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Fairmont drag car build - Hanging/hinging DS door 8/10/16


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Thank you for your input, John. I truly appreciate it. That's the direction I'm planning to go. Still just don't know whether the studs/nuts will be in the wheels only, or if I'll do it so they appear functional, i.e., studs mounted in the brake hats. And then I have to treat the front end in a similar way. ha

Your question about how I find the time is a really good one... I don't feel like I've got nearly as much time to work on it as I'd like. There have been weeks when I've hardly touched it. I'm trying to run my Futurattraction small business; work 40 hrs a week at my real job; sing in a men's barbershop chorus; up until yesterday had been helping my wife write a book for several years (I did the photography and helped proof numerous times) - we signed off on final revisions with the printer, yesterday, so praise the Lord that is finished; and I'm on the worship team at church, plus all the normal "life" things we all do/go through, so I have my fingers in (too) many pies. I don't even consider myself to be a fast (or efficient) builder when I do have time. It seems like I spend at least two hours of time thinking for every hour of doing. If I gave you a dollar for all the hours of sleep I've lost at night thinking/planning how to make something or resolve a problem on this project you'd be a moderately well-off man... LOL Evidently, I'm either more efficient when I do work on it, or I spend more time on it than I think. Sorry for the rambling response...

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Scott...i finally heard back from Mark at mshobbies as paul mentioned above. He told me that he can get what ever tuner model factory parts that are still in production. Here is his emaill addy:

mshobbies_56@yahoo.com

You can google mshobbies for web address. I dont remember what it is at the moment. You can tell him I sent you. He lives here in phoenix

Edited by Mooneyzs
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No apologies necessary, Scott. I do a lot of planning/thinking/referencing, too. I started my most current project in Dec 2012, put it aside for a while, started thinking about it again and put it back on my bench just a couple months ago. I still don't have a lot done, but it is more than I realize, but for all the actual work I've done, I have put in at least three times that time finding GOOD reference material, downloading and saving that info and pictures. (fortunately, I am able to do a lot of that at work). I have been anguishing for the past three days as to whether or not to wire as many underhood accessories as I can and how I can do that without having it look like a rat's nest. I just ordered the wire to do it but I'm still wondering how it's going to look when it's finished. There are times when I look forward to a box-stock, snap kit build.

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Scott, fantastic work mate, this project is going forward in leaps'n'bounds.

Glad to see you working on your own builds, rather than just catering to us guys. (Which we do truly appreciate, don't get me wrong. ;):D )

Renewing my interest in smaller scale following this, keep it up mate. :)

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John B - I appreciate your empathy... LOL.

Thanks, so much, Greg!

No need to apolgize, Jason. My website has issues right now, so not all my stuff is visible that's actually available. I've been too spread out with my time to get it fixed, but I plan to get started on that soon. I have two sizes of slicks currently, 14x32 and 16x33, plus a super nice "Frontrunner"-styled tire. Wheels will be available. I've cast a few out of a single mold but need to develop a new batch mold. Thanks for your interest!

I'm hoping to start work on a new step-by-step build of my Lenco lever set that I'll use on this build. The trans is more or less done. I've also begun work on a new 351C-based 427 stroker. I've got the heads attached to the block and have done a bit of prep work for mounting the scatter shield. More to come!

Edited by futurattraction
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The Frontrunners that you have... I didn't find them from your web page as you said that everything doesn't show there so I'll have to ask what size are they? The Frontrunners that can be found from Revell Pro Stock kits (The ones that have Good Year Frontrunner texts in them) are often too small for Stock Eliminator / Super Stock Drag Cars. Are your Frontrunners taller?

The reason why I'm interested in this is that I've been working on a master for a tall Frontrunner tire. But it's a lot of work and if someone did the same thing already I could just buy complete sets of them instead of making the master and then buying them from a friend of mine.

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Scott, I just spent about a hour looking through the whole process/progress. You truly have a gift for detail, realism, vision and skillful hands. Amazing build Scott. I look forward to watching this build.

Cheers Jimmy "Rass"

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Niko - here are a couple pics of the new Frontrunner tire:

Side-by-side with kit Frontrunner

Frontrunnercomparison003_zps02de9a15.jpg

Comparison of redesigned tire, flanked by kit Frontrunner and Moroso tire. Mine is a direct replacement for the kit tires.

Frontrunnercomparison004_zpsb1e74088.jpg

Jimmy - Thanks for taking the time to go through the thread. I hope there are some things that will prove to beneficial to you... The Lord really has blessed me with patience, if nothing else... LOL

Edited by futurattraction
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Thanks for the pics Scott! Your Frontrunners look really good, I might have to buy a set when I run out of those I have now. The one I've been trying to make might be a bit taller, but your tire would fit perfectly on a bit smaller car like Nova. Thanks again!

Edited by W-409
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Made some progress over the past several days. Haven't had as much time to work on things as I'd have liked, but oh well...

After quite some time of thinking and mentioning this, I finally got around to adding slide mounts to the central frame rail system. You can see the trans portion of the mounts and the mount for the shifter above the reverse case.

Newpics008_zpsb69fd545.jpg

Newpics002_zps1f1ffa5d.jpg

Setting on the central chassis

Newpics003_zps5e57779d.jpg

Newpics009_zps7a77a7fc.jpg

I got so frustrated with myself a couple nights ago. You've heard the saying two wrongs don't make a right. It's true. I'd "cleaned out" the pivot holes on this set of Lenco handles and attached the grips before I realized (bad recollection) I'd drilled the holes bigger than I'd needed to, so I had to fuss around waaay too long trying to find all the appropriately sized pieces to "adapt" to the circumstances. The grip halves are .006" PE pieces that I primed and painted with flat black. After attaching them, I touched a dot of Future to them to give them a tiny bit more thickness and a bit more shine, similar to the black phenolic grips on the OEM Lenco parts.

Newpics006_zps6625bbb0.jpg

Something I've just barely started on is my aluminum block 351C

Newpics004_zpsf85f92b2.jpg

Now I'm going to have to screw up my courage and take out the trans tunnel before I'll be able to do any more fitting the trans or attaching the levers and linkage to the trans.

More to come, Lord willing... Comments welcome!

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Got some more done. Worked on overhead switch panel. Though not pictured, I added some small PE washers on the ends of the "switches" I'd shown previously to help me keep holes drilled in the face panel in a straight and well spaced line, then glued the switches to the back side of a piece of .080 angle bracket. I will add sides to it to attach it to the cage. Got the holes drilled on the front after drilling through from the inside out. Toggles, when made are going to be .020 styrene rod flattened on one end, leaving the rod end to insert into the switch panel.

switch_panel_zps7c9ef712.jpg

I added a strip of styrene to the fender flange area so I'd have something to attach the tin work to. I began drilling that so I can add rivets at the junction of the fender and tin. I've still got to do the driver's side and will add one more at the rear on the passenger side.

tinwork_CU_zps23498a87.jpg

Also got around to starting the rear deck spoiler. I will be adding PE spill plates to it but it's at least started. It's laminated out of three pieces of styrene, .015-.010-.015" so the rivets I'll use to attach the spill plates will have a place to reside. I tried making a spoiler and drilling into it from the outside edge and it was too easy to get off-angle and drill into the surface material.

electricaltinspoilerpartsreshoot004_zpsc

electricaltinspoilerpartsreshoot005_zpsd

electricaltinspoilerpartsreshoot012_zpsd

That's all for now. Comments welcome.

Edited by futurattraction
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Thank you, Håkan. I appreciate it! :)

Hey Chris! Thanks for checking in on it. I'm inching closer and closer...

Thank you, much, Brian.

Bill - I thank you, sir...!

I truly appreciate your looking in on my build, Ron. Thanks a bunch!

LOL Paul. Yeah - unfortunately, I thought of that. I'm trying to think back when I was doing 1:1 stuff how all the wiring went. I'm probably gonna have to refer to some wiring diagrams to get it all straight in my mind...

Thanks Ray. That's my goal. I hope I can pull it off. I'm going to be getting into a lot of fidgety things one of these days, i.e., wiring, etc. and I'm sure that's probably going to try my patience.

I'm really happy with how it sets. If it all goes together in the final assembly with the same stance, I'll be a really happy camper.

On a whole different topic, I finally figured out what kind of class I think this is best suited to fit - Nostalgia Pro Stock - based on the rules only. It is not being built to replicate an existing P/S Fairmont, so in that regard it wouldn't legally qualify. By the spirit of the rule book, I need to use a snorkel hood scoop on it to conform, and I'm sure I'll have one painted to match, but I'm still leaning toward a cowl hood for my favorite choice. There might be a couple of classes it could fit in, too, that are sportsman classes. If anyone is interested in shedding any light on this particular subject, I'm more than willing to hear/see what you have to say.

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