Chuck Most Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 In 1924, farmer Loren Heider opened up a repair shop, specializing in all types of motor vehicles, but primarily farm tractors. At least initially. This would lead to his opening of a Case equipment dealer later on. But before that, the repair business proved successful enough that Loren was able to purchase his first new car, a 1929 Oldsmobile F-29 sedan. So impressed was Loren by his stately sedan, that in 1932, he became the Oldsmobile dealer in the sleepy hamlet of Pompeii, Michigan. His two sons joined the dealership as the years wore on, and later on, his younger son would purchase his own Olds dealership, in nearby Sumner. While Loren Heider & Sons (renamed simply Heider Oldsmobile after 1965) stayed Oldsmobile-only due to apathy from GM HQ, Heider of Sumner picked up Chevrolet in 1964, and Pontiac in 1968. The original Pompeii dealership amazingly stayed around all the way up to Oldsmobile's end in 2004, and beyond. Today it is Heider Automotive, a used car/repair/body shop servicing all makes and models. The Sumner dealer was one of the casualties of GM's 2009 dealer jettison. While there was a '63 Chevrolet truck used by the Pompeii dealer, this is not that truck. Perusing craigslist one day, Dan Heider saw an ad for a '63 Chevy pickup. What grabbed his attention was the engine- a 455 Olds V8. The '69 Cutlass buckets and console drew him in further, and by the end of the week, it was parked in front of Heider Automotive. The truck as it stands is a bit of an anachronism. The door graphics are based on the 1969 Sign of Leadership design, even though the logos bear the Pompeii dealership's pre 1965 name. The rear bumper was rescued from a junkyard by Dan years before, it had come from his uncle's Chevy-Olds-Pontiac operation in Sumner. But, the truck is red (a hasty respray over the factory grey), just like the Chevrolet trucks the Heider family businesses used. Aside from the graphics and rear bumper, Dan also jettisoned the stock brakes for front discs and a boosted dual chamber cylinder, and fitted the truck with some Olds Rally wheels and Redline Firestones. By the way, none of that is true! It's just the backstory that helped to guide the project, and/or filled in the logical gaps when I decided to go a certain route. As for the actual model- it is the AMT '60 Apache 10. It was converted to a 63 by using the grille from an original AMT/SMP annual kit and a Revell '66 hood. Now... don't look too close because it still has the '60 torsion bar front suspension. '63 was the first year for coil springs up front on GM pickups. But since most people would never notice I just left the chassis as provided in the kit. This was also my first project to make extensive use of the new Revell acrylics. So far so good on those. The engine, transmission, seats, and center console came from an AMT '69 Olds 442, the redlines (even though now they're more like brown lines) are old Satco parts, and the wheels are even older Scale Equipment Limited resin two-piece units. I'm almost never 100% happy with models I finish, but this one? This one's a rare exception. It's far from perfect but for a vehicle like this, that's kind of the whole point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 I like the aging of the trucks finishes, very realistic looking. Your description of the respray can be seen on the fire wall and the edges of the front fenders. Just the right amount of metal cancer on the bed and bottom of the doors. After sitting outdoors year round with rain and melted snow coming out of the bed when driven explains the rusted tail gate and rear bumper. I like your little story but the finish on this tells so much about a life of service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larman Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Cool back story. The weathering looks spot on and the Olds engine, interior parts and wheels look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamboat Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Wow! That came out amazing. It looks so real I want to drive it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Looks great, very realistic weathering.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Chuck, another nice one, well done .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordf-100 Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Looks fantastic. I thought the first picture was the real truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyK Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 So much talent with your model building and story telling. I enjoyed both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Looks great! Outdoor pics with natural lighting make such a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Nice truck! I liked the story too.. until you told us we were swindled! 😂 I will give you a real story! Back in the 1950s the Students dealer in Keyport New Jersey was Percy Washington. He did well until Studebaker went belly up in 1966. He wanted to pick up another make, but none of the US manufacturers would grant him a dealership because he was black. Percy wasn’t going out though. He took a chance on a little known Japanese brand called Datsun. People thought he’d be out in a year, but he promoted the heck out of Datsun and convinced a lot of his former customers and town folk to take a chance on it. Of course we all know Datsun went on to be a huge success. I bought my 1982 Nissan Stanza from him. Percy is long dead but the dealership is a block long up on the highway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PappyD340 Posted May 19, 2021 Share Posted May 19, 2021 Great looking truck Chuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Wow, beautiful!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Nice story, nice model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Nice build. Looks like it belongs in the rock driveway at the farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k357 Posted June 3, 2021 Share Posted June 3, 2021 Oh my, I like this, A LOT ! I LOVE the early 60's Chevy PU's, I rebuilt a 62 stepside back in the 80's when I was a bodyman... I'd love to get one of those 62 grills for the replica I built of mine.... Beautiful work ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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