Cato

You're right about the poor mfgr tooling design but why not scratch a new one? You can certainly do better with styrene sheet and a .005 tin face on it. And I know your point - you shouldn't have to with kits these days....

I'd do the following test on a spoon or plastic sheet; shoot the same paint the same way. After drying, wash as you did and let the water spots dry in. Then I'd rub it with Barkeeper's Friend. I know it removes waterspots from hard surfaces and finishes. It may work here.

Do not take painkillers! Or shots Harry. They are dangerous and habit forming. This will make you feel better instantly. Or at least not feel anything... http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/06/30/macallan-releases-65-year-old-scotch-for-35k/

Nice to see you back in 'larger scale' action Harry.

An open and shut case... Hinged in place, it all fits and works. This shows the seated passenger relation to the door top. Shoulders just above the door and plenty of visibility at head height. I'll make a leather limit strap so the door won't swing quite this far. Very minor adjustments to the front window frame when it's time to close everything up with the interior panel. Arrow shows the handle shaft goes all the way through the brace of the front frame. This gives the handle more stability and prevents getting sloppy. Will snip off the excess when the upholstery goes on. Anxious for the chrome but that will take awhile...

Sincere thanks you guys. Mike you nailed it; the reason this thing has taken forever. I have struggled in each area to get to a certain level of accuracy or detail. When I got to what satisfied me, I realized the next area had to not 'let down' the previous work. Then I compounded that trouble by radical alterations or scratch parts, which was a 'learn-as-you-go' process. And each affected the other. It's surely tedious to watch but it's been a great journey for me. I'm far from 'home-and-dry' with plenty of coming stuff which could ruin the previously accomplished stuff. A deep breath and I'll continue. C

A working latch... Handle installed in painted door and cam soldered to the shaft. Not my prettiest soldering but a sweaty proposition that went far better than expected. Handle is solid and 1/4 turn pulls the latch back allowing opening. Sorry for focus-pocus but better pix later when the frames go on. Now that I've got the system, the other door will be much less fearsome.

Harry, what's the fully-dry timeframe when brushing on large parts like fenders etc.? When can you safely handle them? I brush on small, detail parts for gloss and it dries very quickly used like that.

Thanks Bill. Great discussion here by all.

Bill, in the small quantities modelers use, what's the shelf life of 801? And how does it act when it's past its life?

I generally go lighter than even that, to get a bit more working time. I've taken to putting down a thumbnail (literally) sized spot of filler, then stick the end of a 1/16 brass rod into the hardener tube (after kneading) and get some on the tip, then mix with that. Gives me the lightest of pinks which cures fine. Got tired of squeezing out a dot of hardener which drained all the fluid out of it, messing up the mix ratio. This way, I get just a dab of hardener with no 'soup'.

Just musing out loud here... I'd have thought a company with the resources and chemical / engineering gravitas of 3M would, by now, have developed a 'miracle' one part auto filler. With all the attributes; quick drying, fine sanding and NO shrinking. Of course paying for it would be the hard part...

Great point I never thought of - the absorption of solvent / thinners from subsequent coats, causing filler to swell. I'm well aware of not building-up thickness and only use fillers as intended. I was primarily interested in this one because of the white color, again used only for thin, small seams, cracks, pinholes. I stopped using Bondo 907 because of the color and shrinks. Looks like good ol' Bondo 801 for everything..... BTW, read of some guys using CA with either talc or flour(!) as a filler which they claim sands beautifully. I used it with baking soda on wood R/C aircraft decades ago...

http://3mcollision.com/3m-acryl-marine-putty-white-05095.html Any one have experience with this? I'm a regular user of their 2-part Bondo and am skeptical about non-catalyzed 1 parts. Most concerned about shrinking over time.

Inner workings... With the completion of the door build it was time to retrieve an inner door panel for final fit and prep to mount.This just before the door is painted. But first to add those bits of details that make it come alive. Getting a proper look took many trial fittings then some careful drilling to install the MMC handles. They really are a great visual detail. The pleats had been angled 11 degrees to match the slant of the hood and cowl louvers. The wood door cap drops down in the rear to meet the trim around the rear seat area. All the wood finish is highly glossed but I managed to avoid the glare by the camera angle. With the handles in place, creating an arm rest was last on my list. After much trial I settled on this design of wood with a simple leather cap. With glass in the frames and the frames chromed, more sparkle and visual detail will set it off. The completed panel taped in place in the body opening. The trick was to get a close approximation of the space and relationship between the parts. This is very similar to many Gurney Nutting cars I studied. But they all have different custom made bits to the customer's wish, so there's no right or wrong. The cabin getting very close to what I envisioned:

Well if you want shite work, I'll come over and bring my Xacto...

Not quite... Despite all the euphoria of having a working door, I had some issues which gave me pause. After priming / sanding / filling / painting the second door seen above many times, flaws were evident in the edge surfaces that I couldn't get out. Most likely due to the twist in the panels .With the fenders, running boards and trunk all in perfect paint, I couldn't live with it. So the decision was made to make a new (3rd time) door. After two days work, here is the 100% better result. Some new ideas were put to work and now the twist is not affecting the surface of the panels. Not home safe just yet - still have to do the spring and latch but the outside looks perfect with no filler anywhere needed. Should take paint as nice as the rest of the car. BTW, this is the 800th pic in this thread.

Hey David, instead of all the guesswork, shopping around and web tracking, why not go to the one source that Ed and I recommend and be done with it?

Contact Jamison at ScaleFinishes and he'll make it for you.

Thank you Bob. Been hard at work getting the front insde of the door in primer and color(s), after which the handle goes in and gets soldered to the latch cam in back. Very sweaty proposition on finished parts but coming soon.

Test Isopropyl on an unseen spot. If it doesn't attack your paint it will remove your problem stuff.

Testors Wet Look Clear, a mild lacquer. Make a test spoon or sheet with white primer under your white color.

I suggest Frisket Paper instead of BMF. Excellent tack, not too much or too little. On completely dry Dupli primer or color, it will not leave residue if removed in 12 hours or less. You get an excellent sharp line if you cut with new scalpel blade.

Knew i get a 'bite' out of you....!

Elyashiv, Your work on both is beautifully neat. If greater accuracy is desired,or you build another, there are some changes to make. On the larger engine, that ignition wiring is also over scale. You corrected the smaller one nicely. The wires on a full size car are either 7 or 8 mm in diameter. That is .019" and that's what you need. Also, they would not go into the center of the intake with Webers like that. The throttle linkage and fuel lines go there. Here is mine with Holley carbs: