StevenGuthmiller

There you go! I've lived in the "Peoples Republic of Minnesota" for nearly my entire life, & have paid their exorbitant taxes during that time. Up to this point, I have never taken a penny from any government entity, & I consider that a badge of honor. If or when the day comes that I may need to use any of the state of Minnesota's or any federal programs, all I can say is, "they owe me"!! The only thing that really makes my heart ache is the fact that most of these programs have been so severely mis-handled for so long that our generation may be the last to take advantage of them, & the next generation, our children, will be saddled with paying for something that they will never be able to use. Steve

I thought of trying that, but they really get no handling. These lenses that I used in the '62 never touched my hands. I did everything with a tweezers. They basically went straight from the mold to the bezel. I may try a shot of clear next time though, just to shine them up a little. Or I may try the melted clear sprue technique again. That yields a much clearer & shinier lens, but it's also more work. Steve

Yeah Rick, I've tried that a couple of times. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. It's just more difficult to make a mold that way. It's easier just to press a lens into the mold material. Otherwise you get all of surrounding parts from the grille or bezel as part of your mold & it just seemed to me to be more difficult to cast a clean part. No reason why you shouldn't give it a shot though. Might work better for you. Steve

I don't think the problem is the reflector. The Laser Bond is not as clear as kit plastic & after molding, it's not shiny like clear kit plastic. This will have to do until a better alternative for lenses comes along. There's always room to do something different with the reflectors if needed. Steve

No Dale. Bought it from MCW. They sell it as Chevrolet "Jewel Blue", # 6104. Same color, same code. Steve

I have to say that I'm a little amazed at all of the problems people claim to have with BMF. I've been using this stuff for probably 25 years, & outside of the issues with some of the specialty foils, I've never had a problem with it that I can think of. I've probably used up 6 or 8 sheets of the new & improved foil just in the past 3 or 4 years with zero problems. It just escapes me. Steve

Laser Bond & Bondic are pretty much the same animal. Both are UV cured adhesives. You can squirt a little bit into your mold, hit it with the light for a few seconds & it's cured & ready to use. I use it for anything where I need an instant bond as well. Works great for mock ups & things like installing glass. You can pick it up almost anywhere online. I believe I got my last tube on either Amazon or Ebay. You can pick it up in the US for around $10.00-$12.00. If you don't mind waiting forever for shipping, you can get it from China for about $2.00 a tube on Ebay. Steve

That's the nice thing about using Laser Bond or Bondic for lenses. Once you make an impression of a given lens, you have the mold on hand & it takes a matter of a few minutes to make a complete set of lenses. I have molds made for several different size lenses. The trick is to find lenses with the "waffle" detail ridges in the outside of the lens. Most kits have them on the inside making them unacceptable for making a one part mold. Steve

Here are the finished headlight assemblies. I'm happy with this technique. Steve

Here are the finished product. Steve

Well, here's a basic overview. It is basically a drilling out of the old headlights & replacing them with a bucket & lenses. The difference is, that you're making the bucket from basic aluminum tubing & the lens from "Laser Bond". 2 different sizes of tubing are required. Sorry, but there was no size on the package of tubing that I bought, they just looked about right. I did my best to measure them & the smaller tube looks to be about 5mm O/D, & the larger about 5.5mm O/D. Anyway, what you're looking for is a piece of aluminum tubing that is the correct size for the headlight retaining ring, & another piece that slides tightly inside of it. Basically, the large tubing will be the exposed trim ring, & the smaller tubing will slide inside for the lens to seat on. Then a piece of plastic rod or sprue, with the end covered in foil, slid into the smaller tube as a reflector. Then, a lens molded from Laser Bond dropped in. It's really not a difficult process, just a little more complex than a ready made bucket & lens. The most difficult part is drilling the bezels to the correct size. Steve

That's a good looking '59 Sam! Nice work! Steve

I've been struggling with half way realistic looking head lights in old annual kits for a long time! I think I've finally cobbled together a solution. It's a little complicated, involving aluminum tubing & "Laser Bond" cast lenses, but I finally found something I like the look of. It could still use a little refinement, but I don't think it looks half bad for a first attempt! If people like the look, I'll try to put together a tutorial at some point. By the way, you could leave out the reflectors if you're inclined to build something with working lights. Steve

Thanks guys! I'll possibly post another update tonight. A long time nemesis of mine with these old annuals has been realistic headlights. I think I may have finally stumbled upon a system that works. It's a little involved, using aluminum tubing for the tubs & "Laser Bond" cast lenses. I had to drill out the head light area of the body after the body was finished, which was a little bit of a harrowing experience, but I think they will look good when finished. Steve

Either way, you'd have to be willing to shell out a couple hundred at least! Steve

Oh well, still a cool looking car. It would still make a great project. I guess the kits exist to do one of these instead. Steve

I would use white primer under the paint as Nick said, but for the chassis, I would use gray if it's to be over sprayed. Chrysler would not have used white primer on the 1:1. I believe most cars of the period would have had body color over spray around the perimeter, but something tells me Mopars may have been painted underneath entirely. I'm sure one of the true Mopar gurus will be able to tell you for sure. Steve

Hang in there Harry! We need you back! You're in my prayers & I have confidence you'll be back on your feet soon! Steve

I've long thought about doing a Canadian early 60s "Plodge". The Canadian combinations of some of the Dodge & Plymouth "hybrids" from that era were quite interesting. The 1961 Dodge Super D 500 was a Dodge body with a Plymouth front clip & interior. Very cool! Steve

This is surely the absolute worst interior tub that one will ever flock carpets on! There are so many nooks & crannies to cover that it was a real nightmare! But, it's done now & with a little more foiling, the dash to detail, a few resin & scratch parts & it'll be done. Come to think of it, I guess I've got a lot to do on it still! Steve

Terrific work Bill! You've been on a bit of a building "terror" here lately. Can I borrow a little of your mojo? I can't seem to get anything accomplished! Very nice job!! Steve

I can't add any info on this subject as I know nothing about it, but you may want to do a little more research on the #63 Pontiac in the photo. Sure looks to be a '59 to me. The double tail fins give it away. If this is the case, replicating it will require either a resin replica, or an original annual. Steve I just found this photo of the Whitey Gerken car. Definitely a '59.

I haven't seen the "original" BMF in quite some time. It was replaced with the "New & Improved" product. Basically the same as the original as far as I can tell, but the name has changed. I stay away from the "Ultra Bright" as well. Far too hard to work with. Doesn't cut as well due to the thickness, doesn't conform to compound curves well, & the adhesive doesn't seem to "adhere" as well either. If I were you "Pro Tech", I would save myself some headaches & avoid the Ultra Bright & go straight for the New & Improved. Steve

Looks pretty good Ray! I'll pretend I'm Harry & say, "Needs a mirror"! The paint is nice & I like the color, but it could use a bunch more foil. Steve

Sweet! You don't find these just lying around. They're getting harder to find all of the time. Steve