Ace-Garageguy

I have absolutely no idea at the moment...but I kinda like it.

Which, more often than not, is a guaranteed source of the wrong answer. It never ceases to amaze me...well, not really any more...how many times I see the same useless, incorrect, but endlessly rebleated gibberish all over the interdwerbs. And it doesn't matter what the subject is, either. There is just no shortage of "experts" pontificating on things they're actually clueless about. EDIT: There are also a whole lot of real experts on the web who are more than happy to share the results of their experience, but unless the one looking for info has some basic knowledge of the subject being researched, it's pert near impossible to separate expertise from bloviation.

Thanks. Both this one and the Vicky (and at least 20 others) are exactly where they were when I last posted progress. Thank you too, sir. The '66 Chevelle is getting close to engine-start. The 2016 Caddy leather power seats are in, the custom console is progressing, and I just finished up most of the fuel system. I'm now in the process of reworking the inner fenders with louvers and more engine clearance. Then the front sheetmetal comes back off so I can rework the headers to accommodate the engine setback. There are countless interrelated details on a build like this, but it all comes down to putting your pants on one leg at a time. And patience. Lots and lots of patience. Once she'll move around the lot under her own power, she gets partially disassembled and goes to paint. While she's being painted, I'll be moving West, then come back here for a few weeks to put her all back together. Glad you're finding something useful. And yes, I've learned a whole jell of a lot in the course of building this model too. There are things I'd do much differently if I were starting today, and it's sometimes hard to resist the temptation to go back and change them. But she'll keep on going from here with no rework, soon as I get some more time...like after the Chevelle and DeLorean are both done, and I'm in Az. to stay.

Yup, the light-colored woodgrain is out-of-the-park gorgeous. Nice job, sir. Nice indeed.

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there. Thing is, this board is an endless source of information. In order to avoid disappointment, big boys don't just assume every kit will live up to their 21st-century expectations. They research what they're interested in before buying something challenging and then smearing the entire product line because it doesn't build itself.

This may be the single most bizarre statement I've ever read on this forum.

Not really. Though Corvette started using a transaxle with the C5 (1997), the proportions and layout make it unsuitable for a mid-engined car. Unlike boxes made with a mid-mounted engine in mind, the Corvette transaxles (prior to the C8) have the differential mounted at the rear. This makes the drive axles come out at the rear too, and unless you want a goofy-long car, it just doesn't work.

Lotsa things in life strike people as "offensive". Unfortunately, these days that seems to be taken as sufficient rationale for silencing people with differing opinions. The OP voiced his opinion. I believe the majority here have presented convincing arguments as to why his opinion (to which he's entitled) may be partially unfounded, extreme, or just based on lack of experience.

Gifts to myself... OTC 6575-2 update set for my decades-old FWD wheel-bearing tool set. MetalAce English wheel parts to build the 44F design from Ron Fournier. Comes with blueprints for the frame. And a partridge...sorry. A new leather shot bag. My old one's pretty much shot.

Guess you've never seen The Wizard of Oz. 1939. Spectacular color. "Autochrome" was launched in France in 1907, the first kinda practical color photographic process. Kodachrome followed in 1935. Though it was essentially a positive "slide" film, prints were possible using complex processing. In 1936, German Agfa introduced a genuine color-negative process. In 1942, Kodak introduced their own color-negative film, Kodacolor. By the late '40s, the period of the shot above, color photography was well developed and under continuous improvement, but wasn't as common as black-and-white due to cost and complexity. Anyway, the shot above may be colorized, but it also has the characteristic monochrome look of some older color photographs where the less-stable colors have faded. EDIT: Nice shot. It's got me looking for a COE Ford cab to build something similar.

Sadly, that's SOP for many in the interdweeb age.

Nope. Not at all. We recognize the flaws in some of the old kits. But we elect to deal with them rather than whining and saying an entire product lineup "sucks" (except for Palmer and Premier, which are pretty much irredeemable). Same goes for the multiple flaws and inaccuracies in many new kits. We mention them, complain some, but either accept them, don't buy the kit in question, or opt to correct them. Big boys...not "fan boys".

This kit has a decent rendition of the ZF 5-speed that came in several mid-engined cars, including the Pantera. In reality, it can be mated to any engine by using a custom adapter/bellhousing.

Where's the ball going to fall? I'm more concerned about when the last shoe is going to drop.

Boy, do I sympathize with that. For the last very few years, I've finally managed to get involved with two companies here where everyone I have to deal with is a grown-up. Sure makes a difference when interactions are based on logic, rationality, and both sides can read and remember what was discussed previously.

Very, VERY nice. Most inspirational too.

You're doing a lovely job, but man oh man...the shot with the photo of the real one confirms just how abysmally bad the model's proportions are. I was kinda lusting after one of these, as I had one for a couple weeks back in the late '80s, bit I think I'll pass. Your phrase "hero build" is definitely what it would take to make this mess actually look like a Silhouette, and I've got a lifetime's supply lined up already. But soldier on, sir. I'm sure you'll make her as pretty as she can be for anything like a "reasonable" amount of effort.

Pretty much my philosophy concerning most, if not all, physical endeavors. I also find it helpful to remember remind myself that, theoretically anyway, I'm smarter than whatever it is I'm working on.

My thoughts exactly. As long as "technology" is just another tool in the box, it's great. I do lotsa stuff much faster because of today's tech than I ever could in times past. But not EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, and realistically, there is a vast segment of the populace who can do absolutely nothing if there's no app for it.

The idea of having vastly augmented capabilities is intriguing to me...like being able to download instant mastery of, say, the Russian-language or quantum physics...an eventual theoretical possibility...sidestepping months or years of conventional study. What bothers me is today's propensity to rush to market with less-than-adequate development...by second and third and fourth rate engineers and developers and marketing-managers, planned obsolescence, and a likely lack of long-term support (the Tinylimp model of forcing everyone to buy all new operating systems periodically). The "smart-home" industry is already plagued by problems like these, from many web-connected devices being wide open to easy hacking, lack of compatibility and standardization across multiple platforms, and poor after-purchase service and parts availability.

Going to? Looks to me like most folks are already there.

Whether you're an aviation enthusiast, a soldier, or just have a passion for anything, this guy's story is one of the most inspirational things you may ever see. This, to me, is what it means to be an AMERICAN.

Agreed. Both my older trucks have simple brake-pressure-proportioning valves that do the job very well. One of them has linkage to a valve that increases the rear brake bias as the bed is loaded and gets lower on the suspension. Straight mechanical systems, pretty much reliable for the life of the vehicle, and not dependent on electronic hardware and software that's going to be non-repairable as this stuff ages. And...I've seen more than a few high-end vehicles destroyed because their incompetent operators mistakenly believed their ABS and traction-control systems would save them, no matter how stupidly they chose to behave behind the wheel. Speaking of which...as we're forecast to possibly have snow here for Christmas, if it does indeed arrive, there will be the inevitable roadsides littered with expensive 4-wheel-drive vehicles on their roofs, in ditches, or sliding through intersections to crash into opposing traffic.