StevenGuthmiller

Uuuh, I got nothin’. Steve

I stopped buying Rustoleum paint some time ago. For me, it was generally too thick to spray from the can, and after one use, the nozzles plugged up on me virtually every time. There are far too many good paint brands available to waste my time on lawn furniture paint. Steve

Thanks guys!! Thought I'd try a little transmission linkage. Not too hard to do, but it helps add a little more interest to the tranny. Steve

One of the jobs that I really wasn't looking forward to was figuring out the best solution for mounting and aligning the engine accessories so that they were solidly in place, and aligned properly for the belts later on. Some bracket scratch building, drilling and pinning were required, but in the end, it appears that all went well. I took a bit of artistic liberty with some of the brackets, but even though they might not be entirely accurate, they look the part. The worst part was figuring out positioning far the alternator, which sits high above the intake manifold on this engine. It's for that reason that I improvised on the brackets. Once I was satisfied with that layout, the power steering pump was simple in comparison. Just a little more fiddling, and I can move on to other things. Steve

If I were to decide to do one of these again, I would seriously consider cheating a little and do it in a '52 Chevy color called "Bittersweet". Steve

I just had to drag out this old relic when I saw this thread. I'll bet I started this thing more than 30 or 35 years ago, and since then, it's been sitting in a box. I guess I lost interest in it and just put it away, not unlike probably half of the kits in my stash. If I remember correctly, (as was the case with nearly every model I painted back then) it was painted with plain old Testors blue, and light blue enamel. Ah, memories. Steve

Personally, I would use one of the many "chrome" paints in a spray can........that don't look like chrome anyway. Steve

Yeah well, they’re not all that clean. Somewhere under that mess, there’s an engine. Steve

Okay, Then I identify as the pope too! Steve

I myself identify as the king of England. Therefore, you must all refer to me as "Your Highness", or "Your Excellency" from here on out. Steve

You won't be disappointed Carl! I've had mine for probably close to 10 years and I can't think of a single thing about it that I would change. Unfortunately, just for curiosity's sake, I checked the Dremel website, and this particular model. (8050-N/18) has been "retired". I truly hope that whatever they replaced it with is at least half as good. Steve

I have this exact model, and I feel the same way. My wife bought it for me as a Christmas gift some years ago, and jokingly, I love it almost as much as I love her! Steve

Thank you Steve! Spent a good portion of the afternoon finishing up the air filter and putting together an air cleaner. The air filter, (the dial from the lip balm tube) just needed the seals added on either side, which was done with plain old thin sheet plastic. The air cleaner is a largely scratch built affair, using sections from Revell '58 Chevy and AMT '70 Chevelle air cleaners, along with a wheel back from a Monogram '70 GTX for the base. (the blue section) The lid is from the Moebius '61 Ventura, and the snorkel is scratch made. Steve

Not very well. You definitely do not want to polish it once it's applied. The Gold is just a coating over regular BMF and will polish off very easily. I would imagine that the copper would be the same, though I have not tried it. Steve

My favorite is without a doubt, MCW. (Model Car World) Ready to spray acrylic lacquers in a vast array of colors, most of which are factory colors. I like Scale Finishes paints as well, but I find that MCW's metallic particles in their metallic paints are closer to correct for 1/25th scale. MCW 1964 Pontiac #6411 "Turquoise Metallic". Steve

Doubtful. I can't see paint being flexible enough to be able to withstand the rigorous handling required. Steve

Already been playing with black 30 AWG wire sanded flat on one side for the belt. Preliminary tests look promising. Steve

That's actually a pretty nice result! Steve

Decided to try the simplest, or at least most cost effective and least time consuming method, for addressing the obligatory bad pulley/belt situation evident in almost every kit. After cutting the belt from the existing kit pulleys, I carefully filed a groove around each pulley with a small three sided file. Worked better than I had expected! Steve

Thanks Richard! Continuing with some engine work, one thing that I've never liked, but always just kind of put aside is the obligatory bad looking pulleys and belts in pretty much every kit. Not being the type of guy that feels the need to have to run out and buy aftermarket parts, I wanted to at least give addressing this issue a go with what I have on hand. I considered building new pulleys from scratch, but decided that it might be a good idea to at least try the simplest approach first. So, I cut the belt from the existing kit pulleys, and with a small three sided, (triangular) file, began to carefully file a groove around the perimeter of each pulley. It actually worked much better than I had imagined! Now I just need to go to work figuring out mounting systems for the power steering pump and alternator, and then decide on the best solution for the belt. Steve

That really depends on how much you use it. My variable speed Dremel will last for a couple of weeks with moderate use, but I can go through a charge in a couple of days if I’m pushing it hard. When I’m not using it for a while, it’s in the charger, so I can’t really tell you how long it would hold a charge when idle. It’s a little like asking how many days can you drive your car on a tank of gas. Not very many if you’re trip is 500 miles. By the way, my variable speed, mini Dremel has become one of my most valuable tools. Although I somehow managed to get by without one for many years, I couldn’t imagine going without it today. Steve

That of course was my fear for quite some time as well, especially working mainly with vintage kits. But at some point, I came to the realization that I don’t usually hack on the bodies too much anyway, and besides, it’s just plastic. In almost every case, if a mistake is made, with the attitude that it’s just plastic, virtually anything can be fixed. It was a pretty freeing revelation for me once I began to think that way. I was no longer afraid to completely cut up that rare kit’s interior anymore. I figure it can only be better. Steve

Actually, I’m serious. The lighter in the ‘64 Bonneville is in the dash. ? Steve

I hate to make you bring it up with her again, but if you want to torture her a little more, tell her that the lighter is the random dash knob in between the radio and heater controls. Steve

I’m sitting here right now trying to read these responses on my phone.......at arms length of course. ? Steve