StevenGuthmiller

I would take any Barracuda over any Mustang any day of the week. Mustangs are like A-holes. Everybody got one! Yeah, I know. It's an old joke. But I'm an old guy. Steve

Thank you gentlemen! Yes, they are. But I'm not certain if they will ever make it back on the model at this point. With the hood permanently installed, replacing the air cleaners is a very difficult operation. Steve

Tonight I managed to get the "torsion bar" hood springs installed. It's nights like this where I can tell that all of the hours of planning and fabricating begin to pay off. Everything fits together as planned! How often does that happen?! And the hood still closes!!!! Steve

Uuuh......no! I'm done with Plymouth Furys for a while. The next likely candidates are a Johan 1968 Olds 442 W-30, or an AMT 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix. I'm pretty excited about both of them! Steve

Thank you guys! Good point. I thought of that a while back but it slipped my mind. They will be an easy addition. Steve

I believe a 1 oz. jar of MCW lacquer still runs about $7.50. The last time I ordered right after they switched hands, I received several jars that were over thinned and did not cover well. But this is the exception and not the rule. In general, I have few complaints about MCW. I recently started using Scale Finishes because you get twice the amount, ( a 2 oz. bottle) for $2.50 more. ($9.99 a bottle) and the paint is every bit as good. That plus the fact that there were colors that Scale Finishes carried that I would have had to special order from MCW. But that said, MCW produces a great product! Steve

I appreciate that Tom! I am pleased to say that I have finally finished the engine compartment! The rest of the model should be wrapped up within the next few days. All that I can say is that it's about time! I'm ready to move on to another project after nearly 6 months on this one! That's about 4 months longer than I had anticipated! I just couldn't contain myself when it came to modifications and detailing! Anyway, the engine compartment is finished except for the torsion hood springs which will be added along with the hood when it is installed. The hood will be able to be opened and closed when finished, but it will not be removable, so enjoy the photos with the air cleaners in place! Once the hood is installed it might be all but impossible to set them in place again! Steve

No. Johan produced both of them depending on the kit. I built my '60 New Yorker with the Panoramic glass, and the '61 without. I've done so much shuffling around with the glass in these early 60s Johan Mopars that I don't recall which kits came with what glass. Steve

The closest color to that available on the '69 Dodges would be "Light Bronze Poly" or "Gold Poly". Yours might be closer to gold than bronze, but either way, a red stripe was probably not an option on these colors. I don't know that for a fact, but if you're thinking more along the "stock" line, black would have likely been the most common stripe color for this combo. Steve Light Bronze Gold

I believe that Joe may be right. If I recall correctly, the "Panoramic Windshield" (bulged at the top) was an option for some of the 1960-'61 Mopars. Steve

I have a feeling that they're all safe! Steve

Thanks Curt. The fit problem is a small one, but I still have to figure out a solution. The hood brace that I constructed from a piece of wire is inserted through a hole in the radiator wall and retained with a short piece of wire jacket on the inside of the engine compartment. It interferes with the washer bottle as I try to install the chassis. The tolerances are so close in some areas of this project that as in this case, if I could install the chassis without the interior in place so that I could slide the chassis forward an eighth of an inch as I install it instead of straight in, everything would fit fine. I don't know if any of that makes sense but basically my options are to change the hood brace or remove the washer jar and re-install it after the chassis is in. Steve

I think your eyes may be deceiving you Lee. The car is actually a gold or light bronze color I believe.. The lighting gives it a bit of a green hue, but if you look more at the hood than the body, it appears to be light bronze to me. In my opinion, it would look best in black or even white. Red will work if you want it to look custom, but if you're leaning towards a stock look, black or white would be best Steve

I managed to get the grille and radiator brace brackets in place. Ran into a small chassis fitment problem regarding the hood brace. I'll have to figure out a solution to that one. Door handles are next and then the interior and chassis can be mated to the body. Later! Steve

Thanks Carl! Thank you Steve! I appreciate all of that coming from an accomplished builder like yourself! Yeah, I dumped the electrical tape and just painted the seals. I don't need any trouble down the road! Steve

Perfect. Never tried it myself, so now we know. Steve

Thanks guys! Embossing powder. Steve

Sadly a 300 convertible was apparently planned for '61, but for some reason, it never came to fruition. It was proudly listed on the '61 Johan box along with a '61 Fury and a '61 Dart convertibles which never materialized either. Steve

I could see it having a future at my place! Steve

With a little luck, I hope to finish this project up by the end of the month. Fingers crossed! In the meantime, progress is being made. The front bumper and grille are detailed and ready to be installed. Installation might be a little tricky due to the removal of the original "screw post" attachment points on both the body and bumper. Hopefully it goes as planned. The hood latch panel has been positioned in place and in order for it to fit and the hood to close properly, some careful grinding needed to be carried out on the grille with a Dremel tool. The antenna has been built and is waiting for the tip and base to be hit with some Molotow chrome. The rear bumper has also been detailed and installed. More to come. Steve

Absolutely true on both counts. But Geoff's build depicts a '57 Belair sport coupe, not a sedan. We don't want to confuse the situation. This is why there are different "trim levels". The 210 and 150 sedans had almost no bright work window trim at all. Steve

1956 was the same as the '57. The high end models got an extra piece of trim to fill the gap between the vent window and windshield molding. Same in '55. Steve

The glass from any of the Johan 1960/'61 Mopar kits will fit, including Chrysler, Desoto, Dodge and Plymouth. I believe that the '62 300 glass is different, but give it a shot. Steve

I believe that you may be mistaken, at least on the Belair Sport Coupe. It appears to be all chrome from front to back. Steve

I wouldn't even trust it for that! Steve