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YARD WORK. It is a pain in the you know were at one level and a very satisfying thing on another. Yesterday was spring preparedness day. I did the major service on the riding mower. Removed the mower deck for cleaning and lube all the joints. Changed the blades. changed oil and filters for oil, gas, and air. The push mower got the same treatment. Helped my wife clean out leaves and dead plant debris from all the planting beds and the plantings around the house. Mowed and edged the yard. Evening on the deck after a great steak dinner. Finished the last glass of Paso Robles Zin. as the lighting started to appear just after the sun went down. For us it was a great day and there just aren't enough of those.

The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I didn't make that up the saying has been around longer than I have. The saying does tell the story though. It is hard to say your true feelings about someone's work when they're asking for your opinion. While you want to offer constructive encouragement you don't want to come across like your criticizing their work. I have seen some paint work that has more orange peel than an orange, but the builder is proud of their work. What do you do ?? I guess we all have different standards as to how we think something should look or the style in which it is built. More than once I have had to bite my tongue and said nothing.

Thank you for sharing your photos. A very wide variety of models. I'm not a ship builder, but have always been fascinated by all of the rigging and deck details. The dioramas are outstanding. A lot of great looking big rig trucks and farm equipment.

The vent window removal is a good idea. This is often done on 1:1 trucks along with the door handles removal. Another thought since you're trying to smooth up the body. Remove the drip rails above the doors. Believe it or not they were an extra cost option thru about '77. The grill is another area that can change the way your model will look. I would check any on line images to see what you do or don't like. The earlier 1:1 pick ups had the grill deeper in set. Most common was a simple tube bar grill.

That might be a great idea. The NE residency raises the question of rust, but the pictures sure look good. It doesn't look like it has been off road at all. If it runs and drives as good as it looks someone should grab it.

I like the interior colors they go well with the exterior. These are great kits but they sure eat up the chrome foil.

I like the concept but you would need a lot more power than the old flat 4.

That wouldn't be all bad. These were some handsome cars even in stock trim.

Great save on this. I like the color also.

Thinking back the only Simca's I remember were Gassers. Those paints are so high that if he sat down he'd cut himself in two. I also remember those skinny belts.

The other thing to remember is that this gives them a reason to raise your insurance rates. Unless it's at least $1,000.00 or more I think I'd just do it and not turn it in.

You might be able to sand away a very small portion of the inner wheel housing and maybe even relocate the rear leaf springs inboard a little. The body could be sanded some on the inside also. But without major work the best you could hope for would be the equivalent of a 70 series tire. I would use the kit's wheel backs and build your tire from there. A thought if you have an old AMT '57 Chrysler 300c kit. This kit has slightly larger wide whites and could pass for a 9.00x14 or a 8.20x15 tire. At any rate it is slightly wider than the '53's tires and larger diameter. This may give you the look your after without getting into any major work on the chassis.

I understand what you mean about the Chargers looks, it does look like it has an attitude or something. The KHP uses Chargers and I haven't been stopped yet. The '10 was a dark grey color almost the same as the KHP was using at the time. The '18 is white, and guess what color the KHP and a lot of local PD's are using. I didn't do this by design it's just the way it worked out. When we first got the grey car it was amazing how the lane on the freeway would open up for me. The white car seems to only fool the PD and KHP since some of them give me a two finger wave when the see me. The civilians hesitate just long enough to see the rear spoiler, which I had painted to match, and then just buzz on by. Your 200 is somewhat a kin to my wife's '14 Avenger RT. That car is very quick with the 3.6 and a 6 speed. She does well with the front wheel drive in the light snow that we see. ,

I'm envious.

Can you or your company bill them for stand by ?

How much is your deductible on your home owners insurance ? May just be cheaper to replace your self or time for an up grade?

You had mentioned earlier that you were considering a Chrysler 300 AWD with the 3.6 engine. I just traded my special ordered '10 Charger RT with the 5.7 and AWD. I traded for a new left over '18 Charger GT 3.6 with AWD. We don't see the extreme snows that you experience in your area, but every now and then it gets a little dicey with ice and snow combined. I would recommend considering the Charger as an alternative to the 300 depending on what is available in your area. Even with the 5.7 I averaged 20 mpg combined even with my lead foot. Their AWD system was developed when Mercedes had control of Chrysler and is patterned off of their system. I have nothing but high praise for the way it works moving between rear drive and AWD in a way you would never notice. I'm disappointed in the new car in one respect, and remember the lead foot thing. The 3.6 engine even with the new 8 speed transmission doesn't come close to the old 5.7 and 5 speed when your in a hurry. The new one does get about 3 more mpg so that helps.

Very nice clean looking build. I like your spray in bed liner, great idea.

I have put off building this kit even though I have had it for years. The reason was that the roof just didn't look correct to my eye and I was to lazy to try and do anything about it. After seeing what you are doing with this build I now think I should reconsider building it. Even without touching the roof shape your build looks to good to ignore. By the way you picked one of my favorite colors. Is the chassis and suspension from this kit or parts from another??

Thank you for sharing. You're correct there are some really nice cars here.

Great looking build. I like the dark blue color. The engine details look perfect.

Well that explains the roof question. I see that the way the windshield is installed could corrects what I thought was a problem. Thank you for the update since this kit is one of the ones I'm thinking of building soon.

Sounds like a great idea, I'll have to remember that for the future.

I like everything about this. You have the perfect stance. The wheel and tire combination and of course a little extra in the engine room.

An alternative for the bed floor would be Plastruct diamond plate. I used some for the step plates on a boat trailer. The sheet is thin enough to cut with hd scissors, or cut a line with a #11 blade and it will bend and break.