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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.

Great looking build. Do you have any more pictures to share ?

Ray, As you are getting ready to foil, I don't know what you have in mind for the side trim. The factory trim on the sides between the upper and lower moldings was a gold colored aluminum sheet held in place by the moldings. Think of the '57 Bel Air Chevrolet insert on the rear quarters. I have used Bare-Metal gold foil in the past for this. Many years ago when guys were modifying their 1:1 '57 Fords it was common to remove the gold insets as it was some what out of style. It was common to paint that area in a color that tied to the interior on solid color cars. Some would use it as part of the tutone effect. Often the upper molding was removed all together just leaving the one larger side molding by its self. I like the paint treatment on the forward part of the roof. What did you do there ?

If you have one of the Nascar kits it is there. I'm sure someone here will send you a copy of the instructions from that kit if not.

Years ago I read where someone would paint a layer of enamel paint and then lacquer paint. The theory was that the lacquer would dry faster than the enamel and that would cause the cracking effect. I would try it on a couple of spoons first.

James, For what its worth I have owned two '57 Fords at different times. Both were the 312. one with the auto. trans. ( a convertible ) and a 3-speed overdrive a Custom tudoor. They both had the stock air cleaners when I bought them. They both were painted a flat silver color which aluminum color with a flat top coat should look about right. In both cases I have no reason to think that the air cleaners had been painted. The convertible was purchased from the original owners in about 1963. The Custom I bought as a second car when I had a service station in 1965. I was the third owner and I know the guy I bought it from didn't know how to check the oil, so you know he was never under there. I later come to know the guy who ordered the car in 1957. At the time this was a very fast car. 3 speed with overdrive, 4:11 rear end and 312 single holly 4 barrel all in the lightest body style Ford had. Talk about a sleeper. Hope this may help you on your air cleaner color question.