StevenGuthmiller

Pretty cool! How come I never see any of these on I-94? Steve

Just the usual Thanksgiving fare. Steve

It's absolutely useful information Ray, and something to ponder. Steve

Okay, so there's another point to consider. Were front plates required in Florida in 1962? It's all be come far too complicated to worry about now! Steve

Okay, that's why I asked. I guess this is something that I never even considered when building. I'm pretty sure that I probably have plenty of builds with plates on the front that apparently shouldn't have. Not the typical thing that is on most people's minds when completing a model. Just remember Ray, in the future, if you're building a model with Minnesota plates, you will need a front plate. You wouldn't want to get picked up! Steve

I'm actually pretty surprised to see this! Usually the modern kit companies want to produce kits that can be offered in a number of variations to maximize sales. It's difficult to see where else you could go with this one. I suppose that you could call this a variant of the '67 Super Sport, but if they were willing to go to this extent with this kit, I would have much rather seen a '68! Steve

Are you not still issued a pair of plates in Florida? I was issued a pair of collector plates for my '69 Pontiac in Minnesota, but I am only required to display one. If Florida issues a pair of plates, displaying a front plate would not be incorrect. Steve

A front license plate is not required in my state of Minnesota if you have "collector plates". Might be the same for other states as well. Steve

I agree wholeheartedly!! Steve

I won't say that the '62 Dart is a handsome car, but this is a great rendition of it!! Steve

That's the most creative form of cooking that there is! If you can put together a delicious meal with only the things that you have on hand, you're an innovative cook. Steve

Here's a little trick that some might find useful. I picked this technique up somewhere, I just don't remember from whom. I decided that I wanted to replicate the drivers side "floor protector" mat on my current project after sanding of the interior tub floor was necessary after removing pedal detail and pin marks. A mold was made of the mat from another kit with mold putty. (in this case the AMT '62 Catalina kit) Then a relatively thick coat of acrylic craft paint, in your color of choice, was flowed into the mold. After drying, the mat can be carefully peeled from the mold and trimmed creating a very thin and flexible mat to be installed after flocking. This technique can be used for many other applications including floor mats and seat and door panel upholstery. Thank you to whomever I stole this technique from originally! Steve

Replicated the "carpet protector" mat. I will post the "how to" in the "tips and tricks" section. Steve

It's some 24 gauge brass wire that I just happened to have on hand. Seems like it should work okay for this application. Steve

There were only 3 engine options in the '69 Grand Prix. The standard option was the 350 horse 400 4 barrel. Then there was the 370 horse power 428. Finally, a 428 HO option was available with 390 horse. Supposedly, there was a 2 barrel 265 horse option available on the 400, but I have never seen one. Even the standard 4bbl 400 had all kinds of oomph! Steve

Been spending the day finding some acceptable wheels and tires and working on a little refining here and there. The wheels were taken from an old Johan annual and the tires are Good Years. Same tires that were offered in the AMT '70 Monte Carlo kit. The wheels have been primed, along with the hood. A second coat will be forth coming after some sanding on the hood. I have also decided that the kit suspension springs will be discarded and replaced with wire springs. I added some "attachment points" for the springs to the rear axle as well. Steve

That's not particularly helpful Buz. I'm looking for information on how the under side of this car would have been finished from the factory. I get the frame, but what about the floor? If you have solid information, I would be interested to hear it. Steve

My daughter and her new husband came to visit this weekend as they will not be able to make it for Thanksgiving. My daughter requested that I make "Kraut Bieroks", (what they called "kraut burgers" growing up) They are an old regional "German/Russian" recipe that I grew up with. A very simple, basic recipe of ground beef, onion, cabbage and salt and pepper, browned and stuffed into bread dough pockets. Even people who claim that they hate cabbage like this one. Steve

I get it Thomas. Sometimes these things can just completely elude a person until it's too late. Nobody is perfect and we all learn as we go. I mean absolutely no disrespect in mentioning this. I find it exceedingly helpful when issues such as this are brought to my attention on my builds. All of the "atta boys" in the world are not going to help prevent making the same mistake on the next project. That said, other than the fore mentioned over sight, the model looks great! I'm still contemplating whether I want to go with the black and white interior in my '68, or possibly something to stay a little more in tune with the "Cinnamon Bronze" paint, like a saddle interior. Still have a little time to think about it. Nice work Thomas!! Steve

Come to think of it, it looks a bit more like a block of cheese than a truck! Steve

Agreed. The model looks really nice, but Roger is correct on this. The trim should begin a few scale inches below the apex of the rear quarter window and run straight back around the c-pillar and into the lower rear window trim. Steve

I have done a little looking, and while there are some seats from other kits, they all would require some modification. The pleats in the '69 GP only run about 2/3 of the way up the seats. Steve

I do as well. I'm going to give mine the full treatment. That will include a good portion of the guts from the '70 Monte Carlo kit. (ie, chassis and most of the engine bay detail). My goal is to transform my kit from an SJ to a J model, which is what my 1:1 is. The toughest part of that transformation will be changing the seat upholstery from the wide horizontal pleats of the SJ, to the narrower vertical pleats of the Model J. That is unless I can find seats that are reasonable facsimiles to the correct Model J seats. Steve

My mother in law owned an Aztec. She thought it was great. Everyone else in the family realized it was a piece of junk because we were in charge of maintaining it! Love is blind!! Steve

Laser Bond is thicker than honey. If you put a drop on something, it will pretty much hold it's "drop" shape. Steve