futurattraction

Thanks Tyrone. Given the quality and quantity of work you do, that means a lot! Hey Fred. Thanks for the kind words. 95% of the cage/frame work on this is .078/.080-ish. The diagonal bars from the main hoop cross member to the top of the four link are .060 Plastruct. The small gussets from the main hoop to halo bar are .050 Plastruct. The rear diagonals that will run into the trunk from the main hoop are .063 aluminum tube. Thanks, so much, Chris. Looking forward to seeing more updates on your Army car...

Thank you very much, Steve. Here are some updates. I spent this afternoon working on adding frame rail material to a new PE structural member that fits the trunk floor. I added a piece of styrene at the rear to add much-needed structural integrity. The frame will be painted separate from the pan so is being kept separate for the time being. I also did a bit of fine fitting one of the long diagonals that ties into the rear of the frame by extending the slot in the in the bulkhead between the tubs so the diagonal intersects the frame. I'm hoping to get started on putting together a safety harness so had to cut slots into the seat to prep for that assembly. Comments welcome!

Super job, my friend. The hits keep on comin'...

Thanks Randy! I appreciate it, Darryl. I'm working on a trans tunnel for it, too. That one's proving to be a bit of a bugger because there's no real consistent way to bend it and this stuff is thin enough it doesn't take much to distort it... Thank you, Brad. More to come! Hey Joe. Thanks for the kind words. Dedication is one word; commitment is another; nutso is probably the closest to what fits, though. LOL Thank you, so much, Buzz. I hope you continue to find things that are a benefit. Thanks Danno. Much appreciated. Thanks for looking in, Rick. I'm sort of amazed, myself, that it's turned out looking as good as it does. Still - it's one step at a time.

Those are turning out super nice Joe. I'm really excited for you and your new-found talent...

I'm glad to see this thread back up and running... Looking forward to more updates, Danny.

Thank you, Dave. I appreciate it. Well - I've got an update. In terms of major construction progress, it isn't, but in terms of psychological progress, it is significant. I got the PE nose tin soaked free of the rubber backing and got it more or less bent to the proper configuration. It may need a tiny bit of tweaking, but not much. So far it has passed the test... Now, will the radiator fit? LOL

That's turning out really nice! I really appreciate the stance it has.

Awesome work, Chris. Very, very nice...

That color looks great on it, Ron... Looks really sharp.

That is a fantastic build, Ron, and one very much off the beaten path, using the Ventura body. Very, very nice...

Guy - There are lots of great builders on here. I am going sort of nutso with the details. I'm sure you're not giving yourself anywhere near as much credit for your skills as you should. Thanks Bill. I'm hoping to be in KC. Not 100% sure at this point, but if I can, I certainly will. I appreciate it, Stan... Thanks a bunch, Larry. I'll do my best. Chris - Thanks for the kind words. I'm hoping to get some more test fitting of the tin work this weekend. Just got to get that bloomin' rubber off. The metal is only .006" thick so I really need to soak the rubber off rather than try to remove it by hand. I run a pretty big risk of bending it, otherwise. Thank you, Ray. Much appreciated. Russ, this has indeed been a long time in coming. I could sometimes about pull my hair out with how precisely I'm trying to get this stuff to fit. I'm sure I'll have mess-ups along the way where things don't go together the way I'd like. I guess it's the challenging myself to do the best I can. I've got only a handful of the front tires right now, and I don't have them on my website yet. I need to get a good couple of pics of them taken and get my description written up. Soon, my friend... Thank you, so much, Dirk. The Frontrunners are rubber, as are the two sizes of slicks I have available. __________________________ Along with the nose tin, I got a few sets of 2-piece PE trans tunnels made up, one of which I plan to use on this build. I've already cut the existing tunnel lengthwise on both sides where it attaches to the floor but have kept it attached at the firewall and rear kick-up so the pan keeps most of its structural integrity. I need to determine fore/aft trans placement, as well as its vertical position and angle, while the stock tunnel is attached, as the tunnel is my point of reference. I've got tubular mounts made but plan to fabricate simulated slide mounts that will attach to the central frame rail system and support the trans. After I've got the location locked in, I can then assemble and install a lever set on the trans. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to have a door on the car opened - so more interior detail is visible. Other things I'll be working on is putting together the styrene/PE frame rail/reinforcement assembly in the trunk, remove the driver side door and front end and build a small electrical switch panel to attach to the halo bar. More to come...

That's looking fantastic, Edward. Your attention to detail, such as your cam gears and all that was involved in making them, is superb. Looking forward to more updates!

Good to have you here, Mike. Welcome aboard!

Nice update, Chris. Aren't making adjustments on the fly just the greatest??? LOL Getting the mid-plate repositioned was a critical fix. Good to have it behind you...

Cool pics, Leonard! Those are really nice displays you put together... Thanks for sharing!

Joe - Thanks for your compliment re the PE. I hope it all fits as well when finally installed. Thank you, Edward. I've always been sort of partial to the DragStars. I know they're not the "in thing" but they're still a very classy wheel. Hey Gene - It's not going to be blue. I don't want to give away all my plans for paint, but purple will be a major color I utilize. Thank you, so much, Fredrik. It means a lot to know this build has had a positive impact on your modeling. Thanks a bunch, Ron. Full steam ahead!!! LOL I appreciate it, Tyrone. I'm happy with how things are turning out. I just wish it went a bit faster... LOL Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dan. As an Aussie professor at the College where I work, says, "one foot in front of the other, Mate; one foot in front of the other..."

Great looking job, Mitch! I'm looking forward to seeing more progress pics...

Thanks Leonard. I appreciate it. How's your Camaro project going? I don't recall seeing any real recent posts on it, and I'm loving the progress and fab skills you've demonstrated on it. I bought a R/C Mustang in 1/16th scale that eventually I hope to do something similar to what you're doing with your project, other than it'll be the Ford version... LOL I'm undecided if I'll build it as a P/M or P/S class car, but it'll be a lot of fun, and something totally different for me, given that I've not messed with the larger scale stuff.

Thanks Dave. I've got a small update regarding the PE tin work. I'm really pleased with what they look like so far. I've got to find a larger container to put acetone in before I can soak the main nose piece. It's too large to fit in my jar I normally use to soak PE stuff in. Close up of driver side splash shield: The main nose tin looks good and I was pleased that the "bead rolled" etching looks good, scale-wise. After the rubber is removed, the section that fits between the splash shield and nose tin will fold down and fill the gap in front of the forward strut support tubes. I'm really toying with the idea of using Cragar DragStars on this build. I can't decide if I want to have them chromed or paint them the lower body color I'm planning to use. I also wanted to show off a new product I'm going to be offering. The pic doesn't do it justice. It is based off a 3D printed version of Goodyear's Frontrunner tire. Chief Joseph and I teamed up to do it. It is a direct replacement for R/M's kit tires and is designed to work with their wheels. Joseph figured out how to mold it so there are no blemishes or casting imperfections on it. A super part, in my view.

Looking good, Chris!

Way to go, Derrick! Congrats, bro...

Yep, Paul. I revised the PE pieces to include housing flanges. Sorry! LOL On a totally separate note, I received a package in the mail a couple days ago that I've been chomping at the bit to get. I drew up the PE tin work for the nose. I finally got it from IMME. Though I won't know for a certainty until sometime in the future how well it will final fit, I'm really pleased with what it looks like, mocked up. I'll try to get pics posted soon. I'm going to a show tomorrow so it probably won't be until sometime later in the weekend.

Thanks guys. I'm planning to keep nudging this along, so keep watching...

X2, Rick. Super job! Looks like Mr. Vader is about the right scale to have actually been able to work with those nuts and bolts... LOL