Who Likes 69-72 Chevelle Wagons

[cooltoys1]

[cooltoys1]

[dencon]

Cooltoys

Thanks for those pics. Those are a big help to have.

To the rest of you

As far as the chassis. I am not really worrying about it at this time, but I am very glad that this discussion took place because I have never, personally owned a 68-72 wagon. So to get this kind of info on those cars from someone who knows is all help in my making this resin model, better. This info HAS been helpful. There might be a very good chance, at a later time I will put out a correct chassis. But for now. The chassis, or the lack there of, is NOT going to stop this resin body kit from coming out. I have got a heck of allot invested in this project for it NOT to happen. LOL!! Right now, this resin deal is my full time job. So I am taking this body and the other projects I have in line to come into production, very serious. When I am working on these things. I am at work, not in my hobby room building models. So thank you all so very much for your input. So keep it all coming.

I will post some update pics here, soon.

[Irvin Arter Jr.]

Here is our El Camino frame

and here you can see the gas tank (mounts on the body not the frame)

and what it looks like today

[cooltoys1]

Irvin, That is one darn sexy camino. I had a 71 in Mediterranean Blue with black vinyl top. God i miss that one.

Jay

[Irvin Arter Jr.]

I was just checking some frames to fit and I like Revells 66 Chevelle wagon the best. It will need some side trimming from the rear wheelwells on back but, looks close plus we can graf in the under hood stuff to make a nice updated engine compartment. The gas tank is wrong but, it will be wrong no matter which one we use. You just have to scratch build that part if you want. PLUS you will be able to drop in the BIG BLOCK! HaHa. The wagon should be easy still to find. Even if you wanted to use the AMT 69 Chevelle and stretch it. It will be harder to find and more $$ than the wagon

[spkgibson]

Ok when are these coming out?I want 2 of them!

[dencon]

Ok when are these coming out?I want 2 of them!

I cannot give a date yet. These things take time to make sure that it will be nice product and I am just one guy. Like I said earlier in this post. I am looking at having them in production in August. Not sure yet. Still getting the master just right.

Thanks

Matt

[70elcamino]

I learned to drive in a 71 Nomad, so I would really like to have a 71 or 72 nomad to build. But I will also be happy with 68,69 or 70. I will want one as well when you start selling them.

Russell

[dencon]

I learned to drive in a 71 Nomad, so I would really like to have a 71 or 72 nomad to build. But I will also be happy with 68,69 or 70. I will want one as well when you start selling them.

Russell

Well now that I have two masters. One I am working on that will be the 69. The other I just acquired. Big thanks to cooltoys1. I will be hookin' you up, brutha! That is a 72. I am not sure which one will be done first, now. They still, both need allot of work till they are to my standard of being a master. I am thinking now. the one that gets finished first. Will be the one that comes out first. I know that I announced that it will be the 69, but now with having this 72. It is looking like that it will be a toss up. Either way. We are still looking like an August release.

Thanks Guys

Matt

[4BKT VET]

1) Chevelle frame topic;

I have restored several Chevelles and here is the low down on frames. 1964-1967 have the same wheel base and 68-72 have 1" (+/-) longer wheel base. Coupe / Sedan / Convert. have the same basic frame. Convert. has boxed rails and 65 Z16 and 66-67 Ss (big block) have stiffeners joining the upper and lower trailing arms at the frame. Elco / Wagon have the same frame except Elco has boxed frame like convert.

2) Love wagons. I had a 64 Chevelle 2 door wagon as a show car (probably seen on the WEB here). All black w/ buckets and 4spd. I'm currently struggling with an old F&F wagon but may have it ready for the "Cruzin For A Cure" car show model exhibit in Sept. (maybe).

Edited July 16, 2009 by 4BKT VET

[4BKT VET]

Just trying to find the good black paint to spray.

[Steven Zimmerman]

Hey,I mastered that wagon for Ed Sr. many,many moons ago. I'd forgotten about it,'til now. I'm working on a 65 2 door sedan delivery based on the R/M 65 Z/16,and the roof from that 64.........

[4BKT VET]

Hey,I mastered that wagon for Ed Sr. many,many moons ago. I'd forgotten about it,'til now. I'm working on a 65 2 door sedan delivery based on the R/M 65 Z/16,and the roof from that 64.........

1964 to 1967 A-Body wagon roofs are the same, even the Vista Cruiser roof is the same except the raised windows, someone grafted one on a real 2 Door Chevelle wagon, looks pretty cool.

One thing I ran into is that the grill seems a half scale wider. The solution was to graft the better looking cowl from the Z16 car and widen it. Now the hood fits. I did have to buy a new hood from Drag city since the casting on 2 of mine were so bad. I also was talked into buying a new plated grill from the ModelHaus. It's slowley comming together, although I am forced to wear 18/19" wheels instead of the 15" I had on the real car.

[4BKT VET]

Another car I want to build (1:1 and 1/25) is a 68 Impala wagon with hideaway headlights;

but with a Duramax

Yah, I like wagons.

Edited July 17, 2009 by 4BKT VET

[Steven Zimmerman]

Mikes Miniatures used to cast a 65 Chevelle 2 door sedan delivery,using the AMT 65 El Camino body and the AMT wagon roof. This was done back in1991. The 64 2 door wagon you got from F&F was this body with the 64 fenders from an AMT 64 Chevelle rafted on; the 1/1 bodies are identical except for the front ends(as far as I could tell). Ed Fluck also cast a 66 Chevelle 2 door wagon, using the Lindberg Elky and the roof from the resin 65 2 door wagon body; the roof had to be widened to mate up with the Elky body. Ed also offers a 65 2 door wagon body based on th RM 65 Z/16 body,and the roof and tops of the rear quarter panelsand the tailgate from the resin 64 wagon body. The roof and tailgate had to be widened for this . Race Motor Replicas also casts a 67 Chevelle 2 door wagon body based on the 66 2 door wagon,and includes a cowl hood and an interior bucket. All of these were mastered by me. When Mikes Miniature Motors went out of business due to Mikes death,the molds were acquired by Modelhaus. Jimmy Flintstone also offers a 65 2 door wagon based on the old AMT stuff,and Modelhaus once had the 67 ChevyImpala cast as a 4 door wagon and a 2 door sedan delivery, but I don't know if they are currently available. The wagon I have on the model bench now is the F&F 65 that was based on the Z/16,with sedan delivery panels added,and with a mildly chopped top and a cowl hood; the chrome trim at the bottom of the doors and wheel well trim has been removed, and the bumperettes have been removed from the bumpers.(wouldn't clear tailgate on the 1/1) I've channelled the body over an AMT 67 Chevelle pro street frame with an AMT nascar front suspension/ frame grafted on from the firewall forward,running 18" and 21" ralley wheels. I hope to finish this un for Toledo this fall

[4BKT VET]

If you look at the back edge of the door post at the top, you'll see they are squared off unlike Elco.

The difference between 64 & 65;

Front clip, 65 has back up lamps in bumper, 64 has flat dash insert, 65 has pointed. 64 has bright molding over the drip rails, 65 does not. Interior stitching is different. None of the 2 door wagons was offered with the third seat, less that 100 64 wagons got out of the factory with a 327, almost all were hi-perf 283 with a Rochester 4 Jet, 65 was the first year for Quadrajet.

[LVZ2881]

I'd be interested in a '70 the most, but would also be interested in both the 69 and 72.

but the frame issue would have to be scienced out before I could buy em...

I only buy resin bodies if the donor kits are pre-established...

[4BKT VET]

Established kit? Sometime those are NOT too cool. I'm not sure it would make any difference if the recommended kit were available unless you needed bumpers, trim and interior parts. My 64 Chevelle wagon is supposed to use the AMT 65 Chevelle Wagon kit. That kit is so out of date in design it's ridiculous. The interior tub with the resin and the tub with the wagon kit make use of the huge pins molded into the tail gate that the chassis plate attaches too. I'm so dissatisfied with it that I am using the side panels and rear floor from the wagon kit and the rest of the interior from the Z16 kit. I am also using the frame, inner fender wells (cut from the body of the Z16) in place of the chassis kit. I'm not even using the window set from the AMT Wagon kit. Bottom line, I don't really need it, not even for the motor, it doesn't have the correct valve covers. It does get expensive when you need to start kit bashing more than one car to get the job done, but in the end it's well worth it. Most of the kit stuff has to be modified to work with resins anyhow, in some instances, you can scratch build the stuff, especially if it isn't a showroom stock type car.

[dencon]

I'd be interested in a '70 the most, but would also be interested in both the 69 and 72.

but the frame issue would have to be scienced out before I could buy em...

I only buy resin bodies if the donor kits are pre-established...

I understand what you are saying, but it is going to be like this. If you are interested in ever building a model of a 68-72 Chevelle wagon. You will have to go with the fact that there is just no real perfect donor kit. I have just found that there is just nothing out there that is available to be a perfect fit for a chassis. I can only do what I can do or just scrap it (No I will not be doing that . Have way to much money and time invested) and then there is no offering for these cars. It is what it is. Sorry you will not want one, then.

This is what the first offering will be, guys. The 69 will be the body, rear bumper, tail lights and interior and bench seats. You will have to use a donor kit of the AMT 69 Chevelle for the front bumper/grill, hood, dash and just about anything else. The chassis will have to be stretched. Or you can use a few other kits for the chassis and it WILL take some work because just about the only chassis that will be a perfect fit will be the old AMT annual 69 ElCamino. Good luck getting one. I have been trying to get one so that I could cast that chassis. later I will be offering more options for this body kit. Like a flat hood, front grill without a the "SS". a dash/steering wheel and if I ever get one of those ElCaminos. I will offer the full chassis.

My plan, as I have stated on this thread before, is to offer different levels of this body kit and my other body kits that are going to come out in the future. This way you can get as much of the body kit as you want to use and can afford. In the past there have been so many times that there has been a resin kit available for 50 or 60 bucks and all I wanted was the body, but it was not offered on it's own. I do not want to force parts with the added cost on my customers if they do not want all of that. But if they do and can afford it. I want to offer it.

Thanks for all of your input, guys.

Matt

[4BKT VET]

I guess I better hold on to those a while longer.

[LVZ2881]

Matt....I didnt mean that the donor chassis had to be scienced out by you personally....

What I meant is that after a few people have the bodies in their hands and can show me what chassis was used and how it was modified to fit.....then I would purchase one...there are'nt too many wagon kits out there that interest me, but the 68-72 chevelle is one that does.

I dont have a ton of scratchbuilding skills....and if a person can show me how and where to modify a chassis (buy usually posting a WIP thread) and that its not too difficult..then I'm all over it

[4BKT VET]

Matt....I didnt mean that the donor chassis had to be scienced out by you personally....

What I meant is that after a few people have the bodies in their hands and can show me what chassis was used and how it was modified to fit.....then I would purchase one...there are'nt too many wagon kits out there that interest me, but the 68-72 chevelle is one that does.

I dont have a ton of scratchbuilding skills....and if a person can show me how and where to modify a chassis (buy usually posting a WIP thread) and that its not too difficult..then I'm all over it

You must be older, therefore more careful. When I was 15, I was into Big Rigs. I got tired of all the east coast ###### they say are trucks, 5th wheel type. Also we have thousands of 2 axle "Shorties". These are cabover's with a cab so short, it doesn't always cover the motor. I also found no extended sleeper cab trucks. So with the money I saved up, I bought 2 AMT Kenworth cabover kit's, a "Zona saw from AutoWorld. I cut the very back edge off of one, and everything just behind the doors of the other and swapped parts. Then I takled the interiors and frame's. The most trouble I had was the frames, but I soon figured out around that too.

The bottom line here is don't be afraid to push your skills. Try not to get too high of expectations but keep a clear imagination as to what needs to be accomplished. No doubt you will be very surprised where it takes you. Granted it takes longer, but there are other things to do in life, and that too will improve skills and patients. Good luck man.

BTW: My mom bought me a funny car and some glue and sent me upstairs (1968-69). I had glue all over everything, but I did get it built and nobody showed me a thing.

[Ron Hamilton]

Hey,I mastered that wagon for Ed Sr. many,many moons ago. I'd forgotten about it,'til now. I'm working on a 65 2 door sedan delivery based on the R/M 65 Z/16,and the roof from that 64.........

I did a sedan delivery myself several years ago, modifying the AMT '65 Chevelle Wagon.

Originally, I was going to do a 2 door wagon, but I liked the idea of a phantom sedan delivery.

It fought me all the way, but I like it.

I have since bought Jimmy Flintstone's '64 and '65 2 door Wagon Transkits. As a kid, I had an AMT '64 Malibu Wagon, and now I have an unbuilt one for a later project.

Good luck with the project Steve, and I will probably get one of the '69 Wagons from Dencon.

[dencon]

I have not been able to work on the master for this body in a few weeks. I am getting ready for my first show as a vendor in San Diego this coming weekend. and also trying to get a few other masters finished. But I got the first coat of primer on the other night and I still see a few flaws but it is looking better. I thought I would give you an up date pic.

Now as for the chassis again. I got a hold of a resin copy of the chassis from the old 69 ElCamino AMT annual kit. I do not think I am going to use it as a master for my resin chassis but it helps me with figuring things out. It is really not that good for a master. But I figured how to make a fresh one from the AMT Chevelle kit. I will also relocate the gas tank to where it was on the wagons. I am also working on a new interior tub.

I am still shooting for this to come out this month, but I will not cast it until this body is in good shape. It will still just be the body with rear bumper and tail lights out first. I have not had any time to master the flat hood yet.

Thanks for all of your help and support.

Matt