'41 Plymouth Gasser Barn Find - Updated 2-07

[Bernard Kron]

This is new territory for me. I've never done a rusted model before. The upcoming NNL West in early March has Rat Rods as one of their featured categories and I thought I'd build something for that. But this model is not it! I started this AMT '41 Plymouth to gain experience with weathering powders and the table salt corrosion technique.

I'm building it as a "barn find" 60's gasser. The motor is the kit inline 6 with a finned aluminum head courtesy of The Parts Box (believe it or not such a part exists...). I'll be building a 3-carb manifold and straight exhausts. The tires are AMT kit tires woith hand painted whitewalls. The front axle is the gasser piece from the AMT '32 Ford Phaeton. Virtually all the other parts come from the kit. The car will have weathered grill, lights and bumpers to gain experience weathering chrome. The full-on Rat Rod I'll be building for the NNL West will use what I've learned from doing this one. It will be a pretty "classic" Rat od, if such a thing exists - Buick Straight 8, '29 Ford RPU bucket, Kelsey Hayes wire wheels, super low z'd frame, etc.

I did the rust job after researching weathering techniques on line and on YouTube. In particular I found the military modelers quite helpful, as well as the excellent videos produced by Virgil Suárez (Dr. Cranky). In his videos the good Doctor points out that you will probably put down too much rust in your first attempt but to not let that worry you. It's how you learn the limits and extent of the techniques. I found this very much to be the case.

The corrosion of the bodywork was done using a blend of table salt, coarse salt and baking powder applied to the damp body after panting it with Duplicolor red primer. After applying the salt and letting it dry overnight I sprayed the body with Duplicolor Hampsted Green Metallic. This is the basic body color. Once the body color was dry I removed the salt using a stiff tooth brush. Then I applied weathering powders using two shades of rust (light and dark) and a light grey "dirt" as well. The owders were given to me several years ago by a friend so I don’t have the original packaging. However, I believe they are Bragdon Enterprises powders. They are excellent.

Once done I sealed everything with Testors DullCote. While I really like the overall effect I hope to be able to do a less rusty car with my next project.

Thanx for lookin,
B.

Edited February 8, 2016 by Bernard Kron

[JustanotherKiwi]

Personally I am liking how far you have gone with the rust, it is more like a left outside find, are you going to do the motor  along this line too? 

I wonder is there a way to get the oxidised look on alloy easily?

Watching this build for sure.

[Foxer]

I like how far you've taken this rust also ... it's believable for something left outside.

With an original L-Head there's no worry about how to weather an alloy metal as it's just plain old steel. I didn't realize the Parts Box had finned heads for this engine (!) so that should give some weathering challenge!

[DrKerry]

Looks good so far Bernard!!!!!

[DumpyDan]

Well done, love the look

[Bernard Kron]

Thank you everyone!

I’ve completed the interior and have the chassis mostly assembled, only missing some steering bits, front shocks and drive shaft, all of which have been painted. Both the chassis and the interior have been weathered as well. I think they’ve benefitted from the initial experience of doing the body. I was able to more accurately place the rust where I wanted it and to moderate the rust effects when I wanted to. The interior is more dirty and stained than rusty, too.

The motor is half built and should be done soon. It requires its own approach to weathering since it has some aluminum hop up parts and the Chrysler Corp. engine block paint was an aluminum silver metallic, which would act as a partial barrier to rust.

This is all very interesting!

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[curt raitz]

Hung out with Raul today and he told me you playing with rust.

I like it  

looking' forward to seeing' it in March.

[66belair]

Very cool! What technique did you use for the rust as I am suppose to building some kind of Rat Rod for a club build in March? Any advice would be appreciated.

[66belair]

Sorry just finished re-reading the top op page again. My fault I was just in awe of the rust job.

[FORDSVTPARTS]

Nice job, love the patina work!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Great looking rust. Very realistic. Makes me want to put a tarp over it so it doesn't get any worse. 

[tim boyd]

Bernard...wow you did a great job...it really looks "real" to me.  

Way to go.....TIM 

 

[Jantrix]

Looking good ............um bad.....................but in a good way Bernard. 

[Bernard Kron]

Thank you everyone. You are all very generous...

This is a small update. I’m making good progress and close to final assembly. The window glass was weathered and installed. I included door glass since otherwise the car would have been rusted through and through. With full weathered glass the car looks even more far gone! I also installed the grill and headlights. The motor parts are completed. I scratch built a ribbed cast log-style manifold to hold three Stromberg 97’s. The exhaust manifold is adapted from the kit’s wedge-head Plymouth V8. Still to do is installation of the engine accessories and magneto ignition and, of course, the weathering, which has actually been started but does show up in the low-light workbench pictures.

I hope to have this completed by the weekend.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Bernard Kron]

I got the engine finished and weathered.  The triple Stromberg 97’s are from my stash of resin pieces by the late Ron Royston at Early Years Resin. The “doghouse” over them is a strip of styrene finished in Testors Metalizer paint and the pre-wired resin magneto is by Morgan Automotive Detail, adapted to fit the molded in kit distributor drive. For those who are curious, the Chrysler Corp. P series flathead sixes had the inner 4 exhaust ports siamesed in pairs which makes the exhaust layout look like a 4 banger. The intake ports were siamesed in pairs which explains the carburetor layout. As mentioned earlier the intake manifold is scratch built and the exhaust manifold is from the kit, it’s one side of the wedge V8 pair, bent to fit the six’s exhaust layout.

I’m on the home stretch now and should be done soon…

Thanx for lookin;,
B.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Bernard Kron

[vintagercr]

Very nice work

[crazyrichard]

cool !

[misterNNL]

Outstanding model! I absolutely love the layers of crud and corrosion you have applied.Thanks for sharing your technique with us.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx guys!

I thought I’d snap some pictures of the chassis before it got covered up. I’m happy with how the front of the end and the engine compartment came out. Much of it will disappear under the bodywork unfortunately. I should be able to do a formal shoot of the completed car in the next day or two.

Thanx to you all for following along and for your interest and comments.
B.

[DumpyDan]

Very good looking X drag car

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks Dan. This is now completed and the final assembled car is shown Under Glass.