The "waste-not-want-not" Starliner project

[customline]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:20 AM, bobss396 said:

I like how this is going, nice progress.

The 1958 Ford was also quite the rust bucket, this is likely why few are around. My neighbor had one, a white and red 4 door, man did that go south real quick. It was really nice when they got it and the rot was dummied up... they had no clue.

There were two in my youth. A '58 Custom tudor we got in '61. Dad had rocker panels made in his employer's sheet metal shop (bought it from his boss.) Then around '64, my older sister got a black (with a white roof) '58 Sunliner. A very cool high-schooler's ride That one was a "headlight case".  Did the bondo work myself ?.

[customline]

On 7/8/2024 at 8:06 AM, David G. said:

That's a nice little engine, it suits the car well.

David G.

It's a big engine, David!  It's a screeeeeming 340 horsepower Thunderbird 390!.....sorry ?

[customline]

On 7/8/2024 at 9:45 AM, Maindrian Pace said:

I love it, as I too am a thick-headed cheapskate! And to more or less the same extreme. Combining spare parts into something presentable is a favorite thing for me, and when this is done, it will present as nicely as it would with the original full-boogie chassis - if not better.

Ya know, you might have something there......you're totally  mad! ? 

[customline]

On 7/8/2024 at 9:49 AM, redscampi said:

Looking great! I love to see the creativeness on this board. Great chassis work.

I don't know if I would characterize it quite that way....(??)...but thank you, Gary

[customline]

On 7/9/2024 at 7:00 AM, bobss396 said:

I have a '62 Ford glue bomb I did a lot of work on, I used the supplied chassis. It looks pretty good and is just short of foil and final assembly.

I'm on the fence with the final engine choice. I got the kit 390 looking decent, also built up the '65 Ford 427. It won't go to waste. I have a VCG Resins stock 352 as well. But for now... BACK IN THE BOX....

Oh no....?  

It doesn't matter on the engine,  just the rocker arm covers. Who would know anyway? I'd like to get a big six for it. Wouldn't that be cool? Gotta look into that ?.  A stick six Galaxie. That's a yummy thought.

[customline]

Somebody here promoted a technique on this forum for foiling scripts before painting and, after the paint is dry, revealing the chrome under the paint.  I thought I might try it ?.  I think this play will work best when foil is applied to bare plastic. I don't recall much so I jumped right in and foiled the "Starliner" scripts and the hood badge. Then I did the same thing to the T-bird, which already had primer on it but the scripts are well cast so why not. Dragged a bunch of stuff out to the garage and got everything primed. I was eager to see how well my new technique works so later last night I did some revealing of the "Starliner" script. It looks terrific!  But....but....aren't they supposed to be gold ?  Oh yes, Jimmy, they're supposed to be gold. ?

[NOBLNG]

9 hours ago, customline said:

Somebody here promoted a technique on this forum for foiling scripts before painting and, after the paint is dry, revealing the chrome under the paint.  I thought I might try it ?.  I think this play will work best when foil is applied to bare plastic. I don't recall much so I jumped right in and foiled the "Starliner" scripts and the hood badge. Then I did the same thing to the T-bird, which already had primer on it but the scripts are well cast so why not. Dragged a bunch of stuff out to the garage and got everything primed. I was eager to see how well my new technique works so later last night I did some revealing of the "Starliner" script. It looks terrific!  But....but....aren't they supposed to be gold ?  Oh yes, Jimmy, they're supposed to be gold. ?

 

If you put the foil on before primer, you may wind up seeing a line of primer around the script. Especially if you use a light primer and dark paint. I had to re-paint this Caddy and applied the foil after the first color coat. I think BMF makes a gold foil? Here’s a link to a good thread on foiling script.

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/152097-bare-metal-foil-small-writing/

[customline]

3 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

If you put the foil on before primer, you may wind up seeing a line of primer around the script. Especially if you use a light primer and dark paint. I had to re-paint this Caddy and applied the foil after the first color coat. I think BMF makes a gold foil? Here’s a link to a good thread on foiling script.

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/152097-bare-metal-foil-small-writing/

Yes, I have BMF gold foil sitting right here in the drawer.  I don't want to remove the foil I put on because it worked so well. Dam.  I just might remove the scripts altogether and go for the shaved, street custom look. Shave the gravel shields too. Make skirts. I dunno, it's a work in progress. I kinda like the example below.

Edit: OK, Greg, I just ran through that thread.  I'm just going to leave the "Starliner" scripts the way they are and follow through. I will, however, clean off the scripts after every coat of paint. The thicker it gets on the foil, the more likely it will be to screw up the paint adjacent to the script trying to get through a heavy build-up of paint. The solvent swab needs to be only damp to avoid wetting the surrounding paint. It requires a little practice but it's a good method with plenty of room for experimentation. 

Edited July 23, 2024 by customline

[LennyB]

I did this on the fender script for my 63 Fury. Put the foil on after the first coat of paint. Worked OK but I can see the faint outline of the foil thru the paint. I think a lot of this depends on the emblem you are covering.

[sak]

4 hours ago, customline said:

Yes, I have BMF gold foil sitting right here in the drawer.  I don't want to remove the foil I put on because it worked so well. Dam.  I just might remove the scripts altogether and go for the shaved, street custom look. Shave the gravel shields too. Make skirts. I dunno, it's a work in progress. I kinda like the example below.

Edit: OK, Greg, I just ran through that thread.  I'm just going to leave the "Starliner" scripts the way they are and follow through. I will, however, clean off the scripts after every coat of paint. The thicker it gets on the foil, the more likely it will be to screw up the paint adjacent to the script trying to get through a heavy build-up of paint. The solvent swab needs to be only damp to avoid wetting the surrounding paint. It requires a little practice but it's a good method with plenty of room for experimentation. 

My method is too apply two layers of bare metal foil, after primer, and I remove the paint from the foil with 1,000 grit at the same time that I am block sanding the rest. Two layers of foil just in case I rub through the top layer, witch isnt difficult.

Edited July 23, 2024 by sak

[customline]

5 hours ago, LennyB said:

I did this on the fender script for my 63 Fury. Put the foil on after the first coat of paint. Worked OK but I can see the faint outline of the foil thru the paint. I think a lot of this depends on the emblem you are covering.

3 hours ago, sak said:

My method is too apply two layers of bare metal foil, after primer, and I remove the paint from the foil with 1,000 grit at the same time that I am block sanding the rest. Two layers of foil just in case I rub through the top layer, witch isnt difficult.

Thanks for your input, guys. This technique has been used successfully by many builders and everyone has their own way of doing it. I will give it a serious trial because, when it works well, it looks fantastic. It's almost fool-proof. ?. 

[customline]

Well anyway, I spent a few hours trying to make sense of the interior. I needed reassurance on the interior fit so I tried taping it all together but....so I "tacked" with CA to get a "tub" that I could work with.  I'm happy with it. As you may recall, it's a marriage of the two interior parts ( and the addition of a pair of high-end front seats.) The '60 door cards are nicely rendered and I want them accessible for detailing.  A "tub" is difficult to detail and the '57 T-bird kit gave me the idea to split it in two with the doors and dash as one piece and the floor and seat the other.  Thanks for strolling by ?

[David G.]

For the gold script on the fenders, I would just lightly go over it a couple of times with a yellow fine-point Sharpie. That usually gives the foil enough of a yellow cast to suggest gold.

The rest of the car is looking great Jim!

David G.

[customline]

12 hours ago, David G. said:

For the gold script on the fenders, I would just lightly go over it a couple of times with a yellow fine-point Sharpie. That usually gives the foil enough of a yellow cast to suggest gold.

The rest of the car is looking great Jim!

David G.

Thanks, Dave, I will give that a shot when the time comes. ? 

[customline]

OK, where was I ?   

The weather is getting better for paint now so the Starliner got painted. I think I have enough paint on it for a simple micro-polish job. The paint is Testor's Grape Metallic enamel thinned with Mr Color 400 and a bit of Mr. Color leveling thinner shot through my antique Binks Wren that probably needs a re-build. Just a quick mock-up with chrome on each end for contrast. Thanks for not giving up on this one ?

I really like the Testor's enamels for airbrush jobs. Ain't that a gorgeous shade of purple? It spent several hours in the dehydrator but I'm gonna give it a few days to harden up. 

[LennyB]

The return of the purple people eater. Glad to see your back on track ?

[David G.]

That's a nice color and the paint looks good.

David G.

[Bullybeef]

The Grape ape approves, paint looks great Jim!

[customline]

34 minutes ago, LennyB said:

The return of the purple people eater. Glad to see your back on track ?

Oh, I'm not. What ever gave you that idea?

[customline]

29 minutes ago, David G. said:

That's a nice color and the paint looks good.

David G.

Thank you , David. I came uncomfortably close to painting it light blue but my good sense returned just in time. This decision, however, may have been influenced by the voices and may prove to be the wrong one after all. We shall see. ?

[customline]

25 minutes ago, Bullybeef said:

The Grape ape approves, paint looks great Jim!

Thanks, Bil. The Grape ape...hmmm....

[rv1963]

Looking good Jim.

[Musclecarbuilder]

Wow that color is amazing! I just stumbled upon this WIP and man! Very nice scratch building!!

[customline]

3 hours ago, Musclecarbuilder said:

Wow that color is amazing! I just stumbled upon this WIP and man! Very nice scratch building!!

Thanks for your interest, Will. There's some great paint in those cheap little bottles! I don't know if you read the first post but adapting that '63 chassis was a disaster. The '60 was kind of unique and if I had it to do over again, I would have spent more time evaluating the swap. The scratch building could have been better.

[customline]

4 hours ago, rv1963 said:

Looking good Jim.

Thanks, Rob.