Tom Geiger

Is that keg being used as the gas tank? This will be one cool build. Only I think that Chrysler body is too nice to sacrifice!

Wow! This thread surely went down the merry path! School busses are pretty much used during the school year, so most of that time air conditioning wouldn't be used anyway in most states. So why install a big a/c system for the few weeks at the beginning and end of school year that it would be used? A bit of air conditioning trivia... I used to work for a pharmaceutical company with manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico. The only place I ever saw air conditioned dumpsters! Another problem we looked at was the complaint that frogs were getting into the warehouse. I'm picturing those cute little Coqui frogs they put on all the tourist gear. Nope, I was in the warehouse and there was this loud thumping noise. One of the workers went to investigate and brought out a frog the size of a cat! Turns out they were big enough to catch the electric eye that opened the doors for the fork lifts! The black hoods on school busses is to give the driver better vision with less glare than the bright yellow / orange.

The camper has two options. One is the 'stand alone' camper that you would tow behind something. The other option is to mount it on a pickup chassis. That would then use the pickup chassis suspension and allow you to connect the drive shaft etc. Check the directions. You will have to see how the camper fits onto the chassis. You may have to adjust it's wheelbase. The Open Road camper was a specific brand and model that was offered from early to late 1960s, maybe into the 1970s so the '55 Chevy cab wouldn't be period correct. But that's not saying that someone wouldn't be able to mount the camper from a wrecked truck onto the older Chevy frame.

Great recreation Rich! I followed the whole build from the email you sent out looking for the Rambler kit! Glad to see the happy conclusion.

Since this thread came back up... I think we're all builders at heart. We do intend to build a really nice model from every kit we buy, but it's so much less time consuming to buy a new kit than to actually build it. We keep going for that great high of acquiring a new kit. I love opening a new box the first time to see what's inside. Ah, the groking of the parts and doing a rudimentary assembly of chassis to body, holding it up to the light to imagine the possibilities! Then we research it on the Internet for more ideas and details. We collect those photos and data and either create a folder on our computer or put the info in the box. Then we go rumaging through other kits to find the parts we need to complete the vision, converse on message boards for the right wheels, decals and valve covers. That model is near built in our mind. That alone is worth the price of admission! Then the kit gets put into the hoard to be built with all our great ideas. At this point we have already derived our money's worth in pleasure from the kit. Doing the prebuild stuff (as listed above) is participating in the hobby, so the kit has served it's purpose. Never mind the additional 50-100 hours needed to actually build it!

Twin slanters! I'm on board!

Here ya go! http://www.owencraft.com/handle.html

Wow! I knew someone would do a PD version and you're just the right guy to do it! Nice build!

In the latest Scale Auto (Feb issue) there's a Letter To The Editor from Marty Kirk (I think I've seen that name on the board here) about over spray on chassis. He said that very few cars had over spray on the chassis from the factory. He says that we're taking that documentation from over restored cars, and that today's cars don't have it because the paint is controlled by robots not to waste valuable paint. See the pictures of Camaro and Challenger under carriages Erik posted right above here. Quite frankly I've never seen over spray on any of my cars other than a Maaco repaint. Most of my '60s Valiants and Barracudas had the factory undercoat, which was a thick wrinkled finish in a dark green to brown color. The ones that didn't have it also had massive floor rust making me believe those left the factory in bare metal. I believe a lot of older cars had bare metal inside doors and panels too. The dealer undercoat cars are basically black spray can undercoat. My Dodge Caravan has a metal color floor pan, with factory undercoat in some key places. My Geo Tracker has the entire underside done in a heavy yellow plastic like coating. I don't believe any US manufacturer of consumer grade vehicles concentrated much on the underside appearance.

Yes Mike, it's the glue! Try a CA type glue. There are a few brands / types. I use the Zap A Gap for two reasons. It's got a bit of consistency to it and isn't like water like a lot of the CA glues. Second, it is slow drying so you have some time to move things around to fit or look right. and Third it sands about the same rate as plastic so it's easy to sand off residue as you work with Evergreen. Good luck! Also- get some Flexi-Files. They make a world of difference. I've actually got three frames I keep with different grades of sand paper on them, rather than have to switch paper on one. They're cheap enough!

You are right. When we went without the car, we met Tony Wallace from Cheyenne, Wyoming because one of the guys with us was originally from there. He drove us to dinner one night and in return I paid for dinner. I've had dinner with Tony each GSL since and we've alternated paying! Which brings up a good point... don't hesitate going to GSL even by yourself. The atmosphere there is very friendly and you will immediately be pulled into the clan and you'll have new friends from across the country and often other countries! I didn't make the last GSL in 2011 because I was very busy moving from NJ to PA. I don't think I'll make this one because I'm currently out of work. But if I find something soon, I'd love to go!

I'm questioning my abilities too. The last snap kit I built took me two weeks!

Here's a photo of a Turkish Dolmus taxi that reminds me of the era I lived in Izmir! I knew I had it somewhere in my files.

The reason why the general magazines and catalogs get there in good condition is that they are sent in huge quantities and the shipper bales them by final zip code. So they are shipped like a brick and only become single issues once at the final post office. With MCM you are probably the only person in your zip code that gets it, so it travels through the mails solo. Thus the opportunity for damage.

It is possible to go to GSL without a rental car. We've rented cars most of our trips but on one trip we took the hotel shuttle from the airport and one of the other attendees offered to take us back to the airport at the end. Otherwise we would have taken the shuttle. It all depends on what else you intend to do while there. GSL provides bus transportation to the museum for the tour. The show pretty much ends on Saturday with an awards breakfast on Sunday morning. By noontime it's over. I prefer to fly back home on Monday and use Sunday to do some sight seeing. That's where the car comes in. One trip we drove down to Bonneville and over the Nevada border into Wendover. Another trip we pointed the car north and wound up in Idaho. Last trip we went to Antelope Island State Park, which is an island in the Great Salt Lake where they keep buffalo. Beware of the cloud of gnats though! Then we pointed the car towards Wyoming and went to the first small town we saw.

I'm thinking of doing it! I've watched the past few years but had been too busy with life to give up a weekend. I've got the time now. Gary K had messaged me asking what kit I was going to do. I've already changed my original reply and am likely to change it again a few more times before the build. As I see it, you will need to select a kit that's not too complex, one that you want to have a finished example on your shelf but one that's not too rare so that you don't feel bad building it quick without the usual drawn out attention to detail. Originally I thought I'd build an AMT '62 Buick but have been leaning on building a Miss Deal Studebaker funny car since I want to have an example of that chassis built. Time will tell.

Do you have an Ollies clearance store near you? They had a ton of the Lindberg Crown Vics the last time I was there for something like $8 each.

Love the new Mini, Mike good luck with it!

How do we get Art on the TSA Watch List? Then he'd have more fun at the scanning station! For me, going to GSL from New Jersey, flying is the only option. I too was worried about having to open up and pull out my models for inspection, but it never happened. The worse thing that happened was when the person in front of me was slow going through the scanner and my carry on bag fell off the end of the conveyor. The model was well packed and wasn't damaged.

I've been using Zap A Gap for all my work and have never had it attack any plastic. And I use a lot of Evergreen strip. I've never heard of Evergreen going bad!

Don't strip it! It's a great build that deserves to survive! Good choice on finding another one.

John, here's the other picture I have of Dave's car. Yes, the time is really flying by. When I think of that I remember my grandfather being 88 years old saying that the last thing he remembered was he was 18 and it all flew by!

I don't use an airbrush. All my detail and weathering is done with rattle cans and brush type techniques. The detailing I do with pastel dust and Testors Dullcote paint is all by brush. It's kind of like doing water color painting.

Very cool! I briefly owned a '70 Coronet in that color with a black vinyl top. It was just a 318 car and it didn't have a reverse gear when I bought it for $200. I had a buddy who was supposed to change the trans for me, but never got around to it. I then swapped it's mag wheels onto my '73 Barracuda and then sold it for $800. I have all the parts in the box to build that one someday! I'll be watching.

Very nice build, the color really makes it! I have a few T-birds from this era to build, I need to get to it!