Ace-Garageguy

Album titles often make very little sense, and might be chosen for shock-value, cutesy-ness, or dog knows why (it's a marketing thing).

Shaping of the frame rails progressing. Roughing work done with a barrel sander in the Dremel. Final shaping is done with hand-files, sandpaper. After the shape is right, a cardstock transfer template is used to trace the outline on the other side, insuring symmetry. Taa daaa...both sides match. Axle fitting again, to check available clearance at new up-and-over section of frame rails. Mocked up in the body shell, with interior in place. Side clearance of tire in wheelhouse is adjusted. Axle needed to be narrowed slightly, just as you'd do on a real car. Inner fenders will be shaved a little, to allow me to move tires about 1/32 inch outboard on each side when the brake backing plates go in. Initial ride height is checked, by comparing relationship of wheel to fender opening in early mockup. We're pretty close already.

Night bumpy-things can include ghoulies, ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties.

Yup. 7000 miles of bad road could certainly crack a cast bellhousing...

Something about that last shot has me jonesin' for a pizza...

Moon Pies and RC Cola were a traditional Southern repast.

Many thanks, kind sir.

Wallet stuffers in the form of greenish pictures of dead presidents are always welcome.

Total overkill for this kind of "racing", which is really a kinda slow rally...but what I wrote above: "Of course they function as trans adapters too...so since I might have to run an adapter to mate the 4-speed Borg Warner to the Stude V8 anyway (though Stude did use 3-spd and 3+OD BW gearboxes, so maybe not), might as well use the toughest one available."

Pico...I'm going to try to get to the meeting tomorrow, but I'm still buried in work. One question...will there be a table section for "in primer" this time? Really no way in jell I can get anything done, but I'd like to show something, as this will definitely be my last time here before I move.

Decades of faithful service should be rewarded.

Typo or Freudian slip?

Holy cow. And I mean that as the most pious of bovines.

"Swing" the music I like, but "swing" as in partner-swapping always turned my stomach.

Lotta OEM and aftermarket bellhousings are cast iron or cast aluminum. They don't do much to contain an exploding flywheel, a very real possibility in drag racing. The steel hydroformed bellhousings were introduced as safety scattershields a long time ago by Lakewood, others. Of course they function as trans adapters too...so since I might have to run an adapter to mate the 4-speed Borg Warner to the Stude V8 anyway (though Stude did use 3-spd and 3+OD BW gearboxes, so maybe not), might as well use the toughest one available. https://www.shoppok.com/ventura/a,43,304570,Hydroformed-Bellhousing----200--Thousand-Oaks-.htm "Hydroformed" was the name given to a special deep-drawing process used to form them from one single piece of steel plate.

Apparently they're a protected class. Who knew?

"Kits", when used in the context of "information kits" for insurance, etc., and had nothing to do with actually building anything, always mildly annoyed me as a kid.

Amen, brother.

With the blobules removed from the frame, I could go ahead with reconstruction of a reasonable facsimile of the stock rails, using styrene blocks fitted in place. Screw holes on chassis plate are being filled too. Chassis reference from owner's manual tells me the model designers did a pretty good job, all things considered: Decklid mold popped easily off of rear of body shell. PVA mold release works every time.

T-t-t-t...T is for t-t-t-t...tank!!!

VERY nice. All the mods are so well integrated, it could indeed be a professionally-styled factory prototype.

Magazine capacity limits are annoying, and pointless.

I'd planned to open the decklld almost from the beginning, so it won't slow things unless there's an unforeseen problem. I've made a lot of f'glass parts for models in the past, so I'm not expecting any issues this time. The group build runs to the end of the year, I believe, and even if she's not 100% done, I'll have something to show for my effort, and I'll have enjoyed it. This is becoming typical of me, however. The initial plan was just to do a decent curbside with nice paint and decals, roof and deck racks, brush-guards, raised suspension, and some tarped camping gear and spares on the racks. But lately I've been researching full flow oil-filter rigs for the Stude V8, swapping in a Borg Warner T10 with a steel hydroformed-style bellhousing, big Lincoln drum brakes up front, etc. etc. etc. Nuts.