StevenGuthmiller

As much or as little as you like. Strip the existing chrome of course, and then I usually sand off the mold lines & fill any sink marks in the bumpers as well as drill out the headlight lenses if their molded in. But if mold lines don't bother you, you can just strip the parts & send them in. You'll get a much better looking part if you tweak them a bit though. Steve

I have the exact same problem frequently. I've pretty much just chalked it up as being one of the "charms" of the forum. Steve

If you want to use Alclad, & you're doing something fairly easy like a transmission, you can mask around it with BMF. I use a lot of foil for masking purposes where you have irregularities in shape that are too difficult for tape. just throw spare pieces of foil on around the transmission, get them down tight in the corners & then cut around the tranny with a sharp X-acto knife. The larger area can be masked with regular tape. I use foil for transmissions that are attached to the block where masking with tape would be a bear. Works well for me. For this Pontiac engine I used 2 different colors of Alclad. Aluminum & Steel. Steve

I had a bunch of parts done by Kustom Krome before it was GT Kustom Krome & I have never seen better results! Apparently the plater that they use was the principal plater for several of the kit companies in years past, so they know what they're doing. I have so many parts that need replating that I may keep these guys in business all by myself! I will definitely be using them again in the future, Steve

With the thousands of the hobby shops that have folded their tents over the past few decades, it will be hard to convince anybody with any business acumen to take that kind of risk. I would love to open a hobby shop of my own, but I know better. Steve

I don't normally do "cool". This is about as cool as it gets with me. Steve

Who needs decals. Looks like you did a fine job to me. When you build a lot of vintage kits, you learn to make do with paint. It's a good skill to have in your arsenal. Steve

Definitely be sure that you're "not" using the Ultra Bright Foil & don't give up. If you do it right, you'll have a hard time telling where the real chrome ends & the foil begins. Steve

Harry was an integral part of this forum & will be very sorely missed by all of us! My heart felt sympathies go to all of his family. As far as I'm concerned, there is no doubt in my mind that Harry's builds were absolutely museum quality & I can't believe that any museum that has anything to do with cars would not love to have them. They could probably populate an entire section of their museum with nothing but Harry's builds & my guess is that it would be a very popular exhibit. I would do my best to contact a good, reputable auto museum & be sure to include some of his high quality photos. If I were a curator of a museum like that, I would jump at a chance like this!! Steve

Thanks guys! Thanks Niko. This was from my "younger" days when I was still using black for the panel lines. I wouldn't do them that dark today. Yeah, tell me about it! Makes me feel really old! I remember like it was yesterday when this series started from Monogram, starting with that "revolutionary" '59 Caddy. Steve

What kind of steering wheels? Detail Master carries a few different styles. Steve

The only one that I can tell is an omission rather than a color not available "Moulin Rouge". Steve

I'm not really sure why threads like this, which was started with the intention of having a good & spirited conversation, have to wind up degrading into people throwing around derogatory language. I think if we wouldn't feel comfortable calling someone of Japanese descent a "Jap" to his face, perhaps we should refrain. For the most part I think this discussion has been interesting & respectful, but this may be a good point for the moderators to lock the thread before things spiral out of hand......again! Steve

I was thinking the same thing Bill. You'll have to get your own. Steve

Am I supposed to think otherwise of the likes of the Hell's Angels, the Banditos or the Son's of Silence? There's quite a difference between a "biker gang" & a "biker club". I've spent time around both. Steve

Thanks everyone. It was one of my first attempts at trying "Metro" paints many years ago. I believe it was Ford "Wimbledon White". I wish that I could still get this stuff. It was a lacquer in a spray can with a fan spray nozzle. This is straight paint. No clear, no polishing. Steve

I guess this is kind of my whole thought on the subject. Definitions are a funny thing when nothing is written in stone. Who's to say what a muscle car is if there's not even agreement on whether or not a Camaro or a Mustang is a muscle car. I don't give a lot of weight to what the "local biker gangs" are riding. Not my policy to pay much attention to thieves & thugs. Steve

That's a very persuasive argument. Steve

I agree. But where does the definition of a "muscle car" start & where does it end. Here's a 2 door 4 speed with a 360 horse 413 cubic inch engine. Is it a muscle car? Steve

Well Bill, we'll have to disagree. I think most of the world would still consider the '75 Trans Am a muscle car.

Just barely! Steve

Here's another twist to the discussion. I think that most of us would consider this a "muscle car", right? But really? With all of it's glorious 185 ponies with the 400? Steve

I love it! The "yuk colors" as you call them look very authentic for the period. They can't all be red & aqua. I think it's a great change. & it's nice to see one in stock configuration. Steve

I get the point guys. The "real" muscle cars of the 60s are gone, never to return. But I think what some of you have said is what the author of this article was trying to convey. This is what I consider a basic definition of a muscle car. What it looks like or what corner of the world the parent company is located has little to do with the subject. No, I don't consider an Accord coupe a muscle car in the true sense of the words either, but what I think he was trying to make us think about is, what is out there today that still has a little bit of that feel & can still come closest to adhering to the definition. Can anybody name something? We old timers come into an argument like this with preconceived notions & heavy biases because we were around to see this era. What is a '69 Road Runner? A fast American car. A stripped down 2 door version of family sedan with a big engine. What constitutes the definition of "muscle"? Horsepower? cubic inches? I'm not sure I know. That was part of his point. The Accord was more "American" than a Dodge Hellcat. That pretty much describes nearly everything built in the '60s & 70s. As I said guys, I'm with most of you to a certain extent, but I thought this article made some salient points. Steve

I don't really think that the author was trying to "compare" yesterdays muscle cars with anything that may exist today. He would probably agree that there is little parallel between the two . I think his gist was mainly that when we think of a true muscle car, we think of a relatively stripped down & inexpensive 2 door with a large powerful "Basically designed" engine, & given the vehicles that call themselves muscle cars today, with every bell & whistle imaginable, turbo chargers, super chargers & a sticker price well over what a house cost in 1964, there are few cars out there that could be "shoe horned" into that category, let alone the "American" part of the equation. I'm not sure whether or not I agree with his conclusion, but it is definitely food for thought. Steve