Longbox55

I've tried it. It works ok, but it has it's own set of hassles in applying it. Most of the leaf kits I've seen require the cement to applied to whatever is being leafed, so you do have to be carefull on how you apply it. On top of that, the cement is usually very transparent, to the point of almost being clear, can make it difficult to see where you've applied it. Once the cement is dry, you would apply the leaf. Some kits use actual leaves of metal, some are a powdered metal on a film backer, ether way, they work the same. It does have to burnished on the cement, just like BMF. Unlike BMF, as long as you get the cement exactly where you want it, the leaf only sticks at that point, meaning less cleanup and waste material. I have noticed when doing larger parts, like sde trim and window trim, the leaf material can get a roung or wrinkly appearance. I beleive that's partially from the cement, which is tricky to lay down smooth, but also the leaf material itself. I have has success using it for things like door locks and small trim, though. It does leave a very bright finish, almost too bright. I don't belive tarnishing will be an issue, as most of the kits are not real silver or gold to keep the cost down.

Yup, the Centerlines are the ones my Firebird has.

How about the ones that have wheels with the wrong number of lug nuts??!! A few examples, the deep dish steelies and spare on the old AMT '72 Blazer. The front ones with the 4x4 hubs are correct, with 6 lugs, but the rears and the spare only have 5. Same thin for the spare on the Revell '64/'65 Chevy trucks, 5 lug spare when the 1:1 is 6 lug. I also have a version of the MPC '69 Firebird that came with 6 lug custom wheels.

Neat site. Saved to Favortites for futire reference.

What kind of paint is it? The lye based cleaners (Superclean, Purple Power) work best on enamels, but if it's a laquer, they won't budge them at all. You might try 91% rubbing alcohol if it's a laquer, that will take it right off. A little tip on the side, after soaking in Superclean and rinsing, I soak my parts in alcohol before I prime and paint. I find it takes any residue from the Superclean off, helping the primer to adhere better.

Hopefully, this will be a non-issue, since the tires on the Rat Roaster are manufactured by Coker. So the big tire brands really don't have much say in it as far as licensing. That's all up to Corky.

I've been having the exact same problem. On the clear, I did manage to find a solution that worked, I coated the paper with Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear. It didn't work quite as well on the white paper. Seems that only the top 3" will print properly without image transfer on the lower part with the white sprayed with the TS-80.

Definetly going to get the Rat Roaster, and most likely the GMC, too.

Art. I'm going to go with you on this. I've been doublechecking my sources, and have come across several inconsistancies in equipment options. The GM Heritage page does not show a Bel Air package on the El Camino, only a "Deluxe Interior" option. However, the Standard Catalog of Chevrolet Trucks lists the El Camino as being built with the Bel Air trim as standard. I can potentially see where an aftermaket publication may not be accurate, and I'm thinking the list on the GM site could be an early list, possibly even pre-production, where the upscale trim may have been an option added later. As far as added trim goes, I have seen a few early El Caminos, mostly '60 models, that have had Impala side trim added by the dealer.

The interior sheet metal should be done in a gray color, same as the upholstry. There was a blue and a green interior as well, but those were only used on El Caminos that had blue or green exteriors. As far as the trim goes, the mounting holes are the same as the Station Wagon, so installing trim from an up level car would not be too difficult for a dealer to do if a customer requested it. Other wise, El Caminos were only built with the Biscayne trim level. Here's the specs right from GM. http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/docs/El-Camino/1959-Chevrolet-El-Camino.pdf

The clocking of the needle isn't really to critical, it'll flow paint in pretty much any position. You do want the packing retainer nut to be snug enough so it doesn't move, but it doesn't have to be real tight, as that can deform in.

The El Camino has a Cadillac engine with a 4 speed Hydramatic, I beleive it's a late '50s/early '60s version, possibly a 390. It doesn't have the integrated bellhousing that the earlier engines have. The Revell '49 Mercury may have a more appropriate Cadillac engine, I think it's the early version. The Parts Pack Cadillac should be fine, too. The engine from the Roth Outlaw could also be used, but the transmission will need to be changed. The intakes will have to be changed to a single 2 bbl, instead of the custom and factory 3x2 intakes found on the other engines. Side note, the AMT '49 Mercury has a 413/427 Chrylser RB engine with the Short Ram intake.

Kemp was a late '50s/early '60s slang for a car/truck. A Kustom Kemp would get more into a sled or customized vehicle. http://kustomkempsofamerica.com/history.htm

Motorhead Miniatures.http://motorheadminiatures.net/cgi-local/ASI_Store.cgi?Category+124motorheadgals-124ScaleMotorheads+124ScaleMotorheads

I've seen it at Autozone, it runs about the same price as Lowes, which is the only other place I've seen it. The local Autozones near me only seem to carry the Blue/Purple, my local Lowes has that one and the green. I've been keeping an eye out for any of the other colors at both places, but haven't seen anything yet.

Here's a chart showing Chrylser engine colors from '60 through '73 http://www.turbinecar.com/misc/enginecolor.htm. And here is a shot of the color itself from Summit http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DCC-4120752 It's not really a "green", but more of a turquoise or teal color. It is readily available. I got mine from the local TSC. I've also shot it right out of the can on bare plastic without any problems.

You should be able to find an appropriate chemical stripper for wood at your local hardware store. Or. if you have one, a heat gun will work, too.

Here's a whole gallery of '41-early '47 Chevy/GMC trucks http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery41-46.htm, courtesy of Stovebolt.com.

First step would be to change primers. Most on here will attest to the Testors enamel primeras being the last one you would want to use. I will agree with that, as there's much better out there, and in most cases, much lower cost, too. Many swear by Tamiya primer, which is somewhat hard to get due to labelling issues. I've used, and like it myself. But it's pretty much a hobby shop/mail order item, so that doesn't really help in your case. I would suggest you try your Freindly Local Auto Parts Store (flaps) and get some Duplicolor or Plastikote primer. It runs around $6 a can at O'Reillys, will last you a long time and will not hurt the plastic. While you're there, check out the Duplicolor Perfect Match paints. These are laquer base, come in most modern car colors, and work very well on styrene plastic if prepped correctly. This might be a good alternate source of colors for you. As far as spraying fingernail polish, i really can't help you there, as the one time I tried it, the results were not good. I wanted to do a Corvette in pearl white. At the time, the only pearl white available was nail polish. I thinned it using nail polish thinner, and proceeded to shoot t on my primed and white basecoated Corvette, which was originally molded in red. When it dried, i ended up with a horrible orangey color. That was caused by the solvents leaching the red from the plastic into the polish. Ended up giving the rest of the polish to my sister. Haven't tried it since. Something I will suggest (this is what I do, as I too have no local hobby shop)is when you get a chance to go to a hobby shop, pe prepared to stock up. I usually go to Indy every other month or so for 1:1 car sows and swap meets, when I'm done there, I hit the local shops and stock up on anything I need, especially custom paint colors, but also resin casting and detail items. That way, i don't end up stuck should I need a certain color. Also, keep a watch for clearance paints. The local Wal-Mart cleared out their touch up paints (mostly Import colors) got a whole batch of it cheap, under a dollar a bottle.

Danville, about 5 miles from the Indiana border.

Well, no one's done the Fords yet! BTW, I don't know how to tell the difference between a 350 and a 361 Chrysler either! Now, get me talking 216/235/261 inline 6 Chevy, that's a different story.

I have several of those (various releases), the W engine in it is kind of an odd duck. The block itself can easily be either a 348 or 409, with a somewhat oversize cast iron Powerglide. When assembled properly, it's not a bad peice, though the 38 from the Revell '59/60 Impalas and the AMT '62 Impala/Bel Air is much better. The dual quad intake is the part that's somewhat odd (there's also a supercharger in the kit for it). The intake is a to peice design, which can lead one to beleive it's a Z-11 intake, though it could just as easily be an aftermarket type intake. It also includes a pair of cast iron headers, similar to the type used on the 409 and 425 horsepower 409s. BTW, on the 1:1 W engines, the intakes do not interchange between the 348 and 409/427. There's a slight difference in the head machining that prevents it from working.

If I remember it right from what Art has said on the matter, they should actually be beige, similar to the color of the sidewalls on a 10 speed bicycle. Looking at ariginal pictures from the era is misleading, because the beige color shows up white on the old B/W prints. The tires also had a tendacy to bleach out as the aged, which also makes them take on a whitish color. I'm not sure exacty when they started making black tires off the top of my head, or when Ford started using them as OE fitment.

No. The Superclean will not harm the plastic at all. You will want to consider wearing latex or rubber gloves when working with it, as it will cause chemical burns on your skin if you're not carefull. Something you will want to avoid is putting anything that's diecast in it, as it will dissolve the aluminum in the allow. Some resins can be harmed by it, too.