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I have used several different shades from Tamiya. From light to dark they are TS-68 "Wood Deck Tan", TS-46 "Light Sand", AS-15 "Tan" (USAF), AS-22 "Dark Earth" (RAF), and TS-69 "Lioleum Deck Brown". Some of these are for Military Air Craft builders but work well for interiors. By the time you get too the Deck Brown your into a dark brown.

Interesting to say the least. One more thought for the exhaust if the solder doesn't work out the way you want. I usually build more muscle type cars that need exhaust fabricated. I use Plastruct 2.4 mm tubing with a brass rod put thru it. This will allow the plastic to bend the way you want it and will hold its shape and not kink. They also make larger diameter tubing which I would think you would want for your application.

This whole hub cap thing can get very involved and there are as many tastes as there are hub caps. The photos that others have provided are an excellent reason for this. The picture of the white '57 Olds shows the '56 Olds style hub cap. The Revell Custom '50 Olds kit has the hub caps that Olds used from the '53 Olds Fiesta show car thru the '55 model run. With several years of production and vast number of aftermarket suppliers this is the most common. Depending on your like or dislikes the '56 style was the most popular and caused the invention of hub cap locks. In '57 Olds came out with another design but it was no very popular on anything but Olds. The Dodge Lancers were very popular also and suffered the same problems that most '56 Olds owners had with theft.

Thank you for sharing. Looks like you had a great show.

Frank, You made me go pullout the '50 Olds Custom that I keep threatening to build. I have the pad printed wide whites in the kit, and even though they are in the plastic baggy I'm going to have to redo them anyway. If the ones that Revell sent you are like these they are very close to a wide white of that time line. You mentioned using the Sombrero hub caps, are you thinking of the Merc. kit's Sombreros or the kits '55 Olds. Fiesta caps ? Either would look good. You might consider painting the very small edge of the hub caps that would represent the wheel. I don't build a lot of models with full wheel covers but the ones that I have this little touch seems to give then hub cap a more realistic look to my eye. Look forward to the rest of your build.

Dennis, I noticed from your address you may not be real close to a Michael's. I have used parts that are originally intended for making jewelry. The product that you might look for is made in China so I would think it would be available anywhere that carries jewelry making products. It is called Jump Rings Anillas. They make several different sizes but the one I bought is 0.15 in / 4 mm. They are very thin and almost like a stainless silver color. It could pass for the portals on a model.

Pegasus has a wheel that is just about dead on. Their stock #2305 "Holli's" in chrome, and they have gold also. If you look under the after market section on this site they list all of the major parts suppliers and you can access their web site and look at all of their products. They also have great disc brakes also.

On your white wall issue I think Brett's post is an excellent example of the changing times of white walls. In 1950 most white walls were like the first picture. As time went by white walls got smaller and smaller. By the mid 50's if you bought white walls they would look more like the second picture. By the 60's they were quiet a bit slimmer and about 1961 or 1962 you would see mostly the narrow whites with a black band between the white wall and the rim. This got slimmer and slimmer to a point in the mid 60's you had a white wall no wider than the new red line tires of the day. The size of white wall you use would depend on what time line you were going for with your build. As an aside, besides the changing style of the day, one of the practical reasons for the change was that people would bounce off curbs when parking and really make a mess off the white wall. Used to have to clean my mother's with SOS pads. If you look at the side walls of the 60's you will notice a raised ridge on the side before the start of the white wall. This went a long way to protect the white portion of the side wall.

Brett's idea sounds good, but I would suggest that if you are able to get the decals off in one piece you should scan them so that you could make new decals. This would also give you an extra set of decals that you could use for a team car or any thing else.

I agree with Steven, you should go with black. This would represent a black rubber seal between the body and the clear light cover. Try just a light coat of black from a Sharpie on the edge of the clear plastic. Your model looks great.

Great looking build. One thing to remember about the front end, the Cord was a front wheel drive originally. You could always shorten the bumper brackets or leave them off on your next build.

Outstanding build. The silver instead of the white that you usually see really makes it stand out.

Great build and the interior is outstanding. The shifter business, the shifter on O.E.M. consoles usually had an area toward the driver from center where the shifter would come thru the floor. This was because the shift linkage is on the driver side of the transmission. With automatics they are usually cable driven and can be mounted almost anywhere. Since this is a custom interior you can mount the shifter where ever you want.

The top looks great either way, just different styles. A coworker years ago had a Buick from the late '60s with the silver body and vinyl roof and I thought it looked good. I think the maroon roof would look a little more realistic with maybe a light coat of flat or semi- flat clear. Great build either way.

While I'm in the no skirts camp, it may look right if your doing a "full dress" type build. At that time, and depending on what part of the country you lived in, the skirts were almost a default option much like duel exhaust and glass packs. If you have any of the Revell '59 Impala kits I think some of them had bumper guards that you may be able to use. If you are still thinking "full dress" you might think about a continental kit . One last thought on the skirts, maybe the old '57 Mercury cruiser skirts or even the larger "bubble" type skirts if you are going all the way.

The '62s I remember usually had the insert painted white or black. Some were tied to the interior color. If you use a lighter color as an accent in the interior you could also add it to the insert. Just a thought.

Check with the model shop or where ever you pickup Model Cars. I just got #196 for July last week.

I have many built and unbuilt kits going back for over 40 years. Most of the issues I have experienced is heat related. It seams that the biggest problems have come from the tires. They seem to leave marks on anything they come in contact with while in storage. They have left marks on bodies and decals are the worst things to worry about. Some of the early builds I have had the tires come off the rims and leave some nasty marks in the paint and even the bodies in some cases. Your idea of using the display cases will go a long way. One thing I have found that has seamed to help is to wrap the model in a soft paper towels before placing them in a case. This will help to protect the model from bouncing around inside the case. I think heat and humidity will be your biggest challenges. If at all possible you should try to store your models in the most temperate part of your home.

I have both bought and sold kits at a few shows. Prices are all over the map, and I really look close at anything that has been opened. I have to agree that an older sealed kit will lose value if it is opened for inspection. I think if the seller is paid first with the understanding that if the kit inside is defective the price could be renegotiated. Another thing that I have been unable to understand is buyers who will look at and buy a built kit that needs a complete rebuild, has parts missing and looks like it has been dropped and I'm selling the exact same kit new in the box for the same money, what are they thinking ? In the end I guess it's worth what someone is willing to pay.

Looks great.

You might want to look on their website and see if they don't have the informant you need.

Robert asked the question on the carb. The '57 supercharger and duel quad engines used the '56 style carbs. They were known for floats that would hang up and flood the engine thus gaining the reputation of being called the "Towering Infernos". But that was what Ford used. If you got a '57 with a single 4 barrel it was the Holly with front and rear float bowls. I think that because the Holly was a longer carb. they couldn't use it for these applications.

Steven, I built the '56 delivery about a year ago. Used the '56 Nomad for a downer. The resin body only needed a little grinding inside the body in the rear for the interior to fit, no more than you would expect on any resin body. It builds up great. The only in accuracy is under the tail lights and the rear tailgate emblems. It has the emblems from the Nomad it is based on. The delivery would not of had "V-8" emblems under the tail lights and the very small Chevrolet emblem under the tails gate handle would have been larger and mounted lower on the gate. Modelhaus is down for several weeks so it might take a while.

A '63 split window with snow tires ? I think I'm going to be ill.

Great looking builds. I like that little touch of using Good Years on one and Firestone on the other.