1972coronet

Side Bar : I hope that as the technology grows and improves (espcially vis-a-vie applications in the medical field) , that like practically everything , the prices / costs / initial-investment costs , will drop signifigantly . Begs the question ; how well will 3D Printing grow into the realm of "1:1" reproduction parts ? Especially for one-off items (think : door panels , sun visors , steering wheels ( in pieces , as metal reinforcement is ostensibly necessary !) , and other unique pieces) .

Interesting colour combo , Tim ! TX9 with B5 interior ; not common , but not super rare , either

The only time that Chrysler used a black primer was at its Los Angeles plant . I'm not sure that it's exclusive to the L.A. plant ; however , I know that Hamtramck (where most 340 Dusters were built) used a light grey primer . You're correct regarding the overspray . For more info , check out Hamtramck Historical - 1970 Registry . 100% factory publications , 110% worth every minute of perusing it !

I wouldn't be surprised for a moment to find that one or more AAR Cuda models flew out of Dodge Main flanked with the rocker mouldings . These cars -and their T/A Challenger brethern- were built on the same lines at the same time as regular model E-bodies , and not in batches (think: Daytona and Super Bird) .

Unfortunately , I'm not sure how the 352 in the '60 Starliner compares / contrasts with the Edsel's FE , as I've never perused the Edsel kit (not out of disinterest , mind you) . Perhaps the engine in the Edsel is of the M-E-L series ?

My apologies , Mademan , as no offense was intended . To clarify ; I have seen many Lowrider builds over the years . I grew up in the western-side of Whittier ; as a result , I was exposed to Lowriders in addition to Muscle , Classic , Antique and Import / Exotic vehicles , and for this , I am grateful . The Whittier Boulevard scene was fraught with many styles and customised vehicles ; truly a sight for this young artist . Now , within the local plastic , scale model car scene , I have witnessed numerous beautiful Lowriders , with splendid paint jobs and other intricate external ornamentations . Oftentimes , these were "static" , "curbside" or built with miniaturised "hopper" hydraulic arrangements (works of art in their own deserved right) ; and just as often , little to no attention was given to the interior of these visual delights. I *believe* that this was intentional , as to showcase the vehicles' outward appearance . ( of course , there were a number of fully-detailled vehicles in this genre . Even more impressive ! ) Again , I apologise if my preceding statement seemed brash .

Good call on naming the original TorqueFlite , by its original engineering number ! As a reminder to all whom are building one of those 1957 300-C kits ( or the pending '56 300-B ) or any pre-1962 V8-specific TorqueFlites : the case was cast iron , not aluminum . The 1960 A-904-G ( "TorqueFlite-6" ) was the first aluminum trans and was available only behind the 170 and 225 Slant Six . The aluminum case 727 ( A-727 ) didn't premiere until two years later , for the 1962 models . What was the 2-speed PowerFlite engineering number ? It was "A-466" .

Love your Spearmint MCMLVII Ford , Mike ! Its colour scheme is a true standout ; a really unique combo , and just right for a working man's vehicle

My thoughts exactly . I believe that this car parts' caster's intent was to accommodate a prima fascia "Cutlass" as a vehicle for the Lowrider enthusiasts (in es , concentration on paint schemes and-or operational hydraulics) .

That is one cool shop , Norbert ! Great work ! Even his competition misses him . Bill was one of the greats ; a truly innovative person ("Slick-Shift" transmission and the development of Pro Stock chiefly amongst his innovations) . Even as a life-long MoPar enthusiast ( In addition to all makes / models ) , I have a strong admiration for Grump's racing prowess and his gorgeous cars !

While I was perusing eBay , I perchanced to notice this li'l gem : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cutlass-clip-set/271323889384?_trksid=p2047675.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D18241%26meid%3D2776990222460166745%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D8344%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D321096842491%26 Has anyone else seen / posted this conversion clip-set on here before ?

1.) The 352 FE from the AMT 1960 Starliner . The Retro issue from Round2 has two complete engines ! 2.) The 421 Pontiac from the AMT Catalina . 3.) The De Soto Firedome from the old 1953 F-100 (whose origins date back to the early 60's !!) .

Exactly ! It'd be nice if Round2 would reissue the Duster kit , but include the non-a/c pulleys / belt from the Street Machine ("Viper" engine) version . That Six Barrel arrangement with that York RV-2 compressor isn't at all a *realistic* setup !

It's definitely a 1972-1974 body . The giveaway being the recessed areas on the front fenders / rear quarters to accomodate the "universal" side marker lamps of '72 & later ; then the tail light panels has the 4 round cutouts for the '72-'74 tail lamp assemblies . There's a photo in the link which shows the factory-installed "Fender Tag" (stamped metal plate) which reads "1974 BODY TOOLING PROOF" . As a side to that ; it's interesting to recognise that the stamped words are recessed as opposed to superimposed , as the latter was standard practise for these tags .

Tres magnifique ! The Monza which you have built is perfect ! It is the perfect compliment to the Vega and to the Mustang II :) .

I thought the exact same thing ; If [1974] is the last year for the E-bodies , why were thye still producing Tooling Proofs ? Perhaps it had to do with the plant where they were built ( Hamtramck ; opened in 1914) and Engineering wanting to ascertain that the stampings / Bodies-In-White were still "on-track" ? It's all speculative at my end .

Ha ha ha ! Truly this Tooling Proof is , perhaps , the 8th wonder of the world ; and , if it had a Hemi under its hood , it could be dubbed "The Hemi-Powered White Elephant " !

Here , for instance , is the 1974 Tooling Proof Barracuda , a true anomaly ! http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=SC0511-107301

If I'm not mistaken , this car was the Tooling Proof 1970 Barracuda . Judging by the way that the lines are cut (literally , scribed) with the cowl / firewall being the zero-point , I'd almost assert my supposition ( ) .

My contetion is this ; at least these cars and their H-Body / H-Special brethern had their engine and drivetrain facing that correct way and the correct wheels had power to them

You're quite welcome , Tim . I've used the excellent Hamtramck Historical site ever since I discovered it a few years back . The *tricks* to utilising its info are : 1.) Ascertain the dates of the provided info . Some of those catalogues are early-press (e.g. , the 1970 Barracuda catalogue was probably printed in Summer 1969 , if not earlier) . Oftentimes factory updates were issued throughout the model year . 2.) "Never say 'Never'" when it comes to how Chrysler built cars . Exceptions to this rule would include such vehicles as a HemiCuda from the Los Angeles plant , or a convertible from the same . Those were Hamtramck-only builds . Naturally , this affects scale models in no way ( ). The availability -or lack thereof- of the white Hockey Stripe was never in question by me , only the red stripe . Special runs of specialty-built models seem to be the biggest source of confusion , with the AAR 'Cuda and the Trans Am Challenger being chiefly amongst the confusion . The T/A's only stripe colour was black ; the AAR's strobe could be had in white in addition to black . Ever see a TX9 Challenger T/A ? That "ghostly" image of the satin-finish stripes against the black body is a thing of beauty ! Tim , I have been a fan of your writing and building style ever since I picked-up my first issue of "the other magazine" in 1985 ( "Building the F-100 " , or something to that effect . The comparo between the "Big 4" offerings of 1953-1956 F-100's ) . Keep up the great work !

The 1970 Barracuda brochure in the "Library" on Hamtramck Historical doesn't -at least through any searches I've conducted- list the Hockey Stick Stripes' available colours ; not even in the Trim and Stripes section (!) From what I've garnered over the last 43 years of being a gear head , I've not seen any *documentation* of a red Hockey Stick from the factory . Who knows ; maybe it's like the elusive 1970 Mod Top / Mod Interior (which is listed in the 'Interior Trim' section) . Perhaps the (guessing at the sales code here) V6R stripes were available very early in the run , then like the Mod trim , was cancelled very early . As a side note : I've always really , really liked the paint schemes on Don Grotheer's Plymouths !

Now that is cool ! Those flush-fit headlamp covers and the thin bumper ... what could have been in the U.S. !

I know that the red stripe wasn't a factory option , but I'm pretty certain that the stripe was available in white .

I , too , was under the impression that the 1971 Demon 340 reissue (retro retool) was going to based upon the original annual series ( in this case , 1971-1976 A-body ) after its "one run for fun" as the 1975-1976 Dart Sport (360) . Let's hope it's not a train wreck ... Re : the 1971 Road Runner : its last run was in 1987 (issued until ca.1990) . The only changes from its original 1971 annual run (thanks , Casey , for the photos of the kit in question) to its 1987 issue were : - Custom wheels . The original obviously had Cragar S/S , whereas the 80's version had Gotti-esque wheels . - Tyres . The original had the whitewalls , whereas the 80's version had the 1972 & up MPC "generic" RWL tyres. I , too , am of the school of thought that a retro-reissue of the 1971 bird would be a better decision versus a 'factory bash' of the Charger , especially if its box art is spot-on