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Amt 57 Chrysler 300C


GeeBee

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For sometime niw I've been putting off building the small amount of American cars I have in my stash, solely because I've been unable to get the original colours matched up at my local paint store, but now I can get matched paints sent over from MCW, http://mcwfinishes.com/ I can now build all the models I have been waiting to build.

So the first one I'm building is the Amt 57 Chrysler 300C, this one is going to be done in Copper bronze metallic, mainly because I haven't got anything in that colour in my display cabinet, so should stand out when it's finished.

I've deviated slightly from the instructions, as they tell you to install in the exhaust before putting in the rear axle and spring and also before the front torsion bars go in, but after dry fitting the parts, it's possible to fit the exhaust afterwards,

For some reason, unknown to me, when I bought the kit, many years ago, it came with the rear bumper stripped of it's chrome and a light coat of grey primer, it will be done using the K Colors chrome paint I bought last year

A few, very light mold lines were removed from the body and panel lines were deepened slightly, as I didn't want the disappearing under a few coats of paint and clearcoat

It's almost a shame to install the rocker cover and hide the detail inside

Interior dry fitted, everything lines up nicely

Front Suspension

A few minutes with a fine file and some flatting paper removes all the mold lines and just makes the exhaust look a little more realistic

Rear axle and springs installed, checking first that the exhaust can be fitted afterwards

Bonnet (Sorry, Hood) had some bmf put over the lettering, after painting these will be wet sanded and polished to make the lettering show through the paint

 

 

 

 

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Parts ready for primer

Chassis finished and waiting for primer

More parts ready for primer

The 300 lettering on the inner door panels were covered in aluminium bmf, it will be sanded flush after paint to let the numbers show through

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Pretty car, and very organized job. 

On the chrome lettering, I always foil them after the primer. This way, you won't have primer sandwiched between the foil and the paint, and showing on the edges. 

I also cut the foil letter by letter, so There is no chance of the extra foil to show under the paint. 

That is a problem particularly when using Tamiya paints as they are very thin and all imperfections will show trough.  

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I agree with the others, this looks like a very well organized build unlike what my desk looks like. You mentioned the exhaust installation. The problem that they are talking about I think has to do with the interior floor boards. If the exhaust is on top of the differential when you install the floor boards to the frame it will work. I think what they were suggesting was that in their build sequence the floor boards would be mounted on the frame before the rear springs are mounted. Then it would be almost impossible to install the exhaust. 

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I agree with the others, this looks like a very well organized build unlike what my desk looks like. You mentioned the exhaust installation. The problem that they are talking about I think has to do with the interior floor boards. If the exhaust is on top of the differential when you install the floor boards to the frame it will work. I think what they were suggesting was that in their build sequence the floor boards would be mounted on the frame before the rear springs are mounted. Then it would be almost impossible to install the exhaust. 

Agree, I'm building up the chassis first, the floorboards will be added after everythibng on the chassis has been installed

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Nice work so far ! 

Don't forget to paint the gearbox in Cast Iron,  as TorqueFlites ( A-488 ) were iron until 1962 *

 

 

* = excepting the A-904-G , which was aluminimum from the beginning .

Thanks for the information, Is it just the gearbox or the gearbox and bellhousing that are cast iron ?

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Pretty car, and very organized job. 

On the chrome lettering, I always foil them after the primer. This way, you won't have primer sandwiched between the foil and the paint, and showing on the edges. 

I also cut the foil letter by letter, so There is no chance of the extra foil to show under the paint. 

That is a problem particularly when using Tamiya paints as they are very thin and all imperfections will show trough.  

Thank for the info' I've had trouble in the past with the primer showing around the edges, so I've took it off and will give it a try your way

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One of the shock absorber mounts was broken off the chassis, it might be in the box floating around, but instead of looking for it, I cut the small piece that was left on the chassis flush with the crossmember, drilled a hole and used a dressmakers pin, once it was through the crossmember, the excess was cut off, with one side done, the other one looked odd, so I did the same to that side, it will all be assembled once the shock absorbers have been primed and painted blue, 

 

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they do, I was talking to the owner, Michael Guest last week, and he is now able to ship his paints overseas.

Great info,thank you.

I figured if i`d been a bit less lazy and gone onto the link you provided i would found the shipping info.

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Thanks for the information, Is it just the gearbox or the gearbox and bellhousing that are cast iron ?

The entire transmission is cast iron , excepting its oil pan which is stamped steel . If I remember rightly , the parking brake drum is a semi-gloss black .

As a sidebar ; the TorqueFlite had 2 oil pumps through 1965 . That feature enabled the so-equipped vehicle to be push-started (!)

EDIT: Here's a photo of a c.1957 TorqueFlite ( attached to an 'A' -Family engine ) 

paintedeng5A.jpg

Edited by 1972coronet
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Thank for the info' I've had trouble in the past with the primer showing around the edges, so I've took it off and will give it a try your way

I take it even a step farther.

I don't apply the foil until right before the final color coat, & then I trim the foil as close to the scripts as possible.

Trimming close eliminates the chance of any edges showing through, & applying under only one coat of color means less paint to remove from the foil.

The less to remove, the better.

I also use the appropriate paint thinner instead of sanding.

You have to be very careful not to sand through the very thin foil, & sanding will take some of the shine off of the foil as well.

The Bonneville scripts on this AMT '59 were extremely faint, but this method worked very nicely.

Just a couple of ideas. ^_^

 

Steve

 

DSCN4040

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While waiting for the paint and the photo etch detail sheet to arrive, I've been busy airbrushing all of the other parts

Engine parts painted gold

Bumper painted gloss black basecoat ready for the chrome

Body in primer

Chassis built up and primered 

Dash top painted in satin black

Seats and interior side panels airbrushed

 

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