Longbox55

The space at the front of the block between the pan and front timing cover are for the metal axle used on the AMT '63 'Vette. The 327 found in the same kit also has the same gap, though it's a bit further back on the pan. The reason for the difference is that the Bg Block is meant to be set back in the frame, which is not unusual for a drag car.

As other said, Big Block Chevy. It's from the AMT '63 Corvette, either the Coupe or Convertible.

One question would be this; Are you looking to replicate the kit, or build a truck like what Cooter actually used on the show? If you're looking to do the truck portayed by the kit (which is not based on any truck in the show), then really any MPC '67-'72 Chevy pickup would do, some even came with the same tow truck bed. It would just be a matter of making/aquiring the decals. The non DOH version should be fairly easy to get, and at a much lower cost (especially if you get a builtup like I did) The Midnight Cowboy bed would be another option, plus it's a much better tow truck bed. You would need to lengthen it to fit the AMT/MPC Chevy truck chassis, as the MC was based on a short wheelbase truck. If you're looking to be show accurate, Cooter actually had several trucks over the course of the series. Early on, they were mainly '67-'72 Chevy/GMC trucks, usually 3/4 tons, with a boom added to the otherwise stock bed. IIRC, there was at least a red one, and a copper one, plus perhaps a blue one. The other truck, which was featured later on, is a yellow late '70s Ford F350. It had an actual tow truck ben on it, the MC bed is very close other than length.

Agreed. I personally have several different airbrushes in my arsenal, in both single and double action. I will attest to both of the Paasche models suggested as being exellent, the Testors Aztecs are very good, too. Now if you want to save some cash and get your feet wet airbrushing, you might consider the Central Pneumatic double action from Harbor Freight. They run about $20. While they are somewhat limited due to only having 1 tip size, they actually do a very nice job. I find myself grabbing it more often than my Paasche V here of late.

Also the tailgate cover, rear bumper center cection, spare tire carrier cover, and the filler peices between the inner and outer bedsides at the front of the bed. They also had 6 lug wheels.

Yes, US gallon. It was a pretty neat car. Hindsight, I wish I had bought it, even if it was just for the sheer novelty of what it is.

According to the guy that had the one I looked at for sale, he said it would get around 50 mpg.

And radios, too. There was also a Jeep type vehicle built by them called the Farm-O-road, which is very rare, as well as the much larger Powell pickup truck. I came pretty close to buying a '48 Crosley woodie wagon back in '90, the owner wanted $800 for it. I originally went to look at it as I was told he was selling a '48 Chevy wagon for that price. Turned out that he did indeed have a '48 Chevy for sale, but it was a 4 door Sedan, and he wanted $8000 for it, much more than I had to to spend. I did seriously consider the Crosley, but decided that I really needed a much bigger vehicle, as I'm 6'4" and, at the time, 245 pounds. IIRC, it had the CIBA engine (Cast Iron Block Assembly) which took the place of the CoBra. I beleive a fellow from Chicago ended up buying it, not sure what happened to the Chevy.

Superclean works very well. Most of the time, it'll take the chrome off within a few minuits. Simple Green also works, but not near as fast.

I've used it as well. It sprays very well right out of the can. I actually used the Norbie Method on a 1:1 bumper with it on my '55 Chevy, using a TSC Farmhand gravity feed spray gun . As Art mentions, you might want to reduce it a bit for airbrushing, when I tried the clear to test it, the results were a bit on the grainy side. I partly blame that on the HF airbrush I was using. One that can use a larger tip may work better. I didn't notice any crazing or adverse effects in my test (.020" Evergreen sheet), with one exeption. Over Duplcolor, Tamiya, and Testors spray can laquer primers, topcoated with both Tamiya and Testors laquer paints, there was no issues. The only test peices that did anything odd were the 2 based with Duplicolor self etching primer. Both of those curled up. Not bad, only enough to be notiable. On a rigid body, I don't see where it would be a problem. BTW, if you have an Advance Auto or O'Reillys in your area, the sometimes have the Paint Shop products on sale. I picked up Black, Gloss Clear, and Matte Clear at AA for about $16.50 a quart.

That's a common misconception. The early Lees were painted 1975 Chevrolet Corvette Flame Red, usually right over whatever color the car was originally. Later cars got a primer and basecoat for more consistancy in the color.

FLAPS - Freindly Local Auto Parts Store

Electrical fires are what Tata cars are best known for. Most of the time, they never even make it from the dealer to the owners home.

Being a Tata, it'll create plenty of pollution when it catches on fire!

The not quite local Hobby Lobby inmy are did have them last time I was there. Strangely enough, the hobby shop in the same general area, Slot & Wing, not only had them, but it was less there even with the HL coupon.

That'll end up getting thrown out. Donald Trump tried the same thing a while back with the phrase "You're Fired", as did Paris Hilton with ""That's Hot". Both suits were thrown out.

That brand primer has been discontinued from both Sears and K-Mart. It may still be available from Sears Hardware.

I can vouch for that. On mine, when the speedo is reading 80, I'm actually doing around 110. Went from a 6.70-15 (about a 27" tire) to a 30x9.50x15.

Larger wheels will not do that. Larger diameter TIRES will, though, by changing the effective final drive ratio. That can cause its own set of porblems, though, by making the drive ratio too high, requiring more feul to be burned to make enough power to get the vehicle moving, especially with smaller low power engines. BTW, this also applies to older cars, not just late models.

The 235 and 261s were only used in early '63 4x4 trucks (1/2 and 3/4 ton, respectively), Passenger and 2wd trucks got the new for '63 230, and in 3/4 and 1 tons, the tall deck 292 inline 6. The 235/261 did not necessarily die with the new engines in '63, though. They were built well into the '70s for GM do Brazil for South American applications.

Fair warning if you're not familiar with that kit, it is not the best representation of a '73-'79 Chevy truck. The cab is alright, and the interios isn't too bad, but the frame and bed are very inaccurate. The basic kit has been reissued many times, in various forms. This one, and its yellow and green variants, were the only ones with the the TPI induction, Centerline wheels, and the sidepipes. The other variants usually have Jackman 8 spokes (poular '70s truck wheel), 4bbl intake, and either a different style sidepipes or LRE style stacks. If you're not worried about accuracy, and just want a Chevy pickup to build, this will fit the bill just fine. You may want to avoid cetain variants, though (Ice Patrol and the Billy Carter Redneck Power Truck), as I have seen those versions get pricey.

Yes, there is. MPC had one. The original release (only one with the 2wd parts) was a '78, as were the early 4x4 variants. It was also retooled to the '81-'87 cab (with '78 running gear) as well as a GMC of the same era. The GMC has recently been reissued.

While having a set of stock tires would be a plus (yes, I do agrre, odd that they didn't include them), it is not deal breaker for me. Most likely, I'll end up building a Kustom or race car out of it anyway, like I'm doing with almost all of the other Tri-5 kits I have. I wouldn't call those "ghetto wheels". They're more a G Machine or Pro Touring wheel.

The battery cable wiring will vary. Generally speaking, though, the negative will usually go to either the frame, body, or engine block, sometimes with a separate cable(s) connecting the frame, engine, and body for a solid grounding system. For the positive, they will usually go to the lug on either the starter itself or on the solenoid. Some vehicles have the positive cable connected to a fender/firewall mounted relay (mainly Ford) then a second cable to the starter from the relay. Also, some late model GM products use two separate positive cables, with a double connector at the battery. One will go the starter as normal, the other is routed to the power distribution/fuse box. Not to confuse the issue, but some older (pre mid '50s) vehicles used a positive ground. They are wired more or less the same, only reversed. Positive ground is common on '56 and older Fords, with the '56 Ford the only case I know of a 12 volt positive ground, as most others are 6 volt.

Maybe if it was a 2wd. 4x4 GM 1 tons didn't have a big block option until '81. I've seen plenty of them, both 2 and 4 wheel drive with smallblocks, either a 350 or 400, depending on year, and even a few with a 292 inline 6.