StevenGuthmiller

Actually Bill, they're pretty close to where they should be. Remember, there is an "offset" between length of the inside door panel, & the door itself. Any further forward & it would have been in the middle of the door. I've learned to check these ahead of time before I drill the holes. Steve

Thanks guys! Steve

Ok. But does it really matter what your undercoat is as long as it's cured? Something makes me think if it's a curing time issue, that the Testors base coats would be even worse. The MCW & Duplicolor paints dry much faster than the Testors. The main thing is, I can't figure it out. I do one build with no issues, & then the next one, done identically except for the color itself, will be a problem. The inconsistency has driven me away from their products. I understand that the Testors lacquers were developed as a system, but if that limits me to using only their line, I'll pass. Steve

Finished up the interior tonight, which tells me I'm getting close! Glad I decided to cast some window cranks. This one was very bad in the door panel detail department. Steve

The only problem is, What's patience? How long do you let things cure before you re-coat. The directions on these Testors cans say any where between 20 minutes & 2 hours. Is that rushing it? Is 24 hours rushing it? Two days? A week? A month? Should I follow the manufacturers recommendations, or should I figure it out for them? This is part of the reason I've stopped using most Testors products. If they can't even give accurate instructions on how to use their products, I'm certainly not going to research it for them. Steve

This is where a "hobby" comes into play. That way you're not sitting in your mother's basement in your under wear trying to think of ways to disrupt other peoples lives so that you can feel powerful & not like the complete loser that you really are! Steve

Or maybe this Del Rio?

I don't know if I'd go that far guys. I just work with what I'm given. But thank you for the compliment! Steve

The two colors I used were MCW & Duplicolor lacquer. I would usually give the paint about 1/2 hour, & the clear coats about 24 hours between coats. 95% of the time with no issues. But that 5% was enough to put the brakes on it for me. At least for multiple coats on bodies. I still use either the Testors "Ultra Gloss" or the "Wet Look" clear When I'm just shooting one coat on interior parts, etc. The rest of the time I use Duplicolor. Not quite as shiney on the finish, but I do like the fact that it sprays much thinner coats so there's no problem with detail hide even with 5 or 6 coats, plus it seems to dry harder & more durable than the Testors. On my next project, I'm going to shoot several coats of Duplicolor, then sand & shoot one coat of Testors to see if it will give me a little more shine without the possibility of cracking. Steve

Or you could just do like I do & don't use it. I built a '59 Ford a while back that has a 2-tone paint job. Coral & white. I sprayed it with several coats of Testors clear & everything looked fine.....for about 2 weeks. Then the cracking began. But, only on the coral color, not on the white. I'm pretty sure I clear coated the whole thing at the same time. Most of the time, I had absolutely no issue with it. But it's given me enough problems where I'm just not going to deal with it anymore. Steve

This isn't my car, but it is the correct color. You'll have to picture it minus the vinyl top & with a white & black interior & the rally II wheels. I may be biased, but I think it's the nicest color combo I've seen on a '69 Grand Prix. Steve

I probably would have sold this one many years ago if it weren't for the sentimental back story. This was my first really nice car out of high school. My wife & I dated in it & used it as our "get away car" at our wedding. Heck, even my wifes little brother used it for his senior prom! So it has a lot of history in my family & it'll be really nice to bring it back home where it belongs. I really don't have any photos of it, that is, nothing digital. Maybe I'll scan an old wedding photo sometime. Steve

I just like to read threads about "model cars". when it becomes a bomb throwing contest, I just fail to see the point in continuing with it. All it does is make enemies. As far as commenting on an "unworthy" thread goes, it was worthy.....until it became not! Steve

Anybody wondering now why I think this thread should die? Steve

Not blaming you Lee. It's just been the whole tone of this thread from the beginning. Steve

Thanks guys! Personally, I've always like the looks of the '58 over the '57 or '59. I'm a little surprised none of the kit companies have done a new tool of this one. Steve

This one might be worth looking at just for the correct rear bucket interior. Steve

One of my favorites too Andy! I have a 1:1 '69 Grand Prix Model J that's been in storage for over 20 years! Finally got some money together & the restoration begins this spring Mine is Crystal Turquoise with a parchment & black interior, no vinyl top, with the 400 auto & the Rally II wheels. Steve

I hope this kit comes out soon so this thread can die & we can all stop chopping each other into little pieces! I haven't looked at this thread for well over a month, but I see it hasn't changed. Steve

I was just looking at a '62 Chrysler 300 on ebay a few minutes ago. Whoever built it had glued telephones to the doors as door handles. Steve

Thank you! Steve

Not sure if anybody does. Steve

That's what I usually do Tom. The only time I use foil for masking is if either it's an area with a pretty tight compound curve, or if I'm really concerned about bleed under. The Tamiya usually doesn't worry me much in the bleed under department, but under certain circumstances, it still will happen. Steve Thanks Kevin! Hoping to get a few more of the bits & pieces done tonight. Steve

Thanks Rich. Yeah, these old interior tub door panels are pretty sketchy in the detail department. If you're going to use them, you have to get a little creative with the paint to make them look remotely like a door panel. Steve Thanks everybody!! Steve

Yeah Frank. Works really nice for those "undefined" trim pieces. You can either spend a lot of time & effort scribing all the trim so that you have a good edge to foil up against. Or you can use this method to get really nice straight lines. The painters tape not only gives you an edge for your blade to "ride" against, the contrast in color between the blue tape & the foil gives you good visual feedback while you're cutting. Steve