Tom Geiger

Congrats Rob!

Someone did post this box above, but... Here's the box art car! I bought it at the GSL auction, still in the box Revell stored it in. As folks complain about the new Revell '57s I cannot help but remember just how bad this kit is, which was typical of the expected product and flat tool technology of the times. And here's my AMT '57 that I built when I first got back into the hobby. I had no clue that hardware store antique white (no primer- right on top of the bright blue plastic!) and Pactra RC Colors pink shouldn't work together... but they did since I didn't know any better. It's near 30 years old.

I don't know if it's been mentioned but Model Cars Magazine has a good article on these pickups in the latest (#194 - Apri 2015) issue. Four color pages including some screen shots of the CAD model. Article by Len Carsner with photos by Dave Metzner, Sean Svendsen, Chuck Most and Bill Coulter for an all-star team! This is also the Truck Issue! 62 pages of good reading! They really did a nice job on this issue, well worth crawling out of your hole to go buy a copy!

I will have to dig through the stash to find a suitable victim. My problem is that I have too many choices!

We had palm trees in New Jersey... for at least one summer. There was a boardwalk miniature golf course that had them all around the course. Come fall they just walked away and the trees died as it got cold. That became a big deal in the local newspaper, with the tree huggers complaining about this crass attitude towards life and tree killing. The one that makes me laugh is photos of Aruba beaches in front of the big hotels with palm trees. They don't grow there! The island is one big lava rock and it's too hot and dry for palm trees to grow. So all the palms you see there are imported and planted. And if you look close, they all have watering rings around their bases.

My wife and I took a nice quiet ride in the big Buick, to New Jersey for our friend's 60th birthday party. The party was catered by Famous Dave's so we ate barbecue... ribs, wings, pulled pork, until we could eat no more... and we were encouraged to since there was plenty left over! The best part is that my wife had been hesitant about venturing out after her surgery. The doctor assured her she was good to go, just not to over do anything. She was pleased she went since everyone fawned over her, and she got to see all her friends. She said she even had forgot about her surgery for the day! And that's the good thing. A big step in her recovery.

The first two versions of this pickup gave us a long bed and a short bed, as well as both length chassis. The reason why one of them wasn't a step side is because the AMT '53 Ford pickup box is still valid for these years. Yea, Ford didn't change that box much. Some minor shape changes to the top rail, I'm sure the very picky will find more... We know there will be at least two more year versions. I know we'll be seeing a 4x4, a small block engine and two more different bumpers. I don't remember what else Dave Burket told me a ways back. The whole idea is that you will be able to build just about anything by combining parts from the different versions. And Dave did indicate if the voting public agreed, there may be more pickups down the road... Oh, you need to vote with your wallet!

Thanks for pointing that out. So it seems that the Duster annual was updated into the Dart Sport? That would explain why it's never come back and AMT did a new tool 1971 Duster.

We're headed to New Jersey! My wife feels well enough to go to our friend of 35+ years 60th birthday surprise party. Then depending on how that goes, we may sleep in our house in NJ and spend Sunday with my daughters. And that's a big thing! We've been housebound for the last several weeks since my wife's heart surgery. I didn't mind taking care of her, it was being in the house that really got to us. Now I know I can never retire!

There is no situation you can come up with from your imagination, no matter how stupid or perverse, that someone hasn't already done! Just this month, look at all the dreadful acts of murder that have been inflicted on people around the world! Absolutely dismaying!

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?81003-Packard-Truck&highlight=packard+trucks Scott- The above link is to the SDC forums and tells the story of the1958 Packard pickups in Argentina. And yes, I'm familiar with the Desoto trucks. I lived in Turkey between 1966-8 and I remember my father pointing it out. In fact if I got through his whole slide hoard, I remember him taking a photo of one with me in it.

I always thought the Packard Hawk was cool looking, looks great in red. But all the Studebaker based Packards were such obvious badge engineered. Aside from giving US Packard dealers something to sell, they served another purpose. Packard had license to be in a lot of countries, especially in South America, where Studebaker didn't have license. So those badge engineered cars were sent into those markets. There were also Studebaker trucks badged as Packards for the same reason.

Good question. I do have a sealed '73 annual, as well as two rebuilders of that '73-6 era. It was updated every year to the end in 1976. Still it was pretty much the same car as a '73. I don't believe they did anything further with it. (Did it get hacked into drag cars like the '73 'cuda?) Then AMT did a new tool '71 a dozen years ago. Nice modern tool, chassis of choice on my A Body builds. Would be cool if they did a '73 or so off of that tool. And you don't see that '71 cheap at shows, I know I'm looking for them for the chassis.

Wow! Love your Nomad. I once had a '56 210 2 door sedan, that's my favorite year of the Tri-Chevys. If I was to have a Nomad, that would be it!

Just remembered something.... many fleet specials didn't have radios. First because it reduced the cost slightly, second because some companies didn't want workers distracted while driving. My Uncle Dan was a meter reader for PSE&G in NJ for 50 years. His last ride was a 1966 Valiant 100 2 door sedan with a 170 slant six and three speed on the column. No radio. A buddy-0-mine bought a '66 Nova two door sedan from our local utility in our senior year of high school, 1976. It had been a meter readers car. Painted gold, dull like it had never been washed. They must've reset the entire fleet, because these were all over the place. Six cylinder car, powerglide, no radio, power steering or brakes. Bench seat and a huge dent in the passenger side door. So he got it for $75. We drew a radio on the plate and speakers in the back shelf. He thought this was funny. It was. The funnier part was that someone realized these Novas had fleet keys. So we'd be driving around and we'd see one parked in a shopping center. So we'd move it to the other side of a lot. We thought we were hilarious. Today we'd be charged with stealing the car!

Stephen you did the right thing. You took charge of the situation in the middle of the night, made the kids feel safe and made sure they were safe. Calling the cops then would have been a mistake as the kids would have been traumatized with a ride in a police car, and probably sitting in the police station all night while the cops tried to wake up some social worker to come get them. They didn't need that. And my advise would be that the authorities get summoned the next time. Everyone gets one benefit of the doubt, but strike two means it's going to happen again. I'm glad you spoke to the parents and they were good about it. That could've become a confrontation. And the little girl who was staying over, I hope her parents were advised of that situation. You did good and the parents will think twice knowing you are watching. Many years ago in our old house, our elderly neighbor had his daughter from hell and her 3 year old move in with him. The daughter was in her 40s, missing teeth and looked like she had been smoking and drinking for 20 years. She was seldom sober and always had a plastic mug of questionable ice tea. She had come on to every married guy in the neighborhood, but was so wrenched that I don't believe anyone complied! She had long lost her license for DWI and had no car so she was always there! The little girl was cute, had the manners of a cave person and pretty much free range roamed the neighborhood. Oh, and she had the mouth of a trucker! We went through a period where we thought our newspaper carrier was screwing up as we got the paper sporadically. The carrier lady was nearly in tears that she WAS delivering the paper and the newspaper was seriously on her case. I was up one morning and spotted the little urchin stealing my paper, watched her run home and hand it to the mother. The mother had taught her to steal news papers! One day a lady who lived a few doors down came screaming at my wife that she was going to call the authorities on us about our daughter. My wife quickly understood she meant this other kid, easily confused since we had two small blond daughters. We felt sorry for the poor old father. He was in his 70s and eventually sold his house to get rid of the daughter!

My condolences to you and Amy, John. God was very kind to your mother in law and your family to take her so quickly and peacefully!

Yup, back in the days when we bought our tools at Sears and our suits at Robert Hall!

When I bought my '56 Chevy in 1976 it had the radio delete plate and no hole in the fender for an antenna. I bought it from a little ole lady who bought the basic 2 door sedan. Six cylinder, no radio, no power steering or brakes. It did have the powerglide though. She gave up the car because she couldn't steer it anymore. When I cleaned out my father's house to sell it, I found that delete plate in the garage. I put it on eBay and got $50 for it. I remember cars being sold maybe it was the 1980s with a "radio prep package" for people who wanted to put in better systems. My 1991 Tracker has no radio! It came with an AM/FM cassette and I had changed it later to a CD. And that one gave up the ghost so I drove it that way. I left it in a parking garage in downtown Philly and the broken radio got stolen! I just laughed and hoped that the guy got a beating from who ever he sold it to! The only sad part was that the thief tore up the plastic surround to my dash center console. I thought it would be easy to find one, not so! I don't care that I don't have a radio since I drive it all the time with the top off, so I prefer wind noise. The trim irks me!

Note that Ollies is a close out store and not all stores get every deal. Maybe 4 years ago, I discovered the Ollies in Pottstown, PA when people posted the big Lindberg blow out on the boards. My store just had the least desirable of the Lindberg kits, so I didn't buy any. What I discovered was the Duplicolor closeout on the Truck Colors line. Those were the tall cans at 99 cents each. I knew it was a one time thing so I bought over 50 cans. I bought every color I liked, in quantity. And all their primer and clear. Then we entered a dry spell. Note that this store is a bit too far to go there for no reason, so I'd pop in if I was passing by. For years they had nothing Duplicolor except the temporary decoration sprays (used for decorating graduation cars, etc). Recently, actually on my way home from NNL East, I stopped in and they had a mess of primer, a few other auto colors and engine color paints. Note that primer at $1 a can is gold! So it's hit or miss.

as my father would've said, "Son you worked what, 1-2 hours to earn that money? When you spend money, always remember how many hours it took you to earn it." He cursed me. I still do it to this day! There are grown men on the boards that brag that they brought their wife and two toddlers to Hobby Lobby to use four coupons!

What I'd do... one of two things..... thought one: use a drill bit one size smaller. Sharpen the wire end going in, and just pressure fit, screw in the wire. No glue. I often have spark wires that go in so nice and hold in place that I never glue them. It's just wire, so you get an infinite amount of tries! Or drill as normal, insert wire with something harmless like white glue. It's not a part that will have any stress at all, you just want it to stay put. And again, it's only wire. Lose one someday? Cut another piece.

Same guys. They just got old.

You didn't have one of their 40% off coupons to use on a kit?

For valve stems, all you need is either the spark plug wires in black... drill the right size hole in the rim. Insert a small length of wire into it and then glue from the INSIDE. Don't worry about the length up front. I usually cut those to length afterwards. Put a small dab of Zap-A-Gap on the tip of each to create a cap. Dab of black paint on that and you've got it