StevenGuthmiller

It looks great Bob! The only thing that I may have tried to do in addition would have been to sand the edges at a pretty good taper before adding the snaps to create a thinner edge, but that said, it looks pretty darn nice to me! Steve

Even the Johan kits, while nice to have and semi rare, were nothing to get quite so excited about. Now if they come across a couple of boxes of Johan flat box kits from the mid ‘60s?.......well now we’re talking. ? Steve

I watched this entire video, and my thought was that either the seller kept the really great, rare stuff for himself, or they haven’t come across it yet. I was a little amused that when they finally found a box of really cool stuff, it was the second to the last box that they opened, and they just kind of skipped over it with little comment except for the fact that they had never heard of SMP!! ? Steve

Very likely. The seat would likely need to be widened. Another prime example of how these kinds of mods can snowball. Steve

It depends on the interior. On my most recent ‘68 Coronet project, there was a considerable taper on the lower part of the dash. While it wouldn’t have affected the fit very much, it would have been aesthetically unappealing. Luckily in this particular instance, the dash from a different kit proved to be a better option anyway, so I was able to avoid monkeying with it. Anyway, my only point was that very often, modifications can demand further modifications in other areas and to just be aware of what you might be diving into. Steve

Very true. Just remember that every modification, like those mentioned above, is likely to require more modification in other areas in order for everything to fit correctly. as examples, deepening the floor is most likely to require further door panel mods, and standing the door panels up straight will very likely require that the dash be widened to fit. Just things that need to be considered when these kinds of changes are being made. Steve

This question can be difficult to answer because as with most everything, each one is a little different. Most of the time I just hack them up with a Dremel tool because in most cases, there's not a lot I want to save anyway. Very often, I wind up scratch building or replacing a good portion of the parts anyway, so The only things that I generally worry about keeping intact are the seat upholstery patterns, and as much of the door panel pattern as possible. In the case of an interior with the front seats molded in, there is very likely going to be some considerable reconstruction necessary because the seat is usually at least partially molded right into the door panel. This is going to require reworking the sides of the seats, and at least part of the door panel. I can only speak for myself, but another aspect to consider with the door panels is the removal of the convertible top mechanism wells if you're building a hard top. I don't see much point in cutting apart an interior for better detailing if these are going to be left intact, and if you are going to remove them, there will likely be some considerable modifications to the door panel involved. Re-assembly methods can depend a lot on the modifications that you are doing as well. I have reassembled with pins, cleats and just gluing the side panels back onto the sides of the floor. With all of that said, just get in there and have fun! Once you get started on blowing apart these old interiors and reworking them, it's very hard to go back to using them the way they came from the kit. I enjoy this process a great deal! Steve

Very cool!! Steve

I know what you mean. I liked the Carol Burnett show many years ago, but something makes me think that it wouldn’t hold the same charm today. I remember thinking that the movie “The Valley of Gwangi” was a technological marvel when I was a kid, but after getting a chance to see it again more recently, I realized that it really wasn’t all that great. Steve

Benny Hill I can live without, but I did enjoy Mr. Bean! Steve

Ugh, The Golden Girls!!? Every time that show comes on I want to throw something at the television!! I think a large part of that hatred might be due to Maude! I never could take that woman! But even without her I couldn't watch it. Steve

Sounds like a perfect reason to stay away from 2K clear altogether. Thank you! That's all that I needed to hear. Steve

Unfortunately, I don’t have a ‘71 Charger to raid. I’ll probably just make one. I enjoy that kind of thing anyway. ? I’ve already gone back to the steering wheel. After comparing it more closely to the real thing, the spokes are too tapered and need straightening and the center cap needs a little down sizing. ? Steve

Another item to work out was the steering wheel. My original thought was to do the optional wooden "sports wheel", but after giving some thought, I decided that this car, with the buddy seat and the automatic on the column, would have been just as likely to have the standard steering wheel, so I went to work trying to replicate it. I started with the steering wheel from the original MPC Coronet kit, ground off the center cap and ground out a section of each spoke. Then I cut the horn button section from some sheet styrene and worked it to shape, followed by configuring a center cap. It appears that it will be relatively close once I add a horn ring. The next task promises to be a fun one. I need to scratch build a steering column with the automatic transmission lever and indicator. I'm likely going to add a column mounted tach as well. Steve

I was one of those weirdos that loved Monty Python too, and Fawlty Towers was a hoot! It was one of my dad's favorite shows. I guess most anything with John Cleese in it was pretty good. Steve

I've never been a fan of TV dramas at all, and there are very few sitcoms that I'll watch, especially in the past 20 years. If I had to pick one "favorite" television show, it would have been "All in the Family". Other than that, I enjoy some of the "reality" police shows like "Cops", and I enjoyed "Live PD" until A&E caved in to the woke crowd and cancelled it. I guess it's no longer acceptable to see what law enforcement does on a day to day basis. Lord knows we wouldn't want to "trigger" anybody. Other than that, I enjoy a good documentary when you can actually find a good one, and the remainder of my TV time is spent watching the occasional "crime documentary" on ID or HLN. Steve

And I just want to add that the Charger chassis is not a drop in chassis swap. The wheel base of the Charger kit is slightly longer than the Coronet, so some minor adjustments are necessary. Steve

They are pretty prehistoric by today’s standards, but they were the coolest thing going back in the day. How many of us older guys “didn’t “ have a couple of cases of 8-tracks in the back seat at some point? ? Steve

The head rests were brought up a couple of times during discussions between Ed and I while we hashed things out with the reproduction of this interior. I never really had any intention of doing them myself, but they would not be a terribly difficult addition by anyone who cared to add them. Although, it was mentioned by Ed that the tops of these seats are quite thin front to back, so it could be a little bit of a challenge to fit them. Steve

Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind! Steve

Thanks Greg. Painted the wiring harness today. Steve

I will need to stretch either an AMT '62 Catalina chassis, or one from one of the Moebius '61 Pontiacs. Steve

My next project will be a '64 Bonneville convertible, but as usual, it will get a complete chassis swap. Steve

Well, the A arms are definitely from one of the AMT Pontiac annuals. My guess would be '62 Bonneville. Steve

Beautiful!! I wish that I had known you when I did my ‘60. Could have saved myself a whole bunch of masking and painting! ? Steve