# House of wisdonm...



## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Some people asked how I built my '39 Sports Wagon.

Follow along and you'll see. I am going to use the '39 Wagon Rod kit. Although I have never built this kit before, I think it will become a favorite donor kit, in the future, replacing the Dodge Sidewinder, which has become pricy and hard to find. This kit has a rare Chevy LT5 DOHC engine, B-W 5-speed trans, separate Art Morrison frame, four-link rear suspension, Ford 9" rear end, air bag suspension including pump and tank, nice wheels and tires, and brake rotors and calipers. All neat parts and they are labeled on the instruction sheet, which is sorely lacking on so many kits, including Tamiyas.








To me, this kit has everything going for it except it's not very pretty. It seriously needs to be sectioned. I'm going to try.

I started out by setting the body on the piece with the fenders. There is a 2+ mm gap between the body and the running board. I colored it with a pink high-lighter in the pix.










Next I mocked up the engine and trans in order to check clearances. The engine was assembled with white glue, so that I can disassemble it again by soaking it in water. The frame has a slight twist behind the rear axle. Otherwise, it looks like I can do what I envision. 
First I want to close up that 2mm gap between the body and the running board. All I'm going to have to do is raise the arches for the fenders.

I did this by making patterns of the openings. Make sure that the patterns are raised perfectly vertically. It is very helpful to have vertical reference lines. In this case the door panel lines are perfect for this. Just raise the highest point of the pattern arc the amount you want to lower the body.








The original height from the bottom of the running board to the highest point of the roof was 57mm. After this simple 2mm drop the height is now 55mm. I'm sure I can find at least another mm somewhere. Notice how the hood now sits 2mm too high now. It's always something.







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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

I'm diggin it so far!!


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

I saw this on MCM I belive. Thgis is a very kool build.


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## CHEVYXXX (Aug 9, 2011)

cool project ! i will be following for sure.


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## TINGOS (Dec 30, 2010)

You weren't kiddin around when you told me about this kit.


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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

heck yeah, I'm not a fan of the box art in any way, but have a couple of these for their parts alone! they have a cool little air ride suspension setup too. & the chassis fits on a lot of other bodies w/ minor mods. I've got one suited for a 53 Ford... eventually


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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

very cool project btw!


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## COAST2COAST (Sep 8, 2008)

:thumbsup:nice project!!


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Nice modifications,yeah I was never a fan of that kit either,but it looks like your made something really good out of it.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for watching guys.

I did some more cutting. I removed a 9 scale inch section just below the side chrome strip. I have reduced the original body height from 57mm to 46mm, a total of 11".

This is what I've got.










A lot of people dislike the kit headlights. Right from the start, I was planning on using VW Beetle headlights, however, after major sectioning, the originals are kind of growing on me.








I did a 2 1/2" gentleman's top chop to the rear. Two small cuts on each side of the roof let the top droop.








I discovered that because of additional modifications that I want to do, I won't be able to assemble the interior until I do some major surgery on the floor pan. This is the original floor pan. It has to be cut open so that the interior can be worked on after future modifications.
















You can see in the above pix, that I thinned the headlight nacelles. 

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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

Looks incredible! Totally different look.


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## darkside customs (Jul 1, 2008)

Man this is killer!


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## rollin yota28 (Jun 26, 2011)

This is looking good! Thanks for the walkthrough


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## CHEVYXXX (Aug 9, 2011)

uffin:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I'm terrible at sanding and putty work, so I'm trying a different approach. Hauled out some clay and got to work. Finally got to see what I had envisioned from the beginning. 








I've finished sculpting this thing.










I'm going to try to cast this thing. If it works out I can make as many as I want. Then again, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I envision building another with a more radical fastback and even a roadster. This will be my first try at casting something with fenders and a roof. 













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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

love it!


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## chris_thobe (Feb 5, 2008)

Damn, that takes a lot of vision and patience! Nice work!


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Looks sick,I know if you cast that,I think I'll have dibs on one!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Here is a pix of the mold and master.






 

After spending time cleaning up my mold, I was ready to proceed. I mixed up some resin and cast a part. Now came the moment of truth. Thankfully it opened up OK.

Sadly the body was less than appealing. The body texture is quite ruff. Like fiberglass without gel coat in many places. I believe the reason for this is that I used the last of some resin that I probably bought five or six years ago. In fact the polymer was crystallizing in the bottle.
















 

So the next step was to use some resin that I had recently purchase, but had never used. More surprises. This resin is a translucent green. Not at all what I expected. It seems like resin for fiberglass or 1-minute epoxy. The container says it's for models. It is very thin and easily gets into every nook and cranny.

The second body looks very good, if a little weird. I thought the acid test would be if the hood fit into the slots next to the fenders. It fit very well on the first try.







 

Now I can make all the Sports Wagons that I want.

CemetaryAngel81, contact me, I can hook you up.​


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Temporarily reunited the floor pan and body . Next I cut the fire wall to fit. It is less than half it's original height. After some clearancing I got the floor pan to fit for the first time. 









That piece on the side is what was cut off of the fire wall. 11 scale inch section and a little off the top.

First pix of hood and grill in place.









Scribed the new door lines.









I made tail lights from sprue. Not the prettiest, but they match the head lights and dash. They are just pressed into place. Looks like they should be pressed in further.









The tail lights look better pushed back into the body.

Next I made wheel spats from flat styrene and super glued them into place.

Finally, I made new B pillars. I glued two strips of quarter round onto a styrene sheet. The two pieces of quarter round were separated by an exacto blade, since I use a blade to make the panel lines.









These were cut to length and installed with super glue.


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## GreenBandit (May 28, 2011)

More please


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I made a license plate out of regular paper with a piece of transparent tape over it.

You can also see parts for my hood hinge.

















This pix shows how the hood hinge functions. When open, the hood stands vertically, giving complete access to the engine. When closing the hood, the hood is rotated horizontally and the hinges pivot on the cross bar until they face backwards and nestle alongside the engine air intake.









Here's a few pixs of the power-train, a '94 Chevy LT5 and Brog-Warner 5 speed manual. The engine is a 405HP 349 cubic inch, all aluminum, DOHC, 32 valve, and electronically fuel injected V-8.

This is the first time I've used wire separators. With my eyes and fingers it was a major accomplishment. Also drilled the power steering pulley.

























It still fits nicely under the 11 inch lower hood.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Awesome,good stuff.


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## OLDSKOOLWAYS (Jul 23, 2009)

engine looks good!:thumbsup:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

You guys gotta cut me some slack. I finished this in May. I had never seen a Tingo's interior at that time.

Time to work on the interior. Been working on the dash for some time. The original dash is a 1990 Corvette dash, seen in the lower part of the first pix. It's OK, but I thought I'd try something different.

I'm going to use the dash from a Dodge Sidewinder show truck. I think it carries the front end styling. It was too wide, so it had to be narrowed. I couldn't just cut the ends off, so I had to section it in two places.









I used the steering column and pedal assembly from the original Wagon Rod kit. The steering wheel is from a watch. I think it looks period correct. The flip down central navigation/infotainment center cover/drink holder is made from a leftover piece of the original grill. The knobs are painted period ivory.









At the bottom of the second pix you will also see some floor mats that I made.

I used embossing powder for the first time to flock the floors and door trim. I think it's much more in scale than traditional flocking powder.I didn't have to paint it. The color is called Walnut, and Michaels was closing out big containers for $1.48

The side panels had 11" cut from the bottom edge. The seat bottoms had 3" removed from the bottom.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I mocked up the suspension. I found that the ends of the shock absorbers had to be enlarged so that they could fit on the mounting pins. Upon looking at the kit shock (far right) I thought, maybe I could make it look better.

So, I whacked off the rod end of the kit shock and added a piece of fish hook (second from right). 

Even the eye of the size 6 fish hook was too small for the mounting pins, so they had to be enlarged. From previous experience, I know that fish hooks are made of hardened steel. If you try to drill the eyelet, bend the hook, and even cut it, you will have trouble. You have to anneal (soften) the hook before you can work with it. I held the hook in a paper clip (far left) and heated it with a butane lighter until everything was cherry red. Let it cool by itself. This will only take a few seconds.

Once it is annealed, it can be easily drilled, bent, and cut. The annealing process also burns off the gold colored plating. While in the holder, I cleaned the hook up with a piece of ScotchBrite.

Cut off the kit shock rod end, after measuring it's length. Then drill a hole in the shock body for the new rod end (fish hook) to be inserted. Adjust the length, glue, if necessary, and you're done.









Then came the wheels and tires. They are a nice set of big n littles. The tire treads were buffed, the wheels striped, and valve stems added. The valve stems are pieces of mechanical pencil lead that are super glued into holes drilled into the wheels. 









I then foiled the brake rotors. They look much better in person. 









I like this chassis. I will be using it as a reasonably priced donor in the future, especially if I need air bags. The front sway bar and steering shaft are not mounted yet.
























The kit comes with a nice set of big and littles, but it won't be apparent because of the fender skirts.









Here it is in a coat of Rustoleum Almond. Sorry, it's not as exotic or flashy as the other builds, but I think it suites the classic lines of this build in an understated kind of way.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

That looks sick!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

It's hard to believe these both started out as '39 Chevy Sedan Deliveries. Maybe it's the paint.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I painted the body and trim with Rustoleum Hunter's Green. When that was cured, I assembled everything. This is my '39 Sports Wagon.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Smooth,hopefully mine comes out as good as yours!


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## sandcast (Feb 6, 2011)

pretty neat stuff wisdonm


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Next up is my Mach 5 with working LED lights.

This one only took 14 days and $16 to build, yet it is my best award winner and the one I get asked the most questions about. It does have 12 functioning LED lights and no external wireing.


I bought this kit several years ago because it was a clearance sale and very inexpensive. I probably thought I would give it away. I don't really like the Mach 5, however this one does not seem correct and therefore is much more appealing. For one thing, it does not have those weird Lamborghini style wheel openings.









Yes it started out as a snap kit, but I took all the snap out of it by drilling all mounting points. These points are originally hexagonal in shape so that there is an interference fit to hold the model together. I manually drilled them out so that I can take it apart in order to fit the electrical system. Once drilled I had to taper a few mounting posts for a true and complete fit. There would have been some body panel gaps if I had left it a snap kit.







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I removed the over-sized rear view mirrors. I will not be installing the rear fins, so I used two-part Bondo to fill in the various holes. 







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I'm not sure where the tail lights are supposed to be on this car, so I thought I'd make my own. I started out by polishing up a piece of 7/32 OD aluminum tubing with steel wool. Then I cut a piece off with my X-acto miter box. Next I squared and deburred the ends. The LED is slightly tapered. It is larger at the wire end. So I had to use the rat tail file to enlarge one end so that the light will totally fit inside. That seemed easy enough.







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While trying to make holes in the rear deck for the new lights, I discovered it was going to be a more radical surgery than originally thought. The holes had to be much larger and I have to remake longer tail light housings. Worst of all, my Bondo was destroyed.

Now comes the time in most of my builds where everything comes to a grinding halt. Puttying. After realizing what needed to be done, I made a jig to hold the tubing in place so I could Bondo around it. Then I put a light coat of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the tube, placed it in position, and Bondoed around it. Gratefully the tube pulled out with no problems, when the Bondo was dry. Unfortunately I needed to do some touch up putty work. I am on my fourth try.

When my wife saw the tubing in the fixture when the Bondo was drying she asked, "Why did you make the hole so big, if you're just going to fill it in again?" 







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Being a real glutton for punishment, I slicked up the tube again and mixed up some more Bondo. Here are the results. 







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Next I drilled holes for the headlights and gauges on the dash. It was blank originally and no decals were provided.







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## TINGOS (Dec 30, 2010)

wisdonm said:


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## pina's LRM replica (Mar 15, 2010)

wisdonm said:


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damn im diggin the candy orange wagon looks clean much props homie


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I wish I could paint like that bro. I think Trendsetta laid that sweet candy paint.


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## avidinha (Jan 15, 2011)

I like where the mach 5 is going. Btw, your kit is of the movie car, that's why the wheel openings are different.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

You're right Avidinha.

I put some primer on it. I used my cardboard box in the basement, while the wife was away.









While the body primer was drying I moved on to the interior. I wanted to try something new for me. I used self sticking medical tape to add some texture to the interior.







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After adding medical tape to the seats and interior, I painted them with Folk Art 2225 Ocean Cruise acrylic paint that I bought at WallyWorld for under a dollar. I had previously drilled holes in the dash for instruments. I now filled the holes with Model Master Clear Parts Cement & Window Maker. I then shortened the shift lever, added some stick pins for dash, console buttons, and a turn signal lever. Finally I modified the dash and mounted one of the original fender mirrors for a rear view mirror.







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This is a mock up of the rolling chassis. The battery is in the rear. There is more room in the front, but the battery will not fit between the body mounts. Even the rear body mounts had to be modified to make the battery fit.
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It's amazing what I notice after I post pixs. I noticed the tread pattern was wrong when I saw the mock up pix. They have been changed.

I sprayed some rattle can paint on it the other day. I let it sit for 36 hours and now it's baking on my improvised dehydrator, a floor heating vent.

As you can see, I used a trusty coat hanger to hold the body for painting. The front and rear lower panels are also in approximate position. See above pix of body in primer. This is so the paint will match when it is assembled.

I tried Testors One Coat Lacquer for the first time. I must admit I was impressed. It did cover in one coat and shined rather well. Since it covered so well, one of those little 3 once cans could do two or three bodies. First I used Dupli-Color gray primer sealer, because of some body mods. Then I sprayed one coat of Lime Ice #1835M. It has a lot of gold flecks in it. Then I sprayed it with a couple of coats of Dupli-Color clear. I am pleased to report there were no bad reactions between the paints.







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The pix shows just one coat of paint. No clear. It was done in a cardboard box in a chilly basement.
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## Trendsetta 68 (Mar 4, 2009)

Lookin' good in this thread !!! Great detail work !!!


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## CHEVYXXX (Aug 9, 2011)

the 39 came out clean. can't wait to see the speedracer done.


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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

CHEVYXXX said:


> the 39 came out clean. can't wait to see the speedracer done.


x2! some cool tricks


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Killer thread,bro!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words guys. I came to LiL to learn new techniques for painting and then learned about foam interiors. I felt I needed to give back. Soit's my turn to share what I know.

After finishing the paint, I started working on the lights. What was I going to use for lighting? I had purchased some LED X-mas replacement lights months ago, but hadn't looked at them since. That was the first time that I saw replacement Xmas LED bulbs for sale. I found them at Menards, a home improvement center owned by NASCAR driver Paul Menard's billionaire father. They come in 3-packs. All white, all red, all blue, and a green/orange/and yellow combo. They are about 5mm across. Best of all they are only $1.19 per 3-pack. They are rated 2V for red and 3.4 V for white. All the colors say "0.02 amps max".








So I hauled out my bag of lights and 30 gauge wrapping wire (spark plug wire) and a 9 volt battery. Someone, on another site, was very good at explaining that LEDs need a minimum voltage to work, however too much and they will blow without using a resistor. I lucked out. I added up the voltages of the lights I wanted to use and found out I didn't need a resistor at all.

1 red bulb @ 2volts + 1 blue bulb @ 3.4 volts + 1 white bulb @ 3.4 volts = 8.8 total volts. 








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The bulbs do have a resistor already mounted to them. I just ignored them. I just made sure that they were mounted in series. Therefore the wire connected to the resistor on one light, goes to the wire without the resistor on the next light. If the lights do not work when you connect them to the battery, reverse the wires at the battery. If an individual light doesn't work, reverse the wires to that light. This is fun.










Just out of curiosity I tried three 3.4 bulbs = 10.2 volts. It shouldn't have worked. But it did. That's good. I can use that. Turns out that that little resistor cures a lot of ills and makes these particular lights perfect for most applications.

So I started by making new longer tail light housings. I then inserted a red LED into each one. Next I painted the backs of the tail light LEDs and most of the head light LEDs, with silver enamel paint, to prevent unwanted light scatter.







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Next is a pix of the first complete lighting system test. Surprisingly, it was successful. I just have to figure out how to cram it all into the body shell. 







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Here is the wiring diagram. There are twelve lights in total. I used four parallel sets of three lights in series.









Once again, I'm amazed at what I don't notice until I post pixs. I forgot to paint the rear of the head light closest to the bottom of the pix. Notice the unwanted light scatter.

Racing teaches you that nothing is lighter nor cheaper than nothing.

I just have two bare wires sticking out the bottom of the floor pan covered with a piece of electrical tape. I just cross the wires to turn the lights on and uncross them to turn them off.

Here is a pix of the lights test, just before final assembly. It has an artsy-fartsy look to it. I like it.

You can see how the lights under the base of the windshield light up the outer edge of the windshield. A very kool effect, related to how fiber optics work. Yes, this was done on purpose. There are also ambient mood lights on the floor. 







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This is a list of what I used and what it cost to build my Mach 5.
 
Like most of us, I do have some things on hand already and won't be counted in the cost. These things I already had were, a partial can of grey primer, silver paint, flat black paint, semi-flat black paint, 4 stick pins, two-part Bondo spot putty, #400 sand paper to sand the Bondo and prep the body for primer, two emery boards - one to scrub in the tires and one to reshape parts of the body, a piece of aluminum tube, some wrapping wire (model sized spark plug wire), super glue (50 cents a tube at WallyWorld), some self sticking medical tape, and various tools.

The things purchased specifically for this build were:

Jada Mach 5 kit. On sale for $4.98.
Testors one coat lacquer in Lime Ice spray paint. Bought at Hobby Lobby with 40% discount coupon for $3.00.
Ocean Cruise acrylic paint was bought at WallyWorld for 97 cents.
Five 3-packs of LED x-mas replacement bulbs were bought at Menards for $1.19 each, for a total of $5.95.
One 9 volt battery at the dollar store for $1.

For a grand total of $15.90. About the price of seeing a movie.

In other words, a project doesn't have to take a lot of time, be overly difficult, or very expensive. Just thought I'd share these numbers with you, in case anyone was interested.
















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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Dude thats kool man. I like those light's.


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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

halfasskustoms said:


> Dude thats kool man. I like those light's.


x2! looks incredible


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks guys. I know some of you have installed LEDs before, but wait for part 2. I'll show you how to turn your LEDs on and off, blink, and make them dance.

Until then, here are a few more pixs.


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## darkside customs (Jul 1, 2008)

Wow! Very nice bro!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Look at what you guys went and made me do. This is the engine cover for a dragster that I'm building. 









I've never used candy paint, lines, panels, nor lace before. It was all done with rattle cans. It hasn't been sanded or clear coated yet. I'm afraid to.

Thanks Pancho, Cool Hand, Art2roll, and Truescale. Without you guys sharing your knowledge, I wouldn't have known what to do, nor had the courage to try. Thanks bros.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Advanced LED lighting. Mach 5 part 2: electrical upgrade. 

I finished my Mach 5 with working lights several months ago. I would like to enter it in an upcoming show. However, I have several fears:

1. Will the 9 volt battery last the whole show?
2. Will the twin headlights generate enough heat to melt the headlight cover?

I would also like to:

1. Display the Mach 5 with the lights on and lights off.
2. Maybe add a little sizzle to the light show.

I though this kind of stuff was way out of my league, until I read an article by, and corresponded with Clyde Jones aka Zog. Clyde seems to know his way around electronics and electronic parts suppliers. Without his help, I probably would not have proceeded. I am in no way an expert on this stuff. I used Clyde's suggestions and did a little experimentation. These are my results. Use this info at your own risk.

Clyde suggested I needed a computer chip. Specifically a CD 4060. In geek speak the IC, CD 4060 is a 14-stage binary counter with Q1, Q2 Q3 and Q11 missing. The maximum division is 16,384 with Q14 going HIGH after 8,192 cycles and then LOW after another 8,192 cycles. It has internal components to create an oscillator. The CD 4060 is a CMOS chip. Minimum supply voltage 6v. Maximum supply voltage 15v. Max current per output 15mA. Maximum speed of operation 5MHz. 

What does this mean to us model makers? If you are a modeler interested in making your creations come alive with blinking lights - marker lights, head or tail lights, strobes - this is a little chip that will do a lot of LED blinking for a very little money, power, or complexity.

The 4060 runs happily on 6 to 15 volts, and drives LEDs safely with only 12-15 mA (milli-amps) of current. Most LEDs thrive on 15 to 20 mA, so they are a bit dimmer then they might be otherwise, but they will not die from too much power and resistors are not needed. Your LEDs should last almost forever. Since the 4060 chip is a CMOS type, unlike some other chips, it uses very little power internally to run itself.

Another wonderful feature of the 4060 is they are cheap. $0.29 or less from some suppliers.

Clyde recommended and I successfully used:

Jameco Electronics
1355 Shoreway Road
Belmont, CA 94002
Phone: 1-800-831-4242 their web address is exactly what you think it should be.

The Jameco part number for this little beauty is #13151. They cost 29 cents for less than ten, 25 cents for 10-99 units.

You will need two other components to make the 4060 work. A capacitor and a resistor. Both are quite inexpensive also. The capacitor Clyde recommended was a CER, 0.01UF, 100V, 10%, AXIAL X7R. I have no idea what this means. Luckily Clyde told me they are part number #546257 and cost 10 cents each for 10-99 units.

The last part needed is a resistor - usually a 470,000 ohm or 470 Kilo-ohm resistor, 1/4W, 5%. I bought an assortment of 540 resistors for $12.95. Jameco # 103166.

The capacitor and the resistor set the basic frequency and 4060 chip divides it down.

I bought a stick of 4060 chips, a pack of ten capacitors, an assortment of resistors, and two variable resistors (#182844 @ $0.75 each) as seen in the pix. Now let the fun, I hope, begin.


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## pina's LRM replica (Mar 15, 2010)

Looks clean homie much props


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Knowledge has been dropped!! Thanks for sharing this! I might try it for a show I want to attend later this year.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Glad you've seen the lights.

The 4060 chip is about 3/4" long and 5/16" wide. The chip is 1/8" tall but it is 9/32" tall including the wiring pins.









The next pix is a schematic of the 4060 with the pins numbered. This is the view from the top. The pins are pointing down. The notch is on the left.








You will see the positive pin on the upper left. The negative pin is on the lower right. The forth pin from the left on the top row is the reset pin. It is also a negative pin.

All the numbered pins are both positive and negative pins. Each pin goes from "positive to negative" rather than from "on to off". If you connect a regular light bulb to these pins it will stay lit continuously because it doesn't matter which direction the current is flowing. However, if you connect a polarized LED between pins, the LED will light if and only if the pin connected to its positive lead is positive and the pin connected to its negative lead is in fact negative.

Take a look at the last pix. There is a green conventional bulb. It works with current from either direction. The blue LED will only work when positive current is coming from the left or pin 6. The red led is turned around so that it will only light when positive current is coming from the right or pin 4.








So as pins 4 and 6 alternate not from "on and off" but "positive and negative" all three bulbs will react differently.

If pin 6 is positive and the 4 pin is negative: the green bulb will be lit, the blue bulb will be lit, and the red bulb will be unlit.

When the current alternates, pin 6 becomes negative while pin 4 becomes positive. Now the green bulb is still lit, the blue bulb is unlit, and the red bulb is now lit.

So as the current at the pins alternate between positive and negative current, the omnidirectional conventional bulb is always lit, while the unidirectional LEDs blink on and off with the direction change of the current. This works great for emergency vehicles and school buses. But we can do a lot more.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

wisdonm said:


> Look at what you guys went and made me do. This is the engine cover for a dragster that I'm building.
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> View attachment 518305
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Great start,homie!Dont be afraid to clear coat,u should be alright with UPOL even if it is a lil pricey,1 can goes a long way.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the faith Lorenzo. Turns out I could use it anyway. Then I rubbed the lacepattern off trying to remove the glue. Always something...never good.


So you're all asking yourselves how fast will things blink? The geek answer is each numbered pin indicates the frequency divide by pin level. Pin 4 divides the basic frequency by binary 4 (2 to the 4th power or 16). Pin 14 divides the basic frequency by 2 to the 14th power equals "lots" in layman terms, it could be 16,384, but does it really matter?

All us modelers need to know is the pin marked "4" is the fastest blinker - changes quicker, more often. The pin marked "14" changes slowest, least often. Each number pin changes half as fast as the smaller numbered pin below it in the sequence. Each numbered pin changes twice as fast as the larger numbered pin above it in the sequence. And by combining pins you get an awful lot of combinations.

So what is the basic frequency? This is set by the timing capacitor used. I tried the recommended 0.01UF (micro-farrad) timing capacitor and a 0.10UF capacitor. As you might guess the second 0.10 capacitor blinks 10 times slower than the 0.01 capacitor.

There is a very useful hand tool for working with these electronic components and wrapping wire. When I originally built the Mach 5 all the electrical connections were just bare wires twisted together by hand. I tried this with the 4060 chip. It can be done, but is hard to do. Using a wire wrapping tool is much simpler and makes the connections better looking and more reliable. I got my wire wrapping tool from Radio Shack. The first time I went there they said they didn't carry them. Then I saw them for sale on Evilbay and got the part number. I them called Radio Shack and they said they had two in stock. When I went to pick it up they couldn't find them. Luckily I knew what I was looking for this time and found them. They are part #276-1570. They cost $5.99, but can be bought on Evilebay for less than that delivered.










This style of wrapping tool contains a wire stripper inside the handle.









This pix shows the pretty tool wrapped wire on the right and the ugly hand wrapped wires on the left.









So let's make this chip work. The first step is to wire one end of the clocking capacitor to the pin labeled "out 2". Then wire one end of the clocking resistor to the pin labeled "out 1". Now Take a piece of wire and connect it to the pin labeled "CK". Finally connect the free end of these three components together. This completes the basic frequency clock. Your 4060 will now work if connected to a power supply.








Take a (red) piece of wire and connect one end to the positive (+) pin. Take the other end of the wire and connect it to the positive terminal of your battery. I am using a 9 volt battery. Using the racers credo that nothing is lighter nor cheaper than nothing, I drill a hole in each battery terminal and just wrapped the wire to the terminal. Way cheaper than buying a battery connector and takes up a lot less space. Now take a piece of (black) wire and connect one end to the negative (--) pin and connect the other end to the negative side of the battery. You should also connect a wire from the negative (--) pin and the pin labeled "R" (reset). I don't know why. I was just told to do it.









Now the 4060 chip is wired and functioning. If you touch the leads of a LED to almost any combination of numbered pins something should happen. Let's find out what in the next post.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Since there doesn't appear to be any questions, I just move along. I wired up a test rig just as described, except that I wired in both the 0.10uF and the recommended 0.01uF capacitors. By moving just one wire, I can switch between the two. So lets see what happens when we touch some pins.









If I touch negative lead of a LED to the (--) negative pin and the positive lead (usually longer lead) to the (+) positive pin the Led lights and stays lit. If it doesn't light reverse the leads.

Now when I connect the LED with the negative pin and pin #4, the fastest pin, I get a very fast blink.

When I connected the LED between the negative pin and pin #14, the slowest pin, the LED blinks very slowly. About 45 seconds on and then 45 seconds off. I can use this to show the Mach 5 with the head and tail lights on and with the lights off.

Let's try something different. Connecting the LED leads between pins #5 and #7 should give you a heart beat blink. Flash flash, pause, flash flash, pause. Cool. I might hook up the high beams like this to simulate the international passing signal.

When you connect the LED to pins #4 and #7 it reminds me of a police car. Flash, flash, flash, flask, pause. Four very fast flashes then a pause.

When I connected the LED between pins #8 and #9 I got a slow blink that was on about 25% of the time and off the rest.

One more. When I connected pins #4 and #12, I got a very fast blink for 12 seconds and then a 12 second pause.

There are well over 100 combinations that you can use, all at the same time from one 25 cent chip . Pretty cool.

Oh. When I used the 0.10uF capacitor instead of the 0.01uF, everything slows way down.

Now I have to decide what I want to blink and to what rhythm. 

So let's put it all together. First I got out a chip, cut and stripped a few pieces of wire, a resistor, and a capacitor. I then wired up the chip just like I explained earlier.









I shortened the leads on the capacitor and resistor. When its all done I took a small piece of electrical tape and folded it over the capacitor and resistor unit, so that they could not short out.









Next I had to start unwiring and clipping the old LEDs. All of the new wiring will be parallel circuits, except for the windshield lights. I wired the two windshield lights in series, in hopes that they would be dimmer. This is the new wiring diagram.









The chip and capacitor/resistor pack easily fit in front of the cockpit tub. All I have to do now is get all this back inside the Mach 5.









It worked just as I expected. The low beams, tail lights, and interior mood lights stay on for one minute. Then they turn off for one minute, then on again. The high beams go blink blink pause, move over coming through, all the time. The ground effect and windshield lights light for twelve seconds, then go out for twelve seconds, and then repeat.

I am still running twelve LEDs from a nine volt battery. Since the LEDs now blink they are actually off a lot of the time. This reduces heat, increases battery life, while making the show more interesting. I took it to a show last night and it winked and blinked for six straight hours with no signs of slowing down.

So there it is, all this for less than 75 cents in parts. You got to try this. If anyone needs info, help, or parts feel free to contact me.

Now let's see if I can figure out how to do a YouTube video of this in action.


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## GreenBandit (May 28, 2011)

please do cuz im lost......


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Here is a video of it in action.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Dude that is sweet man.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

wisdonm said:


> Here is a video of it in action.


Thats killer,yo


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*Imagine*

Started building the ancient Double Dragster kit. I wanted something easy to try some new painting techniques on. First a pix of the wheels and then the engines. It has two 454 cubic inch Chevrolet big blocks with front drive Potvin superchargers, Hilborn fuel injection, and trick reverse flow heads.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Thats some badass detail I have this kit,using the chrysler in my hearse


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## Dre1only (Apr 29, 2009)

nice work in here custom and detailed :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Because I went with the double engine option, I can not use the engine cover that I painted in reply #47.

So, I painted the other body in the kit. Once again I striped, laced, and candied it. Didn't turn out too bad.









Not leaving well enough alone, I tried some Tamiya TS-56 Pearl Clear over the center lacing. I don't like it and will have to sand it off and do something else.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I got the courage to sand off my failed attempt at painting pearl. Then I re-taped and sprayed my usually dependable gold paint. I have no definitive answer for the resulting disaster.

















I'm blaming it on the incompatibility of something. I'll just let it dry and start sanding again tomorrow.


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## TINGOS (Dec 30, 2010)

wisdonm said:


> Because I went with the double engine option, I can not use the engine cover that I painted in reply #47.
> 
> So, I painted the other body in the kit. Once again I striped, laced, and candied it. Didn't turn out too bad.
> 
> ...


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I had sanded down to the primer and should have had no problems. After re-sanding, I gave it a coat of Future to act as an intercoat. I then re-taped everything and re-applied the gold base coat without any problems. Then I re-applied the lace and painted it with red. I tried a different lace this time. It's not as symmetric as the other pattern.


















If anyone could use a piece of lace, let me know.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Lookin good.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Time to put it all together.

Itried making a Tingo's style tuck and rolled foam seat, but it looked terrible.


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## darkside customs (Jul 1, 2008)

Nice!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*Das Bug - '56 Volksrod*

I finally get to build my Volksrod. I'm starting with this partial kit. Parts are missing. It says it's made by Mr Hobby, but it is exactly like a Gunze Sangyo kit.









I started by removing all of the fenders and running boards. This labor intensive job took almost a full football game to do.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

This should be cool; it is a Gunze kit. Their line of paints and supplies usually have "Mr. Hobby" somewhere in the name/title. Keep us posted.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I think it's written somewhere, that all custom Beetles must have a top chop. Cool. Except that a Beetle is one of the hardest chops to do. You have to add sections to the top both horizontally and laterally. This gives the top an ungainly look. It usually looks too wide and too long.

I tried a different way. It can only be done on fender-less cars. I wanted a four inch chop. So I got out my 1/8" blue tape. If you cut on the outside of the tape, it is pretty close to a four inch chop. Since the tape doesn't stick too well to the many contours, I give it a light coat of paint. Then I remove the tape and cut at the paint lines, which don't slip or fall off.

















I removed four inches from the windshield and door pillars. I also cut on a line from the bottom edge of the rear window to a tangent of the rear fender opening. To make this work, I also had to do a cut in the lower corner of the front windshield pillars so that the windshield pillars could be bent inward. This way no material is added to the roof. The door pillars are also bent inward to meet the top.









This gives you a four inch chop and a totally stock roof. The whole roof is moved forward three inches. All of it is behind the rear seats and is not noticeable. As long as the car is fender-less. Although the wheelbase stays the same, the car is three inches shorter. All of it is taken from the very rearmost of the engine compartment sheet metal.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Nice!!


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## Lowrider-gee (Aug 8, 2012)

CemetaryAngel81 said:


> Nice!!


X2


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Been working on the suspension. All Beetles sit too high, so lowering is always necessary. 

First, I am going to turn around the front axle so that it has leading, instead of trailing, arms. This stretches the wheelbase about 14", and just looks cool. I have done this three times in 1:1, and it was easier and took less time than in 1:25.

On the left side of the front suspension you will see someone's cruel joke of a suspension. Square shocks??? On the right side you can see the modified top shock mount, scratched the missing bottom shock mount, and a scratched round shock absorber. At the cut line you can see that I added a piece of styrene to both replace the material that was lost from sawing and to slightly widen the front track.









. When you turn the front axle around you create several problems. The one most people never fix is castor. Castor is the front to back inclination of the king pin. This is important because it is what makes a car steer straight, when you take your hands off the steering wheel. Without proper castor, a car will dart uncontrollably.

One way to both lower a VW and give it a proper castor angle is to make a V cut at the axle head (where the axle bolts on). I did it a little differently. I made the cut back by the front bulkhead. The section to the right of the cut is bent upward to close the cut and then re-welded, I mean glued. 









Now on to the rear suspension. The suspension and the engine are all one piece in this kit. Originally I had removed the engine and engine supports. These were reattached in their original position. Then I separated all the suspension parts with a saw. Those parts that look like sticks with triangle flags on them are supposed to be the rear trailing arms. The triangles are supposed to be the shocks and shock mounts. I fixed the front ones, but I'm leaving these. New axles were made. On a real car, the trailing arms were swapped side to side to cure bad camber. Then the trailing arms were raised two outside teeth on the torsion bar mounts to lower the ride height.









Here is the first mock up of the chassis and suspension.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Made an exhaust system today. It has four 50" equal length header pipes caped with four motorcycle mufflers. Let's just say the sound is sehr intensiv. 


















I used super glue to attach the solder headers to the plastic engine.

I think the rolling chassis is finished. This kit is unusual in that only the seats, shift lever, pedals, and hand brake are the only interior parts attached to the chassis. All the other interior parts are attached to the body shell. The front seats have been lowered 4 inches. Handling is improved by lowering the center of gravity of 200-400 pounds. I sit as low as possible in all of my race and street cars. The shift lever has been raised, but it still has a short shift kit.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

wisdonm said:


> Time to put it all together.
> 
> Itried making a Tingo's style tuck and rolled foam seat, but it looked terrible.
> 
> ...


Dude that came out great.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)




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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks guys. I value both of your opinions.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

_*There's alway good quality stuff happenin' up in here!! :thumbsup:*_


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Tony. I appreciate your opinion.

Here are the first pixs of the body in primer. Needs more sanding and some panel lines scribed.. The front wheel opening covers were harder to make than in 1:1. I first glued the 0.015" sheet covers with liquid glue, then reinforced the inner joint with plumbers epoxy putty.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

That bugs lookin sweet.


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## sinicle (Jan 16, 2009)

Crazy shit in here!!! Great work, and thanks for the walk through!


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## pina's LRM replica (Mar 15, 2010)

Looking good up in here bro


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

That bug looks sick,excellent topic a lot of good info in here!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words, homies. I try to share what little I know. I suggest that you be careful where you sit. It's going to get dirty up in here.

I have worked on the dash. I added a turn signal lever, multi-guage, and a column mounted tach. I clipped the steering wheel because I could.









The speedometer is a kit decal. The other two are just printed on plain paper and glued in place with white glue. The dash gauges have benzels made from thin slices of aluminum tube. They are held in place and filled with white glue for lenses. The tach is a tapered end piece of chrome sprue. Once again a gauge face, printed on plain paper, was glued on and then covered with white glue, to simulate a lens.

With the chassis done, I moved on to the windows. I thought, because of the top chop, that I would have to make all new windows. Boy was I wrong! Since the roof is 100% stock, I knew that the original back window would work. Imagine my surprise, in spite of the four inch chop, when the side windows fit also. The only kit window that had to be modified was the front windshield. It needed about 3/16" trimmed from the bottom. I also cut and removed the front half of the left side windows so that it will look like the driver's window is rolled down.










I wanted to do a dark tint to the windows. I have heard about all kinds of horror stories about what doesn't work. I remember seeing black food coloring in the wedding section of Walmart's craft department. It cost $1.50, so I figured I'd try it. It is thicker than acrylic paints. I emptied the contents of the one ounce Wilton black icing color into a plastic dixi cup and filled the rest with Future floor polish. I stirred this witch's brew until it was not lumpy anymore. Be very careful. This stuff stains. Look at the pix of my hand if you don't believe me.









I wanted a lighter tint for the windshield, so I only painted the inside. The side and rear glass gets the Limo tint, by dipping the whole part and getting dye on both sides. Check out the piece held by the tweezers. I had inserted it in the dye at an angle. The light color is where only one side is tinted. The dark section has dye on both sides. After dipping, I placed the parts on Popsicle sticks. This gives the parts a place to dry that will wick away excess dye, but not pick up lint from paper or cloth.









You can see, the windshield is mildly tinted, the driver's window is open, and the rest are limo like.









I put the left over dye in a sealed glass jar for another day.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Damn looking good bro,you didn't file down the front windshield to get it to fit,that's usually what I was doing rather then cut,as I always ended up cracking it on these chop tops.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Lookin real good.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Angel, I used a rotary tool with a sanding drum and finished it off with an emery board.

I've had a bad case of dropsies for about three days now. I dropped the chassis three days ago. Picked it up, thought it was all OK. Then I discovered that the left front suspension was broke off. How I managed not to step on that piece for three days is a miracle. I then dropped several other parts, but luckily, I found them after a hands 'n knees search. Two days ago I dropped my #80 drill bit. I finally gave up looking for it. Yesterday I dropped the hood handle. While searching for it, I found the drill bit, but not the handle. Then the antenna mount flew away forever.

My fingers are too big for this stuff! If I try and use a tweezers, the parts just shoot off to parts unknown, never to be seen again. 

I painted the exterior in two-tone suede. Aka hot rod black and red oxide primer. I think she's finished. Presenting Das Bug.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

wisdonm said:


> Angel, I used a rotary tool with a sanding drum and finished it off with an emery board.
> 
> I've had a bad case of dropsies for about three days now. I dropped the chassis three days ago. Picked it up, thought it was all OK. Then I discovered that the left front suspension was broke off. How I managed not to step on that piece for three days is a miracle. I then dropped several other parts, but luckily, I found them after a hands 'n knees search. Two days ago I dropped my #80 drill bit. I finally gave up looking for it. Yesterday I dropped the hood handle. While searching for it, I found the drill bit, but not the handle. Then the antenna mount flew away forever.
> 
> ...


:thumbsup:Thats hardcore right thereuffin:


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Kool as hell!!! :thumbsup: I'd drive it!!!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks guys. She's a clean lil ride, not a rat. Would make a sweet daily driver while the show car sits protected in the garage.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*'69 Dodge Charger R/GT*

Can't believe I'm doing this. I am having a lot of trouble with "filler shrinkage". Therefore, I have put several projects on hold until I work this problem out. I needed a guinea pig. What better kit to use than the infamous 1969 AMT/ERTEL Dodge Daytona. I picked it up today at a flea market for $3.

This is supposed to be a quick build. I really don't care how it turns out. I just want to experiment with different fillers. So, out came the ruler and razor saw.

This is what I started with.









Next is what I did to it.









It's been shortened 20" and made into a true two-seater. Dodge really need one back then.









I was going to make it as box stock as possible. This must have been a great kit when the dies were fresh...but it is a flash-pig now. All the detail is washed out, but I don't feel like spending $15 dollars for a PE set for a $3 kit. The optional wheels and tires are great, but not right for this build. I want to go with big and little tires, so I might widen a pair of Magnum 500 wheels. No 340 for this GT. I'd use a 440 if it came with one. I'll have to settle for a single 4 barrel 426 Hemi. I think I'm going to use the left over Chrysler Turbine Bronze paint left over from my turbine car. Not sure if it should have a vinyl roof. Chrysler put them on everything including Charger 500 racecars!

This was an experiment in filler, so I'm waiting for it to dry as completely as possible. Don't know how others make major mods one day and have it painted the next. My filler shrinks like crazy.

Been sanding filler. Haven't gotten the critical front junction quite right yet. The rear is almost done.









As bad as my photo taking skills are, I'm worse at body work. This is an attempt to show how I blended the two halves together. The Charger has some weird character lines. In stock form the lower bottom side scoop line slants downward, while the upper top scoop line is horizontal. Then the rear fender line slants downward towards the front but doesn't blend with the scoop. By shortening the body, it should be rather easy to reshape the rear fender line to blend into an upward slanting upper top scoop line.

There is also the front fender line which determined the position of the original cut line.

Finally there is a single character line that begins from the bottom edge of the upper scoop. Shouldn't this be two lines or one centered between the scoops? This makes no sence to me and will probably be removed.









I have filled with Bondo "red" three times and still am not happy with the results. I still get high and low spots even though I use an eraser for a "flat board" and 800 wet/dry sand paper. On some seams it seems like all the filler is removed and the seam is empty. Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong.

What do you guys use to scribe new panel/door lines? 

I never noticed the raised character line between the hood vents untill now. I think I'll have to remove it like I did with the asymmetrical line that was on the sides.

I had to recess the fuel filler into the roof pillar a little.


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## COAST2COAST (Sep 8, 2008)

:biggrin:I think we use the same filler.....that shit sucks!!...but its what i got


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Next are the factory Magnum 500 wheels and rubber. The rears are wider than the front. G-60-15 front and L-60-15 rear. Yes young-ens, those are tire sizes. Love them big & littles. The centers have been totally blacked out and give the wheels a different look. The two widths were accomplished by using narrow Revell '67 GTX on the front and the AMT '69 Daytona on the rear.









Moving on to the interior. Since this is a hatchback you can see everything in back. On thing you will see is the spare tire cover in the far right rear corner. Under the spare is the relocated battery. These two items have been placed in this area to 1) move as much weight rearward and 2) pre-load the right side to help control axle hop from that 500 ft pounds of Hemi torque. This is how I made the spare tire cover out of 0.015' styreen sheet. It was cut with a scissors.









Another thing you will see through that big back window are the wheel wells. These created several more challenges. First what to use? I found this small can of artificial snow. The cap is a usable size in diameter. Notice how deep the cover is for you guys that just have to "tub" things. I split the cover in half and only had to put a small notch in it so that it fits in the frame rail recess. This recess will be very helpful in locating the wheel wells during finial assembly. A major problem is that the wheel wells have to be attached to the body and not the floor pan in order to assemble the whole thing.









See the spare tire cover?

Here is a mock-up of the interior. Notice how the wheel arches are just behind the door seam.









This photo shows how the wheel wells have been attached to the body with thick super glue gel. This had to be done. Because of the turn in at the lower edges of the body, they can not be inserted from the bottom with the frame/floor-pan. The wheel wells have to fit the body closely because they can be seen thru the hatch window.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

WoW Id of never thoght of doing that to 1 of those kits.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

The boring Turbine Bronze paint job was replaced with a variation of Plymouth's Sublime, called Candy Lime Green (Tamiya TS-52) and I also installed a vinyl roof (Krylon semi-flat). This really awoke the sleeping Charger.

















As you might have noticed in the prior body shots, the tail light opening has been reshaped. The new lens was made from a stick-on reflector from an auto parts store.

















All that is needed now is an engine. A 500 cubic inch, double over head cam, four-valve Chrysler Hemi. It is rated at 825HP @ 7,000 rpm and 700 lbs ft of torque.

The main outward differences between the DOHC and a regular Hemi are the valve covers, cam gears, and the cog belt system to drive them. A pusher electric fan is being used for additional room and HP.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Dude that looks good.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

That thing is NICE!!!


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Yeah it is


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the replies guys. I really value your opinions.

The decals are all homemade. Here are some pixs of the finished Charger R/GT 2-seat hatchback.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Thats one kool lil Mopar


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Glad you enjoyed it, Lorenzo.


FordGuy1984 inspired me to do this build. Basically, too much is not enough. So I'm going to combine a Corvair and the Hurst Hairy Olds. I call this build *Unsafe @ Any Speed*.

















The first thing that I did was narrow the track 12 scale inches, by removing two six inch wide strips from the Olds' chassis. The Hairy Olds used Olds Toronado power-trains. In the 442 body they were a foot too wide for the Corvair. I had to narrow it in two 6 inch strips, because the engine and trans mounts are in the center of several of the eight cross-members.

Next, I shortened the wheelbase 15 inches. And finally shortened the rear floor pan another 11 inches. A tweak here and there and it fits.

















Later I had to remove another 4mm from the rear, to center the wheels in the wheel wells.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Is this the one you posted for Mock up Mondy,love the paint and concept you did with it


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## Auto Mob (Aug 4, 2012)

Kool work, I like it!!:thumbsup: BTW were did you come up on the 56 Oval window kit? I've been wanting one of those for some time.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Yes Lorenzo, that is the same car.

Mike, I show the brands and box in reply #69.


Finished the wheels and tires. The tires are a strange two-piece affair. They consist of a hard vinyl tire and a styrene wheel back insert that has part of the sidewall molded to it.

The tires had to be buffed in order to square them up. I then added some ancient Shabo dry rub M/H markings. Those are not hub caps, but custom front wheel drive wheels.









The suspension needs to be narrowed, a lot. I started by cutting the spindles back 2" on one cradle. If I go
much further, it wouldn't have enough clearance to steer the front wheels.









The front cradle was narrowed 3/16". The rear cradle was narrowed 1/4" and the rear torsion bars were shortened 10mm. I think the rear frame rails were shortened another 4mm so that they would tuck inside the reattached rear grill. 









No. You're not seeing double. That's double trouble in the form of two blown, alcohol burning, 500 cu in Cadillac Eldorado engines and trans-axles. 









The Hairy Hurst had two small fuel tanks and the frame rails held 33 quarts of water. There is no radiator. My car has an empty original engine compartment and back seat area to hold these things. 

Got the chassis, suspension, and engines worked out. The ends of the zoomies are not installed yet.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Good LORD this thing is a beast!!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Pretty much have the chassis and body mods worked out. Here is the latest mockup. 










Got some paint on the body. This was a long process, since it was done with rattle cans.









I used Silver Flash Krylon Glitter Blast. Then I smothered those huge flakes with seven coats of Folkart clearcoat. Both of these were bought at Michaels with 40% & 50% off coupons.









I also needed some drag chutes, so as long as I had one , I made a couple of copies. I used a simple open faced mold made by pressing the original chute into some silly putty that I got at a $ store.









This time I used some resin for the parts. Worked a lot better than the super glue that I used the last time, since it dried in an hour and was easier to clean up.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

This was an exercise in learning new paint techniques. So I got stupid today and hauled out my $5 HF airbrush. I have owned it for at least 6 years. Until today, I only used it once, 4 years ago, because I hate cleaning it. The taping was an unexpected success. My skill with the air brush wasn't even close. That's Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow and black. Tried doing a fade. Had no control (skill) and mucked it up pretty good.

This is the taping for the silver areas. Anything covered in blue tape will remain silver.









All the silver areas, were painted with clear yellow, because I didn't have any kandy yellow.









Then I had to tape out the yellow and silver, so that I could spray the black.









I was in a poorly lit and cramped space with no experience, so the fade is rather poor. Removed all the tape and rattled canned four more coats of clear and it looked like this.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Sweet job with that glitter blast bro! Thats not easy to work with


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## Compton1964 (Dec 2, 2011)

You not lying.....that glitter is hard to work with


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Now you tell me! I only tried it because I saw it in LIL.

I have one tip that I saw somewhere for the glitter. Spray it at an angle. Not straight on. This is supposed to help it lay flatter.

I have one tip for using Folkart clear. Only do two coats at a time. This stuff is solvent based and will soften and buckle lower coats. Mine had dried for three weeks and were softened when I did four coats in about an hour.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

True dat !


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Hell, it loogs good to me!!


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Thais looks sooo goooooooood. Very shinny.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for your approval guys.

I do think that I have finished the interior. Scratch built things like 2 Sun tachs, console, fire extinguisher, parachute release lever, if you look real close, you can see the return spring beneath the blue cable, trans and throttle cables for rear engine, Moon Big Foot pedals for both gas and brakes, and a Plastic Jesus and Madonna. After all, it is unsafe at any speed.































Sadly, the Plastic Jesus hit the windshield and had to be re-located to the console.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Awesome interior work!! Where'd you get the plastic Jesus?!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Tony. They are modified Z scale railroad figures. They make good hula girls and tikis also.

1. I glue on a base. These were two layers of 0.0145 styrene.

2. Reshape or add arms.

3. I used CA to make the robe arms and fill in between legs, or glue on brush bristles, to make grass skirt.

4. Paint as desired.









PM me your snail mail address and I'll send you some.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I thought the Plastic Jesus was original. However, since no one seems impressed, have you guys seen this done before?


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Oh I'm impressed I'm looking for some H/O figures now that does it!


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

wisdonm said:


> Thanks Tony. They are modified Z scale railroad figures. They make good hula girls and tikis also.
> 
> 1. I glue on a base. These were two layers of 0.0145 styrene.
> 
> ...


Holy shit that was a great idea. Great job man.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Lorenzo, HO is too big. N is too big. These are Z scale. I'll send you some.


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## alteredvisionscustoms (Aug 15, 2012)

Bro u do some sick work


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## OLDSKOOLWAYS (Jul 23, 2009)

wisdonm said:


> This was an exercise in learning new paint techniques. So I got stupid today and hauled out my $5 HF airbrush. I have owned it for at least 6 years. Until today, I only used it once, 4 years ago, because I hate cleaning it. The taping was an unexpected success. My skill with the air brush wasn't even close. That's Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow and black. Tried doing a fade. Had no control (skill) and mucked it up pretty good.
> 
> This is the taping for the silver areas. Anything covered in blue tape will remain silver.
> 
> ...


clean paint job!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Detailed the drag chutes and made 16 zoomies.









Installed the homemade decals and I think she's done.


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## Lowmodelr (Jan 13, 2012)

Nice work


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*CORY*

Thanks Lowmodler.


I was cleaning my desk off after the Coolvair project and noticed that I had a lot of Corvair pieces left over. I also remembered that I had a motorcycle that I bought for about a quarter many years ago at a rummage sale. So I'm going to combine them and see what happens.







​


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## Christopher J (Dec 22, 2012)

I'll be keeping my eye out for this to come together. Should prove to be interesting.

That Corvair turned out lookin' damn good!!


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## dig_derange (Nov 26, 2003)

wisdonm said:


> Detailed the drag chutes and made 16 zoomies.
> 
> View attachment 594480
> 
> ...



SICK


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Chris and Dig.

I modified the tank and mounted upside down. Then painted it.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Nice!!


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

Got those little people figures in today,thanks,if theres anything you need lmk


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Hope you can use them.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

I can,my interiors are gonna have more dimension now,thanks,bro.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Maybe you can make one of those winged gargoles perched on a dash.


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## TINGOS (Dec 30, 2010)

wisdonm said:


> Detailed the drag chutes and made 16 zoomies.
> 
> View attachment 594480
> 
> ...


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

wisdonm said:


> Detailed the drag chutes and made 16 zoomies.
> 
> View attachment 594480
> 
> ...


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the props homes. I'm tyying to up my game. I did this before CT's how-to. Another mountain to climb. Looking for the right car to try a Tingo's interior. Maybe a speedster version of the '39 Sports Wagon.

Been working on the Corvair engine, seat, and bars for the chopper. Maybe I'll have an update later today.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Been working on the engine. Scratched a right angle drive box, oil filler cap, a dip stick, coil, fuel lines and fuel pump. Removed fan belt parts since the fan isn't being used. The rest has to be assembled after the engine is installed in the frame. The engine won't slide into the frame with the right side carbs, valve cover, alternator, exhaust manifolds, or air cleaners attached to the engine.









​


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## Christopher J (Dec 22, 2012)

No disapointments in checking in on the progress here. Thats good work, keep it pushin'.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Christopher J said:


> No disapointments in checking in on the progress here. Thats good work, keep it pushin'.


Co-signed


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I appreciate the kind words guys.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*Blackforce custom*

I'm on vacation in Gattlinburg,TN. It's been raining for two days and I'm pretty bored, so I thought I'd post this old build.

It started out as a Blackforce with some minor mods. I love this kit, even if it is a curbside.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

I dig the hell out of that!!! Hell, half of my builds are curbside!! As long as YOU enjoy it, that's all that really matters!!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Tony. Means a lot coming from you.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Nice sled.


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## pina's LRM replica (Mar 15, 2010)

Dats a dope curb side homie deff would of been killin sum if it was opend up but nice build tho props


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks guys. It's good to be home and building again.


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## Lowlife ! ! (May 21, 2013)

Hey Wisdonm you have some crazy ass builds bro, love the corvair cant wait to see what your gonna do next......... Lowlife ! !


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*2002 Taurus Late Model*

Lowlife, this is what I just finished for another site. Not exactly LIL approved, but I was experimenting with homemade decals.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

I dig that!!!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*LSR K/GS, aka 500cc streamliner*

This is going to be a quick build, since the deadline is less than two weeks away.

I acquired a two piece solid resin copy of the AMT LSR go kart many years ago. I decided to make a styrene vacuum formed copy of it out of 0.040" sheet.









I joined the two halves, and am slowly sanding down the seam joint.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

One reason that I never finish anything, is that I can't leave well enough, alone. Totally reshaped the cockpit area and made a canopy buck. Then I added a fin to help aim the short wheelbase car, at over 205mph.

























I applied some pearl white paint to mine just before noon today. When I got home from a shine and show tonight it has a cream tint to it. Rats.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Hell, add some red scallops to it with a bit of blue trim here and there!!


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## TINGOS (Dec 30, 2010)

wisdonm said:


> I'm on vacation in Gattlinburg,TN. It's been raining for two days and I'm pretty bored, so I thought I'd post this old build.
> 
> It started out as a Blackforce with some minor mods. I love this kit, even if it is a curbside.
> 
> ...


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Tingos. 

Tonio, that is the perfect combo. However, I went in a different dirrection, before you replied. Of course, it's hit the proverbial fan. I am not proficient with an air brush. This is the first time that I tried nail polish. I think I stripped the tape too soon. Always something...never good.


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## darkside customs (Jul 1, 2008)

That thing looks so cool! Looks like it was going so fast the paint started to peel... Idk, maybe you could go with something with a theme like that


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Prez.

Had a few painting mishaps and repaired the paint stripes as best that I could. I think part of the problem was that the metal flakes were wider than the stripes, and would pull off with the tape. Repaired some spots three times with varying results. Added home made decals. The class markings took forever to make. Added some air intakes and an exhaust pipe too.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*homicide (sliding) doors*

Not my name for them, not my idea, and not my video. But it sure is interesting.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*'56 Corvette Impala*

Just finished my latest casting. A '56 Corvette Impala from the '56 Motorama. It was mastered by Kenneth Borst and cast by me.


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## CemetaryAngel81 (Dec 11, 2011)

wisdonm said:


> I'm on vacation in Gattlinburg,TN. It's been raining for two days and I'm pretty bored, so I thought I'd post this old build.
> 
> It started out as a Blackforce with some minor mods. I love this kit, even if it is a curbside.
> 
> ...


I like this kit a lot too,got two to kustomise


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*'76 Toyota Celica Liftback*

'76 Toyota Celica Liftback cheap street racer. This is what you get when you cross a '76 Celica Liftback with a '70 Lincoln Mk III. The Mk III was a gold mine of street racing parts. There was the 460 cubic inch engine with 10.5:1 compression. A Ford C6 three speed automatic transmission, a large crossflow radiaror, and a practically unbreakable Ford 9" rear end. In stock condition the engine made 365 HP and 500 Ft. Lbs. of torque.


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## noanoaenterprise (Jan 25, 2013)

wisdonm said:


> '76 Toyota Celica Liftback cheap street racer. This is what you get when you cross a '76 Celica Liftback with a '70 Lincoln Mk III. The Mk III was a gold mine of street racing parts. There was the 460 cubic inch engine with 10.5:1 compression. A Ford C6 three speed automatic transmission, a large crossflow radiaror, and a practically unbreakable Ford 9" rear end. In stock condition the engine made 365 HP and 500 Ft. Lbs. of torque.
> 
> View attachment 820465
> 
> ...


ver nice builds:thumbsup:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Made some more parts for the '56 Impala.


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## Tonioseven (Oct 19, 2008)

Dig these. :thumbsup:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Been busy maken these '56 Corvette Impala kits.









Got to get back to builden.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

*'69 Dodge Charger R/GT*

This is Chrysler's attempt at a 2-seater hatchback.


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## bigdogg323 (Jun 3, 2006)

damn    killer work bro :thumbsup:


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## marioshadowmendiola (Jul 21, 2013)

nice resin on your 56 impala corvette to bad you could mail a packge of that kit so i can do a kustom paint job on it i and later enter in a model car contest,,


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

???? Mario, I did send you a '56 Corvette Impala kit along with some netting several weeks ago.

Thanks for the props, bigdogg

Here's the shortened interior. The wheel wells come right up to the door seams.









It is powered by an experimental 500 cubic inch, DOHC, 32 valve, Hemi rated at 825HP @ 7,000 rpm and 700 lbs ft of torque. A 426 cu in version was originally intended for NASCAR. Internally, Chrysler called it the doomsday engine.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Big & littles.









Spare tire cover.









Floor pan, wheeltubs, and spare tire on right side. The battery is located under the spare to help with traction.









Because of the large amount of tumble home in the body sides, the wheeltubs have to be attached to the body to allow assembly. Hole is for relocated gas cap.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

I reshaped the tail light opening. So a new lens had t be made. The new lens was made from a stick-on reflector from an auto parts store.

















A 500 cubic inch, double over head cam, four-valve Chrysler Hemi was built. These were called doomsday motors by Chrysler. I could not score one of the aluminum blocks, but was able to get a set of aluminum heads, magnesium intake manifold, and all the other parts necessary to build this monster. It is rated at 825HP @ 7,000 rpm and 700 lbs ft of torque.

The main outward differences between the DOHC and a regular Hemi are the valve covers, cam gears, and the cog belt system to drive them. A pusher electric fan is being used for additional room and HP.


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## Bogyoke (Aug 1, 2008)

Very resourceful engineering with the materials. Thanks for sharing the how-to tips :thumbsup:


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words.

Here it is finished. A 2-seat (shortened 20 inches) Dodge Charger R/GT hatchback, with an experimental 500 cubic inch, DOHC, 32 valve, Hemi rated at 825HP @ 7,000 rpm and 700 lbs ft of torque.


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## halfasskustoms (Jul 28, 2010)

Looks great.


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks Half. I have so many projects started and want to start, but airbrush painting still scares me. I did buy two jars of Bob's Paint that Mario reccomends.

Here is an odd OT that I built. It is a '76 AMC Matador with a custom made X-II front end and haomemade decals.


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## GreenBandit (May 28, 2011)

Fuck yeah pabst!!!!!


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Tall Boys and ribs for everyone.


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## pina's LRM replica (Mar 15, 2010)

great looking work up in here homie


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## wisdonm (Jun 12, 2012)

Thanks prez. Means a lot coming from you.


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