Ace-Garageguy

The mag in that kit represents this style of Vertex / Joe Hunt / Scintilla magneto. The wires come out of the back of the cap in 2 groups of 4. Wire position numbers on the Vertex cap indicate the order of firing of the terminal in the cap. These are not to be interpreted as the engine firing order. Combine the firing order in the post above with the info in this one to arrive at the correct wire layout, although Jeff's illustration is for the 426 later-style Hemi. The 392 has the distributor at the rear of the engine, not the front. Some engine builders replace the numbered dots to represent CYLINDER number, rather than MAGNETO firing number, but cylinder ONE is usually in the same place on the cap (relative to the hold-down screws) as illustrated, on any engine. This style mag may be installed in various positions, depending on the needs of the particular car...clearance to firewall being an issue here. Here's a 392 with that mag installed.

Around here, they're the majority by far. Yesterday I had an idiot mommie-in-a-minivan slam on her brakes in the middle of an on-ramp immediately in front of me and STOP...in the MIDDLE of the road...and her kid gets out the driver's side rear door, runs around the car to slam the passenger side rear door, then runs back around the car and gets in. Mommie sits there, still in the middle of the ramp, no attempt to pull to the side or the apron, and talks over her shoulder to the kid for another 30 seconds. Cars are backing up behind and honking, pulling over on the left apron trying to pass, and the car door opens AGAIN and the kid gets out to run around the back of the van to slam the door... yet again. This is in peak rush hour traffic. Then when she finally moves forward, she hammers the throttle and cuts across 3 lanes of fast-moving interstate, from the ramp lane, with no signal or any attempt to match speeds. Several cars have to take evasive action to avoid hitting her. Not a clue. How do these people live long enough to breed?

I scan through all the model headings, probably about once a month, just to see what's new. I've seen some spectacularly inspiring work in genres that I don't usually build, and have picked up a fair number of techniques too. I've even developed an appreciation for short-track dirt and modified racing in 1:1 from seeing some of the fine work displayed in the NASCAR section.

I don't think I've ever built a stocker since I was a kid, and even then I always used all the stick-on custom bits. One big reason I don't build stock now, though there ARE some cars I'd like to do stock, is that I've yet to master BMF. Without good chrome, stock seems pointless to me.

I want 'em all, especially the Poncho and the Hudson. Nice to see a manufacturer continuing to bring out well-scaled and finely tooled kits, fairly close together.

Have you tried looking for Duplicolor at your local auto parts store?

Anything that's about .013" to ..015" in diameter. Electronics stores and craft stores have many choices for a tiny fraction of what you pay for packaged "model-specific" stuff, and you can get enough to last a lifetime, cheap.

While carbon fiber is extremely rigid and light, it's also very fragile and brittle, and not a good choice for rims that will ever see potholes or curbs. Of course, if conspicuous consumption is what you're all about, well then...

Last count, around 60. Of course, some are in the concept sketch and gathering parts stage, and some are all the way through finishing paint stage...and everything in between.

The cab door hinges would be the same as post-late-'40s passenger car door hinges in concept. The rear doors, and side doors (if hinged and not the sliding style) would be similar in concept to the external '30s style passenger car door hinges.

The ace-number-one trick to get any doors (or ANY hinged, opening panel) to fit correctly when closed is to attach the hinges to both the body and the panel with the panel FIRMLY held in EXACTLY the correct CLOSED position. Trying to adjust wonky fitted parts AFTER they're installed is hopeless. I use small strips of the aluminum duct repair tape (not the woven / silver goo "duct tape") which is rigid enough to hold a part in place while it's being worked on, CAREFULLY applied to the outside of the model. EXTREME care in fitting and making sure your doors line up correctly is critical to getting a perfect fit once they're on the hinges. Building the hinges themselves has been covered thoroughly elsewhere on this board.

You're right...it's not all that hard, and it needs to be covered in fiberglass to make a suitably stable surface against which to build a good mold. The foam work is typically done somewhat undersize to allow for the thickness of a layer of glass, and finishing fillers like bondo or Polyfair. This is my avatar, the full scale mockup (on the left) in my old shop. It's being made from foam planks over foam bulkheads. The planks are cut from foam boards, which are made from a foam very similar to the free-expanding stuff shown above in this thread, but under controlled industrial conditions. The product is then factory-sliced into standard sizes, which I've cut into flexible planks on a table saw. More complex shapes are easier to make with the free-expanding stuff.

Mostly true, but I recall most of the hobby shops I loved as a kid were owned and run by retirees who didn't really depend on them for a living anyway. When they died or got too old, the shops closed. There's a well equipped hole-in-the-wall slot-car track / hobby shop in walking distance from my new digs, only open 3 nights a week, run by an old retired guy just for the love of it. He buys close-out stock, sells it for far far lower than what you can buy online, and the tracks are pretty nice with some spirited racing. He's been there for several years. I think it's one of those things that CAN be done if the motivation is strong enough, with some creative thought...kinda like Moebius bringing out beautifully tooled kits fairly close together, when other companies say "it can't be done".

Actually, that's a pretty lucrative business to be in in my area, doing everything from custom horseshoes to expensive ornamental wrought iron for high-end houses. And there's almost NO chance that someone will try to compete with you.

Lots of good advice already, but if I were you, with limited sanding and polishing options (it's real work to do a 1:1 wheel in a well-equipped shop...even harder if you don't have all the pro stuff readily available) I'd seriously consider pricing having them refinished by your local wheel shop. Changes in the collision-repair industry, and the refusal of insurance companies these days to replace wheels with minor damage, have resulted in the springing up of many companies that refinish wheels to look like new. A reputable body shop should be able to give you some contacts. You can also ask your insurance company for a referral, as most of them work with wheel shops they've vetted to do good work. The corrosion appears to already be pretty deep in places, and will need to be sanded out fairly aggressively, in stages of finer and finer grits (and then re-polished, of course, and cleared) and there's always the possibility of having to go so deep into the metal that you'll see a wavy area if you're not really good at blending the damage. Air die-grinders and a multitude of polishing buffs (which a professional shop will have) greatly simplify the process.

Actually, that was the crew that ran under the booster engines with matches to light them. The job paid very well, but the contracts were very short.

You do very nice work, but you know that already. I REALLY like the subtle take on the Corvette with the razor-thin chrome bumpers. Interesting ideas there. Very clean.

Hey, how about a new grass-roots class for racing WHILE hauling drywall?

Oregano?

I'm sure I'll look a lot worse if somebody digs me up after 50 years underground.

Nice looking bird. I always liked flying Eastern, and stupidly bought stock in the company shortly before they went belly up. I think your model has a slightly better looking nose profile than the real 1011, which always reminded me of a dolphin / porpoise. Two of TWA's old 1011s were parked forlornly on the field just outside a hangar in Kingman Az. where I was working in 2009 or '10. They were home to lots of pigeons, and had been there for years. I watched them get cut up for scrap during my time there. Kinda sad if you like old airplanes, but they were obsolete fuel hogs and not really worth trying to refurbish. Images taken from internet sources under "fair use" definition in copyright law

So, whatcha growin'? My yard is full of wild onions I've been having in everything lately, and I'm thinking of maybe tomatoes and some beans...maybe.

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth made his plugs from plaster, over wood and chicken wire armatures. It's the old-school, and still effective way to make plugs for custom bodywork. Roth would make molds of his finished work, and make fiberglass parts in the molds...throwing away all the heavy plaster work. A "plug" is simply a full-scale model of the final shape you want. What material you use is relatively unimportant, so long as it will take a slick finish (for molding) and support its own weight without cracking.

The "right" way to use the foam is to do exactly as he's doing, but go another couple of steps and pull molds from your finished bodywork, and then make lightweight fiberglass parts in the molds. You then remove the "plug" made of foam and bondo and replace it all with the fiberglass parts...getting rid of all the extra weight in the process. Of course, that requires having to engineer brackets and other attachments for your finished parts.

There are many different foaming 2-part urethane products available...some soft, some hard. You can use the "Great Stuff" canned household foam in a similar manner.