Ace-Garageguy

Very cool little race truck. Glad you decided to stay with it.

There sure is a whole lotta TLDR in this hobby. Paint is actually kinda complex, and if you want to understand what you're doing rather than just muddle through with often disastrous results, it takes a little intellectual effort. People who are happy relying on tried-and-true materials and techniques...fine. But why bash those who want to understand...or explain...some of the chemistry? There's a whole lotta misuse of terminology and misinformation bandied about too, both by modelers and manufacturers. Much of it can lead to ruined paint jobs or spoiled effects, and can sour somebody on building models. The more complete and accurate understanding you have of anything you use, the more likely you won't be making avoidable mistakes. EDIT: A little off topic, but the bottom line comes down to, as usual, if you're not certain that specific products and techniques will work together, don't rely solely on what you "heard" or what advice you get here, or even what it says on the products themselves. TEST TEST TEST TEST and VERIFY before committing to using ANYTHING on a model.

"Clean habits" aren't always what single geezers are most known for.

Deterrent won't getchur clothes kleen.

These are better quality...but "NATO" style https://www.etsy.com/listing/1347729959/scale-jerry-gas-can-16-18-110-112-114?

Yup. Shape looks good, but the print quality isn't the best possible. https://www.ebay.com/itm/255197634132 https://www.etsy.com/listing/844025145/g-scale-jerry-can-gasoline-container-rtr

I'd bet there are some in G-scale model railroad accessories.

Very attractive model, and that fine-grained silver really brings out the subtle sculpting of the body. The interior colors work very well with it, look European.

"Feet off the dash !!!" I've found myself snarling on more than one occasion to folks who have no respect for others' possessions.

Pads on a cat's feet make characteristic prints when they walk through the black paint they knocked over on the bench.

"Special" was often part of the name of one-off race cars in times past...like this one sponsored by Grant Piston Rings.

"Lad" he said, "if you keep it up, I'm going to throw you out yon window".

Almost every winter, I grow a beard. I've found it to be easy enough to keep it trimmed with scissors. If that's not an option, some trimmers made by Wahl and probably others have interchangeable heads.

House flies are almost as annoying as some internet influencers.

It's a very simple kit. Instructions at the link below: https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/monogram-instructions/show-rods/monogram_hurst_hair/lastscan.html#media

Sound financial planning when you're young will allow you to be a comfortable old geezer with money in the bank.

Pretty baby. That was really quite the "gentlemen's express", and would really make a statement today used as a daily driver.

Play with sharp objects without sufficient caution, and you might wind up with very short fingers.

Several 3D printed HO scale Baldwin 6 and 8 cylinder turbocharged diesel prime movers, as shop props for a locomotive repair facility... ...with one of the eights slated to live under the engine hood in a rebuild of one of my recently acquired Sharks to represent this somewhat famous locomotive, ex-Delaware and Hudson 1216, below. It's one of only two Baldwin "sharknose" locomotives left on the planet, and could possibly be restored to running condition within the next few years...maybe along with her sister 1205. Though 1216 broke her crankshaft, train lore has it that the current owner has acquired enough salvaged parts from scrappers to put a complete engine together. Interestingly, the two remaining and irreplaceable Sharks, originally owned by the New York Central, eventually found their way to the Monongahela Railway where they were worked almost to death hauling coal drags. The last two running units had been sent to be scrapped by the Monongahela, but were saved from being cut up when the Delaware and Hudson traded the scrap dealer who had them an equivalent weight of scrap-steel, in the form of worn out railroad box cars that really had no other value. When working on the Monongahela, the Sharks were painted an uninspired black with a short white stripe. In 1974, a model railroader named Jay Winn was approached to design a new paint scheme for the real ones on the D&H...and that is what you see below. Here's the story: https://bridge-line.org/sharkpaint -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anyway, the printed Baldwin prime movers are quite nice, far more detailed than I'd be able to scratch with reasonable effort. Same guy makes other railroad diesel prime movers from EMD, GE, etc., traction motors, and other cool stuff. EDIT: After digging online for a while, I finally found some actual Baldwin locomotive works drawings showing component location...drawn to scale. Unfortunately, after running some numbers, it appears initially that the 3D printed prime movers I bought are significantly underscale. More later after I double and triple check my own measurements and scaling...

The elevation changes and weather along the route are valid concerns, as you always tune a race carb for the specific atmospheric conditions at any given track, and EFI working correctly "self adjusts" for varying conditions. But the answer is "it depends". It depends on several factors, like how high is the highest mountain pass a contestant would have to navigate, and what is the specific weather forecast along the route. Although EFI would unquestionably give the most exact fuel/air ratio for any combination of air density and temperature, I've driven carbureted vehicles cross-country many times (granted, not at racing speeds), and I've never had to stop to tune a single engine. If I were running the Cannonball, I'd probably prefer the side-of-the-road repairability of carbs. If EFI quits, you're pretty much done, and you can't win if you can't finish the event. Then again, carrying spares like injectors, sensors, and an ECM pre-calibrated to the specific engine setup and configured to swap quickly could solve that potential problem quite nicely. It all really comes down to personal taste and the contestant's temperament.

Progressing nicely...

Camshaft and lifter failures were a fairly common problem when the new generation of OHV V8 engines hit the American market in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Both American camshaft metallurgy and lubrication technology advanced rapidly, to the point where it became a non-issue. ZDDP is a zinc-based additive specifically developed to combat rapid wear between highly-loaded sliding surfaces like are found between 'flat' cam followers (tappets) and cam lobes. ZDDP has been phased out of "normal" consumer motor oils because of its adverse effects on catalytic converters, and that is one of the reasons every engine manufacturer and his dog went to roller followers some time ago. ZDDP-containing additives and oils are available specifically for older flat-tappet non-cat-equipped engines, and "high zinc" break-in products are available for new builds. Sadly however, even when aftermarket cam manufacturer's break-in instructions are followed to the letter, using the most magic of the additives, lobe and lifter failures still occur, mostly during break-in, as you mention. The odd part is that it's generally not ALL the cam lobes or lifters that go...indicating sporadic deficiencies in the metallurgy or surface treatment along the length of offshore-produced cam blanks, or that not all of the lifters in a given set were made and finished to spec. It would seem that some engineering problems that were solved 70 years ago are beyond some of today's capabilities.

Carbs and linkage in good condition that are properly set up in the first place should be able to make it across the country flat out with no problem. The race-winning car at the 1966 LeMans 24 hour race, for instance, covered over 3000 miles at an average speed of over 125 MPH.

"Kits" aren't always a bunch of parts to build something, but can be (what I thought were stupidly-named when I was a kid) things like the "information kits" insurance companies are always trying to get you to contact them for.

"Away with their heads...or head 'em off at the pass...or pass the peas, please...or please and thank you..." said the Wicked Queen of Confusion.