Custom Mike Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 And now a few "overall" shots to let you see how it's gonna look once it's all redone. I like the look much better, but I know it's gonna mean more work and a repaint, but it'll be worth it! And a couple of shots of the passenger side for comparison, I think the modified window shapes will look much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 That is one smooth looking ride.....Outstanding mods.....Awesome.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Mike glad to see you bring this one back to life. I like your new update to the rear Windows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 Thanks guys! This one will be done when I'm finally satisfied with the look, no matter what it takes. I compromised on my Concept Charger and I really can't stand it, I won't make the same mistake on this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Wow!! Glad your working on this again, since it was before my time (sign-on) when you started it Are those the lexan blocks as tailights? Nice Nice Nice Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Yeah Bruce, they are. It was one of those weird ideas I'll get once in a while...I gave up on those real quick! Believe me, not all of my insane ideas work out, but every once in a while they do, and I look like some kind of genius! Edited July 5, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFchronos Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 (edited) Very nice and creative build! Edited July 5, 2014 by TFchronos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrKerry Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Kool beans, looks good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 OK, here we go! A buddy over on Scale Avenue did a quick couple of MS Paint versions of an upper grille in the hood, and hit on one that really does the trick! Here's what Jeremy came up with, the Momad script won't be there, but the grille idea itself is solid, so I'm going for it! I started out marking the area I wanted to remove with a pencil.... Two small holes were drilled at each corner, and larger holes were drilled across the top and bottom edges.... Now the fun part begins, cutting the opening. I used a Photo-Etched saw blade in an X-Acto handle to do this part, and proceeded carefully... Here's where the first problem popped up. As I was removing the center section, I heard a crack. If you look on the lower left side of the hood, you can see where it's not lined up anymore. I got it glued back together cleanly though, so that little disaster was averted... A couple of quick passes with a 180 grit sanding stick got it looking like this. The hood's crack still has not been glued back together at this point, so it's still a bit off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) The crack in the hood was glued back together, sanded smooth, and some more sanding stick work was done to smooth everything out and square-up the new hole in the hood... And now a few shots to see how it looks at different angles... After getting the hood cleaned up, I removed all the parts from the body that didn't need to be there. Side mirrors, headlight and tail light buckets, and side windows are all now sitting in the interior so I hopefully don't lose them! The Photo-Etched '57 Chevy side trim can't be removed without damaging it, it's epoxied in place, so I'll just have to mask over it and be very careful working on the side window modifications. Edited July 11, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparfarmer Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Maybe you could have gone with vinyl like the Sprint Cup series cars do..A decal maybe, it looks good on race cars, why not yours..It could have saved you some work and damage control...Its going to be nice though.Your MOMAD is KILLER.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 And now I show the second crack. I did this when trying to shape the stainless mesh to fit in the lower grille opening. The stainless is much harder than the brass mesh I used on my '32 5-Window, so it took a bit more force on the basswood buck I made to get it to form properly. After a hearty whack on the basswood buck, a loud crack rang out, but I had a pretty stainless mesh grille at least! The good news is, it's already fixed, so no big worry there. The stainless mesh grille...and the crack. The good part was, the cracked area on both this and the hood were 90% Acrylic Filler, so a drop of superglue put them both back together good as new! And the lower grille in brass mesh. I still don't know which one I'm going with at this point, they're just here so I can look at 'em and decide which way I'm gonna go. And now a couple of shots of the upper and lower grilles in brass. I'll make up and upper grille in stainless tomorrow night if I get the time, just so I can see how it compares to the brass mesh. Right now the only thing I'm concerned with is getting the upper grille opening finished off, and making a quarter-round surround for both grilles. then I'll start worrying about which one looks right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 Thanks for the compliment Wayne, I appreciate it! Maybe you could have gone with vinyl like the Sprint Cup series cars do..A decal maybe, it looks good on race cars, why not yours..It could have saved you some work and damage control... Maybe it's just me being a glutton for punishment, but I just couldn't do a decal, an open grille looks so much better! Yeah, it's a pain, and yeah, I screwed up twice, but it'll look better being able to see through it in the end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Minarick Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Very cool , Mike. There is a guy in my area that's building a real 57 Chevy with a Magnum roof,I haven't seen it , but I heard it was pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopar - D Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Mike I agree with the decal just would not of looked real like the grill you have gone with. I like the steel over the brass it's the same as the 1:1 Magnum SRT grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 You went from Momad to Momagea (Magnum + Nomad + Stagea) with that grille! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderbread Kustomz Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Looks great bro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynoMight Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 I hope you paint the grill and not leave it brass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLMFAA1 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 If I may throw my two cents in, I would put the chyrsler emblem in the lower grille and needs some round bumperettes greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Wow, great work, and great step by step pics. Thanks for all the tips. You are truly a skilled customizer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) Greg, I'm not sure about the round bumperettes myself, but I can always mock something up. I talked to a buddy of mine today who does nothing but Military stuff about some Photo-Etched gunsights to go in the upper grille, we'll see how that looks too! Glenn, all the stuff posted right now is purely mock-ups, but if I like the looks of something, I'll keep it. Right now I'm just trying different styles of mesh and looking for the one style that I like the most with this model. Color doesn't matter yet, that comes later! But the '57 Chevy and Nomad had Gold grilles..... Pat, if you can get some pics of that car, I'd love to see it! James, thanks brother, now get back to work on that killer '53 Panel! Dan, I'm leaning toward that stainless mesh just for that reason, it's a match for the original grille! Chris, I had never heard of the Stagea, but after a quick Google search, I've gotta say, that one cool little wagon! Edited July 12, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I like this. Cool project ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) Thanks Ray! Dennis, thanks for the high praise, but I just try out new stuff and hope for the best. Doing a custom is hard, but after you get a successful one under your belt, they get easier and easier. It's all about building your confidence with each successful custom you build. I'm at the point now where I can "see" what I want in my head, and I have no doubt I can pull it off. It doesn't work every time, but I'll keep trying until I force my skills to match my vision! It's also made me a better scratch-builder than I ever thought I could be, I have to make things that don't exist all the time on my customs, so now I can make what I need on my other builds with a confidence I never had before! One day I'll drop my Jo-Han Javelin chassis/interior/engine bay re-engineering project here. If I had never done a custom, I wouldn't have tried tackling this project, but so far, the plan to improve all the flaws in that old Jo-Han kit is coming along beautifully! Maybe that'll be the one that gets attention from a resin caster, who knows? Edited July 12, 2014 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Minarick Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) Pat, if you can get some pics of that car, I'd love to see it! I will try , I'm not sure if it was ever finished. A friend of mine did a rendering of it I think. Edited July 12, 2014 by Road Runner 79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Well, I want to do an update, since I got the grille surround for the lower grille made up Saturday, but Fotki is still down, so I can't. Trust me, it came out looking cool, but it was a long process to say the least, about 10 hours worth of work in all. The upper grille is gonna be a real pain, I already tried once and scrapped it, so I know I'm in for a fight! As soon as Fotki gets their stuff together, I'll post the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.