Creating a new top...

So, I've been working on making a new top for the car out of balsa wood.  Just getting the profile right for now, but I'm going to visit a Masterpiece this week and get some more measurements for the windshield and roof.  This balsa will only be used to create the OUTER part of the mold. After that a hollow cast can be made and once details are added to the inner part, I can make the inner mold.

Decorative Interior Panel

Just a short post here... decided to work a little on the interior details for a bit. I used a small dremel attachment and some sandpaper to create this interior panel with "wood" applique.  After painting these, I will apply a waterslide decal with more detail for the sculpted part.

More to come! I will try to post a new update every Saturday, so stay tuned...

Top Chop

In preparation for making a new raised roof on the coach, I finished chopping off the existing top.  Along with the A and B-pillars:

The bubble wrap and tape were there to protect the parts I was not cutting.

Having joined the two car bodies together, I now had to cut a new line for the rear door and eliminate the seam.

I taped off the door handle and other parts I did not want to get body filler on and then sanded it all down smooth.

Spraying on some grey primer I was able to see what little imperfections there were and sand a little more.

The next thing to do is sculpt the basic shape of the upper part of the car in balsa wood and styrene.  This will just be to create the outer portion of the mold around.  After that, it can be discarded and the interior can be constructed.

Two become ONE!

 I measured the two halves and used the dremel to cut the rear donor car's front and top off.

Then did the opposite for the "front donor" car.

Used a grinder to level the rear door handles...

And then used body filler to "erase" the rear doors all together.

After a little sanding...

I glued both halves into place on a steady board and put tape over the seams to keep the J-B Weld from oozing through to the visible side of the car.

After the epoxy sets, I'll use more bondo on the outside and cut a line for the the rear door.

Rear bumper modifications

First thing I saw that I had to do was move this rear license plate frame from the trunk lid down to the bumper.

 





I cut the frame from the lid with the rotary cutter,

 Then cut a piece the same width from the bumper.

On the left you can see what I was trying to achieve.  I decided to temporarily hot glue the license frame in place and then use some two-part J-B Weld epoxy on the backside of it to bond the pieces together.

After that set for 24 hours, I used body filler to fill in the seams.

This was the first pass with the Bondo, you can see there were still some gaps that needed to be filled in.  I'll post pics of the final outcome soon!

It Begins!

I was finally able to start this build. I got two donor cars...

The first step of course was to dis-assemble both cars entirely:

The plan being to cut both cars in half and rejoin them in a stretched base car. After that I will build the top and rear interior from scratch.