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Rusty Kustum 57 Chrysler


Karl LaFong

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While I was rummaging through my kit stash, I came across a pre-painted AMT ’57 Chrysler & odds & ends of a regular issue Chrysler. I’ve wanted to do a non-300 version (e.g. Saratoga), but scratch building the hood always stopped me. But if I used an induction system that didn’t require a hood… So I came up with the idea of a ratty kustom.

The engine was built mostly stock, with the addition of a Replicas & Miniatures distributer, Predicta valve covers, Outlaw manifold, and carbs from the new issue Tweedy Pie. It was painted Testor’s metallic silver enamel and given a black wash.

The rear tire/wheel is kit tire with an Aurora Parts Pack wheel mounted on an AMT ’57 T-bird hubcap. The Aurora piece was cut down to fit flush with the T-bird wheel.

I removed the side trim, removed the 300 grill surround, and modified a Monogram ’59 radiator support to make the new grill support. The horizontal fins are from the AMT 61 T-bird Stylene kit.

The body was painted with Plasticote black primer, followed with Tamiya red brown. I’ve wanted to use Sopristicaed Finsishes Rust system for some time, so I decided to try it on this kit. I applied two coats of Iron Metallic Surfacer. After it dried for 24 hours, I found it to be pretty rough – in the future I’ll use a finer brush. In hit it with vaious grits of sandpaper (320, 400, 800, & 1000 grit) to smooth out the finish. After the last series of pictures were taken, I applied rubber cement to the body with a sponge. The plan is to paint over the rubber cement, allow the top coat to dry, then remove the rubber cement, exposing the metallic surface underneath.

To be continued…

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Did some more work on the Chrysler. The top was painted Testor's Classic White, the body Testor's Tropical Turquoise; both are rattle cans colors. After letting them dry for a few hours, the rubber cement was removed with a combination of a rough sponge, my thumbnail, and various grits of sandpaper (320, 400, 800 2000), exposing the Sophisticated Finishes Metallic Iron and other paints. The body received a coating of Sophisticated Finishes Instant Rust; after 1.5 hours it received another coating. The body was placed in a plastic bag and allowed to dry overnight. This resulted in a nice rusty patina.

The front wheels were attached; they are from the AMT 62 Pontiac custom with spinners from the Aurora Wheels Parts Pack. Yeah, the bumpers are way too shiny; they will be toned down.

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The interior is finished. The trophy is from the AMT 49 Merc kit, the tools are from the Styline Falcon Ranchero, steering wheel is from the Beatnik Bandit (I think), and the crankshaft is from one of the AMT engine packs. Weathered with washes and Micoromark's Doc O'Brien's weathering powders. I hope to shoehorn this into the body tonight.

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