1958 Impala

[ewetwo]

Recent project. Love 1958 Chevy Impalas. Need some advice as to how to do a nice job on all the chrome body trim as there is a lot. The top will be white.

[NOBLNG]

I have just tried Bare Metal Foil for the first time on my last project and I must say I like it! I have always painted my trim before and it looks OK, but the foil is more realistic. I found it easy to apply too.

[milo1303s]

Molotow chrome pens

[ewetwo]

If I paint it silver or chrome. Do I mask everything off? I have some foil which I haven't really used yet.

 

[Brizio]

I was thinking to build a impala too, looking forward to see your!

[misterNNL]

You might also try on of the Molotow liquid chrome pens for sone of the smaller chrome trim. Those are available at all Hobby Lobby sores in both the model card paint and marker sections.I you decide to do this be sure log onto their website and print one of their 50 percent discount coupons as these cost north of 10 dollars each.

[Rusty Irons]

I will be watching this one.  I really like a model with working doors!

[shoopdog]

Finishing up the AMT kit and I plan on using a combination of silver Sharpie and the Moltow pen.

[ewetwo]

Well I taped off the roof as I was going to paint it an off white to make it a two tone. Well when you share your hobby space with a golden retriever. You're bound to have a hair somewhere. And there was. In the white paint. I tried my best to just get it out seeing I just painted it and the paint was still wet. But that thing wouldn't budge. A mess did occur. So the Impala sat inside down with it's roof in some Purple Power. I hope this works. :-)

Edited May 5, 2018 by ewetwo

[ewetwo]

Painted the roof today and it is currently under a box till it’s dry. :-)

 

[ewetwo]

Had to do a repaint. Screwed up trying to do the silver trim. I might have to break away from this for a few days.

[Slotto]

Looks nice so far. To take this to the next level, get some 1000 sand paper and wet sand the whole car. Be gentile on the edges as you may burn thru the paint. It will make a nice smooth finish but the finish will be flat. Then do a nice clear coat and your jaw will hit the floor.

[ewetwo]

This silver trim is going to kill me. 4th partial respray. I just don't have the steady hand I had years ago. And I've tried everything to get it right.  Paint pens. Paint brush. Sharpies. Tape. And I found out Scott's painters tape doesn't like models that have been painted as the glue on the tape kind of ruins the painted finish. 

[CarlR]

The '58 Impala has long been a favourite of mine. As to duplicating the chrome trim, I echo Greg Hoffman's suggestion to go with Bare Metal foil. The '58 is a big project if this is your first time with this product but to my mind, Bare Metal foil does it best. Once you get the paint problems resolved I would recommend a clearcoat before you start applying the foil. In my experience there is always some glue residue to get rid of and the clearcoat will protect your paint job whether you use lighter fluid or varsol to clean up. It might be worth your while to try using Bare Metal foil on a less demanding project before you tackle the '58.

Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

[ewetwo]

Thank you Carl. I've never used clear coat so what should I buy? I do have the foil.

[MrObsessive]

I have to echo what Carl said regarding foiling the '58 Impala. Not an easy car for beginners, and I can tell you it may take you quite a while working a couple hours at a time to get it done. At least that's what I can remember when I built this '58 years ago.............

One tip regarding BMF that you might want to try in the future..............try prescribing your trim with an Exacto blade so that you can have some kind of "guide" when it comes to foiling later on after painting. Some of the trim is rather faint----particularly along the rear fenders. Scribing these in advance will give your knife a previous guide to go on after you've got several coats of paint on.

I do like the advice of perhaps practicing on something a lot less intense before you dive into this project. '58 Impalas aren't necessarily for the faint of heart, and practicing first before tackling such a beast can save you some later headaches.

BTW, there is no clear coat on the paint. This color (Rio Red) being a solid color had enough hardener in it so that it rubs out and polishes very well. It's a personal choice, but I've learned over the years to pretty much only clearcoat metallics. The metal flakes pretty much demand that (there are exceptions), as you don't want a swirly, mottled appearance to the finish.

Edited May 17, 2018 by MrObsessive

[CarlR]

8 hours ago, ewetwo said:

Thank you Carl. I've never used clear coat so what should I buy? I do have the foil.

You'll probably hear cries of "Sacrilege!' and "Heresy!" when I suggest  Pledge Floor Care Multi-surface Finish but it's what I have on hand and have been successful with (and it's relatively inexpensive). I airbrush 1 or 2 light coats onto the model before I do the foiling. The coat of Future/Pledge helps to protect the paint from scratches and errant excursions of the blade when I'm trimming away the excess foil. It also protects the paint from either 100% rubbing alcohol, lighter fluid or varsol which I use sparingly on a q-tip to clean up fingerprints and the occasional adhesive residue from the foil product. When I'm done foiling I give the model a final cleaning and then a couple of coats of Future/Pledge. No doubt there are other clear coats that will work just as well (or better).

One final suggestion I'd like to make... Use a NEW blade and use only enough pressure to cut the foil. The fresh blade will keep the foil from bunching up under the cutting surface at the tip of the blade  and the feather-light touch will give you more control of where the blade does or doesn't go.

[ewetwo]

I have the Pledge and new blades. I haven't used my air brush yet as I just bought it. I have some old bodies that I'm going to practice on when I ready. But I bought some make up brushes which was suggested to me by a friend.

[ewetwo]

15 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

I have to echo what Carl said regarding foiling the '58 Impala. Not an easy car for beginners, and I can tell you it may take you quite a while working a couple hours at a time to get it done. At least that's what I can remember when I built this '58 years ago.............

One tip regarding BMF that you might want to try in the future..............try prescribing your trim with an Exacto blade so that you can have some kind of "guide" when it comes to foiling later on after painting. Some of the trim is rather faint----particularly along the rear fenders. Scribing these in advance will give your knife a previous guide to go on after you've got several coats of paint on.

I do like the advice of perhaps practicing on something a lot less intense before you dive into this project. '58 Impalas aren't necessarily for the faint of heart, and practicing first before tackling such a beast can save you some later headaches.

BTW, there is no clear coat on the paint. This color (Rio Red) being a solid color had enough hardener in it so that it rubs out and polishes very well. It's a personal choice, but I've learned over the years to pretty much only clearcoat metallics. The metal flakes pretty much demand that (there are exceptions), as you don't want a swirly, mottled appearance to the finish.

WOW! That is beautiful. I'm a big 58 fan. You see the 55 through 57 all the time at car shows. Not so much the 58.

[ewetwo]

OK. I've foiled most of the Impala. First time doing foil. I think it came out pretty good. But doing some buffing with the paint an A pillar broke. I've super glued. No luck. Trying Locktite hybrid glue. Tomorrow night will tell. Also trying the Locktite on the pieces of a pillar that were broken in a 1971 Thunderbird kit I got at a garage sale. Time will tell. The Impala is going to be tricky as I had glued the A pillar with super glue. Left it over night. Seemed ok. Tried to put the interior in to do a mock up and it came apart. I really am kind of confused as to how to get the interior tub inside the model with the wide door jams. Good thing is I now have picked up 3 additional 58 Impala kits since I started this one. You find them everywhere.  So here are the pics. For some reason the pics look grainy. Don't know why. But it actually looks better in person. 

Edited May 21, 2018 by ewetwo

[shoopdog]

David, you should be able to slip the interior in with the doors open. At least that's how mine went in on the AMT kit I just finished. First time foil work looks pretty good, I just hate foiling while others love it.

It seems you've been having some bad luck with this build, keep it up though!

[ewetwo]

16 hours ago, shoopdog said:

David, you should be able to slip the interior in with the doors open. At least that's how mine went in on the AMT kit I just finished. First time foil work looks pretty good, I just hate foiling while others love it.

It seems you've been having some bad luck with this build, keep it up though!

Thank you. And I have a hard time with painting the chrome trim. LOL. 

Edited May 22, 2018 by ewetwo