StevenGuthmiller

Probably one of the reasons why I use a lot of aftermarket tires. I hate those 50s tires! Steve

The 2 chassis look pretty much exactly the same except for the front A-arms, so I don't think it had anything to do with a beefed up frame on the convertible. Besides, I doubt that AMT would go that far with a chassis difference in '62 when they didn't seem to be worried about the interior differences. The frame painted black is from the '62 Bonneville convertible kit & the white one with the separate A-arms is from the '62 Bonneville hard top kit. Steve

I usually start with a coat of Testors gray primer because it covers body work, etc. better than the Duplicolor sandable primers that I like to use. Then I usually use several light coats of Duplicolor. In the past, I've had good luck removing lacquer paints with Super Clean, but the primer can be a bear to remove fully. Seems like the Duplicolor primer comes off pretty well in Super Clean, but the Testors stuff is very patchy. Sometimes it comes off pretty well, other times not so much. So, I thought if anyone had good luck stripping primer with anything else, I would strip what I could in Super Clean & finish off the primer with whatever works better for that. Maybe I'll just have to pick up some IPA & give it a try. I have several bodies laying around with primer left on them after stripping paint. Steve

Just seemed a little odd to me. Usually these annuals from the early 60s shared all of the same parts except the top boot & body between the hard tops & convertibles. Especially the full sized cars. As we all know, they even shared the same interior tub generally. Why they would have switched out the chassis & not the interior tub is a mystery to me. I guess my question is, could it have been a "mid year" thing? Getting the tooling ready for the '63 models. Seems unlikely, but I thought that there must be some sort of explanation. Steve

I was recently doing a paint stripping & parts inventory on an AMT 1963 Pontiac Bonneville hard top for an upcoming project. Upon inspection I found that the chassis was supposed to have separate lower A-arms for the front suspension that were missing. I remembered a recently acquired 1962 Bonneville hardtop kit having these same parts & assumed that a pair of '62 Bonneville convertible built ups that I had should also have them to swipe for the '63. To my surprise, neither of the convertible kits had the same chassis arrangement as the '62 & '63 hard top kits that I have. I would assume that the '62 Bonneville hard top & convertible kits would be exactly the same kit except for the obvious parts. Why did the convertible use a different chassis than the hard top? There is a happy ending to this story however. The '62 Bonneville hard top kit has 2 sets of A-arms included in the kit. One set white plastic & the other chrome. So, at least I'll have a set for my '63. But I was very curious as to why the convertible & hard top kits would have used different chassis in '62.......& possibly '63. I don't have a '63 convertible, so I'm not sure on that one. Any body else notice this? Steve

I have never used alcohol for stripping paint & I had a few questions for those of you that have. I've used Super Clean, oven cleaner & brake fluid for stripping paint & have settled on Super Clean as the stripper that works the best for me. However, I've always had problems removing primer cleanly with Super Clean & was wondering if anyone has had luck with isopropyl for that purpose. Also wondering how safe it is for styrene. Is it safe to let parts soak in isopropyl alcohol without damaging the parts? & for how long? & finally, I'm pretty sure I've heard guys say to use 91%. Is that what I need? I have not used brake fluid in many years because I don't like dealing with the mess & disposal, but has anyone had luck with brake fluid for removing primer? DOT 4? Steve

Shaping up very nicely Hans! Steve

Thanks Bill. I'm assuming the color differential is because I sanded a little into the color & it was looking a little darker in those areas after a subsequent clear coat. I've spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to remedy the situation, but it just seems to be getting worse! I started be shooting another light coat of color over the clear. That seemed to take care of the color problem. Then it all went south again when I shot another coat of clear over the top & for some ridiculous reason the clear almost seems to be beading up on the hood!? I let it dry for a while & then hit it with another coat of clear. Same thing! I can't remember ever having a paint job that was so frustrating in my entire life! It's just been a complete fiasco! My only options now are to let it dry for a while, maybe try one more coat & then sand it smooth if necessary & then try one more clear coat. If that fails, I'll have to strip it & start over. Then the question of whether or not I have enough paint left rears it's head. I may have to order more paint! If that's the case, this build goes bye-bye for a while until I get the rancid taste out of my mouth! You may be seeing a '63 Bonneville in my very near future! Steve

A coat of Testors # 1260 Dullcote will do the trick. Steve

Yeah, it looked good until this morning. After the first coat of clear, I noticed a couple of pieces of "fuzz" had gotten in the clear on the hood. I lightly sanded them out thinking that the little bit of sanding that I did wouldn't have gone through the clear to the paint. Well, I guess I was wrong. After applying a second clear coat, I'm now noticing some "blushing" in the sanded areas! I just can't win for losing on this build! I'm just about ready to give up on it! Steve

Or you can do what I suggested & get it for airbrush or spray can, & you don't have to contact anyone or have anything made. Just order what you want. Steve

Pieces of old cotton t-shirt material is what I use for.......well, pretty much everything! Steve

I can't remember the last time a paint job fought me like this one has. Trouble from start to finish! But I think it's finally ready for clear coats. This is the longest build I've done in 3 or 4 years! Just can't seem to get things moving along. I started this project a month & a half ago, & I've just now got the color coats on!? Man, somethings gotta give! Anyway, here it is with some color. Steve

Very Nice Eric! The hard top version of this kit is getting pretty tough to find! Steve

MCW has both colors in aerosol cans. Lowes #31, 2027 Blue & 2085 yellow. Both are automotive lacquers. Not cheap, $15.00 each for rattle cans, but if you want the exact colors, they have 'em. Steve

Welcome Eric! My dad bought a brand new Charger SE in 1973. It was triple black. He bought it right off of the showroom floor & I believe it had a small block in it. We had that car for less than a year because my mother hated it. They traded it in months later for another giant, wood grained Mopar station wagon! Steve

Very true. I don't do much burnishing until after the trim is cut. As far as the adhesive residue goes, as long as you don't intend to do any more painting on the body, a dab of WD-40 on a Q-tip will take it right off with zero effort. Steve

I've recently started using Duplicolor "Paint Shop" clear. It's a lacquer so I'm not really worried about yellowing, but hey.......you never know. I've really grown to like the stuff though, & a quart can will last me until the second coming! Steve

Stay away from enamel, especially on light colors. I have yet to see any of my builds done with clear lacquer turn yellow. Steve

A good rule of thumb is to leave a little extra hanging over in an area where you can get underneath the excess to pull it off. Sometimes it can stick well enough where it's hard to get an edge "up" to remove it. If you leave a little hanging out over the edge of the body, over a window opening, over a panel line, etc, you'll have something to get a hold of when it comes time to remove it. Another trick is to fold a corner under itself before you burnish it down so you have a small corner that will not stick to grab on to. Steve

That's what happens when you try to be a "hot dog". Steve

I looked at a bunch too & most of the photos that I saw showed them chrome with a body colored insert in the center. Some were also solid chrome. Seems to me that you could go either way. Nice work Harry! Steve

You have much more patience than I have.......or will ever have! Good luck! Steve

Ok, now I'm beginning to wonder if it's a good idea to use it for window tinting. I guess it shouldn't be a problem if I'm using a green tint, but if it yellows over time, I really don't know if I want to take any chances. Steve

If these are the ones you're thinking of, I believe these came from the old AMT '51 Chevy Belair kit. Steve