prestonlal

Hey thanks guys! Actually, since the silicone mixture is a 1:1 based on volume and not weight, I read on the interwebs sometime ago that rice can be used to estimate the total volume required. Basically, the rice that is used to fill the area is poured into the measuring cup, then the volume measurement for the rice( taken from the cup) is devided by 2 , so you know how much part A and part B to use. Just put in a touch more so you don't run short...worked great! Lol! Was too excited to get the castings made so forgot to include an explanation for the rice...

Thanks cobraman !

Thanks Bob!

Forgot this pic...lol...next to the original styrene flares....

Small update ... Didn't get all the molds done last night, so completed them tonight...and made some castings.... Fresh from the molds...lotsa flash... The circular piece on the right is the remainder of the mix from the bottom of the cup...notice how greasy the flares look? That's the mold release agent still on them, will need to clean it off before putting them anywhere on the body or the paint is gonna be an issue...cascade dishwashing gel is recommended by the supplier of the silicone kit to clean off the release agent, and then it should look like the circular piece.. Trimmed the flash off... Very flexible.... I washed them off using regular dish washing liquid (Palmolive) but will pick up the cascade tomorrow and clean them properly before putting on the body... They aren't 100% perfect, got some tiny dimples on the flange area where there were some air bubbles, but I'm pretty happy with them... So now it's back to body work tomorrow night...!

Thanks mustangdude !

Woot...! I gots me a moldy thing...! Lolz! Tonight I'll do the other 3 pieces and then mix up a batch of black and see if'n I could cast me some flares...

After about an hour or so, I remembered the instructions said, not to add too much color as it could inhibit curing... The regular cure time is 30 mins ...So pulled up the remainder in the cup...seemed to cure okay...:woohoo: So...grabbed a pic while I was de-molding..

Poured in my silicone mix....I made it blue. The actual casting of the flare is gonna be black...

Another small update guys..... Made my moldy thingy.....lol! Added some rice...:thinking: More to come soon...

Hey guys...another small update...kinda...! Did some work on the fenders, decided I wanted to keep the fenders looking stock and figure a way to attach the flares so that they are removeable later on when I get an on road chassis for the body.... So I made the bottom part of the lip and slapped some poly putty on and sanded it down... So...decided I'm not gonna attach the styrene flares to the fender after all.... Instead, I picked up a silicone rubber molding kit and some black pigment. Over the next coupla days, I will attempt to make a silicone mold of the styrene flares, then try to cast them using some black colored silicone! Hopefully they will look enough like real flares and will be able to conform properly to the fenders, unlike the styrene flares which are not flexible and may have been troublesome to attach to the curved/angled parts of the fender. On the plus side I'm hoping that the procedure is simple enough that I can also attempt to mold the nose panel and the dashboard, so later on I can try to make some resin (?) casts, for the ute, wagon and monaro versions

Woot! Another small update!! Fender flares at about 85% done... decided to go the stacking route...lol! Tested the poly putty, but wasn't to pleased with the outcome.... Left side taped on, need to trim the flat portion a bit...minor adjustment to be done on the front one...then will need to complete the right side pieces. Once I'm happy with those, I'll glue them in... Should have them done tomorrow night...! Some pics...watcha think?

Still at it...hoping to lay down some tamiya poly putty tonight to finish the fender flares....

Hey thanks mate !

Lol! Hey thanks cobraman! ....

Not much of an update...but I did a mock up of the interior....got some mods to do.... The seats need to move forward about 1/2", so will need to mod the trans tunnel where the front of the seat meets it in order to move them forward....will also need to cut about the same amount off the rear of the door handle, as the sides of the seat will also be blocked by them.... Then the dashboard is about 1/4" too high, so I'm gonna try to make some adjustments to the top of the trans tunnel where the bottom of the dashboard sits in order to lower it some... I may also need to cut off part of the lower portion of the instrument panel on the right side where it sits on top of the steering servo.... All things considered, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome...! Kinda glad that I didn't open the doors though.... Anywho....some pics... http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k66/Prestonlal/image.jpg11_zpsrursxrh8.jpg

Hey guys, another small :update:... Got the bottom of the instrument panel done, but just mocked up the steering column and steering wheel, still need to build the indicator switch etc...need to figure out how I'm attaching the column later on as it needs to be off when I ready to paint the dash. Anywho...some pics...

Hey thanks guys! Well now I feel a whole lot better and I'm back at it... so here's a small update! Made the door cards, the white area will be painted tan together with the center console and dashboard...the leather pieces are just taped on till then... Also managed to build and install the vents in the instrument panel...that was a real eye opener...gonna need new specs soon...lol! Next will build the bottom part of the instrument panel and get the steering column sorted...! Anywho...some pics...

Thanks again Cato...! Not sure where you are located, but the eBay seller who I got the leather from, has an even thinner version...says its paper thin..! I was going to buy it initially but he recommended the one I bought which was thicker (.8mm). http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=371305626646

Thanks Cato! I got the idea and inspiration for the seat covering from your leather work! I'm really surprised how they turned out, as it's the first time I'm attempting something like this! are you scratch building the front seats or covering the kit seats ? I'm no expert by any means, but I found that using the styrene as the base for the foam made it easy to get the shapes I was looking for, and even if it's not perfect, the leather hides a lot of the faults etc in the shaped foam. The real trick was figuring out how to make the patterns for the coverings of different parts of the seat and cutting the leather to match!

Thanks cobraman! I been comparing it to pics that I could find, it looks like it should be a bit 'beefier' lol ( if that's a word ha! ), but then the styrene part needs to be painted to blend with the upper piece...maybe that will make the difference, as when i look at it now, all I see high lighted is the upper piece...if that makes sense...will see how it goes...wanna try to get the door cards done as well as finish up the instrument panel and steering column. a mock up of all the parts in their places should allow me see if it will need more work..!

Another small update! As my buddy would say, 'piece at a time!' Lol.....got the center console done, looks a bit small next to the seats, but that may be my imagination..lol...don't really wann re-do it though but I might! Watcha think? ...:lolbeat:

Hey guys...long overdue update...! Been in a kinda rut lately but finally snapping out of it... Think I'm done with the bucket seats for now...I have abandoned the functioning recliner idea...it would have worked but unfortunately, I didn't cater for that when I was covering the seats. What I found was the seat material was too thick where the hinge is, preventing the seats to rotate into an upriright position, and I'm not a fan of driving with the seats reclined way back...lol! I will still attach the the side pieces (I re made them ) when I get a chance to spray them properly... Anywho...here's a couple of pics...I managed to get the piping done as well...

Got the bracket thingy done. The bottom piece (one with the hole) is gonna be glued to the bottom of the seat with the tubing hinge through the hole but not glued. The top piece with the knob will be attached to the seat back with the tube hinge glued into the inner part of the knob (it's recessed). So basically, turning the knob will lever the seat back....well at least that's the plan...lol...need to figure out a way to stiffen up the hinge itself so it will stay in a set position and not flop over... I tried painting it with a brush, but it looks crappy...will try to sand it off and spray it, or just make another set.o.ha! Also dyed up some 2mm round leather string that I picked up to do the piping, it's gonna be tan but the shade is probably gonna be off or slightly different from the seats but should be okay...didn't take pics of the string though... Anywho..some pics..

Been working on the bucket seats trying to get them put together...then I realized I had all this tubing left over from the instrument panel, and there's only so many dancing poles I could make, that I decided to try to put them to use...: ha... Still working on it..hoping that I can finish this seat tonight and start the other one tomorrow ...the thing is, in retrospect, I'm not gonna have opening doors, so why in the world am I doing all this detail...? Well...I havent a clue...: seems like once an idea gets into my head I can't get it out... Anywho...some pics for now...gonna try to build the seat side brackets and the round thingy that adjusts the recline...