Scribing door lines on white metal

I'm sure JQ will be happy to give you the benefit of his experience, but in the meantime I can maybe offer some starter suggestions of my own, as I have re-scribed door shutlines on white metal and on diecast. With white metal being so much softer, it is much easier to scribe than zinc alloy.

Yes, a scriber will certainly do the job, but you have to be careful because any irregularities in the grain of the metal can cause the point to skid off line. One trick is to draw and cut the shutline on a piece of paper (or very thin card) and use a glue stick or other light adhesive to stick it temporarily to the body. Press it in place with your fingers while you scribe along the edge of the template very lightly several times over until you have a line deep enough to stop the scriber skipping when you start scoring more deeply.

If the scriber is very fine-pointed and the finished line doesn't look "bold" enough for you, you can then score it a bit more with something that has a slightly broader point.

As an alternative to a scriber, especially where the shutline is straight, I tend to use a fine X-Acto saw blade. The advantage of that is that because several teeth are gripping into the metal along the line of the cut, there is less risk of a small irregularity in the metal knocking the cut off course.

I find it best to keep the saw blade as flat to the body as possible, which may result in the cut going into the sill below the door, but that is easily touched in with a smear of filler afterwards, and is preferable to using just the tip of the saw because that makes it more likely to stray off-line.

Where the shutline has a very small, tight radius curve (e.g. at the bottom of a rear door where the shutline often follows the front corner of the rear wheel cut-out) I have tended to do those little bits freehand (drawing the curve on the body with a fine marker pen first). Once again, score that curve very lightly a number of times until it is deep enough to keep the scriber in line during harder strokes. Or you may be able to include that detail on your paper template, and that reduces the risk of a wobbly freehand cut.

Hope that helps, but we'll see what John has to add.

Be brave. And if a line does go wrong you can always fill and sand the score line and try again. Once it's painted nobody will know the first attempt didn't quite work out!

Interesting Graeme.

I would like convert a two door Packard Patrician h.t.by Brooklin in a four door,if the wheel base is the same I will try follow Your suggestion.

The only change I make on a Brooklin is put a top up on a Lincoln Cosmopolitan because I don't like the Convertible top down..

Many thanks Graeme 

Graeme could not have said it better.  I have little to add. But doing curved lines around wheel arches can be tricky.  You can always revert to using a Dremel tool and grinding bit to cut a bigger groove,  then later fill with JB Weld,  sand smooth when dry then score this with the Exacto saw.  Much easier to score JB Weld than diecast which is amazingly hard.  As Graeme says white metal (and resin) are much easier to score. 

In this photo there is a curved triangular file that is also useful.  Shown just below the silver pin vice.

And speaking of conversions here is mine on a resin Provence Moulage '55 Dodge convertible in to a La Femme.   I now await Greg Gunn's station wagon to add to the line up.

And I salute all those working to create something just a bit different than something just out of the box.

Thanks Graeme & John. You have provided some very good suggestions that I will try. I'll go ahead and order a scribing tool as presently, I don't have one. Hope to start the project next month. I thought that I would scribe the new door lines before I fill the old lines and chop off the roof. That way, If I'm not happy with the lines, I can  fill them in and repaint  the car as a 4 dr tri-tone.

@john-quilter Those two '55s are great John!