mrmike

In my quest to do something different, I was inspired by another builder's excellent '67 Impala SS and having this kit in my stash, I decided that I am going to build a...CHEVY!!!!! AUGGGGHHHH!!!!! The world is coming to an end! The sky is falling in! The Earth has stopped spinning on it's axis! The sky is getting black! Wait a minute...I'm still here...the clock is still ticking...I'm breathing and my dog is staring at me wagging his tail! I'm alive! I'M ALIVE!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!! Yes folks, mrmike is building for the first time ever...a Chevrolet Impala SS 427. The kit I am using was a gift from my brother-in-law who found the kit at the swap shop at the local landfill. In order to build this kit kinda stock requires replacing the wheels, tires (maybe), steering wheel, and induction system with a set of mag wheels, a steering wheel from a Dodge Charger, an intake manifold, carburator, and air cleaner from my parts box. The intake system is most likely a Mopar setup. Unless someone has these parts to offer, I will procede with the mags and Mopar parts. This is the AMT kit and it came from WalMart. Note the checkerboard graphics on the box. The paint is Model Master Nassau Blue Metallic. I know it's not the right year, but it should look great. Since I know more about Fords and Mopars, Chevrolets are foreign territory to me and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am aware that I might irk the Ford and Mopar Faithful by doing this build and I make no apologies for it. My next build after this will be a '64 Dodge 330 with either a 426 Hemi or a 426 Wedge engine. More to come.....

Thank you Dr. Cranky! The Chassis is coming along nicely. The motor is almost done. And, the interior, too. More to come.....

How can I go about contacting Tapani as I have a friend who might be interested in this resin kit here in America?

Thanks for the idea, Mike! I do happen to have the '50 Ford F-1 in my stash. I have a 302 planned for the F-1 instead of a flathead. That'll work!

Thank you Marcos for the recommendation! That supercharger looks like a great piece to add if I was using the flathead engine. I am using the modern Ford 302 engine from the kit for this build. I do have the Revell '48 Ford Woody and I wonder if the flathead parts or the entire flathead motor would fit the Woody with little to no mods? I'll find out when I get to building the Woody.

Thanks Charlie and Bruce! This is a good kit and it appears to share several componants with the '32 High Boy kit which I built several years ago. After searching through my parts box, to no avail, for a different induction system for the 302, I have decided to build the engine out of the box. There is a lot of parts to paint here! It is a lot of Revving Red and it looks great! More to come.....

Thank you Steve and Jeff!

My '66 Riviera GS is completed and posted in Under Glass. I would like to thank all those who took the time to view and to comment on this WIP!

This is my '66 Riviera GS painted with Tamiya TS-42 Light Gun Metal.

Thanks Dr. Cranky! Every year in August, I attend the New Hampshire Street Rod Ass'n. Show-N-Shine with at least 600+ cars from all over New England in attendance. I see many '32 Ford Sedans that are red in color and this says to me...STREET ROD! So, the influence here is the color red (amongst others) for this build.

Rob, I must admit that I really know nothing about flatheads that warrants any real interest for me. While they were/are quite popular in some circles, it really doesn't gather the interest that a modern V-8 does. For the street rod version, a flathead doesn't scream power as I think it is a bit undersize compared to the Ford 302. I took advantage of the 50 degree weather today to get out onto the roof to remove most of the heavy snow on it and to think about some things including the '32 Street Rod. I'm sure I have two complete Hemis in my parts box, but I am going to stick with the kit 302 and maybe change to a dual carb setup or change the air cleaner to a racier unit. After doing a few builds with plenty of kitbashing and scratch-building, maybe I'll stick to some mostly box stock type of builds for a while.

Influence is a big thing. It can make you want to do something, do something like it, or not do something at all. As a member of the Classic Plastic Model Club, I have seen several members' Street Rods over the last several months and it has influenced me to want to build one myself. At the last meeting, member Dave Perkins brought in his AMT '32 5-Window Street Rod WIP and that was the push I needed to start this one. I am building Revell's '32 Ford Sedan Street Rod kit with the Ford 302 engine and auto trans. Unless I decide to put a Hemi in it! For this build, I am using Testors One Coat Revving Red. This is my first time using this paint. More to come.....

Nice job on the Charger Bruce!

I got in some quality time this afternoon at the bench. I finished up the interior and chassis. The body is foiled. More to come.....

Thanks Ian! Progress for today before I head off to my monthly Classic Plastic Model Club meeting. I have completed the interior. With the firewall installed. The engine installed in the chassis with the interior mounted. More to come.....

Thank you Fred! The engine is done. The wheels have been assembled to the tires. I have been foiling the interior componants this afternoon. This was tedious work! More to come.....

Harry, you are correct! I have added a rear view mirror since I took the pictures, but I don't have anything in the shop to make an antenna with.

Thank you Jeff!

Thanks Charlie, Gus, and Dr. Cranky! I had realized that the wheels wobbled a bit after assembly. The wheel issue can be addressed by shortening the wheel retainer until the wheel back seats against the rear axle as tight as possible. The front wheels are a different story altogether. Due to the spindle design, the wheel wobbles since it has nothing sturdy to seat itself against. My solution was to cut two squares of sheet styrene 6mm x 6mm. Drill a hole in the center and slip it over the spindle and glue it in place. The end result is the wheel back now has something to seat itself against. More to come.....

Thanks Steve! She's definitely a looker, for sure!

That is my goal Charlie! The more I work on this Riviera, the more jazzed I get about it. This mess is all the extra parts and pieces painted either matt black or semi-gloss black. Some assemble has been done on the Super Wildcat engine. A light polishing revealed a nice gloss. No clearcoat here, all paint! More to come.....

Thanks Charlie and Mike! Charlie, at this point, I'm still not sure what I'll be bringing to the Show. We shall see

Thank you guys! Sometimes, I do get a good idea! I was going to make my own whitewalls on the opposite side of the tire, but the tire doesn't have the detail as the insert side does. Then, I thought about using a Sharpie! This also appears to be one of my better paint jobs, too!

A coat of primer brought out a sinkmark in the left front fender. So out came the Bondo Glazing And Spot Putty. While that was drying, I went and painted the hood. When the sinkhole was filled to my satisfaction, I primered the body again and found no other flaws, so I waited a while and then painted the body with one coat of Tamiya Light Gun Metal paint. More to come.....

Keep watching, Kane! I had a brainstorm while working with the kit tires this morning. I decided to run the tip of a Sharpie around the inner edge of the whitewall insert. And, what a difference in the appearance of the tire as it now looks like a regular whitewall tire. The engine is assembled and heading for the paintbooth. And now wearing a coat of Tamiya Orange paint. More to come.....