Rodent

I I owned a 1990 325iS from 1998-late 2004. It replaced a Fox Body 5.0 Mustang as my daily driver. It was a fairly low-mileage example when I got it. You eagle-eye E30 experts will notice that it had a regular "i" lower front lip instead of the body-color one. It came that way and I left it. The 88-90 iS lips didn't play nicely with curbs and things. This picture was taken just as the odometer rolled up 100k. After owning American and Japanese makes all my life, I was a little shocked at the poor quality of most of the rubber components were. Suspension and frame bushings, fuel lines, etc. looked like the car had been sitting in the desert for 30 years by the time it had 90k. In those days, E30 M3s were still fairly common among mere mortals, so I bought a set of springs and the rear sway bar from a guy who was upgrading his M3. They dropped the car around an inch, and the slightly larger rear bar improved turn in. I installed solid offset front control arm bushings that were OEM on the M3s, new control arms, and a set of Bilstein Sports. The car was much more pleasant to drive, and not harsh at all after. These cars run a lot of caster anyway, and the offset bushings get you another 1-1.5 degrees. I bought a set of 15" BBS cross-spoke wheels from a breaker in the UK and had them refinished. The 15 inch E30 4-bolts are pretty rare in the US. They were only used on the M-Technic convertibles (149 for the US). Side pic showing the drop and the wheels.

If you can be talked out of it, I actually could use the Thunderbird valance. I have a complete 68 body and interior, but the front valance seems to have gone missing. I don't know what I will ever do with it, but it would be nice if it was complete.

I know you were. It made me laugh because we have all been there.

I have never seen one in the plastic. I have 65 and 66 hardtop promos that I have owned since the 80s. My 65 just says "Mustang" in the license plate area. I am not hugely educated on these and I wonder if it is one of the ones that could have been mail ordered for the princely sum of $1 around introduction time in 1964.

Odd that this is a discussion about passenger side rear tire on a Focus. Shortly after we bought Focus #1, my spouse wound up getting a puncture in the RR tire. It looked like it was a screw in the shoulder that probably fell out while entering the freeway. TPMS alerted after it was too late. Got the "What should I do?" call, and my answer was to turn on the flashers and keep the seat belt on. The freeway service patrol will be along shortly and they will park their rollback behind you as a blockade and put on the spare for free. Yup, they stopped while we were still on the phone. Car was stopped next to a sound wall, so the "get thee behind the barrier" wasn't possible. I don't have kids, but if I did, they would be smart enough to rotate their own tires at home in the garage, replace their brake pads, etc. but also be smart enough to call for help when they get a flat in a dark spot where they might be likely to be killed by an inattentive driver drifting to the right and hitting them at 50 mph. Also the inherent dangers of OEM jacks and "lug wrenches".

It's not like Hometown Buffet (or whatever similar gross fooditorium you have in your town). You don't have to eat everything you touch. But I definitely understand the Shiny Kit Syndrome.

Maybe a new thread with this subject? I think the 1964 Cutlass convertible might be on that list for me. Jury is still out.

Just paid fairly dumb money for one of those some time back. Appears to be the last release that has the XR-7 interior and emblems. I plan to (someday) combine it with the later 428CJ version to make (obviously) a 428CJ XR-7 like a family friend briefly drove when I was an impressionable 9 year-old. Edit: I was a little surprised to see that the Street Machine doesn't have a clock but the CJ does. I have no idea what the XR-7 annual had for a dash. Seems odd that it wouldn't have a clock.

The AMT '40 Coupe was one of the first 1/25th scale kits I built as a kid. Local drug store had a pretty good selection of kits. I remember snagging this one (and the '53 pickup) for 44 cents each at their sidewalk sale in 1968 or so. I will build another one sometime for nostalgia's sake. I know the Revell kit is much better.

I guess I will have to add the AMT '65 Galaxie to my list of kits that I have picked up almost every release of but never purchased one. Agree with Chris' thought about the JoHans. When the USA Oldies were around I probably looked at all of them without buying any of them.

with no ears

Nope. The original promo and kit have blobs that suggest trumpets and they are too far to the outside. Trumpets need to be moved closer to the license plate and a 66 has standard backup lamps like the coupe kit has. Look at my 1:1 pic.

The 66 Fastback does have the Interior Decor Group (Pony Interior), as did the promo.

I hope so too. I have a partly-done original and the valance has always bugged me.

Is it too late to correct the rear valance?

A priest, a rabbi, and a duck walk into a bar. Bartender says, "What is this, a joke?"

Rear of the car is quite different as well.

At least in the case of 2018-up FCA/Stellantis, this is for security against hacking in to "internet connected" cars. A legit shop can go through a third party company (AUTOAUTH) and register their scan tool(s). All modules can be communicated with then. Or at least that is their story.

Most everything else that Audi makes is a 48-volt mild hybrid now and those batteries are LI as well. Obviously not anywhere as large, but a ship full of LI batteries could make an interesting "thermal event"

Thy were scored in the original kit. You could cut them out and replace them with blanking panels. I was looking through the instructions of my original last night.

This body has taken some poetic license as a GS wagon, but there were Buick Sportwagons with the Vista Cruiser long wheelbase bodies. Neighbor across the street had a 68 sans woodgrain. All the bells and whistles, hubby's family owned a Buick dealership in SoCal.

https://www.autonews.com/retail/towing-boats-head-toward-burning-cargo-ship-carrying-4000-vws-porsches-bentleys-audis-lambos LI batteries on fire, according to this.

Agreed, but I had the original editions of both the 73 and 74 Roadrunner and the 72 GTO. I certainly wouldn't buy them again. I still have the original 74 RR and have been thinking of doing a Rodent-Fu on it. Bought a decal sheet from the current release on the Bay recently just to do that.

Every time I see an AMT '66 Mercury, I think about how many times I have had a version of that kit in my hand, read the box, then put it back on the shelf. Still have never purchased one to this day. What reissued kits have you done the same thing with for every reissue? It intrigued you enough to pick it up, but not enough to ever take it home. I can think of a few others on my list, but I wonder if I am the only one who does this.

I hope they get the reverse lights and exhaust trumpets right on this version. The original had some "things" that were neither fish nor fowl. And I hope they decide on something other than white letter Polyglas GTs for the final iteration. I am kind of a Early Mustang Geek, and I have my "cringe list", like Rex and his '71-'73 hood louvers. Didn't see this one coming and I am glad they are doing it. Didn't see the Charger coming either, and I am glad it isn't based on the Lindberg kit.