Ace-Garageguy

For what it's worth, back in the days when we used to paint real cars with lacquer, clear-coat yellowing was a significant problem. Clear shot over a silver base could look like light gold after a few years of UV exposure. I went to 2-component urethane clears on 1:1 work pretty much as soon as they hit the market, and apparently the addition of chemical "UV inhibitors" seemed to have solved the problem.

Very cool idea about using the Blistex-type cap for Gilmer-belt pulleys. Let us know if the diameter is right. Far as carbs on the blower go, a blown racing engine is going to need more fuel than a stock-type fuel pump can deliver. What you'd most likely see is a big electric pump mounted at or near the tank, and the stock fuel pump location on the engine blocked off with a blanking-plate.

I've been looking at Mr. Boyd's most excellent and appreciated photos of this and it looks to me like it's going to be easy to open the doors on this kit. This is one instance where failing to follow the real car's details completely has worked in favor of the modeler. If you know these cars, or look at the photos of most 1:1s carefully, you'll see the REAL door overlaps the b-pillar / quarter panel. If the model had been made that way, it would have been much more difficult to open the rear edge of the door, as substantial reworking of the pillar and quarter would have been necessary after the cut. As it is, only the rear edge of the door will need to be extended slightly, and the pillar and quarter sanded down a bit to allow for the overlap. Flush-fitting doors as shown on the model ARE done occasionally, but it's not really very common. But anyone who wants to make a correct opening-door overlap on this model will benefit from the decision to model the doors as flush-fit.

All I have to say is a big THANK YOU to Revell for putting out a stock '48 Ford coupe. Lotsa lotsa possibilities with this one.

Came across this photo and thought it was just too cool not to share it.

If you're using the engine from this kit, which you referenced in the OP, it's got a GMC 6-71 blower and Hilborn 4-stack fuel injection. Neither the blower and drive or the FI were cheap in '64, but a smart builder, even a "shade tree" guy, is going to put his money into making big power, and put his effort into engine reliability and removing weight. Hot-rodders would actually "save up" to buy more exotic equipment in the days before widely available easy-credit, so it's entirely possible that a somewhat junkyard-dog looking race car could have a pretty expensive engine, relatively speaking. If you want it to look cheaper, you can always put a couple of 4-barrel carbs on top of the blower, or even three two-barrels.

Thanks. Part of my point is how happy everyone should be that the new-tool Revell kit has very nicely engraved body details, and it appears that the separately-molded top section fits very well indeed.

Neat little trucklet. Very nice model.

The '28-'29 cars have a different fender design than the '30-'31 cars. '28-'29 fenders '30-'31 fenders The REASON the skinny-rail frames in these two kits is "lengthened slightly" is because it's built to the wheelbase of the '32 Ford...which is the fatter-rail frame in the kits. The BODY SHELL of the recent Revell '29 roadster fits the old AMT '29 fenders and frame fine, and also fits the fenders and frame in the old Revell '29 kits...EXCEPT: The recent '29 roadster body shell has higher rear fender cutouts than stock. That's where the problem is. There's every reason to believe this new chopped '30 BODY SHELL will also fit the old Revell '31 Ford fenders and frame, which are well scaled and mostly correct, except that the new '30 coupe appears to also have the rear fender cutouts raised like the recent roadster kit.

Very clean.

Since everybody and his dog is obviously going to build this thing, I think I'll pull out the OLD Monogram-based model that I started 3 years ago, just for a little perspective.

91%-93% is generally the strongest that's available commercially in drugstores and the like. 70% is more commonly available, but it's pretty much useless as a stripper...though it works very well as a cleaner. I quit using brake fluid after a couple of older models became extremely brittle following a prolonged soak to soften an automotive urethane clear. I realize neither of these deal with your specific questions, but more info on a thread is often helpful.

Thanks for that tip. I was thinking along those lines after seeing how hard the tires are and how tight they seem to be on the rims on the old Alfa. Glad to know it works well.

Here's a thought. I've been experimenting on doing some bare-metal-look louvered parts, and I've had pretty decent results by shooting the louvered part with black primer, then shooting the finish coat from the side of the part away from the part of the louver that should be open. It takes some fiddling and finessing, and you really have to shoot the black dead smooth to make it work.

So...while waiting for the wheel jig and a few other parts to come in the mail, I decided to start on reworking the engine. Got the distributor and coil off OK, but unfortunately the cam covers got glued on with a fair amount of what seems to be tube glue. I've got to get them off in order to put a polished finish on them, and an as-cast finish on the head itself. It looks like the photo-etched saw blades I bought are going to do the trick, but it's really slow going so as not to damage the flanges more than I can easily repair. Also unfortunately, every one of the distributor cap terminal bosses is cracked where the brass bushings were pushed in, and the cap is also glued to the base...which is also cracked. I think getting the head apart, repaired, and finished will be about the most challenging part of this, and I've already got more time in working on the cam covers than I initially thought it would take to redo the whole engine. Oh well. She sure is a beauty, in spite of the difficulties. Thanks again to Harry for providing the link to English instructions that will download properly too.

I've been there before in the summer, actually working outside (in the shade, of course). I figure if I still like it as much as I did last time, it's a go. Better to make sure I can still deal with the heat before I put things in motion to move, eh?

Now we're talkin'...Steering? We don't need no stinkin' steering!

That kinda put me off too, but the production used a non-flying GeeBee replica to destroy, and may very well have used a fiberglass '34 Ford clone to blow up in the scene above too. Editing can do a lot.

Oh would that I could...but I think Bowie beat me to it.

I can think of at least one other good reason... ...speaking of "luxury".

What you have is completely adequate to build a very cool budget gasser that could have been real. An excellent place to save chassis weight is to take the front suspension and heavy crossmember out and source or fabricate a tubular or I-beam straight front axle on leaf springs.

I believe the Willy Borsch car ran the old-design 392 hemi. The 426 Hemi is the later design with a front-mounted distributor. It would have been an expensive piece, even junkyard sourced. The 392 is the old design, used in all kinds of stuff. Heavy but very effective, and found in a lot of gassers. iBorg has a good point about using the Revell Miss Deal as a chassis-engine starting point too. It's a good generic chassis, has a truck rear axle under it, has a decent front straight axle, and also has a very nice blown 392 Hemi.

Correct.

The only one I know of that's even remotely similar is the Revell Pontiac Club de Mer concept car, built for the 1956 General Motors Motorama. It's a very simple kit, a little underscale probably.

I think that's the prettiest one yet, Ed. I'm going to be in Az. late in August to start looking at property.