Ace-Garageguy

A friend of mine has used the image of a Lambo 350GT that appears in a video game as the basis of his STL file that he's used to have Shapeways print him a 3D body shell in 1/24 scale. It's light on detail and a little rough, but certainly much less time consuming than starting from scratch to carve the same thing. It's symmetrical, too (which is challenging to achieve using traditional methods).

There have been a lot of custom DeTomaso Panteras over the years...some good looking and some horribly tacky. I like this one, mostly (except for the interior). It's a testament to how good the car's original lines are that it still looks contemporary with a relatively mild update. (photos taken from open internet sources, posted under "fair use" definition in copyright law)

You're correct, of course. Just curious...did you look at the link in post #2?

How many people who look at you would actually know if you wiped your butt after you crapped? Some things, we just do for ourselves. Or not.

Exactly. And knowing what IS right is the first step towards getting it to LOOK right. Nobody is being FORCED to make things look believable, but if somebody WANTS to, that's OK. If somebody WANTS to put all the plug wires coming out of the carburetor and going to the transmission, that's OK too. I mean, after all...it's just a hobby, it's supposed to be fun, and putting the plug wires in the carburetor, running to the transmission is certainly more "fun" than putting them in the right places, right? (danger danger: sarcasm warning)

One of the most common of the old mags was the Vertex / Scintilla / Joe Hunt. Lotsa info here, everything you need for that one. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=88912&hl=magneto

I agree about Farrah. One of the most beautiful ever in the history of beautiful, but I think an XK-E or a '57 T-Bird would have suited her better than the little Mustang. Or a 289 Cobra. Man. Farrah driving a Cobra. Oh man.

I like it better than most of the Pintostangs I've seen, and much better than the original version, which I always thought of as a girl's car...(my apologies to those of you who like them). I also think the V-10 is silly in it, but a hot EcoBoost 4-cylinder could make a nicely balanced, fast car.

Looks right to me. Scavenge lines from the pan go to the multi-section scavenge side of the pump. Scavenge output goes to the top of the dry-sump tank for de-aeration. De-aerated oil from the bottom of the dry-sump tank flows to the pressure-side of the pump. From the pressure side of the pump to the filter, and on to the oil galleries in the engine itself. Note: If you run a cooler, it would be between the pressure side of the pump and the filter, possibly with a thermostatically-controlled bypass) Used oil drops into the pan, and is scavenged again. All of that is appropriate for any dry-sump system for any kind of racing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As far as the crankcase breather setup, I'm not entirely familiar with what's considered best practice these days. I'd tend to think the connection from the oil/air separator tank ("breather tank") would be lower on that tank than where your diagram has it. I know some systems don't drain into the sump-tank, but have a drain with a manual valve on the breather tank. Also, many dry-sump tanks incorporate some kind of integral breather tank, so a separate unit for the crankcase evac system may not be necessary. Real racers with more recent experience than I have, please chime in.

Interesting that you put up the Super 7, Greg. Of all the cars I've ever owned, that's the one I'm still in love with (though she's long gone) and sometimes even dream about. My current 1:1 hot-rod project is kindof a big ol' American-iron take on the 7 idea. Here's the one I think is the best looking of all the cars in this loose "group" ( ), the Stovebolt Special, a heavily modified Alta F2 car with a smallblock Chevy running three twos.

Here's another interesting one, the "Monsterati", built by Bill Janowski in '55-'56. Originally based on mostly '39 Ford guts with a flathead, it was re-engined with a little Chevy V8 and a Corvette 4-speed gearbox...after which it was seriously fast. The car went through a succession of owners who hacked and modified it, but is now back in the hands of its original builder, restored to its Chevy-powered configuration.

I like it. Seems to have old Ford rear axles, so my guess is that it's not some recent re-creation. The small tube-shocks, drilled backing plates for the big Buick brakes, the non-dropped front axle (which would require a suicide-style mount to get the nose so low), the low roll-bar (low by the standards of today's safety regs) and the overall fit and presence of the car are so period authentic, I'd be really surprised to find it's not an old build. There were a number of low-slung hot-rods built in the '50s with the specific intent of beating the European sports cars at their own game, cars like Max Balchowsky's "Ol' Yeller" and Ak Miller's "Caballo de Hierro". They were effective too, even winning against contemporary Ferraris on road-racing circuits. I think the photo may be one of the genre that I haven't seen previously..

Love the red Kenworth. That's my kinda truck.

Either idea would make a great model. The gasser would be far easier, as the front suspension would be a simple tube-axle affair, and the rear is pretty much in the ballpark already. The "canyon-carver" would take a lot more work to get a believable looking stance, as the inner wheel wells would have to be re-worked considerably to stuff all that rubber under it and keep it low.

And just exactly which "legend" would that be? Prometheus? Alligators in the sewer? Complete with hysterical hyperbole at no additional cost.

For me, it's hard to beat simple functionality. Ferreri 250 TR... Jag XK-120... Porsche 550...

Nice save, Ray. Love to see old bombs resurrected into good looking models.

A white Ford GT in Buckhead. A pearl yellow Jag E-type Series III roadster on the way back. A black '46 Plymouth coupe in downtown Marietta.

There's a fotki page with many of the R&M products shown (2011), as you probably already know, but that's about it...as far as I know. http://public.fotki.com/crstan/replican-and-miniat/replicas-and-miniat-1/spring-2011-catalog/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes "cheap" and "good results" are mutually exclusive. Good luck with that. Maybe cut back to only one drop of food coloring instead of two? Even cheaper. Depending on the shape, you might be able to whittle them out of an old red toothbrush handle.

I'm still using most of the music storage and playback formats there ever were...reel-to-reel tape, vinyl (even some 78 RPM shellac-resin records), cassette, CD and several digital audio file formats. Due to the age and range of my music collection they all have a place, and as long as I can still access information in the older formats, I don't see any good reason to dump them. BUT, I'm continually fascinated by the growing capabilities of hand-held devices, and the staggering computing power of something so small.

You're right. I shoulda said "any car with independent front suspension". A solid or beam axle won't work the way I described...not at all. My bad.

The relationship between time and space? The IRS? Women? Ebola? I give up.

Exceptional, all the way.

The late '40s and early '50s Hot Rod magazines posted the SCTA rules. That's where I get my correct info, but they're still all packed from the move. What year are you wanting to build? The rules were changing kinda quickly back then. All of the period Studebakers I know of used the original (but modified) frame, and many ran full wheel covers... "Moon caps"...for drag reduction. They were only a "fashion statement" if used on street cars. One notable Stude, often referred to as the Cagle Sanchez car, did away with the independent front suspension that was stock on the '53, and replaced it with a transverse leaf spring and straight axle from a '40 Ford. It also ran extreme engine setback. Originally built with an Ardun-headed flathead Ford, it was re-engined with a Chrysler Hemi, and went on to become the first "stock bodied" car to break 200mph. Story here... http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/1953_studebaker_coupe/