StevenGuthmiller

Bill has the right idea if you're a "Face Booker". If your like me, I don't even have a Facebook account. I use the Testors sanding films for a lot of things & I believe the finest grit in the pack is 600. That's as far as I went & it worked out fine. The guys at Kustom Khrome recommend 1000 grit. Most of my films are pretty worn, so essentially the fine is probably worn down to that at least. They don't recommend plating over fillers, but I do it all of the time & it's always worked fine for me. Usually just small sink marks & the like filled with Squadron Green. They do recommend using some sort of sealer over the filler if you use it. They say Testors clear lacquer will suffice. Steve

Mine was easy. I traded a 1961 Mercury promo for 20 pre-wired distributors from Morgan Automotive Detail. 20 builds will take me several years! Steve

Just be warned, I understand that solution refills cost as much as the original kit. Might be worth trying, but I think I'll wait a few years until the price comes down. Remember the $1,000.00 VCR? Steve

Got this '64 Bonneville convertible in a trade with "ToyLvr" Mike yesterday. A couple of minor windshield frame issues to work through & a few minor repairs from having a custom front & rear bumper glued on, but all in all a pretty nice starting point. Steve After stripping.

I've used this method on a '60 & '61 New Yorker, a '60 & '61 Plymouth Fury, a '60 Dodge and a couple of Pontiacs. I have some Chryslers & a boat load of Pontiacs to do these on yet. These are not all the best photos to high light them, but they will give you an idea. Steve

I don't mind either. In fact, I prefer it but always thought I'd save a few bucks mounting my own when I used Chrome Tech. I think I've discovered that the price difference is not worth the time & hassle. Bob at Kustom Khrome also told me that the silicone that we're told to use for mounting by Chrome Tech is a bad idea. Seems there is a chemical reaction between the silicone & the chemicals used in the plating process that can greatly affect adhesion of the chrome. They use all 2 sided tape to mount their parts. I used to get results like this from Chrome Tech years ago, but as of late, the quality has suffered. I've been getting far too many parts back with quality issues. Mainly the fact that the under coating is sprayed on way to heavily hiding details & in some cases leaving "ripples" in the chrome. When I got my parts back from Kustom Khrome, I was amazed at the quality! Aside from a couple of extremely tiny dust specks in a couple of parts, they were perfect!! Steve

Don't know. Is it perfectly round & the right size? Never tried it. Steve

I'm with Richard. It's so much easier just to spend a few dollars & have a perfectly wired distributor come in the mail. Steve

Unlike Chrome Tech, Bob & Rick @ Kustom Khrome don't offer a price for mounted parts, so they're a bit more expensive. Although, they are in line with Chrome Tech's "loose parts" price. They prefer to mount the pieces for plating themselves, & believe me, they did a better job than I could ever do in that department. So, they charge by the piece. Prices vary depending on size. A bumper costs $4.00, a set of wheels $2.00, Small misc. parts $1.75 each & misc. medium parts $3.50 each. They also do chassis for $15.00 & whole kit trees for $20.00. The individual who does all of their plating for them is the same guy who used to do all of the plating for companies like Johan & MPC, so they know what they're doing when it comes to plating kit parts. If I recall correctly, the parts in the photo cost me around $125.00? Steve

Fred Cady has '69 Charger 500, R/T & Super Bee decals. I'm debating as to whether I should use these, paint my own, (minus the "R/T" logo) or just leave them off altogether. Steve

Ok Mike, I see what you mean. I looked at the '69 & there might be a little of that going on with the passenger side, but it's difficult to really tell. I think the culprit may be that the passenger side of the vehicle is where the body was attached to a sprue at the bottom during the molding process. You can see this by the big plastic blobs on the inside of the body along the rocker panel. Chances are that this caused the body to flatten slightly on that side. Mine has a sink mark in that area at the lower rear fender. And, as we know, these anomalies usually only get accentuated over time as the mold gets older. I'm sure that the '68 mold was modified to become the '69 & then the '70, so I'm sure this mold has been around a very long time. Anyway, I'm not letting that bother me. It's nearly imperceptible to me. Steve

Pretty funny Spike! What's even funnier is how in that scene, every car in it is a brand new 1961 Chrysler product! Steve

I checked those door lines on the '69 & I'm not seeing any difference between the two sides. Just to be sure I took a few quick measurements & everything seems to check out. I see what you're talking about with the body line on the door though. Thanks Mike, you just made more work for me! Steve

Thanks Tommy! You can always try to make your clear plastic sections first before cutting the steering wheel. That way, if it doesn't work out, or if you don't like the look, you'll still have a good steering wheel. Steve

Better yet, give "Kustom Khrome" a try. Believe me, their finish is miles above Chrome Tech! Steve

If you're thinking of doing a wagon, why mess with cutting this one up. You can start with a Flintstone resin & save yourself a whole bunch of hassle. Steve

"Crystal Turquoise". MCW carries it under the Chevrolet name of "Azure Turquoise". Same code, same color. Steve

The '57- '59 Chryslers were widely considered to be one of the most beautiful body styles of the 50s. Can't imagine why anyone would want to mess that up. Every example I've seen so far on this thread, except for the box art on the AMT kit, is just ugly as sin! Just my opinion. Steve

I built the newer AMT kit with the opening trunk a few years ago, (same as the Proshop kit I believe, minus a few goodies) As far as I can tell, it looks pretty accurate, but I'm no expert on '57 Chevies. I did have a few assembly issues, but it turned out pretty nice. Steve

Try some Super Clean. I've had paint that oven cleaner wouldn't touch come off pretty well with Super Clean. I've stripped bodies sprayed with 6 or 8 coats of automotive lacquer with it. I have had issues with some flat paints & primers not coming off, but given some time, the paint comes off in sheets. It works by dissolving the primer & loosening up the paint to the point where it just peels off. I've had bodies where an entire side comes off in one sheet. I do agree though, that if the body is easily & inexpensively replaced, I wouldn't even mess with stripping it. Steve

This kit has been around for many years. Reissued several times. I have no idea when it was last produced, but I've had a couple of them over the years. I still have one that I never started. Steve

I've looked around and have noticed a few cars with the dual snorkel on line. So it quite possibly could have been an option. Being as the kit pieces snorkel is proportioned all wrong anyway, it might be a good excuse to replace it & add an extra one. The kit air cleaner has a straight round snorkel. The actual 1:1 is tapered & oval shaped. Steve

Ran across this video on "you tube". If nothing else, it will give you pretty much every available color option. It warms my heart to see this many of these cars still around. Steve http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhzcTt86_aY

That it is, but I think it might be difficult to replicate in 1/25th. But at least this way you know not to add an external antenna. All I can tell you is that the "Model J" had the 400 cubic inch engine which had a single snorkel. The MPC kit depicts a "Model SJ" which was equipped with the 428 cube engine. There is the possibility that it had a dual snorkel, but I doubt it. I believe all of these cars were equipped with air conditioning & there would have been little room for another snorkel. If you need any more info on the '69 Grand Prix Tommy, just ask. I have a 1:1 Model J sitting in my garage. Steve

Incorrect. The '69 Grand Prix was the first car to ever have the antenna in the glass. My 1:1 '69 has it. Steve