DoctorLarry

Was the length about the same?

Pulleys and dry sump pump from the T Bird as well?

Well, good to know. I am not going to change it now though!

Has anyone built one of the Salvino's kits with all the parts, including the engine? It has no detail and scale-wise looks way off. Anybody found a way to snazz it up?

Tim, what did you use for an engine?

Boy that's for sure!

It was a Testor's Aqua enamel. Takes forever to dry. I was trying to Match the Rhine Built restoration of the car. That was the only interior shot I could find so I'm assuming they had the real car or consultation when they painted it that color.

Call it "COVID Progress". Chassis work is almost complete. Body is decaled, cleared. Need to do windows, grille, bumpers, spoiler. A few chassis parts like the radiator shroud and fan. Getting almost done. I ordered a Salvinos Monte Carlo. It's in the queue.

Very clean build.

Oil lines not done, battery wiring not done, fuel line to pump not done, no radiator in yet, radiator hoses not done, puke tank not plumbed, one brake line yet to run. These cars have a boat load of plumbing on them!

Here is my Baker Cutlass project. Not completed yet.

You can also check electrical supply houses for very fine wire or hobby shops with model railroad supplies. They use fine wire for building lights and other small low voltage wiring. Also check EBAy-there are crafting places that have fine wire but it is too big for plug wires. I got that at a wiring supply place in Indianapolis.

Check your local Hobby Lobby in the beading section. You can make pretty realistic braided lines with it. The wire comes in fine, medium and heavy. Fine for braided brake hoses, medium for fuel, heavy for oil lines. Detail Master also sells braid in different sizes. Hobby Lobby has larger blue and red beads that I use fro the braided radiator hose ends in my Century Project. The middle photo is my Adams Grand Am project. They used rubber hoses for the radiator. To get the ribbing, I used wire with a stretched out spring around it and then put heat shrink tubing over that. After it is shrunk, it looks great and is bendable because of the wire core. Look at the Drag Racing Forum. There is a sticky on braided sizes in scale and some of those folks can really detail an engine. The hose clamps are Detail Master I think but they are a pain to ses.

Regular decals were fine, The foil 28 on the doors did not like it. I found another set of decals on EBAY and ordered them. I'll just use the door decals and not clear them. I may experiment with acrylic rather than lacquer clear. It may not cause the same issues.

Tried the Tamiya Mist. Regular decals no sweat but the foil decals crazed a little. Oh Well. Try to find another decal set on EBAY.

My kids are grown even though one still live here. I just worry about my wife's "cleaning frenzies". Things disappear...

Thanks, Tim I too have painted my share of cars and motorcycles but was not considering the solvent reaction to the underlying paint. I was more concerned about solvent reaction with the decal film itself. I use lacquer on these models because it dries quickly and can still be color sanded and buffed even though it does not last like a catalyzed finish will. It will dull out over time and as you noted with the putties, since it dries by evaporation rather than chemical cross-linking it shrinks as the solvents evaporate. Since I have already decaled the car, I may try the floor finish route or just leave it alone.

I think some of you have posted that you clear over decals. Is that the case or will a lacquer-based clear lift the decals or cause them to distort?

Most accurate way to do cars of this vintage. Stock frame, mostly stock floor pans, "Galaxie" front clip and Chevy truck arm rear. Frankenstein's NASCAR monster chassis!

Yes. it was gummy and soft. I sanded and scraped to no avail and the color was just wrong. So even though the paint was slick, it went into the strip tank. I hope to put the silver on my Cutlass tonight and decal it.

Paint did not suit me. It was too far off and the resin on the nose was doing funky things so it went into the purple pond. Start from scratch.

Chassis is progressing. I hate enamel paint because it takes forever to dry. Wiring and plumbing is progressing and still have to plumb the brake lines. Black body paint is curing. I need to spray the silver now.

Looks good! Thanks for the tip.

Looks fine to me. How did you get the air filter to look more realistic?

Black paint on the body. I have to let it dry before the silver: