Plowboy

It's also a great place to get ideas from.

I doubt that there's many builders that didn't make the same mistake of gluing the horn to the firewall on those kits. After all, that's how the instruction were. I'm working on a '69 GTX currently. Surely I won't make that mistake again!

That explains why on my '70 Super Bee when I press the horn button, the wipers come on. When I turn on the wipers, the horn blows.

I always say, "it's yours, do what you want with it." Better to build something cool with it than leave it in a box. I've cut up more valuable kits and promos. Never regret it.

I got the headlights fixed. Like the roof, they're not exactly right. But, they're better. I was able to get them bumped up to six and three quarters. I can deal with that much better than less than six. The hood is in final primer now. So, I'll be squirting some paint pretty soon. It's about time!

The wheels are from the AMT F-150. I think they were in every issue. Was your full scale a long or short bed?

These are about as close as you're gonna get. Unfortunately, they're not directional.

The Yenko Nova was a big block.

A soldering iron was what I used. I had chisel like tip that I could run through the joint. I had a flat tip to do the fill work. It does work. But, it just wasn't for me.

Welp, just as I thought/feared, the headlights are too small! They scale out to 5.9 inches. Why am I not surprised? My first thought was to use the AMT '65 Nova grille and drill out the headlights. But, the headlights on it are too small also. But, it looks like it may be easier to modify than the Moebius grille. I checked the AMT '63 Nova wagon headlights and they scale out to 7 inches just like they should. Too bad I can't just use that grille! The way Moebius engineered the headlights on this kit is stupid IMO. The reflectors are so far back, they're only visible straight on. Not to mention the pegs that won't allow the lenses to be oriented correctly. It's best to just cut the pegs and tabs off. Another thing is the engraving on the grille section is so shallow that I'm not going to be able to open it so that it's see through. The vertical bars are barely there. So, I'm going to have to do some thinking on how to fix the headlight issue. I think I have a plan. But, if it doesn't work out, I'm gonna be screwed. Open to any and all ideas!

I tried that technique many years ago. It's OK if you have a completely clean bench that the the cord can't get tangled into. I don't. You also need a safe holder for your heat tool or you'll bump your arm or hand into it and get a nice burn. That was what made me give it up. I'll stick with Tamiya Extra Thin, Crazy Glue and Tamiya putty.

Thanx Steve! The Light Blue with Pearl is what's on the '62 F-100 in the above photo. Right after taking the photos yesterday, I knew that I had to fix the scoop. So, I eliminated the peak, sanded the top and sides of the scoop back down to bare styrene and started over. Again! I extended the rear of the scoop with .040 and cut it to match the cowl and windshield. Then I added the peak back to it using .010 styrene rod and Tamiya putty. Now, it's finished! It only took four tries to get it right! I could've saved myself a lot of headaches by changing the induction on the engine. But, in my mind, it has to have this setup. Now it has a much more finished appearance! Something that's been bugging me on this body is the grille. The headlights look to be a bit small. I did a quick measurement with a ruler and they measure 6mms. If that measurement is accurate, they are small. Single headlights are seven inches in diameter. When I blow it back apart, I'll do an accurate measurement with my digital caliper and go from there. I really hope I don't have to fix them! I have the headlight assembly installed and the grille now fits. I did have to drill out holes in the radiator support for clearance. My rear bumper also now fits like it should. All of the fitment work should be done now! Now, I can blow it apart and make some progress. Hopefully, there won't be any surprises when it comes final assembly time. I did a test spoon with Mica Silver and Light Blue Metallic. I really like the way it looks. But, I want to try another combination with white as a base and see if it will make it a bit lighter.

Nice work Dennis! I'll have to remember your reflector trick. Looks much easier than trying to find a set or make them separately. One suggestion: since the hood is separate, I would cut the trim from the grille, glue it to the hood and foil it once it's painted.

Thanx Tommy! I agree with you! Their simplicity makes them so easy to build and modify. As I said in another thread, they're great for a stress free, fun build.

Some more....

I like those! The Hopsters are somewhat similar. I painted the recesses gold like you have yours. But, for some reason, they didn't suit it to me. I can't buy wheels from Steve as I'm not on Facebook.

No, it was this one.. About all I salvaged was the body, convertible top, boot, rear cover and door panels. The rest of it did come from a "Mount N Goat". I had to scratch build the full top and the splash pan up front.

That's a sharp little Nova Steve! Is that Dupli Color Bahama Blue? I'm thinking the Tamiya Light Blue Metallic over Mica Silver will be about between the color of your Nova and my F-100. Getting the hood in primer made a big difference! This scoop actually has a lower profile than the raised scoop in the front. I like it! Don't care who doesn't! It was good thing I test fit the rear bumper. The piece I added to the rear of the chassis interferes with it. I just gotta cut a notch in it for the license plate recess. I was concerned that the chassis might hang below the rear bumper. But, it's tucked up like it should be. One last thing I need to check is the grille. If fits fine as it is. But, it looks like there's reflectors that mount to the back side. I want to make sure they won't hit against the the radiator support.

Yeah, but it doesn't fix the messed up trim on the side. That kills that model for me.

I can't. Or rather, I won't. If it were only the carburetors sticking out, I would consider it. But, the hood wouldn't clear the blower snout and belt. The belt stuck up just enough to interfere. But, didn’t come above the hood.

Thanx Steve! It is higher in the front than the rear. It has to be that high in front to clear the breather on the front carburetor. I patterned it from this scoop. This car has me thinking about going with a similar color. I can get close with Tamiya Light Blue and a coat of pearl. I'm going to try Tamiya Light Blue Metallic over Mica Silver to see what it looks like also. I got the hood in the first coats of primer last night. It made it look quite different. Not nearly as jarring as it was in the raw.

Thanx Mike! I liked it too until I had to raise it 2mms and move it forward 3mms. Then it had an awkward look to it.

I really considered doing that. A LOT. It would've made things a lot easier. But, I have to do it my way. This will be the only '65 Nova that I'll ever build. Time today was spent on sawing the old hood scoop off and scratch building an outlaw cowl scoop. This is the first time I've done one of these. It's a bit jarring to me right now comparing it to the other hood scoop. But, it gives a little more modern look now and doesn't look like a '90s refugee. I'll see what it looks like in primer and go from there.

Thanx Carl! I liked it that way best. But, it and the breathers didn't want to get along.

The body is now ready to be sanded and painted! The only problem now is, I don't like how the hood scoop looks. It just doesn't look right to me with the added height. So, I'm going to cut it back off again and make an outlaw cowl hood for it. I figured out what my off center engine problem was. It's the chassis instead of the engine. Easy fix. So, I can have the option of leaving the top of the engine open if I happen to not like the cowl hood.