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Pro street '39 Chevy


Shardik

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I actually started this quite some time ago for a CBP that seems to have died about the same time that this build got stalled.

This kit has some problems:

Cheron_1_zpsbcd967ea.jpg

Cheron_2_zps961c50b3.jpg

But I'll be making major changes anyway, so they're not that much of an issue.

Step One: Open everything up

SBS1_2_zpsa697f4aa.jpg

And I do mean everything

IMG_2634_zps498dfff9.jpg

O.K., this is where I left it when "life got in the way". Next up: recent progress.

Edited by Shardik
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The panel lines were pretty wide to begin with and opening things up just made it worse. Here is the process I used to re-fit the trunk lid.

First I glued .010 x .100 stip styrene to the edges.

SBS1_7_zpsa66f8720.jpg

Then I trimmed the new material with an Exacto knife and sanded it flush

SBS1_10_zps2d23c509.jpg

Of course, now it's too tight, so I'll sand down the added material to achieve a gap of aproximately .008" all the way around to leave room for paint.

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Next, I frenched in the license plate.

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SBS1_16_zpse5437303.jpg

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I'll fill the gaps in the coners with putty, later.

Thanks for looking.

All comments and critiques welcomed.

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Ditto on the grille...!!! I built one of these as a Lowrider "Bomb" a couple of years ago and used a photo-etched grille that I picked up from Accu Pro when it was still in business. Too bad no one else ever made one. Johann, your grille just blows me away. Great work.

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This is going to be cool build! Nice work with the Trunk Lid, it looks super but that grille just blows me away, as Richard said above. I'll be following this one for sure.

Only thing that I was wondering, was that "Not Much Here" on the engine. I think these kits had pretty nice engines, even though there are not that much parts, but they can be built very nicely. The most important thing with those is that they are big enough, I mean that some engines in some kits are way too small, but these are just right sized. I agree, that the parts count isn't the highest, but they sure look good when built.

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Thanks for the interest and encouragement, guys!

Crazyjim: It's an original issue of the same kit your familiar with. The original box art depicts a black car with a retro flame job - A very cool low angle shot of the built model (it looks menacing as heck).

W-409: Perhaps I am being too picky with the engine. It's primarily the the heads that bother me: no spark plug locations and odd attachment points for the headers. They also look a little narrow to me.

Since so many of you have expressed aj interest in the grille, I thought I'd share some more details on it:

First, start with the right tools. Unfortunately, these aren't readily available to the general public. As a machinist I have access to a bunch of neat stuff; these are Swiss made fine hole deburring tools which work great for scraping / shaving down plastic.

IMG_2630_zps1562dc09.jpg

For delicate work like this, they are vastly superior to a Dremel since they give immeasureably greater controll and elliminate the danger of melting the thin grille bars.

Here you can see where I have scraped away most of the material in the back, leaving material all around the perimeter for support.

IMG_2629_zps914f7f28.jpg

I keep scraping until the chrome between the bars starts to look like its bubbling up.

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The rest is accomplished with an Exacto knife and razor saw (to reieve the suporting web around the perimeter).

As you can see, the result is quite fragile :(

IMG_2636_zps210aa37b.jpg

Edited by Shardik
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W-409: Perhaps I am being too picky with the engine. It's primarily the the heads that bother me: no spark plug locations and odd attachment points for the headers. They also look a little narrow to me.

I agree with the heads. They could be more realistic. But otherwise, I like the engine and I have used it in some of my builds. Of course, it's not the best, but I like it. :lol:

Wow that Grille is work of art. I think I would need a Photo Etch part, if I tried to do what you did in here, there would be nothing left from the grille. :rolleyes:

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Just a liitle progress to show for today. I did the same treatment on the small grilles that flank the larger piece. They would probably look O.K. with just a black wash, but they are not accurate in that there is a frame all the way around the kit part whereas on the 1:1 the frame encompasses only three sides, with a hidden support bar just behind the open end. Also, I want to put turn signals and driving lights behind them.

Here you can see the comparison between the original and reworked pieces: (I still have some clean up to do on the back side)

SBS2_8_zpseaa2d407.jpg

I've also started work on the underside of the hood; hinges, support framework and thinned panel edges. Nothing picture worthy yet.

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is it going to be a back half chassie or tube one

I'm not entirely certain what this terminology means, but I'll be cutting off the stock chassis just ahead of the trunk area and fabricating a raised and narrowed frame section to accomodate some seriously wide tires. I'll also be building a working (hopefully) four link suspension. The wheel wells will also be tubbed. Does this answer your question?

Another strange thing about this kit is that one of the big selling points of the '39 Chevy was their "Knee Action" front suspension, yet the kit has a solid front axle. So, that's another bit of scratch building and/or kit bashing I'll have to do.

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I'm not entirely certain what this terminology means, but I'll be cutting off the stock chassis just ahead of the trunk area and fabricating a raised and narrowed frame section to accomodate some seriously wide tires. I'll also be building a working (hopefully) four link suspension. The wheel wells will also be tubbed. Does this answer your question?

Another strange thing about this kit is that one of the big selling points of the '39 Chevy was their "Knee Action" front suspension, yet the kit has a solid front axle. So, that's another bit of scratch building and/or kit bashing I'll have to do.

That would be a backhalf. The term refers to only modifying the back half of the chassis to accomadate the narrowed rear end, suspension, and most importantly wider tires. A full tube chassis is just that. None of the original chassis is used and a new one is fabricated out of round tube stock front to rear.

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That would be a backhalf. The term refers to only modifying the back half of the chassis to accomadate the narrowed rear end, suspension, and most importantly wider tires. A full tube chassis is just that. None of the original chassis is used and a new one is fabricated out of round tube stock front to rear.

I figured that was the case, but I know what happens when you assume.... ;)

Seriously, even though I used to be a mechanic (waaay back when cars had carburetors and computers were the size of sherman tanks) I was never quite cool enough to hang out with the hot rodders, so their vernacular is not part of my lexicon (...starting to see why they didn't let me hang out ?).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time for my weekly update.

I finally got some presentable brackets made for the working 4-link suspension. The brackets are made from .010" tin sheet with .045" styrene spacers. Also in this picture you can see the excellent coil-over shocks sourced from RB Motion. They're a little challenging to assemble, but they look and work great. I used a .85mm bolt from Scale Hardware combined with p.e. washers and small rubber discs that I punched out to represent the pivot bushing.

Chassis_01_zpsc03ebeaf.jpg

The quick change rear end came from the Tommy Ivo showboat dragster. Another incomplete kit that I got on e-Bay.

To facilitate test fitting the chassis to take measurements and check alignment, I made mounting brackets which are pinned to the floor pan with more bolts from Scale Hardware.

Chassis_02_zps111327ba.jpg

The kit front suspension is temporarily tacked on with white glue so I can keep track of the front wheel location. This will be replaced with an after market style IFS, also riding on RB Motion coil-overs.

I'll have more progress to show tomorrow, but right now the search for gainful employment takes precedence.

Edited by Shardik
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great start, looking forward to seeing more

Slow going right now, but I should have more to show in a day or so. Thanks for your interest.

OH MAN Johann! That rear suspension is beautiful!!

Thanks, Ken. You have no idea how satisfying it is to read this, considering the number of failed attepts to get to this point :lol:

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A small update. I got the back half of the frame done and the rear end, with coil-overs, ready to insall.

Chassis_04_zpsd9894deb.jpg

Here's the rear end temporarily mounted. It sits exactly where I wanted it :) , and once the panhard rod and 4 link are in place it should be stable enough. Right now it flops around a bit since all the joints are fully articulated.

Chassis_05_zpsa2519f85.jpg

Chassis_06_zpsb15a0208.jpg

Thanks for looking in. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Hot diggity !! Cool build, great work, love the suspension and tightening up on the panel fit. This is gonna be sweet.

Thanks, Bill. I'm having fun with it, although you might not have thought so if you could have heard my colorful commentary while trying to get those tiny little bushings in place :lol: .

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