1972coronet

OUTSTANDING!! Tasteful mods, too, which your replica capture perfectly! Looks like GB7 Evening Blue Metallic -- my favourite shade of the two 'B7' formulas.

Nice Nova L-79 ! I really like its sedate-other-than-colour appearance, and I really dig on that silver engine compartment. Keep up the great work !

I'm going to keep that 330 / 4-speed and its air cleaner for use in the 1965 Chevelle Wagon (M/P special) . Should I change me mind or elect to use a different air cleaner, I'll give you first dibs.

To say that the engine compartment of the '64 F-85 / 4-4-2 is lacking would be quite the understatement. I built my hardtop copy -- the one with the aforementioned engine / 4-speed / dual snorkel air cleaner -- as a curbside as I felt that the engine compartment 'required' too much work for my arthritic hands and finger to fool with in order to make it presentable.

Ever since I watched Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) in high school (1986) , I never looked at Chevrolet's ads from 1969 the same again (hahaha). Same goes for 1970 Gran Coupe Barracuda (hahaha).

Tamiya Mica Blue or Metallic Green are my recommendations for colour. Fireball for wheels & tyres.

Awesome ! Nice work ! Thanks for sharing .

Those guys helped me with illegal cable T.V. and with a Frogger console on which I had the high score.

The subject of air conditioning has been around this forum for the past 3 years (maybe more). The topic made me think, What about other engine-driven accessories ? Other than the MPC 1969 Mustang 428 (also included in the 1971 & 1973 Mustang kits) , I cannot think of any other kit with the plumbing for the A.I.R. pump (or, in Fo Mo Co nomenclature, Therm-Actor) system. I have seen A.I.R. pumps in kits (Revell newer Mark IV engines -- 1969 Nova 427 & 1967 Camaro) , but that's it: no accompanying plumbing. If feel that for an engine to represent a stock assembly, that the plumbing should be included since the pump its self is already moulded in the belt and pulleys arrangement. Has anyone here -- or even 'off-board' -- seen a complete replica A.I.R. setup on a kit? Please share photos if available. Thanks!

My neighbour's two love bugs (they're 4 or 5 years of age now) , Bandit (black & white super girl whom I refer to as "Tao's Auntie") and Butterscotch (handsome Red Tabby -- quite the talker !) .

Just like the 1986 Monte Carlo SS (Monogram, 1985). Compressor only -- maybe a receiver-drier? No lines, though; no condenser, either.

You are correct. Every stock Mark IV powered El Camino I've seen of 1966-1967 & 1968-1972 model years sat higher than their small block relatives (I don't recall having seen an L-79 powered El Camino with the F41... same stance as a 396/402/454?). Thanks much !

Thanks much for the suggestion, the perfect, detailed explanation, and for the visual (excerpt of the instruction sheet).

All AMT kits which I can recall having A/C : - 1968 El Camino SS-396 (not sure if the custom version has it) - 1971 Duster 340 (stock only version) - 1971 Charger R/T (stock only version) - 1970 Monte Carlo SS-454 (already mentioned) There may be others, but these are the only ones I can think of right off.

In my opinion, painting the body --the process involved-- is subjective. Some kits' bodies are virtually perfect out of the box (AMT's 1964 Nova Station Wagon for example) , whereas others implore the builder to massage and to fix / repair issues (sink marques, flash, parting lines, etc.) . For a perfect body (e.g., the aforementioned Nova Wagon), one may just paint over the bare plastic depending upon which paint is used (I recognise that you prefer Tamiya's excellent line of aerosols-- as do I) . I did just that on the Nova which I built about a year ago (see images). For a body which is going to receive a colour change (i.e., going from a moulded-in-black-plastic body to , say, white) , and doesn't otherwise require body work before painting, Tamiya's Fine Primer is all that's needed. No wet sanding required (I actually recommend against wet sanding Tamiya's aerosol primers, as the finish is perfect as-is for colour coats). If filler is called for (sink marques, gap-filling / blending), I simply spray filler-primer only on the areas where body work is performed. Certainly, "thin" paints (metallics and pearls primarily) require either a base colour (silver, gold, brass, copper) or an appropriately-tinted primer (grey for some colours, red for others, and white for light colours. Personally, I despise colour sanding , and will avoid engaging in it unless it's necessary(i.e., "orange peel" finish; lint/ boogers/ random hairs covered in paint). Here's the Nova Wagon I'd built last year. Its colour is Tamiya Champagne Gold Metallic over the bare plastic. Clear is the (now-defunct) Testors Gloss Clear Lacquer. That's it.

I've been slugging along on the AMT 1968 SS-396 El Camino , and it's been a pleasure of a build thus far. How long will that last ? I've read about completed build-ups, all out of the box stock; I've seen quite a few photos of the same. Some builders have mentioned the ride height being on the Lowrider side -- something I'm trying to avoid on a factory stock build. What kinds of cures / treatments / modifications can be made to keep the Elco at a stock ride height? It seems that all of the 'Renaissance' AMT kits of the 90's tend to suffer from this malady. Any other tweaks and adjustments to make for an optimum fit ? I seem to recall that the engine kind of "floats" in the engine compartment because of the exhaust manifolds. I've been enjoying this kit so far. I don't want to relegate it to the 'Shelf of Doom' due to impending build issues. Thanks much !

No image , Burke.

I was always searching in the late 90's-early 2000's for a t-shirt with a replica of the Velvet Underground White Light / White Heat album cover.

Great save ! Your choice of colours really ties the whole look together. Good on you for keeping it AMC-powered, too !

Malfortunately, supplies are limited. These are now vintage, out-of-print shirts from two years ago. Best of luck in your search !

I've got a listing for a few of these :

One form of non-verbal communication we can employ with felines is eye blinking. Even the timid kitties will greet you if you slowly blink at them when they're looking at you. I was visiting the kitties at the local shelter some years ago on one of my days off from work. I was stressed out, so I figured "Why not go visit with the shelter kitties?" There was a young mum with four tykes in one of the compartments. She was on the defence right off, hissing and growling -- protecting her babies. I stood back, started blinking at her, and talking to her calmly. She eventually chilled out, so I approached her compartment. I said, "You have some lovely babies there, sweetheart. You're a good mum for defending your 'den'. May I present my hand to you?" She stood-up, and sniffed my hand. Then she marqued the tips of my fingers with her cheeks, and then started purring. The staff were amazed that I was able to quell a defensive feral mum ! It felt so wonderful to not only relieve my stress, but to also bring some relief to a frightened mum and her young babies.

Begs the question (though it's likely been proposed before) : What became of the 454-SS short bed tooling? The long bed's been ostensibly, irreversibly butchered modified to make those monster truck things; however, the short bed has a different chassis/ frame and unique-to-that-issue short bed. Thankfully, I managed to grab the 1988 annual and, years later, the 454-SS --both complete and not started-- for less than $50 each.

That was my thought , too . I didn't bother doing the math / conversion, but I'd figured that it had to be some 'absurd' number.