heptoman Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Hey everyone, it's been a while but I've been model-busy nonetheless! My current project is a Christmas present for my dad (yes, I know Christmas was 5 days ago, but liturgically, it's still Christmas - 12 days!) His first car was a 1967 GTO and he's been lamenting selling it ever since. A long time ago I got him the MPC model kit, but he never finished it. So I decided to get a new one and do it for him. Big mistake! I read the reviews, but I should have paid heed. The new "Round 2" MPC is AWFUL! I got so frustrated trying to fix fitment and flashing and everything I hardly got anything done. So I saw the Revell '66 kit and decided to get it and make it look like a '67. Within the first three hours I had gotten more done on the Revell than I did in the two weeks I worked on the MPC. (Maybe some of you more experienced gurus could have fixed the MPC '67 but I sure can't and don't want to.) Revell is SO much better, but I still had to Frankenstein the '67 rear onto the '66 body. I should have taken more pics of the progress, I just wasn't thinking about it and I was also under a time crunch. Nevertheless, I am pretty pleased with how it's coming together SO FAR, considering that it was my first time with something like this. Here is a pic of the '67 body with the '66 end to see how much I chopped off/reassembled. Here is the '66 body with the '67 tail. Upon further examination I still need to do a little more body work to smooth it out. It wasn't a quite perfect fit (is it ever?) I also need to scribe a new trunk line - they didn't line up either. Pointers? Here is the interior and two wheels. I'm really proud of the woodwork and the seatbelts. And the undercarriage. Can't wait to put the rear suspension on so I can show the engine - really proud of that too. Of course, that is the authentic Pontiac Metallic Blue engine color. Running that brake line was a pain. It's not perfectly straight but oh well. Thoughts? Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Hey.. I like the body work you did on this ! That chassis looks spot on as well,...a little something I do to black chassis is rub it down with graphite powder,... makes it really pop Scribing trunk lines, ...after it's been painted,.... mmmm ,... you need to straight edge and GENTLY run a new #11 exacto.. Gently....did I say gently ....to start a line where you want it. then after 3-4 passes, turn the blade around to the backside and GENTLY scribe again 3-4 times Well you will need to repaint, but don't strip it ,...it will soften all the filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Ok great thanks! I will try that. Need to find my new blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Very nice! I built the MPC '67 GTO about 20 years ago and I had something like 40 hours of work just straightening out and correcting that body...I had to fill, sand, or reshape every square inch of it. I've often said since that if I wanted to build another '67, I'd graft the assend of the MPC body onto a Revell '66. Good to see that that idea is working out for you. One tip: I'd look at using the MPC headlight/grille/bumper unit on the Revell body. The old MPC is actually more accurate--the Revell headlight bezels are too thick and chunky looking. I just finished restoring an old original MPC '66 I built back in the day and was amazed at how good that body looks compared to the newer Revell '66. It's actually superior in a few area (though the Revell is of course better in others). Good luck with your project, and Model On! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 MPC 67 GTO tooling is warn out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony_B Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Nice details on the interior...that's what I am trying to learn about for myself...and the chassis is awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Thanks for the comments, everyone. Got the rear suspension in last night. I used some left over battery cable for the springs. Flipped over. Engine. I'm redoing the distributor and spark plug wires today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdhog Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Looks nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Great looking chassis. Good luck on the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny1973 Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Nice work on the chassis and the interior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Well, if nothing else, there is almost a 50-year time span between the tooling of both of those kits! Any comparison would be like sizing up an old 60's RCA Color TV with a modern flat panel IMHO. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 I decided to sand down where I had filler and make it a bit more even. The green paint magnified the tiny bump so I'm adding more. I will also resand down the rest of the exterior. Here's a pic of progress - before sanding. Okay, distributor and wiring removed, ready for the kit. And - another view of the interior. I forgot that I didn't show the dashboard! (The flash sort of covers the gauges but they're there - accurate for a '67). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Looking good Nice interior Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horsepower Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Your pictures weren't really close enough to see how bad the misalignment in the rear clip is but it looks like making a single saw cut from back to front on each side of the lock assembly might take just enough material out to realign the rear lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 New distributor and ignition wiring. Real pain. I'm going to reroute the wires tomorrow once the glue sets. Close up of left rear on the body. Still a bit of levelling to do, but it's manageable and it's getting closer to where I want it. Right rear fender. This still needs a lot of work. That's all for today. Happy New Year everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruleworld Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 nice work so far. i'm surprised you cut it across the center of the trunk, rather than closer to the rear. but, you're doing it. rub it down with graphite powder,... makes it really pop. IE grab a pencil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 This is an interesting project for sure. Great job combining those two kits to create a better detailed version of '67 Pontiac. I believe you test fitted the MPC body on Revell chassis and interior before cutting and that it didn't fit? It would have been easier that way if the parts fit together. I'm just asking if I start something similar someday. But really good job with that bodywork. Engine looks smooth too and I like your chassis. I can't wait to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Again, thank for the comments everyone. I can't get the quotes to work, so I'll answer everyone's questions. I decided to cut along the back end of the rear wheel wells because it seemed to me the best place to rescribe the trunk line, match up the panels, and give me enough room to get small pieces of reinforcing styrene on the inside (which I forgot to take picks of). I also decided to put the '67 end on the '66 body because overall, the '66 body was far superior to the '67 (as Art mentioned - vast year difference between the two kits!). The '66 front end is minutely different than the '67 but I'm not going to worry about it. I also took the grill inserts from the MPC with the angled grill and sanded them down super thin and inserted them into the '66 front fender. The '66s had a horiz/vert pattern to the grill, the '67s had angled, so I wanted to get that at least correct. The only things from the MPC kit that I'm using are the rear bumper, rear deck, and grills. Everything else is the '66 - so the chassis and interior will definitely fit, even with the '67 tail. I'm going to try to post more pictures but my wife and I are at my parents' ranch, limited internet/tech availability. I'm sure I'll find some way to make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Ok everyone, I was able to pull pictures from my phone onto my tablet. Here is the '66 bumper with the '67 grill inserts. And the rear trunk deck. Still some smoothing to do. I'm holding off on the trunk line... And here's the inside of the rear showing my styrene joints. This helped me IMMENSELY. The injector pin molding doesn't get in the way of anything in the '66 kit. Passenger side, more sanding, flattening. It's going to need a bit more body filler - there is the TINIEST of bumps! And the other side. I know it doesn't quite look like it, but I believe this side is ready to go. Very smooth, if I do say so myself. That's all for now - waiting for the wetsand to dry completely before another shot of primer and filler. Getting pretty close now, though. Also - you might have noticed I haven't been paying much attention to the roof - that's because I'm going to put on a black vinyl top to match what my dad had on his. That will be a whole other adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Another update - and picture of the source of my "frustrating" challenge. In these first two shots, you don't see much issues. Yet, change the angle of the reflection and you can still see the tiny seam between the two parts. Granted - it's getting smaller but I'm having a heck of a time perfecting it. Part of me wants to shoot primer on it and see if it shows up but I have a limited amount of primer left here in the middle of nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) Hey everyone, I'm still working on this rear passenger fender. I was really unhappy with how it was turning out. I'd add putty, sand it down, and I kept getting a ridge. So I decided to strip down almost all of the putty and start over. When I did that, I noticed that the seam was still pretty bad, so I added some more strip styrene to the inside to reinforce it better. Before: After: The weird flaky substance on the styrene is cement leftover from the binder clips I used while the cement cured. Easy to sand off. And the next (and hopefully last) layer of putty laid down. Currently waiting to dry/cure, then sanding, prime, body color (finally!!!) Pretty soon I'm going to start on my own Christmas presents. To finish matching the real garage: Then the future 1:1 restoration project with my dad: And then to continue my Lambo collection: And also there's a Tamiya 1/24 Countach restoration also, so plenty of work for me! Edited January 10, 2015 by heptoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Still working, sorry for lack of updates. I am STILL trying to smooth out that rear fender, but I think I finally have it this time. More pics later - here are some other things with the car. Now that I have an airbrush (fun!), I stripped the chrome off of this puppy and am going to Alclad it. I need to micro mesh sand it, it's not as smooth as I want, but it's getting there. This is with Alclad gloss black base. Another view. Here's where I need to smooth it out and perhaps lay down another coat. More pics later tonight - body is primed for next inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrenchr Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Just a suggestion on where the two body parts meet, create a trough or a v channel where the two meet on the outside and extend the filler more onto the body, not thick though and this should help blend the two parts together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heptoman Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Wrench - if this next go-round isn't successful then that's something I might try. Otherwise...??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrenchr Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Are you going to use sealer? You might get ghosting lines if not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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