StevenGuthmiller

Yesterday I finished the interior for my MPC 1968 Dodge Coronet hardtop. The parts have been sent to Ed Fluck Jr. to be reproduced in resin to be offered to the public soon. If anyone is in need of a bit better detailed interior for their '68 Coronet, they will hopefully be available from Drag City Casting in the near future. The kit will include interior floor and rear package shelf, 2 piece rear seat, front bucket seats, door panels, 2 piece dash, arm rests and window cranks. The set is designed to work in conjunction with the Revell 1968 Dodge Charger chassis. Steve

A thin coat of Testors "Turn Signal Amber" over the chrome would probably get you very close. Steve

Very nice work Tom! I know what you mean about the trim. When I did my '68, the trim from the top of the front quarter to the bottom of the rear quarter window opening was no picnic. The fender well moldings aren't exactly fun either! Steve

Thanks guys! These interior parts are finished and on their way to Pennsylvania for Ed to reproduce in resin. Get your check books ready fellas! Steve

We all know that AMT muffed the rear quarter shape pretty badly on their '68 and '69 Roadrunners and GTX's. Has anyone ever noticed how closely the shape of the rear quarter on these kits matches the MPC '68/'69 Coronet kits? Could it be that there was an intention to do a Coronet instead of, or after the Roadrunners? Or maybe they used the Coronet rear quarter as their "template"? If that were the case, is there the possibility that the MPC '68 or '69 body still exists in a form that is possible to be resurrected? Or is it all just fantasy and they just dropped the ball? Anyway, I found it kind of interesting how closely the rear quarters of these two kits seem to match in overall shape. Steve

Guess now I'll have to get one of each! Just what I need. More kits! Steve

X3. There is really no need for all of these contortions. The grooves in the body of the '53 Ford are quite deep. Mix up a little 2 part epoxy and lay some into the bottom of the groove. Allow the epoxy to tack up a little, (maybe 2 or 3 minutes) and then place the trim into the groove. If the epoxy is placed only in the bottom of the groove, (none on the sides) in a relatively thin application and allowed to tack up, there will be no glue squeezing out and therefore no excess glue to clean up. Once the epoxy cures fully, you'll have a tough time prying the trim out with a screwdriver! Steve

Well, I haven’t spent much time on Corvairs. ? Steve

Thanks guys! I believe that the relevant interior parts are now about finished and ready for duplication. Steve

I’m no expert, but I believe that there is little difference from ‘66 to ‘69, except for marker lights, upholstery patterns and wheel covers. Steve

Gluing short pierces of wire jacket into holes in the head to represent boots, and then slipping wires into the boots. A very easy way of doing it. Steve

Wow! That's a pretty car! Nice work! Steve

Well fellas, if it happens, you'll be first on the list! In the meantime, the seats should be about wrapped up. I will still need to make some seat tracks for mounting, but other than that, the interior should be fast approaching the finish line. I'll get everything cleaned up and primed and we'll see what we've got. Later! Steve

Too late. Steve

I think you're right. As a matter of fact, I think that there are 2 light blue first gen Falcons in that group of photos. Directly above the bottom Falcon is a turquoise '61 Impala, then what appears to be a yellow '59 Chrysler judging by the rear bumper. Right above that is another light blue Falcon. Above that appears to be a red mid 60s Buick, followed by a tan '63 Ford? Top man on the totem pole is a gray '66 Olds. Looks like the car on it's side on the bottom is a Corvair. Hard to tell what the turquoise one on the top with the rock on the roof is, but if I were to guess, I would say a '60-'61 Studebaker Lark. Steve

Hi Ed. Thanks for the interest. Yes, I'm planning on keeping the arm rests and window cranks as separate parts. If you really think that it would be worth while to cast these, I would be more than happy to farm them out to you for that purpose.......as long as it doesn't take too long to make the molds. I need them back to finish the model! Let me continue to get these parts all to the level that I think that they need to be and we'll see what we can do. I'm no resin master, so I'm just wondering if it would be okay to make molds from them with primer on them? I really want to have them all primed to be certain that they are up to snuff. Just to reiterate, these are not professionally made parts by any stretch! There will undoubtedly be inconsistencies between parts. (left and right door panels not exactly the same for instance) They are all pieced together individually, so they will not be exact. But, they will be engineered to fit the Coronet body well, and will be a fairly good ready to drop in alternative for anyone who's looking for a hard top interior with a little more detail. Talk soon! Steve

Top right. '57 Olds. Right below it, '60 Impala. The mess wedged in the back appears to be a '68 Olds cutlass. Steve

I appreciate that guys! Still working on the finer points of the interior. Shaving the arm rests from an AMT '68 Roadrunner's door cards for the new door panels. Steve

You're absolutely correct. Those handles should be readily available for restorations, either NOS or reproductions. I can still get outside door handles for my 1:1 '69 Pontiac Grand Prix, and they are much more unusual than a standard GM handle. Steve

Oooo! I didn't catch that! Yes, that is WAY too much paint! I do most of my painting with an air brush, but just as a comparison, I generally get by on somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/2 to 3/4 of an oz. of color. The average spray can of hobby paint is in the 3 oz. neighborhood. While you will very likely use more paint spraying from a can, you should be able to get it done with less than a half of a can of color. Steve

That depends a great deal on when the debris occurs in the process, the nature of the debris and the color of the base coats. If the base color is a light color, such as you are using, debris can be much more visible than on a darker color. If the debris is small and colorless and occurs on a "late" color coat, I will often leave it and rely on the clear coats and polishing to eliminate it. Steve

Agreed. If you have ever used a metallic paint designed for airbrushing, you can see this phenomena in the jar. If you stir/shake the paint and then set the jar down, even for a minute, when you pick up the jar and look at the bottom, you will immediately see a layer of lighter colored sediment at the bottom of the jar. This is the heavier metallic particles and solids settling out, and the same applies to rattle cans. I shake my paint, even in an air brush cup, continuously throughout the painting process. Steve

Here's a fun exercise. Who can identify the cars in the photo? I think I've got at least 7 figured out. Steve

I would like to add to be careful about letting the can sit for too long after shaking. I respect Bill a great deal, but I believe that letting it sit for a half hour is too long for a paint with metallic or pearl in it. The metallic particles will settle to the bottom of the can very quickly, and when you start spraying after you let it sit for that long, you'll get a blast of very heavy metallic particles that have settled as the paint is drawn from the bottom. Steve

Another terrific bunch of parts from Chief Joseph! A couple of pairs of Carter street Hemi carbs and a set of 15 inch wheels and tires for my '68 Coronet project. Steve