Fat Brian

The twin I beam suspension came out in 65 for the two wheel drive trucks but the 4x4 trucks still used a solid front axle until 80 when the Twin Traction Beam or TTB front end was designed. Basically they took a Dana 44 center section and stuck it one of the I beams and then ran a drive shaft out of each end to the front wheels.

The front axle in the GMC kit is a Dana 44 which was used by Dodge during the same period. The transfer case in the GMC kit should be an NP205. Dodge used an NP203 in the late seventies but I bet no one will notice.

The wheels in the new 62 Vette look pretty close as well.

1. What is a model kit? A group of preengineered parts that when assembled replicate and object, either real or fictitious. 2. What activities (e.g. painting, sanding, burnishing) do you associate with modelling? Cutting, sanding, gluing, painting, mixing, measuring, testing, thinking, polishing, fitting, creating, comparing, researching, examining. 3. Do you follow instructions when building a model? It depends, if I'm not modifying the kit much I will use the instructions. Other times I only use them for certain parts like the engine for example, since the rest of the build may be mostly scratchbuilt or bashed to the point that no one set of instructions is really applicable. 4. How skilled are you at modelling? Overall I would say I'm average, I'm good at certain things but not so good at others. I'm pretty good at scratchbuilding, I have a fairly analytical/mechanical mind so I try to build things that are realistic regarding how they would function on a real vehicle. On the other hand, I'm not a very skilled painter or weatherer. It's partly due to not having an airbrush and partly because I just don't do it well. I'm also not a good "finisher" of builds, I tend to get distracted by something else before I can bring one build to completion. 5. What are kit conversions? Have you ever done a kit conversion? I imagine it is where you take one car and make it into either a different make of a similar car or differnt model of the same car. Body work isn't my strongsuit so I don't do major changes that will require a lot of cleanup. 6. What is kitbashing? Have you ever kitbashed? Kitbashing is taking parts from multiple kits and combining them in one build. I can count on one hand the number of kits that I have finished with only the parts that it came with. Of the over 200 kits I have there are probably a dozen that don't already have something from another kit tossed in the box, and that is only becuase I haven't figured out what to do with them yet. 7. What is the object of model-making? What is the end product? For me the end result has to psychological because I don't produce a lot of finished builds to speak of. It is an escape from the pressures of life and an outlet for creativity. I have always loved cars and trucks and mechanical things and this is a way to connect with that.

Maybe you could scratch something like this. You could use aftermarket interlocking tracks to do it, probably from a Panzer IV or a T-34 since Sherman tracks are so easily indentified.

I have the 71-73 Mustang and Pinto funny cars and they are very good, better than AMT was doing at the same period. The only thing that is odd is that the rear axle is tremendously out of scale, it looks like it came from a semi truck, but everything else is great.

There is a slight flared lip arounf the rear edge of the 32 grill shell, the Revell kit replicates chrome strip being placed around the shell. There are not dimples in the stock shell, the must be for headlight placement. Here is a pic of a replacement shell up close.

Multi-piece, they are easier to shorten or lengthen that way.

Oddly enough, even though the 4.3 is a v6 it has the small block bolt pattern since it is based on the 350 and shares it's internals. Just about any 90s GM kit with an auto transmission should have some variation of a 700R4, they were in just about everything and the difference between the V8 and V6 is pretty small.

The auto used on the 2.8 was a modified version of the 700R4, the bellhousing and the torque converter is smaller on the V6 version than the V8 one.

Yep, if I ever get the money I want to put a 12V in my 88 Suburban. I would live to buy a military surplus 2 1/2 ton truck and sit the Sub body down on the Duece chassis, 12V, Rockwells, and all.

The only thing is the bed is the length of a short bed.

I still go to swap meets and things, the few that are driving distance from me anyway, but sometimes they don't have much to choose from. I recently drove over an hour to a show and returned with three quarters of my budget just because they didn't have many things I was looking for. Ebay is always open, it's free to browse, and if they don't have what you want just check back in a few days.

The 12 valve is the first version of the Cummins 5.9 straight six that was used from the mid eighties until about 97/98 when the 24 valve came out. The 12V has two valves per cylinder and the 24V has 4 valves per cylinder. Most diesel performance guys prefer the 12V because it's all mechanical and the fuel pumps used were superior to the later 24V pumps. A guy I used to work with had a 96 Ram 3500 Daully 4x4 with a 12V that he had worked over in it. He put a governor spring kit in the fuel pump, switched the stock 180 injectors to 370 marine injectors, put on three piece exhaust manifold and a non wastegate turbo housing running to a 5 inch exhaust, cut a custom fuel plate, and a few other odds and ends. He was making well over 400hp and 1000lb.ft. of torque and could outrun almost everything in town.

Yep, mine had them as well. A little white putty and they were gone but it does seem odd to have them on a new kit, but the entire hood is odd since it totally lacks any underside detail.

The Revell 69 Daytona is lightyears ahead of the junk MPC/AMT kit. It's not even close. To make my 71 Daytona I used the nose from the MPC/AMT kit, it was about the only piece worth using in the whole kit.

I would love one too but no one has mastered one yet. Someone did make a 6.7 common rail motor that was supposed to be cast but nothing has come of it.

I have two of these in their boxes ready to be finished, one is the MPC 71 Road Runner that comes with the nose and wing and the other is a 71 Charger I have made a nose for from a Daytona. Don't forget that before NASCAR rained on Mopars parade they squashed the 427 Cammer motor in the early sixties.

What year is the truck? We need some more info to be able to help.

No, the one with the devil face is a five window, this is the one I'm talking about,

The carb is a Rochester AA 2 barrel that was used for 49 and 50. Most places call it a backdraft carb but it seems to work like a regular downdraft 2 barrel except for the air entering from the back. The air cleaner is an old style oil bath filter. Here is thread from the H.A.M.B. that has a ton of Olds Rocket stuff, http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=149650

Probably Revells 32 Tudor kit would be the best choice, it was recently out and probably still easy to find and it is a really nice kit.

Personally, I love ebay. I've had a few bad experiences but overall the good of getting old stuff and scoring deals has far outweighed the bad. The biggest thing about ebay is knowing how to use it and knowing when you are close to overpaying for something, the few times I've been screwed I mostly did it to myself by either not reading the description thoroughly enough or overpaying for something by not knowing the market value of it.

Thats how ours looked, it looks like the runners where the pump attaches to the block are longer than on the rugular engine. I will talk to our machanic and see what was going on.

The engine is supposed to be a 454.