customline

Baaaahh.....a 1 hour job. Not my first. AMT shells are easier; no taper top to bottom, and no horizontal grille supports to balance out. I use thick CA for filler and added strength. The kit radiator on the back side holds it solid before filling and sanding. I'll paint that by hand after spraying the shell. Now I need to clean up the body for paint. Not sure what to do with the gas tank lines. They don't seem to be pronounced enough to survive the finishing process. I need to do some research. Maybe smooth 'em off, I dunno. A case could be made for welding and filling the seams like on a 1:1. Or I could scribe them and add a gas cap. ?. Fact is they just look like mold parting lines.

My first hurdle was the firewall/floor junction. I cut a section from the kit firewall and grafted it to the floor. This gave me something to eventually mate my chrome diamond plate facade to. Some drum sanding ensued. Then I just whipped up another chrome firewall using Plastruct HO Guage material and BMF "ultra bright" chrome foil. ?. Next the deuce grille. I sectioned it down to the size of the kit '29 shell and used the kit radiator on the back side. The grille was ground down on both ends very gradually, checking often for close fit. The re-engineering of the floor and interior panels necessitates filling the circled areas

Ok....did a little re-engineering today. There ain't much paint left in that little can but it might be enough to hit this roadster body with enough to do the job. This body is a '29 and is quite a bit narrower at the firewall, making the engine look immense. I like it ?. I zeed the floor to match the existing (coupe) frame and modified the interior panels in the wheel well area. The firewall was a little tricky as there was less room in the floor @ firewall for the big torqueflite but a little tweeking with the Dremel worked that out. I used a piece of the kit "Highboy" firewall and added it to the floor and created a foundation for my diamond plate facia. I sectioned the deuce shell so it didn't drag on the pavement. It's amazing what can be done with thick CA and accelerator ?. I'll add more pics later tonight but I wanted to get these up now.

According to the generally accepted definition of "insanity" I should be institutionalized ?

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Yeah, me too, Mark. Not 20 minutes ago I sprayed the clear on it and totally screwed the pooch. This build is no longer a coupe but will be a roadster as soon as I recover from kicking myself in the ass. The coupe body will be drowned in the purple pond. I have a couple of roadster bodies that will drop right on to this chassis (which is essentially finished.) I'll be getting a body and interior ready in a few days. The '29 body won't accept the coupe interior because the coupe is a '30; a wider body. The interior will be similar to the coupe, though. Anyway, thanks for your interest.

Before all this computerized nonsense, that's what you did, I guess. ?

Hey, Jim, the color on that '61 looks kinda familiar ?. Awesome color on the tri-5 too. Since you are enamored with flames as much as I am, have you tried "Lazy Modeller" flame masks? It's an Australian outfit and they have an Ebay store. I have used them a few times ( with mixed results.) There is a learning curve but practice makes perfect and it's an option for a cool flame job. Again, Jim, welcome! Here's one I did with the "Lazy" mask. Not perfect but decent for an amateur.

Gee, Jim, I'm not sure that they would stand up to the violence that toy cars need to withstand. I have three grandsons and I'm pretty sure those headers wouldn't last more than a minute or two in their hands ?.

From my printer, Bil. And the web. Search "Mexican blankets images" or Native American blankets images". I try not to use it too much but I had an excuse for this one. It's a lazy solution, if I'm being honest. It is, however, based in history and looks at home in this car. I use Micro Liqui-Tape. Let it dry completely and just stick it on like shelf paper......hmmmm....now there's an idea ?.

Thanks Jim, and welcome to the forum. And thank you for your service. Those Subs you cruised in might have had some of my pipe joints on board. This build has been fun at times and not so much fun at times and it's not over yet. ?. When it's finally finished I'll get some outdoor photos to show off this fantastic paint. I don't love those tiny cans and I can hardly push the valve down but that paint is very forgiving. It sparkles like crazy. After the clear coat goes on you'll need eye protection ?.

Thanks Greg, headers are not as good as the pics show ( I cracked the glue joints while "adjusting " them) but the form seems about right. I wish I had some proper chrome ones though. Chrome would be more in keeping with the "flake" paint job. I work with what I have here, which ain't much these days. ?

You are correct!....kinda weird. Huh?

From yesterday .

Thanks for your interest! I wet-sanded out the spatter successfully and re-sprayed yesterday. This paint looks like a full-on metal flake in the sun. Going to give it another day or two and then clear it. When I bought this can of blue I also grabbed a can of turquoise. These "Extreme Lacquer" colors, in scale, are useful for an early '60s show car look. Remember when metalflake was the big thing? It gives this coupe that show car look. The turquoise would look great on a full-fendered roadster with ......hmmmm.....?

First coat of color went a bit sideways. Ya'll may have noticed the valves on some of the Testors spray cans are kinda hard to press. I happen to have one of those pistol-grip thingies to help with my arthritis weakened fingers. Having used it previously, I was quick to snap it on the can and eagerly pulled the trigger.....not having aligned the nozzle with the attached thingie. ?. I will be wet-sanding this first coat tomorrow ?.

Well, it will be hard to see without a flashlight but it serves well enough. ?. I'm eager to get the paint on the body, the color is really nice.

Quick update part 2.......fab'd hanging pedals and steering wheel mountings, "installed guages" in dash panel. The kit-provided guage decals of speedometer and tachometer are big enough to cut out and glue to the "sockets" in the panel. The other, smaller guages are too small, at least for me, to cut out successfully. I used a fine point Sharpie on those. To make it easy for myself, I built the pedal assembly so as to be able to adjust positioning before final gluing ( which is CA and accelerator). My steering column is telescopic aluminum, polished where it will be visible. I tried to position the wheel in such a way so as to look "drivable." The diamond-plate theme, I'll admit, is a bit strange but the "back story" of "limited budget, unfinished, home grown hot rod" (a common scenario) may pass for an explanation. Thanks for looking and your comments, positive and negative, are always welcome ? . P.S. I'm not married to that firewall ?.

Quickie update.....more details on chassis done, attached radiator, assembled interior "bones", installed flooring, added upholstery, created custom firewall, created headliner. Painted some stuff. I couldn't help myself.....that diamond plate was burning a hole in my ? brain....thanks for looking ?. I

7th circle of hell? Geez, Monty, where are you? Los Angeles?

Here's some pix to give you a better idea.

I shall soon see ?....it's on the way ?

Hang on to it. There's a roof swap out there with your name on it! ?

I bought one of those things from Micro-Mark years ago. Pretty much worthless. Be advised there is a double ended version of this tool which is even better ( my wife will allow me to use hers if I'm good ?) and it's only a bit more money. If you get both you will have 3 different sizes of sticky ends. I'll put up a photo later today.

This is where the fun is, Joel! Whatcha got planned for that roof you cut off, hmmm? ?