finished my first lowrider today

[diymirage]

as usual, my model doesnt look anything like the boxart

i started this build off with a heinz 57 pontiac grand prix stock car

to the body i made the following changes

scratchbuild the headlights

scratchbuild the flip flop hood hinges

filled in the hood pins

scribed panel lines for the doors

added partsbox side view mirrors

scratchbuild the rear skirts

custom build the tail lights

filled in trunk pins

converted to steel roof to a vinyl top

the interior

partsbox seats

shortened steering column

partsbox subs

scratchbuild shelf

the drivetrain

replaced the engine with a cross barrel 302

moved the dizzy to the front of the block (for firewall clearance)

scratchbuild the entire exhaust using solder for the headers

heatshrink tubing for the collectors and aluminum tube for the lakespipes

custom build the rear end

scratchbuild the rear suspension

the body received first a coat of german silver

then a coat of RAF training yellow

then decals and finally a coat of true blue

here are some picture and dont hesitate to comment

[diymirage]

[Lownslow]

not my cup of tea but i dig the work into it, youre off to a promising start

[randx0]

I was going to use the "cup of tea line" also .It is different that's for sure.I like the mural on the hood and I liked the tutorial on the hinges you did.you finished it yay!

[Railfreak78]

Hey that came out really neat! I like that you ventured out of the box on this one. I like that paint and graphics and mural. It's builds like these that got me turning a tank into a 6x6 lol. I know your labor was a lot on this and be proud of it.

[Tijuanataxi]

I never really thought about turning a NASCAR into something else, but you sure did

A lot of work went into that one. I like the idea, the work you put into it, and that you dared... Great job

Where are the mural decals coming from??? They look great...Homemade?

[diymirage]

I never really thought about turning a NASCAR into something else, but you sure did

A lot of work went into that one. I like the idea, the work you put into it, and that you dared... Great job

Where are the mural decals coming from??? They look great...Homemade?

thanks

the only decals on it are the license plate and the hood

the way i did the sides was by first painting a coat of silver

then i taped that of and shot the yellow

then i taped that of and uncovered most of the silver

i taped some left over screen door over the silver and then shot the blue over/through that

for the hood i basically did the same but before i shot the blue i applied the decal

the decal is indeed homemade

i took a picture of Mrs. diymirage and scanned it

then i changed the colours to black and white and printed it on decal paper

it didnt come out perfect but for my first try on making my own decals im pretty pleased with it

once the decal was on i taped over the center of it (just to be safe) and shot the fading blue through the screen again

(the WIP is right here http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27218 )

as for those of you who said this inst your cup of tea, i totally agree

but i really wanted to do the decal and i didnt think it would look good on any other style car so i figured i would venture outide of my comfort zone and just build it as a lowrider

now that everything is said and done i must say ive gotten a chance to hone some skills and do some scratchbuilding/modifying that went well beyond my usual involvement in a kit

so it was educational and fun

[vaughn]

Thats cool...I remember seein this when you started and had the tutorial on the hood hinge. I did finishe Jimmie Johnson but still can not get the pics posted. Have no problem posting on ACME..Atlanta Car Model Enthusiests. Anyway good job. Will keep tryin.

[dimaxion]

You are right , not my cup of tea . This Lowrider is outstanding from the crowd by what you did . Well done . Keep them coming . Especially as exceptional as this ...Thanx..

[Brizio]

Great job, love it "different" way.

[Scalper]

Thats Original.

[diymirage]

thanks for the kind words guys

this turned out to be a really fun build

when i first got started i thought it might end up being more of a chore then fun since it wasnt what i normally like building

but in building something so far out there is a lot of freedom and that is pretty cool

it definatly got the building juices flowing again

im pretty hyped up to get the wildcart finished now

(for those of you who dont know the wildcart, its a 5some VW bug converted to a pickemuptruck with a custom turbo'd GTI engine mated to a supras rear wheel drive system...come to think of it...the dash is the largest stock part in the model)

only thing is, i got so many left over parts from the pontiac laying around the table, its gonna take forever to get this cleaned up and sorted