1957 Chevy 60’s Street Custom

[bisc63]

Really fun to watch this one come together, so thanks for the very informative build thread. I can appreciate just how much time it adds to a build just to photograph the steps and post it all as you go, heck I barely get time to build; much less document! I said early on that this was ambitious, as the '57 body style is not an easy one to improve upon, and plenty of custom builders would pass on such a project. This build shows that it ain't easy, but it ain't impossible! The results are pretty darn nice, and it would be cool to see this one done for real. My only change would be a custom paint job that is as bold a step as the body work, but that is purely a personal preferential thing. Beautiful model!

[Dennis Lacy]

On 8/30/2021 at 10:07 AM, Draggon said:

That came together great! I love your choice of wheels/tires, especially the slicks. You've added some things not usually seen on a custom, like the roll bar and front rake, and of course your meticulous skills. I dig it Dennis. And I agree with RRR, do something with a Merc!

 

Good to hear from you, Glenn! Thanks for the nice words. I couldn’t help myself, I had to sprinkle some hot rod on top. I feel like it works. 
 

We’ll see about a Merc down the line…

[Dennis Lacy]

On 8/30/2021 at 12:52 PM, Chuckyg1 said:

I'm sure this is a lovely build, but I can't get past the paint. It's awesome. Seriously though, stellar work. Ditto on the Merc.

Thank you! Not bad for a rattle can job, right? LOL!

[carrucha]

Cool custom.  I really like the body color.  Nice stance and wheel/tire combo.

[TimKustom]

I just LOVE it. Every. Little. Thing. Superb job with theme, parts selection (the Gator is my Fav) and the craftsmanship involved in finishing it. Looking forward to seeing your next “custom” if it turns out as half as nice as this.

[speedy5963]

Good looking build!

[Dennis Lacy]

On 9/4/2021 at 6:48 PM, TimKustom said:

I just LOVE it. Every. Little. Thing. Superb job with theme, parts selection (the Gator is my Fav) and the craftsmanship involved in finishing it. Looking forward to seeing your next “custom” if it turns out as half as nice as this.

Thank you so much, Tim. All very nice of you. Nobody ever uses the little mascots so I had to include the Gator!

[TimKustom]

10 hours ago, Dennis Lacy said:

Thank you so much, Tim. All very nice of you. Nobody ever uses the little mascots so I had to include the Gator!

Yes, more models need mascots! I had every intention of using one in my custom Comet since the raccoon was included with the custom 63 Thunderbird parts I used. I reshaped him to look more like a cat and he's painted/flocked to match the car. He was to sit on the package tray but I decided at the last minute to go with the speaker grille because it fit better and made more sense with the Hi-Fi in the rest of the car. I'll incorporated him into a '60's style display for the model sometime in the future.

Back to your build though, I still keep going back to check it out. The gator makes me smile every time.

Just. Awesome.

[Nosferatu]

Beautiful! Nice clean work. Perfect amount of customizing.

[Dan Hay]

Killer!

[carbuilder1950]

@Dennis Lacy

I used to be a lot more active in the hobby and building customs, and when I look at a build like yours that has such ingenious, almost elusive custom changes,

I fee like a dinosaur of the hobby, and I have been passed by, by people like you, that have taken the hobby to a whole new level in design, application, and skills, which to me is just a great thing for our hobby.

Our hobby needs to progress and move on to new heights, and your helping it do just that.

Your design changes are so up tp date, clean and contemporary, yet retain the personality and recognizable quality of the original design. The color is so understated, yet perfect for complimenting your entire finished design - BRAVO.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

That looks great!  How did you get that windhsield to look so clear? Is it vaccuformed? 

[afx]

Turned out great Dennis.

[Dennis Lacy]

10 hours ago, Modelbuilder Mark said:

That looks great!  How did you get that windhsield to look so clear? Is it vaccuformed? 

Thanks! For the first time ever I polished the “glass”. LOL!  It was necessary as both pieces had some scuffs from being loose in the box. It does look remarkably clear in the pics. I used Adam’s Finishing Polish (Adam’s makes a huge line of full scale car care products) on a cheap microfiber towel. Super simple and I’ll be polishing all the kit “glass” that I use on future projects. 
 

On a side note, there’s a picture or two where the objects through the windshield looks like a fun house mirror as the vent window on the passenger side looks all distorted. Good old AMT glass, hahaha! 🤣

[Dennis Lacy]

12 hours ago, carbuilder1950 said:

@Dennis Lacy

I used to be a lot more active in the hobby and building customs, and when I look at a build like yours that has such ingenious, almost elusive custom changes,

I fee like a dinosaur of the hobby, and I have been passed by, by people like you, that have taken the hobby to a whole new level in design, application, and skills, which to me is just a great thing for our hobby.

Our hobby needs to progress and move on to new heights, and your helping it do just that.

Your design changes are so up tp date, clean and contemporary, yet retain the personality and recognizable quality of the original design. The color is so understated, yet perfect for complimenting your entire finished design - BRAVO.

Thank you so much for your post. As I stated in my original post, I really don’t have a deep knowledge of traditional custom cars. My main passion is traditional hot rods but in that I’ve picked up bits and pieces of the customs as they sometimes intermingle. I’m aware of some of the more famous cars but generally I’m a total novice in that world. Somehow I managed to pull off a totally traditional, yet original design that is still immediately recognizable as a ‘57 Chevy. I was really expecting a lot of negative feedback about the fin and taillight treatment and to my surprise the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  I also wanted a color that was period appropriate but not run of the mill and the quality of the paint exceeded my expectations.  I’m quite proud of this model. 

[disconovaman]

Wow! The bodywork!

[Sledsel]

Came out really nice. I wasn't keen on the rear treatment during the build, but it came together at the end.