1972coronet

Mike , that is one spectacular 1976 Granada !! The 'Magnum 500' wheels look spot-on . I've wanted one of the Monarch kits since they were new !! In spring , 1976 , my parents bought a new 1976 Monarch 2 door ( Ghia 'package' , 351W two barrel , A/C , etc. , etc. ) . It was silver metallic with a silver 1/4 vinyl top , and 'cranberry' red bucket / console interior . The dealership had those Lindberg Monarch kits available through thier parts department ( almost 40 years later , and I can still see that display behind the parts counter !!). I wanted one in the worse way . My pleas and beggings went unrequited ( ). Now , it's on the "the 'bay" , in search of one of these 32nd scale Monarchs !

Then there's the kit's life-long powertrain-drivetrain mismatch goof : Hemi / 4-speed / 8.75" rear is wrong !! Should either have a TorqueFlite or a Dana 60 ; the '60 was behind every 440 / 440+6 / Hemi when the 4-speed was optioned ; the 8.75" rear was the standard diff behind most 440 / 440+6 (excepting the special 1969 lift-off fibreglass Road Runner and Super Bee , where the 4.10 was the only diff). In short ; the Sox & Martin 1967 "RO23J" kit has the incorrect differential ; it should be a Dana 60 .

Rick , are you going to make this into a Barracuda or its performance-oriented brother , the 'Cuda ? I , for one , would like to see it transform into a Barracuda replica ( flat hood , turn-down exhaust tips , plain fenders , etc.) , but with the top engine option for that model : 383 Commando . I'm looking forward to following your WIP

I certainly hope that Revell , et al. , are paying attention to this thread , and the threads just like it ... *cough* new *cough* Chevelle *cough* please

Without any knowledge of kit numbers , all that I can do is describe the box art through the kit's run : 1.) 1981 issue . No optional parts . Moulded in orange . 2.) 1985 reissue . Optional tunnel ram induction , Shelby wheels , and some other options . Moulded in white . The 1985 version has been reissued numerous times in its 28 year (!!) guise (which reminds me that I must get my hands on one of these kits again !). I hope that this info was of some help to you

So long as it's as close to the 'prosaic' truth as possible ! I'm certain that Big's life story needs absolutely zero embellishment . I've said it before and I'll say it again : Big Willie was much more of a community leader than any of the fledgling "leaders" (whose names shall be left to the imagination) . He not only talked-the-talk , he also walked-the-walk , and he remained an absolute gentleman in the process .

The original Monogram kit (dates back to 1981 !) has those exact rocker covers , albeit in 1/24th scale .

Gary , that is one super nice Chevelle ! I believe that the original silver that was employed by Chevrolet on that year A-Body was 'Cortez Silver' . It's been my number one fave colour on '68-'72 Chevelles / Malibus since 1981 , when I used to see a 1970 SS-454 El Camino pass me on my way to school . I saw that El every day from 1981 - 1986 ! Keep up the spectacular work , Gary

A few years ago , I picked up the excellent 1960 Starliner and 1962 Catalina at the local hobby store for $ 8.00 for both of them , total !

Hmm ... Y'know , that would be a good start ! Thanks for the link

This is the first time I read that Willie had more than two Daytonas ; the third one was one which I wasn't aware of . I *believe* that Earl Ike Dodge was the dealership which Wille got the cars from ; the dealer was in Inglewood (or was it Lennox) , on the east-side of Los Angeles Int'l Airport . BTW ; I had the pleasure of meeting Willie a few years ago at Spring Fling XXV (an annual all-Chrysler show in the San Fernando Valley) . While he was physically emeciated by 2011 , his vibe and aura were still strong . I had a great time talking to one of my local heroes !

After all of this time (nearly twenty years !) , I can't believe that none of the fledgling resin casters have produced a 1967 - 1969 Dart convertible . The master would require more work than merely lopping the top off of one of the Revell '68-'69 Dart Hardtop kits , as the bodystyles were different ; the convertible was 'based' off of the pillared coupe ("21" body style) , whereas the Revell kits are hardtops ("23" body style) . The 'pillared coupe' had a more upright backlight and "C" pillars . Nothing that's glaringly obvious to the casual observer , but is apparent to fans of the Dart .

'Big' Willie Robinson's "King Daytona" !!!! How old's this photo ?

1970 : The Highwater Mark of the Supercar . With that in mind , I cannot choose just one . Here's my 'Top __' list from 1970 models : 1.) Duster 340 . Disc brakes were standard ! 2.) Swinger 340 . Disc brakes were standard here , too ; but , it's that this was the only year that the Dart received the coveted Rallye Gauges (okay , so did the 1971 Demon 340 ...) 3.) Chevelle . Of course , the LS-6 was the king . Heck , even the 325 hp version of the 396 / 402 was sweet ! 4.) Skylark GS/X . Buick's "velvet hammer" . 5.) Boss 429 Mustang . A life-long favourite of mine . Monogram's kit of this icon only cemented my contention that this was the best year for the 'Stang . 6.) Road Runner . This was the last year for the 'real' 383 Road Runner Engine (335 hp version). I'd like to have a drop-top model with the 383 ! 7.) Challenger . One of my older cousins bought one brand new in late 1969 . It was a showroom model at Atlantic Dodge in East Los Angeles . FC7 Plum Crazy . It even had black / gold Ca plates issued to it ; that's how early she bought and registered the car ! 8.) Camaro . Easily my fave year for the 2nd gen (although , I equally favour the '71-'73 models , too). Make mine a Phase III Motion LS-7 monster , please .

Anyone have a link to vintage AHRA classes ?

My Top 10 Ugliest Cars Ever (in no order of favour): 1.) Murano 2.) Cube 3.) Lamborghini's [sp] newer designs 4.) Ferrari's newer designs 5.) 1991-1992 Caprice (only because of those squared-off rear wheel openings !) 6.) 1968-1969 El Camino ( only because , IMO , the front clip doesn't flow with the rest of the vehicle. Conversely , I absolutely adore the Chevelle / Malibu of the same years !) 7.) 1969-1973 Mustang Grande Coupe . That hardtop roof does not make any sense ! 8.) Any of Boyd's custom builds --( }}wince{{ )-- 9.) Jerry Brown's Prius 10.) All of the delivey vehicles at work

Good call on that colour , James ! GY3 Curious Yellow is one of my 'Top 10' fave Chrysler colours ! Please don't take the following comment as me being critical of your superb 'Runner : the valve covers are "swapped" around here ; their placement seen here is the 1969 & earlier arrangement . 1970 model year , the breather was switched to the passenger side (maybe that was only a Cleaner Air Package ---i.e. , California--- only deal for 1970 ?) ; and by 1971 , the breather had three ports : 1.) Ported to the air cleaner's base ; 2.) Ported to the carburetor's bowl vent , and ; 3.) Ported to the vapour return line to the fuel tank I know for certain that 'N95' (Calif Emissions / C.A.P.) equipped engines had the breather fashioned as such ; however , I am not all together certain as to whether or not 'Air Grabber' (N96) engines had the aforementioned breather. Again ; not bustin' yer chops . Just some rhetoric ; some fodder ...

Kari , that is one of the nicest projects I have seen in some time ! Its wood-floor is gorgeous ! That oxidiser-infused 225 Slant Six was truly a surprise ; a welcomed surprise at that ! Excellent work !

Overall it's a beaut -- from its grey primer , to its black 'gelcoat' fenders , to its black painted engine compartment , and down to its plain steelies . While the trunk does bother me to an extent , the gaffe pales in comparison to the rest of this gem . The windshield paper ; does it read to the effect of :"Ship on BOTTOM RACK ONLY!" ? I know of at least one of them that wasn't ; the one which Al Kershenbaum [sp] of Rockville Centre Dodge on Long Island ordered (TorqueFlite model) . It eventually ended up in the care of Speedwin Automotive Engineering , also of L.I. According to Al "The Big 'K'" , the Dart was , indeed , shipped on the tractor's trailler's top rack ! The driver also refused to offload it , as it was an intimidating vehicle ; shattered door glass (ChemCor) and missing fenders (the fibreglass supplier ran short) which were shipped later on . Keep up the beautiful work , Michael !

I 'cast' my vote for leaving mould lines in-place if the line matches (closely) its 1:1 relative's parting line . Just as Bill Burmeister stated : dress the lines down to an in-scale appearance , and you're golden. For the last 20+ years , I've always left a hint of a parting line on automatic transmission cases . For instance ; the TorqueFlite of 1962 & newer vintage has a parting line running from torque converter plate to the end of the gear box . The tail shaft extension housing doesn't have this same line (at least in my experiences) .

UFC , MMA , et al. , have obviously taken precedence over sporting which , I dunno , actually requires paying attention , absolute focus , brain-power ,and a true challenge to one's constitution . "Car Racing. Because Golf , Baseball , and Football only require ONE ball ."

Hmm ... I definitely see that its rear clip does have the E-Van's characteristics to it . I was basing my assessment upon the front clip ; doesn't its doors and slider look like the Chevy van's ? Look at the recessed door handles on both . So , yeah , probably a conglomeration of two kits . Cool , no matter what ! ( BTW , I would love to get my mitts on one of the MPC 20th scale E's , as long as its factory stock building options are present !)

I'm thinking its basis is actually the AMT Chevy Van ...

I'm with you in regard to the tyres from the parts box . It's just too bad that MPC decided to make their excellent Good Year tyres out of plastic The detailling that you've added to your Volare's interior is the best ! The new , scratchbuilt arm rests really make that interior pop ! You're right about how the 1977 is labelled ; the box does exclaim "New Volare" , without a year included (unlike most of MPC's annuals). That hideous landau top was based upon an actual , limited production model called California Cruiser (or something like that).

Thanks for the heads-up , Mike !