'63 Chrysler Turbine Car Update----Final Update!-6/23/07

[MrObsessive]

hey bill, one question:

why would you be called "mr obsessive"?

About 8 or 9 years ago, SA(E) ran a somewhat lengthy article on my '61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB.........the one below that has the engine pictured. In one of the pics that they ran, the caption said "Bill's obsessive attention to detail...........".

As a matter of fact I think it was captioned under the chassis pic of the car.

I started running into people at shows (including relatives who had seen the article) and they were referring to me as "Mr. Obsessive". As I began to get on the internet, I started using that as a handle. :mrgreen:

Glad you liked the tutorial on the windshield and backlite! It comes in handy if the glass is missing or badly damaged, or you have that terrible "runner type" glass where the front and rear glass is connected with a "runner".

I've always hated that type of glass, not to mention the distortion that certain kits have (The '57 Chrysler 300 rear glass is the worst! :x )

Stay tuned as I have a trick in mind to make a decent headliner...........I don't want to give too much away in case it doesn't work out. I also have the turbine engine just about done.

If I get time, by the end of the week I'll try to post pics.

[Mike]

Great tutorial on the windshield. My skills are not quite there yet, but it's something I'll have to definitely try. Thanks!

[Modelcarjedi]

Amazing! In progress shot are the most fun for me. I want to see it built but i'm more interested in how it was built, thanks for sharing your build with us

keith

[B_A_R]

Nice work on that windshield, Bill. I used the same technique on the windshield of the Revell 59 Caddy. But instead of a channel, I used CA and accelerator applied with a scalpel and carefully worked my way around the inner windshield frame. I polished out the acetate with Novus plastic polish prior to installation.

Stuart

[MrObsessive]

I polished out the acetate with Novus plastic polish prior to installation.

Stuart........... so the polish barriered the acetate from fogging by the super glue?

I've never tried that! That would be great for modern cars that have the glass mounted flush on the bodywork!

[MadKawDisease]

Bill you are just too much!! I'm sure I'm going to learn some things from you. I want to try out your hinges and latches right away.

[B_A_R]

Bill-

I double-checked and it was clear styrene I used, not acetate. Sorry for the confusion, I hope this doesn't compromise my tenuous newbie status!

[jbwelda]

bill i was kidding about the "mr obsessive" question...i think the answer is rather apparent!

do you know that if you coat your clear parts in future floor wax or even just run a small bead of it around the windshield, that super glue wont fog it? and i seem to remember that if you put some on "fog" that has already appeared on styrene or acetate clear, the fog goes away?

future: one of the miracles of the modern age.

[MrObsessive]

future: one of the miracles of the modern age.

Yeah, some folks sniff at Future, but I've been swearing by it for quite some time now. I forgot that it can barrier against super glue fogging!

When I get around to painting the Turbine Car.......(hopefully within the next month or so) I'll be using it again to safeguard against any difficulties with the hot paint.

True the plastic is older and probably a bit "tougher" than the stuff today, but I'm taking no chances! :shock:

[Harold]

Wow, Mr. Obsessive, that is one energetic build you have there. I have the kit, and I have the engine built up. By doing Google and Yahoo image searches, I came across tons of photos, including people's personal pics from museums where there are engines out of the car on stands. I also found (and downloaded) the entire Turbine Car owner's manual that was in the glove box of each one. Hope you get 'er finished soon....

[62rebel]

using that door edge technique would have saved many a revell 55-57 chevy kit from frustration destruction back when they were the best detailed version available... and re-hinging the doors themselves.

i feel motivated to dig up my 49 ford kit and finish it; the doors, hood, and trunk are hinged on it. thanks for sharing your progress, Bill, and i look forward to more.

[MrObsessive]

It never seems to fail that when I want to get into a somewhat long term project.............work gets busy again with overtime/changing shifts.

We were to work this weekend but they changed their minds with the snowstorm coming...........we ended up with 9 inches of snow so that gave me some time to get some building done!

Well finally! Here's the completed engine! I'm not going to add every single line and hose........I think this will make a good representation of the engine in the engine bay. I may build a second engine from the warped kit I have to display alongside the car at shows, which would have more detail.

I tried to represent throttle linkage and what looks to be fuel/air lines according to pics I had.

Besides some small detail painting and touch up I want to do...............this is finally done! Also please forgive the beat up and yellowed engine stand...........I've had it for years and it's held many an engine! :mrgreen:

I wanted to try something I've been wanting to do for some time now......................make a headliner from molded sheet. I've had this Thermoform from Squadron for several years now.

Up to this point I've just played around with it to see how it melts over a candle.

I did just as the instructions said and pulled the heated sheet over the roof of the model. I did it this way because the roof has a slight curve........and this beats trying to fight flat styrene to conform to the shape I want.

I tried to pull the sheet over the entire roof section, including the C pillars.............but that requires vacuforming as I found out. :shock:

This technique would be great for '50's cars with their steeply rounded roofs, and beats cutting up flat sheet plastic and bending it 'til it fits right!

This fits in pretty well............I can add the C pillar panels with flat sheet. This will also help in making a "frame" for the back window later.

I need to make "ribbing" in the headliner and then smooth out the transition in the C pillars with putty. It'll probably be easier to paint the headliner before I paint the rest of the car, then mask it off from overspray.

Now I want to move back to the chassis buildup, and my of my weren't these exhausts ducts warped!! :shock: I got out the Ambroid Pro-Weld and clamped the exhausts ducts together with clothespins as you see here.

I'll let this sit overnight........hopefully when I sand out the parting lines, it won't break apart. Some of the gaps that are still present I can fill in with strip plastic and reglue.

I'm moving back to first shift for at least the next couple weeks...............hopefully in the evenings I can get some more done!

I'm also being sidelined by a resin buildup that I'll only call "Brand X". I have to say that this is by far the worst resin casting I have ever seen and I'm real close to forgetting the whole thing and sending it back! :x Someone wants me to build it for them and for payment they gave me a duplicate of this kit....................I don't know who cast it (it's not Modelhaus or R&R) but it's absolutely terrible!

Anyway, thanks for lookin'!

[slantasaurus]

I've been following along and I'm continually blown away by your work. The engine looks great !!! I hope those pics I took helped out, it certainly looks like the one I saw in person. I'll be waiting for the next update.

[Steve H.]

Nice looking Turbine... and you say thats not your usual level of detail! :shock: I'd be very happy with that result!

Bad resin can be your worst nightmare... The Dodge in my signature avatar was the Modelhaus casting, after I fought the brand X casting thru 90% of the build, then threw in the towel! :?

[jbwelda]

i like that engine stand!

strangely enough, one of the things i like most is to see what people build to hold things either in place or until they are ready to be installed and that engine stand is right up my alley.

[sno_man80]

i like that engine stand!

strangely enough, one of the things i like most is to see what people build to hold things either in place or until they are ready to be installed and that engine stand is right up my alley.

For egine stands, although Bill's is awesome, I went to Home Depot and got an Iwrin mini clamp and it works great for holding the engine tightly together as the glue dries and it works perfect for stands for drying paint and for displaying. It was a whopping $3.50! Works great for other model uses as well. Oh and Bill, the motor is beyond detail!! Looks great!

[bsoder]

That turbine engine looks great Bill..and this vehicle is such an interesting story,can you even imagine the OEMs handing out prototypes to John Q Public for testing and evaluations in this day and age :shock: and I do believe I read that some a those folks didn't want to give em' back ...B

[Modellpularn]

Yeah, the engine looks very realistic, with the black center section and the silver side pieces. Your build up made me drag my kit out of the shelf. My body has had those dash hooks cut off, are they really necessary? If so, I guess I'll have to make some new ones. Eventually.... :roll:

[MrObsessive]

My body has had those dash hooks cut off, are they really necessary?

They're nice because it gives you a positive location to place the dash. Johan probably did it this way because the model has opening doors, and there's no side panels to hold up the dash.

In other detailed builds I have done, I had to take some square rod and run it underneath the cowl somewhat as a support for the dash.

---------Stay tuned for a couple days from now when I'll do a mini tutorial on latching doors with watch pins. I'm still building it up right now and I have the driver's side almost done.

I'll try to have a post put up by Thursday so those who are going to the NNL East Saturday will get a sneak preview before seeing it in person :wink:

[62rebel]

Bill; you are amazing. in plastic sculpture you rival the Wingroves' work in metal. i've read your watch pin article in SAE and learned not only your technique but to look at everything from a modeling point of view as regards it's use and potential. of course, working on the 1:1 as well as the scale versions also gives great insight into what can serve a purpose it may not have been intended for!

[MrObsessive]

I figured I have some time to post before I head off to bed............got to get up at 3:00 in the morning to head to "Joisey".

Marcos Cruz is coming up from Maryland around 5 AM and then it's off to the biggest show on the east coast!

I decided to try my latching door technique on this one after 7 years or so from the last time I tried this..............I'm a little worried that the door "catch" on the model won't last all the opening and closing it will see. It'll soon wear out and the doors won't stay shut properly.

These are two standard size watch pins........you can get these at your jewelers, or I went to Wally World and told the lady what I needed 'em for and she gave them to me.

Here's a pic of the passenger's side door with the molded in catch. It's just a little stem sticking out.

And here's what the stem "locks" into. I remember this feature also being a problem area with the one I built years ago...................It just would NOT stay closed!

I took a #61 drill bit and drilled a hole into the door jamb as to where I want the watch pin to come out of.

Since the drill bit was the largest I have at the moment, I made the hole a bit larger with a diamond file. You don't want to overdo this as you'll see too much of the inside of the body when the door is open!

Okay, now I want to make a mark on the door where the point of the watch pin will go..................You want to shut the door completely, and with a pencil or some other sharp object, go through the hole you made in the body door jamb and make a mark on the door jamb itself.

Now we want to make a support for the watch pin. Using some square rod........(I have no idea the dimension), make your support so that the pin will go through the hole without binding. You want to make the holes in your support just tight enough that the pin has quite enough friction to hold it's own without too much back and forth movement.

And here's a pic illustrating how the pin should look when its in place..........

I'll still be able to move the pin out for painting the body. The above pic shows the general location of the pin..................it's a little too far forward, but it'll be adjusted to catch the door in final assembly.

When you drill your hole in the door jamb you don't want to drill all the way through! What you'll get is a locked door when you shut it that a stick of dynamite might not open!

Drill it far enough that you can see the pin go in and you'll hear a little "click". Note how I made a slight "trough" for the pin to be guided towards the hole as the door is shutting.

There'll be no working door handles to unlatch the door.........a gentle tug on the upper part of the door will be all that's needed to open it up. :wink: I'll also scratchbuild striker plates to dress up the inside of the doors a bit.

When you get to the point of aligning the doors and getting the pin to catch, that's where trial and error and your patience will come in! :shock: At one point the rear of the door closes too high, and the next time a little too low where the trim doesn't line up.

You may have to fill and redrill the holes a coupla 3 times until you get it to where you want it to be. I have the position I want it in for the time being.............I wish you could hear the little "click" and "clack" it makes when the door opens and shuts! If you're going to NNL East tomorrow, I'm taking what's done so far to the show.

Next week I'll focus on latching the other side and doing some suspension and interior work.

As I look at the instructions, I think I better build it in the sequence it recommends..............I need to trust my instincts here.............. :wink:

Thanks for lookin'!

[cruz]

WOW! What a seminar man, I will be there at 5AM sharp to pick you up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrObsessive]

Well progress is chuggin' right along on this one! ...........hopefully if I can keep up the pace, I can get this done in time for the Mid Atlantic NNL in May.

I was able to get the front suspension done and see how the engine will sit in the engine cradle.

In the 1:1, Chrysler touts this as a "service module" where the Turbine Car if it needed service in this area, the engine and front suspension could be pulled out of the car as one unit.

The model features poseable wheels...........I can tell you that the tie rod was a real beeyotch to snap on the king pins without the tie rod snapping itself! :shock:

I figured I might as well get the other door latched before I started to paint! I got the door latch working like the drivers side.................and should pose no trouble once the door hinge pins are permanently epoxied in.

I've been puttin' it off for too long......but I dove in and got 'er base coats put on. The primer is Tamiya primer..........in a faux pas on my part it wasn't until I got the first few coats on that I realized I forgot to Future coat the body.

The plastic didn't craze, so that's no issue here.

After about an hour, the primer coats were dry and I went ahead and put on the color coats. The paint is '66 Chrysler Turbine Bronze, and seems to match pics well......although without seeing the car in person, it's hard to tell exactly what shade of bronze the car is to be.

Here's most of the body color pieces all painted now. I'll wait a few days and paint the top Krylon Semi Flat Black. Then wait a couple more days and clearcoat the body, after I rub out a few dusties.

Next I'll work on the interior while the clear is drying and also build up the rear suspension which is just a few pieces. I remember some trouble spots with the interior from the last time I built this, namely the seats that were too floppy, and pulled off the hinges too easily.

The interior color's the same as the outside, I'll just add some dullcoat to the airbrush jar to knock some of the gloss off.

Thanks for stayin' tuned! :wink:

[Jairus]

Nice thread Bill. First class work!!!

[MonoPed]

looks great!!

What paints did you use on the engine and suspension?