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09/03/2010 5:58 pm
A few minutes with BRK 57, '60 Continental convertible (pic)
It looked kind of static, just sitting there on the shelf, so I spent a few minutes with it.
Bare Metal foil on the door handles, a light touch of silver paint (removable)on the hash marks, and some Arttista figures kind of put life in it, IMHO.
And not a seatbelt in sight. Brace yourself, Forum 43. That was 50 years ago!
09/03/2010 6:12 pm
Looks great, David. Your added details make a very neat model even better. If I had a real 1:1 '60 Continental to drive around, I guess perhaps the only change I would make to it would be to add the seatbelts !
09/03/2010 6:26 pm
Yep, there is a lot of hood to fly over on that one! Hard to believe it has been 50 years.
09/03/2010 6:49 pm
The good old days of autos? I really don't miss:
steel bumpers bolted directly to the frame that were so strong you could push another car, which meant the shock in an accident was passed to the first pliable object- the passengers.
solid steering columns likewise directly bolted, and sometimes the steering wheel had a pointed center.
solid steel dashboards, with lots of reflective chrome and buttons that stuck way out. Remember the automatic transmission levers on those beautiful '55 Chrysler products?
oil changes every 1,000 miles, which was just about the life of cheap retread tires.
Great wide whitewall tires that we used to clean with Brillo pads . . . one pad to the tire!
Paint that changed colors all on its own, especially if it started as maroon.
Boy, I really miss the good old days.
09/03/2010 7:45 pm
LOL ! Certainly some advances, but some very unfortunate steps backwards, too. Like airbags that injure or kill and cannot be turned off or foolish "automatic" seat-belts and ignition interlocks, or equally silly CAFE and gas-guzzler taxes that restrict freedom of choice and, once again injure and kill people in the "required" smaller cars.
Imagine a car as big and and substantial as a '60 Lincoln or '59 Cadillac with the just the best and most sensible safety advances of the last 50 years, like well-designed multi-point safety belts, highly reliable tires, powerful and balanced braking systems, deep-dish collapsable steering wheels/padded dashes and variable condition suspension systems.
10/03/2010 1:24 am
David, I love seeing detailed models with little people. Great subject. Thanks.
10/03/2010 2:08 am
Ahh, great memories, David. You're exactly right. And weren't new-car warranties something like 90 days or 3000 miles?
And drum brakes which were pathetically incapable of stopping a car in a
reasonable distance.
Cory Farley has a great column on this very topic in the current issue of
Autoweek. It's titled "Better Than Ever."
Rick
10/03/2010 2:11 am
Very nice, David. Those touches really help. I did the same thing to mine, and also painted the sun visors. Those chrome ones just don't get it
done, and now that mine match the interior, they look much better.
Just proves that a few minor details make all the difference.
Rick
10/03/2010 2:19 am
Thanks, Rick. I'll touch up the visors next time I'm in the shop.
10/03/2010 3:43 am
Ninety days/3000 miles was it until Chrysler's 5 year/50,000 miles.
Then everyone followed the garbage truck down the street.
10/03/2010 4:21 am
Very nice, David. Here's a pic of my Lincoln painted and detailed by John White...
10/03/2010 4:55 am
Looks great, Dillon. Thanks.
10/03/2010 3:07 pm
Very Nice, David!!