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Post by chepp on Oct 29, 2023 21:43:58 GMT -5
Bodywork is continuing. It usually takes me three or four cycles of filling, sanding and priming to get even the smallest things right. I liked having the floating headlights but they stick out too far so I'll sink them into the grille to make them less prominent. The trapezoidal divider at the rear is actually the hood latch stamping from the Moebius kit. The panel mimics the shape of the front grille divider but without a "beak." I'll mount an external "racing" type fuel filler in the center of the panel since I'm filling in the stock gas door on the left quarter panel.
The console was extended forward of the dash so it wouldn't look like something was missing. I'm rounding up accessories like the mini TV from the AMT '65 Buick Riviera. I'll probably add a radio-telephone to the console and maybe a couple of other things, too.
Here's what I used to make the front grille. I'll be removing the Lucas-style bulb covers on the chrome parts (facing down in this photo) and just use regular sealed beam lenses.
I had two '53 Ford pickup custom grilles so it worked out well so I could use the same pattern on the front and rear of the car. By chance I came across four bullet taillights at a model car show/swap so I grabbed them. They'll look much more kustom than the stock Corvair taillights that I probably would have used.
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Post by HotRodTom on Oct 29, 2023 22:47:38 GMT -5
Oh Mylanta!!!!! This is looking BOSSS!!!! Tom
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Post by RodBurNeR on Oct 30, 2023 0:03:12 GMT -5
yesss love it ! the interior is looking great too!
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Post by skip on Oct 30, 2023 9:52:04 GMT -5
Hey, Now, the kids in the back seat are gonna complain, that's no big, flat screen T.V. for them to watch! That alone might be some sorta child abuse now days wouldn't it! LoL! (Not diminishing the real effects of child abuse.) Just sarcastically pointing out some of the younger generations sniveling about how they believe they are getting treated! You know the ones!
Love what you're doing with this one, with no engine, needs a trap door in the floorboards to be like Fred Flintstone hoofing it! Seriously, Charley I really love what you're doing with this one it's going to turn out really nice. Unfinished, its pretty sweet already, so can't wait to see it in paint! Build on the whole board is watching!!
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Post by chepp on Oct 30, 2023 11:31:11 GMT -5
Hey, Now, the kids in the back seat are gonna complain, that's no big, flat screen T.V. for them to watch! That alone might be some sorta child abuse now days wouldn't it! LoL! (Not diminishing the real effects of child abuse.) Just sarcastically pointing out some of the younger generations sniveling about how they believe they are getting treated! You know the ones! Love what you're doing with this one, with no engine, needs a trap door in the floorboards to be like Fred Flintstone hoofing it! Seriously, Charley I really love what you're doing with this one it's going to turn out really nice. Unfinished, its pretty sweet already, so can't wait to see it in paint! Build on the whole board is watching!! Well, if the ankle-biters want to watch TV, they'll be plenty busy adjusting the rabbit ears (when I add them) to get reception every time the moving car changes direction. Actually, the TV is more for date bait. What girl could resist being able to watch Sing Along With Mitch Miller while waiting for the submarine races to start? Thanks for the kind words. Everybody else could be building a kustom, too. I started this one mainly to be a quick build and use up leftover parts after seeing a group build announcement on the H.A.M.B. that I discovered after its Oct. 1 deadline (that few of the builders seem to be following). Over there my handle is abc123. The "rules" (not many) can be found here: or see builders' progress by searching for #kustomsgb on youtube.com. There I'm Chuk Hepp.
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Post by ckourouklis on Oct 30, 2023 11:49:33 GMT -5
Mmm - MMM.
I m h o, Ventura was the best-looking GM '61, maybe of any manufacturer that year. LOVE what you're doing here!
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Post by mack2856 on Oct 31, 2023 22:26:27 GMT -5
Great progress ๐
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Post by chepp on Nov 5, 2023 23:14:22 GMT -5
Bodywork is continuing but more slowly than I had intended.
Spoon tests. Left photo: both spoons were sprayed with Chrome Silver. One then had clear yellow and clear blue added. Right photo: Same spoons as on the left with clear green sprayed over. I had expected that the clear yellow and clear blue under-colors would make different shades of green but it was barely noticeable.
Work on the interior continued. I made a little angled stand for the backseat TV. The steering wheel is the custom one from the AMT '65 Riviera. The parts to the left will go into the four holes in the dashboard for gauges.
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Post by skip on Nov 6, 2023 9:36:32 GMT -5
Bodywork is continuing but more slowly than I had intended.
Spoon tests. Left photo: both spoons were sprayed with Chrome Silver. One then had clear yellow and clear blue added. Right photo: Same spoons as on the left with clear green sprayed over. I had expected that the clear yellow and clear blue under-colors would make different shades of green but it was barely noticeable.
Work on the interior continued. I made a little angled stand for the backseat TV. The steering wheel is the custom one from the AMT '65 Riviera. The parts to the left will go into the four holes in the dashboard for gauges.
LoL!! You got me going with the "Ankle Biter" bit, my most favorite uncle, who is responsible for me building models, big cars too, used to use the term "Ankle Biters" all the time! (Lost him too early to a drunk driver who almost killed my aunt as well.) The first model he sat down and built with me was an old Lindberg Gee Bee, supposed to be 1/32 scale but isn't. I'm in the process of building another in his memory, only about a third of the way through I switched to the much more accurately scaled Williams Brothers Gee Bee. When you set the two together there is a marked difference between them. Now back to the '61 Ventura Kustom Kar at hand, those Kolors are just too Kool any early '60s Kustom would love to wear either of those two green combinations. Those seats look great with the tops appearing in the bubble topped green house. I was looking at the center console, trying to figure what was what on there, it took a minute to pick out the chrome phone receiver on the white base. Something that might look kind of cool on your T.V. base, maybe like one of those game pieces with the ball top and an inverted top body. use the wide end to set the T.V. on with the ball end going into the console, so it looks adjustable and really modern chic at the same time. That way those three of four ankle biters stacked in the back seat could adjust the small screen for more better viewing, all while they are dripping ice cream, melting Hershey bars and spilling those 8 oz Coca Cola bottles all over the seat and carpet as they're putting sticky fingerprints all over the tinted glass, maybe stuffing an uneaten happy meal burger between the seat for later... LoL! My two ankle biters were banned to mommy's car for the longest time for that very reason... or maybe it was because mommy never cleaned the car or the messes until like a month later, cringing at the horror of it all! Build on Charley, it's getting Kooler looking every time you show us a new installment!!
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Post by Skullo on Nov 8, 2023 21:53:18 GMT -5
Looks great and I appreciate the time you spend with detailed updates for us.
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Post by mack2856 on Nov 10, 2023 22:55:58 GMT -5
Thatโs looking gorgeous so far ๐
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Post by chepp on Nov 12, 2023 22:32:47 GMT -5
Filling, sanding and priming are continuing. Sooner or later I'll get it right.
Custom headlamps from an unknown '62 SMP kit were sunk into the modified custom grille from an AMT '53 Ford pickup.
A revised spoon test was made. The Tamiya clear green over chrome silver was masked over at the center. Then multiple heavy coats of clear yellow were sprayed on the upper part and multiple regular coats of clear blue were sprayed on the lower part. When dry for several days several heavy coats of Tamiya X-22 clear gloss were sprayed over all of it. The interior colors were getting kind of complicated so I made a rough sketch with callouts. It's changed and may change again.
The Moebius kit has a really nice headliner and dome lamp molded into the underside of the roof. Coincidentally I came across a special discount at a LHS for a 2-piece Tamiya paint stand. I'd read online about people really liking it so I bought it so I'll be able to support the body inside the doors for spraying instead of my Donn Yost recommended pipe and masking tape that was shown in my earlier posts.
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rickyc
Soc
Addicted to plastic since mid last century
Posts: 30
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Post by rickyc on Nov 13, 2023 10:51:09 GMT -5
Really like the direction you are going with this build. IMHO a custom, unless it is totally radical, should be recognizable as to the base car it is being built from. This one is a Pontiac, it is recognizable as a Pontiac, but the changes are eye-catching and will make people stop and look at the custom work you are doing. A real fine job.
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Post by chepp on Nov 19, 2023 21:44:40 GMT -5
Bodywork is continuing.
The basics of the interior are painted and gray flock carpet is done, too.
Taillights are being fitted. I'll probably make them protrude more than is shown to add to the kustom look.
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Post by chepp on Dec 10, 2023 21:52:36 GMT -5
Fitting the windshield and backlight has been a slow process. They are larger than where they are supposed to go so I'm slowly and carefully making the glass smaller and the openings larger. The glass is masked to minimize damage from my boo-boos.
The front and rear "jewelry" items are mostly finished. For final assembly, I'll make sure that the horizontal lines in the grille mesh are aligned better with the horizontal openings in the body.
The interior is coming along, too. There are still details to add and defects to fix.
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