DirtModeler

Those would end up being pretty big, so they would be an expensive part. doing some calculations, the 46mm radius (1.81102 inches), the circumference of a circle with a radius that big is about 11.39". It looks like the shields don't go all the way around 360 degrees, but they go about 270 degrees around. Doing that calculation, the part would need to be about 8 1/2" wide to bend into that shape. Each shield would end up being 8 1/2" wide by nearly 3" long as a photoetched flat piece, that's 25.5 square inches each. The pair would be 51 square inches. That would mean a pair of heat shields would run about $50 retail. I could definitely do it, but it wouldn't be a cheap part.

Does anyone happen to know what kit the firestone pro street fatty rear tires comes from. They are 18 bucks on ebay by themselves. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Firestone-Pro-Street-Tires-w-Wheels-1-25-Scale-/351012480179?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item51b9f964b3 I got the wheels today from the pro stock camaro kit, but I'd really like to find treaded fatty rears.. I found some resin ones for sale but didnt like the looks of the casts.

Love the subject! Always had a soft spot for 49' Mercs. google scale rust using rock salt.. I just stumbled across it the other day, and i might try it myself for my project.

Thanks Guys. Heading down to the LHS here at 1pm when it opens up, going to see if they have any kits i can use for the wheels and tires. I found a few that will work... also have to pick up some square brass for the frame... I was a little shocked to find that K&N doesn't make square brass tube that scale out to 2"x4" in 1:24th scale. Closest i can get is 2 1/4 x 4 1/2".

no idea on that one. Some people love engines, and they are their favorite, and their specialty.. mine is chassis fab and suspensions... engines I am pretty clueless. Ill find a chevy motor to put in there. I have a Streetburner kit I can pull the engine from.

I haven't built a non-dirt car in ages, but want to stray from the norm for a little while and try out some new stuff. I have one other project in mind, but this one will probably come first. A 64 Chevy Pro Street Truck. My late brother actually had a similar looking truck he was working on before he passed away. I have the donor kit on the way, and will be doing most of the rest out of soldered brass. It will give me an opportunity to get back to soldering again, and try out some of the new parts i just released. I'll have this one running a ladder bar suspension. I'll probably need some help along the way, like a good source for the motor? I'll also need to find the right tires and wheels, though i'm planning on calling on Micro Nitro to source something, i just love his work. This inspiration truck isn't complete, so i'll be doing some fantasy adjustments here and there to get it to a near finished state. I really like the flat painted body panels with colors that don't match.. and will see if i can't get the frame rusty looking. Anyway, i hope everyone can help me along, i might have some questions here and there, the chassis and suspension will be the easy part for me.. it's the rest of the stuff i'll be scratching my head with. More pics to come once the kit arrives and i can start the chassis fab.

Hope i wasn't a buzzkill to the thread. What do you guys build?

I'd say that's a really good assessment. There are so many different types of skills required. Holding a World of Outlaw Sprint Car on the track cornering on a 1/4 mile track at 120+ Mph takes skill too.. especially since you are doing it between a couple other cars cornering at the same time.

Hey Mark, why'd you hang it up?

it's a bummer with Rally because it's gotten really hard to find coverage anymore. You can youtube rallies a few days after they were ran, but other then that, nothing.. at least in the US.

I'd say they are. Even F1 drivers have tried it, and former F1 world champions can't even cut it in Rally. The difference between Rally and other forms of motorsport is, they get two passes for a course.. and only two.. a scouting pass, and then they race it.. whatever notes their navigator write down is all they have to go off of..

If you guys can help with dimensions and reference photos, I might be able to help. I am always interested in new PE product lines.

The door system is sweet!

Ladder bars played a major role on this plate in both 1:24 and 1:16 in multiple mounting bolt sizes.

Some new rear linkage brackets. I wanted to expand the possibilities and not just focus on Pro Mod brackets.

A couple new types of linkage mounting brackets in different scales and bolt sizes, depending on what size of bolts are desired to mount the linkage arms. Also, a completely random part of some interesting electronics mounting brackets.

The plates arrived on Friday. We spent all weekend clipping plates, photographing the new parts, and getting things organized. We're close, but still have lots to do. I thought i'd start a new thread to show some of what is new, though there are 100 new parts frets, which is way too much to post. Start it off with body Mount plates. In 3 scales.

We've just received word that our new etched plates are finished and on the way. These new plates have just over 100 brand new parts frets. This is a pretty massive release in Dirt Modeler standards. New 4-Link Bracket Styles, New Ladder Bar Brackets, and much, much more. We'll have it all up on the website as soon as we can, likely this Sunday. Note that some of these items may sell out quickly. The new 300 Series (parts starting at DM300) are only one fret per plate, so i'll have only 11ea of these parts for sale with the first batch. We'll re-evaluate which of these parts are the most popular and do a follow up plate in a couple of months. I'm pretty excited about the new stuff, the tab and bracket release i'm hoping will become a standard in the toolbox for modelers since they will be so inexpensive and easy to find what you need for your project.

The Worst part: Listing how great the car is from and hour straight from the salesman.. then going into the financier's office and have him tell you just as passionately that the car is a piece of BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH and if you don't buy the extended warranty, you'll be super sorry.

Waiting for updates from your builds is like waiting for new episodes of Walking Dead.. they seem to take so long in-between, but MAN it's awesome when they come!

I have a walk-in spray booth. It's about the size of a closet. I can't find any pictures of the inside online unfortunately, just the door from the outside. There is a surface on the inside for painting, with a filtered spark-free motor running a fan that pushes fumes and air out of the booth, through the wall, and outside. You sit right inside the door where there is a filter behind you to provide fresh filtered air. It is a completely self-contained unit with power and fan controls on the outside. It's heavily lit from all sides so there's never an issue with light. I don't get to use it much though, which is a bummer! Most all the free time i have is spent on R&D or maintenance for the parts business.. I hope to carve out some time in a month or two to actually build again!

Oooh! i like it! that thing looks mean!

I'll give you my $.02 on getting the right airbrush. I have an Iwata Eclipse. I've had it for 14 years now. I used it for Intersection Replicas when i built replicas and i probably painted 500 cars with it and thousands of parts. It started acting up so i thought maybe it was time to get a new one.. Utrecht had a sale so i bought a new one (same model), on a whim i bought some of the Iwata Lube for it at the same time. When i got the new airbrush and lube, i first grabbed the lube and put a drop on the valve of the old brush and fired it up... it started working as good as it did the day i got it. I haven't even taken the new airbrush out of the box. 14 years old, thousands of uses and it still works perfectly. I paid about $120 for mine, but amortized over time, it's been a bargain!