Plastic surgery for a '41 Plymouth

[dwc43]

4 minutes ago, customline said:

The backside of the bezel is not flat. It is curved. My desire is to reduce the thickness, of the headlight door and lower it so the parking/turn signal appendage gets closer to the top of the fender and not stick up above it. It's not really clear in the photos but not from lack of trying. Below: First photo - unaltered right side... second photo- lowered and thinned left side (no mods on the right side yet)... third photo - 1:1. You can see the AMT part is poorly engraved and a bit out of scale. 

 

I see what you're talking about now. I get it. Yeah, the part is not made very well. Especially when you are comparing it to the real thing. I have two of these to build at some point too. Just one more thing I need to fix as well. Thanks for sharing that. 

[NOBLNG]

Nice improvements you’re making to the front end of this one Jim. I have one of these that I have been tempted to start recently. I will be taking some tips from your build (and Davids) for sure! 👍😎

[espo]

Looks like you're well on your way to making a great looking OEM grill and front end on this build. Like you I have often wondered why AMT made the front-end parts in the way that they did. My thinking is that they may have considered offering a post WW2 version of this body style and the front end could easily be switched out. 

[customline]

8 hours ago, dwc43 said:

I see what you're talking about now. I get it. Yeah, the part is not made very well. Especially when you are comparing it to the real thing. I have two of these to build at some point too. Just one more thing I need to fix as well. Thanks for sharing that. 

I'm just trying to get this old Mopar to look more like what it's supposed to be. It's not one of AMT's best but I will build it the best way I can. The kit is just raw material. 

[customline]

7 hours ago, espo said:

Looks like you're well on your way to making a great looking OEM grill and front end on this build. Like you I have often wondered why AMT made the front-end parts in the way that they did. My thinking is that they may have considered offering a post WW2 version of this body style and the front end could easily be switched out. 

I think Ace nailed it, Dave. It's just how things had to be done to facilitate the molding process.

The '46 model, I believe, is new sheet metal. We're gonna find out, though. Wait for it.....

You may be able to turn the '41 into a '46.....maaaaaaybe. the greenhouse looks the same on that top photo. You have to mess with the fenders quite a bit but the general shape is there. The grille would be a labor of pure love. The chassis could go as is. Bumpers from the stash. Gotta cover the running boards.....the headlights would be easy  🤓.   Fun! Ya know.........?

Edited January 26 by customline

[David G.]

On 1/24/2024 at 8:54 AM, customline said:

I looked at your WIP, David. Super-nice work and you have given me the answer for the fender welt problem. Beading wire is a great way to replace the welt. I love what you did with the wheels, too. To anyone reading this: look at David's WIP. 

David, the first thing I did was install the grille panel and, in doing so, found I had to get one side glued tightly first and then pull the fenders together to get the other side connected tightly. The body I have seemed a bit out of shape (the age factor).  I didn't have the situation that you had but I will still have to replace the welt after I get the area on the inside of the headlights re-shaped. Your method worked really well and I intend to use it. Thank you!

Wow, thanks for the mention Jim, I appreciate that. I'm also glad that you found the WIP helpful.

If I had to do that bead wire replacement today I think I might try some styrene rod. Evergreen makes it as thin as .5mm (.020"). Which should be just about the correct thickness and a little easier to work with than either bead wire or solder.

It would seem that I've learned a few things since that I posted that WIP  

Your solution to that problem looks like it worked out very well.

 I admire you attention to detail, I didn't even notice that the headlight bezels were that out of scale. It looks like you're well under way for knocking those into shape as well.

Keep up the great work on this Jim, I'm really enjoying following along.

David G.

[slusher]

On 1/24/2024 at 9:11 AM, customline said:

I don't want to disappoint you, Carl, but I may not do much beyond the nose mod. The rest of the build will likely be shelved for a while until I can get caught up with all my other unfinished projects. It's just a "normal" build after the nose job anyway, but I had to do it just to see if I could. Sometimes these things don't go where I want them to 💩.

I won’t be disappointed in your build I totally understand. What engine did you use in. Your orang gasser?

[customline]

Worked on the right side today. My Micro made quick work of it and I got a little primer on it. Worked it a little more with a black stick followed by a blue one and more fine surface gray. I'm close but playing a light beam across the contour at different angles will guide me while tweaking it. Then the other light bezel gets worked. I anticipate some filling with Mr Surfacer to bring it all home but it looks like it's gonna work to my satisfaction. It's extra work but should prove to be worth the effort. Also, I removed the .023 solder from the left side and I will be replacing it with Evergreen or Plastruct rod (David G. again, folks 🙂) for a better look.

This modification will necessitate a lot of priming and sanding but that's the game. I want what I want.  Some will think it isn't worth the work but others will, and just enjoy doing it. 😉. 

after looking at these photos(now) I see I need to replace that top trim piece that's messed up (maybe I did that?? 💩)

 

[espo]

On 1/25/2024 at 8:51 PM, customline said:

I think Ace nailed it, Dave. It's just how things had to be done to facilitate the molding process.

The '46 model, I believe, is new sheet metal. We're gonna find out, though. Wait for it.....

You may be able to turn the '41 into a '46.....maaaaaaybe. the greenhouse looks the same on that top photo. You have to mess with the fenders quite a bit but the general shape is there. The grille would be a labor of pure love. The chassis could go as is. Bumpers from the stash. Gotta cover the running boards.....the headlights would be easy  🤓.   Fun! Ya know.........?

I see what you mean about the body differences between the year models. Many years ago, a friend had what I think was a '48 Plymouth coupe. What I didn't remember was the differences in the fenders. The earlier body style had some charter lines on both front and rear fenders that are not on the later model Plymouth. His looked very much like the Maroon Plymouth pictured, but without the sun visor and done in a darker green color. 

[customline]

6 hours ago, espo said:

I see what you mean about the body differences between the year models. Many years ago, a friend had what I think was a '48 Plymouth coupe. What I didn't remember was the differences in the fenders. The earlier body style had some charter lines on both front and rear fenders that are not on the later model Plymouth. His looked very much like the Maroon Plymouth pictured, but without the sun visor and done in a darker green color.

Those funky fenders on the '41 are embarrassing. They did better in '42 and, luckily, those carry over.

Looks-wise, they seem to have the same biz coupe body from the firewall back from maybe '38 all the way to '48.  From '42 to '48, they have a four-seater coupe that has a different greenhouse along side the older biz coupe. They also cover the boards from '42 on.

Post-war Plymouths were everywhere. They were the lowest of "the low-price three" and it seemed there was still plenty of them around in 1970. I got my '39 coupe out of a junkyard for $75.00 😎 and a 4-door parts car for $25.00. Those were the days.

[Joe Handley]

On 1/26/2024 at 5:24 PM, customline said:

Worked on the right side today. My Micro made quick work of it and I got a little primer on it. Worked it a little more with a black stick followed by a blue one and more fine surface gray. I'm close but playing a light beam across the contour at different angles will guide me while tweaking it. Then the other light bezel gets worked. I anticipate some filling with Mr Surfacer to bring it all home but it looks like it's gonna work to my satisfaction. It's extra work but should prove to be worth the effort. Also, I removed the .023 solder from the left side and I will be replacing it with Evergreen or Plastruct rod (David G. again, folks 🙂) for a better look.

This modification will necessitate a lot of priming and sanding but that's the game. I want what I want.  Some will think it isn't worth the work but others will, and just enjoy doing it. 😉. 

after looking at these photos(now) I see I need to replace that top trim piece that's messed up (maybe I did that?? 💩)

 

That took a good bit of work on the Custom ‘41 I built in ‘22, ended up filling with both UV resin and body filler to make all those areas look like one large assembly.

[customline]

I was not totally happy with the contour after priming. I wanted to start the slope of the fenders a little farther back so I added more sprue-goo and set aside to dry. Tonight I checked to see if it was hard....yes it was.....but there was a 😮 surprise waiting for me.

 

 

A nice little dent. So I thought "the wife did it backing out of the garage"....I will leave it for a touch of realism. And then I thought "what a great way to inflict a little collision damage for a patina job". 🥴

Edited January 28 by customline
Punctuation

[Joe Handley]

Did that melt the fender?!

[David G.]

Good progress on this Jim.

That dent is interesting. Dd the solvent in the goo cause the plastic on the fender to soften enough to deform?

David G.

[customline]

7 hours ago, Joe Handley said:

Did that melt the fender?!

 

Yup. Pretty cool, huh? 😀

Edited January 28 by customline

[customline]

1 hour ago, David G. said:

Good progress on this Jim.

That dent is interesting. Dd the solvent in the goo cause the plastic on the fender to soften enough to deform?

David G.

Yes indeed, David. It's my first time using sprue filler. Lesson one: use sparingly 🥴. 

[Scott8950]

On 1/24/2024 at 9:59 AM, customline said:

This kit is a great start for a gasser. I just wish AMT had seen fit to treat it like it really mattered. It could have been really great if they had had a little vision. Instead, they try to sell it to Coke collectors 😞. Here's my gasser:

Thats very nice.

[Joe Handley]

5 hours ago, customline said:

 

Yup. Pretty cool, huh? 😀

Almost unexpected, know somebody who melted the nose off a Revell WW2 bomber using Squadron putty, he was unaware of the toluene solvent in it and being something that would melt plastic if applied excessively. I had a similar experience, but not that bad at the same time.

[customline]

On 1/26/2024 at 8:37 AM, slusher said:

I won’t be disappointed in your build I totally understand. What engine did you use in. Your orang gasser?

The gasser has a street hemi from (probably) a Revell kit, maybe the '68 Charger kit? I don't know, Carl. I wish I could tell you with certainty but it was years ago. Maybe someone here will recognize it

[customline]

12 minutes ago, Joe Handley said:

Almost unexpected, know somebody who melted the nose off a Revell WW2 bomber using Squadron putty, he was unaware of the toluene solvent in it and being something that would melt plastic if applied excessively. I had a similar experience, but not that bad at the same time.

I won't use model putty of any brand due to the shrinkage issue but the solvents can be a problem when used in heavy applications. This was my first adventure with sprue-goo and I was lucky to get away with very little damage. It didn't dawn on me what I was fooling with. My plan was to have some styrene back-up in case I went through the fender (which I did). It's all good, though. The damage is in the wrong place to be legit believable dent so I gotta fix it. Gotta love it, though. Can't wait to employ the technique 🤓.

[customline]

Today's update: 

I noticed the molded-in trim on the grille panel didn't line up with the same on the hood like it should. Another thing is the two horizontal bars were not prominent enough to get a good foil job. Same with the bar at the peak of the hood, which is almost non-existent. I used .040 half-round for the verticle strips and .030 triangular rod for the horizontal bars. It looks OK but we won't know till it's foiled just how much of an improvement this has made.🤞.  Still much tweaking ahead and I gotta fix the "dent". Thanks for stopping in.

The relief is too low for anything but a difficult foiling experience. And....the trim doesn't line up.

When you look at a 1:1, the trim is quite prominent. The .040 half round seems a bit too big but I will be sanding it down a bit but my purpose is to provide a good base for the foil. It needs to be flattened out a bit to be closer to the hood trim. 

The horizontal bars were a beeyatch to attach for my 70+ year old fingers. If this all works out well, I will be quite proud of myself. You be the judge 🥴.

The spacing isn't quite right but, like I said.....

The headlight situation is still a little iffy but it's better than just using them as is. They will necessarily be lower on the fenders than designed by AMT but will look more like the 1:1, hopefully. I have thinned the bezel as much as I can and I can't finalize the tweaking until there is a finish on the body.  But I'm close.

I am still deliberating about the trim on the hood. I feel like I need to add some thickness to the trim but for the way it matches up with the body trim. If I add to it, it won't match up at the cowl. I dunno. That's it for now. 🤓.

[bill-e-boy]

This is looking great. I will be following. 

I built one years ago just after the street rod version was released and was a little disappointed with the final look. Ok it was pre bare metal foil days so the front trim was brush painted. Must revisit the kit one day and use this thread as a basis for mods to make it more realistic. I have a couple in the stash.

As another point I have an original but sad looking 1:1 39 4dr Dodge sedan that is good reference for the mechanicals as they were the same - although the Plymouths usually had the smaller motor

  

[customline]

30 minutes ago, bill-e-boy said:

This is looking great. I will be following. 

I built one years ago just after the street rod version was released and was a little disappointed with the final look. Ok it was pre bare metal foil days so the front trim was brush painted. Must revisit the kit one day and use this thread as a basis for mods to make it more realistic. I have a couple in the stash.

As another point I have an original but sad looking 1:1 39 4dr Dodge sedan that is good reference for the mechanicals as they were the same - although the Plymouths usually had the smaller motor

  

They were pretty simple. I was building mine as a resto-rod and kept the front suspension stock. This is around the time the pros were adding IFS to Fords, ha ha ha ha.....anyway, I got an education on kingpin replacement. It was a fun time.

[customline]

I download lots of photos for most of my projects and this photo shows off that fanciful front end design. As much as I like the forty for it's blue collar look, this whispy, fluid styling has a sort of Art Nouveau look. Big, curvy lines with a feeling of air flowing by. Gotta love it 😎

 

It's really quite  beautiful 😍 

[LennyB]

Jim

I think adding that trim to the front really helps a lot. On the two I'm working on the trim on the passenger side is almost non-existent. 

I was working on the front end of my two last night and as you say there is a lot of work involved just to make the nose look right.  On the Woody I sanded off the fender welting and made a groove for solder or beading wire as you did. I know it will be harder to form but I'm leaning towards the beading wire in black so that after the body is painted I can sand thru the paint to expose the wire rather then painting the beading black.