If you want to ask me any questions, you can reach me at pocher_rolls@yahoo.com.
While I was waiting for the filler to cure, I figured I would paint the whitewalls onto the tires. Yes, that's right, if you want nice whitewall tires, you actually have to paint them on. The whitewall presented an all new problem. One of the options available was stick-on whitewalls (yuck). The better-looking option was to paint them on but the quandary was what kind of paint to use. After going to http://www.scaleautoworks.com/, I got some great suggestions on how to paint the whitewall on but one common problem was paint. Some paints would react with the tires on a chemical level while others were prone to cracking when the tire was flexed. Then, while at the auto parts store, I discovered automotive interior paint for vinyl seats in a spray can. Talk about the perfect paint. The tires in the kit are made of a type of vinyl and the paint was specifically designed for use on vinyl seats so it's durable, has flex additives to prevent cracking and the finish is a semi-gloss. The only drawback was that it was about $11.00 for an 8oz can. I masked the tires with masking tape and used an x-acto knife to cut away the tape along the outer rib where the whitewall would go.
After several coats on each tire, I had five very nice whitewall tires.
Ok, back to the firewall. The filler had cured and was worked into a shape that matched the rest of the edge of the firewall where the hood rested. Then it was painted to accent the insulating moulding.
Here's the completed firewall. Compare to photos from http://kruseinternational.com/.
