You're always welcome, RL!! The good thing about LEDs is their low power consumption so battery life is usually measured in years.. especially with limited usage. If you haven't placed the LED yet, keep one thing in mind.. Unlike regular bulbs, LEDs are a directional light... if you can, experiment with different locations for placement so it illuminates what you want. It will be blindingly bright looking directly into it :freak: so think of positioning it as you would lighting for a camera. It can be toned down by covering the lens with nail polish or a transparent paint. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wheels, tracks and final painting came out well! Some tow cable rig! One of the guys is checking the movement in the rear claw wedge which fits the front of the tank being retrieved to control it while towing.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0724.jpg

The vehicle needs weathering & detail painting but we just wanted to see how it runs - very smoothly! Sltman thanks for notification of the directional LED characteristic. The shop has to re-think the LED position. ...RL

very cool!i have been hunting thrift stores for old tanks!

RL,

Now that is a TANK! Can't wait to see how it looks when it is all done up with the weathering and detail painting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob...Love the intricate details...zilla

For a more gentle illumination you might want to consider trying a whip of fiber optic cable from the LED. This will cut back the excessive lighting effect from using the LED directly....

The boys did not get time to photograph their friendly competition for Hilltop's new #7 Hot Rod before their shop put out another Great car!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0726.jpg

It is a stock Atlas with turned & drilled rims. The photos do not do justice to the rims they are cone shaped widening as they get deeper to emulate the old Cragar style rims. The rims were made by a friend & railroad hobbyist on his Unimat lathe. Appreciate your info, Sltman.
All the guys in the shop really enjoy all the awesome building from landscaping, shops, customs, lighting, how to's, hot rods to clear bodies on HT and get inspiration for future projects! Plus a lot of viewing pleasure! ..RL

sweet rod!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

That's one cool Hot Rod RL :thumbsup::thumbsup: Those are some nice wheels!!! Your friend needs to put those wheels into production, I'm sure they would sell. Congrats on the tank too!!! See if you can shoot that Hot Rod and blow it up so I want have to race against it, don't want to take any chances :p:p...RM

Gotta love the hotrod....no matter who made them!

That's a nice example RL.

What dem guys just said. :thumbsup::thumbsup: nd

Hot rod looks terrific! And so does the Tank Rescue. Nice work!

I've been thinking about doing a Peace Tank II for a long time based on a Tyco Traxx chassis. I think I'm gonna have to do that one soon.

Ditto! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

The Hot Rod is a Tyco S '30 Ford Roadster w/detailed interior and Candy Blu Plated exterior on an Atlas chassis since the shop did not have the appropriate S chassis. It sees limited track time due to it delicate plating.

Recently, the shop has been doing a restoration Job on this Dodge Coronet Super Bee! It was a mess and had been run very hard many times with a mixture of grease, oil & dirt covering the underside of the body.
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0721.jpg

Many hours were spent with different cleaner removing the grimy build up trying not to damage the body. The letters MEV4 scatched in the underside of the hood were finally revealed. The rear glass was smoothed to remove scratches and filed flat again to eliminate the nicks in the edges!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0722.jpg
The hood scoops needed special attention to clean and remove scratches but retain the design! The stickers attach all over the body were the hardest to remove without loosing the rear stripe! Patience and Bob's rule of walking away many times before the clean up went to far, worked!

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0723.jpg
This Dodge is not finished yet, the front & rear chrome need a little more bare metal to complete the restoration. You can't help but like the look of the split front grille and the sloping lines of the top flowing to the rear deck and the curve of the lower rear window frame. ...RL

We need a "before" picture of the Super Bee. It looks sweet but your description of the original state demeands a pic.

Yeah, really.. It looks fresh from MEV!! LOL!! Looks great RL!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Sorry, Resinmonger, No before pictures! It was aquired as a body only and was not sure what was on it! So it was washed in a bucket outdoors.
It was bad and once the cleanup was started just kept going not thinking of a camera until too late.

RM, the hot rod rims were too time consuming and a few were ruined before the finished product! Coming soon, a Rat Rod which looks like it was blown up by a Tank.

DDragon can't wait to see your Tyco Trax Peace Tank! A cool idea. ...RL

Great save RL!!! That's a nice YELLOW Dodge, with a red stripe to boot!!! Hey, I like that blue Sunoco light duty hauler. Those stickers look good on there...RM

RL,

Glad you just walked away but, now run back and put that Sweet Coronet on the track and give her Heck! The red stripe does it for me (favorite color). Great job saving it.

Bob...this thing says Jasper Powered all over it...zilla

Nice looking Coronet/Superbee. And like Bill said.........."You gotta love the hotrod no matter who made it"......:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Hey, look who dropped into the shop? ...Luigi, one of the stars in the Cars movie, came in for the install of a new set of chrome rims.
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0729.jpg

Luigi is a plastic body which fit the X-traction chassis allowing for a clip-on mount with correct wheel base. Paint the tongue & you have one cute car with attitude!

The shop appreciates all the positive comments, guys & hope you continue viewing!!

With the start of the NASCAR season, the shop guys were anxious to work on this locally found 2005 NASCAR. This plastic Christmas decoration is a rare find in the Great White North!
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0728.jpg
So when a friend at Cardinal Speedway spotted this number 8 stock car and brought the project to the shop, immediately all attention was turned to mounting this car for racing at the Speedway. The front & rear clear plastic glass had to be shaved to the body. The dash & rear sheet metal covering the wheels had to be reduced and sanded flat for gear clearance. The roll bar & driver mesh had to be modified to fit the body. The shop discovered a new glue: Crafter's Pick - The Ultimate, a water-based super glue which is white but dries clear and great for use on the clear parts. Side exhaust was built & mounted. Appropriate red rims were installed. The Tyco 440 X-2 Stock car chassis was greased, oiled, body attached and tested at Cardinal Speedway. Jr. would approve! ...RL

RL,

Fletcher is gonna freak when I show him this Luigi slot car you made up. He has Doc, Lightning and the King. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I may need to find this one.

It is funny that a tire guy came to your shop for rims. You know now that I think about it Luigi just sells tires. That is odd.

The Jr. #8 car is Sweeeeeeeeeeet! Red is my favorite color and that is one nice conversion with red rims to boot.

Bob...yep you were very lucky to find this beauty eh...zilla

Luigi is one cool little dude, RL!! Cars was one of them movies I swore I'd never watch but once I sat down I was hooked and watched the whole thing. 'Mater was my favorite one out of the bunch. And the red #8 COY car (Car of Yesterday.. back when they actually looked like the car they were supposed to be) looks great with the red rims!! Nice job adjusting the internals to keep them all in there!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Great fit and finish on them both! :thumbsup:

Nice fit with the #8 car RL :thumbsup::thumbsup: Love the extra sponsorship stickers, hopefully LifeLike will catch on and do the same. Luigi sure looks happy, "Hey look at me, I dot sum nu shues" ... RM

Cool Stuff. Love the "Cars" cars.

After all the stars & glitter of the previous post, the guys were not sure about showing the shop's Rat Rod! One was even insisting on having an extinguisher handy until the wiring was checked. The tires had to be pumped up & the battery charged.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0734.jpg

This is the test bed for refurbished T-jet chassis to make sure they run smoothly & fast. So it gets a lot of abuse & touch up painting thus the primer!
You probably noted that it was not created from an Aurora Hot Rod body. The front end was scratch built on to the rear of a partial body which came from the scrap yard behind the shop.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0735.jpg

The interior was from a diecast donor car. Don't let it's appearance fool you it is very quick thus giving a good comparison for another chassis being put under the hood! ...RL

The rat rod looks great and that is a very creative use for the rear of a Chaparral 2F body. I certainly wouldn't kick it out of my shop! :thumbsup:

This car is fantastic!
Had the Hutt not identified the rear end, I'd have missed it!
Boy, this piece sure got my gears turning!

Great build! :thumbsup:

Somebody get 'em a piece of cheese!!!.... That's a nice bit 'o bashin stuff together. :thumbsup::thumbsup: nd

Awesome use of spare parts, RL!!! Hiding beneath that coat of primer is a screamer!!! Good job with the ID Russ.. I never would have guessed that!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

RL,

This is why I come here...what a fun looking little Rat Rod you have created!

Bob...you must have been out of Mooneyes decals...zilla

Those scoops.... Tips off of ball point pens?

Thanks for the comments & good eye, Russ. Yes, it is the rear of a Chaparral 2F body! You can make a Hot Rod out of a different body. Did not think of the Mooneyes but good idea!

Dragon, the scoops & blower (plastic) are from a Hot Wheels diecast with a big wing at the back, can't remember the name. Always cruising the diecast pegs for plastic parts for slot car applications. ...RL

Always cruising the diecast pegs for plastic parts for slot car applications. ...RL

Slothead cannibals on "Treasure Hunts"... Leave no blister pack unturned. :lol: nd

FUN-TASTIC RIDE!!!!!

And you can never butcher enough "Treasure Hunts"........:D

Cool Rod RL, piece work is what it's all about!!! I save all the junk parts too. After seeing this one, I need to go through em!!! RM

Rl,
Great custom rod. Who makes the Luigi body. I need to pick one up to add to the collection too. Great looker as well! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

Roadrner,
The Luigi body is the Mattel Disney Pixar version in a size slightly larger than an AFX body so check your local WalMart or Target. The body is a thick plastic, not diecast like the other Disney Pixar Cars. Remove the chassis, under body supports and use Hilltop's mounting system.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0743.jpg


DDragon,
Found the name of the donor Hot Wheels diecast for the blower and scoops, it was the Isetta "Whatta Drag". This diecast has been produced with many different coloured scoops.
Hope this helps! ...RL

DD, Hot Wheels also has a Fiat that uses that double barrel engine scoop, you also get some other goodies - chrome headers, a parachute and a rear wing...RM
EX: http://cgi.ebay.com/2009-HOT-WHEELS-MODIFIRD-RIDES-FIAT-500-7-10_W0QQitemZ170313617743QQihZ007QQcategoryZ45352QQ ssPageNameZWD4VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638 Q2em124

Thanks for the info guys. When I first saw the pics I thought the scoops looked like the the end of som Bic pens I had.

HT, I already have a Fiat altered. Used the engine on a truck build I think. ;) The headers are on a T-jet hot rod roadster I've had for years and I'm now trying to get up the nerve to try resin casting and do the body. (along with a Ferrari 599)

With all the 55 competition the guys just had to get a Dash 55 and lower it! How low can you go and tub the rear end too?

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0744.jpg

This was tricky tubbing the rear end on an magnatraction chassis, luckily the Dash body was thick enough to dremel at the rear wheel well.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll258/XraceHO/IMG_0745.jpg

Originally, a customer wanted the guys to put a tyco chassis under the Chevy like the two beautiful 55's Tom & Hilltop posted but the shop did not have the appropriate rims or tires. Now on back order. The customer's three other stockcars are ready for delivery.
So we took the shop 55 and just started experimenting not sure it could be done, by first removing the stock mounts. Then narrowing the rear rims front & back plus cutting narrower tires. Once the project got started,it looked so nice tubbed in the rear that the front had to be done to give that low & level look! Hope the photos show how low it is but still keeping the rear spring hangers attached and not touching the track. ..RL

Ol' Yeller doesn't seemed impressed, but I sure am!!! That 55's gotta new outlook :thumbsup::thumbsup: Great work on the lowering!!! How about it Tom, can we get an amen??? RM

OMG that is SWEET!

Wow, that's low! Does it have hydraulics?!!!!!

Rich :thumbsup:

Yeah baby!!! I guess I am gonna try on a mopar body!!! :thumbsup:

Wes

Better weld casters to the rear frame rails. Does no good to hang yer rear bump up on the entries & exits of the local malt shoppe!

Great looking cheby! :thumbsup:

Sweet! Definitely low. Just another one to add to my to do list. I think I have a leftover Dash 55 in my kitbash box. :thumbsup: rr

She looks wicked RL!! She's almost scrapin' the ground!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

She looks wicked RL!! She's almost scrapin' the ground!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Yeah that is one wicked 55 RL!! I bet at night you can see the sparks fly off that rear bumper with just a bump and go from the excelerator...Sweet!

Bob...you did it up right man...zilla

Nice dump!