Super Gas '77 Vega--Completed! (11/12)

[Straightliner59]

While I am happy with much of the work I've done on the '53 'Vette, the crazed plastic really cooled my jets, as far as that project goes. I've been having a lot of fun doing curbside stuff, and I have all these promo Vegas, so...

First, as I did with the MPC slicks on the dragster I recently started, I sanded off the lettering (A scalpel works very well, to do some preliminary slicing of the letters). I then used a 4-way polishing stick, to get them to this state. I will replace the lettering with Gofer Racing decals. When sanding the slicks, I try to ease the transition from the surface to the sidewall, as I think they're too exaggerated as they're molded. I'm not sure what the wheels are from, but I ordered a set from Forward Resin (they're beautifully cast!), then found these in one of the drawers I keep such things in. Front tires are Monogram Frontrunners, again sanded smooth and "polished".

I used the Dremel to open the wheel cutouts, as it appears this is how most of them are done--just be sure to finish the edge!😃 I had picked up a Pro Stock Vega chassis and interior on Ebay, and will use them, underneath, this being a curbside, and all. I'll do my typical "aluminum siding" job, inside. It'll get all the visible accoutrement becoming a proper 1984 Super Gasser. S/G was very cool, back then--much as MP was, a decade earlier. The days before delay boxes (yuck!), when a throttle stop might just be a block of wood, beneath the throttle pedal! Really! I knew of a couple.

The scoop is from AMT's '66 Nova Pro Streeter. I'm hoping not to spend too awful long, with it. Sorry for the poor photos. I was getting ready to hit the hay. As always, questions comments and critiques are welcome. Thanks for looking!

Edited November 12, 2022 by Straightliner59

[Straightliner59]

It's on the wheels...

[bytownshaker]

Looks great !!! Vega's and the compact cars of that era made awesome looking race cars.

Edgar

 

Edited July 21, 2022 by bytownshaker
spelling

[Ian McLaren]

Love early super gas cars, quick enough to be fun but reasonably affordable, You are capturing the look very well.

[geemoney]

love it!

jealous because you have a vega with the stock wheel openings!

[Straightliner59]

19 hours ago, bytownshaker said:

Looks great !!! Vega's and the compact cars of that era made awesome looking race cars.

Edgar

 

Thanks, Edgar! I have always loved these little H-Bodies!

18 hours ago, Ian McLaren said:

Love early super gas cars, quick enough to be fun but reasonably affordable, You are capturing the look very well.

Thanks, Ian. They were interesting to watch, back then. Now, not so much--at least for me. That "bog" just kills it!

18 hours ago, geemoney said:

love it!

jealous because you have a vega with the stock wheel openings!

Thanks, Michele. Promos (especially '75-'77 models) can be had pretty reasonably, on Ebay. That's what almost all of mine are.

[Codi]

Great subject Daniel.  Can I ask why only a curbside though?  This one begs for all the goodies.   cheers, tim

[Straightliner59]

12 hours ago, Codi said:

Great subject Daniel.  Can I ask why only a curbside though?  This one begs for all the goodies.   cheers, tim

Thanks, Tim. I plan to do a couple of "serious" Vegas. I want to do a '75 Cosworth, and a full-tube frame Grumpy's Toy '72 car. I do, however want a Vega in the display case, so the '77 got the "quickie" nod! I don't plan to spend a ton of time, on it--key word being "plan". You know how that goes!😃

[Tedly]

Looking great! I love Vega drag cars, I have a few very rough resin casting 77 Vegas from when I was attempting to do some casting, so I'll eventually be building a few myself.

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, Tedly said:

Looking great! I love Vega drag cars, I have a few very rough resin casting 77 Vegas from when I was attempting to do some casting, so I'll eventually be building a few myself.

Thanks, Ted. They really do make great looking drag cars! I cast a lot of parts, but haven't tried a body. I only cast small parts for my own models, so they may not be pristine. They're workable, though, and that's all I need!🙂

[Tedly]

On 7/23/2022 at 9:32 AM, Straightliner59 said:

Thanks, Ted. They really do make great looking drag cars! I cast a lot of parts, but haven't tried a body. I only cast small parts for my own models, so they may not be pristine. They're workable, though, and that's all I need!🙂

Same here, I started trying to do small parts and learned a lot, got some usable parts and some trash, then I got adventurous/curios to see if I could do a body. It gave me new respect for those who do it and again, I learned some things and got a few rough but usable bodies. Overall a very good experience and I'm glad I tried even if they didn't turn out perfect. I most likely won't try anymore bodies (but you never know), as most bodies I have 1 would be enough, or maybe 2 would be better so I'm not sure it's worth the investment in silicone since it takes a lot to make a body mold and if you mess up, you wasted the money and you'd have to start all over. 

[Bainford]

Looking good, Daniel. It sits just right. The Vega drag cars of this era had a great look.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Nice car Daniel, the stance is perfect and those big tires fill the wheel wells perfectly.  Good choice too because these Vega (and Nova) are very popular on the racetracks, at least on this side of the border... 😁

Super Gas cars generally put on good shows and I am confident that your WIP thread, despite the fact that you will be doing a curbside, will honor the class even in its simplified form.

I'm not worried about you coming back soon with another one of your super detailed project, it's hard to completely extinguish an inferno when the fire is still smoldering below the surface ! 😉🔥

[Straightliner59]

8 hours ago, Bainford said:

Looking good, Daniel. It sits just right. The Vega drag cars of this era had a great look.

Thanks, Trevor. They really did look cool! To get the rear low enough, I want to clarify how I did the rear wheelwell openings. I left an inch of the highest part of the wheel arch/flare, then gently recurved the rest of the opening with a burr in a flex-shaft attachment, until it was wide enough. Essentially, it still mimics the stock lines. Once that's accomplished, it's just a matter of thinning them. It doesn't hurt to thin the front ones, at this point, too!

[Straightliner59]

5 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Nice car Daniel, the stance is perfect and those big tires fill the wheel wells perfectly.  Good choice too because these Vega (and Nova) are very popular on the racetracks, at least on this side of the border... 😁

Super Gas cars generally put on good shows and I am confident that your WIP thread, despite the fact that you will be doing a curbside, will honor the class even in its simplified form.

I'm not worried about you coming back soon with another one of your super detailed project, it's hard to completely extinguish an inferno when the fire is still smoldering below the surface ! 😉🔥

Thank you for looking in, Francis! While those are both popular cars in both countries, I'd guess that Canada probably had a stronger presence of their Pontiac counterparts.

This won't be without its charms (details!). 😃  Interestingly, I was just milling some styrene to make the wheelie bars! I can never go completely into "slack" mode--I want interesting stuff to look at--you know what I mean!🙂

Still a way to go, but, I couldn't live with any of the blobs I'd fount that were supposed to be wheelie bars. I'll add separate casters, and pin and bolt and spring detail. It's super-basic machining, with soft material, but, they'll be parts I actually milled! You can see my rough sketch on the stock.

I've also been working on the wheels and tires. I'm not sure I'll retain this lettering. I have a Slixx sheet on the way, but found these tire markings on a Revell Cory McClenathan top fuel sheet, and decided to try them. I still need to weather the front tire, and add a touch more to the slick.

I've begun cutting the interior aluminum. Once it's cut, fitted and formed, I'll add some bead rolling, to the door panels. I plan to clamp the interior tub to the mill, and get rid of those deals they molded in, for the seats. I'll use seats from my parts boxes. I promise you plenty of eye candy! I'm considering a Lenco, which will require a new tunnel, and a bunch of scratchbuilt linkages--what do you think? Thanks again for checking in, my friend!

[Straightliner59]

I got the decals on the tires. I'm happy with them! I swapped the Frontrunners for a set of the Moroso fronts from (I think) the Dobbertin Olds kit. I sanded the lettering from them, as well, and added the Revell decals.

It helps to use a new scalpel (or X-Acto) blade to shave some of the "height" from the lettering, before sanding the sidewalls clean. Once I have cleaned and polished the sidewalls, I coat them with Future, to prevent silvering of the decals.

Once the Future's dry, I apply the decals, using Micro Set and Micro Sol. I keep watch on them, adding setting solutions, as necessary. Once those have dried, I brush on a coat of Testors Acrylic Matte Clear coat--It's Model Master, so I am unsure if it's available in another form. 

When the clear has dried, I liberally apply shaved/crushed/ground pastels in black, dark brown, brown, tan, and pale yellow colors, with a stiff brush. I also rub them lightly into the chalks. The pastels tone down the white of the decals, and, in some instances, make it look as if the lettering paint has worn through/been rubbed off. The white lettering becomes dirty and looks more toned down, quickly, due to the fact that sportsman racers are often pitted in muddy and/or dusty areas, at many tracks.

That said, here are a few photos of the newly-lettered tires. Questions, critiques and comments are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[TarheelRick]

Oh my, that little critter sure does look nasty. Really enjoying watching this.  Will probably "borrow" some of your ideas when I get to my Monza.

[Straightliner59]

22 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

Oh my, that little critter sure does look nasty. Really enjoying watching this.  Will probably "borrow" some of your ideas when I get to my Monza.

It kinda' does look nasty! Thanks, Rick! I'm looking forward to watching your Monza come together. You're welcome to borrow, all you want. I'm giving 'em away for free!😁

[Zippi]

The Vega is looking pretty nice man.  

[Straightliner59]

8 hours ago, Zippi said:

The Vega is looking pretty nice man.  

Thanks, Bob! Appreciate it. 

I've been cutting aluminum sheet for the interior panels. I mis-bent the passenger side floor panel. I'll cut a new one. The drivetrain hump will be cut down, a bit, and the cover for the bellhousing fabbed. The floor panels are aluminum flashing. The door panels, side panels, tubs and rear floor are/will be tooling aluminum, since they aren't structural, and have only flat bends, if that makes sense. Once I have everything cut and fitted, I'll add some bead-rolling to the tubs and door panels, using a burnishing tool and a paper pad. I plan to replace the gauge panel with flashing. I'll probably go with the Lenco, since the shifter mechanisms will add visual interest. 

Questions, comments and critiques are always welcome. Thanks for looking!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Absolutely beautiful work so far on the aluminum panels Daniel !

The Lenco shifter will certainly look great on the transmission tunnel.  I know it will be a curbside build, so I assume there will be no transmission visible from below, as the model is meant to be enjoyed sitting on its wheels !?

[Straightliner59]

1 hour ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Absolutely beautiful work so far on the aluminum panels Daniel !

The Lenco shifter will certainly look great on the transmission tunnel.  I know it will be a curbside build, so I assume there will be no transmission visible from below, as the model is meant to be enjoyed sitting on its wheels !?

Thank you, Francis! You are correct. It will just feature details you'd see, if you were standing next to it, but nothing was opened up. I enjoy doing these because it challenges me to improve my finish work. It also helps me to look at possibilities for detailing, differently. 

I didn't give them a lot of consideration, until John MacGowan (Two-time GSL winner, and all-around great guy!) showed up at some show with a yellow Ferrari. His work was so beautiful, it inspired me to see them as more "serious" efforts.

Timely that you mentioned the sheet work. I have an update, on just that! None of these panels are cemented into place, yet. I am quite happy, with them. The wheel tub that is sitting alone is a test mule for the bead-rolling on those that are in the car. I will do some further work to that end, to the door and interior panels as well. The rollcage will be scratchbuilt, perhaps from brass--I haven't decided, just yet.

As always, comments are welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[bisc63]

Very nice scratch-building! Interior is impressive already. Will you add any sort of rivet detailing?

[Ian McLaren]

The interior is really starting to look like the real deal, well done on the bead rolling I always have the challenge of either not enough bead and deform the panel or the bead is too pronounced, you seem to have hit the sweet spot and they look great.

 

[Street Rod]

This Vega’s looking sinister already! I’m checking out your tin work on the interior as I have a couple projects in mind that I want to do that to down the road.