Ace-Garageguy

Really nice rework, and one of my favorite designs.

Beautiful model of a truly striking car.

Jason, since you asked, I have two build threads on here now. The first is a '61 Dodge Dart Phoenix restoration / custom: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58538 The second one is a re-design of the old Monogram Orange Hauler : http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58969

Man, this is great. Has everything that appeals to me: unusual subject, experimental techniques, lots of scratch-building, and historical research for accuracy. Really cool project.

Great projects. Naturally I also love to see old models restored and reworked, especially when they have some particular sentimental value to the builder. I like your ideas for both of them, especially the BBS wheels on the T-bolt.

The stretched wheelbase is an interesting idea. Cool little bug.

This one reminds me why the '34 3-window is one of my all time favorites. Great clean car.

Really great photos. Hard to beat reality for realism. Good looking T too.

Thanks Jason. I'm really focused on 3 to finish ASAP. This one is getting lonely, being the only one "done".

I deleted my original post of some content that was subsequently quoted in its entirety in a relpy. All the content remains, just not two copies. Hate to waste bandwidth for mutiple posts of the same stuff.

Yup.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm with the guys who loved Indy when it was about innovation and sport....sport including back-yard small-time guys building winning cars. With the influx of huge marketing money and management, to me it's lost its soul entirely. Come to think of it, that's pretty much the way I've felt about motorsports in general these past 25 or so years. Time was, a guy like me could have built an F1 car too. Never again. I usually listen to the audio feed from Indy, just for nostalgia, and I watch some of the in-car work. I have respect for anyone who drives or flies in competition, but it just isn't accessible to mere mortals, and it WAS when I was a kid.

Still enjoying seeing all of it, from concept through execution. Very nice work and a good looking design.

Thanks for the interest and comments. Austin T, I have an anmolested kit of this too, and at some point will build it box-stock (wired and detailed) and show the two together.

Wow, everything you've done is truly outstanding. I've had this kit so long the tires have dry-rotted. Guess I'm going to have to find some more, 'cause this is really inspiring.

This is really a terriffic build. Keep it going. It's a ton of work to adapt a production car body to a race car chassis, but the results here will certainly be worth the effort.

Way too cool. Nice cut-and-splice.

Very original, cool concept. The lines work remarkably well. Nice job.

Nascar rear end assy. Reinforced Ford 9", but it just won't work as is. Modded crossmember, shortened arms, tunnel and floor being clearanced for driveshaft and pumpkin. All this is necessary to lower the car to where I want it, and still have pretend functionality. Have to make coil-spring pockets and shock mounts. New front lower control arms tacked in place. Crossmember will have to be modified too. Corresponding new upper control arms tacked, engine fitted to check for clearances. This will put the centers of the stub-axles where they need to be to get the stance of the mockup. Firewall is getting bumped back too, to let me move the engine back a little more. Patch in firewall is where HVAC unit used to live. If I angle the headers in towards the block just a little more, they will just clear the torsion bars when installed. Steering cross-linkage will most likely be replaced by rack and pinion.

Tricky bits....Masked the inside of the shell while spraying poly-vinyl alcohol release agent on the outside, and inside the mold. Jagged broken edges were scarfed ( tapered) back about 1/4" INSIDE. Mold aligned and securely taped in place. Release agent was CAREFULLY removed from extreme edges of break so that resin would adhere all the way to the surface. I coat of MGS 285 epoxy / 285 hardener thickened with Aerosil + 3 layers of fine model airplane cloth and MGS 285 resin / 285 hardener. Covered some stress cracks as well. Should have used the slower 287 hardener, as in the 90deg. heat, the resin was kicking during the third layer, which is why it looks kinda nasty. Popped the mold off after overnight cure. A little cleanup and she'll be good as new. In all honesty, I got the mold mis-aligned a few thousandths of an inch, and the molded surface is just a tad high, but careful bodywork will fix it. The repair is stronger than the original plastic, and the joins at the edges are forever. Forming parts in place like this is the same technique I've used sucessfully on 1:1 composite, 200mph aircraft. Same resin system too.

Yeah, that woodwork is incredible. Inspiring talent and workmanship.

Thanks guys. I'm still not entirely happy with the front end, but I'm getting closer. Surfjunke, what is the car in your photo? It looks kinda Porsche 904, but I've never seen anything quite like it.

Thanks, Bob. It got shelved along with everything else during the thrash to finish the contest car. I'm trying to limit myself to two or three simultaneous builds, 'cause I actualy like having one finished.

Truly inspiring.

Well, I've got some orange paint left over from the Gearz Chevelle project, so I'm thinking to use it up, it's time to bring this one back on-line. There's glass-work curing on the Phoenix, and I can't afford parts for the 1:1s this month, so here we go again.... I scored a cheap, partially-built Orange Hauler a while back, mostly for the tires and the Buick nailhead, but I got to thinking of an up-dated rework of the general concept. The first mockup keeps the general theme of a short wheelbase show-truck, but loses the bubble top in favor of a roadster-pickup vibe, a raked wrap-around windshield, and completely new front and rear end treatments. I want to keep a slight resemblance to the original Darryl Starbird design, but clean it up and smooth it out a little. The distracting hole on the front fender will go away, the rocker moldings will be continued forward, the nose gets extended, etc. To make it at least somewhat practical (in theory), I'm thinking fifth-wheel race-car trailer-hauler. An alternate-reality Viva Las Vegas sort of rig. The hood and surround from another Starbird creation, the Predicta, takes the place of the fussy and dated original upper front surfaces..... For an over-the-top showcar power plant, a twin-blown Viper engine is in the works...... in the chassis.... and as she sits today..... Tonight's project is working out the rest of the design of the front end. I'll be trying variations until something clicks.