MrObsessive Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thanks for the well wishes so far fellas! I'm still working on the interior-----got the front seats and door panels done, and now the rear seat is nearly done, but no painting as of yet. After I get the dash finished, then I'll paint then entire works. I will have to print new seat decals----since the seats were changed a bit, the kit's stick on decals won't do. Not to mention, the pattern is cloth on the 1:1, and those were too glossy anyway. Nothing really much picture worthy yet......maybe over the weekend, I can give you all a peek as to the changes. Been really busy lately with work and all, and I've been busy writing another article for MCM. What's it about?? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned and be on the lookout! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Bill, nice to see you back and actively posting again! You've been away too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Looking awesome!! I'm building this one right now for my parents 60th ann, (wedding gift from my dad's parents. I remember it vividly from childhood!!) Any fit issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Bruce if built straight out of the box, there aren't many issues. But as you can see, I've been practically re-engineering the kit from bumper to bumper, so there's some difficulties I've run into. I don't know if you've read the entire thread, but the engine placement issue is a faux pas on Revell's part as it sits a bit too far back in the engine bay. Also, the interior itself to me is a problem as the seats don't quite line up properly so the trim matches from front to back. It could be that the molds were wearing thin, but on the other hand, this is the original release version that I'm building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted May 27, 2014 Author Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) Hey Fellas, I haven't forgotten about this one! Right now working on it's been stopped dead in its tracks. Why?? I absolutely can't STAND the way too distorted glass that the kit gives you! Cars like this with their wraparound windshields and expansive backlites, cry out for clear/distortion free glass. I am going to try the tutorial given by Túlio (LoveFordGalaxie) a while back. Instead of a mini torch though, I have a high powered heat gun (up to 850°). Right now I'm waiting for an order of PET bottles to come in, and I'm going to back the original glass with some Paris of Plaster to keep the windshield from breaking. I'll do the same with the rear window as well. In the meantime, I did finally get the seats painted and I'm just getting around to getting the dash done. With work and all, and the possibility of going through an apprenticeship on the job, updates will be few and very far between. I will try to get pics up later of the seats and what I want to do with the dash and steering wheel. Until I get the glass situation sorted out, and I can mold the front and rear window to my liking, I won't be doing any painting or further assembly on the body. Thanks for all of your views and comments guys! Edited May 27, 2014 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeCee Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 No disrespect Bill, but after spending the last hour going through this thread, i can see why you call your self MrObsessive!! There is some incredible customizing work going on here, only for it to look stock again, yet RIGHT! This is a credit to you and your skills sir, simply MAGNIFICENT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Good luck, Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted May 27, 2014 Author Share Posted May 27, 2014 Good luck, Bill. Thanks Danno, I'm gonna need it! I've not tried something like this before, so some practice on maybe a junk part might be in order before I commit the kit windshield to this procedure. I tried sanding out the glass (both sides), but the waviness is still there. I think the thickness of the glass prevents it from sanding out distortion free. This is one big pet peeve of mine that I hope gets corrected (among most kit manufacturers) in the future, but that I believe is asking too much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasFinest Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Any update? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Any update? Nope. It's been shelved for the time being until I can get the glass sorted out. I'm thinking about investing in a vacuform machine (Widgetworks), which I can use for some other projects as well that will need new glass molded. I won't do any painting of the body until I'm sure the glass looks good, and is well fitting into the body. With summertime upon us, and with me being quite busy these days with the warmer weather and whatnot, it may be a while before I get back to this one. I may do a quickie out-of-the-box build in the interim, but for the time being it's on hiatus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie8575 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I like that vacu-former, Bill. Now that I've seen it, I'm seriously considering one of those myself for some projects I have in mind. Charlie Larkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) I was curious so I went to the link and saw the vacuform Bill is considering. I was a little dismayed when I saw that you need to heat the plastic in your own oven and supply a shop vac for the suction. So what you're buying is pretty much the vacuum box and frame. It is a decent size of 12 x 12 with a working area of over 9 x 9. That is a lot of plastic. You'll need to buy large bulk sheets to cut down to that size. You can't even use Evergreen sheets. The Mattel unit is complete with a heating surface and a vacuum hand pump for suction. It was a toy, but makes for a pretty decent little unit for our purposes. Size is a limitation but I think most of us are thinking small parts. A few years back I bought the above Mattel Vac-U-Form on eBay for less than $50. There is still a company that makes the sheets with all those little perforations around the edges. They do the sheets in both clear and white plastic. For me, I pull out the unit from time to time to make a windshield or other curved glass. I don't see much use in making parts like hoods and such since that's more done in resin these days. It doesn't come out perfect everytime. Sometimes it takes a few trys (and sheets!) to get an acceptable windshield. Edited June 16, 2014 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Micro-Mark has a vaco-former in their catalog, has anyone here seen/tried that one yet. It looks like it may have a built in plastic sheet heater over the frame that holds the plastic to be molded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 I had one of those vacuformers Tom, but when my house got flooded a few years ago, that was one of the things that I lost. I can't find it anywhere else in the house, so it must have been tossed out along with the other things that were water damaged. I tried it many years ago, and while the part came out OK-------I didn't like the idea of the plastic sheets being so proprietary. You can only use certain sheets with it (the perforations), and not just any sheet that can be available over the 'net or locally. BTW, I have a HUGE sheet of Vivak that is crystal clear with no waves (like PET bottles can have) and could easily be cut down for whatever size I need. Didn't know about the Micro-Mark vacuformer..............I'll have to check that one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Very interesting! This vacuformer has a lot of potential for me................. I'll definitely be saving my pennies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I've been eyeing the Micro-Mark Vacuum machine since it was introduced not long ago. I may not get enough use out of it to warrent buying, so have held off. I thought it looked to be a nice all in one unit. Uses max 4"x4" sheets of styrene or vivak. Just eanted to put the link here for any interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I didn't like the idea of the plastic sheets being so proprietary. You can only use certain sheets with it (the perforations), and not just any sheet that can be available over the 'net or locally. I understand Bill, I only bought the unit after I stumbled across that Calliari Modelworks that still makes the sheets in both white and clear. And of course knowing how the aftermarket works, I bought a load of the clear sheets. Not expensive when you buy the larger quantities from him. Good 'enuf for the few times a year I pull it out to make a windshield.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Jon Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Tons of great build work there MrO! Looking forward to seeing more & completed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsipes Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Bill, did you get the glass issue worked out? I just ran back thru this thread as I have a 59 Biscayne now and was looking at what you have done with the Impala. Looking great. I need to figure out what to do for windows for my Biscayne too. Would love to see this finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Bill, did you get the glass issue worked out? Well sorta..........a while back I bought Micro-Mark's vacuform machine, and had some success with it as I used some old Thermaform sheets for a mold. It still wasn't as clear as I'd like, and I'll have to practice on it to get the best results. I essentially used the old windshield as a buck but did some "enhancing" to it to withstand the pressure of the vacuum. Recently, I bought some .020 PETG sheets from eBay as I was told this is a much better material to use for molding windshields. I haven't tried it yet as time is an enemy of mine right now as I'm still dealing with very long work hours 6 days per week, and with this time of year, Sunday's are pretty much the only day I can do any building-----that's of course after yard/house work is out of the way. The Mustang is the priority right now as it's about 90% done, and after it's finished, the Impala will be back on the front burner. At that time, I'll try go in depth of how I did the buck for the vacuform, as I'll have to make one for the backlite as well. Might be a while though.............. I have a resin Biscayne that came without windows...........you're pretty much going to have to vacuform those too as that glass can't be bent using plain clear stencil sheet. Too many compound curves! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowriderphil Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Nice progress Bill, I have to be honest I don't think I have touched plastic in close to 2 years ever since I installed hydraulics in the caprice, hehehe. I keep telling myself to get back to the bench. I have been wondering about the embossing powders, once inplace and dry do they "shed" if you will? One thing I didn't like about flocking was no matter how carefully I applied it it always seem to shed and static would make it stick to the windows. phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboo60 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Bill! Im hooked now, great work~fine detail boss,,thanks for sharring this,, alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 Since I'm done with the '67 Mustang, I REALLY wanted to get back to work on this Impala! As I mentioned in previous pages of this thread, one of the biggest hangups I've had with this kit is the terribly distorted glass in this kit. Since I swapped roofs, the '60 kit's glass was as bad if not worse than the '59's. Well, I'm glad to say that I cleared a MAJOR hurdle in the last few days, and got the Micromark Vacuformer to work as intended. There is a learning curve to get parts to come out right, but it's worth the time and effort if the desire is there to get something done that to me was a MAJOR distraction for what is otherwise a nice kit. Here's a few pics of what I've come up with so far. One of the first things I did was to try and get the outside of the glass as smooth as possible. I started with the windshield since my curiosity was getting the better of me, and had to see if this machine could work as well as I hoped it would. I "boxed in" the windshield with styrene and filled the cavity in with Plaster of Paris. This would ensure that the there's a minimum if "flexing" of the glass from the force of the vacuform coming down. I mixed the plaster, poured it in, and let it sit overnight and it was hard as a rock the following morning. I did the same for the rear window. And here's the result........................ And here's how it fits............. This is just a test piece and I did vacuform another one just last evening as well as the rear window. I took some pics of those and will post them later on. I just wanted to give you folks an idea of how nice this vacuformer can work. I can tell you it took several tries to get things to come out right, until it looked right to me. BTW, I used .020 sheets of PETG (they can be found on eBay) and cut them to size to fit it in the vacuformer. Thanks for lookin' folks------any questions just ask, and stay tuned for more info later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 I have been wondering about the embossing powders, once inplace and dry do they "shed" if you will? One thing I didn't like about flocking was no matter how carefully I applied it it always seem to shed and static would make it stick to the windows. phil Phil, I've not noticed a problem with shedding for the embossing powders. I just finished the '67 Mustang, and I haven't seen any residue on the glass at all. Hope this helps, and sorry for the very late reply! I've not looked at this thread till now when I needed to post an update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted November 8, 2015 Author Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) As promised, I took a few pics of the latest molding of the glass from the vacuformer. A lot nicer this time around, albeit the glass is a bit mucked up from my fingerprints! The glass is just set in at the moment. It's being held in place by little channels I made in the roof itself so when it comes to final install, the glass should just "pop" in and held permanently of course with 5 min. epoxy. I definitely want the glass to fit in those corners..........can't stand HUGE gaps in glass! Here we are.................. One technique I'd like to try and I've got junk pieces I could try this on------tint the glass on the inside using Future Floor Wax and some blue/green food coloring. This would give a nice subtle tint that was fairly common on cars out of the '50's. That's it for now! Edited November 8, 2015 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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