Maindrian Pace

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. I made the mirror frames out of soldered brass rod, and the mirrors are from the F-350 kit. I wanted strength too, and the brass fit the bill. -MJS

Not that one either. -MJS

I'm afraid it's none of those either. -MJS

Thanks, the bed, wheels, and tires are from the Modelhaus. I rolled it around in genuine Arizona dust to highlight the tires, and got scale rocks in the treads as a bonus. --MJS

Keep up the good work Liam, you rarely see this kit built cleanly and with all the details, there is a lot to show off. -MJS

-MJS

Finished, build thread here: http://www.modelcars...showtopic=51330 -MJS

Nope! -MJS

Another tip for making vinyl tires look more like rubber is to rub them with lacquer thinner on a towel or rough rag. -MJS

It's going to be 79 degrees here tomorrow. Shorts and a T-shirt. Being a Zonie has it's advantages. -MJS

Another one. -MJS

Minus 20% for ebay/Paypal fees. Still pretty nuts. -MJS

Thanks Mike. -Mike

Hey, it lives. Here's another one from the past, a '73 built from the "Cat" edition. I always liked this kit. The wheels are from a Monogram '70 Chevelle, the tires are Monogram Michelins, the whitewalls are ancient stickers from a '61-ish AMT kit, and the rest is box stock. -MJS

Nice job Dodge-ifying the bed side contours, I was wondering if you did something there. It really came together nicely. -MJS

In a few weeks, someone will buy another one of those for $20. It's the way of the 'bay. -MJS

I forgot that part, net tests the engine as installed in a car, with all power robbing accessories in place, but not actually in the car, and yes, power is measured at the crank and not the wheels. There are pages and pages of control spec on manufacturer testing of an engine, it's quite complicated to comply with the standard. -MJS

I really should have read my horoscope that morning. -MJS

I'm very sorry to hear this. I have a good friend who is going through something similar, his wife has non hodgkin's lymphoma. It's awful, nothing else can be said about it. Our thoughts are with you and your family. -MJS

It was actually two statements, not carefully separated because this isn't a technical bulletin. But the two ideas here are that: 1) New performance V8s make more HP than old ones, with fewer cubic inches, full pollution controls, and full accessories including A/C, and they do it while getting far better fuel economy, running much cleaner, and 2) Pre-'72 engines were rated in gross, or brake HP, while new engines are rated in net HP. The difference is that gross HP was measured with the engine on a test dyno, often with headers instead of manifolds, non-restrictive air cleaner, and usually one fan belt driving only an alternator, no fan. Modern net HP figures test an engine in a car, with full accessories as it is usually sold, stock air intake, exhaust, and other restrictive equipment in place. So this can make a 50 HP difference on a performance V8, and you can apply this rough estimate to any older engine. A '64 Ford 427 was rated at 425 HP in the old system, it would probably be closer to 375 HP if measured today. Meanwhile, a new Mustang 5.0 Boss engine makes 444 HP net, so if tested by old standards, it would be closer to 500 HP. More HP and similar torque with 125 fewer CI's, and that's the genesis of the statement that modern engines make more HP than old ones. Often way more. -MJS

The real car has a higher ride height and the wheels/tires are inboard a little further, which would help. Lower anything, and adjustments are almost always needed. -MJS

Cab and bed painted, paint is Duplicolor white in their import line, a close match for the slightly off-white Ford fleet white. Applied over Plastikote primer. Very nice paint, no reaction at all with bare plastic scraps that I tried it on, two coats did full coverage, and it has scale appearing orange peel. The only finishing necessary was rubbing it out with Treatment model wax, and that was it. Decals were made on my printer, first ones I have ever made. Not quite as nice as screen printed decals, but quick and easy to do. I chose Ingersoll-Rand because I'm a big fan of their pneumatic power tools. I added a small plastic rectangle for the antenna base. Most final assembly is done now, so the next update may be in the Under Glass forum. -MJS

The new cars make a good deal more HP than the old muscle cars did, because HP is figured in net terms now, and was rated in gross terms back in the day. New standard Mustang and Camaro V8s are in the 12s now, and nothing in the '60s ran that fast except 427 Cobras and some 427 Corvettes. The big three are offering cars with 600+ net HP, we are in the fastest muscle era ever right now. -MJS

Absolutely fantastic. I remember these well, and this build is proportionately right on. -MJS

You too eh? I have a diagram on my wall. -MJS