117 replies to this topic

[sjordan2]

As you guessed, the fender liners narrow a bit from the firewall to the horizontal bar at the front of the frame (the taper basically follows the lines of the hood opening); the liners have a notch at the bottom front, which fits onto the bar on either side of the radiator and is glued down.

 

It looks like the fender liners really need to be assembled according to  the instructions for structural stability.

 

I'll try to get some pictures later.

[sjordan2]

Just a little preview of what's coming up with the kit interior (I'll also get shots of that from my built-up reference model), the kit's steering wheel projects out too far from the dash at a straight angle, and the seat backs and bottoms are about half as thick as they need to be, which looks very odd.

Door jambs on the body and on the doors need to be chrome. Speaking of doors, the hinge arms will snap off easily, simply by looking at them.

 

 

PS: it's not just the door hinges that can snap, this is an old kit with VERY brittle pieces and cannot stand an ounce of pressure anywhere, trying to line things up. You can also easily snap off the wheels. NOTHING can be forced.

Edited by sjordan2, 27 February 2013 - 12:05 PM.

[sjordan2]

Here are some shots from the built-up kit I got on eBay (click to enlarge). These show the fender liner issue I described, which MAY NOT really be an issue -- just this particular kit and the way it was built. You'll see that the liner on the passenger side is just fine, but there's a big gap on the driver side. In picture 2, you can see how the liner mounts to the front of the frame. In any case, the fender liners and insides of the body should be matte black, so nothing will be too obvious.

 

Also study the interior, which requires adding a seat base and a bit of repositioning of the steering wheel. (Like many kits of the era, there is no steering that goes into the engine bay). I think the seats need to slide back more.

 

Let me know if you need other detail shots.

 

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PS: I don't know the exact dimensions, but I thought this MCG PE set for the 57 Chevy would be suitable for the grille mesh. Don't know if it's big enough, but it looks close.

 

 mcg2087-57 chevygrille copy.jpg   100.38K   31 downloads

 

http://www.ebay.com/...T-/281055877495

 

Just got this info from the seller of the PE parts: The OD of the entire piece is 3" and the OD of just the grille piece is 2.5" The original kit grille piece is 1.5" wide, so a little sizing of the art should tell you if it's suitable for the Maserati. The main difference is that the horizontal bars of the Maserati are more prominent, and the vertical bars of the Chevy are more prominent. But the spacing looks good.

Edited by sjordan2, 28 February 2013 - 11:04 AM.

[Matt Bacon]

Thanks for that, Skip! As you say, the liners will be black, and there are those details at the top to hide the joins... The seats are seriously anemic, and they'll certainly need those BIG metal side braces/hinges as well as bulking up the bolsters and backs. I'm still looking at wheels. I also have somewhere a spare set of the steel racing wheels from an E-type Jag, which are being replaced by the wires from a Tamiya Mk 2 Jag (the best plastic "wires" I've ever seen). If I can find them, they might work, with some hubcaps, to look like the ones in your gunmetal grey example...

 

I decided to take a bit of a break from bodywork, and progress elsewhere for a bit.

 

 

Here are lots of parts that used to be chromed. Five minutes in some carefully handled caustic soda solution, and they're clean. You can see the varnish is still there, but glue does work... There are some sink marks in the bumpers which prompted stripping them, and obviously the chromed engine parts are just daft.

 

 

I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the level of detail supplied for the engine -- separate alternator, starter motor and distributor, belts etc. As you can see from the engine pic at the bottom left, this is clearly a car with the fuel injection engine rather than carbs.

 

The decals are in a parlous state. I can see several cracks across the number plates. I've painted the logos and instruments with liquid decal film to try and save them, but I've also made a scan just in case I need to make my own. Anyone know of an aftermarket silver-ink decal sheet of Maserati logos...? ;-P I've ordered some rectangular mesh from Detail Master -- we'll see how that looks. With some measuring and counting, it needs to be 1mm spacing vertically and 2mm horizontally (or a bit bigger than 1/32" x 1/16")

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 28 February 2013 - 12:08 PM.

[Paul H]

Door jambs on the body and on the doors need to be chrome.

 

Based on that pic, more likely to be polished aluminium - that's what is used on the Superleggera bodied Astons.

 

 

 

The seats are seriously anemic, and they'll certainly need those BIG metal side braces/hinges as well as bulking up the bolsters and backs.

 

They look like the Keiper / early Recaro recliners as fitted to quite a few European cars in the '60s such as Ferraris, and even Volvos, so depending on what level of detail you want to add, they could be made functional....

[sjordan2]

 

Based on that pic, more likely to be polished aluminium - that's what is used on the Superleggera bodied Astons.

 

 

 

They look like the Keiper / early Recaro recliners as fitted to quite a few European cars in the '60s such as Ferraris, and even Volvos, so depending on what level of detail you want to add, they could be made functional....

 - Polished aluminum in the real world, chrome in the model world.

- I have pictures of all the Jaeger gauges, but the kit is so small, I don't know how you'd use them. Let me know what you need. I have the Aurora and Monogram kits but no decals.

 

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This is the most typical seat hinge design, which can be either on the outsides only or both inside and outside of both seats. Just flop the design.

 

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Edited by sjordan2, 28 February 2013 - 02:31 PM.

[Matt Bacon]

Decisions, decisions...

 

Skip's favorite 3500GT above has rectangular auxiliary lights below the headlights, just like the kit. Most of the pictures I have looked at so far (see above for examples) show a different layout with a larger circular lamp and a separate smaller indicator. Just building the kit would obviously be rather easier... Skip, do you know if both were reasonably common? Any ideas on when/why it changed -- is it a model year thing or a European spec versus US spec thing, maybe? Or just a mystery, like the chrome micro-fins on the rear wings...?

 

bestest,

M.

[Paul H]

They're hand built cars, and this sort of thing isn't unusual.  I wouldn't get too bogged down with that sort of difference, unless there is a specific car that you are trying to replicate.

 

 

 - Polished aluminum in the real world, chrome in the model world.

What I forgot (& meant) to say is imho that pic looks over polished compared to the likely factory finish.  Sadly many classic cars end up being heavily over restored, so it is difficult to know what is actually the correct factory finish, as truly accurate reference data can be hard to find.  If I ever complete my kit of this car, I'll be using the BMF ally finish foil to create a softer, shine there, which will then contrast with the chrome elsewhere.  Perhaps not strictly accurate, but it will look more correct to my eye than if it were gleaming chrome.

 

Also, if those Keiper Recaro mechanisms are the same type as all the ones I have seen, they would have identical (aside from the operating lever) brackets on each sides of the seat.

[sjordan2]

The round driving lights were on the 3500GT with the Weber carbs. Rectangular turn lights were mostly on the GTi with Lucas injection. By the way, so many owners despised the Lucas injection enough that they retrofitted their cars with the carburetors (shown at the bottom right of your pictures with a Ferrari-style air filter).

[Paul H]

The round driving lights were on the 3500GT with the Weber carbs. Rectangular turn lights were mostly on the GTi with Lucas injection.

 

Didn't know that this was the reason - cheers for the info

Edited by Paul H, 01 March 2013 - 07:04 AM.

[sjordan2]

Don't know how helpful this stuff will be at this stage. I can probably come up with pictures of any details/parts you need to know about. Llterally any.

 

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[Matt Bacon]

...actually, Skip... the steering wheel. Is the kit part a really bulky attempt at a Nardi, or did some of them really have that much more 3D triangular hub and spoke set up...? And do any of your pics show the firewall equipment without the engine in the way?

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 01 March 2013 - 07:27 AM.

[sjordan2]

I'll have to search for any firewall shots.

 

The kit steering wheel is pitiful, isn't it? I'd go for a PE Nardi. Bear in mind that the wheel spokes bend forward from the hub.

 

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Edited by sjordan2, 01 March 2013 - 07:51 AM.

[sjordan2]

Random additions...

 

This is the best I could find of the firewall. Note the two red coils mounted at top left.

 

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This is a nice touch found on many but not all models -- a Ferrari-style kickplate at the bottom of the door.

 

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Typical headliner, this showing blue-tinted glass visors. A traditional European touch.

 

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I might add, as you can see from the kit, that another visible difference of the GTi from the original 3500GT is the addition of a vent window for the rear seat passengers.

 

One more annoying thought: If you're going to have open mesh on the grille, you might want to add the famous fluted Maserati air horns, mounted on the front of the left side of the radiator and pointing down.

 

Okay, time for less from me and more model building.

Edited by sjordan2, 01 March 2013 - 12:09 PM.

[Matt Bacon]

BTW... have you seen the JayLenosGarage 3500 GT "barn find" restoration blogs? I've watched the first one, but some glitch is taking me to a Daimler Sp250 Dart restoration for the other two...

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 01 March 2013 - 12:14 PM.

[Matt Bacon]

I've been thinking about the rear valance and the chassis/body build up. The main issue is the boot liner, at the back of the cabin moulding. Looking at it, though, and trying a quick test fit, I think it should be possible to slot the cabin interior in place and THEN plug in the chassis frame below it. I think you can get the cabin up into the body and slide it back, and then sneak the rear frame onto its mounts under the rear skirt. With the opening doors and boot lid, you've got plenty of access for fiddling the two big assemblies to align them... you could even add the front seats from outside afterwards, if needed...

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 02 March 2013 - 05:25 AM.

[sjordan2]

Sounds tricky inside the trunk (boot). There's the gasoline filler neck to deal with, and a separate door panel at the right rear fender for the battery (battery not included  ) .

[sjordan2]

Is this close to the color you described? Looks great. Breathlessly awaiting further progress.

 

[Matt Bacon]

...and as if by magic...

 

Yep... that's the colour I'm aiming for. Sorry it's been a while since the last update -- I've been travelling away from the bench all week...

 

Anyway... I finished a few details, and have got to the stage when I can try a first coat of primer to see how it looks (and what needs fixing...)

 

 

There's obviously some filling, sanding and repriming to do here and there, but overall, I'm pretty happy. As you can see, I've fitted the rear valance. I figured out that you can get the interior in and then fit the chassis in at the front and finally join the two, which means that you don't need to put the whole thing in as a unit and fit the valance last. I think I can get a much better finish on the back end by doing it this way, with the valance seamlessly blended before painting. Not quite seamless yet, obviously, but getting there.

 

The other main details are proper "scoops" over the engine bay vents, the windscreen trim, and fixing some odd damage at the rear lights.

 

 

Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I added a thin strip of plastic card to the moulded ridge, and then built up and blended it using superglue + micro balloons, because I thought it would be structurally tougher than plastic putty, but still easy to sand and shape. It'll need a smear of regular putty to deal with a few imperfections, but you can see that there's now a decent, and thin, lip for the grille to hide behind.

 

 

Skip pointed out earlier that there's actually a gap between the windscreen and door chrome trim on the A-pillar, so I scribed and sanded one to give me something to work on with the BMF. I think that minimising the "weight" of the chrome on the kit will be key to achieving the elegant look of the real thing, especially on the door windows.

 

 

And finally, an odd one. On my kit, the outside lower edge of the rear light "oval" was misshaped on both sides -- almost as though it was "torn" outward. It's near the worst mould seam on the kit, between the light clusters and the boot opening, so I suspect it's something to do with the way the mould opens to eject the body... Anyway, once again out with the microballoons and superglue. Still not perfect, but much improved.

 

Next task is to hit those areas that these photos have highlighted as needing some more attention with the plastic putty, as well as a few more I haven't shown you (mostly front end seams...).

 

I'm hopeful that she'll be shiny and red by the end of the weekend...

 

bestest,

M.

Edited by Matt Bacon, 08 March 2013 - 11:50 AM.

[sjordan2]

Awesome stuff, especially the louver at the side air vents. Perfect. And yes, the openings for the taillights are really nasty and take a lot of work, both on the Aurora and Monogram issues, which are identical except for molded body color. One note...would you kill me if I said the revised roof line at the windshield comes forward too much ( a bit too square at the front corners)? Maybe somewhere between this and the kit? Not a big deal, though. The revised nose and other alterations already make this head and shoulders beyond any other build of this kit -- and believe me, I have looked far and wide to find an accurate build. The best box-stock build I've found is impressive, but lacks this authenticity.

Edited by sjordan2, 08 March 2013 - 12:23 PM.