Projects Recreating the jesse lopez coupe

There's lots of power here, but I don't expect any trouble.

 

"HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!”

 

Oh no!

 

Occasionally G/MA will come into the "command module" in the morning with her coffee cup and want to see what I'm up to. My morning usually starts with a look at the HAMB, and then I look at the news of the day etc, etc.

Last Saturday she came in, sat down and we started our "whatcha doin", what's new etc. I had the recent page that has the two "woodies" on the bed, and we were looking at them and comparing the JCC on the screen to the one on the wall, dominating the room.

Looking up from where I was sitting it appeared to me that there is a problem that I had overlooked, or had ignored before this, with proportions on the front of the "car". It looks like the area below the headlight has to be extended downward to get the bumper below the center of the hubcap.

With all the effort that Junior put into his creation to make sure that it couldn't be driven any lower than it was, this won't do. He told me that he "took" the oil pan off the car driving down a particular Blvd. that all the guys with lowered cars considered safe. He told me that when/if a potential rival was seen in his neighborhood that might be lower than his car, was a moment of great concern that produced an immediate investigation and response if needed.

 

FWIW, looking at the wooden version from down low and the photo of the car shot from slightly above could provide dramatically different perspectives.

 

Hang on Dave, I appreciate the help. I suppose this means I have to get outta my chair?

 

It's your call...

 

OK, I did get out of that chair and put a line through that pic of the actual car to see where the bumper needed to be, and then measure the "car" for comparison.
Thanks for the sharp stick, Dave. It's close enough.

 

You're having the same issues I found with faux 'chrome' finishes. The basic finish gets pretty close but as you noted, it just can't take any handling. And it seemed that any protective 'sealing' coat over it would dull the finish in some degree.

Two possibilities; have you looked into the 'chrome' foil the model builders use? That may work for some of the smaller trim, although wrapping it around the larger curved bits would probably be tough. The other one is vacuum metalizing, the process used to create the 'chrome' trim in model kits but also used by Detroit in the '60s/70s to 'chrome' things like instrument clusters and other interior trim. There are companies that do this, likely not all that cheap but improved durability.

 

Glad to provide some help. It's good you're OK with it.

 

Thanks for the input, Steve, this is the stuff that I think I'm going to go with. I'll have a look for you shortly.

 

Here's the JCC hubcap, and the JLC spotlight. They will probably work; I'm not going to do the bumpers to be able to see how everything ages. They feel very strange to the touch.

 

https://www.modelroundup.com/Revell-Chrome-Spray-Paint-p/revag-39628.htm

Hpiguy on YouTube just did a review on a dozen chrome paints.... the stuff from Revell was the best by far. It isn't cheap but it is as close to chrome as paint can get.

 

If the JCC has glass the "woody" has to have glass.

 

The JCC has an interior. This doesn't mean that the "woody" gets one.

 

@jivin jer your attention to detail with these 'woodies' is inspirational!

 

Thanks.

 

Gettin ready to wrap up the windows. The head of the large Molotow chrome pen is big enough to fit in the ridge of the opening and give me a nice stable line around the opening that mimics the stainless trim.

 

I just saw that Gene Winfield is in what looks like serious trouble posted on here, and now it's gone???? It’s back on the Hamb,, check out Facebook!

 

Windows are done, this whole thing is almost a "wrap".

 

It's time to get the tail Lites done and installed. It starts here.

 

Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves that we don't live in a cartoon world.

 

I made a real life size "buck" out of wood to fit in the space for the tail lite , and then duplicated it in the red tail lite plastic.

 

Here's the t/lite and the back/up lite almost ready to install.

 

Here's the lites installed, gettin close.

 

Well its time to figure out how these things are going to sit next to the real cars. I went back to the storage shed in the back yard and grabbed some wooden wedges that I had made years ago to prop up the small signs I made to explain to the car show attendees what they were looking at. A picture is worth a thousand words . so this is a look at the wedges and a couple of pics that they propped up. This was for the JCC.

 

The "mounts" installed.

 

I need a better look of the "car" as it will sit.

 

Stance?

 

Cheap insurance.