Plowboy

The way the louvers are, there's no way to add a blister without eliminating one or maybe two of them. To me, they make the Chevy instantly recognizable. Leaving the sides off will be a last resort. I'm sure I can get the engine stuck in there. It's just gonna take a little work. If I can get a Hemi inside the hood on a '34 Ford, surely I can get this little small block in this Chevy.

The following photos illustrate why I get annoyed with '30s models. While I was able to modify the belt and pulleys to make room for the generator, I saw immediately that I had no room for manifolds. The easy solution would be to leave the hood off or remove the sides. But, I want to be able to display it with or without the hood. So, it's back to square one on getting the engine fitted. Luckily, I have plenty of room between the engine and firewall. There was too much space between them anyhow. But, it's annoying to think you're almost there and then realize you have to start over. Which means I'll have to cut the crossmembers loose and move them back. I'm thinking the one I originally moved will go back to it's original position. On the plus side, I did get the trunk fitted to the body. But, it took a piece of .015 styrene and a lot of putty and sanding!

You're welcome Charles! I like that color too. I want to do a build with it someday. There are two Cobalt Greens. One is TS-102. The other is PS-54. You want the TS-102. The PS is for polycarbonate. Here's a photo I snagged.

No one is perfect. People make mistakes. Life goes on. No one's world is going to end over a mistake in a model car magazine. If it is, you seriously need to get a life.

Very nicely done Tim! Those subtle colors go together perfectly! Then the wheels and tires just make it that much better! BTW, those aren't from the Alternomad as it has same size front and rear with curved spokes.

Can't wait to see this one develop! I love the '57-'60 Ford pickups! I've built a couple of the '60s. One issue both had was a dip in the passenger side windshield brow. A little tough to fix. But, it can be done. Tamiya makes a green that is very close to the one in your first photo. I believe the name of it is Park Green. Correction on the paint color: it's Cobalt Green instead of Park Green.

I got the engine and transmission fitted to the frame. The engine is from a Revell '57 Chevy "Black Widow". Since I still had most of the front crossmember left, I figured an early SBC with the front motor mounts would work about right and it did. All I had to do was cut the next crossmember loose, move it forward about 3mms, glue it back in and notch it to fit the bell housing. I've been doing some work to the body. I filled the two small holes behind the doors and sanded most of the body. I test fit the trunk and let's just say it leaves a lot to be desired. I'm planning on gluing a piece of .015 to it from the marks forward and putty the rest. I also have some knarly mold seams to deal with.

No, I'm going with a SBC.

Those wheels and tires aren't traditional and don't fit the look I'm going for. I'm thinking I'll raise the rear back up just a touch. Maybe a mm or two for clearance and a little more rake. I still have a few other wheel and tire combos I want to try out on it.

Thanx for the advice and the engine offer! I have the engine and parts picked out. More on that later. There's only so much that I can lower the front with the fenders on. I kept it simple by cutting away only part of the crossmember (for now) and doing an axle over. I had to add blocks back to the springs as the axle was resting on the frame. I now have room between the axle and frame as well as room between the tires and fenders. The stance has been improved greatly.

Thanx for the photo Mike! Any way to get a closeup of the center chrome tree? I'm very interested in the wheels. I can make out the chrome reverse wheels. But, can't make out the other set.

Me too! I may do a fender less highboy later on. I was thinking about doing that with this model. But, that modification wasn't going to be as simple as I thought it would be. One thing that really messed up the look is the parallel leaf springs. They just don't look "right" being exposed IMO. Here's my problem with lowering the front end. That crossmember is in the way. Since the only purpose it serves at the moment is mounting the six cylinder, it can go. That's the plan anyway. I think I'll have to change the way the axle is mounted. Looks like I'll have to do an axle over conversion and probably have to raise the springs or re-arch them. This could get tricky!

So far this year, I've fizzled out on five projects. Squirrel! That seems to be my issue. Anyway, I've had this idea in my head for years. Everyone and their brother, sister, aunt and uncle has built a '32 Ford at some point. But, what about a Chevy? Nope! You rarely see them. Even the full scale is poorly represented. I like different cars and prefer them over the usual. So, this model should be a perfect fit. We'll see. After mulling over how I wanted to build it, I decided to take the simple approach and build something that could have been around in the '60s or early '70s. Hence the traditional-ish. About the only changes I'm going to make are going to be simple. I hope. I have bad luck with making a lot of changes to a '30s model. So, I'm to try to restrain from making big changes. I definitely want a SBC in place of the six cylinder. Haven't decided what transmission I'll use. I want it have three two barrel carbs and the rams horn manifolds. Right now, I'm drawing a blank on where to come up with the intake and carbs. So, if anyone knows, please clue me in! So far, I've been cleaning up the chassis and assembling it to get the stance set. It still needs work as the photos show. I had to get rid of the spare tire wells on the fenders. I also clipped off the cowl lights from the firewall piece. Kinda surprised that the firewall is chromed. I'll get it stripped ASAP so that I can glue it to the body. I have the tires picked out. The current wheels may or may not make the cut. The rear is right where I want it. But, I've got to lower the front and that's going to take some work. I'm going to attempt to keep the poseable steering. But, willing to sacrifice it. Much better without the spare tire wells! I think I'll make a trunk for the rear instead of a rumble seat. Or I may keep it. I'm also undecided about the bumpers on whether to keep or can them.

I would do a test on the underside of the hood. You never know when bleed through will strike! I used to not believe in bleed through until I had it happen. I was painting blue over yellow styrene. It didn’t happen with the primer (3 coats), paint (3 coats) or the first coat of clear. It happened on the second coat of clear! The yellow bled right through. Luckily, I was painting a 34 Ford pickup and had only sprayed the grille and bed. I salvaged the paint job by spraying another coat of blue and only one coat of clear. Primer, paint and clear were all Tamiya. The kit was the Lindberg molded in a high gloss yellow. First kit I ever saw with such shiney styrene. I almost think that was caused the bleed through. No way to know for sure. But, it didn’t happen with the additional coat of paint and clear.

A lot of builders do it that way and it seems to work. I use solid rod for roll cages, exhaust and headers. I don't have to worry about it collapsing or breaking.

The '69 GTX has the same issues as the '68 Road Runner. I came up with a fairly simple method for fixing the issues on the '69 GTX. But, I didn't take photos of the process as it was a test run for the '68 Road Runner. Here's some progress photos. These were before I fixed the reveal on the front fenders and the vent glass. Here's a couple after paint. When I get to the Road Runner, I'll take photos of the process. It's simple enough that pretty much anyone can do it.

That's a nice looking Firebird David! The color suits it really well and the painted spokes on the wheels makes a big difference! I have this kit. But, never have done anything more than look through the parts. Yours makes me want to give it a closer look.

Why not use one from a Revell/ Hasegawa VW van? Looks like you'll need that wheelbase.

I used TS-9 British Green on one a few years ago. Looked about right to me. I found a photo of the flathead painted with TS-9.

I sand the entire body before primer, before paint and before clear unless it's a metallic paint. That way, every layer has some "tooth" to stick to.

Too right! That's why I've been watching videos of reviews on the Lightning. A couple of guys with a YouTube channel called Truck Life is driving one from Michigan to Colorado and then to Alaska. I believe that will be a great test for available charging stations and the range. They drag raced it at Colorado and the thing turns consistent 12.90s. That's quick for a pickup! Especially one that weighs more than the ICE counterpart. I'm nowhere near ready to make the leap. But, I have been trying to learn all I can. I think it's only a matter of time until Ford offers the Maverick as an EV. If they do, they will really get my attention!

You're welcome Conrad! Do the same technique you're doing. Just sand your clear smooth before polishing. Your technique is almost exactly the same as mine. I typically spray only two coats of clear, allow it to dry a day, sand with 2000, clean and spray the third coat. Allow it to dry 2-3 days depending on the temperature. Then sand with 2000, 4000 and polish. I have just sanded with 2000 and went over it twice with the Course polish. It's about the same difference.

Both the '68 Road Runner and '69 GTX have some issues: drooping quarter panels, rear wheel openings the wrong shape, flat trunk lids and the vent glass detail. I fixed the issues on a '69 GTX. It was a test run to see if I could fix the issues and the fixes were fairly simple. To me, they greatly improved the looks of the model.

This illustrates why I prefer the '71 and up Gran Prix. The rear of the car, as well as the front, has much better styling. I have a '72 promo in the stash. But, I lost interest in it.

The one step you're missing is sanding your clear smooth before polishing with the compounds. I'll usually use 2000 grit and then lightly go over it with 4000. Then use the Course, Fine and Finish. You'll want to spray at least three coats of clear to allow for sanding and polishing.