fun9c1 Posted January 11, 2015 Posted January 11, 2015 So I was going to make myself finish the "SuperBee ElCamino" before I started another one, but I'm itchin to have another one to work on as I'm sure most of you can understand! This not-quite-complete kit that I bought on ebay a few months ago was calling my name- I'm thinking Rat-Rod curbside model since it's missing all mirrors, headlight bezels + headlights, and although the detail is nice on the outside of the body, inside the engine bay and the engine itself, and chassis is not realistic. The engine has a big cutout for an axle to go through, there are cylinders for screws to go into that would not be there on the real thing, etc. I'd like to look more into that salt water trick and try some of that on this. I'm thinking some surface rust, some primer, some "faded original" paint, some cragers (maybe a little rusty), jacked up a little in the back.... I might try my hand at removing trim and adding the holes that would be left, although I'm a little reluctant to do permanent damage to the body. What are your views on that? Don't wreck it or don't worry about it? Thoughts on curbside? Any good pics or vids of a 1:1 '62 that looks ratty?
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 So I was going to make myself finish the "SuperBee ElCamino" before I started another one, but I'm itchin to have another one to work on as I'm sure most of you can understand! This not-quite-complete kit that I bought on ebay a few months ago was calling my name- I'm thinking Rat-Rod curbside model since it's missing all mirrors, headlight bezels + headlights, and although the detail is nice on the outside of the body, inside the engine bay and the engine itself, and chassis is not realistic. The engine has a big cutout for an axle to go through, there are cylinders for screws to go into that would not be there on the real thing, etc. I'd like to look more into that salt water trick and try some of that on this. I'm thinking some surface rust, some primer, some "faded original" paint, some cragers (maybe a little rusty), jacked up a little in the back.... I might try my hand at removing trim and adding the holes that would be left, although I'm a little reluctant to do permanent damage to the body. What are your views on that? Don't wreck it or don't worry about it? Thoughts on curbside? Any good pics or vids of a 1:1 '62 that looks ratty? Welcome to the world of old annuals Rob. Anything made before about 1970 is going to be pretty much as you described. But they can still build up into petty nice models. I just finished a '64 Chrysler 300 & am currently working on a '65 & both of them have that same simple engine, chassis & under hood detail you mentioned. This is a pic of the engine bay on my '64. It has that "hole" in the engine you speak of, which is almost un-noticeable & the screw "cylinders" have been removed. (I hate the look of them too) Don't let the primitive detail on these old kits stop you from building them. You'll be missing out on a lot of great subject matter. Steve
fun9c1 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Wow, that is a pretty sweet looking engine bay! That is a pretty convincing argument to build the motor. Thanks for the feedback! Mine seems to have two full length axles, as well as four short ones, but the instructions don't mention the short ones. Is that common with these old ones? This is the first one I've ever built that was made prior to the mid seventies. Edited January 12, 2015 by fun9c1
High octane Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 That is a nice kit and just saw one for sale at Amazon for lotsa moolah. I'm glad that I have one in my "stash."
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 Wow, that is a pretty sweet looking engine bay! That is a pretty convincing argument to build the motor. Thanks for the feedback! Mine seems to have two full length axles, as well as four short ones, but the instructions don't mention the short ones. Is that common with these old ones? This is the first one I've ever built that was made prior to the mid seventies. Those "short" axles are actually not axles Rob. They're "chassis pins" to replace the screws from the original kits. The kit you have is the from the Johan "USA Oldies" series which was made some time in the 80s. The original kit produced in '62 would have had the screws plus a few other goodies like some customizing parts, as well as the same "Long Ram" intake option as the '64 & the original rear bucket seat interior tub. But the USA Oldies kits are getting tougher to find also. They were molded in all kinds of funky colors like the yellow you have as well as colors like turquoise & red. I have a couple of these kits in my stash also. As a matter of fact, I was planning on building one myself in the very near future. The USA Oldies '62 Chrysler is not extremely rare yet, so enjoy yourself & build a nice one! Looking forward to seeing it! Steve
Kustom Steve Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I have the '60 Desoto kit and I built it as a kid back in about '77. fast forward to about 1994 or so, I stripped the paint and started to make a pro streeter of of the kit. I used the AMT Plymouth GTX Pro street and stole the chassis, tires and engine for the build. It has languished for years in my stash and I found it and dusted it off and mocked up some 24" American style mags with rubber band tires for a por touring look. So you can build a pro touring which could be really cool with a deep color and it would be very striking. Use modern mirrors, and steal some headlights from an AMT custom grill and bumper set, there are some early sixties looking MOPAR headlight bezels in there.
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I have the '60 Desoto kit and I built it as a kid back in about '77. fast forward to about 1994 or so, I stripped the paint and started to make a pro streeter of of the kit. I used the AMT Plymouth GTX Pro street and stole the chassis, tires and engine for the build. It has languished for years in my stash and I found it and dusted it off and mocked up some 24" American style mags with rubber band tires for a por touring look. So you can build a pro touring which could be really cool with a deep color and it would be very striking. Use modern mirrors, and steal some headlights from an AMT custom grill and bumper set, there are some early sixties looking MOPAR headlight bezels in there. Not sure if the AMT parts pack custom grille & bumper set has that style of headlight in it. Although it does have a '61 Style Chrysler 300 Grille! But I'll bet if you asked around & put up a post in the "Wanted" section, Chances are pretty good someone will have a set they'll be willing to part with. Steve
fun9c1 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 Ahhh, that makes sense now on the pins, thanks Steven. Well now that I know it's not an "original", I won't feel bad modifying the body if I decide to go that route. The chrome on the bumpers is worn through in spots and is red underneath, so must be I have parts from two or more '80s kits. The hubcaps I have, I noticed after looking at your shot of your bezels/hubcaps, are not correct, either. I was going to use different wheels anyway, and I have no shortage of big wheels from all the recent 2n1 kits I've bought. I can appreciate the pro-touring look but I'm not a fan of big wheels on old cars. As I'm typing this, I'm thinking since the bumpers are already ratty-looking and it's missing parts and not an original anyway, I'm going for the day 2/rat rod look, and build the motor as well. Thanks for the feedback!
Can-Con Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 yea, Steve's right, they did come in whatever color plastic they had on hand that day. It's not uncommon to get a chrome tree in a different color as the bodies either. Even swirlie plastic in 2 or more colors isn't that uncommon for those old JoHan chrome tree. The 2 '62s I have now are shown in the pic and I had one back around '77 or '78 that was molded in red too.
fun9c1 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 (edited) Wow, when I first saw your yellow one I thought you'd done a little weathering, but it came like that? I bet there were some disappointed kids that didn't have paint on hand if they got one of those babies! lol I kinda like that turquoise color..... Hey is that a '73 Impala in the background? I had a 1:1 '73 4-door in excellent shape that I bought off my 80 year old study hall teacher in '88 for $100! Tailights look the same. OK, I'm off to get busy on that 300. This will be the first model I've ever done that I did not try to make look like a show car. This is going to be fun! Edited January 12, 2015 by fun9c1
Mopar - D Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 Rob looking forward to see what you do to your 62 - 300. I've built 2 of them one Converable and one like yours both factor stock 300H.
Can-Con Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) Wow, when I first saw your yellow one I thought you'd done a little weathering, but it came like that? I bet there were some disappointed kids that didn't have paint on hand if they got one of those babies! lol I kinda like that turquoise color..... Hey is that a '73 Impala in the background? I had a 1:1 '73 4-door in excellent shape that I bought off my 80 year old study hall teacher in '88 for $100! Tailights look the same. OK, I'm off to get busy on that 300. This will be the first model I've ever done that I did not try to make look like a show car. This is going to be fun! LOL.. It was built and painted when I got it actually. I stripped it and it's in the middle of having the top chopped in that pic. The pic below is a little farther along. I haven't worked on it in almost a year but hope to get back to it soon. It's going the full custom treatment. Good eye, that is indeed a '73. I kinda have a full set of full-size chevy models now, every year from '53 to '76. If you like, PM me and I'll send you the headlights from the '62. As I said, it'll be a full custom so I won't need them anyway. Edited January 13, 2015 by Can-Con
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 yea, Steve's right, they did come in whatever color plastic they had on hand that day. It's not uncommon to get a chrome tree in a different color as the bodies either. Even swirlie plastic in 2 or more colors isn't that uncommon for those old JoHan chrome tree. The 2 '62s I have now are shown in the pic and I had one back around '77 or '78 that was molded in red too. I have one of the turquoise ones too. As well as a white one if you can believe it! The white one is going on my bench soon too. As usual, it will be built stock. Steve
fun9c1 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Thanks for the offer! I'll PM you. Those wheels are absolutely gorgeous!! They REALLY work on that 300. Do you have a link or a name so I can get some? Probably not for this project (not ratty enough!) but I MUST use those on something! Of course you do that to me right after I say I don't like big wheels on old cars... But they have an old school look. I love 'em!
Can-Con Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 No problem Rob, they're "Sovereigns" from Pegasus. Not really all that big, about the same size as a 15 inch wheel in1/24 scale. maybe like a 16 in 1/25. They do look good on big cars though. Just wish they came in a bit narrower width too though.
Tom Geiger Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Cool. I have a turquoise one still in the box. Bought it new at Hobby Masters in Red Bank NJ back when I first got back to the hobby in the late 1980s. I had been there admiring all the Johan oldies kits they had on the shelves, then they put a 25% off coupon in the local paper... went there and emptied that shelf! I also have a convertible that I bought on eBay as a built up. It's painted purple. The idiot I bought it from shipped it in a bubble mailer. The windshield frame was shattered in the mail. I wrote him and his reply was, "You're a modeler, fix it!". This was before Paypal and guarantees so I left him neutral feedback for crummy packing and attitude.
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 Cool. I have a turquoise one still in the box. Bought it new at Hobby Masters in Red Bank NJ back when I first got back to the hobby in the late 1980s. I had been there admiring all the Johan oldies kits they had on the shelves, then they put a 25% off coupon in the local paper... went there and emptied that shelf! I also have a convertible that I bought on eBay as a built up. It's painted purple. The idiot I bought it from shipped it in a bubble mailer. The windshield frame was shattered in the mail. I wrote him and his reply was, "You're a modeler, fix it!". This was before Paypal and guarantees so I left him neutral feedback for crummy packing and attitude. Wow! What a douche! If I'd had his address, I might have made a trip just to punch him in the nose! I've been kind of keeping my eyes peeled for an original convertible too. I always thought a '62 vert with an uptop would make a great looking build! Steve
Ron Hamilton Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I have a red '62 that I am going to turn into a convertible, using parts from the Modelhaus (Interior Tub, Windshield Frame and Convertible boot), as well as a unbuilt hardtop. Year before last, I was able to get my hands on a somewhat decent Revell Newport Convertible, the was moulded in white. It was hand painted, but stripped easily, and most everything is there (missing 1 wheelcover), and the chrome and glass is usable. No pictures yet.
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I have a red '62 that I am going to turn into a convertible, using parts from the Modelhaus (Interior Tub, Windshield Frame and Convertible boot), as well as a unbuilt hardtop. Year before last, I was able to get my hands on a somewhat decent Revell Newport Convertible, the was moulded in white. It was hand painted, but stripped easily, and most everything is there (missing 1 wheelcover), and the chrome and glass is usable. No pictures yet. There's a tough one to find! I'll bet finding a wheel cover for it would be an exercise in futility! Steve
slusher Posted January 14, 2015 Posted January 14, 2015 I love seeing these old Johan kits built. Great info guys enjoy reading it..
fun9c1 Posted January 17, 2015 Author Posted January 17, 2015 (edited) OK, I got enough done tonight to post an update. J My plan for this one is to make it a high-mileage '80s period correct low-income owner slightly suped up (as funds would allow, meaning a little jacked up in the back with mags) daily driver. I had no light blue on hand, so I mixed blue and white in an effort to achieve the Dodge light blue engine color. Came out a little dark but I’m banking on not being caught by the 1/25 engine color police. The two air cleaners were cast as one piece- I cut them in two for more realism. The front bumper and grill was cast as one piece but did not fit well as such, so I cut those little bastards in two as well for a better fit. I painted the radiator, after scratching up the "fins", with a combination of flat black, silver, gold, and patted/rubbed with a paper towel trying to achieve some high mileage realism. I think it worked pretty well. J And… for the first time ever… I made my own wipers from scratch. I plan to locate them up a little ways up on the windshield and get rid of the molded in ones. And make one side a little higher than the other for more high-mileage realism. With a minimal amount of glue in one corner, I glued the axle locator blocks in place, thinking temporarily, to get an idea for what the stance would be. I think I may make my own blocks to slightly lower the front and slightly raise the rear. I plan on buying some old school mags for it. I’m thinking “slotted mags” and adding a little rust to them. Comments and suggestions welcome! Edited January 17, 2015 by fun9c1
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 17, 2015 Posted January 17, 2015 Looks like you're off to a good start Rob. I mix my own engine colors, & most of my interior colors for that matter. Who cares if they're perfect. Although, I will say, the early Mopar blue was more of a turquoise color. The later Mopars used a blue closer to the color you used. But, as you say, it's supposed to represent a daily driver & a lot of guys used to "refresh" their engine paint occasionally. For my '65 Chrysler, I just used the same turquoise that I had mixed for my interior & then just added some white for the engine. Keep her going Rob! Steve
Can-Con Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Hey Rob, Need your last name to put on the headlights so I can send them out to you . Edited January 19, 2015 by Can-Con
fun9c1 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Posted January 19, 2015 Hey Rob, Need your last name to put on the headlights so I can send them out to you . Just PM'd you. Thank you!
om617 Posted January 19, 2015 Posted January 19, 2015 Cool subject,be interesting to watch where this is going.
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