Cars: Muscle Cars
60's & 70's Classics
AMT new tool Chrysler 300C (commissioned)
AussieReg
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Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2019 - 03:08 PM UTC
Beautiful work Gabriel, great to see progress on this build. Also great to see somebody else using the Mr Surfacer/MLT primer combination. The 1500 looks super smooth.

Cheers, D
Szmann
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Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2019 - 03:28 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Beautiful work Gabriel, great to see progress on this build. Also great to see somebody else using the Mr Surfacer/MLT primer combination. The 1500 looks super smooth.

Cheers, D



I have made a similar comment on your build, LOL! Yes, I really like Mr. Surfacer as it blocks very well and doesn't hide details. It shows very well the imperfections also. It can give gritty results sometimes if not thinned enough or sprayed from afar. The best results I achieved (like here) by applying a semi-wet coat (some three - four successive overlaping passes with my setup).
Thanks!

Gabriel
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Posted: Thursday, January 10, 2019 - 10:08 PM UTC
Smooooth. Love that engine. Almost a shame to cover the rocker arms. Excellent detail by AMT.

Yesterday I received latest issue, of my favorit US car magazine(swedish Power magazine)What do I see, a beautiful 1957 chrysler 300C as one of the feature cars. Awesome.
Szmann
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Posted: Friday, January 11, 2019 - 02:53 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Smooooth. Love that engine. Almost a shame to cover the rocker arms. Excellent detail by AMT.

Yesterday I received latest issue, of my favorit US car magazine(swedish Power magazine)What do I see, a beautiful 1957 chrysler 300C as one of the feature cars. Awesome.



Thanks, Jesper!
Yes, the engine bay and steering / transmission are the major improvements in the "new" AMTs. Even the oil dipstick is present there (we'll see later on).

I agree: Chrysler 300 Letter looks elegant and powerful even by today's standards. The one that I am guiding myself after is in Jay Leno's Garage (he owns a D model but for what I understood the interior remained unchanged - only the front and tail fins have been redesigned; also late D series have a different engine which will continue up until the series left the market, but continued parallel by De Soto).

CHeers!
Gabriel
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, January 11, 2019 - 10:13 AM UTC
Gabriel
Finally some personal free time to catch up, and hopefully even get to do some more body work on the Porsche tonight. Life has become nearly unmanageable Eldercare issues, hospitals, rehab centers, and lawyers that have us literally spinning in circles. This is the last of our parents, and it just never gets any easier. To say we're burnt out is putting it rather mildly.

Like you, the Chestnut Brown is the most elegant of the colors by far.

My favorite putty has become the Tamiya putty, but it's really expensive compared to Green Stuff, which I haven't used in years. Just never seem to buy anything from the Squadron these days.

The engine is really well detailed, and I'm looking to see how it all comes together when finished.

My choice of primer is Mr. Hobby's 1,000 Primer/Surfacer that I thin with either Tamiya Yellow Cap or Mr. color leveling Thinner 400. I like the thicker version as I do use it straight with a brush as a micro filler. Sands like a dream.

Looking forward to seeing some color on the body real soon.

Joel



AussieReg
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Posted: Friday, January 11, 2019 - 11:07 AM UTC
Hi Gabriel.

I've just been reading through this thread again, as I do when I have a spare minute or two, and had another look at this image -


I notice on the front end that the blue fades to white on the front end, and you can faintly see it on the fin at the rear as well. It would seem to me that they touched up a stock image of a white car with various colours for their marketing as I can't imagine that was the way they were finished.

Cheers, D
Szmann
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Posted: Friday, January 11, 2019 - 02:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Gabriel
Finally some personal free time to catch up, and hopefully even get to do some more body work on the Porsche tonight. Life has become nearly unmanageable Eldercare issues, hospitals, rehab centers, and lawyers that have us literally spinning in circles. This is the last of our parents, and it just never gets any easier. To say we're burnt out is putting it rather mildly.

Like you, the Chestnut Brown is the most elegant of the colors by far.

My favorite putty has become the Tamiya putty, but it's really expensive compared to Green Stuff, which I haven't used in years. Just never seem to buy anything from the Squadron these days.

The engine is really well detailed, and I'm looking to see how it all comes together when finished.

My choice of primer is Mr. Hobby's 1,000 Primer/Surfacer that I thin with either Tamiya Yellow Cap or Mr. color leveling Thinner 400. I like the thicker version as I do use it straight with a brush as a micro filler. Sands like a dream.

Looking forward to seeing some color on the body real soon.

Joel






Joel, I'm so sad to hear you having such issues. I have lost both my parents (my father in rather unpleasant circumstances) and I really feel what you have to deal with. Please put your family first and don't feel compelled to comment or to follow my build - I totally know that if you have the time you'll be around here!

I like very much Tamiya Putty as well, but I neglected to buy the gray one (I think they call it Basic Putty) and white on white is hard to see, especially when small sink marks are involved. I will add the gray one on my next order for sure.

I use Tamiya Surface primer as filler - the formula is very much the same as Mr. Surfacer, just thicker.

Damian, I have looked at that picture at least 10 times and I've never noticed! Talk about being observant, duh! I know for sure I've read in the original posting that the swirl effect is made with vaseline on camera and I thought: "How smart!", but my mind never registered that the car has actually two colors. So that was for its value as reference, huh! Great observation spirit!

UPDATE - first mistake(s)
My working schedule is just being too busy now - I don't know for how long - so I have to go on "baby steps". As much as I wanted the body painted, I have realized there is no time left in the day to do it, so I decided to go forward with the engine.
The first step was to thin down the belts - by Damian's example - and I gouged one of them. not too bad, but visible. Somehow I managed not to break any:


I installed the steering pump easily (keyed), but then I realized I cannot do the same with the generator, because the fit is keyed on the pulley assembly, but not in the generator itself, ans i needed a good positioning of the bracket. I decided to fit the sub-assembly to the engine block for reading my bearings. Again, the fit between the engine block and the bracket seems to have been keyed, but both keys are positive!

However, this is no big deal, I can easily remove one of the keys or both and glue the bracket straight on the block. The next error by AMT I would never have it discovered if it wasn't to install the ignition wires. The rocker covers are also keyed by means of different sized pins, but they are wrong! The protection of the wires on the covers suppose to be open at the distributor's end and closed at the other. Here you can see what I am talking about:

I was going to drill the holes for inserting the ignition wires when I've noticed the asymmetry. I have to cut now one of the locator pins on the right cylinder row so I can turn the rockers cover.

In the instructions, the "open ends" are clearly indicated towards the generator:


... and the same goes on the engine depicted on the side of the box. I'm sure on the real engine too, but I wasn't aware that there is an "closed end":


That much I managed in today's session - appallingly slow, but there is some progress, right?

Cheers!
Gabriel
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Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2019 - 03:23 AM UTC
Gabriel,
Thanks my friend for your most kind words, they're much appreciated. Just having coffee before it's off the Rehab center. Hopefully, I find some time later today to work on my Porsche.

Great find by Damian on the white nose clip. Sure does look like they tried to use one car for multiple color choice shots.

Nicely done thinning of the belts. I never had much success doing it that way as they were always uneven. I would have cut & filed them off, then use Evergreen strips to make new belts wrapped and glued to the pullies.


Joel
Szmann
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Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 12:51 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Nicely done thinning of the belts. I never had much success doing it that way as they were always uneven. I would have cut & filed them off, then use Evergreen strips to make new belts wrapped and glued to the pullies.


Joel



Thanks, Joel!
I was thinking to cut the belts and replace them with fine strips of masking tape but only one pulley is actually connected with the front engine cover and I dumped the idea...

UPDATE

My engine start looking like an engine manifolds in place, carburetors in place, rocker covers in place, pulleys, belts and fan in place... and agh! the distributor. The wire plugs were so small that I couldn't drill them not even with the tip of a sewing needle. I cut them back to the cover for my smallest drill to have some "meat" to bite into, drilled some shallow holes, plugged the wires and from there on it was easy!


Cheers!
Gabriel
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 01:01 PM UTC
That engine is looking great Gabriel, and a neat solution for the wires. Nobody would ever notice that the plugs were removed!

Cheers, D
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Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 09:43 PM UTC
Great work on the wiring Gabriel. That engine is a gem. Good to see, there is a bracket, for the generator. Far to often they just float magically in the air.
Szmann
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Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 11:23 PM UTC

Quoted Text

That engine is looking great Gabriel, and a neat solution for the wires. Nobody would ever notice that the plugs were removed!

Cheers, D



Thanks, Damian!
Actually I've tried and successfully made plugs from stretched tube (q-tip "stem"). The problem is that they add too much rigidity to the joint and either the wires will look in a "broken" angle, either they'll shoot up too much, making the engine look too "hairy". On the real engine, the plugs are L-shaped.

Gabriel
Szmann
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Posted: Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 11:36 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Great work on the wiring Gabriel. That engine is a gem. Good to see, there is a bracket, for the generator. Far to often they just float magically in the air.



Thanks, Jesper!
Yes, there is a troublesome bracket there As said in an earlier post, the locators are both positive and I had to cut the one on the bracket to fit it flush, otherwise it would be pushing the whole sub-assembly in an angle. However, the AMT intention is laudable.

Gabriel
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Posted: Monday, January 14, 2019 - 03:15 AM UTC
Gabriel,
The big block looks great. Nice job with the ignition wiring. From where I seat it sure looks quite in scale. Any smaller diameter wouldn't have looked anywhere this good.

As for the belts, I never thought of those issues. I'll be filing that info away for future use for sure.

Joel
Szmann
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Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2019 - 04:32 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Gabriel,
The big block looks great. Nice job with the ignition wiring. From where I seat it sure looks quite in scale. Any smaller diameter wouldn't have looked anywhere this good.



Thanks, Joel! Those ignition wires are made from stretched sprue and I can alter the diameter at will (in between their limits, naturally)! I went rather thin because there are eight of them crammed in that little distributor cap. Should have been a six or, better even, a four cylinder, I would used thicker stretches. Not much is going to be seen at the end though, because the engine is very big for the bodiwork and the end is hidden by the a/c unit which is massive. I would say I am content with the way I get the wires: it is my first go at them, by the way

UPDATE
My working schedule has reduced my modeling time to a minimum, but I kept adding small details until all the engine parts are there:








A very light wash follows, to accentuate the details and a new round of detailing. I'm not sure yet if I'm gonna apply a second coat of Alclad II Aqua Gloss after washes, but so I think.

Cheers!
Gabriel
AussieReg
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Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2019 - 05:06 PM UTC
That powerplant is looking amazing Gabriel. What are your thoughts on the Aqua Gloss from Alclad? Do you just give it a coat over any finish? I've heard good things about it but never tried it.

Cheers, D
Szmann
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Posted: Tuesday, January 15, 2019 - 11:33 PM UTC

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What are your thoughts on the Aqua Gloss from Alclad? Do you just give it a coat over any finish? I've heard good things about it but never tried it.



Thank you for your kind words, D.!
Aqua Gloss has became easily my favorite "in between" clear coat. It is milky when wet and warns you of running danger, doesn't affect the metallic shine too much (but still does) and dries reasonably fast. As a sealant before oil washes works very well and yes, I apply it indiscriminately over any previous kind of paint. I've seen also some joker on YT using it to deep the clear parts in it - worked

Gabriel
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Posted: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 - 02:46 AM UTC
Gabriel,
You big block V8 really looks quite amazing. One really has to wonder why an engineer would design two separate air cleaners that are right next to each other, other then it was someone's brain child for another selling point. Of course you get to sell the customer when they come in for service two air cleaners instead of one.

Joel
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Posted: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 - 11:04 AM UTC

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One really has to wonder why an engineer would design two separate air cleaners that are right next to each other, other then it was someone's brain child for another selling point. Of course you get to sell the customer when they come in for service two air cleaners instead of one.

Joel



For what I understood, these split filters acted as "inside scoops", sucking the colder, more dense air from the sides of the engine. Also perhaps from aerodynamic and design perspective, the flat ducts keep the engine profile low an the bonnet clean, rather than having a "mail box" perched up in the middle of the field of view.

Thanks for stopping by!
Gabriel
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Posted: Thursday, January 17, 2019 - 11:27 PM UTC
Hi, guys!

UPDATE - dyno time!
I applied a light wash on the engine, then picked up some final details with silver:






Sorry for the fuzziness of the pictures - that's the limit of my mobile phone camera (very shallow depth of field in macro mode).
The customer is happy with it and so am I, we are ready for Dyno tuning!

Meanwhile I was fiddling with the car's body as well. I removed some scratches from re-scribing the panels and sanded out some gritty areas resulted after the prime application of primer. Eventually I wet sanded the entire body with Tamiya sanding sponge 2000 grit, and applied another light coat of primer, highly diluted with MLT for extra smoothness[/i]. And of course i forgot to fill one of the scratches! Hopefully before the weekend's end I will have an "aquamarine" body!


Cheers!
Gabriel
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Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 02:46 AM UTC
Lovely work Gabriel, the engine looks ready to start! It looks like we have the same issue with the fan blades as we do with the "klaxon ring" on the steering wheels, mighty thick!

The primer coat looks silky smooth as well, looking forward to seeing it with colour on.

Cheers, D

Edit - very minor critique, mould line on the oil filler cap. A quick swipe with the Xacto and a brush touch-up.
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Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 02:48 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


One really has to wonder why an engineer would design two separate air cleaners that are right next to each other, other then it was someone's brain child for another selling point. Of course you get to sell the customer when they come in for service two air cleaners instead of one.

Joel



For what I understood, these split filters acted as "inside scoops", sucking the colder, more dense air from the sides of the engine. Also perhaps from aerodynamic and design perspective, the flat ducts keep the engine profile low an the bonnet clean, rather than having a "mail box" perched up in the middle of the field of view.

Thanks for stopping by!
Gabriel



Gabriel,
I really don't agree with the theory that by moving two smaller air cleaner assembly to the sides of the engine, the air flowing into those cleaners would be cooler then air flowing over the top. Reason being is that the exhaust headers are on either side of the block, and are the hottest components of any internal combustion engine. What's more, the front tires would almost continually be kicking up all sorts of road debris that could very well be ingested into the air cleaner funnels.

Also from you pictures the side profile of the air cleaner housing is the tallest profile across the block. So the engine hood now has to be taller across the entire profile, not making it lower, so the friction caused by the flow of air would be greater not less.

So as with most high performance cleaners of the period, lower, wider and completely open on the sides would have solved the air flow and drag issue in a more positive way. My Thinking is that it does in fact offer a more powerful and brutish look to the engine compartment.

Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 02:52 AM UTC
Gabriel,
the finished American big block V8 really looks great. The wash just made all the details pop.

I feel your "pain" with the constant redo's and touch up of primer and color coats, till I reach the Good Enough plateau. The top down picture really looks quite good.

Joel
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Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 09:12 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Lovely work Gabriel, the engine looks ready to start! It looks like we have the same issue with the fan blades as we do with the "klaxon ring" on the steering wheels, mighty thick!

The primer coat looks silky smooth as well, looking forward to seeing it with colour on.

Cheers, D

Edit - very minor critique, mould line on the oil filler cap. A quick swipe with the Xacto and a brush touch-up.



Thanks, D.
Yes, I know! I even try to taper the blades on another fan. It works for the outer most part, but as the circle narrows, it is impossible to sand down. I just loathe them, but I guess we need to live with

I've noticed the seam as well after the wash. Perhaps I'm gonna take the opportunity to change the color (originals are gloss black - I knew it but I wanted to add more diversity - maybe I go for some brown this time). Yes, thanks for critique - good observation!

For the primer I used the similar method described by you in your build - just it wasn't MLT only, it was a 70/30 "concoction".

Cheers!
Gabriel
Szmann
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Posted: Friday, January 18, 2019 - 09:23 AM UTC

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Gabriel,
I really don't agree with the theory that by moving two smaller air cleaner assembly to the sides of the engine, the air flowing into those cleaners would be cooler then air flowing over the top. Reason being is that the exhaust headers are on either side of the block, and are the hottest components of any internal combustion engine. What's more, the front tires would almost continually be kicking up all sorts of road debris that could very well be ingested into the air cleaner funnels.

Also from you pictures the side profile of the air cleaner housing is the tallest profile across the block. So the engine hood now has to be taller across the entire profile, not making it lower, so the friction caused by the flow of air would be greater not less.

So as with most high performance cleaners of the period, lower, wider and completely open on the sides would have solved the air flow and drag issue in a more positive way. My Thinking is that it does in fact offer a more powerful and brutish look to the engine compartment.

Joel



Joel I agree with you that the solution didn't worked out and looks cumbersome (Mercedes engineers must have laughed their heads off seeing that thing). Honestly, I like the American engines the same way I like the Russian armor: they are pretty in their ugliness and rough, "unfinished" look.
Another thing to consider is that the grilles you see under the headlamps on Chrysler 300 are not turn signals, are air intake grilles - but I'm not sure the air flow reaches the carburetor intakes or it's diverted downwards to the front brakes.

Yes, the second coat of primer worked fine - I'm almost there!

Thanks!
Gabriel