Custom Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 Thanks Doc, let's see what you think of this! Since Fotki is back up and running, I can do some updates! I made up the lower grille surround Saturday, and it came out great! I've still got to get the corners looking better on the top sides, but I can do that (Hopefully) pretty easily! On with the update! I started with some angle-shaped styrene, cutting four pieces to fill in the lower grille. Once they were all ready, a bit of Tamiya liquid cement was applied! And what it looks like from the inside. The channel will allow me to cut a flat piece of mesh to fit, and give me something to glue it too! It also makes the grille assembly completely removable!
Custom Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 Next was adding the quarter-round strips around the edges of the new "grille shell"...
Custom Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 Finishing off the quarter-round strips, once they were all in place, I removed the excess angle from the frame so it was flush with the quarter-round... Yeah, I've got to tighten up those corners really bad!
Custom Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 And some quick mock-ups. I added in the stainless mesh, in silver and black, then slapped some foil on it real quick and tried the brass mesh. It actually looks better in person, but the camera shows how rough it is, so the foil will be removed and the corners smoothed out. But it does show that the idea worked, and looks pretty good to boot! The upper grille is gonna kill me, but it's gonna get done, I have no choice now!
John Teresi Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Mike……..Very impressive indeed……Very cool dude.
Custom Mike Posted July 16, 2014 Author Posted July 16, 2014 Thanks John, but i still need to master Alclad like you have...and my scratch building is getting better, but I'm not even in the ballpark with you!
Wonderbread Kustomz Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Wow Mike! That's looking killer! Nice work with the mesh grill...
Dr. Cranky Posted July 16, 2014 Posted July 16, 2014 Amazing work. This is a great thread to keep returning to for inspiration. And thank you all for the aftermarket mesh information.
Custom Mike Posted July 29, 2014 Author Posted July 29, 2014 OK, I got a bit of work done yesterday on this one. I worked on the upper grille some more, but scrapped what I made again, it's just not working right yet. SO I threw some primer at the hood to see if maybe the opening was the issue.... Now I know why I can't get the upper grille surround to look right, the opening isn't square! I'll get this straightened out and squared up if I get the chance this week, then we'll take another shot at making the surround!
Custom Mike Posted July 29, 2014 Author Posted July 29, 2014 And another small update, I started in on the rear side windows. I spent a long time carefully sanding the openings on the driver's side until I had them where I wanted them. Once I get the passenger side to match, I'll throw some primer at it and see if they're even. And the unmolested passenger side. In this first picture you can see the flaws in the body work above the windows, which is what caused me to set this build aside for so long.
David G. Posted August 19, 2014 Posted August 19, 2014 It takes a lot of courage to make such changes so late in the game. Outstanding work! David G.
Custom Mike Posted August 20, 2014 Author Posted August 20, 2014 Thanks guys, I want it to look like it rolled out of the factory like this, so I'll keep working on it until I feel it's just right! It takes a lot of courage to make such changes so late in the game. Outstanding work! David G. David, I have one that I finished just because I felt pressure to get it done over on BMC years ago. I had so many people watching that I felt like it needed to be wrapped up, and I hate it now. It's got tons of little flaws that drive me nuts. It takes a nice picture, but in person it's a wreck, and I want every custom I do now to satisfy me first, and everyone else second. I appreciate that people want to see what I'm building, but I won't cut corners to get one done so I feel like I satisfied everyone, I want it as close to perfect as I can get!
Duntov Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 LOL! Now you gonna have me looking for smoke detectors! I have been using this stuff from Detail Master --- it is expensive and fragile but it is really nice!!
Custom Mike Posted August 20, 2014 Author Posted August 20, 2014 Bill that's basically identical to the stuff I use, it's just taller than the Smoke Detector foil, which could come in handy for bigger openings!
Duntov Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Hi Mike---that's kinda what I thought --- this stuff is pretty thin too --- almost too thin for some applications but it is pretty stuff ---the sheets are small as well --
Custom Mike Posted August 20, 2014 Author Posted August 20, 2014 The Smoke Detector foil is about 1 inch high and about 6 inches long, so you can't use it in a large opening, but so far, it's fit everything I've tried to use it on!
Custom Mike Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 Well, since the deadline for this one is May 1st, it's time to get it in shape for paint! I got the side windows tightened up, and with just a bit more fine sanding, the body will be ready for a re-paint. I also got the new windows made up, and the retaining channels in place, progress is coming fast on this baby, and I should have the Momad script decals in hand from Speedway Decals by the 14th! I also got the side windows "tinted", I tried out three different spray tints, Tamiya, some stuff for RC Cars, and the old Testors Tint...five coats of each, and the Testors won out by a mile! It'll need a bit of polishing, but it's a good match! The kit's sunroof on the left, my Testors test piece on the right, this should work just fine! And the new windows sprayed. Yeah, they're gonna need some clean-up, but that will be a breeze!
Custom Mike Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 Most of my bench time last weekend was spent trying to get the grille opening in the hood right. I got the opening as squared up as I could get it, then went about making the surround. I went a slightly different route than the lower grille this time, mainly because of the size of the opening itself. It's a bit harder to get everything straight the way I did it before, so I started with a piece of styrene sheet this time, and added the quarter round to it. I know, there's a slight bulge at the top of the surround,and a gap in the lower right corner, but I didn't notice those two things until I got the pictures uploaded, so it looks like I have some more work to do still. Gotta love the camera, it just doesn't lie! Barreling ahead, I cut a piece of mesh out for the upper and lower grilles and did some mock-ups, then threw in the Chrysler wing PE parts just to see how it looks...Mikey likes!
Custom Mike Posted April 8, 2015 Author Posted April 8, 2015 I got about two hours of work in tonight, and all of it was spent on the upper grille. I think I've got it right now, so I tried something out, let me know what you think. I'm considering leaving the insert as it is, painting the center black, and laying the foil in like in the pics, Let me know what you think of this look. It's either this, or open it up and put the mesh on the backside of the insert like the lower grille.
Belugawrx Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Great to see the Momad back Mike !! I like p/e insignia... Do you have more grille? Cut it big and put it on the back side...I'm thinkin'...my 2pennies Looks great Cheers
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now