good idea on how to make the base for the wind screen. I was looking at fabrication material options online but there was too much to sift through. I'll have to hit some hardware stores and hobby shops to see what I can find. The last time I cheated and scavenged one from another model :-)

Since I made the first post in this thread I found a used Solido (the silver one with the flat black windshield frame and wipers). I decided to bite the bullet and do another repaint after all and make it into the Essex Wire car. If it turns out well I won't need the Ertl Essex Wire model. If it fails I'll start working on the Ertl. My biggest complaint about the Ertl is how high the rear end sits. It looks like a drag car rather than a road racer.

I noticed that the front end of the chassis on the silver Solido 427 is different than the other Solido 427s I had. The section that's attached to the front wheels screws into the frame from above instead of underneath. It's going to involve cutting more plastic off the panel attached to the wheels to lower the front end like I did to the older models. Maybe Solido made it more difficult because they got tired of seeing people lower their front ends :-)