1964 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible.

[Roadrunner]

Outstanding!

[StevenGuthmiller]

So close now that I can taste it!!!

 

Added the interior door lock buttons, exterior mirror and antenna a couple of days ago.

Yesterday I polished the hood, and last night I painted the up-top and the hood insulation.

 

This morning I added the rear window to the up-top and covered the hood insulation patch with embossing powder.

 

I'm not certain, but I believe that all that I have left to do is dirty up the underside of the hood, and this one will be ready for the shelf! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Bucky]

Remarkable build! Loads of detail. Absolutely perfect execution. Great choice of colors.

I'm a Mopar guy, but this is making me want a Pontiac! LoL 

[Scott8950]

Wow that's absolutely beautiful. 

 

Steve you are a talented model builder with some serious skills.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Incredible! One of the nicest builds I've seen. Your attention to detail and dogged persistence for perfection leaves me speechless. A show stopping contest winner! 

[Andy Oldenburg]

Steve, you are an artist and are building models in your own league. May I say, a Michelangelo of car model building (or da Vinci...?).

This thread was a revelation to me and gave me many moments of science. It showed me what is possible and where my journey as a model builder can go. You definitely have more experience than me (building for about 3 years), but I can see my progress and maybe one day...?😉

What impresses me most is your stoic ability to work on a detail, until you are completely satisfied, whatever it takes. When I started, one aim was to get finished as fast as possible! Next kit, a model a month. Eventually I found more sense in taking it easy and directing my attention to workmanship. Your work is the gold standard to me and I caught myself thinking "how would Steve solve this challenge?"😂.

Beautiful Bonneville! Thanks for sharing this WIP! Looking forward to your next build!

[Anglia105E]

Well Steve . . . Everything about this build is truly outstanding. When I look at the soft top raised, the  insulation under the hood, the chrome work, the engine, the interior, the paint finish on the body and the fine details around the light lenses . . . and then I have to look again, because I am sure that I missed something. I am a particular fan of Pontiacs anyway, and this one of yours is absolutely top notch in every respect.

This is the benchmark at which all serious model car builders should be aiming . . . . Thank you for posting this detailed topic Sir.

David

[Curt]

Another masterpiece, Steve!  As I’ve said before, you raise the bar with every build. 👍

[Rattlecan Dan]

Had to come back for another look. Same conclusion. Gorgeous! Simply Gorgeous.

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 9/17/2023 at 1:44 PM, Bucky said:

Remarkable build! Loads of detail. Absolutely perfect execution. Great choice of colors.

I'm a Mopar guy, but this is making me want a Pontiac! LoL 

 

On 9/17/2023 at 7:13 PM, Scott8950 said:

Wow that's absolutely beautiful. 

 

Steve you are a talented model builder with some serious skills.

 

On 9/18/2023 at 7:27 PM, Rattlecan Dan said:

Incredible! One of the nicest builds I've seen. Your attention to detail and dogged persistence for perfection leaves me speechless. A show stopping contest winner! 

 

On 9/19/2023 at 1:52 AM, Andy Oldenburg said:

Steve, you are an artist and are building models in your own league. May I say, a Michelangelo of car model building (or da Vinci...?).

This thread was a revelation to me and gave me many moments of science. It showed me what is possible and where my journey as a model builder can go. You definitely have more experience than me (building for about 3 years), but I can see my progress and maybe one day...?😉

What impresses me most is your stoic ability to work on a detail, until you are completely satisfied, whatever it takes. When I started, one aim was to get finished as fast as possible! Next kit, a model a month. Eventually I found more sense in taking it easy and directing my attention to workmanship. Your work is the gold standard to me and I caught myself thinking "how would Steve solve this challenge?"😂.

Beautiful Bonneville! Thanks for sharing this WIP! Looking forward to your next build!

 

On 9/19/2023 at 2:26 AM, Anglia105E said:

Well Steve . . . Everything about this build is truly outstanding. When I look at the soft top raised, the  insulation under the hood, the chrome work, the engine, the interior, the paint finish on the body and the fine details around the light lenses . . . and then I have to look again, because I am sure that I missed something. I am a particular fan of Pontiacs anyway, and this one of yours is absolutely top notch in every respect.

This is the benchmark at which all serious model car builders should be aiming . . . . Thank you for posting this detailed topic Sir.

David

 

14 hours ago, Curt said:

Another masterpiece, Steve!  As I’ve said before, you raise the bar with every build. 👍

 

14 hours ago, Rattlecan Dan said:

Had to come back for another look. Same conclusion. Gorgeous! Simply Gorgeous.

 

 

Thanks a bunch guys!

 

The Bonneville is finally finished!

 

Look for it soon in the "Under Glass" section.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[customline]

On 9/13/2023 at 3:04 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

Thanks fellas!

 

Found a few minutes to get into the shop again today.

Threw together an antenna, and slapped an inspection sticker on the windshield.

 

May try to get the door handles and locks installed today, and begin polishing the hood if time allows.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

Steve! I need 2 antennas for the back of my Impala!  And I want them to look just like yours! What do I need to do to throw a couple of them together? Is it tubing and wire? (Or is it a secret? 🥴)

Edited September 22, 2023 by customline

[Straightliner59]

Beautifully done! Everything you do always looks just right.

[Supernurd]

It's not ready for the shelf.  It's ready for the highway!

[gusandbarley]

Steve:

Incredible job! Got two questions for you.  My apologies if I missed something.

1. Where did you get the distributor from?

2. Can you explain how you got the foil/lettering highlighted on "Bonneville" and the Pontiac badge on the front fender?

Thanks. You've given me the inspiration to pull a '66 AMT Stingray out of the box and get to work on it.

[StevenGuthmiller]

20 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Beautifully done! Everything you do always looks just right.

 

11 hours ago, Supernurd said:

It's not ready for the shelf.  It's ready for the highway!

 

 

Thank you gentleman!

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 9/21/2023 at 8:05 PM, customline said:

Steve! I need 2 antennas for the back of my Impala!  And I want them to look just like yours! What do I need to do to throw a couple of them together? Is it tubing and wire? (Or is it a secret? 🥴)

Hi Jim.

The antennas are by no means a secret.

I can give you brief summary of the construction, but what I unfortunately cannot give you are the exact sizes of the materials used.

 

The base is just made of plastic, and I didn't really record or pay attention to what sizes of rod that was used.

It's my usual practice just to grab and eye ball the plastic stock until I find a size that seems about right.

As for the tubing and wire used for the mast, I bought it a long time ago and don't recall the sizes.

They came in 3 foot lengths, enough to last me the rest of my modeling career, so I don't believe that I saved any information on them.

 

That said, here's a general description of how they were made.

 

I started with the base by choosing a piece of rod that looked about right for the body of the base, and then sanded it to somewhat of a rounded taper.

Once that looked about the right shape, I drilled a hole the same size as the mast tubing into the center of the cone shaped rod.

Then I laid the rod on a flat surface on a piece of double sided tape to ensure it didn't end up on the other side of the room, and cut a short piece of the tapered end of the rod at an angle with a #11 blade.

Then I selected a slightly larger piece of rod than the first, and cut as thin of a slice of it as I feasibly could, and then glued that slice to the bottom of the angle cut tapered rod.

Using the drill bit itself as my holding tool, I inserted it back into the hole on the rod, and then sanded the bottom of the larger piece of rod as thin, flat and even as possible.

Once it looked correct, I finished drilling the hole through the bottom of the base.

Finally, the finished base was painted with Alclad chrome using the required method.

 

This is of course the most difficult, or I should say, the most involved portion of the antenna, as it requires the most work.

The rest is easy if you have the correct materials.

 

The base of the mast is nothing more than a very small, thin walled, stainless steel hypodermic tubing.

Yes, the same stuff that the make hypodermic needles with.

You can buy it in lengths online, (I bought mine on eBay) but as I've already confessed, I don't remember the size.

Likewise, the upper portion of the mast is just thin, stiff, steel wire, the correct size to fit fairly snugly into the center of the tubing.

 

Once you have these materials in hand, it's just a matter of cutting lengths of the tubing and wire that you desire for the size of the antenna that you want. (I use a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool to cut the pieces and then grind the ends flat)

A couple of turns with the tip of a sharp #11 blade in the end of the tubing to remove any burrs will ensure that the wire slips inside smoothly.

 

For the ball on the tip of the mast, I just dip it in a little 2-part epoxy and then let it cure fully.

Nothing else is really required, but if you desire, you could dip the epoxy ball in a little Molotow at the end.

 

So, that's how I do antennas for basically all of my builds with varying methods for making the bases, depending on shape and size desired.

I wish I could be more help with the sizes, but unfortunately.........

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited September 23, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[Wolf]

Simply magnificent work Steve!

Absolutely love it.

Cheers,   
Wolf

[RocketFoot]

@StevenGuthmiller

What did you use for the plug wires, boots and separators?  I'd like to do something similar on my 71 Mach 1 builds!

[customline]

   Thanks, Steve, I really appreciate you taking time to explain. You are the go-to guy for details like this. It's amazing how much effort you put into your projects. There should be a Nobel prize for model building and you would be at the top of that list. 😉 

I should have asked you "what did you use for the bottom tube?" It would have saved you a lot of time and I apologize for trying to be funny but your explanation will benefit every one of us.

Edited September 23, 2023 by customline

[customline]

For anyone besides me that was interested in the antenna thing, I found it on ebay and bought it for less than 8 bucks per 12" length. It's sold by Houston Pharma Supply. Free shipping! The 316 stainless is 0.028" OD, 0.0215 ID. An .020 wire should snuggle down inside it nicely. Thanks again, Steve, for putting on the right path. Hypodermic tubing! Who knew? (Can you tell how excited I am?)

Edited September 23, 2023 by customline
Added text

[bobthehobbyguy]

A stunning model. It was fun following the journey.

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, customline said:

For anyone besides me that was interested in the antenna thing, I found it on ebay and bought it for less than 8 bucks per 12" length. It's sold by Houston Pharma Supply. Free shipping! The 316 stainless is 0.028" OD, 0.0215 ID. An .020 wire should snuggle down inside it nicely. Thanks again, Steve, for putting on the right path. Hypodermic tubing! Who knew? (Can you tell how excited I am?)

Wonderful Jim!

I'm glad that you were able to find what you needed.

 

Finding a combination of tubing and wire that not only fit together properly, but the right size to look somewhat close to scale is the difficult part.

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, RocketFoot said:

@StevenGuthmiller

What did you use for the plug wires, boots and separators?  I'd like to do something similar on my 71 Mach 1 builds!

Hi Barry.

I've been using M.A.D. pre-wired distributors for some time and really love them.

Each pre-wired "kit" comes with a wired cap, a white resin base, and a length of wire the correct size to be stripped and the jacket used for boot material.

Everything is included to do a nice wiring job.

 

The looms or "separators" as you called them are just the thinnest plastic sheet that I had, with four holes drilled in a line as close together as possible, and then the outer perimeter cut and sanded to the shape desired.

Then of course they are painted and simply threaded onto the appropriate wires.

 

Hope this is a satisfactory explanation.

 

Of course there are multiple techniques for creating wire looms all over the modeling realm to investigate.

This is just how I've done them relatively quickly with things that I have on hand.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[RocketFoot]

Thank you for the info!  Just like any real engine, part of the beauty is in the wiring!  The same is true with scale models!  Great work!!

[BDSchindler]

Steven...Thanks for taking us along on your journey with this build.  I have learned so much and employing some of the little details in a current build of a 78 Corvette Pace Car.

I opened the Defroster Vents and shaved off the hunks of plastic Revell called radio knobs to replace with scratch built knobs...

I have yet a few more details planned that I picked up from you in this build.

Thanks again!