LDO

They're not worth much. You might get 20 bucks apiece on eBay, on a good day.

I recently pulled a 327 straight-8 out of a basketcase '53 Packard coupe. Plans are to to put it in a street rod '29 Ford pickup...when my budget will allow it. I saw the engine for sale and couldn't pass it up. I think it's kind of uncool that a pristine Lincoln Zephyr was cut up to make this: But at least he made fiberglass copies so anyone else can have one without chopping up an original. I do think it is an incredible kustom.

I thought this whole thing was amusing at first. I didn't know that the OP had a habit of making a spectacle of himself. All the trash talking is a big downer. This much attitude over model cars? No thanks. It's all about fun and a way to relax after work. Building "in anger" has no appeal to me.

Hey kid- (and I mean that in the most smack-talkin' way possible ) This may help make it more workable: Curbside only. This would make everyone concentrate on paint and interior. If you go full detail, you won't find many takers and the two month deadline will kill the whole deal. You gotta figure out a judge. It's gotta be someone impartial. If Gregg agrees that's cool. If not, you might approach Mark Gustavson. He knows everything there is to know about automotive style. Hey y'all it's all in fun. I like the kid's idea.

Mark Gustavson. His "Mercari" articles were in the first model car mags I ever bought. This was 1988 and back in those days, SAE didn't make it to newsstands in small towns. I discovered it when I moved to Houston just after high school. I was fascinated by his techniques. He is very knowledgeable and articulate in his writing. I also love lead sleds, so that plays a big part in being a fan of his work. Gerald Wingrove. I've always been fascinated by panelbeating, and this guy did it in miniature. I read his books because the same techniques can be used for street rods and lead sleds, but he got me interested in the pre-war classics. Don Fahrni. I also like drag cars, especially Top Fuel. He's the Gerald Wingrove of drag car builders.

Or, if you know a plumber, ask him for the next water heater he removes, as long as it's not a leaker. FIFTY GALLON AIR TANK FOR FREE!!! Well, the one I got is a fifty. I was thinking of putting 2 or 3 in the attic above the garage plumbed together. Just hang lines down so I could fill them without having to go in the attic. Man, 150 gallons of air @ 125psi. That would last forever. Added bonus: they come with a pressure relief valve. Lee Owens, plumber.

April Fools, man!

Is it really your birthday, or did you just copy someone else's birthday? Chairman Mao approves!

Here are a few I like: "We Believe In Happy Endings" by Johnny Rodriguez. I remember his music as a kid. He sure was talented. This is his best, IMHO. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8VuP2xGGlo "We'll Meet Again" from the end of Dr. Strangelove. I think the singer is Vera Lynn, but I'm not sure. It sure does sound nice, but the video makes it a pretty weird thing to see & hear. "O Fortuna" set to scenes from the movie "300". Opera for all of us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xCB6-h3wbs A really cool hot rod powered by a supercharged Packard straight-8. Straight-8s are the coolest engines ever! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opJilgQDZyo RENDEZVOUS! The infamous 275 GTB speeding through Paris. Spoiler: It was really a Mercedes and he probably did not exceed 80mph, but boy he sure did a good job making it sound like a Ferrari. He ***may*** have overdone the tire squealing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWLPIT-geTs

It was blocked for me in Afghanistan. If you are deployed, you can e-mail pics to me and I'll make a gallery for you in my Fotki account.

Where are you? I pulled lots of guard duty in the Army. Always boring. It gives you time to think of weird stuff...like how old is guard duty? Did cave men pull guard duty? If they did, who made the roster? Was there a sergeant of the guard who made sure they were awake at night? What was the punishment for falling asleep? Your mind can really wander. Crossword puzzles are easy to smuggle in

Psst- There are a couple of '29s in there, but I'm not complaining. I like them better than the '32. I also have a MIB '29 Tudor kit.

I'll ask the guy who cast my hood sides for a quote. If it works out, you'll get the first couple of bodies out of the mold.

Only those willing to chop up some other kits to get it. What is a Murphy Hood? Is it the one with arc-shaped louvers? I got mine by making resin copies of a Diecast hood. I got a diecast off ebay really cheap because someone had dropped it. The hood wasn't broken though.

Another No on this one. In America, 4-door cars are for hauling the family around.

I have in the past. Once it was at my mom's house. One of the things she got me was a "clapper" key chain since I was always losing my keys. You know, clap your hands and it beeps a few times. This was right around the time of "The Sarcastic Clapping Family" sketch on Saturday Night Live. My 2 younger brothers and I kept getting sarcastic with each other, saying things like "Oh, brilliant performance, Bill" and then do the whole slow clap thing. Of course the key chain would start beeping. We'd pretend we didn't know where the sound was coming from and my mom worried that I'd find out before I opened it.

So we should let people steal from us because we feel sorry for them? None for me, thanks. I work hard for everything I have. No sympathy here.

Blah blah. She needs some self-discipline. A trip to the slammer might wake her up. This is the real world.

FWIW- I just bought my first ModelMartin transkit. It's the '32 Ford 3-W funny car body. It comes with everything shown in the photo. There are only 2 pinholes to be found anywhere; 1 each on the tire sidewall. Casting quality is very high. I do not have a Reliable Resins casting, so I can't compare the two. I can only say that Andy knows what he's talking about. I'm not taking sides in any argument. I paid full retail plus shipping for the kit. I am LongDistanceOperator on eBay. Here's the auction # 180181213753

Groovy! Gotta get one.

I believe that's the car that was owned by Dr Fabrizio Violati; #3851GT. An old Protar box had a photo of his real car on it.

I think some of us are over-analyzing this...or at least using the wrong definition of "good kit". Whose definition should we use? The enthusiast or the model company accountants? If using the accountant's definition, a good kit is defined as one that sells a lot. Subject matter would be the #1 judging criteria. If Billy Bob sees a cool kit at Wal-Mart and buys it, it's a good kit. Billy Bob will never see the Revell of Germany Ferrari 250 GTO, because he doesn't know that Austin has a hobby shop*. By my definition, it's a good kit. It's an accurate rendition of the real car, decent detail, and it has a jewel of an engine. I'm really glad to see this Protar kit get reissued. I have 2 on order. I may order more. *I know this about Billy Bob because he told me. Whenever I see other people looking at models in Wal-Mart, I'll tell them about a good hobby shop with lots of paints and supplies. It's always news to them.

The vouchers are good toward the purchase of a '96-up car. It's $3,500 if you buy a Hybrid. I'm considering a '96-up Mercedes SL instead of a Mustang. I really like the SL 600 with its 400hp V-12. The people who came up with this program probably didn't envision people getting rid of a 27mpg car to buy a 12mpg car, but hey, that's their problem. I start the new job on Monday. Today I had lunch with my buddy who works there. He told me that overtime is never a problem; I can work 65-70 hours a week if I want. Being single/no kids, that sounds awesome. I need to work 800 more hours to get my license, which comes with another pay raise. That OT is not only more pay, it gets me that much closer to the license. I can't wait to get started.

It's not mandatory. I doubt anyone will hand over a '71 Hemi 'Cuda for a $3,000 voucher. I don't think anyone will miss a run-down '95 Olds Achieva 4-door. and thanks, guys.

I'm an apprentice plumber. While licensed plumbers make decent pay, apprentices don't make much at all. I was promised a raise a year ago, but I kept hearing "we can't afford it". At the same time, I would see plumbers giving away "end items" (assembled products) because they can't keep $2.00 parts on their truck. I was watching my pay raise being given away. I'm a veteran, and apprenticeships are covered under GI Bill. I applied for it but nobody at work wanted to have anything to do with the paperwork. They just didn't believe that Uncle Sam would give me money while I'm getting a paycheck. They let the licensed guys take their trucks home at night, but if an apprentice finishes up 5min from home, we still have to drive 25 miles back to the shop. A buddy of mine went to a different company and told me about it. I interviewed yesterday and got the job. The pay is 33% higher, plus it comes with overtime. My paycheck could easily double. The boss said he'd be happy to help me get GI Bill. I get a worktruck to drive home every day. No more money spent on commuting. What's not to love about that? I'm getting a huge pay raise and $935/mo from Uncle Sam. I can finally start fixing up my real '88 Mustang. In Texas, the state is offering $3,000 vouchers towards the purchase of a '96-up car if we "turn in" our pre-'96 cars. Im thinking of turning in my garbage pile '95 Olds and put that 3k towards a '99-'04 V6 Mustang convertible. Leave it stock and use it as a daily driver. The '88 can be a hot rod. Things are lookin' up at Casa Owens!