StevenGuthmiller

I'm not 100% sure exactly what color you're looking for, but I painted this '59 Bonneville in a '57 Ford color called "Gunmetal Gray". Still too dark? The paint is MCW. It is a metallic paint, but it's a very fine flake. Almost un-noticable. They have another '57 Ford color called "Woodsmoke Gray" as well. To me it looks like primer. MCW probably has a hundred different shades of gray, but you'll have to do some homework to see what they look like. Steve

I hadn't noticed the missing badging Tommy, but it will still make an amazing model! I love white cars! One of my favorite colors! With the wire wheels, some wide whites & a little color on the inside, it will be beautiful I'm sure!

I did find a couple of shops that offer "Spray Chroming" services, & I'm sure there are many more. Most seem to be in Europe & even South Africa at the moment, but I'm sure there must be some in the US that would "stoop" to doing Model car parts. This one is in Toronto Canada. Looks promising. Steve http://torontospraychrome.com I sent them a message to see if I could get some information. I hope everyone on the forum is on board with something like this. I kind of promised them a bunch of business!

Your 2 main options are Chrome Tech, or LMK. Both use a "Vacuum Metalizing" process, or as you called it "Vacuum Plating" I've used Chrome Tech numerous times over the past 20 - 25 years, & over all I've been satisfied. I have never had a lost part in all that time. If you're planning on mounting parts yourself, lost parts are your responsibility. Their process seems to have changed a bit over the past few years. I've had mixed results recently. The undercoating that they are using has been sprayed much thicker than parts that I had re-done 20 years ago, so covering of some detail has become an issue. The chrome seems to be a bit more fragile than in years past as well, leading me to believe that it may have something to do with the under coat. I realize that Bob at Chrome Tech does not actually do the chroming himself, but there is obviously an occasional problem with whomever he has doing it for him. If you need your parts fast, don't plan on using Chrome Tech. Their website states a turn around time of 3-4 weeks, but I've never gotten my parts back prior to between 5 & 6 weeks, sometimes a little longer. Bob does not do the plating himself, so he accumulates enough parts to ship to his plater in one batch about once a month to keep costs reasonable. I have not tried LMK, but I think I may give him a try soon. I've heard nothing but good things about his service. Another option that has become available recently is "Hydro Plating" or "Spray Chrome". Unfortunately, I have no connections for this process.......yet! It looks like the real deal & I'm sure it will become a viable option very soon, if it already hasn't. I'm very excited to give that a try. Steve

Now that's a tough one to find Tommy! The '60 Buick convertibles seem to be all over the place, but the hard tops seem to be as rare as hen's teeth! I bought a glue bomb convertible a few years ago, & then I happened upon a nice hard top body, so I combined the 2 to build my hard top. Steve

Yes, they are. The built up that this was built from had no stock caps when I got it so I was going to have to find a wheel option anyway. I love these Modelhaus wires. I've used them on several builds. Steve

BMF is a lot easier to use than people may lead you to believe. Especially on something as simple as the seat trim you're talking about. Painting that trim & keeping it straight would be much more difficult than BMF in my opinion. Nice thing about foil is, if you don't like how it looks the first time, pull it off & try again! Much more forgiving than paint. Steve

I think white is a great color for almost any car! It's a little more unusual to see. You see a million of these in every other color, but very rarely white. Looks great to me! Steve

Nice Tommy! I like the '60 New Yorker better than the Desoto kit. Seems to be much cleaner looking. The one I did is still one of my very favorite builds! Steve

Looks like a nice one Bill! The '59s are not all that easy to find any more. Trying to find a '59 or 60 with a good windshield frame is even tougher! Steve

Thanks guys, but a caliper does me no good if I'm ordering wire on line. I guess I'll just have to take a shot. I can't measure it until it gets here. Steve

Thanks for your help Bill. I guess I'll just have to "roll those dice". Steve

The wire that I have is 1mm thick & to me it looks too small. on the comparison charts that I had seen, 1mm = 18 gauge. That's why I was thinking 16 gauge. I have some vinyl cord that looks to be a perfect size but it's not bendable so it's unsuitable to be used for the hoses. That is just slightly over 1mm, (1.3mm). The old red hose that I have is the stuff I used on my last build, (the '65 Dodge) & appears to be about 1 1/2 mm & looks a little too large. I was going to order the 16 gauge wire online so I really have no way to check it's outside diameter. I was going to have to rely on the gauge in the discription. That's why I needed some help with the gauges. I assumed that the gauge was the outside diameter of the insulation. After all, that's what you'd be measuring with a wire gauge. I'm sure I have a wire gauge......somewhere, but in this case it would do me no good anyway without having the wire in hand to measure. Steve

Anybody have a definitive answer on what gauge wire would look best for heater hose? I have some 18 gauge but it seems a bit too small. 16 gauge looks about right to me. I've been using up a bunch of stuff I got from "Preston's Car Parts" but the black wire from them is a little too small & looks......like wire! The older red hose that I have seems to be the right size & looks more like hose than wire......but it's red. I wanted to order some wire for heater hoses, & I found some nice looking stuff on ebay, but I just want to be sure of the gauge. Steve

Just a little visual aid. Steve

Instead of re-scribing, you could always do what I do. After applying the foil, but before cutting it, lay a piece of blue painters tape along the edge that you want to cut. It will give you a nice straight line & the edge of the tape will give you a guide for your blade to ride against while cutting. Also, the blue tape will give you a color contrast so that it's easier to see what you're cutting. With some practice & very thin strips of tape, this technique will even work for tougher curved pieces like wheel well trim. Works great! Steve

That's sharp Mike! Steve

Very nice Al! I started with that exact same "Junior Craftsman" kit to build mine. It actually builds into a pretty nice model! Steve

Yup, just stay away from the enamel. In the past, I've had Testors enamel clear yellow almost immediately! Steve

Thank you everyone! That's a whole bunch of good information Tim. A lot of things I would have never known about the Monaco. All I really know of the Monacos was that my mother owned 2 Monaco wagons. A '72 & a '75. I thank you for your info. It's always nice to hear from members who are more knowledgeable than yourself on a particular subject. Thank you! Steve

Now that's nice! You did stellar work in saving a less than stellar body. What's not to love about a black Caddy!? My oh my, what boats they were! Steve

Killer Tommy! Although I think I'd shoot a coat of white on the top. The overlap on the top is too evident & the body color seems to be showing through on the rest of it. Other than that, it's as sweet as sweet can be!! Steve

That was my thought as well Gene. Steve

Yes, it does. I have a '67 that has the same air cleaner as well. Not sure if the '68 has one. I'd have to look. Steve

The red top is probably where I'm heading. The dark red with a black top just wouldn't look 1966 to me. Steve