StevenGuthmiller

I'll be waiting with great anticipation for this kit! I've been keeping an eye on ebay for several years just in case a presentable '64 Cutlass convertible or hard top presented itself, and now I'm glad that I didn't drop the &250.00 or more that these kits can command. But, be fore warned. The whining and complaining will commence in very short order! I can hear it already. "If Round 2 is going through the work of tooling a new body, why didn't they whip up a new interior, engine and chassis?" I guess that there will always be some that will never be satisfied with taking what they can get. Steve

Actually Jerry, I think that you did add the "LOL". Regardless, I thought that the question deserved an explanation anyway. Steve

The base is just a slice of plastic tubing that I sanded the edge of to make a beveled edge. The lens is a short piece of clear sprue that I sanded slightly to replicate a frosted lens. The base will be finished with Alclad chrome, and the lens then inserted into the center. Steve

Thanks everybody! At some point this model will most likely be displayed at a couple of shows. I wanted to be able to display it without the large and cumbersome cold air intake system to highlight engine detail if I chose to. While I was in that process, I thought, "why not go ahead and build in another option and make the top of the air cleaner removable to add some interest and allow viewing of the carb without removing the entire induction system. Well, as you can guess, I couldn't have a removable air cleaner lid without a filter. Most likely I will display this model for a portion of the show with everything intact and then begin removing parts as the show progresses. Something akin to an "automotive strip tease" if you will. Steve

It might be worth something to a collector that collects original issue kits, but as a rule, they want them sealed and un-opened. To builders like most of us here, it's probably not worth much as this kit has been re-issued several times. There is a "new in box, complete" T-310 '53 Vette kit being offered on ebay right now from "Model Car Mountain" with a buy it now price of $8.88. With the $11.75 shipping, that makes it $20.63. Not really worth hanging onto as a collectors item. Steve

Seriously! I'm tacking a tail to my ass and moving in with you!! Steve

I finished fabricating a couple more scratch made details this evening. They are ready for painting and finishing. A pair of sun visors, and a dome light. Steve

Well, with the lid of the air cleaner being removable, I figured that it was necessary to have a filter. A very light coat of Testors transparent blue acrylic thinned with Windex and air brushed. Steve

My only suggestion would be to not spray clear over the vinyl top. In my opinion, it looks too shiny. A good tip is to spray with a flat paint and rub it down with your fingers. The oils from your skin will give it a very nice and realistic sheen on the high points without looking overly glossy. Steve

I also got the paint removed from my latest '62 Imperial acquisition from Joe Zrodlowski. Steve

Finished a couple more scratch made detail parts for the 442. A pair of sun visors, and a dome light. Steve

That's about 65% of the people on the road! Steve

Thanks Scott! It's finished. I believe it should be sufficient. Steve

I had been wracking my brain to come up with a presentable air cleaner element for my '68 Olds in light of the fact that it will have a removable and open air cleaner. Nothing seemed to be working as I wanted it to, so I decided to scratch build one. Details in my build thread. Steve

Gorgeous engine Bob!! Of course your homemade decals are the crowning touch!! Steve

Any of the older Monogram kits from the '80s. ('59 Caddy, '59/'60 Impala, '65/'66 Impala, '55 Belair. '56 Nomad, etc.) Steve

I've been wracking my brain for quite some time on how to create an acceptable air cleaner element in light of the fact that this model will have a removable and open air cleaner. My original solution was to use a modified open element air cleaner from another kit, but I was not happy with the fact that it would have no detail on the inside of the element. So I decided to try making one from scratch using this hair brained method. I started by cutting a strip of .015" sheet styrene and then giving it several liberal coats of liquid cement to soften the plastic. While the plastic was still soft, I quickly rolled over it with the knurled handle of a pin vice to give it the knurled texture. I performed his operation on both sides of the strip to give it texture inside and out. Next, I ground out the center of a wheel back from the parts box, sanded down the outer perimeter, and sanded it extremely thin to replicate the top seal. Then I cemented the element around the bottom of the ring a little bit at a time until completely surrounded. Once the glue has cured completely, I will sand the base down until the element fits flush inside of the air cleaner. A bottom seal is not out of the question at this point, but I will need to see whether or not adding one would eliminate too much of the element detail. Steve

There's an old saying that goes, "If Harley Davidson made an airplane, would you fly in it?". I don't know about the rest of you, but the answer from me would be "uuuh, NO"! The same answer you'll get from me if you ask if I want some pin headed engineer at Hyundai driving my car for me! I prefer to be responsible for my own actions. Steve

Seems to be a recurring theme here with the USPS! I got this package today and was not optimistic that the '62 Imperial inside was any more than dust! Miraculously, it arrived unscathed! I want to thank my good friend Joe Zrodlowski profusely for the opportunity to own this beautiful Imperial! I will do my absolute best to do it justice!! Steve

good to hear! I suspect that now, with his repaired ticker, he will have renewed stamina to pump out twice as many builds as previously! Get well quick Rich!! Steve

And as you would guess Snake, I couldn't disagree more. Part of the reason that I like this body style as much as I do is because of the "weirdness". I've always been a much bigger fan of the "weird" of some of the earlier (1968) muscle cars over the much more "accepted" designs of 1969 or '70. I always thought the '68 Charger was a better looking car than the '69 "because" of the round tail lights. The '68 Olds 442 is more interesting to me "because" of the weird head lights split by the parking light, or because of strange vertical fender stripe. And in this case, I love the swooping side body line, the "semi skirted" rear fender well and the concave rear bumper. They're all things that make the car completely unique from many other more "main stream" looking muscle cars of the era. I know that the '70 Chevelle, or '70 442 are considered to be among the most beautiful muscle cars of all time, but in my opinion, they look pretty pedestrian. There was a gentleman that owned a '69 GS in the small town that I was raised in, and from the first time I saw it, I was in love! Steve

Very true. But that was my point. Nobody that owns a classic car is using it for their primary transportation. It's a toy. Very few people are driving their $100,000.00 rotisserie restored '69 Hemi GTX on the turnpike on their way in to the office on a Tuesday morning. They're driving 25 miles on "cruise night" or taking it to the local car show on a Sunday afternoon. Why I would need all of the modern conveniences for that is beyond me. If I want a comfortable, quiet ride, I can drive my Honda Civic. The fun of owning a classic in my opinion is all of those endearing quirks that I described in my first post. It's an old car, so I want to "feel" like I'm driving an old car. To me, something is really lost if I can only tell the difference between my '69 Pontiac and my 2007 Honda Civic by how fast it goes. As an analogy, it would be a little like buying a grand Victorian home and filling it with wall to wall carpet and modern furniture. You lose the whole feel of the thing that you are trying to preserve. Steve

Uh, yeah!! If you're not going to finish it, send it my way! I certainly will! This is one of the very few kits that I wish that we would see in plastic. I love this body style!! Steve

Thanks John. I have no problem at all with people offering suggestions! I appreciate any that I get! Some times I roll with the ideas that I get, some times not. Not much else for progress today, but I did get the tint band on the windshield. Steve

That's a lot of stretchin' ! Your best bet for something close to the correct wheel base for a '62 Electra is probably going to be the Trumpeter '60 Bonneville kit. It at least had a 124" wheel base. Steve