And now … it’s!

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/13/2024 at 6:58 PM, mrm said:

I have not commented until now, but I've been following this build. The color is absolutely perfect for this car. It's outside the norm of what Mercs are usually painted and is drop dead gorgeous. The engine work is great too. I love those valve covers and I would like to know where they came from. The interior is complimenting the exterior color perfectly and is very subtle and classy. I love everything about your build. 

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Thank you sir for the kind words, I wish I had an answer for you on the valve covers but I sadly do not. I fell in love with that colour green last year when I used it on a 32 roadster. Tamiya pearl green. I’ve wanted to do a full bodied car for some time and this one seemed to check all of the boxes for me.

im waiting for a bit of warm dry weather atm to shoot some clear on the body as i think this needs some depth to the colour.   

[Can-Con]

  On 10/13/2024 at 7:39 PM, Bullybeef said:

Thank you sir for the kind words, I wish I had an answer for you on the valve covers but I sadly do not. I fell in love with that colour green last year when I used it on a 32 roadster. Tamiya pearl green. I’ve wanted to do a full bodied car for some time and this one seemed to check all of the boxes for me.

im waiting for a bit of warm dry weather atm to shoot some clear on the body as i think this needs some depth to the colour.   

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You got a nice clean build going there Bill. IIRC, that windshield is tricky to get in. 

BTW, those valve covers look to be from the AMT '66 Mercury. I used them on one of my builds too.

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/13/2024 at 7:59 PM, Can-Con said:

You got a nice clean build going there Bill. IIRC, that windshield is tricky to get in. 

BTW, those valve covers look to be from the AMT '66 Mercury. I used them on one of my builds too.

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Thank you Steve, and thanks for the tip on the windshield, I’ll have to look into that asap

[customline]

  On 10/13/2024 at 6:58 PM, mrm said:

I have not commented until now, but I've been following this build. The color is absolutely perfect for this car. It's outside the norm of what Mercs are usually painted and is drop dead gorgeous. The engine work is great too. I love those valve covers and I would like to know where they came from. The interior is complimenting the exterior color perfectly and is very subtle and classy. I love everything about your build. 

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Ditto, actually. ?  Bil didn't express his intentions for this one but, frankly, I'm impressed. And the wait for the reveal was daunting.  Now we know. This is either a period-correct chopped Merc lead-sled or a retro chopped Merc lead-sled. And I love it!

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/14/2024 at 12:17 AM, customline said:

Ditto, actually. ?  Bil didn't express his intentions for this one but, frankly, I'm impressed. And the wait for the reveal was daunting.  Now we know. This is either a period-correct chopped Merc lead-sled or a retro chopped Merc lead-sled. And I love it!

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What can I say Jim, I like to add an air of mystery to my build threads, most times it’s a mystery that I actually finish a build haha. I’d like to put this one as an early 60’s period correct sled, but without the commonality of the “Mercillac”! I hope it lives up to my own expectations, I have yet to successfully shoot a proper clear coat as most of my paintwork is just from the can with no polishing. 
Thanks for following along and commenting as I find it more collaborative than just a build blog. I’m still kinda new to the building world compared to some others here. I’d like to think my skills improve with every finished build. 
Stay tuned for the finale, and thank you all for the likes and kind comments. 
Bil

[customline]

  On 10/14/2024 at 12:59 AM, Bullybeef said:

What can I say Jim, I like to add an air of mystery to my build threads, most times it’s a mystery that I actually finish a build haha. I’d like to put this one as an early 60’s period correct sled, but without the commonality of the “Mercillac”! I hope it lives up to my own expectations, I have yet to successfully shoot a proper clear coat as most of my paintwork is just from the can with no polishing. 
Thanks for following along and commenting as I find it more collaborative than just a build blog. I’m still kinda new to the building world compared to some others here. I’d like to think my skills improve with every finished build. 
Stay tuned for the finale, and thank you all for the likes and kind comments. 
Bil

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Yeah...it's more fun this way, Bil. I'm never going to win a contest due to my severely limited painting talents, but I'm happy enough with the way half of my builds turn out. The other half, not so much but those are mostly bad paint although I have some customs that didn't quite work. I like the chopping and lowering and sectioning. I just acquired a '49 Ford kit from  1980, a Lesney kit. I can't wait to take a razor saw to that thing ?.  Anyway, your stuff looks great, Bil, and I can tell you're having fun with it. That's what's important. 

[Bullybeef]

I think it’s soon time to invest in and learn to use BMF, masking is so tedious 

[Bullybeef]

Decided to go with the side skirts! It’s not fit to stand outside let alone do any painting. Weather is dismal and wet. I’d like to say the masking went well but I’d be lying. I’m hoping that some panel line accent will hide some of the sins. Next will be some more interior, ie the dash and all the teeny tiny decals for the guages. Starting to look more like my vision of a nice sled! Disregard the ride height it’s just the body on the old frame. 
More soonish.

[customline]

I like the color a lot for this subject. I have a can of this paint that I picked up for something and just decided to save it for a special project. It's subtle and classy.

[customline]

  On 10/14/2024 at 6:38 PM, Bullybeef said:

I think it’s soon time to invest in and learn to use BMF, masking is so tedious 

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 Foiling is tedious too, Bil, but it's more fun ?

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 2:22 PM, customline said:

 Foiling is tedious too, Bil, but it's more fun ?

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Well I think it will be more forgiving than painting the trim right? 

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 2:13 PM, customline said:

I like the color a lot for this subject. I have a can of this paint that I picked up for something and just decided to save it for a special project. It's subtle and classy.

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It’s such a nice colour! I was going to use it for a 36 ford roadster but this is well suited instead.

[TopherMcGinnis]

  On 10/15/2024 at 3:24 PM, Bullybeef said:

Well I think it will be more forgiving than painting the trim right? 

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My big fingers say......

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 5:14 PM, TopherMcGinnis said:

My big fingers say......

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Masking was a pain to be sure.

[customline]

  On 10/15/2024 at 3:24 PM, Bullybeef said:

Well I think it will be more forgiving than painting the trim right? 

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There's a learning curve, Bil, but I think it's well within anyone's abilities if you use a magnifier on your head like I do. Lighting can be a problem when working with reflective stuff. Your eyes are a major factor, of course, but if I can do it (not as well as ten years ago), I'm sure you can. It may be helpful to watch a few videos...that's how I learned.. My eye/ hand coordination was really good back in the '70s, I was a pipe welder for a shipyard. I still have fairly good dexterity despite the arthritis wreaking havoc on my thumbs. 

Don't buy the one they call "Ultra Bright Chrome" because it's too difficult to handle (very frustrating trying to use narrow pieces- the stuff curls up while you're trying to keep it from wrinkling) but the "New Improved Chrome" is where you should start, it's a lot better. There have been issues with this stuff through the years but right now the stuff is good, for the last year anyway. You have to try it, at least, and start with an easy one (not the Starliner ?). You will need tweezers with a precision sharp pointed tip to handle it and I get #11  surgical  blades-they are sharper than hobby blades - you can get a box of 100, a two year supply,  for ten bucks (I just ordered a box). Stay away from the Asian vendors, there's good deals from US vendors.

These blades are extremely sharp and I use them instead of exacto or excell for my pointed blades. And you can do a little surgery with them too! (I also keep a 100ct. box of 1" Curads handy).

OK. That's all I've got. ?

[Bullybeef]

Thanks for the tips and advice Jim, I just placed an online order for some supplies and I purposely excluded any sticky metal trim stuff lol. I’m going back to one colour hotrods with no trim. This making stuff pretty and shiny is for the birds?. But seriously I’ll be investing in some on my next online order, gotta figure it out before the eyesight and dexterity give out, my luck I’ll get some to try and my palsey will come back( I’ll be like Rodney Dangerfield in Easy Money). 

[customline]

  On 10/15/2024 at 6:11 PM, Bullybeef said:

Thanks for the tips and advice Jim, I just placed an online order for some supplies and I purposely excluded any sticky metal trim stuff lol. I’m going back to one colour hotrods with no trim. This making stuff pretty and shiny is for the birds?. But seriously I’ll be investing in some on my next online order, gotta figure it out before the eyesight and dexterity give out, my luck I’ll get some to try and my palsey will come back( I’ll be like Rodney Dangerfield in Easy Money). 

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Sure, and, in the meantime, catch a few videos. 

[Mr. Metallic]

Hey Bil, cool to see a full body car on your bench. Looking great so far.

BMF just requires patience. Get a sheet of it and practice on a scrap body. 

I think the stock FE air cleaner would be fine if you paint it to match the body if you don't have anything else that strikes your fancy.

[DJMar]

  On 10/15/2024 at 6:11 PM, Bullybeef said:

 I’m going back to one colour hotrods with no trim.

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I feel this.

I've got either 1) '90s style "body color painted everything" builds or 2) rat rods on the bench right now, because the thought of foiling anything makes we want take up knitting.

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 8:49 PM, Mr. Metallic said:

Hey Bil, cool to see a full body car on your bench. Looking great so far.

BMF just requires patience. Get a sheet of it and practice on a scrap body. 

I think the stock FE air cleaner would be fine if you paint it to match the body if you don't have anything else that strikes your fancy.

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Thanks Craig, it’s been a fun build so far, not too many Challenges( except for the ones I created) I’ll definitely give the ole bmf a try at some point.  I have an air cleaner coming in the mail from a friend that I will try. The stock one will stay on the bench as a backup. 
Thanks for checking in.

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 9:09 PM, DJMar said:

I feel this.

I've got either 1) '90s style "body color painted everything" builds or 2) rat rods on the bench right now, because the thought of foiling anything makes we want take up knitting.

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My post was as mostly in jest, I’d love to add a new skill to my bag of tricks. 

[Bullybeef]

  On 10/15/2024 at 8:44 PM, customline said:

Sure, and, in the meantime, catch a few videos. 

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Any specific videos you’d recommend? Or shall I just surf the dark highway and see what pops up? I am keen on British comedies 

[DJMar]

  On 10/15/2024 at 9:37 PM, Bullybeef said:

My post was as mostly in jest...

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Mine wasn't. ?

[customline]

  On 10/15/2024 at 9:39 PM, Bullybeef said:

Any specific videos you’d recommend? Or shall I just surf the dark highway and see what pops up? I am keen on British comedies 

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I would start with Doctor Cranky's BMF part 1 and watch all three. There are better ones but if you still want to try it after watching these, then continue to study other ones. You might take to it like a fish to water, who knows? You might like it ?

[Bullybeef]

I tried out the Tamiya polishing system last night… looks like a freshly carnuba’d car. It left me with some small areas of burn through but I’m not gonna let it get me down as this build is for me and a learning experience. I’m no perfectionist and I’m hoping the yards of chrome will detract the eye away from the paint( my painting budget has decreased since the last move and I’m doing my best to use up what I have(and also my availability to get said colour has been limited as well)). I have decided on the Desoto grille and the stock bumpers. Take a look and let me know your thoughts concerns criticisms(no I’m not looking at you Jim). I’ll go back to working on the interior and final assemblies now.

ps kindly disregard the mess of my desk.