StevenGuthmiller

I used to use Easy Off a lot. But as you say, it's not as "user friendly" as Super Clean. It's a lot easier just to drop it in a tub and walk away for a few days. Steve

That doesn't compute in my opinion. It's the primer that is affected, not the paint, as evidenced by the photos above. If the Super clean is able to get under the paint to the primer, the paint has nothing to adhere to in any case, regardless of the paint used. Ways to allow the Super Clean to find it's way to the primer need to be found, like scratching the paint down to the primer in places. If the solution can find it's way under the paint and begins to dissolve the primer, the paint will inevitably come off. I suspect that in cases where it has no affect, the primer was applied thin enough to allow the paint to dissolve it's way through the primer, adhering itself to the plastic. Another reason, in my opinion, to use plenty of primer I have used it on Testors lacquers with the same effect as with the Duplicolor and MCW paints. Steve

Granted, there are no silver bullets. I don't use Tamiya paints so I have no idea how it works for stripping them, but if it works this well for automotive lacquers, it should work for the majority of other paints. It removes most enamels and chrome in a matter of minutes, but there are always those circumstances where almost nothing will work. I suspect that the issue with stripping Tamiya paint is not the paint itself, it's the formulation of the primer. As you can see by the above photos, the paint is virtually unaffected by the Super Clean. It's the primer that is quickly dissolved. A couple of tips that I'm sure that most have heard is to keep the solution in a warm place. It virtually doubles the effectiveness. Likewise, it doesn't hurt to put a few scratches in various places on the body, through the paint down to the primer. This will facilitate the super Clean getting under the paint to do it's work on the primer. I don't know for certain if Super Clean has any sort of "shelf life", but after 15 years?.......Yeah, I think I would replace it. As far as using alcohol for stripping paint goes, I know that a lot of guys say it is safe, but I'm not thoroughly convinced. I will use alcohol wipes for certain applications and will occasionally soak something for a short period, but I have also heard others say that it will dry out the plastic and render it brittle. I don't need to take that chance. Steve

After another half an hour or so, the primer is basically gone. Steve

I know that there have been individuals on the forum that have questioned the effectiveness of Super Clean for stripping lacquer paints, so I thought that this post might help. This '65 Plymouth has been painted twice and this is the second time it will have been stripped, so first of all, you will see that there is zero damage to the plastic even after a couple of relatively long soaks in Super Clean. Both times that this Plymouth was painted, it received multiple coats of primer, paint and clear, probably in excess of 12 coats in each instance. The paints used were a coat of Testors primer, 4 to 5 coats of Duplicolor primer/sealer, 3 or 4 coats of MCW lacquer color, and about 5 coats of Duplicolor clear lacquer. This is the result after just letting it sit in Super Clean for several days. (probably 4 or 5 days) As you can see, the clear and paint peels off easily in large sheets after the Super Clean has begun to dissolve the primer. Entire panels of the body peel off in one large piece with very little effort under warm running water. Now it will go back in the pond for a period of time to help remove the remainder of the primer. Anything that the Super Clean will not remove should be easily removed with some alcohol and possibly a little light sanding. Steve This is almost the entire trunk lid and half of the driver's side rear quarter. Almost the entire remainder of the driver's side of the body!

I liked the '63 and '64 as well, but the '67 just looked "right" to me for the period. The obligatory Coke bottle silhouette, the sweeping fast back roof line, The tail lights, (which were finally a marked improvement over the ugly '65 and '66 tail lights) and I'm just a total sucker for the stacked headlight treatment! Possibly one of my favorite facades of every vehicle from the 60s! If I had to pick my least Favorite 60s Fords, they would probably be the somewhat dumpy looking '62 and the just plain ugly "box on a box" '65! Steve

Thanks guys. I had thought about the AMT '62 Catalina Chassis, and while it seems that it would work well for my '64 Pontiac Grand Prix, it is a touch too short for the Bonneville. The Catalina Chassis will require some cutting up just to fit in the Grand Prix just because of the transmission tunnel interfering with the interior tub. Having to deal with that, plus the added head ache of having to stretch it for the Bonneville might be a bridge too far for me. I might just live with the original chassis for this one and just do an engine swap. Steve

I've been combing through all of my kits and racking my brain trying to determine if there is a modern kit out there with the same wheel base and chassis configuration as a 1964 Pontiac Bonneville kit that I have upcoming. I've checked all of the Chevrolet's from that time frame, including the Monogram '65 and AMT '67 Impalas and they are all too short. I suppose that I could stretch the '65 chassis to fit, but this is just another indication of how lacking the kit market is in certain segments. Help me guys, is there a kit with a modern multi piece chassis that would fit the '64 Bonneville's 123 inch wheel base, or am I going to have to settle for the original kit piece, or modify something? Steve

Really? I've always thought that the '61 Starliner and the '67 Galaxie were the best looking of all of the 60s full sized Fords. But, I suppose that we all have different tastes. Steve

That's pretty much it. This is a Modelhaus casting of the original interior. Steve

Exactly. Too much burnishing will make it look like regular foil. I never really saw enough difference between the regular and aluminum BMF to justify buying 2 different sheets. It's pretty easy to transform the regular foil into whatever finish you desire. Steve

My understanding is that the step side version will be the first offering. Followed by a short box, long box and utility box. I'm not certain which ones will be 4x4s, but I'm certain they will be offered. Steve

I used a similar technique for the stainless roof panels an my '60 Imperial. I just sanded it in one direction to give it the polished stainless look and then applied it as usual. Steve

You can put dull coat over it after it is applied. I don't think you will have any luck doing it before hand. Dull coat it with a brush afterwards. Steve

No. There was virtually no detail under the hood whatsoever! I added any firewall and fender well wiring that you see, as well as the windshield washer motor and bag, master cylinder, solenoid, horns and radiator bracket. Steve

She's finally done. I kind of wish that I would have gone back and spent a little more time on a few items, but all in all, it's good enough for me. If you have followed along with the build thread, you will know what all was done with this project, so I won't bore you with that. I'll just move on to the fair to mediocre pics. As always, all comments and critiques are welcome. Steve

Beautiful!........for a 4 door. Steve

Got about another foot of snow yesterday and last night. Spent about an hour and a half digging out. Nothing really out of the ordinary for March in Minnesota. Here is a shot of the 5 foot snow bank out my patio door as viewed from my family room chair, and a shot of the rudimentary "cow path" that was once my front sidewalk. Steve

Well, this project is finished! While I try to somehow overcome my feeble photography skills and produce some presentable photos, I will post this one. While doing a little experimenting with different backgrounds I took this shot on a red background that reminded me of a brochure add, so I added a little text and came up with this. Stay tuned. I will eventually crank out a few pictures that will hopefully not embarrass me! Steve

Yes. I have yet to see a clear that doesn't destroy the chrome effect. Molotow chrome is far too fragile for an application like this anyway. It's not the answer to everyone's chrome fantasies. Steve

The nice thing about the '66 versus the '65 is the fact that the '66 has separate exhaust. That's a rather large plus in my opinion. I think that maybe with a little suspension tweaking to adjust the ride height and maybe the wheel base, it could be corrected. Steve

Ok, I guess they're not the same. Both a little different from the '67. Steve

Thank you Tom. All things to take into consideration if and when I build one in the future. I'm guessing that the AMT '65 and '66 Fords shared the same chassis and then they must have changed a bit in '67. It looks as if a possible chassis swap might be the best answer for the stance issues. Steve

A very nice build Tom! I don't have one of these kits........yet, but it's interesting to look at some comparisons between the '66 kit and the current project that I'm working on, the AMT '67 Galaxie XL. The first thing that I noticed was the chassis. Is the '66 chassis a two part deal like the '67 where the interior tub floor is separate from the frame? I was also wondering about the exhaust. Is it entirely separate from the chassis, or are parts of it molded t the chassis? I also see that there are details molded into the chassis, like the brake lines, (absent on the '67) and some wiring and plumbing detail molded into the fire wall and fender wells, (also non-existent on the '67) Otherwise, everything looks very similar. One of the main gripes I've always had about the AMT '66 kit is the stance. To my eye, they sit entirely too low in the rear especially. If you look at the photo of the 1:1 that you posted, it sits considerably higher giving it a much more aggressive look. The kit can have a bit of a dumpy "grandpa" stance as it comes from the box. Steve

Another big snow storm bearing down on us for Saturday and into Sunday. They're forecasting an additional 6 to 8 inches with more on the way for the middle of next week. But at least the temperatures are beginning to rise. It was a balmy 25 degrees today!!!! Steve