ea0863

Hi Misha! I've been following your build with great enthusiasm and have "borrowed" some of the great cues you are incorporating into your Corvair. I cannot wait to see how it is going to come out. Mine is actually all but done, and I am writing up a WIP to document what I learned along the way. That, and I'm still trying to figure out how to work this site

At SEMA 2021, I ran across a beautiful custom Corvair at the Meguiar's booth named "Rare Vair" completed by a gentleman named Lonnie Gilbertson. I took a few pictures and decided it would have to be a future model build. For my version of the build, I got the AMT Corvair "Chezoom" Funny car, as well as the AMT 1969 Corvair kit, and quickly discovered neither were ideal for my project; the Chezoom kit as it turns out is cobbled together with a Corvair body on a "Hemi-Under-Glass" frame and drivetrain. This means the engine is a Chrysler hemi, the wheelbase is off and requires cutting the rear fenders, there is no transmission whatsoever as the driveshaft exits the clutch housing and goes right to the differential (as our own member Misha Koslovsky found out during his build), and because it is a funny car, the front suspension is very rudimentary. The '69 Corvair on the other hand has lots of extra racing parts and a better detailed interior, however its unibody chassis would require extensive modification to go from rear engine to mid engine configuration. Not to say it cannot be done, as Scale Auto Garage has a gorgeous video online of one done with a Ferrari Testarossa engine, drivetrain, and subframe. Because I was going for a race car for the street vibe, I decided to use the Chezoom kit, and maybe steal a few parts from the '69 Corvair. Starting with the engine, I set aside the hemi engine and sourced a Chevy (I believe a 396?) and manual tranny from a Revell Foose '65 Impala. To figure out how the engine would mate to the differential, I did some research on the actual "Hemi-Under-Glass" and learned that it used a very novel marine gearbox called the Casale V-drive to redirect power from the tranny to the diff. Since the Casale gearbox looked to my eyes like the front and rear covers to the blower from a Revell '29 Model A Roadster, I stole those from my kit and together with some finagling of the Chezoom subframe, came up with my drivetrain:

Beautiful car done to a perfect level of detail (in my humble opinion). I too was wondering whether you used a detail-up kit, and if so where you got it. If no kit was used, all the more kudos for your mad skills!

Totally put a smile on my face, and I love the details you incorporated.

It came out wonderful. I particularly like the shades of red and black on the interior.

"Super detailing blues" - - - I love it, and I totally get it. I've spent one week on BMF alone and have gone decidedly cross-eyed in the process I think I'll make my next build a fun beater.

Love the pics, and love the history. Thank you for posting!

Well done, and good luck!

It came out great, although I particularly covet your skills in applying the brightwork.

Looks great. Now I gotta get me one of those too

Awesome job. Tons of character in that car

I love the colors, and am particularly liking the white vinyl interior with lap belts. But under the hood is way awesome....looks like a 1:1 engine compartment!

Great story, and awesome model! The interior is as beautiful as the exterior...

Killer paint job and stance!

Great job and color choices! The only criticism I have is with the kit - - - I wish they would offer LH drive as well. Thanks for posting!

Beautiful job on all that brightwork!

Beautiful build, and I love the hood cowl. But I gotta admit the photos in the garage backdrop just bring a tear to my eye. I can remember being 16 and working my first job at a service station, Journey playing in the background, and my buddy doing hole shots in the lot with his '69 Nova with his 350 small block and Muncie rock crusher

Way funky cool!

Wow (x7)

Just beautiful! I love the paint - just the right amount of flake and scale correct. May I ask what you used? Also, the vinyl top has the perfect texture. How did you achieve that?

Very nice build! I particularly like just the right amount of detail under the hood.

Thank you for sharing the buildup on the engine, it is such an interesting design. I also loved the inspirations photos - particularly the Seca Design. When I saw your model, my mind was taken to the Norman Timbs Special.

It looks downright fast and furious Well done Jim!

Two beautiful cars! Thank you for posting.

Marcos, did you happen to use a detail-up set in your build, or did all that beautiful brightwork come with the kit?