JFortner5

Thanks! Yeah I've got it bad again. I still have to build the other car that came with this kit but I just ordered a 95 #3 Monte Carlo and a Darrel Waltrip #17 Western Auto parts kit. The latter is an AMT kit which I've never built so we'll see how that goes. Edit: My wife thinks I'm crazy.

Yeah the front end, the decal tore on me. Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks I was worried about that too, but it was a little easier than I thought. Thankfully there is a little wiggle room since the decals cover the color "seams."

Ok now it's officially done. Couldn't find the good camera, or a good back drop, but it is complete. There are a few places that could use a little touch up, but ill save that for another day.

That looks awesome.

My goodies just got here. I'm gonna finish the decals in a little while. I'll take some better pics later (all have been iPhone so far).

Finished, well it appears finished anyway. I'm waitin on my microset/sol to come tomorrow. I have a couple more decals to put on the other side. Ill call it complete enough to post some pics. Thank you all for looking and for helping me through the build. I know I asked a lot of questions but I feel like I've learned a lot. Ill have this one truly finished tomorrow, and I can't wait to tackle the next one.

Haven't updated in a while so here we go. Finally got the blue sprayed on. Tonight I started the decals. It's gone fairly well so far, but not perfect. Here are a few shots of where I'm at. I still have the do the other side but I want to let these dry before I handle it too much. I do have a question. Some of the decals are slightly too big and hang over the body. It is especially bad around the rear wheel well. Will it be hard to trim after everything dries?

I use part of my workbench in the garage. No basement, and a one car garage so I have to make use of what I have. It's plenty for me though.

Sputtering doesn't sound like a clutch problem to me. If it were slipping you'd have an increase in rpm without an increase in speed. If its sputtering try a basic tune up. A new fuel filter, plugs, and wires might solve the problem. FWIW I have 152k on the clutch in my truck. I have only owned it for the last 25k but the original owner said it was never replaced.

GTI, I hadn't thought about that. I will have to look into the VW's. I agree about the truck thing. I always considered myself a truck guy, and I did use the bed a few years ago to haul my atv and dirtbike but those are long gone. I used my bed one other time since I've had this truck and it was to haul a little gravel. I have plenty of friends with trucks and also my dad in the event i needed one. 90% of my driving is commuting to work and back. 75% of that is interstate. Whatever I get I'd like to be able to cruise along at 70-75 with ease. Only other requirements are fun to drive, manual transmission, and 4 seats. A hatchback might be the perfect thing. I just posted this to get some ideas flowing. I'm not really asking for somebody to pick a car for me, but to share experiences with vehicles they have owned or driven enough to have formed an opinion of.

I know everybody will have a different opinion but I like reading people's opinions. New trucks are nice but way over budget.

I figured I would ask this here since I can get an unbiased opinion vs asking on a specific car forum. I currently drive a 1999 Ford Ranger. It's a decent little truck but at 152k miles its showing its age. It's a regular cab and I'm growing tired of not having much room. I'd like a fullsize v8 truck, but I don't want the 13mpg that comes with it. I've had one before and it was nice, but after really thinking about it I rarely use the bed of my current truck and don't have anything to tow. The wife's grand Cherokee can handle towing duty anyway should the need arise. So with that said I think I want another car. I've only had one car in my 13 years of driving. (A 2001 firebird) I was considering a mustang gt, but I'm only looking to spend around 8k. Most of the ones around that price range are as worn out as my truck. I'd like to keep it under 100k miles, really around 75k or so. I just need some ideas of something that is fun to drive and reasonably economical. I don't want an econobox but 25+ hwy mpg would be great. Joey

That looks really nice, I'm looking forward to more pics.

Lol, it's a small world. I'm gonna play it safe until mid week I think. I have no deadline so there is no reason to rush it and mess up. Nice to see you over here too.

Sounds good and again thanks for the help. I'm going to try and maybe paint the rest of the body on Sunday or Monday. That will be a week. I can still smell paint a little bit but not too bad. I just don't want the masking to lift the existing paint.

I may look into an airbrush in the future but for now ill probably stick with the cans. I may try a lacquer next time around though.

I really appreciate your advice about the paint. There are a few spots that will show after I'm finished, but a lot of it will be covered by blue. Even more will be covered by decals. Overall I'm pretty happy with it since its my first in years. I think when I do the other car in this kit, ill begin by painting the body so it isn't the part holding me up. I actually just finished up everything else so this thing is ready for paint and decals. That brings yet another question (sorry for asking so many), after I do get the blue sprayed I'm assuming ill need to wait another week or so before I apply the decals? Thanks again, Joey

I'm really happy with the wheels and tires. Also I tested the "brand" decal and it slid off perfectly. That's a big sigh of relief for me. Now for the two-tone. How long do I need to wait before I spray the blue? Both colors are testors enamel.

Incredible job on the paint. That body style Grand Prix makes a good looking race car IMO.

This paint is getting on my nerves. This is after a 3rd pretty heavy coat. After doing some reading I've found that testors spray enamel is not the best choice. I can't get this paint to cover the sharp edges and details. Hopefully you can see what I mean around the headlights and the body lines. Anyway, not much else to report except I got the rear suspension in: And got the wheels and tires finished, well just one complete in this pic: I should be done with everything except for the body maybe by tomorrow. I only get an hour or two a night so maybe a couple more days. I have to figure out what to do about this yellow paint. I may just put another coat on and call it good. Then I have to mask it all off and spray the blue. I probably have a solid week and a half before I can call it officially done.

How did your decals turn out? I'm still worried about that part of it. It's been a while since I've tried to do them.

Oh I forgot to mention, I'm using testors enamel in the spray can. I put it in a cup of warm water before using and shook it really well. It seems like maybe it was too thin. It wouldn't cover sharp edges, the primer is showing through. I am planning on adding a coat or two tomorrow or Tuesday. I'm not sure how long I should wait.

Sorry I haven't given any updates lately, had a really busy week at work. Anyway I managed to get a couple coats of yellow on the body. Still have a little way to go on the chassis but I did a little mock up. The wheels will be black eventually.

That looks better than I could do in 24 days. Good job.