Ace-Garageguy

Of course, if you elect to do that, be sure to measure the original length of the posts VERY CAREFULLY before removing them. You'll HAVE to get the new posts EXACTLY the same height as the old ones. All the posts I've ever seen also function as standoffs that accurately position the chassis relative to the body, and are responsible for how the wheels fit up in the wheel openings on the body, and "stance". A 1/32 or 1/16 inch mistake here can really ruin the look of a model...so be careful.

Are you doing the Reventlow version with the Buick or the Mecom version with the Chevy? The later smallblock Chevy-engined version uses side-draft Weber carbs. The setup could be represented by the Accurate Miniatures Corvette Grand Sport induction system. Actually, that whole engine is kinda a work of art (the AM Corvette GS smallblock Chebby).

Duplicolor is usually lacquer. "Fogging", actually called "blushing" of lacquer is almost invariably caused by high humidity, as Steve says. What happens is this: when the paint sprays out of the can and the pressure of the propellant drops as it expands into the atmosphere, the temperature of the propellant also drops. This chills the atomized paint enough that moisture in the atmosphere tends to condense on the surface of the fresh paint. The "blush" is simply moisture reacting with a component of the lacquer. Evaporation of the thinners while the paint flash-dries in the first few seconds, with the resultant temperature drop caused by evaporation, will also cause blushing if the humidity is high enough. The same thing will tend to happen if you spray warm paint on a cold body, or spray cold paint on a warm body. It's usually only on the very surface, and will usually polish off very easily once the paint is dry. It will also often go away if you shoot a coat of clear over it...but different materials work differently, so TEST on something other than a model you care about.

Exactly. Always enjoyable seeing cut-down working vehicles based on reality. That worm-drive rear end looks good too.

And they break the mounting posts because : 1) The posts have been over-stressed previously by ham-handed screwers and / or 2) Whatever you're using isn't designed specifically for thermoplastics and is taking too much torque to drive in, which in turn snaps the post off. See my post explaining the right replacement screws above. (NOTE: If the post has already been over-stressed, you're going to be SOL no matter WHAT kind of screw you use) Just any-old-screw you happen to have that looks like the right diameter won't work right in plastic.

You're welcome...not that you bothered to say "thank you" to me for answering your particular question in depth.

In general, they're referred to as "thread-forming" or "thread rolling" fasteners (or screws), and are specially designed for use with thermoplastics to minimize required installation torque (and therefore lessen the chance of snapping a stud or damaging a molded boss), but to still provide good resistance to backing-out. As you know, they have an entirely different thread from self-tapping screws made for metal, or sheetmetal or wood screws. Plastite 45 pan-head screws are a modern type-PT replacement, pretty close to some of the old screwbottom kit designs. They're available in a variety of diameters and drive styles. (enlarged for clarity) As you see, these are very similar in thread appearance to the old-style screwbottom parts. There is also the Hi-Lo type point, often specifically selected for plastic.

Yeah, and DON'T hang your water trap / regulator close to the tank. Getting it as close to the gun / airbrush as possible is vastly preferable for two reasons. 1) Air gets heated as it's compressed. Hot air holds more moisture than cool air. As the air runs down the hose to your spraying apparatus, it gets cooler and water condenses in the line. Placing the water trap as far as you can from the compressor makes sure to catch the maximum amount of water. 2) You also get what's called "pressure drop" in the line from the compressor to the spray apparatus. Putting your regulator as close to your airbrush as you can gets you more reliable and repeatable pressure control AT THE AIRBRUSH, which is where you need it.

Man, not what I expected...but I REALLY like the look of that !!

Definitely. It's ALWAYS good to know the actual experience someone has with actually using an actual product.

Exceptionally clean, like all your work, and an inspiring reminder that a model can be relatively simple and still be a real showpiece.

If you do a little research and look at the numbers (which is much more meaningful than opinions, in my opinion ) it would appear your new unit will be more than sufficient for your needs. Both the California Air 5510A and 5510SE are rated at 1.0 HP, capable of delivering a stated 3.1 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air at 40 PSI (pounds per square inch). All the compressors Paasche sells for airbrush use are fractional HP units, with the largest one being 3/4. Most of them are in the 1/8 to 1/6 HP range. Though everybody stretches the truth about the HP and air delivery capabilities of compressors these days (marketing doesn't have to have any relation to reality, apparently) this is almost a guarantee that the compressor you just bought will be more than adequate.

Exactly. There's never any shortage of gossip mongers spewing gloom and doom, with the ubiquitous preface of "I heard"... I have a hard time believing they're losing money, which would be necessary for a "bankruptcy", as the store near me is busy constantly. But just to fuel the fire, here's an article from August of this year... http://usherald.com/hobby-lobby-just-announced-closing-stores-founder-reveals-alarming-reason/

Testors still makes full lines of lacquer and enamel products as well. I strongly advise you to practice using that little airbrush on something other than your model, to get a feel for how it handles and how the material behaves. I recommend small soda bottles, scuffed and primered as you would do a model. There are about as many opinions on prep as there are painters, but in general, i have had excellent results scrubbing bare plastic parts with an abrasive cleanser like old Comet, hot water and a toothbrush.This method removes any mold-lubricant contamination, gets in small nooks and crannies that no sandpaper or scuffing pads can possibly reach, and it does it without flattening details...which sandpaper will almost certainly do if you're not extremely careful. I don't shoot acrylics, so somebody else will have to advise you there.

Pretty cool so far. Interesting concept and very nice proportions.

Very nice work, Tulio. I'm surprised you don't concentrate on vintage Ladas, Zils, Gazs and the odd Moskvitch though.

You have much talent for combining disparate things into pleasing wholes. I've seen other examples of your work, and you really are good at this stuff. Great concept here.

You and I share that, and it's always been something of a point of pride for me to be able to make that statement. However, if I were in your situation, I'd be very thankful that some government safety nets exist. You've supported yourself and your family by working all your life, so you're fairly entitled to whatever assistance there may be. I know it's a massive change, and will take some head-readjustment, but things WILL get better in time. As always, my advice is to try your dammedest to stay focused on the positive, don't bite off too much worry, stay strong, and put your energy into getting well.

That's interesting, because when you go to buy the 1:1 doors, there are 3 different part numbers. '68, '69, and '70-'72. http://www.chevelle.com/1970-72-Full-Door-Shell-Left-P4357C755.aspx The quarter panel skins come up as the same number for all years. Guess I better be more careful before I assume that different part numbers actually mean different parts. I checked the door numbers and didn't bother to check the quarters. So apparently there are only minor differences between the doors and not the skin-design differences I'd wrongly assumed. Good to know. This thread may save my butt if I ever have to rebuild a real one.

DELETED INCORRECT INFORMATION. PS. For a REAL car, the Hollander interchange manual shows the '68 El Camino (and 4-door wagon) frame to be identical with the '70. The 2-door Chevelle frame is different. The 2-dr Chevelle is built on a 112 inch wheelbase, and the Elky is on 116.

The gap you refer to is between the fuel tank and the body. It's normal, and can be wider or narrower due to several factors...like whether the frame, tank and body are OEM '32 Ford, or reproduction.

Ummm...almost never on the planet I live on...BUT the likelihood of "mechanical failure" increases with excessively complex onboard systems dependent on technology that's not 100% reliable. And NOTHING is 100% reliable. Think "unintended acceleration", non-crash oops deployment of airbags, hackers having already demonstrated the vulnerability of some Chrysler products to engine-shut-down on interstates, disabling ABS, etc. And don't even let me get started on the beyond-ridiculous idea of "steer by wire". In over 40 years in almost every facet of the car biz, I've NEVER seen a "mechanical failure" that wasn't the direct result of having chimps doing the service or repairs...and even then, it's almost unheard of. Consider this another "needed off-track response".

Well, when somebody brought up the unpleasantness of having a face-plant in a non-airbag-equipped car, I led the thread off the rails a bit. Sorry. It's just the implication that old cars were deathtraps waiting to kill or maim innocent people that always gets to me, and the further implication that because cars are "safer" now, everything is all unicorns and rainbows. Here are some of my own favorites, and not an airbag in the bunch. I've driven all of them over the 50+ years I've had a license, fast, and I'm still alive and kicking...with all my major components still in place pretty much as delivered. Old cars are NOT "unsafe". Idiot drivers are the REAL problem, and all the airbags and crumple zones in the world won't change that.

Having been a part of the collision repair industry for years off-and-on, I have heard countless times the phrase "the car wrecked" when the operator of the vehicle that had just arrived on the hook or rollback was talking on the phone to the insurance company or the spouse. Men, women, young, old. At first, I thought it was kinda funny. After about the 100th time, it started to make me see red whenever it was repeated, as it's obviously a widespread failure to accept responsibility and man-up and say "I wrecked the car"...which would imply that the operator had accepted responsibility for actually operating the vehicle with some degree of competence in the first place.

First, you probably shouldn't assume I've never been in that position. Second, I stand by the logic of my original statement, which is that the "accident" wouldn't have occurred in the first place if one or both of the drivers involved had been competent AND paying attention. The safety of vehicle occupants would be well-served if there was a comprehensive and effective driver-training program in effect in this country, along with heavy fines and license revocation for repeated idiot behavior behind the wheel. And drivers who are "accident" prone shouldn't just have their insurance rates raised; it should be CANCELED to keep them from being in control of moving vehicles at any time. Of course, in a society where taking personal responsibility for anything has fallen out of favor, the likelihood of this happening is minimal. And shut down onboard two-way communications in moving vehicles. Several real-world "accidents" I'm personally aware of in the very recent past (one potentially fatal) were immediately traceable to the use of and distraction from handheld-devices by the at-fault drivers. The following excerpt is quoted from: http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/02/germanys-fatal-accident-rate-is-less-than-half-of-ours-despite-driving-at-155-mph "In Germany in 2012, there were 44 traffic related deaths per one million inhabitants, people could drive over 200 mph on public roads, there were tons of bikers, and there was lots of additional traffic from other countries passing through because of Germany's central location in Europe. Those all sounds like factors that would increase accidents and fatalities, but ze Germans are clearly doing something right, because in the USA we had 104 deaths per million. Car & Driver's German correspondent, Jens Meiners, claims that this is due to more rigorous driver training, scheduled vehicle checks ever two years, and the autobahn, where you can drive as fast as you want, but will be punished for not giving other vehicles space. He claims that the space and the fact that nobody is ballsy enough to try to text and eat a hamburger at 120 mph. "