futurattraction

Very convincing appearance you've got going there Chris...

a 1/16th scale 10 lb nitrous bottle that is 7" dia in 1:1 (.4375 in 1/16th)? I've done a little bit of searching and haven't turned anything up so far.

That's an excellent looking job you've done on your bumpers, Bart. She's definitely taking shape!

Those u-joints are pretty impressive. They look really great! Keep up the great work...

I'm glad I didn't pay that much for the one I got! Haven't built it yet, but have visions of doing a Mustang II pro stocker some day in that scale. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway... LOL

I don't think I'd be out of line in saying that these latest pics, even if there is a spot inside the lens, are breathtaking. A true work of art, Clay!

Luc - Thanks for your continued interest and support of this project Bart - I don't think stuff will be ready for Heartland this year, and I've got bad news for you. I'm not going to be there this year. There was a conflict between it and an event that my wife is involved with. She doesn't drive so I've got to be there. Gotta maintain harmony in the marriage, you know... She's been very supportive of my modeling, so I can't complain too much. Chris - Thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement. Henry - I do plan to include PE grips for the hand brake levers and butterfly steering wheels. I'll plan to post updates as I make progress...

Another great touch you've added to your already mile-long list of detail improvements.

You'd have more body choices to start with, that's pretty much a given... LOL You may have to give it a try someday!

I've added a couple more items to what I'm planning to do in PE. With Dave's help, I've gotten some good photos and feedback about a BBC trigger wheel (still need to do the pickup arm and mounting bracket) and some wheelie bar wheels. I plan to add a couple more trigger wheels and maybe another design of wheelie bar wheels. I will also be doing wheelie bar brackets. Here are some pics of the current wheels. Oh, and Luc, I've been working on flat Lenco levers.

Jason, If I don't forget to, I've got an article at home about AJ's NOS version of Zeke in an '83 magazine that has a couple of decent pictures, one with the front end off and another looking into the trunk from the passenger side. Just need to remember to scan them.

Jim, To my knowledge, Animal Jim was the only one who ever used a roof hatch in his Zephyr. Don't see a lot of them (roof hatches) in any doorslammers. It's kind of like they became a trademark of AJ. I'm pretty sure he had one in his Probe, too. I'm not sure about his T-Bird. Should go back and look at his website, could probably answer myself for both of those cars...

Where'd those puppies come from? The slicks, that is?

I'm lovin' it...

I'm checking into it, Chris...

As everyone else has said, the stance of your '57 is dead-on. It truly looks fast just setting there... Very, very nice!

Your Vette is looking good so far Bart. I'm also very interested to see where that Mustang project goes...

That looks great, Wayne. I remember when it happened. You've built a great replica capturing that moment in time....

I haven't personally done anything like that yet. Of course with 1/25th, which is the only scale I've had any dealings with, really, parts are small enough that graining may or may not be noticeable anyway. I have polished the nickel-silver and it polishes out pretty nicely. Another thought to at least keep in mind is that the rolls of material that the PE parts are produced from have a grain to them, by nature, so in a larger scale such as 1/8, it's possible if the parts were laid out in the proper direction, a guy might be able to create some level of graining in the natural finish.

Thank you, Sir...

I'm speechless (again), Chris. The level of detail you're putting into every square mm of this build is above and beyond. All the normal adjectives, and even over-the-top adjectives have already been used repeatedly, so I don't know what to say. I know - I look forward to every one of your updates!

Joe - thanks for your continued encouragement! Chris - I'm glad you see where I'm coming from regarding the finish. It won't always work, but it's worth trying where it's feasible. Luc - Thanks for the suggestions. I will certainly take them into consideration. I already do original "flat" Lenco hand and detent levers in 1/25th, so it wouldn't be tough to scale them up to 1/16th. Are those what you mean or do you mean something like Lightning Rod levers? My biggest concern would be how many people are building 1/16th scale drag cars these days that use levers. Virtually all the Lenco-equipped builds I see online are Pro Mods and it seems as though they're all air-shifted. It's a totally different matter about the Liberty-equipped NHRA pro stockers, where manual shifting is required. The ventilated rotors with separate insert between discs will take a bit of thought but I know they're do-able... Dave - Something in the back of my mind was confident about the hand brake lever being 1/4-inch. The other pieces didn't "feel right" in my head, and especially the butterfly wheel, but I didn't really have anything good to go on, so I do appreciate your input. As long as we're on the topic of input. You always urge me/us to ask questions, so here's one. Would you have any opportunity to measure the "old style" flat Lenco levers to see how long they are? My 1/25th, I think, are close, but all I had to go by was scaling from some pics.

Thanks for coming to the rescue Dave! I waay overestimated on some of them, didn't I? Are the smaller levers and butterfly made out of something like 6061-T6 aluminum?

Thanks for your replies, guys! Luc - I will remember that! LOL Chris - My feeling right now is that, in 1:1, the butterfly wheel would be made out of ~3/16" and the brake, fuel shut-off and chute lever handles would be constructed out of 1/4". Now's the time to chime in if you (or anyone else) think(s) differently. IF you agree, then they ought to be made out of .016" thick material, which is the closest thickness dimension in nickel-silver quoted to me. Another aspect of PE that, for me, comes into play is this - IF I can use a finish that comes closest to replicating the finish of the 1:1 component, I'm hoping/thinking it might be able to stay unpainted. You don't lose detail that way and may look more natural. Okay. Let me know what you think.

Hey folks, An update for you all. I submitted a PE drawing/layout last night for 1/12th and 1/16th scale Dzus plates in several styles. There will be twelve sets of lightened plates and twelve sets of "standard" plates in this first round in 1/12th scale. There will be 32 sets of 1/16th scale lightened and standard plates and eight sets of clipped- corner plates. There are sixty plates per set and are made out of .006 nickel-silver. Next up will be finishing the stainless steel Dzus self-ejecting buttons in stainless. Thickness will .004". I'm 99.9% sure there are 84 buttons per set for both 1/12th and 1/16th. Other pieces that will be submitted in that same order will be window and fender bezels, C2C marker/ruler and possibly some other pieces that would fit 1/16th thickness in 1:1, preferably with a finish similar to stainless. Let me know if you've got more suggestions. Scott