David G.

Hello Everybody! I'm back with another update. Okay so I did a thing. I was having some difficulty fitting the frame to the floorboard due to some slight warpage of one or the other. I was focused on properly aligning and fitting those two pieces together and clamping them before the adhesive could set. Which takes about ninety seconds. Somewhere amidst my several assembly attempts, the exhaust pipe shifted from its proper location. The exhaust pipe is supposed to pass below the cross member above the axle then between the frame and rear spring. Nothing that a little time and effort won't fix. I've already started cutting the pipe just ahead of the cross member. After cutting the part loose, I drilled both ends and glued a wire into one of the ends. This will help in aligning the two pieces and holding them together for reassembly. With the wire trimmed to an appropriate length and inserted into the other piece, final placement and assembly can begin. This also allows for a bit of wiggle room during assembly. After properly routing and aligning the two parts, they were glued together and allowed to cure. Once that was done, the joint was smoothed out and the paint was touched up. On to the next activity! Model builders, we're problem solvers who create our own problems to solve! As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Looks great so far Si, can't wait to see more. This bit seems to be coming together rather quickly for you. David G.

Show-Stopper Quality! There's too much good going on here to pick any one thing to comment on. David G.

Excellent work! All the custom bits are well fitted. Great looking interior. But that roof would be a killer at freeway speeds, talk about buffeting ? It would have to have some strong anchor points. David G.

Ah, that makes sense. It was just conspicuous in its absence. David G.

Well Done! Looking at the end result, one would never guess that there was so much work behind it. David G.

Sweet Pinto! Your paint looks great. It's nice to see the orphans get some attention once in a while. David G.

Excellent work! Love all the added details, especially the wrap on the steering wheel. David G.

Great looking truck! Love the flame decals and custom stacks. They look like something an owner-operator from this time period would have done. That and keeping their rig clean. One question though. Were there no trailer connections provided by the kit? David G.

Wow! That's just gorgeous! Tight and clean inside and out. David G.

Nicely done! I like your interior detailing. There was something special about those vintage Chryslers. "Mopar - MoPower!" David G.

Looks like it'll be cool when it's finished. David G.

Beautifully Done! The corrected wheel arches make a world of difference. David G.

Nicely Done! David G.

Thanks Terry, I should have more to post in a day or two. David G.

It looks like you got a pretty good fit out of those custom bits. David G.

No, as I recall Guido, the 60 Starliner engine had embossed valve covers, a lot more detail and several build options. I also seem to remember something about a Thunderbird engine. David G. edit: I actually found a photo of the Starliner I built about a decade ago. Here's a shot of the engine. If you're interested in seeing more, here's a link to the build thread I posted in 2010 Hope this helps. David G.

That's cool! It's nice to see a DR 1 not all "Red Barron-ed" up. David G.

Excellent work on this! You've captured that early Eighties custom look. That time right before everything went monochromatic with "graphix" and billet parts. Love the photo vignettes you've set up too. The thought of such a custom car running EPA fuel tests is a hoot. David G.

Thanks Gareth. Yes, the way that seat looks does give the appearance of how some of the more brightly colored upholstery fabrics seem to wear. Though the thought of building a more distressed version had crossed my mind, I decided to stick with my original plan for this build and make it as if it were 1 to 2 years old. Broken but not broken down. Thanks for your comment, David G.

Beautiful work on this so far. I love the wood grain bits in the interior and the engine detail you added. David G.

Wow! That turned out great in spite of the setback. The green-tinted windows really make it pop. David G.

As promised, here is the next update. I finally have a roof finish I can accept. The casting flaw is still there but it's barely visible, I think a little polish and clear coat should blend it well enough. The casting flaws, this one and the one on the hood, are the only complaints I have about this kit. I wanted some subtle variations among the different surface materials of the interior. My original thought was to paint the pink seat cushions and parts of the door panels over black primer and sand away some of the pink to reveal the cast texture as a pattern in the upholstery material. The door panel turned out well enough but the seat just ended up looking like a bad paint job. The texture of the casting was just not consistent enough to achieve the look that I wanted. I then decided to use the same paint technique on the upholstery as I had on the carpet and spray a light misting of oxide primer to get more of a coral pink. For comparison, the front seat base and upper door panels are the original bright pink. I think that all of that bright pink in one area would have just been too much. Now for some detail painting. That's all for now. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Thank you Stephen. I agree. It was a grand era for American car design. That time period created some of the most beautiful machines ever placed wheels. Engineering on the other hand.... Let's just say that reality didn't always live up to ambition. Thanks again for your comment. Be sure to post some pics when you get to building your Edsel, I'd love to see them. David G.

Thanks Roger. There is a time when I would have attempted that but there is no relief cast in the valve covers and my hands are not that steady right now. I painted the bumper markings on this Jeep a couple of years ago and though they came out okay, I don't believe that I could do as well today. Which is kind of a bummer since I used to calligraphy and hand lettering. Great looking truck BTW. Thanks Carl, I'm glad you like it. I hope to have more pics to post either today or tomorrow. Thanks again, David G.