Hot Wheels cars are close enough to 1:64 for me to be willing to use them, but of course they're more hotrod than I like. Here are a couple of cars I un-rodded.






I'm still working on the second one. It needs a few paint touchups, and once I'm happy with the paint I'll close it up (which is why there's the big gap between the grill and the hood). The first one was a simple repaint and wheel swap; the second one originally had an oversized engine popping out through the hood, so I had to do some surgery to make it look like an ordinary 1940s station wagon. I'll probably swap the wheels on it too, if I can find something with a tame set to put on it. I did replace the original oversize rear wheels for some the same size as the front, to return it to a more stock-like look.

Dave, Nice work. As for wheels , you might try what I do for my 1/64 th junkyard cars. I make my own wheels & tires for them .
Take a look.
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The metal gadget is a 10/24 thin metal anchor nut , it makes a perfect rim if you add a center as in the next picture, with a bit of thinning the Barrel of the electrical terminal work well also.
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O rings make perfect tires , use a dremel & cut off disk to flatten them & a fine mesh screen heated with a torch to roll them across to put tread on them. Hold the O ring on a piece of brass tubing to grind it flat & to roll the tread in. The centers are cut from a disposable aluminum baking tin using a sharpened brass tube as a punch.

For wide tires get a bigger cross section O ring & cut & CA glue it to a smaller size, because the bigger wider O rings are too big as is.

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Dave, you are a goldmine of useful scratchbuilding ideas!

Electrical crimp connectors! I never saw that coming!
I guess it's never too late to retrain the eye, and the brain, to see valuable ideas in the mundane realities.
Melting tread details into O rings with heated screen. I will have to try that technique....that's a hot idea!

[quote="Sumpter250"]Electrical crimp connectors! I never saw that coming!
I guess it's never too late to retrain the eye, and the brain, to see valuable ideas in the mundane realities.
Melting tread details into O rings with heated screen. I will have to try that technique....that's a hot idea! [/quote


The key to doing that is to get a flat surface on the O ring first. The screen I use is from a "Splatter Guard" thing made for kitchen use. I hold a butane torch under it & move it along as I roll the "tire" across it. You can get two different tread designs --one by moving it "square" with the mesh & a better one ( I think) by going on a diagonal pass. I found my screen at a Dollar Store--- it's about 12 inch in diameter & a very fine mesh. Get a steel one, the aluminum ones melt to easy.

A few completed O ring tires.


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Those are nice. Always liked to see your work.
But......
See how John Schneider modifiies his diecast.
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Your tires look great.