Maindrian Pace

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

Yes. Welcome Michael, that should be an easy name for me to remember. -MJS

Maybe MBL was on AMW a few weeks ago. -MJS

Correct. -MJS

Let's go back a little further: -MJS

1981 in China? I thought that started much later. -MJS

The link doesn't work for me, but here's a link to an Edmunds' video that would seem to show that the car was not a rebody, but a restoration with all new sheetmetal where needed, and it needed everything. http://www.insidelin...eneral-lee.html It'll probably bid real high, possibly to a foreign buyer. -MJS

Apparently they didn't all crack, I know a guy who has them on a '69 Charger 500, and he's been running them for ay least ten years that I know of with no issues. It's too bad that they had problems, because they really changed the character of the cars and were a nice looking wheel. -MJS

Ha! I was wondering if someone would catch that. Absolutely right, they are black plastic caps on the real wheels. My thought here is that these Budd wheels were made in a number of backspaces which were used depending on the brake and hub combo used on the 1:1s. Some I've seen looked like this, with the lugs out further. I probably should have added a little filler around the cap to blend them together better, always something to add to the next dually build, and there will be a next dually build. Roger, now that's a great idea that I never thought of, but it's too late now. Shoot, I even have an old photoetch interior set with several window crank styles. The door panels are very sparse and plain on the AMT kit, so they have the right work truck feel to them. I guess we can say that the company ordered it with power windows and locks, which was fairly common. Finished interior, paint is again Plastikote primer, lightly buffed with a paper towel, basic paint detailing, kit supplied era-correct hard wired cell phone, and the shift and turn signal stocks added from the Monogram kit. I'm not sure what this thing from the parts box was, but now it's an A/C accumulator. The chassis is mostly finished. Paint is Duplicolor semi gloss chassis black with a coat of Testors flat, suspension and rear end are the semigloss without flat, engine is Ford grey, transmission, exhaust, and other details are Plastikote cast finish aluminum, the best rattle can silver ever. The spare wheel is a Monogram front, stripped, lug nut holes drilled, and painted like the others. Tire is a '70s era Monogram from the parts box, center was much too big for the wheel, so I cut a chunk out of it and glued it together. The tire bracket hides the seam. Next: paint. -MJS

Any pics of the resto of Lee 1, is it certain that it's rebodied? It sure was rough, but I've seen worse brought back. -MJS

I guess they were right in a way, anyone can polish a diecast. But only a modeler can do a conversion like that, and they doubtless didn't have a clue that it never cane as a convertible, or of all of the additional details added. Next time, it would be fun to take a small photo album of the build along just in case you run into any more diecast snobs. Just nicely tell them, "May I show you something?"... -MJS

Mark, that Dodge is great, love the details in the bed, and I might borrow the dirty tire idea. Very realistic. Roger, the engine swap wasn't too hard. Some trimming to the chassis around the back of the trans, lower the rear cross member a couple of millimeters, and bring the radiator and shroud forward were the only real things. All of the hoses had to be cut and sectioned, Monogram exhaust worked but with several mods, pretty much everything connected to it needed a little tweaking. With the Monogram cross member, it sits right on the factory mounts and centers up well. Yes, I'm going to use the F-350 fender emblems, I just have to remove the tiny XLT Lariat lettering from under the numbers. -MJS

Try taking the pictures outdoors. Natural sunlight makes all the difference on dark colored cars. -MJS

Engine was a tight fit, but it's all finalized. I didn't use that intake duct to the air box because I found that the '92-up trucks didn't have them. To fit everything in, I tunneled the radiator and fan shroud into the core support. Two piece center bearing drive shaft, a combination of kit parts and Plastruct rod. A finished rear wheel with the Tichy lug nuts, paint is Plastikote T-235 grey primer with Testors semi-gloss clear coat. The center drive hubs were cut from the Monogram wheels, stripped and painted black, and the valve stems are cut sewing pins. Finished Hydroboost and firewall with some plumbing. -MJS

They pull sea planes and pontoon boats out of the water. They are usually based on 4wd trucks with the front axle locked, and I've seen one made from an early '70s Eldorado. The Cuda would have to be converted to fwd to work, was that done here? Still cool and a very unusual subject. -MJS

First mockup, Looks nice except I think it's still riding a little low for a commercial cab/chassis. Second mockup, shims added to the suspension, rear springs moved slightly lower. Looks more like the picture now. The Monogram front axle assembly turned out to be precisely the right width for the AMT cab with the Modelhaus tires and wheels. And making some little things. I have 1:1 Hydroboost experience in diesel pickups and street rods, and it was an option in the commercial chassis, so I shaved the vacuum booster off the firewall and made this unit from scrap styrene, aluminum sheet, and the AMT master cylinder. It will be fully plumbed with pressure and return lines to the P/S pump and the steering box. Made a headliner with the Monogram sun visors, and tinted the windshield top: Finishing the chassis and engine coming next. -MJS

Just reporting what I have seen. And 350s aren't particularly happy about hauling 10K+ pounds around when the truck has a load. -MJS

A friend of mine bought a '95 Eddie Bauer SWB F-150 new, and it was loaded with almost every option, except it had a 300 six, five speed manual, and manual windows with power locks. Yes, you could order them ala kart back in those days. -MJS