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Good catch on the at by the way, it did use some sort of torsion bar set up to hold the front end up (it sort of looks like a dragster type set up). Not sure if they are VW torsion leaves or not. He could have used some of the dragster type torsion bars. I would tend to think that the torsion bars were something that had been modified for use on the car. wouldn't think that it was something that Steve Scott designed and built, unless by trial and error as the spring rates of the torsion springs is kind of over most people's heads to figure out.

That really wasn't the point was it, it is the observation that the Uncertain T was pretty polarizing wherever it is discussed, (not just the HAMB, I've hung around there long enough to get it with them - its historical but in no way Traditional).

Good Grief, can't believe the sniveling and whining about the Uncertain T being found. Guess I hadn't considered just how polarizing the Uncertain T is to a lot of people. Just a read through some of the comments on the HAMB in just this one thread, there are others too with an equal number of haters and those who appreciate the Uncertain T for what it is and was when it first hit the Show Circuit. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-uncertain-t-saga-and-some-facts.1309769/

Likely the reason your metalics are not coming out shiny as you want them to is that they are using some sort of acrylic based lacquer or other acrylic based paint which requires a Clear Coat to bring out their shine. If we were talking non-metalic paints, then you could probably polish it out and then apply a good coat of wax to really bring out that luxurious shine. You didn't mention a paint type or brand, so most of this will be guesswork from all of us until you offer specifics. Everything in the Automotive Paint world is going to environmentally friendly formulation, which means that the Hobby Paints normally follow suit soon after. Unfortunately, most of the pearls, metalics and other flip-flop type paint aren't using real pearls or "metal" as the metalflake, they use a polyester or plastic "chromed" flake, think craft glitter only a lot smaller. So, if you try to polish out the un-cleared "metalflake" you end up cutting a lot of the shiny part off of the flake ending up with a whole lot of clear, white or other base-colored plasticky bits in the color-tinted-clear-coat which look like contamination to the paint or worse. So, to get metalics to get the shine if they don't when they're dry, you'll need to spray on some sort of clear coat which can then be leveled and polished out. Here is an example of what the flake material looks like without the base and tinting, looks like a bag of really finely ground glitter. Metalflake Example from eBay To use the loose flake, you need to come up with some sort of flake duster / buster to spray the flake onto a wet clear. Then spray clear over the flake multiple times to build up enough to level and shoot a final couple of clear coats on top of that, then color sand and polish to bring up to a high sheen. Just a bit of FYI if you really want to get into the whole flake scene - Little Daddy Roth (Ed Roth's son, Dennis) makes a large Bass boat to Low-Rider fine sized flakes in a rattle can, appropriately named "Little Daddy Roth's Rattle Bombs" which usually are a mid-coat over a black, white, silver, gold... base coat. Then the flake is Rattle Bombed over the base and cleared with normally a 2K catalyzed clear. Here's an example of the Little Daddy Roth Rattle Bomb in Gaitor Aid Green Rattle Bomb I've used the Rattle Bombs on a few non-model related projects that came out really amazing - without the cost of a flake duster/buster or any other stuff needed to lay loose flake. So, either that helped you some of just confused you to death, hope it helped!

It's a shame that Car Craft and Rod & Custom magazines are no longer around, it would have been cool to see the articles they might have run on the "discovery". Car Craft could have ran a spread beginning with their first segueing to the present Uncertain T, the story behind its discovery, then being displayed at the Grand National Roadster Show, following up with Galpin having it restored... Yep, that big box is pretty cool, too bad they didn't make it big enough for the "Actual Size" Uncertain T to have come out of it!

Uncertain T Discovered a Holy Grail Watched this "Autopian" YouTube video this morning, it has better close shots of the car, still doesn't get up close and personal with the interior other than the diamond tuft roof panel to match the seats. Shows some carpet on the floor, maybe it had black carpet up the walls, hopefully the same diamond tufting up the walls to the interior roof? Makes me interested to actually see how the original construction was carried out, as well as the overall fit and finish of the interior. The guy that sold the Uncertain T to Galpin has had the car for the entire time after purchasing it from Steve Scott, this video indicates that its location has changed just about every time that a searcher got close to it. The backstory is almost as interesting as the car itself.

The old Go-To method of using some sort of styrene rod to plug the hole has always worked here. I've always used either Evergreen Styrene Rod or stretched sprue to fill those types of holes, I think it goes clear back to the Model Car Science Magazine days where maybe Don Emmons or one of their other contributors demonstrated it in a sidebar to another article. It has also been discussed in both Fine Scale Modeler and SAE as a method to close up holes in styrene and resin. Here's how I normally close up a hole in a styrene part. - 1. Brush liquid glue into the hole. 2. Insert Styrene Rod or Stretched Sprue into hole(s). 3. Allow glue to set. 4. Trim excess flush to the top and bottom surfaces with either an X-Acto knife or sprue cutter - (the flusher the cut off the less overall sanding will need to be done), sand, fill with appropriate filler, sand again, prime, paint... Most of the time very little, if any filler will be needed, if it is required a tiny dab of thick CA glue on top of the filled hole should suffice.

Hey Joe, Welcome aboard! Where in Washington are you located? I'm in Kitsap Co. There are a few others here from the "Rust-Belt" as well.

I was kind of wondering the same, Steve Scott is likely in his eighties, maybe early eighties, that doesn't count out anyone who is motivated to do something from accomplishing their goal. Though not entirely impossible, it might limit securing finances ect. though, which would be a great part in such an undertaking. The Uncertain T is a big deal, it's a significant part of Hot Rod History, it was big enough deal then that NHRA showcased it at the '61 / '62'ish Nationals (in Pomona if I remember correctly). What I was pointing out in regard to build quality is that the U' T really can't be judged by today's standards per se'. There have been huge leaps in welding technology from the 60's until now. Where nearly anyone can grab a TIG welder in a few hours, under the shield of inert gas lay a stack of shiny dimes a mile long with little training or years of practice. That was far from the case welding aluminum back in the early 60's, especially outside an aerospace clean room. (The average guy didn't even know which aluminum alloys were and were not weldable.) So, if Steve Scott did to the welding of the aluminum frame, that in itself is a pretty big deal! If you take a realistic look at the U' T's suspension, you will realize what I was referring to, while it looks amazingly cool, it might not exactly be drivable. Plenty of the show cars of that era were also undriveable, they still look cool, they just aren't drivers. Just look at about all of "Big Daddy" Ed Roth's creations. Even some of Barris' cars were impractical to the point that they may have had difficulties maneuvering a city street, due to extreme lowering and lack of any way to raise them enough to drive... That was just the way some Show Cars were then (and still are), hence the "All Show and No Go" phrase bandied around as a huge slam back then. In an era where performance counted a lot more than looks Show Cars were akin to what the term "Trailer Queen" was to the Fairgrounds Circuit in the 90's, where more respect was given to drivers... Fit and finish, I saw the Uncertain T in its original color at the Portland Roadster Show, (can't remember if it came to Seattle), it had lots of bling, but the crowd never got close enough to really see what the interior finish was like, even in the Car Craft article most of what you saw was black besides the seats and steering wheel. So, I was really wondering just how finished the interior really was? (As are others I've talked to about it over the years.) In the early 60's a whole lot of car shows were "window dressing" giving the illusion to something that maybe wasn't. Sorry if you took my post for ranking on the accomplishment of Steve Scott when he was an 18- or 19-year-old kid. The fact that this car has held and still holds so many of our attentions for so many years after, pretty much sums it up as the Grand Slam that it was and is!

Typically try to use some sort of prying instrument like Ron showed in his post, just make sure whatever you use has a radiused end to it as it is less likely to break both the bodywork and the glass or whatever else you are trying to pry loose. It takes a little pressure but not like prying something loose with a crowbar! Some of those plastic automotive interior levers and pry tools might work pretty well too.

I'm totally with you on that one, doesn't matter what distributor you use if the other end of the wires is hanging around all messy and everything. Now, I have been known to drill the plug wire hole clear through the head into the block, then sorta push or pull the wire in or out to adjust it so it sits just right. Lazy, maybe, easier by a mile, OH Yeah! LoL!!

I have used the good old Purple Pond (Castrol Superclean/Simple Green) method once or twice to remove paint from resin with little or no effect. I watch it and when it the paint is starting to lift then I use a popsicle stick to very lightly scrape the major layers off the part, then switch to a toothbrush until the coating has been removed completely. I also use Simple Green and Superclean to soak the resin in to remove the mold release, so it's a pretty safe method in my book. I believe the real key here is not to soak the resin parts in anything too long, or long enough to experience any adverse effects of the material you are using to release the paint from the surface of the part.

Part of the Uncertain T's mystique if you want to call it that, is the U'T was among the first "well Engineered" Show Cars of its time. Although, if one looks at it from today's Engineering principals it might not be as stellar as it once seemed. Given that the rear end is practically a solid mounted unit, along with short wheelbase and torsion bar front suspension probably all add up to one stiff ride. Most if not all of the pictures that I recall seeing of the U'T are either stationary or only slightly moving, I don't remember ever seeing any pictures of the car at speed on any type of roadway, especially at highway speeds on an LA Freeway. So, that makes me really wonder just how drivable the car really was... The other thing about the original car and articles I've read in Car Craft (and others I can't recall off the top of my head), there never really were any pictures of the fit and finish of the overall car, especially the interior. Sure, they showed the two fiberglass bucket seats, dashboard and a steering wheel and column, but never much more than that. So, what was the fit and finish of the interior, was it just painted black or was there ever any upholstery on the inside, walls and top, etc... Given the quality of welding and that a whole lot of the aluminum welding outside of the aircraft industry was pretty primitive in the early sixties, one has to wonder how great the welding quality was, especially if it were pulled off by an 18- or 19-year-old kid, aspiring to be a mechanical Engineer someday. Glad that Galpin Ford has the car rather now than Mr. Scott as Galpin will take the time and get it right, whatever that was in the first place. Be interesting to hear what Steve Scott has to say the first time he breaks wind about the newly found Uncertain T. I'm really hoping that this is one of those finds that doesn't burst a whole lot of our bubbles, especially those of us who have waited and waited for so long to see this "iconic" Show Rod to see the light of day... all I can say is I hope it was worth the wait! It's really a shame Pat Ganahl wasn't here to see this one get found, this is one of the Lost Hot Rods that eluded him.

For both Lacquer and Two-Part Spot Putties and Glazes I use the following types of either self made or store bought putty tools. (I'm cheap, I guess,) I use old credit cards and gift cards, you can cut them to almost any shape needed to blend, they are flexible so you can push all the air out. White business and index cards work too, stay away from the colored ones as they tend to transfer the color to the putty, I've never had it bleed through but am always worried it will. Small straight Oil Painter's putty knives work well for blending large/wider areas, for me it has to be a really thin, narrow straight blade 2 to 3-1/2 inches long X 1/4" + wide works as long as they are really flexible.

My local Hobby Town USA said the same thing about the Humbrol enamel paints, they thought that it was a lead issue, I know for a fact that U.S. environmental has not allowed any enamel paints containing lead since sometime in the mid to late 80's. So, I would think it would be the volatile solvents that they are worried about. I still dabble in signwriting and pin striping, after they took the lead out of the One-Shot sign paints, then it was all about the volatile solvents causing holes in everything. Hobby Lobby - has been alternating between Tamiya and Mr. Putty white lacquer-based putties, liquid cements same. I switched back to the Red Bondo Brand Lacquer spot putty a while ago when Hobby Lobby started getting the Mr. Putty stuff in as it isn't as good as the Tamiya stuff. Milliput putty has been alternating between the white and green. No explanations you go in one week to find one product and the next it's been replaced by another...

Stock Tire Size 5.50 X 15" Bias Ply and Front Continental and Perelli Radial Tires Ranging from 135 to 165 X 15" X 4.5" wide rim (stretching tires was unheard of in the 60's and early 70's), Rear Tires Continental and Perelli Ranging from 165 to 285 X 15" X 5.5" Rim. (Chrome Porsche 356 wheels available in 4.5 and 5.5 widths, wide five bolt pattern, then early 70's in the then new 4 bolt pattern.) VW Steel Wheel Size 15" X 4.5 - both wide Five and four bolt patterns, Some of the Type II Buses ran 4.5" X 15" and 4.5" X 14" Wide five steel wheels up until buses switched to 4-bolt pattern wheels. Late 60's - Early 70's Cal Look VW Bugs began running the Big & Little combination of front 135 X 15" and 145 X 15" Perelli Radials and rear 265 - 285 X 15" Perelli Radials on BRM, EMPI, Porsche wide five with 356 Nipple Hubcaps and other Rare wide five bolt pattern wheels on mostly Pre-1967 Bugs. (a lot of VW Performance gurus were of the opinion that 1967 was the last year VW produced a good Bug to start with for either race or hot street cars, as the wide five bolt pattern was thought to be stronger, as were the swing axle transaxles and link pin front ends were better parts to start with for both hot street, drag and off-road racing.) A lot of the Hot Rod guys in the early to mid-60's ran 135 X 15" and 145 X 15" Perelli Radials on some of the early steel and aluminum "mag" wheels, Perelli seems to be the favored Radial tire among many of the Hot Roders. Bias Ply Tires 5.50 X15" and 5.60 X 15" were used up front on a whole lot of hot rods. Stock VW Wheel Size 15" X 4.5 Wide Five 1950 (and earlier) through 1967, 1968 through the end of aircooled Type I production, some of the more sporty late model beetles got wider wheels, some with 14" diameters. All of the VW sized tires will mount right up to just about any appropriate width Cragar, US Mag, Centerline, Radir... wheel, probably looking better for 60's and 70's cars, up until the time that Moroso and others began making purpose built drag racing tires. The Perelli Radial tire is what a whole lot of the 60's gassers wore on their front ends. Probably more than you were looking for, but hope it helps.

I'm with all the others who use MAD prewired distributors. The other Go-To Distributors are Replicas & Miniatures of MD, Norm makes a great drilled distributor, you supply the wiring, but all the holes are clean and wire ready. Bench-time is valuable, I try to spend it as wisely as possible. That is, if there is a product readily available like MAD & R & M distributors, then any extra expense is justified, (cost is minimal compared to time spent prepping a kit distributor).

Plastic bench vise, got it off of eBay some time ago, lightly clamp down on the transmission or oil pan and wire away. Looks pretty darn similar to the one in the eBay auction here, they have gone up in price since I bought a couple of them. They work great for holding stuff while you are carving it up with the Dremel, I use one for wood carving with my Dremel. They are a whole lot stronger than they look, non-marring. If you choose to get one make sure you get the one with the four threaded posts, they hold round stuff like rims and stuff. They are great for brush painting and detailing as well. I'll just give the link, don't want to steal someone's eBay auction pics. Little Plastic Vice Clamp Table Jaw Drill Press Vice Opening for Jewelry | eBay

OK, then I think I may know what the issue is. How long did you shake the can before you began spraying the primer? Now that you said this was your primer, it sort of makes sense, it looks like you got more solvent than you did pigment. Primer and many flats are really bad about the solvent and pigment separating in the can, (the longer they sit on the store shelf the more separated they get). They will stay right where they are unless you aggressively shake them into suspension! Sometimes you have to vigorously shake the can until you even start to hear the agitator marble break loose and rattling around inside the can. Keep in mind that as soon as you hear the marble rattle it's just broken loose from all the wet pigment in the can. So, you're going to have to keep shaking the can just about until you think your arm is going to fall off, then switch arms! A good screen before you buy the paint is to shake it up to see how long it takes to hear the marble rattle around, if it takes 10 - 20 seconds, it's a pretty fresh can, buy it! I normally vigorously shake a primer rattle can for somewhere around 3 - 4 minutes after I first hear the marble rattling around in the can. From about that point, the 3 - 4-minute agitation starts. Shaking the can that long is going to do a couple of things for you, 1. Ensure the Pigment is fully mixed into the solvent. 2. Continued agitation continues building internal pressure inside the can, you'll get more spray time out of it that way. 3. Make sure that the paint/prime is warmed with Hot tap water, this helps with the spray flow and accelerates the flash time; this alone is going to help with that thin appearance. Once you have a system that works for you stick with it until you have a process dialed in so you can repeat it over and over.

That is exactly my thought, you could work on the environmental factors affecting this paint. Like - Making certain that the recommended spraying temperature is within what is recommended on the can. Warming the paint in the can before it is sprayed. Laying down a decent primer coat before the color coat is applied. Exercise as much patience as you absolutely have in you to lay down thin, smooth coats of paint.

The "proper" term with Pre-War, early Hot Roders was "A V-8" a short form of Model A with a V-8 stuffed between the frame rails for more power. I've read articles and passages from early Hot Roding books which refer to a body year A V-8, i.e. '28 A V-8... With the resurgence of early and traditional Hot Rods the term A V-8 is still bandied about.

Ulf, Thats a great Idea, I use the grid paper too. I lay it on a piece of 0.125" X 9" X 12" Cold Rolled Steel that I can use magnets, machinist's blocks, and small angle irons to get things squared up with everything else. It's the next best thing to a chassis table, which yours looks the part as well. As long as you use a stable flat (or dead flat) surface to base everything else off of and carry that into going vertical things are going to stay that way. Granted, most of us never, ever went to such an extent with our models when we were a whole lot younger, for the most part they looked OK. However, this type of system is what is used in a model shop where they turn out museum quality work, nothing wrong with adding precision into the mix to get a better model in the end!

R & D Unique, I have the frame only that I got in trade with some other parts, it was distributed through the boxes as well almost as if the original owner was contemplating using parts from the frame here and there. I did put it together, use a small dab of epoxy on all joints, make sure that you have everything absolutely squared up and the frame rails parallel to one another, or it will end up an unusable mess! I used a piece of cold rolled steel and magnets to get it aligned, it's fun! Certainly not a beginner project. I've never used it because I tend to do traditional Hot Rods and it's a modern version of the Deuce frame.

Or an hour or two in the dehydrator and its ready to sand.

Just used some mineral spirits, eyedropper between upside down bottle's lid last night. Allowed it to sit for a couple of hours and it opened right up by hand! I had been trying to open the bottle with water pump pliers and the stupid thing wouldn't even budge! Great trick! This was a last shot effort; I was heading to Hobby Town in the morning if it didn't work.