StevenGuthmiller

That's hilarious! Pretty sure I saw that sketch when it was new, but I had forgotten about it. Steve

Did you have problems with LMK? I had always heard good things about them. Never tried them though. I think you'll be very happy with Kustom Khrome. Best stuff I've seen in a long time! Steve

No web page. They deal through e-mail or phone. When I started my first order, they were having issues with their e-mail accounts. Not sure if they have resolved that issue or not but you can try e-mailing Bob @ bobspaintetc@gmail.com Or Rick @ shepinski@yahoo.com But basically Bob just told me to prep the parts, pack them, include an inventory & a check & mail it to them. They would take it from there. Trying to email them for price lists & full instructions would probably be the best place to start though. Steve

I use Duplicolor primer under mine all of the time. I'm sure any primer that will make a good barrier against crazing will work just fine. As far as how much paint you need, that depends a lot on what all you're painting. Does that body include everything under the hood such as firewalls, radiator brace, hood hinges, etc? Does it include wheels & chassis over spray? Generally, 1 jar, (1 oz.) will be more than enough for 1 body. Here's a little trick for you too Snake. To save on the "good" paint, I use a Duplicolor paint close to the MCW color for the first couple of color coats. That way it requires less MCW paint to get good coverage. (usually a couple of coats) Using this trick, I rarely use more than a half an ounce(1/2 jar) to paint one kit. So, to answer your question, I would be surprised if you needed more than 2 jars to do those 3 bodies. I would not be surprised if you had 2/3 of a jar left. Steve

I guess whatever floats your boat Snake. Steve

Yes, they prefer to do the mounting. Prices depend on the size of the part. Bumpers are $4.00, wheel sets are $2.00 etc. I spent a little over $120.00 to chrome these parts for 9 kits. (about &13.00 per kit) They are located in New Berlin Wisconsin. Yes Bill, I do all of my own prep work prior to shipping, including a good washing. I had a few very small areas that needed a little filler, but they were very small. I just used "Squadron Green" in the repairs I did. They do recommend a clear coat over filler, but my repairs were so small I took a chance & was not disappointed. They recommend no sanding or filling of course, as all of these platers do, but they know you're going to do it, so they ask that you use at least 1000 grit, or buff with ultra fine steel wool. Yes, they will do resin parts, but it states explicitly in their flyer that they will not guarantee results of resin parts. I had 2 resin bumpers done & I will say that they did not turn out as nicely as the rest, but they're not bad either. Steve

I use MCW paints religiously. There's no need for sealer. MCW paints are nothing more than automotive lacquer, no different than Duplicolor or any other. Just as you would for any "hot" paint, use plenty of primer, & light coats of color to start & you should have no crazing problems. That "bleeding" business is just foolishness. As long as the surface is well primed, you'll have no "bloody" problems. Steve

My trade with "larry ray" went very well! Thank you Larry! Steve

I just got back my re-plating order from the guys at Kustom Khrome & all I can say is.....WOW!! This stuff is better than the best kit chrome you've ever seen, no kidding! With all of the parts you see, I found maybe 2 indiscreet, tiny specks of dust under the chrome. Otherwise, it's as smooth and shiny as you will ever see!! The biggest complaint I've had about "Chrome Tech" as of late is their under coating. Most of the chrome I had them do years ago was absolutely beautiful, but in the past few years, they've been spraying their undercoat way too heavy, leading to a few problems with adhesion & detail hide. Price wise, it's a little more expensive than Chrome Tech, but then again, I always used to mount my own parts which is not an option with Kustom Khrome. Chrome Tech offers a mounting service as well, so when you factor in that price, it's pretty much a wash. One of the best parts is turn around. I shipped my parts on May 31st. I received my parts today, June 24th. Right around 4 weeks. I can't remember ever receiving my parts in less than 6 weeks with Chrome Tech. So, in a nut shell, if you're looking to have some parts re-plated, these are the guys to do it! Believe me, you will not be disappointed! Steve

It's been a little like Christmas around my house today! Came home to 3 packages on my front step! First was a trade that I did with "larry ray". a sealed Moebius '56 Chrysler. Next was an Ebay find. A pretty nice AMT 1960 Lincoln Continental. I needed another one of those like a hole in the head! Last, & the most exciting was my re-plated parts from "Kustom Khrome". I'm going to do a review of this in another topic. Absolutely amazing!! Steve

I surely can save it if I choose. I do these the easy way. Just clip the column at the base as close to the dash as possible, & then drill out the remaining column left in the dash. Generally, there's plenty of column left just to reinsert. If not, steering columns are easy to make. Steve

That's an Idea! If a guy could find one about the right size, that might work. Steve

I don't think so Curt. The color you see is the color of the plastic. Neither the body or top are painted & they're exactly the same color. A lot of these Johan up tops from this era were rather "ill fitting". I have a few of them & most will require mods to get them to look right. Steve

No dome Mike. I'm not sure how a guy would go about duplicating one either. I guess there's the possibility that a cut down airplane canopy could work. Not sure I'll go quite that far though! Steve

You do them the same way you did the trim Jon. Just lay a piece of foil on the top of the crank & slowly work it down around the edges with something pointed but not sharp enough to break the foil. The small pointed Tamiya swabs work fantastic for this sort of thing. Once you get it close to totally conforming, then just get into the sharp corners with a tooth pick. but don't force it. Take your time. The foil will stretch a little if you work with it. Steve

I've decided that since my '65 Plymouth Fury is temporarily stalled, it was time to get right back on the horse & go to work on another project. This '62 Chrysler that "thatz4u" (Al), was so kind to leave in my possession, seemed like the perfect subject. I've been meaning to build a '62 hardtop but was never thrilled about the incorrect interior, so it always seemed to wind up on the back burner. When this original convertible presented itself to me, it got me fired back up to build one. Especially being as it has my beloved up top included! I've just started "deconstruction" & I'm always amazed at the things you find with these old "built ups". Some of it literally falls apart, while other areas require a crowbar & dynamite to disassemble. Examples: The glass was not glued at all, yet the dashboard was so cemented to the interior tub that I had to grind it out with a Dremel! The wheel backs were not glued, but the top boot would have remained fastened to the body in a nuclear blast! The steering wheel is a lost cause! It could be cut off & reused, but luckily I have 2 hardtop kits that will be more than happy to donate a few parts. I've already noticed a few issues with the fitment of the up top. It seems to be too long which would put the boot snap trim right into the trunk lid. It looks like I'll have to cut some of the material from the front & move the whole top forward. This in turn will make the rear quarter windows too small, so some more material will have to be removed from the sides of the top. Luckily, the heavily glue damaged tulip panel will be mostly removed & modified to accept the up top, & the damaged rear package shelf will be replaced. So in the end, the body is nice, the windshield frame is solid, & the interior tub is the correct one. All is good with the world! I'm leaning towards bright red with a tan interior & either a tan or black top. Steve This photo shows the problem with the up top being too long.

Yeah, looking at Christian's photos, I fail to see where that 15 inch difference comes in. Steve

How does it work Mike? Steve

Just received my end of a trade with Al (thatz4u). Couldn't have gone smoother & I'm extremely happy with the whole process! Thanks Al! Steve

Just arrived today & I'm very excited about getting started on it! In fact, I believe I'll get going on it right away being as my '65 Fury build is stalled at the moment. This was the result of a great trade with Al, (thatz4u). I'm very grateful to him for providing me with this great old kit! Thanks Al!! Steve

If a guy wanted to spend the time & money, you could probably pretty easily combine the '62 300 with the old Johan '61 New Yorker kit. Not much difference between the 300 & New Yorker except the grille, & side trim. The only badging was in the side trim, grille, trunk ornament & a small "300" on the deck lid. You could use the original '62 interior. Steve

Just from the appearance in your photos Christian, I'm assuming that all of the manifolds included in the Johan kits were the "Long Ram" variety. I'm pretty sure that they all looked like the ones I used on my '64. Steve

I've been using mostly either the AMT parts pack tires, or one of several Modelhaus tires. I can't really give you specifics on fitment. Each build is a little different & I always seem to manage to figure out a way to get them to work. I will tell you though, if you have the type of wheels that were common on many of the early 60s kits that have a flange on the outside, the AMT tires just pop right on. These wheels are from an AMT '60 Merc. Steve

Thanks guys. I since found this on a site called "Allpar.com" that seems to corroborate what Christian said. "The 300 H, with it's non-ram twin 4 barrel carbs, got a 380 horsepower label, but could also be ordered with a 15 inch set of ram tubes, (405 horsepower). If the right box was checked, you could have gotten it with the 30 inch long of ram tubes. That engine was not rated. The same applied to the 426 cubic inch version. To my knowledge, no one ever did order such cars. If there are any, of either engine size, with the 30 inch tubes, they would be a truly priceless piece." I guess at least it seems that the option was available. That gives me the "green light" to go ahead with the 413 Ram! Steve

I've been trying to find some documentation as to whether or not the Cross Ram (Long Ram) intake set up was available in the '62 Chryslers but I've come up empty. Does anyone have any knowledge if this was an option in 1962? I know that it was available in '60-'61 & again for '63-'64. Seems a little strange that I can find nothing about this intake configuration in '62. Did Chrysler discontinue it for one year in the middle of it's production? I recently traded for a Johan 1962 Chrysler 300 convertible kit that has the Long Ram set up, but this is meaningless as a lot of the '60s Johan Chrysler kits offered these parts as part of the custom options. I'd like to use it if it's correct for '62, but I need some expertise. Anybody have the answer? Steve