W-409

Never heard of that manufacturer before, but glad I did now. Checked it out and looks like this was another expensive day...

Thanks Pierre! I kind of would like to have the body removable to be able to get a good view on the chassis. But, at the same time, I'm not really a fan of models that look like a yard sale at a model car show with all body parts removed. I mean, there's basically nothing wrong with that, but you can't figure out the overall view that way, and to me, the overall look is pretty important. So with that said, the body will not be removable when this is done. So basically all of the fabrication on chassis and axles is just for our entertainment and WIP pictures, as it can't be seen on a finished model. I will have an opening hood though, so the engine can be displayed.

Now with my Optional Super Stock '61 Impala finished (see here, if interested: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/200176-don-nicholsons-61-chevrolet-impala-oss/), it's time to get back working on this thing. Last weekend I got a Quick Change rear axle for this build. As I couldn't find one in my parts boxes, a friend of mine decided to cast a couple of them in resin, so that's what I'll be using. I also found a leaf spring that could work for the rear suspension. The only problem with that leaf spring was that it was too wide for this application. So I narrowed it a little from both ends. Then I mocked it up to the rear axle, drilled holes for mounting tabs to both, leaf spring and rear axle, so now thanks to the mounting tabs, I'm able to do mock ups easily without any glue. I decided to go with the kit tires, because of a couple of reasons. First, I like the idea of using as many parts as possible of this simple and quite rarely seen kit. Second, they are pretty much the correct size for this thing, and third, while they're not the most detailed out there, with the belly pan installed, they're not seen basically at all when this model is finished. To make the tires fit the rear axle, I had to drill their mounting holes a little bigger. And here I'm doing a mock up with rear axle, leaf spring and tires to see where I need to fabricate a rear crossmember to the frame so that I have something where the leaf spring will actually mount. That crossmember will also determine that rear axle will be mounted into a correct height to achieve proper ride height. Once that's figured out, I can fabricate somekind of control arms for the rear axle.

The interior is looking really good so far! Excellent work with the detailing and weathering to get rid of the plastic look. Very nice work!

Really nice work on a beautiful car! I might have missed it, but is it an actual model kit or resin? Or 3D print?

Thanks guys! I appreciate the kind comments! It was a long time in the making, but honestly most of the time it was just being boxed away for some reason. I'm happy to have it finished and it looks pretty good on the shelf. Last weekend we had our annual FHRA Model Car Contest which is a show I've been participating every year since 2008. The judges decided this thing was worth a Top Ten finish, which was unexpected, but nice.

Thanks Robert, I appreciate the kind words.

Great looking fabrication so far, keep it up! It's always a pleasure to see an uncommon kit being built into something different, so a big thumbs up because of that, too. As a Rambler guy, I really like the Rambler Gasser as well.

I'm kind of late to the party, but we visited the show with my Rambler, and had a great time! Some cool vehicles from way back were on display and the model cars were cool too. Too bad I didn't get much pictures of the model cars as the room was pretty crowded... Anyway, if you want to see some pictures of the show, here's my gallery: https://tapahtumakuvia.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Tapahtumat+2025/Stockholm+Hot+Rod+Show+29.3.2025/

Thanks for the kind words everyone! I appreciate it. They are from Detail Master's Battery Hardware Kit:

Very nice, clean work creating a beautiful and a period correct race car! I know some people are not that thrilled about this kit, but your build proves that it can be built into a very nice model. Excellent work!

Thanks Bill, much appreciated! The final assembly went smoothly and this thing is now finally Finished! Check it out here: Thanks to everyone who has been following along or posting comments, I really appreciate that. Now, on to the next one.

This is a project I started originally in 2009 and finally finished it yesterday. For 1961 Nationals at Indy, NHRA announced a new class that was called Optional Super Stock. Optional Super Stock allowed normal Stock class entries to use recently introduced parts and equipment for 1962 model year, or one could run with body / engine combination that wasn't available straight from the factory showroom, if the vehicle was otherwise Stock legal. Also, a hood scoop was allowed. Don Nicholson modified his '61 Impala to run in the new OS/S class, so the 1961 409 engine with a single four barrel carburetor was rebuilt with a 1962 setup with dual Carter carburetors, cylinder heads and a camshaft. Nicholson won the class final against The Ramchargers, but was unfortunately disqualified because of prohibited valve springs... The Optional Super Stock class was short-lived, it was replaced in 1962 by the newly introduced Factory Experimental category, which became really popular. I wanted to build this model to match the car Nicholson drove at Indy in 1961. It is based on a Lindberg kit, which represents the version of the car that Nicholson drove at the early 1961 season, so I had to do some modifications. The kit is not the most detailed one, but it's actually not bad either, here I tried to fix some of its' biggest problems. Engine was replaced by one that I took out of an AMT '62 Bel Air built-up. It is a better detailed version of the 409 than what you get in the Lindberg box, but it also has the correct 1962 model year parts. Most notable modifications are headers that I scratchbuilt from plastic rod.They are built using a picture of the 1:1 car engine bay as a reference. Carburetors are 3D printed Carters by an unknown supplier, ignition coil and valve cover breathers were scratchbuilt and the incorrect placement of the generator was fixed by modifying the belt drive. Other than that it's mostly out of box, with just some added details like plug wires, throttle linkage, fuel lines, generator wiring etc. On chassis I replaced wheels and tires. Front tires are from, I believe, Revell '58 Impala, rear tires are from AMT Parts Pack and wheels are resin cast by a friend of mine. I had to modify the way the wheels mount on both, front and back, to make them sit properly, and also I lifted the front suspension a little to achieve the stance of the 1:1 car. Other than that the chassis is mostly box stock with added fuel lines, brake lines and scratchbuilt clutch and parking brake linkages. Interior is mostly box stock. I used flocking for carpet, everything is painted with Revell Enamels, for dashboard I used an airbrush, but everything else is brush painted. Added details are seat belts and tachometer cable. The body of this kit was pretty good. I had to make lower window trim for rear window from plastic rod, but otherwise no major modifications had to be done. Paint is Tamiya LP-39 Racing White shot with an airbrush, followed by Mipa clear coat and polishing. Chrome trim is BMF, side windows with hand painted class markings are made out of sheet acetate, some body emblems are taken from a MCG photo-etch set. Hood scoop is scratchbuilt from sheet styrene. It was a fun build and overall the kit went together better than I expected. Like always, I made mistakes on the way, but I can be pretty happy how it looks on the shelf anyway. All kinds of comments are welcome, so I can build the next one better. If you want to see the WIP-thread, it's here: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/88260-don-nicholson-61-impala-oss/

I have one of these kits that's missing some parts. Now that I've bought some of the missing parts in eBay, decals from Slixx and also one glue bomb from a friend that will give me the rest of the parts needed to build Ohio George's Willys, it's natural that they will reissue the kit. So, glad to see it's reissued, but personally don't need it for now...

Really nice work with engine detailing! I think toning down the chrome on valve covers was a good move. At least I've lately been using very few actual chrome parts on my engine bays. Instead, flat clear on top of kit chrome plating or different "chrome paints" which don't really give the perfect chrome effect, give usually a more realistic looking result, just like we see here.