johnbuzzed

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With apologies to Sandra Lee, the trailer is semi-homemade. I used the bed from the Lindberg '34 Ford pickup and fabricated a frame from Evergreen square styrene stock. I don't remember if the springs and axle are from my parts box or fabricated. The taillight brackets were fabricated from aluminum (Coke can material); they were left unpainted because I wanted them that way. The simple wiring harness was also fab'd from wire and aluminum tubing. Wheels and old Firestones are from my parts box and the license plate was computer-generated. The trailer was brush-painted one of Testors FS greens, the bed is a forgotten shade of brown and light weathering was applied. Stuff in the trailer is from my parts box. The wagon is a resin repop of the original item from the Orange Blossom Special kit. The handle and front wheels are posable and the wheels are from a Hot Wheels pickup. Decals are from my stash. http:// http:// http:// http:// http://

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Not many people discuss the fact that Hudson was the car of champions back in the '50s, either. It's rather ironic how some of the championship manufacturers have disppeared from the market. It would be nice if spectators would be able to determine what kind of car was being driven by whom without consulting a reference guide. Remember when you could actually recognize the Mercurys, Plymouths, Dodges, etc? Today, without the banner or logo on the front of the car, who knows what it is?

That's one nice looking model. I hope to see that in person in Atlanta later this year.

The NHRA and NASCAR were on the same wagon. In order to stop the whining from the other manufacturers, both sanctioning bodies made changes that took away the edge that the Mopars had with the Hemi and (in NASCAR) the aerodynamics, in the form of Daytonas and Superbirds. In my humble opinion, what they should have said to the whiners was: "So, go build a better engine. This IS a competitive sport, you know."

But WHY is it measured for horsepower output? It's a competitive sport. If anything, NASCAR should be encouraging the teams (man, I hate that word in racing) to get as much from the cars as they can. I guess another question is :"Do they perform a dyno check before the race?"

Dynamometer check? You mean, they can't go for as many horses as possible from the engine? Why not just bring back IROC with generic bodies. Let NASCAR bring the cars to the track and the drivers can draw numbers to see which cars they get to drive. I understand the need for tech inspection and teardown and safety inspections, but when you question the horsepower... what's the point of trying to build a better engine? As much as I enjoy watching the races, NASCAR is turning the sport into a non-competitive event. Kind of like today's little league: "Everybody wins! You're all winners! Everybody gets a plaque/trophy/ribbon/award, just for being on the field! No strikes, no balls, no outs, too-many-runs-mercy-rules!" What a crock. What a shame.

The essence of the problem is how GM management dealt with the situation and not the fact that poor-quality parts were involved. That happens in any manufacturing environment and all automakers have had their problems and recalls in the past. Hopefully, our society will learn from this how to correctly handle such matters so that no one is killed as a result of our current corporate, throw-you-under-the-bus, bottom-line numbers mentality. Greed kills. By the way, Rick, popular does not equal best, better or even good.

Absence of malice does not automatically eliminate jail time; it might reduce it. And how could malice be ruled out in this situation? Did those who made the decisions at GM not think anything "bad" might possibly, conceivably happen as a result of their decisions?

Looks really nice. Great colors and nice detailing on the motor.

Either way, with whatever problems the kit has, I might get two of these-one to build as a reasonably accurate replica and one to build as a killer street machine.

With A/C and power windows, too! And a Torqueflite!

No apologies necessary, Scott. I do a lot of planning/thinking/referencing, too. I started my most current project in Dec 2012, put it aside for a while, started thinking about it again and put it back on my bench just a couple months ago. I still don't have a lot done, but it is more than I realize, but for all the actual work I've done, I have put in at least three times that time finding GOOD reference material, downloading and saving that info and pictures. (fortunately, I am able to do a lot of that at work). I have been anguishing for the past three days as to whether or not to wire as many underhood accessories as I can and how I can do that without having it look like a rat's nest. I just ordered the wire to do it but I'm still wondering how it's going to look when it's finished. There are times when I look forward to a box-stock, snap kit build.

My best advice to you would be to Google images for a 1969 GTX. You'll get plenty of ideas for this kit. Then, you can get more specific with more Googles for details for the whole car- engine, interior, chassis, etc. If you want to stay pretty stock, maybe just use big and little tires and wheels, add some styrene spacers under the rear leafs to jack it up a bit, tweak the spindles to drop the nose... The box art colors would look good on that car. But, that's all my opinions. This is your build, you do it your way and enjoy . I'll be following.

I just found this one while going through the forum. That's one very nice, very clean build, with just enough added detail. I'd be proud to have that on my shelf. Looks like I'll have to get another S&M kit and take it from there. Did you incorporate any parts from the other Petty kits that are out there?

Yep, this is one fascinating build, Scott. Go for the studs and nuts- you've done so much with the rest, it would almost be sacrilege not to! I know you've been working on it for some time but how do you find the time to do it all?

Yep, what he said. Dodge dropped the ball when they made the Charger a 4 door.

Never not ever not once in my life at all... but the tools are cool.

No excuse for drunk driving, but had there not been a problem with the switch... maybe the driver would still be among the living. Some years back, I was a juror for a civil suit that involved a gasoline powered flatbed truck. The truck went into a corner too fast and the load in the bed caused the truck to roll onto it's side. The driver advised that the truck had stalled immediately before the incident. None of the other members of the jury- all experienced, adult drivers- realized that when the engine stalls, you lose power steering and brakes;; ergo, you lose much control of the vehicle (this was back in the early '90's; things might have changed with those systems since then). If those experienced, adult drivers didn't realize the effects, how could they possibly deal with the situation if it happened to them? Panic has a way of changing things, too. Even when you're stone, cold sober.

And they're all idiots, too.

Another point is that we should put aside all rather obvious brand loyalties and consider why ANY auto manufacturer would allow this to happen. Our society needs to remember to learn from it's mistakes or history is gonna repeat, and that doesn't apply to car makers alone. Demo derby drivers...??? And as for those 13 victims... well, none of us know exactly how we would react under any circumstances at any time. Age doesn't matter, nor does experience. Example: Dale Earnhardt.. We might like to think we do and we might know what we should do, but reality has a way of changing things.

What will happen when those wonderful devices break? WHAM!!!, right into that truck! It will happen. Stuff does break and electrons do not always flow as we would like.

James, I use Photobucket to post my photos. Set up an account (it's free) and download or upload (whatever) the pictures to that account. You can create albums there if you want to. When you are ready to post pictures, you need to start a new post in whatever category you choose. Then: Go to Photobucket and click on the picture you want to post. When that picture appears, you'll see "links to share this picture" on the right side of the screen. Click on "IMG" link; it will briefly turn yellow and say "copied". Go back to your new post in the Forum. You'll see a link icon on the top toolbar (9th from the left, just below "size"). Click that icon A "Link" box will appear; there will be an space for "URL". Paste the IMG link that you previously copied from Photobucket in that "URL" space, then click "OK". The entire link should appear in your post, highlighted in blue. Click enter twice (not on the link); the characters in the link should turn blue and no longer be highlighted. When you are done adding links, click the "preview post" button and you should see all the pictures that you want to post. It works for me. I hope this helps you. Good luck.

Rick, you don't seem to understand that nobody here is bashing GM out of brand or manufacturer loyalty. There is/was a major problem at GM with cover-ups, CYA, throw-you-under-the-bus, pass the buck, etc. This is a problem with the current corporate environment in our nation and with our methods of communication the information spread faster than it would have in the past. The emphasis now is to make as much $$$ as possible, however possible. The bottom line and the shareholders interests rule. Also, too many corporations are trying "philosophies" such as 5S, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, etc, in hopes that these will fix their woes. In some instances they might, to a degree, but they are no true cures. They're smoke and mirrors; image and appearance counts more than quality and workmanship. It seems that executives and management, many of whom probably have no practical, hands-on experience, no longer have pride in turning out a quality product that will last a long time. People died as a result of the actions by GM personnel, and I wonder if any criminal charges, such as "criminally negligent homicide", might arise. This is true in all types of industry here and not just manufacturing. Why are people at airport gates told that their flight is full and there is no room for them on the aircraft even though they have reservations for that flight? Why couldn't my cable be routed on my property correctly the first time? Why did all those vets have to wait so long for medical appointments? But, I digress. NO ONE IS SAYING THAT ANY MANUFACTURER IS PURE AND HAS NEVER HAD A RECALL OF ANY TYPE FOR ANY REASON. I guess you just don't like Fords.