Ace-Garageguy

Apparently it's not all that hard.

I might be able to help you out. Stand by, but don't hold your breath.

That's the way it works. I don't remember exactly when the car "experts" began their narrative push that "neutral colors are worth more in trade or easier to sell on the back-end", but it's been decades. Anyone who's a long-term car-market watcher knows this. It's nothing new. The car-buying market responded by buying increasingly high percentages of boring colors, so the dealers, not being complete idiots, tended to stock what most people seemed to be buying...so people who came in wanting something from stock drove away in boring colored cars. Wash, rinse, repeat ad infinitum.

So you're aware that for every boring color, there seem to be at least 25 "variants" too. What fun we have.

In this area, it always seems to be bread and milk that disappear first whenever any kind of cold "weather event" is forecast. (Whatever happened to the words "snow" or "sleet" or "ice storm"?) I guess everyone figures on having tasty milk sammidges while they shiver in the dark singing Kumbaya. EDIT: Maybe there's some logic to it. Seems on the surface that Spam and peanut butter and jam would be better sammidge fillings in the event of a power outage, but cold Spam is greasy and might traumatize sensitive tummies, PB and jam get too thick to spread for limp little fingers only adapted to texting, so apparently pouring milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated ('cause it's cold in the house) on some bread just might be the optimum survival solution for some...

Pants, according to some sources, were invented by the same guy who invented the internet.

Sometimes I feel like I live in an old-school hobby shop...and that's OK by me.

^^^ I really like the upside-down container idea. I have some small yogurt containers I use for mixing epoxy and polyester resins that would be perfect...same result, but a smaller footprint than the margarine tub. Thanks.

"Great dressers" would certainly describe all my exes, though each one had an entirely different style.

It's a WW II military tread design in an OD more suited to a CCKW, but with taller sidewalls so they'll fit a much smaller rim. Chariots of Fire has made some to fit larger rims for a few of his builds, and probably still has the molds and might make you a set...though you'd need to reduce the diameter of the centers to get the look above. WW II Jeep tires of the era used the same tread design, but the OD was much smaller than that pictured above, though the ID would be close. Tires from a 1/24 Wespe CCKW would get you the tread and approximate OD, but the ID is much too large as well. I have both 1/25 and 1/24 Power Wagon diecasts, though only the Ertl 1/25 is here. Its tires and rims are reasonably close to the OP's photo, but maybe a little undersized in the tire OD. You can often find broken diecasts for parts for reasonable money. The Danbury Mint version in 1/24 is considerably more expensive than the Ertl, though because it's a slightly larger scale, the tire/wheel combo might look closer to what's on the OP's photo if he built it using tha 1/25 '37/'38 Ford pickup kit. These can be found broken, for parts, as well.

Yup, mine is like that too. I don't have any idea if it's all of them, but I put it back in the box, more concerned with how the "chrome" would take foil eventually than anything else.

Over the years, I've really come to like the old Monogram 427 in all its iterations, some of which can be had pretty cheaply. Proportions are good, chassis is all coil. Just be sure the version you get has the Halibrand wheels (I may be mistaken, but I believe the "street" version only has wires). It's essentially the same kit as the fairly recent ROG version. For an engine, I'd most likely go with the smallblock from the Monogram Shelby GT 350 of the same period. It's also nominally 1/24, and again, can often be picked up cheap. I don't have one here to look at, as they were among the first batch I moved west. This one is, again, essentially the same kit as the more recent ROG kit, unboxed below.

I haven't done it, but I wouldn't make that assumption. By far the vast majority of car modelers accept what comes in the box, and either just don't see scaling and proportion issues, or if they do, don't care enough to correct them.

Even in states where it's no longer possible to buy generic MEK over the counter, it's often possible to buy Weld-On products over the web in cost-effective bulk quantities, shipped to your door.

Real pretty group there, sir.

I wonder how they differentiate between "gray" and "silver". If you lump those two together(colors like "storm gray metallic" and "gray mica"...both actually silvers), it's around 30%.

Three things I don't like about 'em. 1) More stuff to break, and if your installer isn't all that great, reliability can be an issue. Aftermarket auto-electric installers often use junk like 3M Scotchlok connectors and/or wire nuts, for instance. They're both failures waiting to happen. 2) You're not IN the car when you start it, so you won't be aware of anything that doesn't sound right on start-up. An odd sound on cold start-up can warn you of, possibly save you from, a catastrophic engine failure. 3) My extensive experience with aftermarket electronics has been disappointing, to say the least. There's often very little in support after the purchase, and warranty claims can be a nightmare...particularly if your installer fries something. That said, you're probably better off taking the advice of someone whose job it is to evaluate stuff like this. https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a34512303/best-remote-car-starters/

Lane Bryant is a retailer that caters to "ample" women, or at least it was 30 years back when my significant other fit the description.

"Works" (factory) race cars were often sold to privateers at the end of the racing season, to be replaced by new cars for the factory drivers.

I can be frugal, but not quite to that extreme. Paper towels, on the other hand...

There was a fly in my soup, but he didn't eat much.

Or shout at clouds.

"Entirely subjective" is the key. Some guys want old trucks to ride like old trucks. Some guys want 'em to ride and handle like Jags. Some guys even like both approaches equally. One of my favorite builds from a couple decades back was a stock-appearing late '50s C1 Corvette on a well engineered tube-frame that carried C5/C4 guts. Wonderful car. Vintage appearance, contemporary performance. But I like driving a completely stock C1 just as much. Completely different experience, every bit as much fun.

Yes tovarisch. You can have any color as long as it's gray applied with a dirty pinecone on a stick.

Real cars tend to route secondary wires (plug wires) as short as possible. Always prudent to look at photos of the full-scale engine you're modeling. AND...as I believe someone else mentioned...I drill the holes in the heads all the way through into the space in the center of the block. Makes it easy to just push somewhat-too-long wires in to the right length, mark 'em, pull 'em out, and trim.