Ace-Garageguy

Hmmm...interesting...but I'm not thinking the "peel like dead skin" look is exactly what I'm after.

I'd pay a hundred bucks to see that.

Interesting. I have a fast connection and a fast machine. It's instant for me. Either way, the image isn't actually on the MCM server...only instructions as to how the server can find and display it...because it disappears if the source site goes down. And there are still images that won't copy directly, where some sleight-of-hand is required to get them to post.

Great looking old trucks, Ross. The Dodge wrecker is about a '33 I believe. Love your tag lines too. My sentiments, exactly.

One more point...when you do the transition from 400 to 600 grit, you need to use some kind of guide-coat to make sure you don't leave any random 400-grit scratches on the surface. For my guide-coat on this one, I used a fine-bodied rattlecan flat black, just barely misted over the surface. And if you want to do a surface that looks like it's been sanded with a DA, think about doing your final sanding with 600 in very small circular motions. A metal surface that's been sanded with a DA (dual-action) sander will have a more random system of scratches than a custom aluminum body like the Challenger, which had the final surface scratches running in straight lines. DA-sanded surface ... It's rare to see in-progress alloy bodywork that looks this perfect, but it does happen when wizards do the work. Check photos of real cars in progress to judge the realism of the effect you end up with. The shine here (below) can be replicated with Testors metalizers over absolutely perfect bodywork, sanded to about 2000 grit or so, and polished carefully.

You're very welcome. I just posted the answer on that thread, just now this very minute.

I forgot the XJ-13 too...

Sorry. It took a while for me to find my notes on exactly what finally worked for this. 1) I got the bodywork as close to perfect as I could, and then shot the whole thing in a 2-component primer to give a very stable and solvent-resistant base for the surface finish. The 2K primer did require some sanding to get it even 'perfecter'. 2) When I was satisfied with the surface, taken down to 400 grit, I primered the whole thing again with Duplicolor Scratch Filler (high-build) gray primer. I let it dry thoroughly, and found that if I sanded it VERY carefully with 600-grit paper, wet, IN ONE DIRECTION, LIKE A RAW ALUMINUM BODY MIGHT BE DONE, checking frequently, that 3) either Testors buffing metalizer OR Rub-n-Buff could be applied and buffed, and the very fine surface sanding-scratches would show through the silver finish, looking exactly as you see here. It's a double-barreled bugger to do it with Rub-n-Buff (which this is, mostly) because its not easy to get even coverage, and it fingerprints during handling and application to areas you do after the first area. I applied the Rub-n-Buff with my fingertip and worked it in and spread it as evenly as possible, then polished it up with old fleece sweatshirt material...the inside, soft side. I had to wear a cotton glove on the non-silver-finger hand to keep from getting fingerprints all over it too. Experiment to see what works best for you. This is only a description of what I found worked on this particular model. PS. Two years later, it looks just the same.

As I've explained numerous times, the one part is basically very thick lacquer primer that dries by evaporation of the solvents in it, and it SHRINKS noticeably as it dries. If you use ONE-PART for THICK fills in one application, it's almost guaranteed to crack. If you don't mind doing multiple thin coats with a ton of sanding in between, use the one part stuff and good luck. That was the only way we had to do things in the past, and some guys still swear by it. Fine. But for the kind of heavy mods I do, the one-part stuff is completely useless to me. I simply will NOT do multiple thin fills with one-part, wait a day for them to dry, sand them, and re-fill over and over and over (and then see my perfect bodywork get all wavy and sand-scratched over time as the stuff continues to shrink). The TWO-PART stuff 'dries' by a catalytic reaction. There's almost NO SOLVENT in it, so it doesn't shrink to any perceivable degree. You can fill 1/4 inch thick in one application and it will be dry to sand in 20 minutes if you mix it right. This is very handy if you're sculpting radical body modifications. You DO have to learn how to use the two-part...there's a learning curve...because you can make a bad mess if it's not mixed correctly, and applied during its spreadable-window. Learn how to use the two-part for heavy mods and deep fills, and save the one-part for small flaws and very thin surface skim coats. My opinion is based on long experience. This model could not have been done using one-part filler for the major work. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/81398-mickey-thompsons-challenger-1-1959-press-intro-version-in-bare-metal/ Build thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/65965-mickey-thompsons-challenger-one-still-alive-feb-8/

Good to know, but why do the extra steps when it's just two clicks the "copy image" way?

I should have been more specific, but you guys figured it out anyway. I edited the relevant post to correct my oversight. As Slusher and Mr.Obsessive said, it only works if you left-click "Copy image" on the menu that appears over the photo you want to copy. DO NOT USE "Copy image URL". IGNORE "Insert other media" at the bottom right of the MCM text box. Both are next to useless for posting images here. NOTE: Because the images you copy this way are not stored on the MCM server, IF the original image is deleted on the site you copied it from, or if the other site goes down, the image will disappear here too.

A single-car crash being cleared. Light traffic, clear weather, 4-lane divided highway, good road. Late-model SUV, rolled multiple times and not readily identifiable. And pointed in the wrong direction. Two ambulances on the scene not seeming to be in any particular hurry; you know what that usually means. And a kids big brown teddy-bear lying on the pavement next to the vehicle. Please pay attention. Don't text and drive. Wear your belts. Use good child-seats.

Haven't located a real nailhead to measure yet, so i went to the parts-store the try to get a set of exhaust gaskets. ALL the nailheads have the same exhaust-port spacing, but the '53-'56 ports are round, and the '57-'66 ports are square...including the 401. Anyway, the Felpro gaskets I could find are two-part affairs, split in the middle, so there's no way to get a dimension from them. The quest continues...

Looking really good in the pix. Just remember NOT to use the one-part stuff for heavy fills and custom bodywork.

Good looking model. Stance is just right.

Looks great in red. Really makes the spaceship lines pop.

I got the 404 error a couple times shortly after the switch, but it seems to be working now. There still seem to be a few bugs getting worked out, but all in all, Gregg and the techs have done a nice job with this.

What model are you working on? I'll find some pix for you and post them here. Though heater hose locations are kinda similar from car to car, there are specific differences depending on which car, which engine, etc. In general, one hose runs from the vicinity of the thermostat to the firewall or HVAC unit, and another one runs from the firewall back to the engine / water pump. Some smallblock Chebbys below. Some Fords below.

Jag XJ-6 S-III, Jag XJ 6/12 C, Jag CX-75, Geo Metro convertible, Porsche 500 Spyder (in styrene), '55 Oldsmobile, '55 Mercury...

To me, this car is the be-all, end-all finest looking hot-rod ever built on Earth...the Eddie Dye roadster. Though only bits and pieces of the car are thought to still exist, and though its exact history is a little cloudy, my current understanding is that it was built originally and lakes-raced in '48 or '49, was apparently in the Ayala brothers' shop for completion and paint in about 1950, and was featured in Hot Rod, Hop Up, and other publications in the early '50s. It's a '29 Ford on '32 rails, rails kicked-up at the rear to get all that low-down-goodness, with the front dropped axle suspended under a suicide perch, and the wheelbase is lengthened as a result. Both the Eddie Dye car, and the low green '32 roadster posted above by Draggon are featured in this great book, an absolute must for anyone who wants to know what the "traditional" thing is really all about.

It WAS there. Now it's gone. Probably an issue with the source. I have dozens and dozens of re-posted photos from outside sources posted on my build threads and tech answers.. Let's try again. Same technique, different source. Can you see it now??

Supremely cool little paper engine. But now of course, we're going to see a rash of "expert" internet opinions saying that if it's possible to make a PAPER engine run on AIR, that it should be possible to do it with a real engine, and that the fuel companies have been cheating us even worse than we already know. And too, whoever wrote this pathetic paragraph would have failed 6-th grade science class when I was a kid. "There are two types of engines, diesel and gas turbine. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. In addition to the power intake type, engines are categorized by how they produce power. The V6 engine is an example of an internal combustion engine, which allows the fuel combustion to operate with the help of compressed, high-temperature and high-pressure air." Oh wait...science is now considered unnecessary in today's educational environment, and apparently, so is understanding what you're writing about and being able to explain it correctly.

I recognized it as "Holden" right off, but the Japanese-market wing mirrors are the giveaway.

In Windows 7 (and XP), it still works the way it always did. (a few images won't directly copy because of the way the files are named; to get those, you'll have to save them in your own 'documents' file, load them into P-bucket, and recopy here) Right-click the picture you want to post here. When you right-click it, a menu appears on the screen. Left click "Copy image". Come back to the MCM page where you want to post the image. Place your cursor where you want the image. Hit ctrl-v. The image appears. Pretty simple.

You don't need to spend a lot of money. All my pix on this thread were shot with an old 4.1 megapixel Nikon Coolpix L4. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/65965-mickey-thompsons-challenger-one-still-alive-feb-8/ You can buy the Nikon Coolpix L4 for less than $20 used now. A $10 thrift-store tripod and simple lighting will get you the rest of the way there.