LDO

Why hot rod a Mercedes? Because it’s there. It’s what the owner wants. I’m 52. Street rods and “classic” muscle cars are all before my time. There was one ‘55 Chevy and one ‘68 Camaro at my high school. All those cars were already out of the price range of teenagers in the 1980s. Now? Forget about it. I paid $4k last year for a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E. I paid too much. They sell for less, but this one was within driving distance. I didn’t have to ship it cross country and hope it’s in good shape. That has value. It’s a nice looking car that rides like a cloud and handles great. It’s waiting for a slot to become available at a local shop for engine and transmission swap. It will get a Mercedes-Benz 5 liter M119 V-8 and 5 speed auto trans with aftermarket controllers for both. I do like the style of some older cars. I LOVE the ‘70-‘73 Rally Sport Camaro. Starting with a $4k ‘70-‘73 would bankrupt me. It would be a pile of rust. It would also handle like a pig. This little Mercedes doesn’t need to slow down through the curves on a fun road nearby. It never breaks a sweat. It has 158hp now. Adding 600 more sounds just about right. I do want it to look stock, but maybe go crazy with the paint. Pearl Lavender sounds nice. Maybe Mary Kay pearl pink. Yes, I would drive the heck out of a pink or lavender car.

And it’s another bargain. I got it for WAY less than what others are selling for. It has been started, but very little work done. The kit engine has a rotating crank and transparent cylinders, but I think that’s all a bit silly. I plan to just paint it. I think it would be cool to pair up with scratch but sidecar and a Black Lab passenger. Internet photo

That’s sad. She had a heck of a career. I’ll pour a beer out for her tonight.

The owner posted questions about it on the HAMB. Someone asked what the bleep that has to do with traditional rods and customs.

Two each of these. The goal is a body for a sidecar similar the the last photo. The spaceship has a better shape overall, but it will need lots of filling and sanding. Both have lots of interior structure to remove. I would really like to find a 1/12 scale Labrador Retriever for a passenger.

I’ll go to an auto parts store and look for that primer.

My concern is those vents in the front end. Maybe it’s time to finally try automotive lacquers. I remember reading about airbrushing high-fill primer in a Mark Gustavson article. I think it was his article, anyway.

A couple of close ups to show the surface. I’m really looking forward to massaging this into shape. I think it will be a great intro to 3D kits. I have a print file that I haven’t done anything with yet. That one would be a steep learning curve. It’s a Mercedes-Benz 190E. My real car in 1/8 scale.

I just got home. I need to take a shower and get the heck out of here, but I just had to open this package and have a look. It’s my first 3D printed kit. It’s a curbside. Not a problem. I have two glue bomb Tamiya 934s if I want to rob parts off of them. I think it looks pretty good. I want to make it a street car. I may change the tail end a bit. I’ll post more pics sometime later.

I’m nirvana motorcycle guru. I’m wondering if these two bikes are the same, “under the skin”. Can a standard chain drive GS model be built from the Tamiya GSX-1100S Katana? Do they both use the same frame? Thanks. Lee

There is a “blue chrome” late model Ford Mustang in the Austin, TX area. I suspect it is a wrap. I do love that factory Mazda red. Gosh it looks good.

I saw that. I get e-mails from them occasionally. I always check on the progress of the Delage. Sometimes send an e-mail. Nothing yet. It’s a beautiful car.

That sounds really cool. Some guy bought a real ‘69 Camaro and took measurements off of it to build a 1/8 scale model. I don’t remember his name right now. IIRC, I bought some Renshape from him. At the time, he said he would consider selling parts. I was thinking pro/street.

Mine would be a 1/12 scale multimedia kit of a Duesenberg or other pre-war coachbuilt classic. Something on par with Model Factory Hiro kits. I wouldn’t even say it must be this or that exact car. A nice looking Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Cadillac, Lincoln, you name it. I think that would be cool. It’s not a pie in the sky daydream that would cost half a million bucks to tool up, then be a flop. What’s your idea?

Yeah, me too. I’m figuring they will need to be replaced. Condition of box plus age…I would be surprised if they are useable.

I don’t have it yet. I’ll try to snag eBay pics. edit: pics. Not much to see, so far. The ratty box probably helped with the price. I planned on getting the Tamiya 1/12 kit. I found a Joe Honda/MFH book for this car. Can anyone recommend more reference info?

And the price was not bad at all. I’ve seen them sell for a lot more. SWEET!

That’s pretty cool. I went to eBay, found one at a good price and bought it. I wish I could help with info.

I don’t have information, but I do have a question. Is that individual cooling fins that get stacked for the cylinders? If so, that is awesome. I have an Italeri 1/9 scale R75 military sidecar rig and its cylinders are nowhere near as detailed.

That’s all pretty wild. Want to make another one??? ? Or for a Ford 6R80 to put in my real 1987 190E.

Is it simply accurate measurements and machining or is it an outrageously expensive nightmare? (Or something in between?). I want to build a model inspired by Ed Newton and Larry Wood sketches, a show/street rod that looks like a cross between a ‘27 Ford roadster and a Formula One car. Engine would be a Mercedes-Benz M119 V-8 and a suitable transaxle. There is no adapter for this engine, for any transmission or transaxle.

Thanks. The McLaren book was a good price. The Ferrari book…ouch, but I couldn’t find much info on Niki Lauda’s 1975 and 1976 rides.

I’m thinking of Ferrari 312T/T2 and McLaren M23/M26. The cars from the move “Rush”, about Niki Lauda and James Hunt. My guess would be they are great reference material. Not cheap, but if they have great photos for modelers, likely worth the price. Thanks. Lee

I had never heard of that car, so I did a quick search. Holy cow, that thing looks like a caricature!

Mercedes-Benz M104 DOHC inline-6. Revell Germany 1/24 MB 300SL. This engine can make 1000hp with enough boost.