customline

Ahhh...thanks.

I'll say it. CHINA. There now, Bill. 🤓 Nice muffs, Topher! Whats the source?

Thanks, Ken. I shall try but it's all up-hill these days. 😣

Yeah, thanks Carl. I thought so too. I think it would have worked better as a metallic or a pearl, though. I think maybe this color would look better as a monochrome treatment on an '90s era car. Right next to "Pepto Bismol Pink."

Sharp guage panel, Dennis. Now you need to install a delete panel on the Merc dash. 🤓

I dunno, Len. I think I've got at least one good suede paint job in me. maybe a '41......uh.....mmmmm.........naaah. 😔

That's a fact. 🙄

Ooooooo.....no, Len. Wifey has no sense of humor. 🤭

That's exactly what I was thinking, AL. 😅

It would certainly save time 🤓

All foiled up and no place to go.

It appears there was enough paint on the body to support the rub-out. No serious burn-through anywhere. The hood will get repainted - too much white around the edges. The should call this color something else. It's not "lavender." Foil is next 🙂

I totally agree with Carl and John. Brilliant work on the upholstery, especially the seat inserts. Going with white will help with viewing all that nice work...I wish AMT had made a convertible version of this car.

I brushed painted the new sheet metal with some Revell acrylic water base flat black. That's it! Just need to join the body to the chassis and do some touch-up. Thanks for hangin'!

Yay! Looks like I won't be using Greg's handle and crank technology this time (unless I lose one). this makes masking a lot easier. And now....the inspiration. I like this body style in this color combo. The roof, I believe, is "Snowshoe White". I have some left-over "Corinthian White" that will be close enough. I'm waiting on MCW now for the "Glacier Blue".

Yes indeed, Greg, the hardware is in high relief and I expect I can remove them and, hopefully, re-use them. Plan B is making Greg handles 😉

This is a squirrel, Len.

Yup. I'm gonna break out some fresh chisel blades and get that stuff out of the way so I can mask it.

Speaking of side panels.... Above is the color arrangement I'll be using but substituting Glacier Blue where this one is red. Nothing but hours of fun here. Removing the hardware very carefully is the plan. If I can "reinstall" them, great. If not, I'll use "NOBLNG handles" (😉) to replace them. Not exactly OOB but I'm trying.

I think you're right, Bob. I'll just paint it like the example and not sweat the stitch pattern. The real work is the side panels anyway.

Thanks, Bruce, but that looks like a partial reupholstery job. It could be an option, I suppose. I thought that; but the difference is the piping around the front of the seat. It's all good. It's an OOB so I will assume the kit pattern is legit but ....🥴

Thanks for your tip, John, I'm thinking about it.

There's one little issue with this chassis swap that I neglected to address....till now. No inner sheet metal. Dang. 😔 Evergreen to the rescue. The idea is to mask the truth, not win a trophy. Made a template of the panel (that you'll see behind the tire) with card stock. I needed to add some .010 to the fender flange in order to have something to attach it to. The panels are .020. Lots of CA and kicker. I added a heavy member (circled) to the body and the new sheet metal that I shall use to anchor the rear. It also serves to close it all up. Next step is paint it all black. Thanks for still following.

Now I need to deal with the interior which will be a bit of a challenge. The color separations on the side panels are difficult to mask due to the handle, crank, and armrest locations. Seats are easier but they lack any molded detail except for the stitching on the outer areas. The seat "inserts" are rendered just plain. Below is an example of a stock interior. Here's the Lindberg version 👇 It's like they just forgot that part of it. The rest of the stitching is reproduced faithfully. Any ideas? I suppose I could carve the seams in. Naaah.

As I was puttering around today I thought I would check the exhaust pipe connection and sure enough, they don't meet. Something I did? Nope. I followed the instructions 😉 I corrected this indignity with a super-ingenious solution. Good thing I pre-drilled the exhaust pipe inlet. Some .020 brass inserted helps to line things up. A tiny bit of surgery to the frame at the firewall contact points was performed to get the body to settle down. I believe there is a very slight twist in the frame or the body because the right side of the fender to splash apron contact points won't quite meet. I have mocked this up many times and I'm sure I can resolve the issue at final assembly. Maybe. 🤨 It was this or just live with it. 😕 The rear shocks were painted with a brush and installed by well.....uh....forcing? them in 🙂. The tail pipe, naturally, interfered with the shock install so it had to be removed and bent into a more friendly configuration. As much as I try, I can't spot some of these things ahead of time. No biggie though. Below is the engine front mount (arrow) and the contact point on the frame (circled). Two contact points. One under the crank pin and one under the transmission tail shaft. When your engine has a single mount in the front, you need two at the rear, do you not? Later 🥴.