-
Posts
38,194 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Everything posted by Ace-Garageguy
-
As part of my continuing quest to bring a modicum of critical thinking ability to an increasingly resistant-to-reason and willfully ignorant populace, I present the "Self-Filling Water Bottle", a waste of $340,000 in development money...that could have been saved if any of the principals had been awake during high-school physics.
-
Front axle for Revell 32 Ford
Ace-Garageguy replied to Spitfire's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
Something else to remember is that there are MANY different plastic axles out there, with a lot of different degrees of drop. -
Front axle for Revell 32 Ford
Ace-Garageguy replied to Spitfire's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
Making a straight axle isn't hard, really. The axle shown below is a piece of styrene rod stock. The ends to the axle are cut from the same material, glued carefully with liquid cement, allowed to dry at least overnight. The ends are then drilled with a .030" bit in a pin-vise. Spindles are made from channel stock, also drilled as appropriate. Then use .030" wire for kingpins. Stub-axles are 1/16" plastic rod. NOTE: It's even easier if you don't need to have it steerable. Omit the steerable spindles and attach the stub axles directly to the axle ends. Drilling 1/16" holes to receive them makes for a stronger joint. And these are plenty stout to support a model that's handled carefully and not played with like a toy. Existing axles can also be modified to steer relatively easily. File away the spindles, proceed as above. The axle below is from this kit: And...these were drilled for .015" common straight-pin kingpins. Spindle on right is still rough. Spindle on left almost finished. Axle is from this: The shot below shows a simple jig to make sure the camber matches on both sides. -
Hot Rod Duesenberg
Ace-Garageguy replied to Richard Bartrop's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
-
Nice project. Love those deck details. Just to clarify...the Flamethrower unit was a dual-point distributor, requiring two external coils, not a magneto.
-
Baking soda as a blasting media
Ace-Garageguy replied to Ballroad's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I figured I'd get this if anybody who knew much was paying attention (and I left out the ion stuff for the sake of simplicity). My response was to the statement that "baking soda is pretty much salt." That implies table salt to me. He did NOT say baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is A salt...which I know. Two entirely different meanings here, and two entirely different chemical compounds. Not interchangeable, and neither one is "pretty much" the other one. I stand by my statement. And baking soda IS routinely used as a blasting medium for real cars and parts. Though problems have been reported with painting soda-blasted cars, they are invariably caused by poor cleaning and prep AFTER blasting...which is 100% necessary after ANY paint stripping procedure. https://www.dlkautoparts.com/index.php/soda-blasting -
^^^ Exactly. Why do anything today that can be put off until tomorrow? Procrastination becomes an art-form after a while practicing it.
-
R.I.P. Eugene Pitt, founder and lead of The Jive Five
Ace-Garageguy replied to SfanGoch's topic in The Off-Topic Lounge
Man, I haven't heard that in a long, long time. Funny how we forget now much we liked some things until they're gone. -
Baking soda as a blasting media
Ace-Garageguy replied to Ballroad's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Yup. THE BEST, method, period. That's the only method I've used...for years...after trying everything else. A toothbrush is good, and hot water. Make a paste of your cleaner and water, go to it. Work a small area at a time, and in just a few minutes, your model is very evenly and perfectly scuffed. Rinse thoroughly. Done. Besides getting into all the little nooks and crannies that sanding or Scotch-Brite pads miss (and you risk softening details with sanding), it also removes any residual mold lubricants that might still be on new plastic parts (which can contribute to poor adhesion and fisheyes). -
Baking soda as a blasting media
Ace-Garageguy replied to Ballroad's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
No. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. NaHCO3 Sodium, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen Salt is sodium chloride. NaCl Sodium and chlorine Two ENTIRELY different chemicals, with different properties and uses. AND: Baking soda is routinely used as a blasting medium on real car-parts, as it doesn't cause as much heat distortion and pitting as more aggressive sand and glass blasting media. It also makes an excellent NON-SCRATCHING cleaner for plastic and glass. Great for coffee pots and plastic coffee maker guts. -
Not a Pontiac Guy.....
Ace-Garageguy replied to Xingu's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Don't forget the Mickey Thompson / Hayden Profit-built-and-driven world-beater A/FX Tempest...of immense historical importance in drag-racing. -
Ah yes. THIS is the kind of quality to strive for. Beautiful work, Steve. Did you make the masters as well?
-
Pre War Dry Lakes Racing
Ace-Garageguy replied to Richard Bartrop's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Many of the big names that established hot-rodding as a big deal post-war were active racing on the lakes pre-war...like Vic Edelbrock. Here's the story of his early car: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0405-edelbrocks-first-hot-rod/ Stu Hilborn was another one: http://hilborninjection.com/hilborn-history/ -
What Did You Get Today? (Not Model Related)
Ace-Garageguy replied to LOBBS's topic in The Off-Topic Lounge
Man, I feel cheap now. Most I ever paid for footwear was a little over a ton for hiking boots, and a pair of Tony Lamas...quite a while ago. -
Rebadging, for many strange reasons
Ace-Garageguy replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
The term "badge engineering" was common in years past, very often referring to multiple versions of the same basic car produced by companies that would ultimately be blended together to form British Leyland (like the MG Midget / Austin Healey Sprite "Spridgets"). Here's a list of LOTS more... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_badge-engineered_vehicles -
Maybe best known for his post-apocalyptic story "A Boy and his Dog" (made into a film starring Don Johnson in 1975), and giving the world concepts like "burnpit screamers", has died. One of my favorites. Harlan Ellison, Award-Winning Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 84 https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2018/06/28/624416014/harlan-ellison-award-winning-science-fiction-writer-dies-at-84
-
Looking back at AMT's 1963 Chevrolet PU
Ace-Garageguy replied to Eshaver's topic in Truck Kit News & Reviews
Agreed. -
A Nod to Greg Myers
Ace-Garageguy replied to Lunajammer's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Yes, Greg has certainly opened some very interesting and often not-too-well-known topics. -
I like the story as part of the build presentation, too. Interesting and original. You have me wanting to know what happens next. I also have a soft spot for old Bugs. My first car was a '62 with a '58 engine that leaked oil as fast as you could pour it in. I was a broke college student, and keeping that little car running, and later hot-rodding it, led me down a "path of discovery" into the workings of internal combustion engines (and vehicle systems in general), and the rest, as they say, is history.
-
Stop resurrecting once great nameplates
Ace-Garageguy replied to HomerS's topic in The Off-Topic Lounge
At least they're adult enough to refrain from name-calling (aimed at other members of the board) with their hyperbole. -
Phaetons make cool rod fodder, but they're among the least popular body styles. The white one is the MPC Switchers shell, which doesn't suffer from the very-short-height-at-the-cowl of the AMT shells. The white / beige/ red one is, of course, the old Monogram 1/24 kit.
-
Stop resurrecting once great nameplates
Ace-Garageguy replied to HomerS's topic in The Off-Topic Lounge
If you mean the pumps at a station, a simple hose dropped into an underground tank and connected to a lifting pump solves that problem nicely. And driving for a few more days or weeks can make all the difference. Luddites who are somewhat prepared will do just fine, thanks. -
Back in 2011, I drove most of the remains between Oklahoma and LA, inclusive. Great fun if you like gritty top-down old-school travel and don't share the ride with any whiners. Plans to head that way again in late August or September this year. https://roadtrippers.com/stories/the-ultimate-guide-to-route-66?lng=-109.58235429162846&lat=37.376076551554746&z=5&a2=t!10296177