TooOld

This morning I worked on the fit of the front bumper/grille to the body , it needs to be moved upward to match the top of the fenders . The arrows show the areas where material will be removed . As long as I'm working on this it was a good time to drill out the molded headlights . Starting with a small hole drilled in the center of each headlight I used progressively larger drill bits until it matched the diameter of the headlights . The headlights I'm using have a concave back side instead of flat , I've set one in place to check the fit . I'll use Molotow on the buckets later . Here's a comparison of the original fit (top) to the fit after the modifications (bottom) . Much better ! That's all for today , time to take care of other business .

Fantastic job Jim ! Just curious . . . with the current issues with BMF what type of foil did you use or was it an old sheet of New Improved Foil ?

Always been a fan of the Vickie and yours is gonna look great ! Really like those wheels and tires !

Swapping a chassis almost always involves some modifications and you've shown that with some careful planning it can be an easy process . The torque boxes are another simple addition that really improves the look , nicely done !

Thanks much Tim ! Time to start prepping the body for paint . This body is about as close to perfect as you can get so I've been very careful when handling it so not to mess anything up . Then I picked it up to start prepping and PLINK ! . . . the vent window post goes flying across the room ! I actually looked up and saw where it landed , that's never happened before . I figured I might as well just make a new post , that way it will match the drivers side I replaced four months ago . So a piece of .040" square stock filed to shape was glued in place . When dry I reinforced it with some CA glue , also filling any gaps . A little clean up and it's done . Next I double checked the fit of the bumpers . The front almost snaps in place ! The only issue I see is the top of the headlight buckets don't match the top of the fenders . I think a little trimming along the top of the grille and where the bumper wraps around on both ends will solve that . The rear bumper also fits nicely , in fact both bumpers fit better than any kit I've ever built . Another self inflicted wound is a small depression at the screw mounting post on the trunk , I remember doing this when trimming the post to clear the chassis . . . stupid mistake . This will be fixed . Note the mold line across the trunk . All of the mold lines are so faint that I merely scraped them off with a single edge razor blade . Then followed that with some 400 grit and lightly sanded them all smooth . Almost too easy ! Up front the molded in wipers will be removed . They're not very pronounced and easily came off with a small file . They were also molded incorrectly being mounted where the washer nozzles should be . I've drilled the new wiper mounting holes in the correct location . I've got a bunch of wiper sets but the only set the correct size are from the '58 Plymouth , not the best looking set with a lot of flash that needed to be cleaned up . The mirror is from the '57 Chrysler kit . I would normally pin these using .020" dia brass rod but the mirror and even these wipers have a small mounting post molded into them . I make my own antennas using hypodermic tubing and insect pins . I've found the easiest way is to insert the pin into the tubing where you want it then use a sharp razor blade , rolling the tube to cut through . Then I drilled and shaped a short length of .050" rod for the antenna base and cut it at a 45 degree angle . Here's the wipers , mirror , and antenna in place . I'll tackle the front bumper and the trunk tomorrow .

Thanks very much Alan ! I'm also inspired by the work I see Steve and others doing here and it's inspired me to try some new things . You should give it a try !

I think it worked David , well done ! I like the Porsche engine and cool gauge pods !

Beautifully done as always Jim !

Beautifully done Anders ! If those are the kit wheels they look pretty darned good with a wash !

Big Roth fan here , I'd say you nailed it ! The combination of parts sounds impossible but it all blends together very well , excellent work !

Beautiful Charger JR , That black paint turned out super nice ! No stripes , great wheels , it's perfect !

Persistance pays off . . . eventually , and you've got more than I do . Congrats , that's a great looking T-Bucket !

Yep it's yours !

Hey David , sorry I missed this one , it's one of my favorites ! I like that you were able to adjust the front bumper/grille upward to fill that gap , and moving the mirror really improves the look of the dash . I've had to fit tops to bodies like your doing and it's a time consuming task but well worth the effort , looks like you've got it handled. As for the track looking too narrow . . . I thought the exact same thing when fitting my '60 Dodge . After looking at tons of photos on the web and at some finished models I decided to leave it alone . The finished models look great and none of them appear to have the track widened , check some of Steve's models and you'll see what I mean .

These original kits just have a cool factor missing in the new ones , great to see another one going together !

Beautiful interior Steve , that color looks perfect ! The addition of the "Buddy Seat" really makes it stand out , along with your dash . . . love how you did the bezels !

Thanks Chaz ! Thanks David ! Thanks much David !

You're off to a great start , the red paint looks great !

I've already commented how much I like the finished build but I never actually looked at your wip until now . My apologies , you explain the process clearly and it's very easy to see the work you put into combining all those spare parts . . . Well Done !

I think it's amazing that you took those blocks of plastic they called the suspension and made them look like a real C4 suspension , Great job Jim ! And the time you spent spraying spoons is gonna pay off , that color looks awesome !

Yes I can schedule a pickup and before I leave at 6am Monday morning I place my packages on my open porch in full view from the street and unprotected from the morning thunderstorms we have here almost daily . Then sometime around 2 or 3pm the postal carrier will pick them up , if they're still there . It would be nice but not everyone can take advantage of this service .

Now that you've all seen the parts how about the completed interior ? I sprayed some more semi-gloss on the seats and couldn't resist putting it all together for some more pics !

Thanks carl! Thanks Jim ! Thanks Bob !

Yep . This being my first attempt at something like this was a learning curve and I'm really looking forward to doing another one !

Nice !!