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That is one way of doing it ,but very labor intensive and only Bare-Metal Foil would look right on the trim rings. Having tried to foil something like a wheel trim ring before, you might want to try something else.

That looks handy. Where would I look for such a tool and how much would it cost ?

I have no idea how much time you have set aside for your trip, and I'm sure you have already been all over the internet looking at the sights in the Bay area ( San Francisco ). If you have any interest in Wine you might think about spending some time just north in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Some of the finest Wine in the world is grown here and there are many tasting rooms at the wineries. A very relaxing world if you are so inclined. The drive south on Hwy 1 south of Carmel is nothing short of spectacular. You will pass thru some wooded areas just south of Carmel thru the Big Sur area and from there to Marro Bay near San Luis Obispo . After Sur you will go from being almost 100 feet over the ocean to pretty much sea level at Marro Bay. The view is very open and very little in the way of homes. There are a few turnouts where you can stop for sight seeing. Enjoy our trip.

Another thought on the slots. Look on the back side of the wheel. Sometimes the area behind the slots is very thin and can be easily sanded until the slots are actually open. If painting the slots I have used just Tamiya Flat Black that is fresh and not been used for a time as it will become thicker after being used for any extended period of time. The "chrome" from the kit does not seem to hold paint well. The black paint can be cleaned up with either a flat tooth pick or a pointed Q-Tip. Then paint your Argent wheel with what ever silver you use with a very fine brush. Remember if the surface still has the chrome finish it may take a couple of light coat of paint to get the finish you want.

Great build and the paint is outstanding.

Nice chassis, how's the body doing ?

Your carb is mounted low on the passenger side, it's an up draft type carb and not the down draft that most people are familiar with.

I have a chair that I purchased on sale at an office supply store. It has a well padded seat and the ability to adjust the seat height. It swivels and is on rollers so that it is easy to move around. If you are on a carpeted surface I would also invest in a plastic or some other hard surface to lay over the carpet so as not to ware it out, and it makes it a lot easier to find small parts when they get dropped. This may require a larger investment then what you want to do now, but if you look around these items can be found used and save a lot of money there. I share your back problems, I'm waiting to get into the Chiropractors office today. How you sit makes a big difference and I think everyone has to do it just a little differently.

That should look great.

So sad, but so real looking. This should be in a diorama or something.

Really like the color. Nice clean build.

Great build.

These cars made great customs. Are you going tutone or staying solid ? Is this a curbside or does it have an open hood?

I like the rear roll pan.

Thinking back the dealerships that I remember usually carried brands from within their own manufacturer. For GM say the Chevrolet, if not a stand alone dealership, would have say Oldsmobile. That way they could offer an upscale model without competing with themselves. Cadillac might offer a Buick or Oldsmobile as a lower priced alternative. Pontiac usually had a GMC Truck combo so that they had a truck to also sell. Ford did much the same thing with Ford usually as a stand alone. Usually they would have Lincoln with Mercury as an upscale dealership. A lot of this started in the era just before WW II when in the more rural areas there was few if any dealerships. Many of the very early dealerships started with a repair garage that was given exclusive rights to sell a particular brand of automobile. It would just grow from there over time. You have to think about the initial investment to open a dealership. Just the building alone was very expensive and some of the earliest franchises were often owned and operated by the manufactures. Now they manufactures may own the land and building that they lease to the dealer, the manufactures still have a lot of control over what the dealer can and cannot sell.

Cool idea just question the window opening on the rear doors. With the angled B pillar the side window would have to raise at an odd angle. Looking forward to watching this build.

In addition to all of the great information from others, a paint you might want to try is a Rust-Oleum product. It is designed to be used on indoor / outdoor projects. I used black but they have a few other colors. It dries with a fine textured finish in one coat. I suggest that if you use this that it would be the last thing you do on the body. I don't think you could mask over it and not have paint get under the tape. If you use a white color it could make a good base for lighter colored tops.

Beautiful cherry old Merc. Are going to leave it stock or add the GT style hood with the twin scoops ?

Thank you for sharing. I agree with the overdone patina look. If they are trying to look old and rusty it should be covered with a flat clear. Rust is not shinny.

I have gotten some K&N style air cleaners from Scale Dreams www.Scaledreams.Com. They offer several different shapes and are extremely accurate. You may even find they cost less also.

I have also used Modelhaus bodies and other conversion parts and have never been less than 100 % pleased with them. The interior looks great, but I wonder about the holes in the floor. Are they maybe for mounting bucket seats ? The wheels look more like a standard wheel that would have a hub cap covering it. The suggestion of the "police" style wheel would make the most sense. The pictures I have seen of restored 1:1 cars have a wheel with the vents as seen on those wheels.

Turned out great.

Most of the kit tires have an almost to shinny appearance on the sidewalls. I think that the flat clear from Tamiya gives a more realistic look. I have also found that if you have used any type of white wall or raised lettering treatment the chance of smudges are minimalized. I'm finishing a model now that I'm using the reissued Good Year tires on. On a previous build I some how whipped off a couple of the letters on the tires and really lost the look I was going for. This has not been a problem since I started doing the flat clear. Try it on a spare tire and see what you think.

Great looking build. Your photography real shows all of the work that went into this.

Wonderful tribute to a great racer and builder. You know Dan is still alive and well in California, he might enjoy a picture of your build. A real outstanding build.