adamelvis Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 How may times have we asked the question, " What would be your favorite muscle car? " LOL. Well, that is a question I asked my older brother (circa 1963) and his response was .... a 70' Chevelle SS jet black with with stripes, white interior, stock 454 under the hood and upgraded brakes with large 20" rims. So, off I was on a mission to do just that, build his favorite muscle car. Although AMT has some good choices in car models currently on the market, I do find their molds a real pain to work with and not very detailed. There is a lot of flashing and prominent mold lines to deal with. You will see some of these issues as I post my results of this build. The door panels had very small details and the arm rest was almost non existing. I scratch built one myself and added photo-etched window cranks. Here you can see the bucket seats and center console were molded together as one piece. I used a saw and was able to cut them out nicely. Another bad idea was the molded in driveshaft. LOL. This also was cut out and later I just used a driveshaft from my parts box. A simple method of making your own coil springs would be to use scrap wire or open up a paper clip and bend it around a round toothpic, small screwdriver shaft or lolipop stick (yes, I have little kids). These are methods I used and afterwards, paint it the color of your choice. Theses are the Pegasus 20" Chrome T's wheels & tires. The bottom corner of the rear panel is rounded off, but this is suppose to be finished squared. I glue a very small piece to the bottom of the bumper trim and was able to make it look right. The side of the bumper had to be sanded down, due to the wrinkle in the chrome. I later used the marvelous Molotow Chrome pen to finish it off. In the picture above, you will see that this kit has a 1/4 inch gap between the firewall and interior cab. This gap would still be visible once you installed the undercarriage. I used scrap clear plastic (from regular packaged items you buy at a grocery or hardware store) to build a cover and heated up a piece and molded it around the cap of my wife's nail polish bottle. It was the perfect shape for the transmission tunnel ! Below, you can see it worked fine, no gaps. You will also notice that I ran my brake lines underneath too. I will post more photos of Engine, Interior and Final assembly. Also, a few more tips for you guys as well. TCB, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivesuns Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 very cool...I look forward to watching your progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protouringjoe Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 very nice work. I love that firewall trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWT Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Looking good. This is one of those kit I love... to hate. But I do love a 70-72 Chevelle and dig everyone I see built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamelvis Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 (edited) Engine work. I had originally planned on adding a 572 Chevrolet crate motor with a big billet aluminum air cleaner, but then the hood would not close..... The problems we face with big motors... LOL !! So, I went with the original 454 engine. Ran the fuel lines, added throttle linkage and return spring. Scratch built oil dipstick with leftover spark plug wiring. Also, added the alternator support bracket. The photo-etched hose clamps were a bugger to glue on, as you have to put a curl in them, so they wrap around your radiator hose nicely. The detail is great, but it's so darn small to see. Below is a really good tip, for all those men who use electric shavers. When you replace the old shaver screen & blades, keep the screen and you can use it for things like a air filter screen, or a/c vents under the hood, etc. Upgraded the steering wheel to the SS option and added speaker grills in the back. Gotta have tunes !! Interior details include flocking, adding the turn signal lever, GM seat belts, window cranks, Chevelle badging and keys in the ignition. I've been adding interior roof liners into my builds lately. This is a real easy thing to do and I am surprised of how many great modelers forget this detail. Firstly, I cut out the excess plastic around the window molds (usually that big chunk that keeps the front & rear windows together as one piece) then I simply use clear masking tape and tape it into place. Next, I use Post-It notes as my template and figure out my measurements. Then cut the template out from a twill patch (Walmart $5) and glue it down with fabric glue. Sometime, I end up trimming off the clear plastic that has the mounting hole for the rear view mirror. In the pic below, you can see that I had to make my own base for the mirror to mount to. I used small tube styrene, cut it on a angle, sanded the edges and used the chrome pen. A dot of glue and in place it goes. Sun visors are another easy scratch built item for the interior. Primed in black. Next up .... exterior and final body assembly. TCB, Adam Edited January 29, 2019 by adamelvis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mod3l Lover Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Wow, does that car shine!! Nice job on the finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Nice job so far Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamelvis Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 I'll post photos of the finished build in Under Glass. thanks for the comments guys ! TCB, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Can-Con Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 (edited) Looks great, but are you sure those wheels are the 20"? [Pegasus only makes 19 and 23 ] look more like the 23" ones to me. Edited February 1, 2019 by Can-Con Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamelvis Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 3 hours ago, Can-Con said: Looks great, but are you sure those wheels are the 20"? [Pegasus only makes 19 and 23 ] look more like the 23" ones to me. Oops, yes you are correct. Those would be the 23". They fit the car better than the 19". Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 and 1 hour ago, adamelvis said: Adam t forget ...that horizontal bar on the grille needs to be body colour..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamelvis Posted December 20, 2019 Author Share Posted December 20, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olskoolrodder Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Gorgeous build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nox Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Awesome job!!! That car is beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben269 Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Nice job, that paint looks flawless. I love that color combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dann Tier Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 What a beautiful Masterpiece!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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