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Hello and THANK YOU to each and everyone of you that has taken a peek at this thread and commented. I've gotten a new burst of energy off of your comments & acknowledgement of what I've been building. Can't wait to get back to the bench now. I'm going to make an effort to do a true WIP on this particular build. I have a car to wrap up (my curbside LSR project) and then I'm into this build with both feet. I'll do my level best to post my progress and answer your questions along the way. I am certain that I'll reach out to YOU for answers to my questions as I go along. To Mr. Teresi.....I want to personally say thank you as you are not only a great SCRATCHbuilder but are incredibly prolific as well. John, you build in 1 year what takes me 3, 4 maybe even 5 years to do. That has always amazed me. Love your stuff too if you can't tell. Anyway, please be patient with me as this thread will go "quiet" soon as I want to finish the other project (which I promise to post when done) and then pick this one up along with a couple others. Cheers, Tim

Guys, I want to thank you too for the time you took to post your comments on the build. I really appreciate Andy Lembles idea for a scratchbuilt mini wrench for tiny bolts..his idea WILL work and I already have it figured out how to make the tool using a ProTech caphead screw and stainless steel tubing. I'll make one and post it for all of you to consider. Great idea Andy as I had to laugh at myself that it was so obvious but I never considered it. Thanks again. Cheers, Tim

Guys, what do I say at this point other than thank you for all of your kind sentiments and responses to my builds. It's been a blast doing them but I get great satisfation in knowing that you know what you see and that you truly appreciate my efforts. Art, I want to say thanks for you comments on all 3 builds. You've been building for a while now and I certainly respect your opinions/sentiments too. For those that are coming to appreciate the old school stance, that's good too. Slammed is the way of the day now and I can do that too I assure you, but old school nose up stance is something a bit different and I always liked that too as a kid. Lastly, here are a few pics of the chassis pieces right before I began the final assembly process. To finish a build it takes me about 2 months of actual assembly time to put the sub-assemblies together. I refuse ot rush at this phase as it can screw everything up in a hurry. We all know how hard that is since we get excited to see the finished product. I've expanded my reserves of patience regardless of what my 2 little girls think. I picked the seat frame shot as you never will get to see the time/effort that went into these simple frames/supports but they looked so good in aluminum that I wanted to be sure to share them. Most respectfully, Tim

Hi Karsten, Just WOW. What a car, model and the wheels can only be described as jewelry. Thanks for sharing with us. Cheers, Tim

Jeremy, great thread and enjoy how you're building it bit by bit. Just great scratchbuilding. Keep her going. Tim

Hi Clay, I've followed you the last couple of years and to see the progress you've made in your building skills is truly inspiring. I thought you were awesome 3 years ago when I got back in the hobby but I particularly enjoy seeing what CAN be achieved and try to work towards getting better. Always look forward towards your next update. Cheers, Tim

Hi again guys, Can't tell you how pleased I am that you like the build. The cars been on my shelf for almost a year and it's been great to share it with you. I did want to answer Michaels question on the nuts/bolts for the front suspension. I used a combination of 1mm T2M bolts and ScaleHardwares .5mm threaded nuts/bolts. You'll have to check out T2M's offerings and pick the one that's best for your particular car. They have a decent selection but I can only get them from BNA Models out of Australia. The tiniest bolts I have found/sourced are the .5mm threaded ones and they work well on 1/25th scale. There is not a tool in the world that holds them since they're so tiny..at least I haven't found one yet but I can offer this tip when securing them. I hold the head of the bolt with small tweezer/pliers and put the threaded nut on the tip of a scribe. I have one that has just the right thickness where half of the tiny nuts threads are not covered up and I hold it against the end of the bolt while turning the bolt head. Once I have it on a few turns, I take my tweezers and carefully thread down the nut. Sounds goofy I know but after MUCH trial and effort and lost bolts I found it is very effective. Cheers to all, Tim

Hi guys, Thanks again for taking the time to look at the build and share your opinions and suggestions. For Mike Cassidy, another bonehead on my part regarding the fan blades. Noted for my future builds.....I do appreciate your constructive notes/criticisms/observations as they make one a better builder. And we all strive to get better. And to Mike Schnur, THANK YOU for noting the time/effort that went into the build just from an "adversity" level. I never give up when I tackle something but man o' man this car tested me for sure. It's one of the reasons I called out Donn Yost for the "pep" talk in pursuing the build when it was stalling out. Your compliments are appreciated I assure you. Tim

Hi everyone, Thank you again for the very generous comments. And I want to say "hi" especially to Donn as it's always great to hear from the "old man" himself. I've posted my FOTKI link below on this car....there are 300 pics of it's bits and pieces during construction...take a peek and let me know what you think or if I can answer any questions. Most sincerely, Tim http://public.fotki.com/Steppenwolf56/66-mustang-fastback/

Hi everyone, I thought I'd do this new post as I've got the hang of how to post now and to share my first completed build after my 40 year hobby hiatus. This car was a blank canvas and it kicked and fought me in many different ways. Not least because I was new to all of the options/materials/tools that we have today but I didn't when I was a kid. The car was to be kind of old school but with a "modern" twist. I wanted to stuff the widest rears ( I grew up in the late 60's /. early 70's) but not tub the car. The only way to be legal back then was to put flared fenders / extensions on that covered most of the tire. So I grafted Shelby Cobra fenders on it and re-worked them substantially. I opened the trunk and did the mandatory nostril scoop. (they have pounded brass frames with glued screen to fill em') The rear quarter window panels were drilled out and a zillion teensy rivets installed. The R model front bumper and rear glass were installed and I made scratch aluminum brackets to hold it in place. The front grill surround and topside radiator supprt are scratch aluminum. The door handles are kitbash, drilled out and pinned to the door. The engine is a modified 427FE with modern EFI. A lot of scratch work went into the motor. It was originally a Gibson motor. I added a scratch remote oil filter and alum. oil radiator. The water radiator is fabbed of alum. The shorty headers were fabbed from brass and took several weeks to do. The bellcrank/throttle linkage is complete I assure you even though you can't see it for the rectangular plenum plates I made. All fuel, oil, water, radiator, brake and heater lines were added/installed and the firing order is correct. The engine has a standar 4 speed and the shift linkage is installed as well. The shifter is scratch. The firewall and inner fender wells were fabbed out of alum. sheet. The chassis is old school with leaf springs and threaded collar adjustable coil overs in the rear. The front suspension from the kit was junked and a scratch built IFS was installed. Most of it is made of alum. and brass. The exhaust is alum. with the requisite cherry bombs and DM exhaust manifold flanges. Wheels have air valves and the brakes are drilled disc at all corners. The brake cylinder and pro-valve are scratch. The interior has scratchbuilt dash pieces and seat frames. The rear seat was cut out and an alum. package shelf fabbed as were the alum. door side panels. The roll cage is alum. and the belts were made of red/black material that was painstakingly (I really mean that one) together to get the 2 tone effect. Theres a key fob too. There is a fabric headliner and the color is Testors Bright Yellow The car was painted 3 times till I got it right. After the first purple pond bath the body work was pretty much destroyed and I had to kinda start over again. This car was a struggle BUT it taught me so many lessons so that I can attempt to build almost anything with confidence and really enjoy the process of design and fabrication. I know why people love to scratchbuild now. It gets in your blood. Almost 2 years in the making and hundreds of hours of effort. I want to close by saying a special thanks to Donn Yost as I was struggling a year into this build and I had bought his paint DVD tutorial. When I was getting frustrated, he talked me off the ledge and gave me the best advice of all....start other projects and have others going when you start feeling burned out on a build. Then come back to it and you can see the forest for the trees again. I wanted to share because he didn't have to but he did and I'm all the better as a builder for it. Your feedback/comments and criticisms are welcome I assure you. Tim

Hi Guys, For Bob (theHobbyGuy) - The FORD script on those v.covers were cast in the resin valve covers I used. I don't remember where I got them. The breathers were detailed and the covers I drilled and added cap head screws from RB. I removed the flange and added a new one as the resin one wasn't straight/clean enough unfortunately. They were painted modelmaster Magnesium and the plug tubes are stainless steel tube that I painted flat black. Roger - I spend probably 20% of my time on a build just doing research/planning. It helps before I get into the weeds. I'm a Ford guy through and through and I know it's blasphemy to do what I did......but I always had a fond spot for the Willys......I'm sure some of you are thinking why didn't I just build a 34' Ford or something similar in the first place.....I know it crossed my mind at times. To Mike, Ron, Glenn, Nick, Andy, Harry, Jesse, Jim, Bob, Dominik, Karsten, Derrick and anyone I missed, THANK YOU again for the sentiments. They truly made me smile. It took me too long to join the forum and I regret not having joined sooner. Look for future postings of other builds soon. Cheers, Tim

Thanks Mike. I was inspired to buy a Sherline mill by Comp1839 and Clay Kemp. Clay just only recently learned his skills and to see what he can do with his mill so quickly is just unbelievable in my eyes. Your comments are appreciated and I look forward to our conversation(s) in the future. Jason....."sorcery" now that is funny. thank you as well for your note and comment.

Thanks again everyone, here's 2 more pics of the engine. There are about 100 others at my FOTKI account, the link was provided earlier. Cheers,Tim

I'd like to reply to the following: Gilbert...thanks for your comments and I'll post some pics of my 66' Mustang Fastback that is under glass later this week. It was my first build after 40 years away from building and it was a tough build in so many ways as I had so much to learn again. Michael: a. The brass/aluminum were purchased at Kranzels Hobby Shop in Lemoyne, Pa. and also my local hardware store. Hard to find sizes/materials were purchased from Caboose Hobbies. b. I use tix silver solder and an American Beauty resistance soldering setup. It's great for the tiny / hard to solder areas. c. The a arms were fabbed from brass tube and the "rocker arms" were fabbed from some misc. MAS photoetch pieces. Tom: Tix solder and the main framerails are tapered 3/16th" brass rectangular tube which I had to shape and then fill in with solder at the ends of framerails. The drilled support rails are the same. Various sizes were used to do crossmembers etc. The front shock / rocker towers are 3/16th SOLID brass that were shaped by hand and then drilled / cut to accept the PE rockers. Hope this helps. Tim

Hi Mike, Thanks for your positive comments AND your note on the driveshaft. I missed that one and will note it on future builds. I've posted some more pics from my Fotki account. I have over 300 pics of the car in various stages of construction. Please visit and let me know what you think.. I did pick some added photos for you to check out. There is one of my "handcrafted" aluminum rear hub carriers. Just my trusty dremel & files. Cheers,Tim

Whoa, I'm very happy to see you guys like my build, especially the fact that you can see and appreciate the engineering that went into it. Your comments have made that 18 months of building all worthwhile. At somepoint I'll get to NNL East or the Sept. Showdown in Eastern Pa. to show some of my builds. Hopefully I will get to meet some of you at show in the future. Again, my sincerest thanks!

Hi, I just posted for the first time under WIP my Twin turbo Henry J and thought I'd share my finished 33' Willys. It was an AMT kit (1/25th scale) and I attempted to scratchbuild as much as possible on the car. My goal was to do a modern interpertation of a hot rod I'd like to own. Boss 429 with a Barry Grant "badman" carb coverted to EFI. The trans is a T-56. Independent front suspension with shocks mounted inboard and IRS done up "Jag" style. The chassis was my first attempt at soldering anything. I was pleased and it was fun to work with the metal. I modified the body substantially. Removed the rear fenders, opened the trunk while removing the spare tire detent. The trunk hinges are MAS units. The entire interior, floor, trunk, trans tunnel, firewall, radiator and supports,exhaust, driveshaft, (I know I'm forgetting some items here) are all in real aluminum. The The brakes are DM and have brakebleeders too. The master cylinder and pro-valve are scratchbuilt. The grille is a DM PEtch 34' Ford. The wheels are Micro nitro with parts box knock-offs and ProTech valve stems. The windshield frame is pounded / shaped aluminum rod and the roof panel insert is scratch from aluminum. Can you tell I like aluminum? It took 2 weeks to get the entire throttle linkage fabbed and has return springs etc. I enlarged the fuel tank and made the battery box of drilled/fabbed aluminum. The entire car is wired for brakes, water, electric, fuel and oil. The dipstick works and the starter / solenoid are properly wired. The firing order is correct & the block has replicated freeze plug along with an engine ground strap. The motor mounts are modified PE pieces from the parts bin. The steering rack passes through the frame (it can be done, I researched 1:1 cars). The halibrand rear and Jag IRS comprise more than 300+ bits and pieces alone as I stopped counting once I got to 300. The rear hub carriers were fabbed from solid aluminum stock and drilled to accept the threaded nuts/bolts. There are pics of the before / after on my FOTKI page. Each RB Motion shock (6) was modified to be a threaded collar adjustable piece. The steering is poseable. This is my 2nd completed car since I took the hobby up after a 40 year sabbatical. I really wanted to stretch myself on this build. It took me 1000+ hours over a year and a half to build with a LOT of trial and error in the construction. I did all the construction by hand (I just got a mill but didn't get to use it on this car) with my trusty dremel & jewelers drill press. Comments are always welcome and thanks to all of the builders that frequent this forum as I've learned a lot since returning to the hobby from all of you. You can find many more pics of this build at this Fotki link: http://public.fotki.com/Steppenwolf56/my-first-album/

Hi Bob, I'm planning on a current promod style chassis. I did my first all brass chassis on my 33' WIllys and it turned out pretty cool. But I might do it in plastic since it's my first promod chassis and I can see they're a bit tricky to build. I'll be using some chassis parts / brackets from micronitro, dirt modeler and futurattraction. I'm going to attempt making my first piece off my new mill by doing a Mark Williams rear end. That should be an interesting learning curve. I want to pound the rear wheel tubs out of titanium sheet but I don't know if it's feasible. It's challenging to work with as it's strong as steel and is not malleable like brass or aluminum. This is the part of scratch building I like....get an idea...then research and begin experimenting on HOW to fab it. When something does turn out as planned, that's all the reward I need. Thanks again for your compliments.

Hi everyone, first i'd like to thank everyone for your kind comments. Btw, I sourced he belts are from M.A.S. I've included a pic of the car WIP that the engine will go with. I widened the rear end/fenders by 1/2" - Stretched, narrowed the front end and added twin inlet nostrils and a compresins turbo hood. The bumper is a modified AMT 49' ford piece. Lower valances were added and the top was chopped substantially although I can't remember by how much. Mini magnets secure the doors and the wheels will be Weld wheels made by micronitro. (i'll post pics of those soon). Here's a link to my FOTKI site with more on the WIP on the car overall. At somepoint (when I figure it out) I'll move this thread over to the Drag Racing section. http://public.fotki.com/Steppenwolf56/henry-j-twin-turbo/

Hi, in reply to the turbo construction, I should have done a tutorial. I took solder, chucked it in my drill and tapered it with sandpaper to get the right shape. The alum. intake flare was created with a properly sized punch placed in the end of alum tube and ligthly tapped with a hammer to get the proper flare.The impellers are old watch gears. The real challenge was making the v-band clamps on the exhaust side. They were leftover PE and drilled, polished and shaped with ScaleHardware .5mm threaded bolts/nuts to get the right effect. I made the turbo air intake clamps (the blue ones) in an equally time consuming fashion, but they are actually functional. Each one was about 90 minutes to make. I have over a year of on off building in this engine. The turbos and intake were about 2 months of fairly constant construction. I conservatively estimate about 600 hours + in the engines construction alone. I don't have a lathe but bought a mill a few months ago that I've yet to finish setting up. I love researching each and every component and then trying to replicate using my tools, materials and imagination. I decided not to add the water and electrical lines as I didn't want the engine to be overwhelmed with wires etc. After I got all the oil lines on I liked the look and decided to leave well enough alone. Sometimes less is more. My other builds feature full engine detailing down to gear shift linkage and working dipsitcks. I only build 1/25th scale at this time. But this just looked right where I left it. If there are any other specific questions you'd like me to answer, i'll do the very best I can to assist. I

Oops, sorry, I stated the headers were not plastic but in fact they are...I made them up from Plastruct and added weld lines.

Hi, This is my 2nd post as a new member of the forum. Last week I posted a WIP engine under the "show you engines" post. I completed the engine finally. I am the worlds slowest builder. I took the hobby up after a 40 year layoff a few years ago and I've only managed to complete 2 cars with 4 in various stages of completion and of course, this engine. It's a 427 small block Ford based upon the Shelby alum. block and Arias Ford Hemi heads. (a kind word to Jim at MicroNitro for his valve covers and bellhousing that he made for me and I modified/detailed for this car). I used alot of watch parts as well. The block and heads are scratch from plastic and I tried to use as much real metal, primarily aluminum, in this build. The intake, turbos, headers, lenco and most of everything on the engine plate are scratch...none of which are plastic. The engine was originally slated for a GT 40 LSR car and then I switched to a pure LSR car and finally I decided it really would be best in the Henry J that is a WIP. You can find it at my FOTKI account under Steppenwolf56. I used real titanium for the engine and trans plate in addition to the engine stand. I love the metal and it's color but it is a bear to work/shape. Just a word to the wise. Love the hobby and I'm doing things I could only dream about as a kid. I'll be happy to answer any questions and I appreciate your comments in advance. A special thanks also to RB Motion, ProTech and Scale Hardware...it woudn't be possible to build to this level of detail without their products and to Clay Kemp and Dave (we know him as comp1839) as they've been an inspiration with their builds and willingness to hellp others.

Thanks Mike. In a few days I'll have pics of it completed. The entire front engine plate and all of the ancillaries will be on. I think you'll like it. Again, thank you for your kind comment. The trans alone has over 100 bits and pieces in it.

Hi, This is my first post on the Forum...I took up the hobby after a 40 year layoff about 3 years ago. This engine is Ford 351W with Arias Hemi heads...twin turbo...lenco..mostly made of solder, aluminum, real titanium, plastic block and heads (all scratch) & a few aftermarket aluminum pieces. About 12 months building it off and on. I can provide more detail on the engine if you're interested. It's 1/25th scale btw. http://public.fotki.com/Steppenwolf56/henry-j-twin-turbo/henry-j-twin-turbo-59.html#media