StevenGuthmiller

I've been pretty happy with the results I've been able to get with Duplicolor black & clear. Steve

Hi guys! Been adding a few more odds & ends in anticipation of getting going on the paint. I started by eliminating those front "screw posts". I just can't leave them in there any more! Then I added the hood "supports" on the inner fenders I also made a new top for the radiator brace & a panel for the top of the grille shell. I'm also working on re-inventing the rear package shelf. I hope to start slinging some filler either tonight or tomorrow. I would love to be priming by the weekend. Steve

Interesting. They must have some new ones I've not seen. I bought several patterns a couple of years ago & I don't remember seeing this one. The fit the Plymouth perfectly. Steve

Very nice Michael! I especially like the interior. Where did the seat insert decals come from? Steve

There was a log? I looked at that photo for a good long time. Never noticed a log. Steve

I hate working with black too! As a matter of fact, a while back, I started a thread about a build I was doing called, "Man....I Hate Black"! I really don't have any inspiration to offer because I work with black so little, but I will say, it's a beautiful color when it's done right. I use MCW paints all of the time, but for a basic black, I would just use Duplicolor black & shoot it with a rattle can. It's the same stuff as the MCW paint & Duplicolor rattle cans spray well. I did a '60 Mercury & more recently, a '62 Ford with Duplicolor black & they worked out just fine. Steve

Who are these clowns that are "bothered" by the way you photograph your models? Has to be someone who has nothing to do with his day but complain about what others do. I really wish busy bodies like this would just close their face & mind their own business! The first thing that came to mind when I started reading your post Doug, was "this is a joke right"? Photograph your models however you want & I wouldn't apologize to these guys under any circumstances! I think they owe you an apology! By the way, The '62 Chevy looks terrific! Steve

Thanks so much guys! I personally love these old Johan kits! I've built a lot of them in the past few years & have a bunch more to build. They're such a refreshing change in subject matter from what's available today. It takes something "different" but still in my sphere of interest to keep me interested in the hobby. Luckily with the age of the internet & outlets like ebay, they're able to be found, although quite expensive at times! I have enough old annuals to keep me busy for many years to come, whether Johan, AMT or MPC, & I've been enjoying the heck out of it! Thanks again! Steve

Thanks so much guys! It's already to that point where I should be close to completion on another project, but with my '65 Plymouth paint problems, & just plain dragging my butt, it's going to be a while before I post another one. So it's nice to see that there is still some interest in this one! Thanks again! Steve

Thanks for the responses guys. It's been a very memorable year for me finally seeing life breathed into her again after all these years, & it's a real hoot opening up those secondaries on that big old Rochester carb! This car will always have a special place in my heart & will likely be with me until the day I die. Either that or it will be passed on to one of my kids when I'm too old to drive......with some conditions of course! I do have the kit to build eventually. I figure the 1:1 has a few years to go before it's in really "presentable" condition, so I have a while yet before the model needs to be finished. I'll keep honing my skills for a while to make sure it's "top shelf" when it's done. Steve

Not even a question in my mind! Steve

Yes Scott. And I don't believe that I will go back to Chrome Tech. Bob's stuff is sooooo much better. I had to go over all of these pieces with a fine toothed comb to find even the tiniest imperfection. Absolutely amazing!! Steve

You are 100% correct! I have no regrets. Sometimes it pays to be a "pack rat". There is a sad part of my car history however. I had another car that was in a similar situation that did not end quite so well. Around the same time as the Grand Prix story was unfolding, I had a 1958 Cadillac Series 62 coupe that I had bought around my senior year in high school. It also went into storage at the same time as the Pontiac in a different location for the same reasons. While it didn't have the same sentimental value as the Pontiac, it was in excellent shape & was ripe for an easy restoration when it went into storage. It was coral in color with a black top & a tri-tone interior of "dusty rose", pink & black. Who wouldn't love to own a pink Cadillac. unfortunately, the unscrupulous owner of the storage facility neglected to inform me that the storage facility's roof had collapsed, & for the last few years that it was in storage it was wide open to the elements. When I was finally informed by a friend that I needed to come & inspect my now destroyed Caddy which was stored 100 miles from where I now live, I arrived to find a totally rusted hulk that was once a beautiful Cadillac! The body was rusted out, the frame shot & the interior, which had been in almost new condition, completely destroyed. Now it was nothing more than a collection of parts for someone else's restoration. I considered taking some sort of legal action against the property owner, but decided against it. I'm just not the "suing" type. So, against my better judgement, I just chalked it up as a very sad learning experience and focused my attention on the Grand Prix. I passed the Caddy along to a friend who sold it for parts. The photo is not of the car I owned as mine had a black top, but this is just a reminder to me of what I lost. Steve

It's kind of a long story, but you asked for it! I bought this car the year that I graduated from high school, in 1981. After driving it for a few years, My wife & I got married in 1987, & started having a family the following year. Sometime shortly before my daughter was born in '88 The car had to be put into storage for the obvious family "money" reasons, plus the fact that it was not really driveable with the transmission going out as well as other problems. So, long story short, it sat in a farm shed for nearly 28 years. My wife & I dated in this car, went to 2 proms in it, & used it for our "getaway" car at our wedding, so it has a great deal of sentimental value for both of us. So we always had the intention of fixing it up, but with a young family, car payments & a mortgage, we never had the funds. Fast forward to the late winter of 2014, I got a call from the owner of the farm where the car was being stored telling me that the storage building was going to be demolished in the spring & the car had to be removed. Well, with the kids both being pretty much independent at this point & the money issue getting a little better, we took this as the omen that it was time to start working on the car. It was hauled out in April of 2015 & sent directly to a family mechanic to get the important bits fixed & rebuilt so that the car could be safely moved from point A to point B. As you can imagine, after sitting in a shed for 28 years, there were A lot of issues to address. So, at this point, the engine has been completely rebuilt as well as the transmission, brakes, cooling system, etc. Now we have a perfectly functional, driveable car, but the first installment of cash is gone & all of the "pretty" parts have yet to be done. It will be an ongoing project, but in the meantime we can still relive a very happy time in our younger years with just a turn of the key. The motivation for this post today was the the thought that the car was put into storage in anticipation of my now 27 year old daughters birth, ending one segment of my life & beginning another. This was sort of an opportunity for those 2 separate periods to come full circle and kind of merge into yet another segment. Kind of a time when my first love, (the Grand Prix) my second love, (my wife) & my third love, (my daughter) can all coexist together. Steve

Took my daughter out for her first ride today in my Grand Prix. Hopefully it will be the first ride of many more to come! Steve

I'll check that out too Snake. I don't think I have any leather, but I believe I have some of the Testors "wood". Steve

Still working on the fabrication part of this project to get ready for paint. I added the boot snaps today by measuring & drilling out all of the holes in the trim, then made a bunch of "pins" by stretching sprue & applying a little heat to the end of each pin to create a "head". Then just glued each pin in place. I may still sand each pin head a little flatter as the domed head doesn't quite look the way I wanted it to. A small drill hole in the center of each pin might complete that "snap" look as well. Steve

When I think of a leather colored interior, something like this Chrysler comes to mind. I'll be doing my '62 300 convertible in this scheme. Testors makes a "leather" paint that looks pretty close. I might just add a few drops of white. They have it in enamel & acrylic. Steve

Welcome Steve! The more Steve's the better! Steve

Your interests are parallel to mine George. I'm a full sized 50s & 60s car guy all the way! I don't believe I've built a muscle car in 15 years. Although, the more obscure ones do grab my attention occasionally. I have a '69 Coronet I hope to build within the next year or so. Steve

Thanks Guys! I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments! Steve

Well, I'm making pretty good progress with this up top situation. First of all, the boot snap trim has been added to the body, (snaps to be added later) & the rear package shelf removed as well as the wells for the mechanisms cut out. I'll have to figure out a new package shelf. Shouldn't be too difficult. Then some cutting & reshaping of the tulip panel/ rear window area. Next the front of the top was cut to accommodate it being moved forward. In the process, I added the chrome strip at the front of the top. I noticed this from looking at reference photos. Then of course, the "sail panels" had to be cut back by about a quarter inch to make the side window opening look a little more correct. What do you all think? Does it need to be cut back some more? I'm thinking it looks fairly close. There are a few things that may need a little refining as I move along, but at least I'm gaining a little. Steve

Actually, the marble columns one is the one I remember! Steve

There are parts for: 1963 Pontiac Bonneville 1965 Plymouth Fury 1966 Pontiac Bonneville 1967 Pontiac Bonneville 1967 Ford Galaxie 1967 Chrysler 300 1967 Plymouth Fury 1969 Dodge Coronet I also have a pair of resin bumpers for a '61 Oldsmobile 88 that I failed to get in the picture. Steve

Testors clear lacquers are mild enough to spray over decals as I'm sure acrylic or urethane would be, although I have no experience with either. Just be sure to stay away from any automotive clear lacquers like Duplicolor for use over decals. They will eat your decals for breakfast! If you're not using decals, automotive clears will work just fine over MCW paint. Steve