The Missing Days........
Posted by Dr Diecast at 1/7/2008 7:11 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
Well happy Monday morning to all my blog reading friends far and wide. I have received a couple of "Hey I miss the blog ya lazy bum get back to writing" type messages, LOL. I type this is gest but did have a couple people, and you know who you are, who claimed to miss my words of nothingness, LOL, so here ya go.
OK..... well it comes down to time and just haven't had it. Actually I shouldn't be here right now for that matter. I first off want to apologize to my current CDR customers as I never expected RJC to take up this much of my time and had planned on spending last week and at least half of this week working on customer cars but alas .....problems with the parts that are manufactured and walking into uncharted territory has basically taken all the hours I can give to launch this thing.
First off the parts that are cast in metal are NOT acceptable. Well these first parts are not. Usable for the display cars ? Yep........ because I will make them usable. Usable for customer paid cars ? No freaking way in hell. See this manufacturer had never made parts like these to spec. His process normally requires a CAD file which he in turn makes a wax master from that is then somehow molded and recast in brass for the vulcanizing process to create the master mold for the metal casting. We gave him finished masters in resin/plastic and he went right to the vulcanizing stage from there.
What happened was the pressure in the vuilvaizing stage is so great the it actually squeezed the master pieces to the point that they are now 1% smaller. Well the molds are...... so when the parts are cast they are 1% smaller then they should be. 1% in 1/18 scale might not sound like alot but it is and I have some of the parts to prove it, LOL.
My partner and I have at least 5 hours each invested into the cleaning and fitting of 4 sets of hoods and shakers. Yes you read that right ...... 10 hours of prep for 8 pieces. NOT GOOD AT ALL !!!. Now because I have some sorta skill set.... I can use these for the 6 cars to be displayed. The sold customer cars will have the new Bronze mold process which will eliminate ANY shrinkage.
OK...... I have to tell you im like a kid in a candy store here though..... the metal parts, Holy Guacamole Batman, are they cool. First off, they are heavy.... in the hoods case even heavier than the stock hood. Of course the shaker is heavier then a stock plastic shaker and when you add in the grill, taillight panel, front and rear valance the Concept Cuda will actually weigh more then the stock Challenger it started out as.
So in short I have been working basically 14 -15 hours a day since Friday and really haven't had much time to even check email.
Positive note..... I do think I can fix the "Problem Camaro" and make the customer happy and myself at the same time.
Negative note... my Canadian customer whom I did the Mini Cooper repaints for unfortunately didn't tell me soon enough NOT to put a commercial invoice in the box and now is gonna get slammed at customs. I am so sorry but I rarely ship to Canada so I forget how anal things are there.
Im going to jump back to RJC for a minute here. Even though I know he also doesn't have time to read this I am grateful to my partner for this vision in this venture. As of 10pm last night HE made the decision that we will have both posters and T Shirts for sale in our booth. While it was planned we would have custom dress shirts made for each other the T Shirt thing was an after thought but he said he wants to do it so we will see. The booth, we made a great score on is so nice and so professional that I don't think I could have imagined being able to launch this company and better. Sadly my expectations are now growing by leaps and bounds and hopefully I wont be disappointed when the week ends. Time will tell and we will see.
Yesterday along with the metal parts and helping get the booth laid out the way we want it and ............. hehe..... building the prototype of the Trans Am concept to be released after the Cuda I had to work on assembling the mid level priced cars, Belvedere and the Shelby. So...... let me tell you about the Shelby (last time I mention that name here, well after my next paragraph that is).
So Carroll Shelby had now removed his name from the SAAC club and is suing them for all there assets or close as he basically thinks they owe him. Im not getting into that at all but posted it for this reason. My first mid level release is based on the Lane, 1968 Shelby GT500KR model. Well........ mine will never be called that and I will tell ya why.
While getting ready to repaint the "Mustang", that will now be called Black Beauty II, I realized that the good ole boy, Carroll, will be at BJ's and since I don't like him and don't want to have to deal with him nor his attorneys, Dewy Fuckem and How, LOL... I decided to make some visual changes to BB2. Below you will see a picture of BB1. The first real modded 1/18 scale car I ever did. That was back in 2000. I had already been repainting cars, swapping tires and motors but never really made any body mods. BB1 was the first. Custom old style pro stock scoop made from styrene plastic, filled roof vents and mini tubbed. This car was then painted black with 7 different pearls added and just pops in natural sunlight. My oldest daughter, and car girl, as loved it from the time I built it. She always thought I should do a run of 25 of them all the same way. At one point years ago I did post on my website if people were interested I would take preorders and then decide if I wanted to build them. I got 18 or 19 preorders over those coming months but life got in the way and well BB1 sits on my mantel all alone and .......... well needing dusting, LOL.
So now comes RJC...... Pro Street is gone..... G-Lateral and Pro Touring are the hot ticket. I love Mustangs (shhhh, don't tell my Mopar brothers, LOL) and if I were to build one today..... I would build one like this. This is actually the original car I was going to offer in RJC's lineup. This car was actually started back when I was ill IL some 4 years ago ? Eric at Lane/Exact Detail and I were talking one day and I said why don't you guys start doing some cool mods to your cars. I mean , add a hood and some neat after market wheels and I bet you could sell them (See GMP and there line of Resto mods for prove im correct on this). He said they really didn't know what they would want to do so I said..... send me a 68 (not typing it) and I will show you what you could do real easy. He did and I created BB2. He sent me a 68 car and the hood from a 67(flat) and I created BB2 with a lowered suspension, custom hood and wheels. Its awesome looking and I will post my final pictures of the car here so Mr Filter can drool before he buys one, LOL and he will..... hell I want to buy one from myself its looking so nice, LOL.
Anyway...since "that man" will be a BJ's auctioning off more of his personal stuff I decided to make another change to the car before painting it. I removed the roof scoops and filled the holes for that smooth Mustang look. Add to that my custom hood, lowered suspension and way cool wheels this car looks more like a Mustang than one of "his" signature cars. Its been repainted Black with Red, White and Blue powdered pearls and just rocks, All American style. Even though my daughter has seen this car in the early stage she still like BB1 better, LOL, gotta love that kid. Anyway...... this and now the Belvedere having been clearcoated are almost assembled and ready to go.
Ok....... well I started writing this at 7 am... I've had 3 phone calls and its now 8:36 and I have no more time to give , so.....................
IM OUT!
OK..... well it comes down to time and just haven't had it. Actually I shouldn't be here right now for that matter. I first off want to apologize to my current CDR customers as I never expected RJC to take up this much of my time and had planned on spending last week and at least half of this week working on customer cars but alas .....problems with the parts that are manufactured and walking into uncharted territory has basically taken all the hours I can give to launch this thing.
First off the parts that are cast in metal are NOT acceptable. Well these first parts are not. Usable for the display cars ? Yep........ because I will make them usable. Usable for customer paid cars ? No freaking way in hell. See this manufacturer had never made parts like these to spec. His process normally requires a CAD file which he in turn makes a wax master from that is then somehow molded and recast in brass for the vulcanizing process to create the master mold for the metal casting. We gave him finished masters in resin/plastic and he went right to the vulcanizing stage from there.
What happened was the pressure in the vuilvaizing stage is so great the it actually squeezed the master pieces to the point that they are now 1% smaller. Well the molds are...... so when the parts are cast they are 1% smaller then they should be. 1% in 1/18 scale might not sound like alot but it is and I have some of the parts to prove it, LOL.
My partner and I have at least 5 hours each invested into the cleaning and fitting of 4 sets of hoods and shakers. Yes you read that right ...... 10 hours of prep for 8 pieces. NOT GOOD AT ALL !!!. Now because I have some sorta skill set.... I can use these for the 6 cars to be displayed. The sold customer cars will have the new Bronze mold process which will eliminate ANY shrinkage.
OK...... I have to tell you im like a kid in a candy store here though..... the metal parts, Holy Guacamole Batman, are they cool. First off, they are heavy.... in the hoods case even heavier than the stock hood. Of course the shaker is heavier then a stock plastic shaker and when you add in the grill, taillight panel, front and rear valance the Concept Cuda will actually weigh more then the stock Challenger it started out as.
So in short I have been working basically 14 -15 hours a day since Friday and really haven't had much time to even check email.
Positive note..... I do think I can fix the "Problem Camaro" and make the customer happy and myself at the same time.
Negative note... my Canadian customer whom I did the Mini Cooper repaints for unfortunately didn't tell me soon enough NOT to put a commercial invoice in the box and now is gonna get slammed at customs. I am so sorry but I rarely ship to Canada so I forget how anal things are there.
Im going to jump back to RJC for a minute here. Even though I know he also doesn't have time to read this I am grateful to my partner for this vision in this venture. As of 10pm last night HE made the decision that we will have both posters and T Shirts for sale in our booth. While it was planned we would have custom dress shirts made for each other the T Shirt thing was an after thought but he said he wants to do it so we will see. The booth, we made a great score on is so nice and so professional that I don't think I could have imagined being able to launch this company and better. Sadly my expectations are now growing by leaps and bounds and hopefully I wont be disappointed when the week ends. Time will tell and we will see.
Yesterday along with the metal parts and helping get the booth laid out the way we want it and ............. hehe..... building the prototype of the Trans Am concept to be released after the Cuda I had to work on assembling the mid level priced cars, Belvedere and the Shelby. So...... let me tell you about the Shelby (last time I mention that name here, well after my next paragraph that is).
So Carroll Shelby had now removed his name from the SAAC club and is suing them for all there assets or close as he basically thinks they owe him. Im not getting into that at all but posted it for this reason. My first mid level release is based on the Lane, 1968 Shelby GT500KR model. Well........ mine will never be called that and I will tell ya why.
While getting ready to repaint the "Mustang", that will now be called Black Beauty II, I realized that the good ole boy, Carroll, will be at BJ's and since I don't like him and don't want to have to deal with him nor his attorneys, Dewy Fuckem and How, LOL... I decided to make some visual changes to BB2. Below you will see a picture of BB1. The first real modded 1/18 scale car I ever did. That was back in 2000. I had already been repainting cars, swapping tires and motors but never really made any body mods. BB1 was the first. Custom old style pro stock scoop made from styrene plastic, filled roof vents and mini tubbed. This car was then painted black with 7 different pearls added and just pops in natural sunlight. My oldest daughter, and car girl, as loved it from the time I built it. She always thought I should do a run of 25 of them all the same way. At one point years ago I did post on my website if people were interested I would take preorders and then decide if I wanted to build them. I got 18 or 19 preorders over those coming months but life got in the way and well BB1 sits on my mantel all alone and .......... well needing dusting, LOL.
So now comes RJC...... Pro Street is gone..... G-Lateral and Pro Touring are the hot ticket. I love Mustangs (shhhh, don't tell my Mopar brothers, LOL) and if I were to build one today..... I would build one like this. This is actually the original car I was going to offer in RJC's lineup. This car was actually started back when I was ill IL some 4 years ago ? Eric at Lane/Exact Detail and I were talking one day and I said why don't you guys start doing some cool mods to your cars. I mean , add a hood and some neat after market wheels and I bet you could sell them (See GMP and there line of Resto mods for prove im correct on this). He said they really didn't know what they would want to do so I said..... send me a 68 (not typing it) and I will show you what you could do real easy. He did and I created BB2. He sent me a 68 car and the hood from a 67(flat) and I created BB2 with a lowered suspension, custom hood and wheels. Its awesome looking and I will post my final pictures of the car here so Mr Filter can drool before he buys one, LOL and he will..... hell I want to buy one from myself its looking so nice, LOL.
Anyway...since "that man" will be a BJ's auctioning off more of his personal stuff I decided to make another change to the car before painting it. I removed the roof scoops and filled the holes for that smooth Mustang look. Add to that my custom hood, lowered suspension and way cool wheels this car looks more like a Mustang than one of "his" signature cars. Its been repainted Black with Red, White and Blue powdered pearls and just rocks, All American style. Even though my daughter has seen this car in the early stage she still like BB1 better, LOL, gotta love that kid. Anyway...... this and now the Belvedere having been clearcoated are almost assembled and ready to go.
Ok....... well I started writing this at 7 am... I've had 3 phone calls and its now 8:36 and I have no more time to give , so.....................
IM OUT!
You read my mind, buddy!
Reply to this