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I have never in my life done anything even close to a van, but I always wanted to try one. Your project looks just so cool, that it almost makes me go to the shop tomorrow and get one. I'll have to hold off the urge tho, because I have like 15 Deuces started.

Very nice. It is exactly what comes to mind when someone mentions Merc.

Honestly I have never before even heard of this car. It is a very interesting subject and a great build so far.

Very nice job on this. I love old cars like this.

I like the color too. I love using nail polish on models. Some of them can be tricky to thin tho. How long do you usually wait before you clear them with urethane?

Jason, I'll advise against what you plan to do. It will score the paint underneath, which will create all sorts of issues for you. My secret is simple. Take wide masking tape and apply it really nice over the panels of the model. Keep in mind all the curves and make as many separate pieces as you need. On them outline just the panel lines and the overall shape of the model. Then draw on them rough design of your flames, scallops or whatever. Take off the templates you made and lay them flat. Then you draw the flames nicely how you like them to appear. Now transfer the outlines of what would be your mask on a piece of paper. Take your drawing to any place that makes vinyl stickers (like the ones for cars) and ask them to make you stickers in the exact dimensions. Ask them not to remove any material when their machine is done and not to forget to put transferring film over your sticker. Most malls have a place like that and almost any town has a few shops that make signs for businesses that can get this done the same day. It will cost you very little and it works like a charm. If you make friends with the shop, they can keep a template you give them - for example mask for 32 ford and then they can fit whatever you want in it. They can get literally hundreds of flame designs alone from the Internet and then manipulate them to fit in the "frame". If you like a certain flame design that they did for your Merc let's say and then you want to get the same thing on a Chevy pickup they would have your file and just adjust the flames to fit the new "frame. I know it sounds kind of complicated, but it is not at all. Once you find a place to do things like that for you, if you sit in the morning and draw your design, you could be shooting paint the same evening. Hope this helps.

looking good so far

It is an old Jimmy Flintstone-Model Master collaboration resin model from the late '90s. They were called the HSO series (Hobby Shop Only) and were a series of cool looking rods made in resin and white metal. Some had more detail than others and some were actually real existing cars, while others were fictitious. The model here is called the Mercster and is basically a fenderless '49 Mercury Highboy. It is a very thick hallow shell. Its whitemetal components are very generic and roughly cast, so I am replacing them with Alluma Coupe parts. I also drilled three holes in the hood to place three small air cleaner hats that I turned from aluminum on my lathe.

really, really cool!

Thank you Jason. All the great models and projects on here made me really inpatient about painting something. So I played with some paint today. This is what the result of two and a half hours with an airbrush is. No decals. It still needs some touching up and a clear coat.

Very cool

Thank you Mark. I'll look them up and get a stash. I sure can use them on a bunch of projects. Thanks Russel. I have a Walmart across the street that has things like that. Bryan, I appreciate the gesture. No need to send me any. I'll need it in the future too probably, so I'll like to have a roll.

This is great. Really nice finish, both as a color choice and execution.

Thank you Bryan. That 24 gauge copper wire looks exactly like what I need I guess. Mark, thanks for the idea. Thankfully I have Lowes just a stone throw from home. I'll check what they have to offer. I have about 15 different Deuce projects. They are all part of an ambitious project started over a year ago - to build every possible style of 32 Ford. So it is not like I won't have what to do while I figure the shocks out, but I am really itchy to lay down some paint. I should start threads for all of them perhaps.

Scott, thank you. Russ, thanks for the idea. Does necklace wire stay in shape? I don't care if it is harder to bend, as I can use my lathe for that. I saw people on here use copper wire. Any pointers on benefits copper offers? The only thing with copper for me is that the closest hobby shop (or any other place that may have it) is a two hour drive. And I mean at 95mph. Todd, airbags will defy the purpose of the "exercise". Thanks for the input tho. And since O rings were mentioned, I have seen them used by few people on here. But where do you guys get them from?

Very nice so far. What are the wheels from?

I thought of that, but they are always too thin. I can make them from thin solder, which is easy and it looks cool, but then they are soft and easy to bent out of shape. Thank you anyway.

Thanks Bryan. Can anyone recommend me a material (wire) to use for the springs, please? I would like it to actually work like a real spring. I am not making the suspension functional, but would like the springs to give some support. Thank in advance.

Well, from the factory, originally no '32 came with steering like that. What I meant was that it has been used on Deuces over the years by rodders.

Thank you Ira. Here are the new shocks I made. They still need some finessing and the springs. That is where they will go in relation to the connecting rods. This is what it should look like underneath when it is all done. In this picture you can also see the brackets on the frame and the diff for the shorty con rods that would triangulate the rear. Once the whole model is done, there should be nothing visible other than the axle when viewed from behind.

This thing will be awesome when done.

Very cool. Actually the external steering has been used on many '32 rods in real life, so it is totally in place. Looking at the whole character of the model though, I would go for different hood sides. Either from the three window, which has a the stock vented sides or the ones with the three rows of louvers from the roadster.

Looking very nice Bryan. All my builds somehow turn more complicated than planned. But that is the fun in building models, right?

Mike, Richard, thank you both. I was feeling restless last night and dusted off my lathe and made some aluminum pulleys for the engine. I also tried to make shocks (first time ever) but I am not happy with them and will remake them.

So I made the radius rods from some brass tubing, wire and some jam nuts from hexagon rod. I wanted them to be strong. Eventually they would be Alcladed with the rest of the suspension components that I want chrome. I also started shaping the brace for the upper rods on top of the diff. I capped the backs of the brackets for the lower rods. Right now everything is in a rough shape, but once all the elements are in place, both the frame and the rear end will be puttied where necessary and sanded smooth before the first coat of primer. I just wanted to mock the whole thing up, just to check the alinement and fitment. Next come the shocks. Stay tuned and thank you for looking.