AMT 1941 Plymouth Coupe

[NOBLNG]

1 hour ago, customline said:

Looks like you're going for broke, Greg ?. I like it!  I never noticed the cowl/fender line. I was gonna laze out on the interior but you shamed me into adding some detail. As far as the sproo-goo goes, it seemed like a good idea. I got lucky and it didn't sink much. I haven't used Milliput. Maybe I should get some and see what it can do. You're gonna be OK with the .020 fender welt and don't sweat the body color on the welt - it'll be fine. Just don't try to attach the .020 around the high crown curve with solvent because it may break. I started in the flat area with solvent to get a foot hold, letting it set up before pulling it around the curve where I used CA . I learned this the hard way. ?

Thanks Jim.? I certainly don’t mean to shame anyone into anything. We all have our own limits as to how far down the rabbit hole we want to go….it could be endless with some kits. Another inaccuracyon this one  is the cowl vent which should be separated from the hood opening. I think I will just ignore that one though. I thought about scribing in a new leading edge, but that would make the vent too skinny and may look worse.? I’ve had cold bent styrene snap as soon as the Tamiya cement touched it so I intend to heat the welting with my hot air gun to get it to conform before glueing it.

[customline]

30 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

Thanks Jim.? I certainly don’t mean to shame anyone into anything. We all have our own limits as to how far down the rabbit hole we want to go….it could be endless with some kits. Another inaccuracyon this one  is the cowl vent which should be separated from the hood opening. I think I will just ignore that one though. I thought about scribing in a new leading edge, but that would make the vent too skinny and may look worse.? I’ve had cold bent styrene snap as soon as the Tamiya cement touched it so I intend to heat the welting with my hot air gun to get it to conform before glueing it.

I've had luck "ribbon curling" thin styrene cold but heat sounds good. I didn't mean to blame you about the interior thing. It was my attempt at humor that sometimes fails to be funny. I've reached a point in my build where I've lost interest and want to move on but then I feel guilty about it. Starting them is easy but finishing them, sometimes, is more like work. Almost there though. 

[NOBLNG]

I sprayed the grills with Chrom and after a few days in the dehydrator, I  dipped them in Pledge. I didn’t sand the grooves well enough, so I stripped the passenger side one, sanded it a bit better and then foiled it. I am amazed how well the foil stretched and covered it.  Before I stripped it, I did a test of painting the slots with XF-1 flat black. It wasn’t easy even with a 16/0 liner brush.? I might try painting them black, then foil, then remove the foil from the recesses.

[customline]

That "Chrom" looks darn good, Greg. I gotta get me some. Big advantage over Allclad II. How's the application of it? Just like regular rattle-can paint?

[NOBLNG]

48 minutes ago, customline said:

That "Chrom" looks darn good, Greg. I gotta get me some. Big advantage over Allclad II. How's the application of it? Just like regular rattle-can paint?

Pretty much. I did spray this into a plastic shot glass and then transferred it to my airbrush, but it sprays good from the can too.

[David G.]

Your work on the grilles is certainly an improvement over what the kit provides, Greg.

David G.

[NOBLNG]

24 minutes ago, David G. said:

Your work on the grilles is certainly an improvement over what the kit provides, Greg.

David G.

Thanks David. I spent what seemed like hours yesterday scraping the remaining original pre-chrome coating out of the recesses, and smoothing out the area where I filed the center bar out. They will look better next time around. I typically do everything at least 3 times before getting it acceptable in my eye.?
The Chrom/Pledge side doesn’t take paint very well, so I will be going with the foil after paint.

Edited March 8, 2024 by NOBLNG

[customline]

You might try foil first then thinned flat black enamel wash, swab with thinner-moistened tip to clean up. I've done this on a couple of deuce grilles. My $00.02 ?

[sak]

Have you thought about grinding down the back-side until the recesses are gone.

Jeff

[LennyB]

8 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Thanks David. I spent what seemed like hours yesterday scraping the remaining original pre-chrome coating out of the recesses, and smoothing out the area where I filed the center bar out. They will look better next time around. I typically do everything at least 3 times before getting it acceptable in my eye.?
The Chrom/Pledge side doesn’t take paint very well, so I will be going with the foil after paint.

I was actually thinking of painting the grill black and then going over the chrome after with Molo, not sure how that's going to work.

I don't think grinding off the backside would work for this grill as the bars are so thin, at least the part that's true chrome, 'er make that stainless steel. The real grill is not chrome.

 

[NOBLNG]

10 hours ago, customline said:

You might try foil first then thinned flat black enamel wash, swab with thinner-moistened tip to clean up. I've done this on a couple of deuce grilles. My $00.02 ?

I have used that method with kit chrome and might try it here if my paint under foil doesn’t pan out.?

10 hours ago, sak said:

Have you thought about grinding down the back-side until the recesses are gone.

Jeff

Yes, and there is too high of a chance of destroying it.?

3 hours ago, LennyB said:

I was actually thinking of painting the grill black and then going over the chrome after with Molo, not sure how that's going to work.

I don't think grinding off the backside would work for this grill as the bars are so thin, at least the part that's true chrome, 'er make that stainless steel. The real grill is not chrome.

 

That could work too??‍♂️ I am pretty certain that if I tried grinding off the backside, that I would have to take up one of the generous folks on here on their offer of a spare grill.? Thx guys!

Here is my first attempt at the paint under foil method. The foil is a little precariously attached at the center. If the foil doesn’t want to stay put well enough, I may foil it completely, then paint it completely, and then remove the paint where necessary with a pointy swab as per Jim’s suggestion.?

 

Edited March 9, 2024 by NOBLNG

[David G.]

The result looks great Greg!

David G.

[dino246gt]

Mo betta. WAAAY mo betta!

Translation: More Better!

[customline]

Ain't this fun? ?

[LennyB]

Well, I took a stab at painting the grill black and then going over the chrome with Molo. It worked but I didn't feel the bars stood out enough. Then I tried BMF on the grill and then sprayed it after with some flat black. Rubbed off the high spots and these are the results. Aside from a slight wrinkle in the drivers side foil and maybe being a little light on the black, I think I can live with this.

 

[NOBLNG]

Looks darn good to me Len.?

[customline]

The 1:1 grille is stamped sheet metal painted body color. The trim pieces are added on top. To actually replicate that and then simulate the void behind the grille with flat black would be nearly impossible without neuro-surgeon-like skill, which you may or may not possess. I agree with Greg, Len. It looks great. One of the reasons I chose black for the body color on my build was to put my mind at ease about the body color behind the bright grille trim.  ?  And the fender welt is black....? .

[sak]

Another option would be to apply a glossy black, then apply alclad chrome or polished aluminum, but spray at a angle almost paralel to the surface, it will catch the high points and then fade out into the recessed areas. This is what I do in these situations.

[LennyB]

5 hours ago, customline said:

The 1:1 grille is stamped sheet metal painted body color. The trim pieces are added on top. To actually replicate that and then simulate the void behind the grille with flat black would be nearly impossible without neuro-surgeon-like skill, which you may or may not possess. I agree with Greg, Len. It looks great. One of the reasons I chose black for the body color on my build was to put my mind at ease about the body color behind the bright grille trim.  ?  And the fender welt is black....? .

You would have to bring that up....?I was only thinking about doing the black in the recesses.? The body color wasn't even on my radar, until now. ?

 

But if you really want to do that you could.....?

[customline]

7 hours ago, LennyB said:

You would have to bring that up....?I was only thinking about doing the black in the recesses.? The body color wasn't even on my radar, until now. ?

 

But if you really want to do that you could.....?

Sure.... and you can do a brain transplant too ?

[LennyB]

6 hours ago, customline said:

Sure.... and you can do a brain transplant too ?

You didn't say the patient had to live?

[David G.]

The grille looks great Len. I think you found just the right amount of chromieness.

David G.

[customline]

I agree. The level of chromieness is very important. If you have too much chromieness on a vehicle of this vintage, one could assume it was actually chrome plated steel rather than highly polished stainless steel trying to look like actual chrome. I'm not sure where I'm going with this.....but it's important. ?

[LennyB]

6 hours ago, customline said:

I agree. The level of chromieness is very important. If you have too much chromieness on a vehicle of this vintage, one could assume it was actually chrome plated steel rather than highly polished stainless steel trying to look like actual chrome. I'm not sure where I'm going with this.....but it's important. ?

Listen, after having to install all the grill "stainless" on a 39 Plymouth piece by piece I understand the importance.?

[customline]

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

Listen, after having to install all the grill "stainless" on a 39 Plymouth piece by piece I understand the importance.?

As do I, Lenny. I was young and unenlightened about these things and made the mistake of using a fine wire wheel to clean them. Years later after having assembled the car (a P7 Biz coupe) and left it outside in the rainy New England weather, discovered they were rusting. I had to keep waxing them to keep the rust from forming. I still don't know exactly what they were made of but not all "stainless steel" is rust-proof or non-magnetic. They may have had a non-corrosive cladding that I unwittingly wire brushed through.