customline

The way I heard it was hit it with clear first but I guess it can work that way too. I usually forget that step anyway....😔

I would like to second what you said about Tamiya spray paint, Ferbs. I started using it recently as well. I just bought ten cans (@$7.75 ea.) in various colors to take advantage of a coupon from Hobbytown to save $15.00. I love the stuff. I think the secret is the fine atomization. It goes down pretty smooth. In the cooler weather I heat up the can with a hair dryer to ensure that there's enough pressure to properly atomize it. I use a pistol-grip attachment to give me better control and an industrial style head lamp to help me see better. If I used to invert and clear nozzles after painting but I stopped doing that. It doesn't always work and it wastes too much paint. At $7.75 per, I'll gamble on the clog. Just my $0.02.

I make notes before and during my builds but I forget I took them or can't remember where I put them if I remember that I took them. I have, I dunno, six or seven builds in boxes that are in various stages of progress due to the squirrel factor and there are parts for those builds scattered about. I'm a real freaking mess. 🤣

You totally nailed the interior colors, Bill. Great masking job! It looks like they gave you some nice, accurate detail to paint. Gonna be cool!

Interiors are not my favorite thing but this is a kustom so I felt obligated to do some work. The dash is finished and it already needs a repaint. It's worn through from handling. Oh well. The detail on the door panels was nearly nonexistent so my only realistic option was tuck & roll (well......okay, just rolls 😔). I shaved the tub sides of all obstacles and sanded them down so I can cover them with new upholstery. I'm using .010 sheet for door cards stiffened horizontally with .080 half round across the top and added the sweep below it with .060, also used for the vertical rolls. I added a pad to mount the armrest and decided the handle could share the space too. (What about power windows?...buttons on the console, right?) Yeah. Save some work 😉. Here we have a tribute to the celebrated "George Barris" edition (blue arrow. Pretty cool, huh?) That George Barris approved, trend-setting, self-stick, faux engine-turned holographic body enhancement came in handy after all. Yellow arrow: "Greg Handle" blank. I'm still working on the handles but it's pretty hard to... uh....handle (no pun intended 😕) these tiny things. it should be explained that the inside handles are there in case the solenoid system fails while the car is occupied 🥴. The scheme will be white and purple and I need to come up with a console. The floor may get purple embossing powder but I need to experiment with it first. That's all for now, thanks for checking in! 🤓

Man, I'm diggin' this! Nice work on bumper and tail lights. Nice clean look.

I have no idea where this is headed 💩

Tihs is tlolaty azanmig. 🤪

It brings the gloss up, Carl, a noticeable improvement for sure. It's not cheap but I have enough to last me if I live to 101 (actually, I have fingernail scratches under the door handles on my daily driver that I want to try to rub out. It won't go to waste 😎)

I'd like to try it, Dave. Where can I find it?

Yeah, Bill, I think I should be waiting longer. Soft paint won't polish. This is the first paint job I decided not to polish. No rub-out, no scratches 🙂. If I can only remember what I did right 🥴. It's Boyd's enamel with Mr. Hobby thinner w/ some leveling thinner added. The mix was approximately 1:1 , shot through an old single stage bottom feeder at around 20#.

Looks like you're moving right along, Boss. Not much room for a frame there, Greg. 🤔

I used to re-finish old furniture, Dave, and this Howard's product is one I have not seen but that brand has a familiar ring to it. I've been using the Novus stuff with the blue label for the final finish. Does the Feed N Wax give you any visible improvement or are you just protecting your paint?

I'm well aware of the way all that works. I'm not a very good painter, Steve, and the older I get, the less good it gets. Y'all have answered my question and I'm happy with the modest improvement the Scratch-X made on a few of my recent paint jobs. I know my painting skills need some improvement and I think I might slow down during the rub-out process. I appreciate your input, always.

In the case of orange peel, I start wet with 2000 and a drop of Dawn. Then, after I knock down the OP till its only faint. I follow with 3200 until I see no more of the OP traces. Then 3600, 4000, etc. It could be I'm not doing enough on the middle grits, Steve, but I stopped using the Novus heavy scratch remover. I get worried about my nice paint job getting too thin. That stuff seems too coarse. Lots of color comes off on the rag.

I tried the "Scratch X," figuring McGuire's is top shelf (it was, 40 years ago 🥴), so why not start at the top? I tried it on the '53 roof with good but not great results. I can't see any change, scratch wise, but it is noticeably glossier. That's a win, 🤓 ain't it? Maybe I should polish it several more times...🤔

And yet you opened it! 🤣 wasn't that a great idea? Hey...I totally understand. Patience is not something I'm known for. I'm leaning towards lighter colors now so I don't see the swirlies as easily but I shall purchase the McGuire's version today.

I'd like to hear more about the bees wax, Dave (unless it's a secret formula, of course) I appreciate it, gents. I now have a nice "short list".

In my previous post I mentioned the warped chassis issue. I decided to tackle that today. It was way too late in the game to heat it and bend it so what I did was secure the front of the interior (the firewall) to the inner fender/radiator support assembly which has been glued to the frame previously. I added some heavy members for reinforcement and inserted brass pins for extra security. The first pic shows the firewall bonded to the inner fenders with some Evergreen added. Notice the angle of the interior tub to the chassis. Here it is with pin in place. The pins go through the inner fender panels and a bit of s g black hides it. Evergreen was welded to the chassis in the rear to get a good base for a strong attachment. Using the leverage of the tub at the rear to bring the assemblies together, and then, under tension of the rubber band I then bonded the styrene strips It worked... but not 100%. The left side came together and there is a smaller gap on the right but it needs a pretty good squeeze to get contact. If I was doing a "beater" I'd just leave it hang. Oh...and..... There now. Both upside-down. 😂 During the work, the steering box mysteriously became detached (sure, now it falls out.) I had a dandy time with that. It made the right front Firestone breaking off pretty tame in comparison. A good time was had by all.

Here's where we're at today - I polished out the roof and I've been fiddling with the dash, with mixed results. I hate this dash. It's kinda weird and the '54 and '55 were strange too. Anyway, here's some mock-ups for your curiosity 🤔 I want to show what a great fit of interior assembly to the body. I went off script with the package shelf. They show it gluing to the body. I didn't think it was a good idea. I glued it to the back seat. I was extremely careful with the assembly of the interior. The glazed body is supposed to be dropped over everything else. Everything depends on the interior. It has positive fit elements molded into the interior floor and the chassis. They fit together perfectly. But there are problems. The chassis has a slight upward bow in the middle that is messing with the fit of the front fender to splash pan. It's gonna need a clamp. I wish I had spotted the warp before I put it together. Note to self: oh....forget it. The things I am very happy about are the great fit of interior to body and the fit of the firewall to the body. The firewall is a glued-on part of the interior. It is a very precise fit and a lot depends on it. So far, so good but I must have goofed on the front suspension because the right front hits the splash pan which is integral to the chassis. The kit has some fit issues but it goes both ways so it is basically a pretty decent kit. Thanks for the drive-by 😎

I've been using the Novus fine scratch remover for years (and I'm slow to change) but would appreciate some info on final rub-out products. Something to remove the ones that the Novus leaves behind.

How do I know if I turn one around, they won't both be upside-down, huh? 🙃

Well he DID say ONE of the rear shocks...OK. OK, I'll fix it!😬

Yeah, I knew that. 🥴. Glad I didn't glue them in (can't complain about the fit 🙂.) I've got a lot of stuff like that I need to do. Thanks for the reminder, Russ.