Looking at the roof lining, there's something going on, maybe even red reflecting off the dash and body outside.


Cheers, D

Back at the 56 tonight, spent an enjoyable relaxing hour or so listening to some old Allman Brothers tracks, sipping a JD on ice, and masking up the interior (which I had already shot with black primer).



Then it was off to the paint shop, or upholstery shop to be correct! Removing the masks is always daunting, but usually very satisfying.



The usual "couple of bleeds to touch up by hand" here and there, but I'm very happy with the look of it at this point. A quick dry fit with the seats and dash (which has more masking and paint to come yet) and yes, I'm very happy.




Touch-ups and pin wash on the seats and tub, mask and paint the instrument panel insert, and the interior is done!

Cheers, D

Wow, the upholstery really leaps out at you. Seat backs came out great, but I've never seen a treatment like that.

What's your plan for the dash?

Thanks Mark. I haven't seen anything like this either, but the inside of these kits is so tight and dark I wanted to do something striking and visible in there.




The reference car dash insert is Gunmetal like the outside trim, and the instrument cluster and "Bel Air" highlight are black like the roof. I will be trying to match this.



Cheers, D

Wow, that's a challenge, good luck with it!

D,
Nice going on the interior. As Mark said, boy does it grab ones attention.

I can't remember for the life of me exactly what those seat backs looked like from my very early 20s, that's 50 or so years ago. I'm lucky to even remember riding in some of those Chevy's. My buddy Lou was a Chevy nut and had a 56 or 57, and at least 3 different engines for it as he took over his parents two car garage. I do remember that on National Drag Strip trips he did swap out the engine, transmission, and change the rear end gears. Back then swapping out engines/trans didn't take very long.

At the rate you're going, you can soon open up your own 1/25 scale Chevrolet car dealership.

Joel

Interior looks great. Clever use of the scratch build fabric panels on the back, of the seats.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

I shot a bit of the Gunmetal to see how it looks on the parts, it has a nice metallic sheen and the flakes aren't overly large like I've seen with some other paints.



Mission for tonight is to shoot some Dullcote on the red parts and then mask it up to get on with the black paint.

I might also shoot some semi-gloss on the red interior areas, they are a bit too shiny for my liking.

Cheers, D

Another paint session tonight, stage 2 of the scheme.



Masking for stage 3 next.

Cheers, D

D,
The Black paint does look good. Looking forward to seeing how the paint job looks once the tape is removed.

Joel

The '56 got some more bench time tonight. I gave the black a clear gloss coat to protect it and then masked up ready for the gunmetal trim.




Cheers, D

D,
That's some complex and time consuming masking job. Looking forward to how the Gunmetal trim came out.

Joel

That's quite a masking job, Damian! But as we have seen before these efforts will pay off in the end. I also have some masking in front of me on my bench but on others fields ....

Torsten

Complex and time consuming, but relaxing and enjoyable, especially when the unmasking reveals the result as per the plan!

Gunmetal is on!



I will unmask the Black and check for any required touch-ups before I unmask the Red.

Cheers, D

And the reward for careful masking. A few small bleeds to touch up by hand, but I am very happy with this result.






Cheers, D

Fantastic, you really made it work.

Thanks Mark, I'm really happy with how it came together.

Here's the dash you asked about



Some little hand touch-ups and detailing to do, but this is going to look good as well.

Cheers, D

That looks absolutely spectacular.

Thanks Jesper. You do realise that this is all your fault though!

Cheers, D

D,
Wow!! The paint job looks fantastic. Same for the dash.

Joel

Paint shop was in primer mode tonight, so the bits and pieces for the '56 Hardtop copped a dose of Mr Surfacer 1500 black.



Cheers, D

D,
Nicely done.

I just love the Mr. Finisher Sealer 1,500 in both Gray and Black. Best primers I've ever used. I use to thin them 1:1 with #400 Leveling thinner, but then I tried 2:3 primer to thinner, and the results were simply amazing. Needs several coats, but well worth the effort.

Joel

A bit of a long update, after tinkering away at lots of little parts the time comes to put them all together!

First up, the engine. First issue, forgot to paint the distributor! Headers are steel/burnt metal/blue metal. I will paint the dizzy and then give the whole thing a pin wash of engine oil.







Chassis underside, masked and painted the exhausts and fuel tank, even gave the shocks a lick of red to stand out.




I liked the look of the kit rims, centres got masked, primed and then Gunmetal to counterpoint the chrome outer.


Mounted the engine, dry fit the tub to see how it sits.


Then a cheeky dry-fit of the body as a teaser.




Images have highlighted a few touch-ups that need to be done, but I'm pleased with the look overall so far.

Cheers, D

D,
Pleased isn't the word I'd use to describe the build to date. Outstanding would be more like it.

Love the engine, as it does indeed look exactly as I how remember my Buddy Lou's Chevy engines after all these years. You might consider just dry brushing the Chevy name on each valve cover for that added Pop.

Nicely done undercarriage. The exhaust system does indeed look like separate parts. Tires and wheels add another nice touch that raises the bar on your build.

The dry fit is a true teaser for the main course to shortly come.

Joel

A little more assembly and detailing.

The single piece clear part got the chop. I had to force it into place and it distorted the rear glass and left quite a gap, so out came the razor saw.
.

Steering wheel fitted, dry brushed the instrument panel and name plate, then installed the dashboard to the tub and the tub to the floor pan.


Painted the dizzy and took Joel's advice and dry-brushed the valve covers carefully to highlight the Chevrolet name.


Cheers, D