SfanGoch

It's been a while since I updated this thread. I tweaked a couple things on the Trumpeter Bonneville: 1. the wheelbase 2. the hood spear The wheelbase of the '60 Bonneville is 124 inches. The wheelbase of the kit, when measured, is 126 scale inches. This explains why the kit's tires look as if they're positioned too far forward. What needs to be done is: 1. Cut the front suspension assembly off at the point where it attaches to the frame, directly behind the motor mounts. 2. Remove the radiator assembly by cutting the frame rails precisely at the point where the forward edge of the front suspension crossmember curves to meet the rails With the suspension and radiator assemblies separated, do the following: 1. Remove a 2 mm section of frame rail, measured from where the rear portion of the suspension was originally attached. 2. add 2 x 2.5 x 4 mm pieces of styrene to the cut-off points on the front of the suspension crossmember. This will ensure that the radiator is at the proper location in relation to the radiator support ( Part B52). 3. Reattach the suspension to the frame. I prefer to use a solvent like methylene chloride because, unlike CA, it welds the styrene and makes for a better bond. Make sure to carefully align the parts. 4. Once the suspension has been attached, attach the radiator to the suspension. It's a bit tricky because some adjustment to the joint will be required to blend this to the front cross member. The best way to attach this section is to install the frame on the floorpan and tack glue the radiator so that the front edge of the first crossmember abuts the (I don't know the correct name of this) the valance panel ahead of the inner wheel openings. This way, you can achieve a better alignment with the suspension and frame. New, corrected wheelbase: Note that the wheels/tires are no longer kissing the front of the wheel well. Next on the must do list was correcting the abysmal hood spear. Thanks to the pics Steve Guthmiller ( a swell guy in my book) posted of his AMT '60 Bonneville, I was able to scale them to exactly 1/25. The first photo is Steve's picture which I scaled to 1/25: The AMT hood is 54.5 mm L x 60 mm W; Trumpeter's is 56.5 x 60 mm. I wasn't really concerned with the additional 2 mm since the kit hood needs to fit the kit body and entails way too much surgery on both the body and hood to be worth the trouble. The spear on the AMT hood is actually 51 mm long. the "50" in the photo is a`typo which I didn't catch until after saving it. So, "51" is the magic number. A little bit of cosmetic surgery was required to fix the Trumpy spear. This is a photo of the OOB and modified hoods side-by-side: Let's start with No. 1 in the photo. Measuring 1 mm from the rear edge, I cut out a 4 x 7 mm chunk of plastic from the hood. 2. Make a cut here which corresponds to just behind the raised line on the hood's underside. Then, remove this part of the spear off the hood by making two parallel cuts along both sides. Slide this section all the way back to the rear and cement in place. There will now be a 4 mm gap between this section and the rest of the spear 3. Measuring exactly 11.5 mm from the tip of the hood, make a cut here. 4. Measuring exactly 4 mm from the tip, scribe and cut out a 2,5 x 7 mm chunk of plastic from the hood. Then, scribe a line on either side of the front of the spear (this should be 7 mm wide, line to line), slide the spear tip forward, adjust to fit, then cement in place. There will now be a 2.5 mm gap between the spear tip and the main part of the spear itself. Here is a photo of the hood's underside indicating the cut and fill locations: After all the cutting, sliding and cementing, time to do something about them holes you're left with. That's right......time to get out my favorite go-to stuff for situations like this......Magic-Sculpt. I used Scotch-Blue Painter's Tape on the underside, burnishing it along and around the raised areas and spear sides so it gave me the proper curvature at the gaps. The gaps were filled with Magic-Sculpt and the recess was shaped with the plastic tip from a mechanical pencil and water.I kept making adjustments as the Magic-Sculpt dried. After it dried, it was just a matter of some filing and sanding to achieve the final shape. The whole process was much easier than I anticipated and, if I do say so, the result is pretty good. Now, the hood is more or less correct, matching the AMT hood and real car. I still have to fabricate the trim piece that goes inside the spear from styrene strip.

My high school wood shop teacher, Mr. Romanowski, had one that he let us use in class. Nice tool.

But, can it core a apple? 400 bucks is a lot of dough, man.

Thanks; but, I can't get accurate dimensions from those angles. The perspective is skewed. That's why I asked for an overhead photo of the model itself, like this: I cant use this one because it's a copy of the image from the Trumpeter instruction booklet and the blasted spear is absolutely wrong.. Edit: Thanks, Steve. Exactly what I needed. I was posting this reply at the same time yours went up.

I need a BIIIIIIIIIG favor. I need an direct overhead photo of this model's front end/hood. The shape and length of the spear on the Trumpeter kit's hood is annoying the heck out of me. I've been searching for photos of an actual hood so I can scale it to size and take measurements. Problem is, there aren't any pics available. I'd really appreciate it if anyone could provide me with such a photo.

That's just plain crazy. That grand could be used for something more important like a pair of mint, unused, still attached to the sprue JohanAMTMPCMomogramRevellBoysGirlsSwapMeet axles.

You can try here too. The shop is located in the Czech Republic.

Thanks, Lloyd. It was tedious; but, nothing that anyone with a bit of patience couldn't do. If I had another body, I could have made a fiberglass mold of the tailfin and slush cast an exact copy.

The shallow interior tubs bother me too, Tom. I did a little bit of interior surgery on the tub for the Johan '62 Dart ragtop. What I did was: 1. scribe the floors in front and back out of the tub 2. added a 6 mm styrene extension around the perimeter of the tub where the floor was removed 3. dropped the floor parts 5 mm (I also moved the front section 3 mm forward to get the proper legroom distance) to line up with the door panel lines 4. added styrene to the back of the front seats to extend them to the floor 5. did the same to the rear seat cushion and added a 5 mm strip under the front seat. All this work will allow the Lindberg chassis to fit under the Johan body at the correct depth. Of course, the Lindberg chassis requires some minor mods; but, it's fairly simple. As I mentioned previously, I'll be doing the same to the shallow interior tubs of the Revell '62 Dart 4 Door and Fury HT. Since I'm going to have to use an extended Lindberg chassis under the Desoto, it'll also get the deeper tub treatment.

The glass from the Revell '62 Fury HT fits; but, I'm not robbing Peter to pay Paul. I'd still be short a set of glass. If the Fury and/or the other remaining 1962 Mopar molds, are part of the haul, I'll be a happy camper.

Those are photos of three different cars, Bill, not a single example. If this was a "custom" pattern, I really don't think that one would find the same upholstery pattern in three different cars from three different locations. This particular pattern can be found in the 1960 Pontiac Color & Upholstery Dealer Album; but, I'm not going to waste $350 to corroborate this. I do know that it was available in Catalinas from that same period; so, it was obviously available for Bonnevilles too. I appreciate your automotive knowledge; but, you haven't seen all 17,082 '60 Pontiac Bonneville Convertibles manufactured. I'm not going to belabor the point because I'm not going to change your mind on this. How about looking through the 101 photos of the car in the second picture I posted? If you read through the overview, the following pretty much says it all: "Recently out of an extensive private collection where it was owned for 27 years, this car is in museum quality shape." This car wouldn't be described as such if it was customized in any way. Here are more shots of the interior. You couldn't ask for a better pictorial reference for this kit. Say what you want. The pictures don't lie. Trumpeter actually got it right, down to the last stitch.

I hope he got those molds. I need the glass for a Revell '62 Dodge Dart 4 Dr. The glass in the box is for the Valiant V 200.

Bill, I've read the same thing about this kit at automotiveforums.com some years ago. If that was true, explain these photos I found. The interior for the convertible seems to have the correct pattern. I'm looking at the parts on Sprue "C" from the convertible and the photos below of actual cars, found on a couple of auction sites, with full bench seats. The kit upholstery and door panel patterns match the photos. The rear seat pattern can be easily adjusted to match the first picture. All three cars are restored to factory condition and not customs, BTW.

Glad to see you back, Bill. You're dead on target with your comments. Too many sneaky cretins smiling in your face then complaining from under the table that they were "offended" about your, or other posters' comments. Grow up and act like adults. If you're so sensitive, and obviously lack anything remotely resembling a sense of humor, here's some advice.....stay off the internet, social media sites and lock yourself up in your house. Evidently, you aren't mentally or emotionally mature enough to interact with real adults in any type of social setting. This is how the real world operates. Yet, as you have pointed out, these are the same bums who have no problem insulting you directly and worse. I don't see them taking a board-mandated hiatus. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it ad nauseam, there is an elitist clique here, and at other fora. It's a small group which feels it has "earned" the right to get away with impugning another member's character and making disparaging remarks without fear of any penalties. We all know that occurs here. The number of posts questioning your knowledge, accusing you of acting as if you are smarter than anyone else in the room, etc. are more than enough proof of that "insider" attitude. I see remarks which imply that this site should be safe for younger members to feel comfortable . Younger members?!? Get real. The average member age is in the mid 40s. Even if there were teens, has anyone actually paid any attention to the way they talk? I was a soldier, truck driver and a teen at one time or another. I heard language from the Catholic Military Chaplain which would make your heads explode. I worked with female linehaul drivers who could make a friggin' longshoreman cringe when they snapped off some savory comments. You got a problem with somebody's sense of humor because it went over your head, don't reply to the post. Maybe listening to some Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Don Rickles or Richard Pryor might teach you something about what funny is and the importance of the First Amendment. You don't have to agree with anything someone says or writes; but, you have to respect their right, not privilege, to either form of expression.

I bought a pack of these for less than four bucks and cut them up into sizes compatible with model kit use. Lays the putty/epoxy/fiberglass resin down nice and smooooooooooth.

Thanks, guys. I thought this was worth the effort to save it.

Okay, I performed what I think was some pretty successful reconstructive surgery, if I do say so myself, on the gekakt tailfin. I cut the damaged portion off from just in front of the C pillar, making a straight cut to just above the center of the tail light housing. I had to be careful to avoid damaging the script while doing this. I filled the opening with Magic-Sculpt on the underside of the body. Once that set, I built up the tailfin until I achieved a rough shape. Once that set, it was a matter of using diamond bits, filing and sanding to get the final contours, again being careful while working around the script. Somebody needs to make a PE set for this car. Sure, it's loon OOP. There are a number of MCG sets for other kits which are essentially in the unobtainium category so one more won't be a big deal. I still need to perform some finishing work; but, i'll call it done. I went to work on extending the floorpan and frame from the AMT '58 Belvedere to replace the Johan chassis plate. I thought I was clever until John Goschke was kind enough to remind me that Mopars, including Desoto, went to the UniBody construction beginning with the 1960 MY. That being the case, I'll have to pick up a couple Lindberg '64 Mopars to get the chassis and suspensions. These kits are a dime a dozen; so, having a couple around as donors for my other Johan and Revell '62-64 Dodges and Plymouths is a plus. Since I did all of the work on this and am basically stuck with it, I checked the 'net to find out which '57-'61 Mopars had a 122' wheelbase. Bingo! The 1957 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer used the same frame as the 122" wheelbase Chrysler Windsor! It just so happens that Jack at Model Roundup and Steve at Star models have the Hendrix Resin 1957 Royal Lancer kit. Now, I don't have to stare at this modded setup like a mook and can stuff it under the Hendrix body and interior tub. Anyway, here are some pics of the modified underbody components. Edit: I forgot to mention that I made contour templates of the right tailfin on an index card. I just flipped the template to mirror the left side and used it to check the shape.

I use Magic-Sculpt two-part epoxy putty to fill in the channels. Any other similar type (Apoxie, etc.) will work as well. There's no shrinkage and no possibility of any warpage resulting from solvent-type adhesives used to cement styrene in them. Plus, the epoxy can be smoothed with water to match the contours of the chassis tubes, eliminating any filing. A light sanding will be all that is required and there will be no visible seam on those areas.

That's because there aren't any. Never were included despite what the info on the box indicates. A lot of guys who actually build this kit will opt for a complete roof transplant, using an RM '59/'60 Impala roof. I went the other way. I just cut the Trumpeter roof, extended it by 2 mm and reworked the shape of the A and C pillars. Works for me and the result is more than acceptable. Another way to correct the Trumpeter roof is to measure off 25 mm from the edge of the windshield frame and make a cut at this point. Remove the rest of the roof/backlite, making a straight cut along the tulip panel along the rear window frame and 2-3 mm from the C pillars. If you have a 'RM '59 Impala body, mark off 26 mm, measured from the upper window trim toward the front, and make a cut along there. Make a straight cut along the edge of the lower window trim in the same manner as on the Trumpeter body. The reason for the 25 & 26 mm dimensions is that the roof length is supposed to be exactly 51 mm front-to-back. The RM roof section will essentially drop in. I prefer the '59 Impala roof over the '60 because the vents found along the bottom of the '60's rear window weren't found on the Bonneville and the '59 roof sheet metal was also used for the Pontiac. That location for the vent on the top of the '59 Impala's roof is a lot easier to fill in than trying to remove those vents at the base of the '60's rear window.

Works for me, Marcos.

Oh well, I'm already Frankensteining this one and it doesn't look too bad. You wouldn't happen to still have the firewall and tail light lenses? I thought about modifying the tail lights from the 300 but they're not deep enough front-to back. As far as the firewall is concerned, I can't find an image of the Johan part clear enough to attempt scratching one. That's why I opted to use the Belvedere part. I appreciate the additional information, John. I don't know why I didn't remember that important detail. I read about the '60/'61 Chryslers at allpar.com and it was mentioned in the article. After reading your reply, I compared the Lindberg, Johan, AMT Belvedere, '68 Roadrunner/'68 GTX/'70 Superbee, Revellogram '67-'69 Charger and the '67 Coronet/GTX chassis. I've already planned to use Lindberg chassis under a Johan '62 Dodge Dart ragtop and '62 Fury HT. I'll do the same under the old Revell '62 Dodge Dart 4 Dr and Fury 2 Dr HT.I used a modified RM '68 Charger chassis under a Johan '68 Fury. I like the look of the RM chassis. Aside from some minor differences, like the size of the gas tank and underbody stampings on the floor pan, it's a toss-up between the two. The Coronet/GTX chassis have a different design as far as the gas tanks and floor pan detail go; but, they can be changed and the chassis stretched another 5 mm to fit the Desoto. Ditto with the AMT late '60s Mopar chassis; although details are a bit soft. Since this won't be a quick and simple job (yeah, a job. too much work required to be considered a leisure activity. ), I'll consider the new options on the table. I would sincerely appreciate any input from you guys as to the best way to approach this.

Where are the fancy Red Line tires mentioned in the product description?

Some of you might remember this pic I posted of the Johan '60 Desoto Adventurer which UPS manage to destroy. What I didn't show was the crushed left tail fin. The entire top of the fin, from just past the C Pillar to the middle of the tail light, was pretty much destroyed. Fortunately, the "Adventurer" script is intact and undamaged. So, I'm looking it over and assessing the amount of damage and I say to myself, "Hey, you dope! You can rebuild it yourself." I started by cutting off the entire damaged portion of the fin. Now, the fun part starts, using Magic-Sculpt Two-Part Epoxy to reconstruct it. I'm using the undamaged right fin as a reference and built up the epoxy into roughly the same shape as the good fin. I'm taking my time to grind, file, sand and scrape this mess until it is replicates (mirrors) the right side. The chassis plate for this kit is the "standard" Mopar type found in all of the USA Oldies releases, including the Fury Police Pursuit Car: This is what the chassis plate originally found in the annual 3 in 1 kit looks like: Major difference here, guys. There are two possible candidates for a spiffy, 99.9999% accurate replacement for the cra_ppy Johan plate, those being the floor pan/frames from the AMT '57 Chrysler 300 and '58 Plymouth Belvedere. The '60 Desoto had a 122 in. wheelbase. The '57 300 was 126 in. but the surgery required in various areas, including shortening the frame and floor pan, would be too involved. Now, the '58 Belvedere is another story. It had a 118 in. wheelbase. The kit parts are almost identical to the Johan annual chassis plate in layout and appearance. I cut the '58 floor pan, and the corresponding points on the frame, at the joint under the rear seat. The red lines on the instruction sheet indicate the locations of the cuts: and extended both by 4 mm, giving a total length of 122 mm (which scales out to the correct full-size wheelbase). Since the Johan firewall was one of the parts lost during shipping, I used the Belvedere's. It's not identical; but, what the hey! It serves the purpose just fine. While I was at it, I also cut the Belvedere's inner fenders since they fit the firewall and literally press into place onto the frame. Interestingly, the desk guy in my building found the dashboard at the bottom of the parcel cage in the lobby the other day, making it one less part I'll need to source. I test fit the new chassis in the Desoto body and it was a perfect fit. I attached two pieces of 4x4 mm square tubing lengthwise on either side of the transmission hump of the new chassis to provide support for the Desoto's interior tub and give the body the proper clearances over the wheels. Sorry for the lack of detailed photos at this point. I'll take and post pics in the next week after I finish rebuilding the tailfin. Any and all comments, critiques, criticisms and invectives directed at me are always welcome and encouraged. Especially the invectives. It's the mark of a creative mind if you use any I've never heard or read before.

Won't have to worry about bottoming out if you hit a pothole.

I've been comparing images of both the R&R and Blvd. Resin castings. I don't think it's an R&R recast. The Blvd. Resin version looks a lot cleaner and better detailed. R&R Blvd. Resin Seems like a lot of satisfied customers on Blvd. Resin's FB page.