customline

...or solder ?

There's a learning curve, Bil, but I think it's well within anyone's abilities if you use a magnifier on your head like I do. Lighting can be a problem when working with reflective stuff. Your eyes are a major factor, of course, but if I can do it (not as well as ten years ago), I'm sure you can. It may be helpful to watch a few videos...that's how I learned.. My eye/ hand coordination was really good back in the '70s, I was a pipe welder for a shipyard. I still have fairly good dexterity despite the arthritis wreaking havoc on my thumbs. Don't buy the one they call "Ultra Bright Chrome" because it's too difficult to handle (very frustrating trying to use narrow pieces- the stuff curls up while you're trying to keep it from wrinkling) but the "New Improved Chrome" is where you should start, it's a lot better. There have been issues with this stuff through the years but right now the stuff is good, for the last year anyway. You have to try it, at least, and start with an easy one (not the Starliner ?). You will need tweezers with a precision sharp pointed tip to handle it and I get #11 surgical blades-they are sharper than hobby blades - you can get a box of 100, a two year supply, for ten bucks (I just ordered a box). Stay away from the Asian vendors, there's good deals from US vendors. These blades are extremely sharp and I use them instead of exacto or excell for my pointed blades. And you can do a little surgery with them too! (I also keep a 100ct. box of 1" Curads handy). OK. That's all I've got. ?

Foiling is tedious too, Bil, but it's more fun ?

I like the color a lot for this subject. I have a can of this paint that I picked up for something and just decided to save it for a special project. It's subtle and classy.

?

Door swap?

I'll tell you what I'm afraid of.....I'm afraid of disappointing anyone. But if the voices tell me they want another color on this thing....well....I just don't know what I will do. ? (I learned this from a guy...) Holding out on paint jobs is a class 3 misdemeanor. ?

There's more if you want it, Carl! Just say stop when you've had enough ?

I just looked at the weather conditions here for today. 76 F and 26%RH. Maybe I should paint today, huh? But no, not quite ready yet. Plus my better half has an agenda. Maybe tomorrow, Bil. ?.

Yeah...it's more fun this way, Bil. I'm never going to win a contest due to my severely limited painting talents, but I'm happy enough with the way half of my builds turn out. The other half, not so much but those are mostly bad paint although I have some customs that didn't quite work. I like the chopping and lowering and sectioning. I just acquired a '49 Ford kit from 1980, a Lesney kit. I can't wait to take a razor saw to that thing ?. Anyway, your stuff looks great, Bil, and I can tell you're having fun with it. That's what's important.

Great minds think alike ?

Yeah, David, that's always something that can cause all sorts of trouble. I don't think that's the case here but I will see if maybe it is. Thanks for the heads-up. Edsel must have wanted to push the envelope with his design but the timing wasn't good. The Edsel should probably be allowed to rest in peace. On my shelf ?.

Ditto, actually. ? Bil didn't express his intentions for this one but, frankly, I'm impressed. And the wait for the reveal was daunting. Now we know. This is either a period-correct chopped Merc lead-sled or a retro chopped Merc lead-sled. And I love it!

Real nice work, Len. I had issues with moving the door edge back but it's really unavoidable because of the angle of the B-pillar. I still would think a while about the trim mod.

Yeah, some day I'm going to collect all the plates I have in one place and put them up on ebay. I like to make tags using "that website." Because the size of what I print is probably different than the provided plate, I'll just cut a backing from .015 and use liquid tape to attach the paper to the new backing.

I love the purple(actually violet might be more accurate) too. It's my "go-to" for certain subjects. I think you can make anything, including a London Taxi, look good in that color. ?

Yeah. I'm getting there, Bil. I need to do all those little things that get left in the box until you realize what you haven't done. Battery, wipers, mirrors, etc. I'll get there but the interest level seems to drop off when I get to this point. It's a character flaw ?

Thanks! Agreed. ?

The other mirror broke in half but it's recovering as we speak. I have gone down under many times, Lenny, but I can't talk about it on this particular forum. For that you will need to go to http/www/ muffsenuff.org ?

That's why I took those shots, Dave. It's important that it ends up flush with the door tops. Box checked. The glass is taped top and bottom and the windshield dropped a bit but the fit is as good as it gets. Does that windshield look a bit off though? Look at the way the far end looks in the close-up. I see a slight outward curve. The glass should be flat, top to bottom. I don't have any idea what the designer of the "horse collar" had in mind but the '58, to me, looks like it was emulating a jet aircraft intake of some sort. It's a bit unclear. But those wings on the back sure do make a case for that idea. The Pontiac version of the vertical element may have been totally different thinking because of the styling of the other Pontiacs around that time. But it could be the same guy, I suppose. All that info should be out there.

I did put more paint on it after a wet-sand and most of the crazing is gone but there is still a bit to deal with. I hope I don't run into it when I paint the rest. I worry about the roof because of the molded pattern inside. The crazing follows the pattern on the flip side of the hood. I primed with Tamiya light white primer. Too thin? I dunno. The crazing isn't the really bad crazing you get with hot lacquer on bare styrene. It's more like "frost" but it seemed to go deep when I was trying to smooth it out.

Thanks, Dave. As bad as the finish is, the paint works hard to make it look good.

Mock-up! Mock-up! Mock-up! ?

What?

I like the '59. The basic idea of the front end treatment was retained but was, in my mind, simplified and not as shocking. When you consider the Mercury's of that time, the Edsel wasn't all that crazy after all. It was a strange time for automotive design. The people at Pontiac thought it wasn't such a bad idea...Thanks for your interest, Carl.