No problem BH, Just build so the beds will interchange. Who says it has to be premanent??? That's what I'm thinking...RM

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04515.jpg

Butterscotch Goats and Woodys are the same color!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04519.jpg

Porta power is crammed in and a new pillar is installed and gooped in.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04516.jpg

Check your height so ya dont wind up with a Droopy the Dog roof edge.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04525.jpg

Glass removal begins by drilling out the index pin to the depth of the glass....gotta be careful here on thinner roofs

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04526.jpg

A wedge is inserted into the back glass. A drop of glue is placed in the hole. after a few seconds the wedge is wiggled a bit and with any luck the glass pops right out intact with out killing the roof. note: excessive glue re-activation on a thin roof ...like this Charger... will cook a hole through or warp them. Ya gotta tippy toe here!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04528.jpg

Now the vent pillars can be softened gradually with halfdrops of solvent and re-assimilated!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04538.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04539-1.jpg

Here's Split's blue XKE fresh off the gun. Vibe blue and t-jet bright blue are virtually the same. Ya do lose some detail when sprayed but ya cant argue with the finish.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04540.jpg

The rarest of the rare! ...a tan Charger! Might go one more pass with this one as it has a piece of dirt in the hood... carn sarn it. Originally a white cull. I was dubious about the tan but the pic doesnt do it justice....fer tan anyways. ;)

Some of ya might remember this lil Ford from waaaaaay back. The hard top is a morph of a Vibe jag nose and a t-jet Camaro roof.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04541.jpg

Had most all of this car built for sometime but set it aside for a rainy day.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04550.jpg

Slatted the grill on this one and really like the way it wakes the the dated HR nose up.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04546.jpg

During the build the cockpit area is removed to allow work room. The plate is then reinstalled after the glass is instaled. Inserted the AFX helmet head driver for fun.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04549.jpg

I see decals...decals...I see decals LOL...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...YEAH! :thumbsup:

Bill you are having some fun now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob...want me to send some Iron Crosses...zilla

One Sweet Rod!!!

How you manage to pull all these various parts together and make it work just boggles me. :eek:

Murder 5 models and call me in the morning. :woohoo:

Wow that finish on the Jag sure is sparkley Bill. It's a shame Split doesn't care for such things. Send it to CT and I'll scuff it up for him. Wanna see that tan Charger when it's done too.... By all accounts, some very productive cave time on display here. The Hot Rod is... great... but only 7 vents cut into the grill??? hmmm... I'm thinking 8 would have been the way to go. ;)... lol. nd

Murder 5 models and call me in the morning. :woohoo:

Wow that finish on the Jag sure is sparkley Bill. It's a shame Split doesn't care for such things. Send it to CT and I'll scuff it up for him. Wanna see that tan Charger when it's done too.... By all accounts, some very productive cave time on display here. The Hot Rod is... great... but only 7 vents cut into the grill??? hmmm... I'm thinking 8 would have been the way to go. ;)... lol. nd

Dunno about that grille nuther, I was thinking 9 vents....... Everybody LOVES a critic, LOL! However, Ixnay on the uffscay..... I can destroy fine work quite well on my own....

The recent torrent of genius from NW Pac Customs makes me think there should be an annual T jet autorama, for new cars and concepts..... but how many would put their best beside Bill's work? Great stuff! :thumbsup:

BTW nuther, our cats match micely..... I mean nicely

Many haha ya galoots. After seeing the macro shots on those grillslats I wouldnt stand a chance in the real world, but I posted the shot that really shows the imperfections anyway. Still looking for the correct tooling to be able to box out the ends properly. At a normal viewing position ya wouldnt even notice but from the gnats eye view they are crookeder than a dog's hind leg.

The opening of the HR grillslats is not the most complicated thing however it requires patience and a light touch. Naturally the screw post is right in the way for the three or four in the middle. I may actually start busting the front posts out and re-installing them on future versions.

As always, thanks for all the compliments and high praise, yer all very kind. Here's somemore of what happened on Sat.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04532.jpg
Spent a little time on Ed's Grey XKE. The donor post chunk is wedged in.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04530.jpg
After sweating some goop around the new post it was allowed to sit. Then a ribbon of thicker goop is drug horizontally around the lid to add material. This will later be shaped into the drip rail

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04533.jpg
Here's one of the slate 'vettes that I snagged an edge with the buffer while in the final stages. Shot it into my metal lampshade and blew the A pillar right out! Seen here being repaired. #$%&*@#$

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04534.jpg
The wells on the other slate vette are nearing completion. Rocker detail is passable, now scuffed off in 600.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04535.jpg
You'll note a little divot in the wheel arch. That nick is my nogo line for final sanding. This pic reflects a float of raw testors over the work area and helps identify areas that need work. It's a qwickee way to simulate buffing...see what I mean! Those are leftover 320 scratches that have been highlighted. They will definately show in the finished product

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04537-1.jpg
This yellow Lincoln had a bashed out rear valence. A chunk was cut to fit and bonded early in the morning and set aside. Seen here later in the day recieving the first float of filler.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04554.jpg
I always putter on the extra credit project. The pillars were cut from a Riviera rocker panel and gooped into position. Unlike "Old Blue" which has vertical stovebolt pillars I kicked these forward to be more complimentary to the roof angle.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04555.jpg
The sky's the limit right now. A very confusing stage of the build. I'm seeing fenders...or not. Standard T-jet front end or radical brass rat....? LOL Time to put the fantasies aside and fix the butched wheel wells.

Man O Man, seeing is believing, but it's hard to believe what I'm seeing!!! More fandamntastic, restorational, modificational, supercreational cars!!! And I know I saw some stickers, header stickers at that. WooHoo, was that a slip up or have you converted, maybe testing the waters or testing the plastic in this case??? Gotta go clean my glasses...RM
P.S. I'm a liking that hot rod best!!!

bill - i am drooling........ awesome work man!!!

Wes

Feels good to have your big chores done, yeah, Bill? :)

It is so much easier to concentrate on the fun lil projects. Your work, as always, is beautiful. Thanks for the look-sees with the how-tos! :thumbsup:

Bill
Maybe your puter needs to crash more often (not). Gives the brain time to focus a little...LOL. Great looking stuff :thumbsup::thumbsup:

As always, awesome stuff Bill. Keep it coming. I am up to 6 colors of goop, but I can't compete with your resto work. I have employed the build up technique on wheel wells. While it looks okay from the outside, it's pretty messy on the inside. All I have to do is go to the This Week in Model Murdering thread and get re-inspired.
Jim

BTW nuther, our cats match micely..... I mean nicely

LOL ! Yer cats are layed out like Joe Willy Namath in panty hose!

Used to be the crew chiefs favorite snack was "meeces pieces" ...all except the gaul bladder which he always left neatly in the center of the atrium rug...no doubt hoping for stocking feet to come by.

Nowadays though he's aquired a taste fer tweety birds. They must taste like chicken I rekon. Usually not much evidence save for a greazy indentation in the ground and a circular pattern of feathers radiating from the epicenter of the impact sight.

As always, awesome stuff Bill. Keep it coming. I am up to 6 colors of goop, but I can't compete with your resto work. I have employed the build up technique on wheel wells. While it looks okay from the outside, it's pretty messy on the inside. All I have to do is go to the This Week in Model Murdering thread and get re-inspired.
Jim

Thanx Jim, glad to hear yer still at it. The interior portions are rough filed. If ya dont have a set of good sharp files go to harbor freight and get a set! Inexpensive and they dont dull because your working in plastic. When the area is somewhat level inside I take a medium thin mix of the goop and float it over the repair area. This will naturally leave an edge on the puddle. Before it has time to set the edge is feathered out using clean testors. NOTE: I always try to place the graft so as to minimize the interior sanding/work and push any painful work to the out side ...if possible. ;)

After this sets up and dries I wrap sandpaper around the file and work the area smooth through progressive grits. Use lots of cold water and a dash of dish soap to keep the paper from fouling. Be sure to dry your files after wet sanding so they dont rust!

Eventually the area will smooth down nicely. The dullness is removed using the damp brush technique.

Bill you do some truely amazing work, Have a question, are any of these cars worth fixxing, the green firebird has one smashed roof post and missing the other, missing the rear bumper an rear wheel wells trimmed :(
The blue jag rear wheel wells trimmed an missing rear bumper
An the tan?(I think its tan) vet missing both bumpers, all wheel wells cut an front mounting post broke T
The (edit) olive Buick Riviera in good shape, the other is beyond repair, if they are worth fixxing can you private msg me a price an which ones are worth having you fix

Thanks
Kevin

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/GoodwrenchIntimidator3/100_0787.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/GoodwrenchIntimidator3/100_0788.jpg

Thank you Kevin.

You have mail!

Ty bill I recieved it

Ok another question, how are you guys making the "goop" are you accually melting plastic over heat, an I see "testors" mentioned, is that laquer thinner your talking about???

thanks
Kevin

Ok another question, how are you guys making the "goop" are you accually melting plastic over heat, an I see "testors" mentioned, is that laquer thinner your talking about???

thanks
Kevin

Bill, you can certainly providea brief primer on where and where not to apply your trusty bic far better than I....

But I had this vision..... mad scientist mode, Bill adding a bunson burner to the skunkwerks shop milieu, and at some point I can see the entire facility detonating like a meth lab........ (Breaking news, neighborhood evacuated after suspicious explosion and fire, unidentified multicolored blobs trigger deployment of hazmat team........ and the FBI agent asks once again, "Mr Hall, can you tell us one more time what 'goop' really is, and why you have clients all over the country clamoring for it...... LOL


LOL Besides, wasn't it the juvenile discovery of semi-sharp knives and lighters that caused most of the damage in the firt place?

Kevin, GET THE BOOK!

Best thing would be to get Mike Vitale's Aurora restoration book. Available through his "MEV" website as I remember. This book is THE primer to get ya started.

Some things I do are straight out of Vitale's book. Many of my tricks are not and reflect modifications and revalations that have occured along the way.

One of these revalations was Bulk Liquid Repair Plastic. Entire cars or even hunks of old Bell telephones are cooked up to create vials of ready to use plastic. The other is a sprayable mixture that you saw applied on "Splits blue XKE", the "Old Blue deuce coupe", and many others over the last coupla years.

My first deviation from the book came when I began to want to customize/morph cars. The original "puddle, scratch, and smear" technique was to cumbersome and frustrating. I needed scale gallons of product...not a scale spreader's worth.

The cleaned and chipped plastic is "chemically cooked" with the Testors 3502 in a ratio of 1:1 by volume. Right in the Testors jar! From this base state it is thinned with the 3502 depending on what is required to effect the given repair. Sometimes as much as 200%. After reading Vitales book much of what you see at model murdering will be explained.

Note: I ONLY use lacquer thinner for cleaning of scrap bodies; and ONLY to remove factory graphics or paint details. This is not to say that other solvents wouldnt work to deconstitute the scrap. I use what works for me and never deviate. Some of the cars arent mine, and are valuable even in a damaged state; so I dont take risks with other peoples toys. Nor do I want to ruin any of my personal projects due to the amount of time it takes to produce them.

Retrospectively, if I had any advice, it would be to begin with screw posts where you can master filling and learn to move the plastic around. It's just a quick step to screw post replacements which is a basic graft. Then you cant start on wheel wells which often require grafting. By the time you have mastered grafting you'll be ready to take a shot at the real delicate stuff... A pillars, vent posts and roof repairs.

The trick to this, if there is one, is recognizing which viscosity to apply to what situation. Secondly, learning to only use as much as you need and catching on to the trick of moving it around while it is still in liquid form will serve you well.

In all honesty it's not something ya pick up and master in a week. I took me about a year to finger it out and reach a comfort level. Folks always want the secret...the real secret is that there is no secret! Just repetitions, observations, and gallons of patience. My favorite hobby quote is from Bobzilla...." ya got to learn when to just walk away" It is the goop mantra!

TY bill, I did not know there was a book out for restoring, I will have to look into that

well after looking on his site the book is no longer avalible :(

Goodwrencher - Here is an excellent source for the testors. I bought an extra jar from them to pour out some of the testors to make the batch of goop.
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tes/tes3502.htm for $1.89 I bought a dozen so I could make a dozen colors of goop.
good luck
Jim

very nice, TY Jim

Kevin

Kevin, GET THE BOOK!

Best thing would be to get Mike Vitale's Aurora restoration book. Available through his "MEV" website as I remember. This book is THE primer to get ya started.In all honesty it's not something ya pick up and master in a week. I took me about a year to finger it out and reach a comfort level. Folks always want the secret...the real secret is that there is no secret! Just repetitions, observations, and gallons of patience. My favorite hobby quote is from Bobzilla...." ya got to learn when to just walk away" It is the goop mantra!

Bill I aaam going to get the book myself, but I am curious about one thing. I have read all of the posts here and was wondering : Do you ever spray the goop on and if you do, with what? I am not unfamiliar with the goop as I use a white goop made with Testers cement for minor repairs. I used it for many years in building & repairing car models. It does seem though that you are able to spray it ? I am going to track down the book but could you enlighten me please? Thank You

Bill I aaam going to get the book myself, but I am curious about one thing. I have read all of the posts here and was wondering : Do you ever spray the goop on and if you do, with what? I am not unfamiliar with the goop as I use a white goop made with Testers cement for minor repairs. I used it for many years in building & repairing car models. It does seem though that you are able to spray it ? I am going to track down the book but could you enlighten me please? Thank You

Yes with an airbrush, how ever you wont find it in Mike's book. Spraying cycolac is extremely toxic and presents serious health risks if you are not properly equipped.

Keep in mind that this was a long and painstaking process to develope so it is a proprietary secret here at Model Murdering. If I told ya how I'd have to kill you. ;)

ok kill me!

got you though ! Any chance you could do a screw post for me?

ok kill me!

Hahahahahaha! Yer far too willing. There's no sport in that! :p

You have mail.

Yer far too willing. There's no sport in that! :p

You have mail.

Bill after my ex if the best you can do is " only " kill me , then go for it !! LOL ! The magic goop is cool stuff ,must be pretty hard to spray though. I got your mail and will respond shortly , Thank you!
Scotty :wave:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04576.jpg
This lil Cobra had a grenade hole in the hood where the front post was torn away and all the doodads were absent.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04579.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04580.jpg

Coupla birdies flew in missing their doodads as well. Still havent retouched the side moldings ...no guts!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04569.jpg
Blue Buggy with the same condition. Missing roof, glass, and shrunken head. Also has a short front post but I left it as is for now. Didnt catch the shortitude until I wound the chassis in...I may revisit this if I remember.

Lately I've been in a "me" mode. All these wrecks actually showed up in a 200 count body lot from several years back. All the rough stuff was done long ago and periodically I weed through them and finish up the details as parts and widgets trickle in.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04536.jpg
Not a great pic but it does indicate that the wells are cut to the belly button.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04559.jpg
White aint great for resolution, but you can see that the Riviera rears are grafted with their bulk hanging outward rather than placing all the profiling work inside where ya cant get at it

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04562.jpg
The exterior bulk rips down quickly with a sharp file, especially when ya can get at it. Important to note: there is a ghost line present at the graft site. This is normal. We'll deal with it later.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04563.jpg
For difficult inner areas this dremel burr makes short work of irregularities. It's a gotta have.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04565.jpg
After the dremel burr comes a few secs with the file and some 320. Here's the first float of goop in the "glazing" viscosity. Sometimes this takes two or three passes.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04564.jpg

In the book Vitale bevels his edges prior to grafting to avoid the ghost line. I prefer to make the grafts fully butted and dress a furrow into the area after it has cured. I use a tiny oval headed burr to buzz this ditch in. The area is then beat around with 320. Omitting this step will result in a tell line popping up during final polishing as surely as if you drew it in magic marker.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04570.jpg
After another float of goop and some dry time the area is filed and sanded again

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04571.jpg
Now the Riv quarters arent quite kosher but they are close enough to fill the wells. Rear Charger quarts dont grow on trees ya know. This Charger will be set aside to cure for a while so that any shrinkages or anomilies will present themselves prior to the next steps.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04581.jpg
Tom at HO models knocked out an Olive roof. Not bad....not bad at all!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04584.jpg
Towards the end of any modeling session I start to get a little huffy & puffy. LOL! Trying to keep things straight or ensure they are round...following the rules ya might say. I eventually reach a point where I push it all aside and go off the menu.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04585.jpg
Still no real plan here. I went back in to the bag of tricks and inserted side fills in the Rodred. The fills are the entire hood and cockpit section from a 63 bird that is sectioned down the middle to make identical halves. It is then thinned to match the rod's thickness. Per normal this will sit a while and then get assaulted with the file and reskimmed. Gotta have a little freewheeling fun! :thumbsup:

Anyone know where eles to get Mike Vitale's Aurora restoration book??? Mev site is out

Bill I live that green Semi ! That is so cool looking ! Your other ones are nice too . !

That is a nice olive roof match there Bill. That Semi is a road warrior for sure!

Yeah all the other stuff looks good too...love to see you fixes and puddles pictures and how to does.

Bob...look at all this kewl stuff...zilla

Bill, your craftsmanship is just amazing. I'm gonna have to start caling you 'Smokey'.

Rich

Still amazes me when I see one of Bill's recovery efforts. I'm lucky enough to have one to see in person as well. :devil:

Pix don't do them justice.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

Still amazes me when I see one of Bill's recovery efforts. I'm luck enough to have one to see in person as well. :devil:

Pix don't do them justice.:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

Occasionally I let a car or two sneak away...and let's set the record straight rr. It's my camera skilz that dont do them justice.

I often set things aside to let plastic cure or allow ideas to sort themselves out over time. Due mostly in part to the fact that I often have BIG ideas but no real exit strategy or finished product in mind. I made a new years resolution and vowed to revisit all my INCOMPLETES.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04608.jpg

About 2 yrs ago this lil Hot Rod began life as a pus yellow coupe with a cracked roof. Original build pics are lost deep in a back up disc.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04611.jpg

Sidefills were installed and the original windshield slot was relocated. The curved windsheild glass is the blue tinted back glass from an AFX Camaro that has been carefully whittled to fit the new cowl profile. The chrome detail is my typical shiny mylar tape trick. Side pipes are resurrected from a Tyco fiddy seben chebby that was pulled from my buddy Les's house fire.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04617.jpg

The chassis is a rear drop axle that gets the rear meats up into the well however no post shaving was possible and still keep the lid swinging free. Not as low as I usually like to see them but compromises had to be made in the interests of geometry. The functioning rumble seat was planned from the get go after the idea was born in chat session.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04615.jpg

Unless I can locate "Archie" and the gang we're gonna call this one done.

Although not quite ready for prime time here's one that may actually be kinda fun.

The project concept was originally presented to me by SCJ. John had seen Neals (Volvo 1) nifty modified Bently resins based on the Roarin Rolls.

The idea was to be something along the idea of an MG TC. Hence the odd "JC" designation.

This represents the third worksession. The first session was basically figuring out what might be used or needed to get it wrapped around a T-jet platform, which proved to be a nogo! After some fall back time Ed Daddy-O had sent me a slimmy so I elected to revisit the stalled project on another chassis.

So what ya see here is a sectioned and channelled rolls nose with a relocated front screw post. The rear deck was also sectioned to match width. Fenders are shortened (at the running board), with a spare tire removal. Currently also has door sills and the begining s of a properly lumped MG dash of the period. she's torn down for some much needed profiling. More pics to follow.

Interior details, windscreen, and boot are all worked out requiring only final fitment. Looking a bit more like a Morgan at this point but I never could color within the lines anyway. Miles to go yet. ;)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04462.jpg

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04465-1.jpg

Nice looking work Bill. Really like the side exhaust on the green hot rod. Thanks for the pics.

Zach

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04615.jpg

(snicker).... WTG Bill :thumbsup:.... Visionary stuff as per norm. nuther

NO Way is that a working rumble seat?!! You are an awesome builder ! Love that MG too. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Sanno sweet, Bill!
How green it is!...or maybe it is me* who is green?
Don't worry about Archie, Jughead and Reginald. (though I'd love to see Betty and Veronica neckin' in the rumbler heh!) It looks great without the malt shop gang.

I know the rumble seat is a delicate piece of engineering and took quite some time to hammer out. I believe it was worth the effort! :thumbsup:

Talk about being "GREEN with ENVY".... Nice looking green hotrod Bill..:thumbsup:

Heck with Clyde scrapin the Caddy.. Now it's Bill hackin the Rolls..:woohoo:
You are to much.. My brain is on overload:freak:
You must be drinkin the extra cafffin Java. or your running on the bunny batteries..:p

Great work Bill. I always enjoy seein what ya buildin..

:cool: Cool stuff like always Bill. That green Hot Rod would look good next to my purple Hobbytalk Hot Rod :) or any other car I have. :jest:
Keep them coming. Love seeing whats new from the mind at Model Murdering.

hey bill can i come over and peek at others under construction? a ticket is only 600.00 it would be worth every penny!! the green looks to be smooth as glass. very cool.