1972coronet

Yes , that's the one ! Is it a decent kit ? I know that its origins are of the MPC annual from 1969 , so I don't *expect* much ...

Personal Vehicles : - 2013 Civic EX 2 door , stone stock - 1972 Dodge Coronet . Tired 318 V8 (worn cam lobes , thanks to the API) , 904 Torqueflite with Trans-Go shift improver and heavy duty bands / frictions , and ; 2.71 geared 8.25" diff. Work Vehicles : - 2004 Colorado . 172, 000 miles . I spent three hours scrubbing its interior when our store "inherited" that gem . Thank God for vinyl seats and rubber floor covering ! - 2014 Silverado . Gutless gas hog 4.3 litre V6 , 4L60E , and some ridiculously-high gear ratio ( numerically-low ; *maybe* 3.08 !) Someday , the Coronet's tired 318 will be rebuilt -or replaced- with another 318 ; however , its cam specs will be much healthier than the broom handle that's in there stock . Most likely an Edelbrock intake with a Holley 4 Bbl , and "308" heads ; would like to convert to roller lifters / cam , as to get around the lack of ZDDP in motor oils (since 2006 !!) .

Y'know ... I haven't taken note of its hood . By 'stock' and not the scooped version , you mean 'flat' ? Either way , I'm not sure ; I won't know until I receive the kit in about a week .

I just purchased one of the late 70's / early 80's issues of the old MPC 1969 Firebird / Trans Am ; the issue that's white with (thankfully optional) T-Tops and nifty decal graphics . I've been wanting to have a Pontiac OHC 6 for use in another , future project ; this kit has that engine , plus some other neat-o vintage custom parts (Spyder wheels , custom tyres , and side pipes are of the most interest to me ). Anywho , in the meantime , I'd like to see some of my fellow plastic fanatics builds of the 'little brother' OHC 6 . I'd like to see this engine parked in whatever project it was employed for ; I'd really be interested in seeing it in the boiler room of the Firebird kit . P.S. , How is the rest of this kit ? Is it an under-detailled pile of junk , or is it decent and workable ?

This is 'Marketing 101' . Chrysler is creating a buzz vis-a-vis this "Search & Destroy" programme ... college boy nonsense . I hope that these historical vehicles end up "missing" until the Statute of Limitations expires

There's a hair on your car's windscreen . ( ) Seriously ; great job , in my opinion . With your superb skills , Tulio , you'll master this technique in no time .

As a side note ; wouldn't it be nice if the kit manufactures moulded the parts-to-be-plated in a metallic silver ? That way sprue-attachment points would be less of a problem .

24v71 Detroit Diesel . The "71-Series" (as well as the "53-Series" , as seq.) was a 2-stroke ; the "V" = V-block (e.g. , V-24). The 24 cylinder tipped-in at 1,704 cubic inches ; it was an Ocean Liner powerplant . Blowers were necessary oxidisers atop 2-cycle diesel engines , as the 2-cycle arrangement didn't permit the engine to naturally-aspirate . These engines would rev-up like crazy ! They'd oftentimes run-backward if revved-up too high ! The lubrication system was what's known as a "Total-Loss" type (which is different from the Constant Loss lubrication system) .

Two years ago , I bought a Revell 1969 Dart GTS 383 from a seller on eBay . Full disclosure from the seller revealled "Kit's glass has scuff marks and tire burns..." , so there was no surprise when I opened the kit ; it was otherwise perfect. Needing some replacement glass , and recognising that the 1968 GTS , et al. , shares glass with the '69 (as is so in "1:1") , I sent an email to Revell about purchasing replacement parts. I told them *exactly* what my intentions were ; that this was for an old issue , which was, ostensibly , of no defect-in-manufacture . I didn't receive a response from Revell until about a week later . Their response was to the effect of (to paraphrase) : "Thank you for your parts replacement request. You should be expecting the requested parts within 4-6 weeks..." True to their word , I received the parts in ~4 weeks , just as promised . I fully expected to find an invoice enclosed with the amount I owed them ; but to my surprise , no such invoice was included . So , I sent another email to them , inquiring about payment . Their response was , in essence , "Don't worry about it . There's no charge for the parts ." I couldn't believe it ! I actually felt guilty that they sent me replacement glass for a model from 1995 ! Talk about true P.R. . My point : Just because they were kind enough to send me free parts does not mean that I --nor anyone else-- should abuse their largesse . Thank you , again , Revell !

As far as I can recall , it was only the A-TEAM version whose roof was ribbed . It also had an obligatory sunroof opening , in addition to 4 semi-eliptical openings for the roof mounted lights . The 1970's version(s) were sans ribs , to the best of my recollection ; and further , their sides were moulded-in , albeit with round cutouts for the "bubble" sidelights . I believe that the rear doors' backlights were cutout , too .

"MTV" , has been anything but what its nomenclature alludes to , in many years now. I used to enjoy it back in the 80's ; all of the so-called "Wave" music (Pet Shop Boys , Culture Club , Echo & The Bunnymen , et al.) in addition to Closet Classics (video footage from U.S. and European T.V. programmes ; Beat Club , Colour Me Pop , Top of the Pops , In Concert , et al.) . You know , the "good old days" ! Television has long been about family drama (subjective to era) , sports , etc. , etc. , but there was always an air of fun about these programmes . One of my favourite "oldies" is The Jack Benny Show ! Hilarious without resorting to "off-colour" humour , while maintaining self-deprecation , and , one of my favourite aspects , every character was treated equally and without being condescending ! Benny was a true visionary , to say the least . At a time when "coloured folks" were type-cast in moronic , subservient roles , "Rochester" was actually portrayed as being *superior* to Benny ! He was treated as an equal , both on and off air. The Monkees is an all-time fave . Even "MTV" aired the show back in the Summer of 1986 ! At least The Monkees was / is music-related ... unlike "The 'Real' World" and its ilk ! I also enjoy stupid humour . Family Guy , American Dad , Cleveland Show , Seinfeld (which , in actuality , was brilliant in its writing and structure) ,Three Stooges , etc. , etc. are stupid enough to be laughter-inducing , which is excellent stress release after a long day at work . COPS , which is thee premiere "reality show" , is just plain entertaining . I especially enjoy its pre-1996 era . My dad watches a few --too many in my mind-- of those dreadful programmes ; Hard Core Pawn ( it's okay , I suppose , other than the painfully-obvious "scripted" segments via "baiting" customers , etc.) , whatever that one in Las Vegas is ; someother "Pawn Shop" show ... Well , you get the point . I do agree with the original post , and those whom have followed suit ; too many retarded-beyond-belief "reality" shows , chock full of stupid pranks and drama , just to fill space between the numerous commercials .

Thanks for the excellent review , Tim . I first built one of the 70's-issues of this kit back in late 1977 when I was 7 years old . I don't remember what the box art portrayed , but am sure that it was a customised version . I still vividly recall the day that I bought it ; it was the day that Elvis died . I got it at the GEMCO in Downey (Calif) on a rainy late afternoon . When I got home , I went to my bedroom , turned-on the television , and tuned-in to the Spiderman cartoon programme . Unfortunately , I had a devil of a time with assembling the wheel / tyre assemblies to the "kingpins" ... God only knows what happened to that kit ; it was boxed-up and forgotten about . In 1984 , I tried for a requiem ! A local sporting goods store sold kits . Many of their kits were very highly-priced , so they sat for decades on the shelves (!!) . Many of the boxes were even Sun-bleached ! Well , on their shelf was the same 1970-something Chevy Van that I'd had 7 years prior . I figured that , at age 14 , I would be able to tackle building this kit again ! I was right ! Came out quite nice ... then the 1987 earthquake destroyed it (GRrrUMpH !) Anyhow ... I believe that the A-TEAM issue / retool from c.1982 did the most *damage* to the tooling , IMO . The only reason I used to buy the A-TEAM kit was for its tyres and plain steel wheels for use on other builds . Other *subtle* changes to the tooling vs. the newer versions : - The "plate" on the interior platform which used to occupy the space behind the seats . I believe that that "plate" was introduced when the wild 454 engine option came about for 1972 or 1973. - The custom wheels --American Racing type--- have been unchanged since at least 1977 . Even the A-TEAM version had them ! The last time I built one of these vans was back in 2003 ; the RC2 A-TEAM reissue . I opened the hood , as I wanted the engine to be seen . However , the compartment looked so bland that the opening hood effort was wasted . I mention this only because I wanted to quell your concerns about making the hood operational . The cowl area is reasonably thick , perhaps as an artifact of the issues with the original 1971 version's weak point. So , cut away ! Thank God the correct , stock seats have returned !!!!

Here's the original Los Angeles Ford Motor Company assembly plant . It was active until c.1930 when the Long Beach facility opened ; followed by "Maywood" (City of Commerce ; 5801 Eastern @ Slauson , diagonal from the Chrysler plant) ; and finally , the Pico Rivera plant ( Ca State Highway 19 / Lakewood Blvd @ Washington Blvd ) . Its location is 7th St @ Santa Fe in Downtown Los Angeles . The Long Beach Plant suffered damage during the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake . No further info is available from me at this time .

"Pre"- Pink Floyd , from 1965 , when Syd Barrett , et al. , were going by the name "Tea Set" (and before Barrett devised the name The Pink Floyd Sound )

This is Tama (official title Super Station Master Tama) whose presence is credited to the new-found fortune of the train station's condition and ridership "Typical" Maneki Neko statue

I have no idea which was issued first , the GTX or the Road Runner (1971) . The 1972 annual had the 'standard' R.R. hood ; that tooling was modified for the 1973-1974 R.R. / GTX . I'm not sure when the NASCAR versions were produced . The only version of the kit that I'm intimately familiar with is the 1987-issue , the yellow-coloured plastic version . It must've been modified tooling from the early 80's release of the 1974 GTX (moulded in red , and custom only parts). My contention is that tooling for both the 1971 and the 1973-1974 bodies exist as separate entities . My only question is , Why would RC2 decide to issue the less-desirable '73-'74 if the 1971 body is still available ? Why would they back-up-date the kit to the latter years' tooling --complete with 1975-1978 chassis and dash board-- and pass on the 1971 model ?

You're quite welcome . Being an L.A.-area native and a life-long gear head , I became interested in the lesser-known assembly plants in the Los Angeles area . It seems that they receive little recognition (except for the last one , the Van Nuys G.M. Plant) . At one time , the intersection of Eastern / Slauson was host to : - Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln ("MEL") , northwest corner - Chrysler , southeast corner - Alcoa Aluminum , southwest corner Further : - GM's South Gate Plant , Tweedy @ Alameda - Ford Pico Rivera Plant , southwest CA 19 / Lakewood Blvd @ Washington I'm glad that you liked the article .

Here's a recent "Earth" 'graph of 5800 S. Eastern @ Slauson : https://maps.google.com/maps?q=5800+s+eastern+ave+commerce+ca&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x80c2ce8ad07087e7:0x4fb944df66e9a5b,5800+S+Eastern+Ave,+Commerce,+CA+90040&gl=us&ei=lOQLU_2GMKSV3AWWw4CAAQ&ved=0CCQQ8gEwAA

Here's a link to an article on the Allpar site regarding the *elusive* Chrysler Los Angeles Assembly ( actual location : City of Commerce ) . I contributed to the article (under my literal nom-de-plume of "Shoe") with the resources I've garnered over a year or so . This was made possible in no small part on the long-defunct Los Angeles Hearald Examiner as well as those whom replied to my inquiries regarding this plant . See the accompanying text and credits on the site for full disclosure. Enjoy ! http://www.allpar.com/corporate/factories/los-angeles.html

Y'know what's interesting about the Petty Blue 440 Six [barrel] 4-speed Superbird with white interior trade request ? I recall seeing an ad in either Hot Rod or Car Craft in their "For Sale" section in which someone was selling a vehicle as described ! I wish that I could recall what year / issue the ad was in ; however , suffice it to say , it was in the mid-1970's . Talk about coincidences !

A well-deserved holiday trip to British Columbia sounds like it'd be a lot of fun ! And , yes , I'll take the coffee versus the brewski ( ). The Mopar Action coverage of the Silver Bullet II was in an issue sometime in the last ~3 years ( it was easier to recall the Oct '96 issue , as that was a good year for me . I remember picking up my copy of that issue at the long-defunct Bookland in my hometown . Its was August , so the weather was unbearablly hot and humid ; but , I was with my then-girlfriend --whom looked and dresssed like Twiggy !-- so I had a positive association . I suppose that having HFA does have its merits in some cases ). Back to the topic : My favourite aspect about the original 'Bullet was its stock-appearing looks ! Instead of butchering the rear wheel well openings , Addison sliced-pulled-smoothed the quarter panel , leaving the illusion of being factory-stock (!) .Quickest and fastest street car from 1969-1975 . It was running mid-10's @ 140 MPH , which was Pro Stock territory at that time !

Michael - I have heard that "Kilz" works quite good as a sealer over red-coloured platic . I've not needed to try "Kilz" just yet ; however , "Mr. Mike" has . It was via his advice to another member that I found this info out . I wish that I could find the thread wherein Mike showcases his use of Kilz . From what I can recall , Kilz lays-down smoothly and is easily wet sanded .

1974 , actually . However , its just an annual-update (year-wise) ; witness its "1974" license plate . As a side note ; this kit represents a rare "1:1" version of a 360-powered Barracuda ("BH23L") . The flat hood , combined with the dual exhaust = 1-of-less-than-800 made . Typically , the 340 (1972-1973) and 360 (1974) were ordered with the 'Cuda ("BS23") model ; and 1972 was the first year that the 340 was an option for the Barracuda model. While this Promo-style kit builds up nicely , there are a couple of things to watch for : - Chassis was *slightly* warped in its last issue ; - Be certain to carefully "cross-torque" its self-tapping screws - Its metal axles are a tight fit in the wheels . Check tolerances ; drill-out holes with a PinVice if need be. I'm happy that Round2 is going to reissue this "slump breaker" kit !

It started life a blue '67 GTX with the base 440 Super Commando and TorqueFlite ; it was utilised as a test mule for the up-coming Hustle Stuff catalogue (1967-1971 ; became Direct Connection in 1972 , etc.) while still 440-powered. Addison "bought" the car for one dollar , and then worked his magic . Tom Hoover's "King of I-696" 1966 Coronet 440 (model designation) was "bumped" by Addison's Silver Bullet . The 'Bullet was in "1001 Customizing Ideas" in 1972 (as you've pointed out) . I first read of The Silver Bullet in the Oct '96 issue of Mopar Action , and was instantly hooked on it ! A 468 cube Hemi in a 2,600 lb car ! The so-called Silver Bullet II (a 1973-ish Duster , IIRC ) was doomed from the get-go . Its body was "chemically-milled" ( a/k/a , "acid dipped" ) too much ; so much in fact that its roof collapsed ! Someone eventually bought the tissue-thin 'Bullet II' and did some work to it ; new , factory-replacement roof and other mods.

I have purchased two of BNL's transmissions ( one Torqueflite , two TH-400's ) , and they are nice . BNL's easy to deal with , too . Highly recommended !