StevenGuthmiller

That's got to be the first time I've ever heard anybody complain about reliability with the Japanese cars. I've owned Buicks, Dodges, Mercurys, Mazdas & Hondas over the past 25 years. The only ones I've had zero trouble with are the Hondas. My daughter drives a 2006 Honda CRV with nearly 300,000 miles on it. It still drives & handles like a new car. I drive less than 5 year old Chevy Uplanders & full sized Chevy vans @ work. The Uplanders are massive pieces of garbage. No offense to any Chevy owners out there, just calling it how I see it. I've gotten to the point where, in my family, we buy nothing but Hondas. Collectively, we own 4 Hondas & an Acura & I won't go back. I have a real distaste for fixing cars. Steve

I did a little research a while back & came across a website with a ton of info on the early 300s. I found that in 1956 there were a few 300s done in custom colors for a few "discerning" customers. including a couple of 2-tones. Unfortunately, I don't remember the site, but it did give me the green light to go ahead & do it in a different color when the day comes to build one. Steve

Problem is, the blushing is under 5 coats of clear. I didn't notice anything until after a couple coats of clear. But, now that it has cured for a few days, it seems to be "waning" a bit.

Nice work! I wish the '55-'56 300s would have been available in other colors like you did your '55. Red, black & white gets pretty boring. The white is my favorite. Steve

I've settled on Duplicolor clear from the can. The thing I really like about it is the fact that it goes on so thin. The project I'm working on right now has 5 coats of clear with no hiding of any detail. Steve

Not in my neighborhood anyway. Steve

I have the exact same magnifier. I don't know what I'd do without it now! I do everything under that thing!! I think you'll be surprised how much it helps with almost everything! Steve

Just a couple more pics after clear coats. I think I did a pretty good job of getting out all of the orange peel that I was concerned about. Shouldn't take a lot of polishing. I'm a little disappointed with a couple of areas. Somewhere along the line, I wound up with a little "blushing" on one side of the hood. I just need to decide if I want to go through the whole repaint ordeal on the hood, or just live with it. At this point, I think I'm going to just leave well enough alone. I don't plan on winning any awards with it anyway. Steve

It's been many years Scott & I guess I could have been mistaken, but when I bought the car, it came with the original sticker & I'm almost certain the only thing listed as an additional cost option was the heater & the power windows. There could have been a few other small items, but I don't remember seeing anything about the dimmer, radio or seats. But, I'm not certain. Anyway, I still find it interesting that a heater was an option. Steve

Not so much Al. Just a good magnifier, a lot of masking tape & a week of spare time. Steve

I use mostly Tamiya masking tape & the occasional foil for masking my interiors. I do these kind of interiors all of the time & they can be made to look half decent with a little patience. I use a combination of spray & brush painting. Steve

Some day I'll have to try this. I've got a million old tires laying around that I'll never use otherwise. Steve

I once owned a 1958 Cadillac 62 series coupe. Standard equipment included: Power seats. Wonder Bar radio. "Autotronic Eye" automatic dimmer. But, the heater was an option! I guess, in those days, they figured if you live in Florida, you don't need no stinkin' heater. Steve

Beautiful John! I guess I didn't know that Modelhaus did an interior for these. If I had, I might have bought one of these a long time ago. Steve

Just a couple that I plan on restoring in the not too distant future. Steve

Don't forget these! Steve

I bought 2 sheets about 2 months ago. If I'm lucky, they'll last me until the fall! Steve

You guys must be on a mission from God! Steve

The coolest thing about the "Family Truckster" was when it went through the barriers @ the end of the road! One of the ugliest things I've ever seen! But, you never know. It might sell. Steve

I won't go as far as to call it garbage, but I tried it a couple of times over the years & never liked it either. For me it was not the adhesive, but the thickness of the foil itself. Harder to cut & didn't conform to detail as well. I have not tried it in several years, so I suppose it may have gotten better. But, I like the old stuff. I guess it's "new & improved" now. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Steve

I've always had really good luck from them. Never got a bad one. Steve

Does anyone know if these exist in 1/25th scale? Steve

A good rule of thumb is to consider a different shade of the body color, usually a darker shade. That was many times the rule rather than the exception in the 50s & 60s. At least if you're looking for something close to stock. You can never go wrong with black, tan or white either. they'll look good with anything. I think, with this build, being as you were going for a custom look, a light beige would have looked nice. Sort of a bone color with maybe medium blue inserts in the seats & door panels. But, colors can be a funny thing. Sometimes colors you think won't work together do, & vice versa. Steve

Oooo, Acetone is a big no no. Although, I have used finger nail polish remover for small jobs. it's still acetone, but watered down. Either way, I would stay away from it. If you're planning on stripping the entire body, the Super Clean works nice. If you can't get that, Easy Off oven cleaner works well too. Neither one will harm the plastic. Steve

I usually get mine @ Model Roundup. $6.99 a sheet. I usually order at least a couple at a time along with some other stuff to cut down on shipping. Steve