DoctorLarry

I used the Jo Han Cutlass as the basis for my Grand Ams. I sculpted the body with plastic and Squadron putty with Tamiya White putty and finally lacquer based automotive spot putty. I then shot with Dupli Color filler primer and repeatedly sanded to sharpen all of the body lines. I have three notebooks full of pictures of cars and Hemmings Muscle Machines had features on both the 73 Cutlass and 73 GTO. They do a line drawing of those in the features so I copied those and scaled them down then made tracings of the GTO and overlaid them on the Cutlass drawing. This allowed me to modify the body lines. Then I made templates of the body lines and put them on the body to mark it where the lines should be. I then sculpted the lines with putty just like a real car. I scratch built the nose, hood and rear deck. When I thought I had it right I made a rubber mold. I actually owned a 73 2 door Grand Am which I sold to buy a 73 Grand Am sedan, which I still have. I then went to the 74/75 Grand Ams, then the 77 Can Am, and then stretched the Can Am into the sedan. I filled the shaker hole in on the Smokey car. I built the Grand Prix from a Revell 77 Monte Carlo snap kit. Same technique although I also went to a junk yard and took photos and measured a real car. Bottom line, it took the better part of a year to do each car.

Dwayne, it did not take me quite as long to do mine. I did a 73 Grand Am, 73 GTO, then a 74/75 Grand Am and then did a 77 Can Am after that. I just took the Can Am and turned it into the LeMans Enforcer. Like you, I have limited time so I still have not built a 77 LeMans yet. I am finishing a Pro Touring 74/75 Grand Am and am almost done. I also did a 76 Hurst Grand Prix.

This is a fun one to do. I have already done it and it was a great project. Still need to do the interior, though.

belcherl@uindy.edu

I do the kits to order so an email to me will work. Larry

73 GTO is done 76 Grand Prix Hurst is done 73 Gran Sport is in the works

He did a large scale email notifying folks that his remailer was sending stuff. Got mine Saturday. They look good.

What do you use as clamps to hold the lines down and how are they attached- Glue? Thanks!

Making very slow progress after working in China for a month. Painted interior parts (my resin castings)

What did you use for braided line and to simulate the anodized hose ends, if I might ask?

I have not inquired yet, but my order was in December as well.

I saw that they were in Canada but must have missed the long shipping times. Thanks for the info.

I placed a couple of orders with Clearly Scale that were paid by PayPal but as yet nothing delivered. Do they have long wait times?

So the Adams Grand Am would have had coils and truck arms as well? Would they have used the stock rear frame section like Nichels GTO with a welded on front frame clip? Is the TBird representative of what H-M would have done or would it look more like the Nichels pictures?

How close are these to period correct? Was that the chassis used in your GTO?

The car is a Nichels Road Runner. The other I found on the web. It was a for sale ad.

Here are a couple of period chassis shots that I will try and copy. Slightly different than the Thunderbird, but both pictures show basically the same chassis.

Thanks! It was very clean and made my raw body look fantastic. LB

I'm going to build a replica of the Herb Adams/Team Associates NASCAR Grand Am using one of my bodies. I have the cutaway illustration of the chassis but wanted to start with something close to what a Cup car would have in 73. Thanks!

Tim, I notice on a lot of builds you use an AMT Thunderbird chassis. What donor kit does this come from? Also, are there donor kits that accurately portray mid-70's NASCAR chassis? I know that the AMT Chevelle/Laguna variants had a kind of generic chassis but is there anything you can use that is more accurate for that period?

Make that Fifteen52. They have the Tarmac wheels. Their stuff is really nice, too. I am using a set on a build I am working on.

I checked C1's site. They make another Fifteen15 style but not those. Might try to replicate them with some other things lying around.I love their wheel styles.

Love those wheels. Does C1 make copies?

Tim, do you make your own decals?

Thanks!