StevenGuthmiller

I have been using this exact same coat hanger for at least 10 years now. You can tell by the paint build up! Personally, I've never seen the need for anything else. Steve

Nice Jim! Is that engine straight out of the '66 kit? I'm gonna want one of those for my '63 Riv build!! Steve

I guess that makes sense. If that's the case Chris, you might want to change your topic heading. If you're looking for the up top, I got nothing. The boot I might have. Steve

The convertible hood is the same as the hard top hood. The Johan '62 hard top is not a rare kit and there are always kits and parts on ebay. I might even have a spare hood somewhere in the parts box if you can figure a way for me to get it to you in South Africa without it costing a fortune to ship. Put an add in the wanted section for a Johan '62 Chrysler hood. You might find plenty of options. Steve

Of course. But a rear collision at 31 MPH is not going to cause a fuel rupture, and possibly fire and explosion on 8 out of 11 cars tested in the vast majority of cars, past or present. That's just a little too bad to try to make excuses for. Steve

That's the way that I do nearly every model. It is often referred to as the "foil under paint" or "foil before paint" technique. As a matter of fact, I think this technique is about due for it's own "initialism".......FUP. Steve

Nice work Richard. This '56 kit was my last purchase from Modelhaus before they closed up shop. I have contemplated building it several times but always shied away because it needed considerable body work to make it look right. If the day comes that I decide to tackle it, it will be tri-tone, pale blue, black and white. Steve

Nice Electra! It's always cool to see these old kits in pristine condition. I have a built '63 Electra that I plan on restoring at some point, as well as an accompanying '63 Riviera which will be restored soon. I think the only kit that I have in my stash at the moment in comparable condition to your Buick is an AMT 1962 Pontiac Bonneville hard top. Steve

You're right, and I don't give GM a pass for bad design either. Bad is bad no matter who makes it. Steve

Steve

Yeah, sitting on mine is not unlike sitting on a paper napkin! Steve

See? This is why I feel that posting your projects in the "on the bench" section is absolutely invaluable! At this point it will be an easy remedy to mask and paint the rear fender wells. Later, it would have been impossible. Thanks so much for the information guys!! Steve

Smoke coming from a Pinto........scary proposition! Steve

Front only I believe. Unless someone has information that I am not aware of. Steve

Take breaks. It's nothing important enough that you can't work for an hour and then take a break for a while. It's a hobby. It's supposed to be fun and relaxing. Steve

Now that's just goofy enough to be cool! Steve

All that I know about the flaming Pinto was that Ford conducted 11 rear crash tests on them in 1970 after production had started and of the 11, 8 of them had ruptures of the fuel tank and several burst into flames. The three cars that did not had a $5.00 safety device installed to protect against fuel spills due to ruptures, which Ford declined to implement. At least 27 people burned to death in Ford Pintos. Lord knows how many total fires or related injuries. I guess you can defend Ford and the Pinto if you would like, but I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the car was flawed and dangerous. Granted, it was not the only car in history to have problems, but when a company knows that their customers might die due to the use of their product and ignores it, it's a problem. The Pinto didn't get a "bad rap". The "rap" was deserved. Steve

I suppose that they were probably no worse than any other car in the 70s. But that's not saying much. Steve

They were made of plastic, so maybe it was a weight thing? Either that or maybe it was just because it looked cool! Or both! Steve

What silver paint did you use? I remember this problem years ago when I used Testors silver enamel for a base. It was notorious for terrible top coat adhesion. Steve

Thanks guys! I appreciate that! I decide to add some gauge bezel detail that was not present on the original dash by cutting short sections of aluminum tubing, painting them black and polishing the ends. These bezels will be added after the dash has been finish detailed. I missed the voids at the lower edge of the gauges before painting, but it appears that they will be difficult to pick out after the dash is installed. The aluminum bezels should help conceal them as well once everything is in place. Steve

I have to admit, that is pretty cool. Steve

Thank you guys!! I finished up the vinyl top today. Took me considerably longer to mask off the body than I expected, but it went pretty well in total. I discovered by accident some time ago that Rustoleum flat black "High Performance Enamel" works extremely well for a convincing vinyl top. I believe that the body is now entirely painted, except for the head liner. Should be ready for polishing. Steve

Doesn't sound very good to me. A car that's engine warps from the heat and whose body rusts out in less than 2 years wouldn't have been considered even remotely acceptable in my book. Steve

People will spend their money on a lot of sh*t! Back in that time period, the big three were producing a lot of it! Steve