More slow progress on the race hauler. The trailer hitch is installed, and the chassis is a "roller". Engine, interior and paintwork still need a lot, but here are pics with the body on temporarily, mostly to check trailer hitch alignment.
More slow progress on the race hauler. The trailer hitch is installed, and the chassis is a "roller". Engine, interior and paintwork still need a lot, but here are pics with the body on temporarily, mostly to check trailer hitch alignment.
OK I spotted you guys half the build calendar, might as well get started.
I'm resurrecting the '58 Chevy I started sometime in the early '90s.
When I opened the box I was surprised with how far along the car is. If pressed, I could probably have this done in a weekend. This is kinda good and kinda bad, since it limits my options going forward.
The body is 90% painted. It's black with maroon accents on the rear fenders. Way back when this was done, I only painted with brushes, and while this is a decent brush paint job, there are brush strokes. My initial thought was to try to strip the body and do it over with spray paint, but there are reasons why that wouldn't be easy. The (separate) doors are already assembled with interior panels, and I don't want to repaint the interior, and I don't want to attempt cracking the interior parts off the door skins. Plus I already painted the headliner and other underside bits of the body. So I think I'm going to leave the body alone and just finish painting the trim, which is roughly a third done at this point.
The interior is pretty much done, and I opted for the mostly stock version (this kit has options for stock, custom, and drag). The custom interior bits were very custom, but in a late '60s mod design that hasn't aged well. I painted the interior maroon and it looks pretty good. I'm debating whether to give it a quick shot of satin clear to tone down the shiny.
The chassis is about two-thirds done. The engine is assembled and installed, though I found the starter in the stash of random parts in the bottom of the box so it needs some attention. At some point the carburetor got snapped off, but it's also present in the parts pile. The front end is assembled and installed, and I'm happy I opted for the silver 'chrome' reverse wheels front and rear.
Going through the parts (everything is loose, there are no trees), the only parts that appear to be missing are three of the six taillight bezels. I have no idea why some are gone, but I'll have to figure out how to deal with taillights at some point. The rest of the trim appears to be present, as well as all the clear parts and, most importantly, the instructions. I'm going to be asking advice for polishing out some of the abrasion-caused cloudiness on the windshield and rear window.
If I get this done as quickly as I think I will, I'll keep open the possibility of reaching back into the stash of models here and attempt a second rescue.
I had one of those Impala kits when I was a pre-teen. Powder blue with an orange interior. Hey, I was a kid.
Try popping off the door skins with an exacto knife. That old glue will probably give up pretty easily.
I've heard the suggestion of using toothpaste to polish kit windshield scratches and finally had to try fixing one in a Mustang kit last year. It actually works! It may not get it 100% gone but mine went from LARGE SCRATCH to minor imperfection if you really stare at it.
Yes on the interior dullcoat, but I'd leave the dash and steering wheel shiny if possible.
Painted the body today. Two-tone came out nice. Bad lighting makes the colors look washed out.
Generic hardware store paint. Only downside is it takes days to cure. The machinery gray is especially bad for that. Still have to paint the interior tub.
The wheels are chrome steelies. I pictured them red, but now am unsure. Plus, my red spray can nozzle crapped the bed.
In reply to TurnerX19 :
I saw an ad for a vintage midget car yesterday that was exactly the same color as that one!
It's a color scheme I seem to have locked in my memory. Don't know where I got it from. The red roof is reminiscent of David Pearson's Mercury, which I built back in the 1970s.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
That is interesting, as I pulled that one out of my head, it is completely fantasy. Great kits though, both Offy and V8-60 were offered.
i'll start soon. promise
Round one of sanding/primer/putty/repeat is done... a few more to go I'm sure...
solfly said:i'll start soon. promise
Me too.
My building speed has slowed to glacial numbers, to correspond with the low parts count of this kit apparently. My lack of urgency will surely bite me. However, I have assembled most of the interior and acquired paint for the orange section. Hoping to gain some momentum on it this week.
Color!
trying to find someone to make these wheel pinstripes as decals:
In reply to ddavidv :
If you have access to a food dehydrator you can cut down on the drying time considerably... :) Works great on all enamel & acrylic paints.
Took advantage of the 60° weather today and sprayed some black!
In reply to Saron81 :
Work continues. Messy work.
In reply to Saron81 :
Shame to see that happening to a Ricky Rudd car, but it does look sharp.
If you get those flares to smooth into the body, that alone should win you a prize.
ddavidv said:If you get those flares to smooth into the body, that alone should win you a prize.
LoL
A little bit at a time. The Fordillac sedan delivery has an engine. I have no idea why I painted in Austin green when I started this 30 years ago. The kit came with 3 dueces for induction, but I had this neat Parts by Parks air filter that needed a home, so a 4 barrel was scrounged from the parts box. A/C compressor added and generator swapped to alternator too. The stainless cargo rails in the photo are not glued on yet, and might not be.
The most incremental of progress. (Or, scientific progress goes boink. Or something.)
Finally assembly on the Fairlane modified stocker should happen today or tomorrow. It's a pretty awful kit by modern standards. Not one of my prouder builds. At least the narrower tire mod will look good.
Looking good! No pics, but I've got the Sierra body ready for decals. Still have to finish painting the cockpit and undercarriage bits, then it should all go together pretty quickly.
Still haven't started. Life has a way of making two monts seem like about 10 minutes at times.
Threw on a light coat of primer to see how bad the sanding is. Woah. Much work needed. I knew I hated bodywork. And here's the engine and transmission.
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