Ace-Garageguy

The V-12 aircraft engines from WW II were indeed huge. The Merlin was 1650 cu.in, the Allison 1710. So roughly 3 to 4 times the swept volume of a typical big-block automotive V8. Add the superchargers, speed-reduction gearbox for the prop, and the accessory drives...huge.

Definitely not an Allison. And not 1/25 either. This is the AMT 1/25 Allison. Sorta similar, but actually entirely different. Judging by the sump and the angled cylinder head tops (relative to the exhaust ports), your engine appears to be a Rolls Royce Merlin, in perhaps 1/32 scale.

I would posit that anyone who develops a skill that requires good eye-hand coordination, visual judgement, and a self-critical feedback loop (including PhotoShop etc.) would find some cross-benefit to every physical activity they engage in, particularly any kind of "making".

A new Winters or Frankland QC was around $2500 - $3500 complete (center, axles, tubes, brakes, etc.) last time I checked.. A genuine "Culver City" vintage Halibrand in perfect condition can run over 10 grand. Last time we bought a complete, functional Columbia (back in about 2011) it was around $1500, but needed complete cosmetic restoration.

Hard to say, and in all honesty, the only real-world experience I have with these units is under '32 and '40 Fords. I did some research though, and found the Columbia was offered under the '37-'41 Lincoln V12 Zephyr (among other vehicles), which lists a nominal weight of 3800 pounds. Nominal weight of a '50 Ford is roughly 3,000 pounds. I do not know if the Zephyr unit was the same as used under lighter cars, but there's a good chance nobody you ever encounter will know either. Just say it's a Lincoln unit and go for it. EDIT: Ford had a factory overdrive gearbox available for the "shoebox" and later cars, so using junkyard parts to accomplish the same job as the Columbia would be one jell of a lot easier.

Gee. I'm so flattered. The box-art car is identical in appearance to my 1:1.

Missed this question...been kinda busy. Anyway, anything will work in pretty much anything, within reason, with enough mods and fabrication. The Columbia is made for a "closed driveline" or "torque-tube" setup, but could be converted to an "open" style driveshaft coupling. The only other major mod required would be replacing the buggy-spring perches with semi-elliptic perches welded to the axle housings. How long it would live under a much heavier car is another question entirely.

"Model building experience benefited another project. Anyone else have their experience be beneficial?" Yup. Pretty much everything I've had my hands on for the last 5 decades has benefitted one way or another from my model-building experience: an easy familiarity with tools in general, an understanding of materials, finishes, and adhesives, a confident can-do attitude (not being hopeful that a project will "turn out" well because I KNOW it will...including knowing what to do correct something if it doesn't), and the patience, self-discipline, and honest self-criticism required to achieve consistently excellent results.

So did my last ex. One of the prime reasons she's an ex.

Many years ago there was a segment on a TV game show asking married couples "which direction does the sun come up from at your house (north, south, east, or west)?" All the men said "east". All the women disagreed with them. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Of course not. But damm near everybody who pontificates one way or the other has some skin in the game...political-posturing for power or an economic interest (discounting the largely ignorant rebleaters, of course).

Bingo. And that's the single most obvious thing the rabid sky-is-falling proponents of immediate and total replacement of IC-engined vehicles with electrics fail to recognize.

And of course an article written by a company that makes accessories for Teslas wouldn't be the least bit self-serving: EDITOR'S NOTE: This article comes to us courtesy of EVANNEX, which makes and sells aftermarket Tesla accessories. The opinions expressed therein are not necessarily our own at InsideEVs

Beautiful part of town. You must have enjoyed living there. I sure would...except for the summer heat.

Little car died where I-10 and !-17 run together for a while. The dealership and hotel were on Camelback. Then headed out on Camelback until I took the turnoff to 60, through Surprise, etc.

Last trip West, in a fairly late-model Corolla (which I wrongly assumed would be stone-ax reliable) my batt. light came on north of Tucson. It went out and I kept on going. But in Phoenix, it came on and stayed on in stop-and-go traffic on I-10. Barely got it off the interstate before it died completely (in part due to the high electrical load the electric steering puts on the system). I had no tools and had to get a tow to the nearest Yota dealer. Internally shorted alternator, and replaced the battery just because. Almost a thousand bucks and two nights in a fairly expensive hotel while waiting for parts. Finished the trip, and otherwise, little car performed flawlessly.

Without "high-flotation" tires, it looks like it would just sink to the axles anyway. When I was a kid, folks on the East Coast used worn out fat aircraft tires on 4wd trucks to run on the beaches for surf fishing. Lotsa fellas used 'em out West for early dune buggies too.

Usually a good option...unless you let it expire. Which I stupidly did.

Hard to say. Most likely I'd have gotten them running well and found them good homes. I paid $5 (yup... five dollars) for the Corvair because it wouldn't stay running. Several shops had looked at it and put fuel pumps on it to no avail. The owner was frustrated and just wanted out. Turned out the eccentric on the cam that drives the mechanical pump had worn out. Weird, but an electric pump fixed it, and it was a daily driver. I bought the Isetta cheap after it had been sitting for years, and the owner didn't want to put enough money in it to get it running reliably. Same story with the Ghia.

You just get a certified copy from the jurisdiction where you were born. Most of the states have provisions for downloading the required forms. You print them out, fill in the blanks, enclose copies of any other necessary documents, and send it all in with whatever fee the state requires. I had to do it recently, have had to do it before, and it's not a big deal for a functioning adult. I guess I'm just lucky. The state I'm leaving and the state I'm moving to both have very efficient DMV operations, assuming the applicants can read and manage to get three documents together.

Geez...poor little truck. My hat's off to you sir, for taking on an obviously ambitious save. I love seeing messes like this brought back.

Yeah...decades ago, when I was elsewhere engaged in winning-hearts-and-minds, my significant other (at the time) sold my Isetta, for scrap value...along with a rust-free low-headlight Ghia and a '60 Corvair that had a trunk full of AMP electrical connectors.

Don't expect factual information from most of the media. A lot of 'em have no clue as to what reality actually is, and most of the rest just don't care. EDIT: This is NOT politics, by the way. It's simple truth no matter what the issue is.