Six97s

Two surprises on today's Post Office run. A red A-reg Porsche 911 and a white G-reg ('69) Dodge A100 window van with a sweet sounding V8 Couldn't get my phone out quickly enough, unfortunately.

There is usually a flange on tubular headers, but in model kits it's often rendered much too thick and/or as a simple rectangle, so in lieu of thinning and reshaping it, there's argument for some creative painting. The real thing for reference: https://shelbypartsstore.com/?product=product-3

A turquoise Anglia on a trailer and a white Stag, both on the A5, a red Mk3 Capri in Rugby and a white Spitfire parked in Stretton-under-Fosse.

How long until some 1/8 kits start showing up?

Not bad, it's nothing like, say Purple Velvet where the flake is really obvious (it was with the can I had anyway).. I'll probably leave it as-is rather than clear coat it; the shine is about right. I used it on the interior too, because that's almost the same shade and has a similar metallic appearance. I haven't had much experience with drum brakes, but the worst was a '67 Firebird with unassisted drums all round. It stopped, but didn't seem like it would... no pedal feel or progression at all, you put your foot on the brake and it just felt like there was a solid block under the pedal.

Indeed, though I never saw anything interesting there. it looks tiny in that photo, almost like a smaller scale vehicle.

Interested to see how this builds up. I think I'd still give the nod to the Fujimi one - the shape of the front end and headlamps looks a bit better to my eye.

Next job is some intricate painting on the 8-lug wheels. Read about them here, if such things interest you... https://autouniversum.wordpress.com/2019/11/29/a-1960s-classic-the-pontiac-8-lug-wheel/

There are loads of them on eBay, if you don't mind buying from Japan.

The chassis is about finished, but another consequence of correcting the engine is that the fuel pump is fouling the steering box and preventing the engine from sitting on its mounts. I've fitted Cobra valve covers from an AMT '67 Mustang - still unpainted in the photo. They're crisper and better proportioned than the ones in the kit. The body was sprayed with Tamiya maroon. It's sitting a bit high, but it will settle down on the chassis at final assembly. I'm not sold on these tyres, I think at least the front needs smaller ones. I'm going to have another dig through the parts boxes.

Breeze blue it is. Unfortunately I found a couple of mould lines that I missed after priming.

That's a huge improvement over the kit "glass".

I've read that PET bottles are good for heat forming. I need to have a go at some point, I have a '59 Buick with a cracked screen.

I've found a can of Vauxhall Breeze Blue in the garage, which looks close and has that slightly green tinge. I'll spray a test piece and see if it will pass.

Not being that familiar with late BL motors, I had to look it up. Good grief. Perfect complement to Russer Brown though.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into those. I've used Halfords metallics in the past, but some end up looking like metalflake at this scale. The Cobra is in another GB:

I'm afraid I have nothing useful to add, but couldn't resist a thread tagged with both Michael Portillo and Yoko Ono. Well played.

Minor update. I made some armrests to replace the almost flat ones moulded into the interior tub (no photo, not much to see). Also cut out the floor and part of the exhaust to clear the transmission and made the centre part of the crossmember where the trans mounts, which was totally absent. Size comparison with other works in progress - '67 Mustang and '63 260 Cobra. I like this colour, any suggestions for a reasonable match without having to mix something? https://barnfinds.com/sweet-survivor-1965-pontiac-grand-prix/

I've been distracted by the Mustang group build, but I have done a bit more on this. Update later.

Ouch. I have to agree with the other comments - I'd cut my losses and buy some replacement decals, or just paint it plain red.

Mulliner bodied Bentley R, I think. Parked outside Warringtons... /stalker I saw the red SD1 again today. Will try to pull over if I see it again.

Thanks. Yeah, he's offered a lot of stuff I would have bought over the years, but no website, no Paypal... no sale. I get that he has more than enough business and he's happy working that way, so good for him, but I'm not jumping through hoops to place an order. I have a Johan Maverick and a Mustang FC, so if I need any more I can always cast some copies.

Made a start on the intake last night. Roughed in - needs some bolt detail and blending in to look less like an assemblage of parts... Close enough, I can fudge it from here.

Spotted this morning: a red B-reg Rover SD1 and a BMW (R75 I think) motorbike in WW2 getup.

Back to the '69. I took the Boss 429 from an old Johan Torino and stripped it. The toploader came from the spare 428 engine in the Boss 302 kit. The single plane intake will be replaced with a dual plane manifold, which I'll have to make. The Boss 302 hood is longer than the old Mach 1 part, but it's the same length as the one in the old AMT annual, so it's the one I'll use. I marked out the underside for the hole (20mm diameter), using the Monogram Boss 429 for reference. More work needed, because the engine sits too far forward. I already removed the over-thick cover plate from the bellhousing and thinned the mounting face of the gearbox, but it's still a couple of mm out. Looking at reference photos of the real thing, the bellhousing mounting face is almost flush with the left cylinder bank, so removing this extraneous material should get it closer. I'll know better when I've made the new intake and have the carb position sorted. I also removed the fuel tank and trimmed the rear of the chassis, so it all fits together now. The bodywork is far from done. I still have to finish the wheelarches and replace the flare on the front.