Ace-Garageguy

Oh wait...I've heard of cars said to "purr like a kitten". That must be how they get the sound.

Must be a cat-alytic converter.

When it comes to models, I still have about as much self-restraint as an 8-year old. Soon as it's in the door, it's open. I tell myself I want to check for warpage, short-shots and missing parts on new kits, and the sometimes BS missing / mis-labeled ebay problems, but in reality, I just wanna open the things and have a look. Little kid mind.

Not a "real" car, though there was at one time a Porter automobile company. The TV car was a mashup, built for the show by some big name guys. From wikipee: The 1928 Porter used in My Mother the Car was not a production car. Real Porter cars had existed. The first was a steam automobile (Boston, Massachusetts, 1900–1901). The second car was a powerful luxury car made (Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1919–1922) made from parts left over from production of Finley R Porter’s FRP. By the 1960s, no examples of either remained. For the TV show, assistant prop man Kaye Trapp leased the producers a 1924 Ford T-tub hot rod he recently bought from his friend and its builder, Norm Grabowski. Both Grabowski and the car had earlier appeared in the B movie comedy Sex Kittens Go to College (1960). The 1928 Porter touring car sported diamond-tufted naugahyde upholstery, oversized white tonneau cover, plush black carpeting, chrome windshield braces and half-moon hubcaps. Trapp and studio special effects man Norm Breedlove (father of land-speed-record-setter Craig Breedlove) modified the car to give it an elongated engine compartment, palladian-style brass radiator with “Porter” script, a spare tire mounted on therunning board, outboard fuel tank and antique cane-clad trunk. (It was later fitted, as needed, with special effects hardware, such as an oil tank drip to simulate a smoking engine and "tear ducts" in the headlampbezels.) Off-camera operation of electrics was by umbilical cable. The signature features gave it an anachronistic look, resembling cars of earlier eras. The power train was the rod-grade 283 cu in V8 (Chevrolet small-block) engine mated with Powerglide automatic transmission. The "Porter" was registered (as a modified Ford) in 1964 with the contemporary yellow-on-black California license plates PZR 317 evident throughout the show's run. Though it bore a few design similarities with the FRP Porter, which may have suggested the television car's moniker, it is rumored that the car was named after the show’s production manager, W. A. Porter. When series production was approved, the Grabowski rod was retained as the "hero" car, and a second — "stunt", or special effects — car was commissioned and built by celebrated car customizer George Barris, whose Barris Kustom Industries licensed it to AMT for model kit production (an inaccurate rendering) and also toured it after series wrap with other of his creations. The stunt car, not conventionally driveable, was ingeniously equipped with apparatus to let Mother "drive herself" via a system of levers and mirrors operated by a short human driver concealed on a tractor seat below the removed rear floorboards. It also had other special mechanical features, such as gimbaled headlamps. Both cars had the dashboard-mounted radio head with flashing dial light through which Mother "talked" (though only to her son). These scenes were filmed with a stand-in; actress Ann Sothern’s voice was dubbed to the soundtrack in post-production. Generally, the hero car was used for driving shots and close-ups, and the stunt car for long shots and special effects sequences. Either was available as a stand-in in case of mechanical breakdown on set. Though made to represent one car, they can be distinguished by minor details, and actually appeared together in one episode. Additionally, a third car was used in filming, representing both the dilapidated car-lot Porter of the pilot and, in another episode, a “1932 Porter”. This car may not have been complete, and its existence and whereabouts are unknown. The hero car is currently[when?] located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The stunt car was once owned by casino giant William Harrah, who had one of the largest special-interest and antique auto collections of all time in Reno, Nevada. After Harrah's death in 1984, the auction catalogue advertised the lot as having a carnation red body with white top and created from parts of a Ford Model T, a Maxwell, a Hudson and aChevrolet. Following ownership by Rear View Mirror Museum (Nags Head, North Carolina) and later Herbie's Antique & Classic Car Museum (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina), the stunt Porter is currently[when?] on display in Star Cars Museum (Gatlinburg, Tennessee).

I believe I've seen some criticisms of the front inner wheel wells...

And here is a series from Polytek Development Company, another respected manufacturer of similar products. I've used products from all 3 of these companies, followed their instructions carefully, and I've had 100% successful results. http://www.polytek.com/media-gallery/ PS: You will have to dig a little bit on your own in these 3 series to find what you want. I assure you...it's in there. I've made one and two-part silicone and urethane molds, as I've already said, using the materials and procedures illustrated.

Here is another series produced by Alumilite, another real-world supplier of professional materials. Alumilite packages mold-making kits aimed at the hobby market, too. Usually stocked by HobbyTown in my part of the country. http://www.alumilite.com/store/pg/21-How-To-Videos.aspx

There is an entire series available here FREE from one of the most highly respected manufacturers of mold-making materials for professionals, Freeman Manufacturing and Supply. No BS opinions from people who haven't done it, no idiot advice like using olive oil as a mold release. Just factual information that will work RIGHT, EVERY time. http://www.freemansupply.com/video.htm

And here's a buncha links to miniature taps, dies, rivets, nuts, fasteners, etc. etc,,, http://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php?topic=628.0

I pretty much like anything that's done with skill, quality craftsmanship, good engineering and style. Straight restorations, traditional rods, street-rods, pro-touring cars, Euro and Asian tuners, offroad-trucks...anything that's done WELL. I've seen a LOT of fine old vehicles ruined by "experts", "restorers", "hot-rodders", "car builders" etc, who were nothing but idiot hackers. Even cars from "name" shops with a lot of "what were they thinking? poorly-done "modifications". If it's done well, works right and looks good (even the box-stock '34 Ford 4-dr sedan with mechanical brakes we have in the shop at the moment can be DRIVEN if you have just a little understanding of allowing yourself enough room to stop, and don't expect it to practically stand on it's nose like a recent Porsche) gets a big OK !!! from me. What I'm building at the moment in 1:1 was inspired mainly by this Oz Welch build. We'll have much the same look, but no chop, 4-5" of ground clearance and LS power.

http://www.scalehardware.com/threaded-rod-c-26

Yo Joe (souhpier)...that's a great video. Even gives us shots of his hand-action and tool-holding so our mirror-neurons have visual triggers. Great background music, too. Thanks Joe!

Both big news. Congratulations, guys.

I like the Dymo tape idea. Personally, I've had very good results using 3M green masking tape, and the tip of a fresh razor-saw to start the lines rather than a panel scribe or other round-handle tool. I've found that drawing the saw-tip very lightly along the tape edge many times will start a shallow, straight crease quite nicely. It's then not too difficult to actually saw down the line, and the long straight blade tends to keep your line straight. It's not really "easy" I guess, but with practice it has yielded excellent results for me. I'll be posting panel lines I've cut on the nose of my current-build scratchbashed lakes car shortly.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I try not to whine about important things most of the time (they're private and there's nothing anyone can do or say anyway...it's just life), and a vehicle not running is small potatoes in the overall scheme of things...but sometimes when I get hit with different stuff back to back to back to back, over and over and over...things that wouldn't even come up if I'd been a greedy self-serving SOB instead of trusting people's honorable intentions, and trying to help some of them achieve their own dreams...so I blow off a little steam whining about the little things. I'll shut up now, and focus on what's good instead. Time to try to make some changes.

Think I broke a valve spring in the '92 Chevy truck. Normally not a really big deal, especially with 275,000 miles on the clock. She's entitled to have something break. Only problem is that I've been so tied up taking care of other people's problems for months on end that I haven't had time to do anything for myself, I've let the maintenance and repairs on my own vehicles slide, and the second-oldest truck is the only thing running at the moment. I really wonder what gods I've offended to have had such an incredibly awful 2 years (you have no clue, believe me).

Yup.

Mom's '85 Dodge Caravan.

This is the model that's going to force me to learn BMF, because I want one of these with chrome on it so badly (I'm already doing a couple de-chromed).

Glad to see you understand that, Greg.

Absolutely positively 100% "smallblock" Chevy. Could be a 283, 302, 327, 350, or 400, some other oddball displacements that aren't as well loved, or even an early 265 updated to look newer. All the "smallblock" Chevrolet engines look much alike overall, and with detail and parts changes, can be somewhat difficult to identify in a model. Here's an overview of this engine, one of the most famous and enduring in automotive history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_small-block_engine

I can't get it over 45 deg in the house. I'm cold.

And for saving money...the majority of wires you'll encounter on street-driven cars in reality are 7, 8, or 9mm diameter (approximately) . Let's say you're doing a '70s muscle car with 8mm wires. 8mm is .315". For 1:25 scale, divide that number by 25. That gives you .0126". Call it .013", and go to the craft store and get .013" beading wire (comes in colors and will hold shapes you put into it). Enough to do MANY car models for a few bucks.

Paint looks great. i can see why you were inspired to build an LSR car from it. Certainly looks the part. I especially like the rear 3/4 and top shots.

I'm just glad the Fleetline body's back in production. I'll take it however I can get it.