StevenGuthmiller

Where did you hear that? I had a discussion with a close friend of his a little while back. He mentioned nothing about shoulder replacements. Steve

Terrific! I wonder if there was an issue with either Fotki or the forum over the past couple of days. As I said, I had a couple of issues posting photos a couple of days ago in other threads. Hopefully it is taken care of now. Steve

Good question. As far as I know, I have had no issues with photos in any other thread, or any other forum for that matter, and all of my photos come from the same place. From my digital camera to my hard drive, to my Fotki page, to you. Maybe this would be a good puzzle for the moderators to tackle. It sounds to me like a likely forum issue rather than something with Fotki. How about it guys? Steve

Steve

And the funny thing is that there are probably hundreds of "vacuum metalizing" operations all over the world! Think of all of the plastic chrome parts that you see on a daily basis. They're every where! All vacuum metalized. All it takes is one enterprising individual willing to take up the challenge of dealing with all of us odd ball modelers, with a nearby chrome shop, and the crisis is over. I'm not sure if everyone realizes that neither Chrome Tech or Kustom Khrome plated their own parts. They were merely middle men who mounted and shipped the parts to a plating shop and then returned them to us, the customer. Steve

I'm sorry guys. If there is anything I can do about it, I certainly will. It's to my benefit to have people view my build threads. I have been saved from making errors more than once in the past from viewers who make suggestions. Steve

I have heard that he is still doing business, but due to the lack of any other platers, has become very busy and wait times have become longer. I also have heard that he will be retiring from his chroming operation in the not too distant future. Steve

I don't know guys. They're showing up on my end. Almost all of my photos are Fotki links, so unless there's an issue with the Forum or Fotki, I really wouldn't know why you're not seeing them. I know I was having issues loading a few pics in other threads earlier in the day, but had no issues here. Steve

This verifies the stories that I have been hearing. It appears that although George may have had good intentions, it seems that he is not capable of maintaining this operation. A reliable source tells me that there are no health issues, just the inability to conduct his business effectively. I suppose that there is a possibility that I could be mistaken, but regardless of the reasons, it appears that this enterprise is destined to failure. It's sad because with Chrome Tech closing it's doors, LMK quickly heading towards the exits and GT Kustom Khrome obviously failing, it will basically leave this niche of the hobby completely vacant. I sincerely hope that someone will pick up the torch. Steve

Thanks Tom! I believe the bottom side of the chassis is more or less finished. After a lot of trial and error, I think that I finally have the stance exactly where I wanted it. Steve

The interior looks fantastic! Steve

Great work Tom! Steve

She's all yours buddy! Seriously, it's a '65 Fury which is not exactly a highly desirable restoration project. A very nice one could probably be bought for less than $10,000.00 I'm sure there are thousands of these lying around in junk yards that are in way better shape. Let's just say, I think I would look elsewhere. It would cost more to move this hunk of junk than it could ever be worth. Steve

Before. After.

I also needed to correct the rear shocks which were too short now that the rear suspension had been raised. I simply cut the heads off of the existing shocks and glued them into longer tubes created from plastic rod. Steve

A bit more interior work finished. The arm rests are scratch built and finished in Alclad chrome. I added ash tray detail to the rear ones as well. The pads were just fashioned from plastic sheet and painted the interior color. I hope to get the window cranks installed shortly. When that is done, the door panels should be complete except for some minor paint detail and a set of door lock buttons. Steve

Very nice Tom! The modifications that you did to the rear wheel wells were well worth the effort! Steve

I was just cruising the net while researching a bit for my '65 Fury project and I happened across this auction item. It puzzled me a little why anyone would want it? I guess it has some value in the steel, but I don't see a single usable part on it. I'm surprised it wasn't melted down and turned into a Dodge Neon years ago! Steve

I drill mine out with a various reamer bits in my Dremel tool all of the time. You will want a variable speed Dremel set on a lower speed. (I use 10) I start by drilling out the center of the head light with a pin vice and then a small slender cone shaped reamer to gradually make the hole larger. Yes, you do have to be careful, and a lighted magnifier is a must! When I get down to where I'm very close to the trim ring, I finish with a round file and cylindrical sanding sticks. I have gotten to the point where I do this with every model with the headlight lenses molded in. Steve

That seems to be the modus operandi. Things seem to be falling apart as far as I can deduce. Steve

It's not as difficult as you might think. I bought a set of metallic embossing powder a few years ago that included 16 different colors of powder. This project required a turquoise color which my set did not contain, but luckily, it is mixable to some extent. The first step was to try to mix a couple of the colors that I did have to try to replicate something close to the interior color. This is actually the toughest part! After that, it's just a matter of slightly thinning some Elmer's glue with a few drops of water, masking any areas where you don't want carpet, brushing on the glue and then just dumping the embossing powder over it, shaking it around and then dumping off the excess. Be sure to do this over a piece of newspaper or the like so that you can save the excess and dump it back in the container to be re-used. Also, remember to remove your masking material within a few minutes of finishing the area. As the glue dries, the tape can lift parts of the carpet off with it when removed. Removing the tape while the glue is still wet eliminates this possibility. It's really not difficult at all. This is one of the few parts of building that has no learning curve. I got pretty much perfect results the very first time that I tried it. Steve

Anybody had any luck lately with GT Kustom Khrome? I have been hearing not so flattering things about the service. I know for a fact that the product is fantastic as the plater that he uses is the best, but I'm hearing that patrons parts are taking months to be returned, if not forgotten about entirely. I personally have tried contacting George via email numerous times over several months and have never received any response whatsoever. Not a good sign if your thinking about sending out your precious vintage parts to be re-plated. I had some inside information about the possibility of a new plater coming on line in the near future, but I have not heard any updates over the past month or two. I sincerely hope that the individual who was thinking of taking this venture on is still on track to do so. He seems to be a great and conscientious individual. I hope to be able to spill the beans on this in the not too distant future! Steve

Well, I missed the fact that the rear axle is a little too narrow to fit well under the Fury body. So, I was forced to do something that I hate more than anything else.......disassemble!!! Not a terribly difficult fix. Just a couple of short extensions to bring the rear wheels out a bit further. Steve