrives at his friends' dealership to inspect the newest acquisition, a vintage 1930's Lincoln. When his friend is called away for an important phone call, McNally wanders around the lot looking the different types of cars. Sports cars, muscle cars, antiques, and a few trucks. He stops a looks at a '70 Plymouth Roadrunner parked near the body shop with nearly flat tires and faded paint. The body looked to be in decent condition with very little rust on it. His friend comes out of the showroom and hands him an envelope with a check in it from the sale of the Hemi Dart that McNally and his late childhood friend Johnny Hallis had built many years ago. McNally asks about the Roadrunner which his friend tells him was part of a package deal for the Lincoln. The car doesn't run, but the engine wasn't seized which is a good thing. McNally makes an offer for the car which his friend accepts since he doesn't want the car anyway. Several days later, the Roadrunner is in McNally's garage and he is removing the old carpet to inspect the floors. He lifts the back seat bottom and finds it wasn't locked down and discovers a cardboard box under it.. He opens the box and finds about $5000 in cash and a wood case with a Colt Model 1911 .45 Cal. hand gun and silencer inside. McNally will return...

Thank you guys! I have added three new pictures of my '48 Ford Woody Street Rod. I got a set of trim rings from Mr. Prestigious aka Barry Fadden. Barry is a fellow member of the Classic Plastic Model Club and one of the nicest guys around! Thank you very much Barry! The trim rings visually lower the Woody even more and adds a bit of pizzazz!

Thanks guys! At this point the engine is pretty much complete, save for a few touchups. I've decided to add heater hoses so I drilled a couple of holes based on my research of a stock 396 engine. This picture shows the heater hoses from the firewall and the negative ground wire from the battery. Where does the ground go to on a GM car? To the frame or to the engine? More to come...

Once again, I've been led astray by the kit instructions! Since I decided to plumb the engine, I removed the carb and will re-install it running North-South instead of the East-West orientation that the instructions call for. It's been raining most of the day, so I decided to stay in and work on the Chevelle. I finished the interior early this afternoon. With the interior done, I went back to working on the engine by adding ignition wires and plumbing the engine. More to come...