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Cars: Muscle Cars
60's & 70's Classics
Hosted by Jim Starkweather
Tow Car, Barn Find, Workshop, Showtime!
AussieReg
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Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2015 - 09:05 PM UTC
Hi folks.
I have decided to revive a project that I started back in the first Chev vs Hemi Group Build.
I embarked on a project with a trio of 1/12 Monogram 57 Chevys. One will be a heavily weathered barn find sitting on a scratch built tandem trailer, one will be a car under restoration, the third will be a show car. All 3 of these are glue bombs that I have picked up at various swap meets, and all will be cut down to convertibles.
In my typical fashion, I have expanded the scope of this project. In addition to the three 57 convertibles, there is now a 57 Bel Air Hardtop, a ’69 Camaro to be set up as a rough daily driver/tow car for the barn find, and a ’67 Corvette as a show car beside the shiny 57s.
Since all 3 of the glue bomb 57's will be cut down to convertibles, I can mix and match the parts to suit best. Work starts with this one.


I began with the engine which was painted poorly with a horrible red colour, and the chrome parts were glued on over the paint.



I put the whole thing in a ziplock bag with Mr Muscle oven cleaner overnight



and with a toothbrush and some elbow grease it cleaned up ok



I had to fit some shims under the manifold plate to get a nice fit




and the parts that needed to be re-chromed got a primer coat of Tamiya semi-gloss black acrylic


Some of the parts got Alclad Airframe Aluminium


and others got Alclad Polished Chrome


And here's how it looks now . . . . . .




I'm hunting down some reference pics to add some more details, but please guys, any comments, suggestions or criticisms are most welcome.

This is going to take a while, and there is a huge pile of work in front of me, but with no time constraints I can take my time, fine tune my painting techniques, and add a stack of detail ideas that I have been picking up (i.e. stealing) from some of the awesome modelers hereabouts.

Cheers, D
Hwa-Rang
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Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 03:16 PM UTC
Looking good so far Damian.

Quoted Text

I had to fit some shims under the manifold plate to get a nice fit

Of course you did, you had to it's a...yeah you know the rest
jimb
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Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 08:14 PM UTC
Nice job on the engine & transmission. Are you going to add wires from the distributer cap to the spark plugs?

Jim
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 07:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Nice job on the engine & transmission. Are you going to add wires from the distributer cap to the spark plugs?

Jim


Thanks Jim, and Jesper (yeah yeah, I can guess the rest mate), I appreciate the feedback.

Yes Jim. In this scale it just doesn't look right to open the hood and not see wires. I am planning to pick up some very fine electrical wiring in a couple of colours and see which looks best, and some fine solder as well to run some other wiring and hoses in the engine bay. Might even see how some guitar strings look in there.

I have also been looking for some very small diameter sash cord to experiment with. I'm thinking that it would look like a neat braided hose if I painted it silver. I'm just not sure if they make it small enough to be a realistic scale diameter.

Any other suggestions please let me know.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 01:21 PM UTC
Just a heads-up guys, all of the Garage Queen and Tri-5 shenanigans is leading up to something slightly bigger. The scheming and plotting and planning and searching references and materials has been going on for more than 8 years now.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 04:38 PM UTC
Barn find 57 Convertible reference car, I have 15-20 images of this car from all angles, everything I need in terms of colour, fading, rust, damage, chrome deterioration.



Scratchbuilding the roof framework and mechanisms is going to be a huge challenge.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 04:42 PM UTC
Workshop build references, I have images from several restoration projects once again giving me lots of angles and progress details. Undecided yet whether to go with the primer grey or red/brown version.





I'm liking the idea of a primer grey body with chrome and interior fitted but not completed.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 04:47 PM UTC
The showcar version reference that I want to replicate.




The colour is going to be interesting to match, I have a lead on a pearl "Petal Pink" as the top coat, but I will need to experiment with a few base colours to see what works best.


Cheers, D
Hwa-Rang
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 06:26 PM UTC
A huge undertaking mate. Will follow with great interest.
AussieReg
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Posted: Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 10:44 PM UTC
Thanks Jesper. I agree, a huge project, but I will tackle it in small stages so I don't get overwhelmed.

Camaro Tow Car


Corvette Show Car


Cheers, D
Littorio
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2019 - 01:12 AM UTC
D, great looking engine so far and a large project you have planned.
Not my scale but I’ll be following along as this will be one nice set of builds and well any technique can always be used in other scales.

I have an ‘under restoration’ Ferrari project that I want to build at some point so your build will give me pointers and an inspiration.
Joel_W
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2019 - 04:21 AM UTC
D,
Just an excellent paint and build on that Chevy engine.

Your surprise build on the barn find really caught me off guard. You build list is getting longer and longer by the day.

this should be a rather interesting conversion and build. Just what scale are referring to? As for the custom build you're going to be following, it's a beauty for sure. As for the color, it looks more of a metallic brown then a pinkish color.

Joel
md72
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2019 - 05:44 AM UTC
Wait a minute. The steering wheel is on the Wrong side! Those photos can't be from Oz. And besides that, you've confused me with the fin flash once again. I thought it was polished aluminum grooves below a brushed/sanded aluminum land. These look like it's 'white' paint in between two chrome rails???
Joel_W
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Posted: Monday, January 21, 2019 - 09:01 AM UTC
D,
I really need to learn how to read and comprehend. You must have mentioned 1/12 scale several times, plus all the boxes clearly say 1/12 scale.

Were the 1954-58 full sized Chevy's actually sold in Australia as imports, or was Chevy already manufacturing them there? I know that the Holden was the official CM make in Australia till GM finally shut it down. And was there any right hand drive big block Chevy's, or just American left hand drive cars?

Joel
Hwa-Rang
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Posted: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - 11:17 PM UTC
I have seen some stunning builds, of the big scale Camaro.
I do beleive there is an aftermarket PE set available.
Szmann
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 12:51 AM UTC
Damian, I'm really glad for you having the wit to re-take such Grand Auto Project. It is well thought over and on that scale shall be Grand indeed!

The sight of that pale pink make me cringe already and perhaps as stand-alone model will be a monster but on some sort of diorama with all the apparatus described by you should make an excellent focal point.

For the Chevy in course of restoration I would chose gray primer, just to keep it in "neutral", between the rusty Chevy and Playmate of the Year pink.

Cheers!
Gabriel
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 02:05 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Were the 1954-58 full sized Chevy's actually sold in Australia as imports, or was Chevy already manufacturing them there? I know that the Holden was the official CM make in Australia till GM finally shut it down. And was there any right hand drive big block Chevy's, or just American left hand drive cars?


Hi Joel.

The 50's and 60's Chevy models released here were assembled here as RH drive. Lots of Bel Airs, Impalas, Pontiacs etc. There are now a lot of LH drive imports of classic cars.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 02:06 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I have an ‘under restoration’ Ferrari project that I want to build at some point so your build will give me pointers and an inspiration.


Luciano, thanks for checking in, appreciate the feedback.

Sign up for the Garage Queens Group Build mate, get that Ferrari back on the bench!

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 02:09 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Wait a minute. The steering wheel is on the Wrong side! Those photos can't be from Oz. And besides that, you've confused me with the fin flash once again. I thought it was polished aluminum grooves below a brushed/sanded aluminum land. These look like it's 'white' paint in between two chrome rails???


Hi Mark.

These resto projects are all in the USA, sourced from lots of Googling. The fin flash on the Bel Air was indeed Aluminium between chrome upper and lower borders. The Aluminium can look quite flat in comparison to the chrome, especially if a bit weather beaten. On the 210 model it was painted between the chrome borders, either body colour or to match the interior highlights.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 02:14 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I have seen some stunning builds, of the big scale Camaro.
I do beleive there is an aftermarket PE set available.


Jesper, I have seen some absolutely amazing builds in this scale of all 3 kits. Tons of inspiration for me out there but also a high bar to try to meet. There are PE upgrades sets around for all 3, but they can be a bit hard to find sometimes. I am keeping an eye out always.

Cheers, D
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - 02:22 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Damian, I'm really glad for you having the wit to re-take such Grand Auto Project. It is well thought over and on that scale shall be Grand indeed!

Thanks Gabriel, a grand project indeed! The most daunting parts for me will be the extreme weathering on the Barn Find and the scratchbuilding of a tandem trailer. I am planning to build it from brass tube stock for strength, and need to fine tune my soldering skills to get neat welds.


Quoted Text

The sight of that pale pink make me cringe already and perhaps as stand-alone model will be a monster but on some sort of diorama with all the apparatus described by you should make an excellent focal point.

As Joel pointed out earlier, it looks more like a brown or champagne colour, the pink is a slight hue. I will experiment with various base colours under the Pearl Petal Pink to see what works best. The recommendation has come from the manufacturer of the SMS paints who is local to me and a friend on Facebook.


Quoted Text

For the Chevy in course of restoration I would chose gray primer, just to keep it in "neutral", between the rusty Chevy and Playmate of the Year pink.

I am leaning that way as well, there will be enough rust and brown tones in the display on the Barn Find so primer grey would deliver a more varied and interesting combination. I might draw up some Playboy Bunny stencils for the show car just for you!

Cheers, D
Szmann
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Posted: Thursday, January 24, 2019 - 02:31 PM UTC

Quoted Text


I might draw up some Playboy Bunny stencils for the show car just for you!


I know you said it as a joke, but if I visualize a huge black bunny head on the bonnet and two smaller ones on the "hips" of the car, it might be interesting! Too bad I don't have 3D skills to render it!

Gabriel
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Posted: Friday, January 25, 2019 - 02:17 PM UTC
Hi Damian - this looks like a great project! Between the scale and radical difference of desired appearance of each car it should be a lot of fun to build - and yes, I’m already partial to the convertble in need of restoration! - the weathered body and roof mechanism will be great!

As for the pearl finish, Badger makes a paintline called Minitaire - and they have a product called Ghost Tint. It creates a candy/gloss finish. It’s ready to shoot straight from the bottle (lots of colors). I recently used it on the Baja bug (Orange) and on the Nissan (Purple). It might be worth experimenting with - it’s fairly easy to use and the results are nice.

Have fun with this!
Cheers

Nick
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Posted: Friday, January 25, 2019 - 03:59 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

I have an ‘under restoration’ Ferrari project that I want to build at some point so your build will give me pointers and an inspiration.


Luciano, thanks for checking in, appreciate the feedback.

Sign up for the Garage Queens Group Build mate, get that Ferrari back on the bench!

Cheers, D


Sorry D, you miss-understood, the Ferrari is still in its box on the sprues not even started. There is a reason for the build plan though and that is when I got it I found the windscreen was in two halves cracked straight down the middle, well almost. One half on the sprue the other rattling around the sealed bag. It's one of the older Fujimi kits and long OOP. As I have a coupe version as well I can afford to do the Spyder as a restoration job.
md72
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Posted: Friday, January 25, 2019 - 05:17 PM UTC
Well D, ya made me do my research. Turns out my Bel Air is a '57 Fool Injected Sport Coupe, not a stock Sedan like I thought. So I'm aiming towards an aluminum wedge between chrome rails. Turquoise seems to be a standard color, but my Ivory roof probably isn't true stock, but I still want to do it.
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