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Post by demonhunterfan on Dec 31, 2009 6:49:25 GMT -8
Couple weeks ago while wrapping Christmas gifts for my kids & grandkids I got one of 'those' inspirations  I had gotten some kind of hooded sweater (?) for my granddaughter and was about to box it and wrap it when I spied frame rails in the hanger it came on   ....  ....so I stopped wrapping presents and started hackin' away at that hanger, drilled some holes and stuck some cool wheels off'n a diecast Cobra on and started setting bodies on. The '53 pu cab was interesting, but maybe some other time   Had this here 66 Merc sitting around. Had started on it for the DeathRacers build over on MCM but lost interest....... anyhow, set it down, saw I'd hafta cut new wheel openings, and did so.....and a new project was born!!! ;D  Here's the happy couple  Things were going good. Was planning on a fun little crazy build with some kinda skid plate at the back end of them coat hanger frame rails, but......when I tried gluing some cross members to the hanger, I couldn't get anything to stick to it, so.......  I started hackin' away at the frame and interior from the 66 and that looked a li'l bit promising.  In considering an engine for this beast, I started raiding the FireFighter Mustang pro stocker and figured I'd see how the chassis out of it might fit in the big ol' Merk. Needed a bit of hackin' away also so's them big meats out back would fit, but that's where this thing is goin' now. Still strongly considering a skid plate back where the rear bumper should be....... stay tuned. Later and God bless  oh yeah-- lots more pics that I'll be postin up later, but if'n anybody wanna see more of what's happening with this: public.fotki.com/V866/sparky-awb-merky/ |
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Post by Fletch on Dec 31, 2009 10:14:34 GMT -8
Brother John, any time I see a new build from you posted I get a big ol smile as I know it's going to be good. Your ability to see a frame in a hanger from a hoody sweatshirt is a gift. To me it is just another clothes hanger.
The amazing part is when you run into a speed bump you just go around it and proceed on with the rest of the project.
Have a safe, sane and Happy New Years.
In Christ
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 1, 2010 17:47:01 GMT -8
Boy is my patience being tried......taking forever for my Fotki to open up......OK, here we goes After I done cut most of the back seat outa the interior of this here Merky, I had to replace it with some 'sheet metal'....  ....using some card stock type of paper made for scrapbooking. Once I get the interior all sheeted up I'm gonna paint it aluminum. Always like the look of paper painted with a silvery paint.  This here's what's left of the chassis/frame outa the FireFighter Mustang pro stocker. I dechromed the wheels and the chromey parts of the engine-- not sure of C.I.D. etc, the box just says a 'Ford V8'-- I used to know some of the engines, but anymore...uh, what was I sayin'? ;D Had a bit of a time trying to get the dechromed parts to stick to each other-- musta been the shellacky stuff that was still on there  Finally got them big carbs to stay put and did a little mock up to see how they lined up with that hole in the hood.....looks like I'll be doing some cutting.  So cut I did......now they can breathe mucho better  Just had to see how some stacks would look. Cut these outa the sleeve that went bad on one of my Xacto knives-- kinda too thick I think.  Don't look too bad from this angle, but........I'm goin' with a hoody scoopy thing  That's next time. Til then, may God bless |
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Post by 84vanagon on Jan 1, 2010 19:44:21 GMT -8
John, every time I see one of your creations, I grin from ear to ear! ;D This big "M" is no exception... totally off the wall cool!  |
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 2, 2010 16:20:10 GMT -8
Got us a cool kinda home-made-y sheet metal scoop for over top of them 2 big 4bbls.......  Layed it out on the same card stock paper I be using to sheet up the interior. One of the gifts God gave me was being able to 'see' things like this, unfolded.  Here it be folded and glued.  Here I set it, and glued it, into a hole the same size as the hole in the hood of the Merk, to give it some reinforcement and a mounting lip kinda like the real ones.  Here it is in place, ready fer rivets  And here it is 'working'. I just love takin' pics of ol' SPARKY, the MIGHTY MERK doin' wheelies! (thanks to our Bro, George 53 who suggested the MIGHTY MERK name ) Later and God bless |
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Post by sigmaman on Jan 5, 2010 12:04:45 GMT -8
This is pretty groovy.
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 10, 2010 11:36:10 GMT -8
Got a little time to sit down with ol' SPARKY...  .....can't remember exactly what I was cuttin' here, but I gotta sit with my legs up for my achey sciatica, which is gettin' better, btw.  Fabbed up some big ol' slabby like rails to mount the rear end in and added some wheelie bars outa the Resto Mustang.  Tried using the roll cage outa the FireFighter Mustang, but it didn't work out so well, so figured I'd go back to being a kid again, and fab a cage up out of some sprues.  Got a basic like cage and while I was at it, I fabbed a kinda like Hurstsy shifter outa some of that sprue too  While the interior was setting up, I figured I'd see about getting them cool headers on the engine and start painting it up. Well, turns out them headers gotta go on last, after the engine is in place, so.......  ....figured I'd spruce the headers up a bit. I had cut off the chassis mounting lugs at the back end, and I remembered saving them. Found them and they gonna look really good as collectors.  See there?! Pretty cool lookin'! Gettin' anxious to start painting, and am planning on using my airbrush. I gotta fab up some kinda spray booth before I do that, so...... Later and God bless |
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Post by davewahl on Jan 10, 2010 13:40:59 GMT -8
John:
That is certainly turning into a rather interesting AWB. Whats the color gonna be? I'm not much for drags, but that one is intrigueing. Dave
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Post by 84vanagon on Jan 10, 2010 19:12:39 GMT -8
Cool to see the master back at the bench! Glad you're mending! Prayers to ya! Don. |
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 11, 2010 15:01:33 GMT -8
John: That is certainly turning into a rather interesting AWB. Whats the color gonna be? I'm not much for drags, but that one is intrigueing. Dave Thanks Dave. I pretty much just release pent up imagination with my builds. I go for the look I guess. Got a cool idea for paint that I'm hoping works well. Plan on shooting the body with yellow/orange/red blending together, then cut the word "SPARKY" and maybe "MIGHTY MERK" out of masking tape, put them in place and shoot the whole thing with flat black. May use premade stick on vinyl letters instead of cutting them out of masking tape. After the black is dry I'll pull the tape letters off and maybe brush a thin border around them. Also on the back I'll be scratching thru the flat black to create 'sparks' -- just little X's scratching the black paint away to reveal the yellow/orange/red beneath. It's working good in my head at the moment-- hope it works as well on the body. Later and God bless |
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Post by dimaxion on Jan 13, 2010 8:35:28 GMT -8
This is too cool . I do like this Funny Car . I think either finish you execute will be "wild and crazy" . Please keep showing this . Thanx.. ;D
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 13, 2010 13:42:48 GMT -8
Thanks for all the kind words. Still pluggin' away at this Merk.  Don't know how prototypical this is, but I figured I'd weld the doors & stuff shut on this here AWB. Stretched some sprue (another favorite part of the hobby for me) and layed it in the door, trunk, & hood lines and 'welded' it all together.  Ripped all the chrome off & removed the turn signals-- don't need 'em  While them welds were cooling off I got the rest of the interior 'sheeted' up. Can't wait to see how it looks in aluminum paint.  Roughed up them 'welds' with a couple files and then went over the whole body with a brass wire brush. Ol' SPARKY's been kinda beat over the years.  Can't wait to do final assembly!-- trying to do a mock up really tries my patience. Looking kinda tuff, and really didn't notice before just how BIG them slicks are! Hopefuellie be painting soon. Later and God bless |
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Post by sigmaman on Jan 14, 2010 1:26:41 GMT -8
This thing awesome!
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Post by demonhunterfan on Jan 27, 2010 10:40:45 GMT -8
This poor ol' AWB has been waiting patiently for me to paint it, but I been wanting to set up a spray booth for me airbrush, and that's gotten a whole lot more involved than I first thought, and toss in to all that, my sciatica problem not allowing me to make any progress to that end, and it's gonna be awhile before I get any real color on ol' SPARKY. In the meantime, while I sit with my feet up (about the only way I'm painfree from the sciatica) I was able to re-install my Photo Explosion and do a little 'computerized airbrushing'. This here is how I'm planning on painting the Merk.  Kinda liking the orange trim around the windows, but was thinking of a bright green trim around the letters, so might have to try that green around the windows...... Later and God bless |
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Post by dimaxion on Jan 28, 2010 8:16:39 GMT -8
I do like Sparky . Way cool . I sympathize with youe saitic . It is on my Laundry list . Keep the faith and God Bless you and yours ..Thanx..
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I had gotten some kind of hooded sweater (?) for my granddaughter and was about to box it and wrap it when I spied frame rails in the hanger it came on 
....
