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I also saw the video some time ago and never knew that Dan drove one of those. Glad to see a scale version of that car being built, and you're doing an excellent job so far with it. Can't wait to see more progress.

Thanks everyone for the interest! This is a project that I've wanted to do for many many years, as I've always found the early Land Speed cars, and especially Streamliners, very cool. During the recent years I've been in El Mirage twice and that has not necessarily helped the desire to build one... I definitely want to visit Bonneville some time, but being in Finland, it's not always so easy to make happen. Anyway, the biggest issue with this project has always been the body. Now that I finally found one of these at an affordable price, it's time to build one. Let's see, I'm not sure yet on the tires, but I might be using them! We'll see once I get the thing un-assembled and the remains of those old rubber-bands that go around the tires removed, I can see how they really look like. After all, I'd like to use the original tires, and they can't be seen much on the finished model anyway. This is what I was thinking myself when I got this thing. It would be fairly easy to turn the body "backwards" and have the driver behind the engine, but then I decided that I want to go with the driver in front and engine in back. This is an excellent idea that never came to my mind when I was planning this one. Thanks! I did some research on the subject and I think I will build a dry sump setup for the engine. It will be a big help with the clearance issue. I'm still a little in the planning stages as far as the body shapes go. With the idea of using a dry sump, I don't have to make the body as much taller as I originally mocked up. However, I think I'll be adding a little thickness to the body to make everything fit properly, but not as much as I originally thought. A small bulge will be added to the hood to help with clearance and I will have to re-design the front end a little, so that air doesn't go under the body and lift the car up in higher speeds.

Thanks guys! The kind words are much appreciated. Tom, this is actually a lot better kit than what I predicted before opening the box. I really like the X-Frame Chevrolets and '61 is one of the best years, so I'm pretty sure this is not going to be my last one either. Well, been busy so not a whole lot of progress, except that I got the body and hood ready for primer. Nicholson ran the car without side mirrors, so I had to fill their mounting spots on the body and do a couple of more finishing touches here and there. Primer is Alclad's Grey Primer & Microfiller which is excellent stuff. Now I'll let it dry for a couple of days and then it's time to shoot some white paint on it.

This could be a long project, but let's kick it off while waiting for parts to dry on my '61 Impala in Drag Racing Models section. I've always wanted to build a Bonneville Streamliner from the early '50s. The problem has been the starting point, or the lack of one. Now finally I was able to score an affordable Hawk's Bonneville Racer on eBay. I'm not sure if I should call this a model kit or a toy, the very few parts that are included in the box, need to be assembled, but after that you could drive around with your rubber-band powered Streamliner! Anyway, this thing is supposed to be 1/32nd scale, but as far as I know, it's trying to represent a Streamliner that would have a big aircraft engine for power. And, that kind of Streamliners were huge. If you compare the size of this thing to a 1/25th scale Hot Rod for example, it looks natural, so it's about the correct size if you're replicating a Streamliner powered by a regular automotive engine. In this project, I will use the body, wheels and tires from this kit, everything else has to be either kitbashed, modified or scratchbuilt. So a lot of work is ahead, but also we need to keep in mind that most of the frame, axles etc will be hidden once this is finished and the belly pan is glued on place. I will have a removable hood on this thing so I will do my best on engine detail. Speaking of the engine, it will be a 239 Cid Ford Flathead with a front mounted Blower. This puts it in B/Streamliner class. The kit: The engine is a 3D printed product by Iceman Collections. It's actually really nice, but has the usual 3D-printed texture so that needs to be taken care of. First thing was to test fit if the engine will even fit between the rear axle and driver. There's definitely no extra space, but I think it'll fit, and I'll be able to fit a stubby transmission in there as well. The body is really low, though. The engine would not fit under the hood. And by looking at pictures of these things, I thought I need to modify the body a bit taller to make the frame and engine fit properly between the belly pan and body. This is just a cardboard template taped to the body to see if the shape would be nowhere near acceptable. I'm not very good at photoshopping pictures, but this is the cardboard template "painted by computer" with body color. I think the shape is reasonable, so I might need to cut the required pieces from styrene and glue them on.

Thanks Tom! Much appreciated. Today I did a final mock up to see that the body fits properly on place so that I can start prepping it for paint. And luckily, everything seems to fit as they should. The body is actually not that bad, I didn't notice any sink marks that would need to be filled with putty, though there are quite many mold lines, and some in pretty tricky places. After a couple of hours of cleanup and sanding, I got the mold lines smoothed out. At the same time, I drilled two holes for the hood, so that air will flow through the scoop to the engine. I also removed some exterior emblems from the body, because they will be replaced with photo etch parts after paint. A couple of spots needed a small amount of putty, so no primer yet. At the moment I'm in a point where I'd need the body painted and ready to assemble to continue the rest of the model. So now because I will have to wait for parts to dry before continuing, I might work on something else as a side-project.

This turned out beautiful! Your attention to detail and all of the scratchbuilt parts make this one stand out. Also, the different metal finishes especially on the engine, and your subtle weathering are looking fantastic. Very nice build of a beautiful car. Interesting to see what you'll be building next.

Handbrake cables are done. In the rear, brake cables are made out of metal wire and spark plug wire material, all fittings are made out of hex-shaped plastic rod. On front, cables are made out of same metal wire and linkage is made out of beer can aluminum. It's slightly simplified version of the 1:1, but I think it'll do the job. Now the chassis is pretty much done, with the exception of rear shocks and some touch-ups here and there. I will need to start getting the body ready for paint.

That is a beautiful model of a beautiful car! You did an excellent job detailing this one. I built one of these as a kid, now this makes me want to do another one.

If we didn't have this superb WIP thread in here and didn't know what the kit is like if built box stock, there would be no way to tell how much stuff has been scratchbuilt or modified on this beautiful build, because everything looks so great. With that said, it's always really nice to see an update on this project, you're doing a fantastic job with it. Even though I'm completely on another skill level (way behind ), threads like this keep me motivated to try out new techniques and add some new details on my builds.

Great to see one of these built! Can't remember if I've ever seen one finished, but you did an excellent job with yours. Nice clean work!

You are absolutely correct! It's a good feeling every time when you can scratchbuild something succesfully. Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it! Next up was scratchbuilding a clutch linkage. I started with the Z-bar, which was built from round plastic rod with mounting plate made out of beer can aluminum. Same material was also used for the parts where the clutch rods are mounted. It was a bit fiddly to assemble, but it came out OK. Especially as it will be mostly hidden under steering shaft and brake master cylinder anyway. Clutch fork is just a piece of sheet styrene painted and glued to place. Here is the Z-bar mocked up. Clutch rods were made out of metal wire. For the clutch rod between clutch pedal and Z-bar, I drilled a hole through firewall, clutch rod on bottom is just glued between the Z-bar and clutch fork. The clutch rods will be left in silver, but obviously the upper clutch rod can't be mounted yet as the firewall is not done. I think next I'll need to start working on handbrake cables.

Great to see a race car with a cool history being built in scale. I had known about Dan Gurney's '61 Impala, but never knew about this one. Excellent work with the body conversion and the whole rest of the build. Everything seems to be just right. Where are the hose clamps on radiator hoses from?

Wow! What a VERY nice and clean build of a beautiful car! The paint job looks flawless and so does the rest of the build too, ultra clean work overall with all paint finishes and assembly. Everything seems to be just right. Congrats on a very well done model.

Next I added brake lines to front of the chassis. Hardlines are made out of metal wire, brake hoses going to wheel cylinders are spark plug wire material, all brake line fittings were made out of hex-shaped plastic rod. Then I glued the engine to the chassis. The fitment of the AMT engine on a Lindberg frame is actually surprisingly good. The only issue now is that I can't fit the original steering shaft on place anymore, because the generator is on the way. The generator is on a bit different location that what it is on a Lindberg engine. Now, the generator is on a correct place though, so I much rather will modify the steering shaft to make it fit properly.

As far as I know, these kits are about 1/32 scale, but someone said they are representing a Streamliner that would have a big airplane engine behind the driver. And those things were huge. With that said, my plan was originally to enlarge it to 1/25th scale, but now when looking at it, I don't think it's necessary at all when building a Streamliner with an automobile engine. Because it is approximately the same size as a regular Hot Rod, I think it's good to go.

I was able to score a Bonneville Streamliner by Hawk Models from eBay a while ago and yesterday it showed up! A Streamliner is something that I've always wanted to build, so this will be interesting. The kit is super simple, so a lot of scratchbuilding and kitbashing will be required, as my plan is to build a "Full Detail" version with a proper engine and drivetrain. Once my current '61 Impala project is finished I'll start working on this one...

Glad to hear the Jeep J-10 is being reissued! I've been trying to find the latest reissue of that kit with no luck, but now that it's coming out again I will have to be ready to buy one before they disappear again. I need it as a donor for my '64 Jeep Wagoneer.

Spent the weekend in UK, visited London and on Saturday we went to Aldershot for the annual Rockers Reunion. While we were in London we had to visit Hannants in Colindale, London. Bought a Lindberg '37 Cord. Not the most highly detailed kit, but let's see what I can do with it... Also today a couple of decal sheets arrived in the Mail for planned future projects. These were found in eBay. On top, Ohio George Montgomery's Malco Gasser Mustang decals by Slixx. In the middle, decals for Max Sterling's '61 Pontiac SD Super Stock by Decals By Lucas. And on bottom is Ronnie Sox's '63 Impala Z-11 decals by Slixx.

Engine work continues. Since the last pictures I was able to install a generator, belt, pulleys and a fan. This required a little modifying. So, the whole engine is originally from AMT '62 Bel Air. That kit has also power steering pump belt and pulley molded into the belt drive. Well, those are unnecessary on a race car so I cut them off. Also, the original belt would locate the generator too far so that it would hit the inner fender. So I had to shorten the belt to make the generator fit on correct position. After smoothing out the glue seams on the belt, everything was painted and assembled as usual. For the generator, I added a photo etch mount with photo etch bolt and nut details. Generator tag (the small red & silver plate on top of the generator) was made out of aluminum and painted according to the 1:1 version. I also added three wire connectors for three wires that connect to the generator, just like they are on a real deal. Wiring will be added once engine sits in the engine bay. I also started to build a simple throttle linkage. As the carburetors are very well detailed, there's not much that I need to add there at this point. Rest of the linkage can be done when the engine is installed on place. I think now the engine is pretty much ready to be installed to the frame. Before that though, I will need to add brake lines to the frame. I also found a photo etch detail set for this kit. I had tried to find one earlier, but it seemed to be out of stock everywhere, even Model Car Garage didn't have one. Now I got lucky and was able to find one so I bought it. I wish I had found it earlier, I could have used it in the interior as well, but at least I get all of the exterior logos now.

Thanks David! I appreciate the kind words.

Fulvia is a beautiful car, so with it being 1/24 scale I think I'll have to build one. Hopefully it will have an engine though.

Thanks Tom! Me being here in Finland, the cost when ordering parts from USA is always pretty high so it's good to be able to scratchbuild at least some of the parts needed. I built a dipstick for engine oil. It's made from a piece of metal wire that I flattened out from the other end to represent the handle. Then the dipstick tubing was painted gloss black. Some more engine work was also done. The dipstick was installed and can be seen in the next photos. I also drilled holes on distributor and cylinder heads for spark plug wires and they are now installed, naturally in correct firing order. Wires are Pro Tech spark plug wire. I couldn't find a coil in my parts boxes, so I made one from styrene rod. Also, fuel lines from fuel pump to carburetors are done, they are metal wire with fittings made out of hex-shaped styrene rod. Clear fuel filter was made out of mold sprue that I heated up and stretched to make it the correct diameter. I drilled a hole in it and installed an actual filter element inside (piece of thin plastic rod painted white), but it can't be seen very well in the end. It's definitely not perfect, but maybe it's good enough to be hidden under the hood.

That's a good deal for the Lincoln! I'd be happy to build one of those as well. That reminds me, a few years ago I remember scrolling through a Finnish site where people sell all kinds of stuff. It's not often when you see someone selling models in there, but this time I noticed a '68 Impala Promo model in perfect condition. The price was $40. I called the seller immediately, and while he lived quite close to me, I jumped to the car and went to pick it up right away. He also had a '67 Pontiac GTO Convertible Promo for also $40 so I bought that too. At home I was looking at both of the promos and they are flawless, like brand new. I thought it was a good deal as I've always wanted to build a '68 Impala. I just checked on eBay quickly, saw only one '68 Impala Promo Model with the price tag of $780.

Thanks Sean! I'm happy how the interior turned out. Even though it's kind of a shame that this thing will eventually have side windows with class designations, so the interior is not seen that well from the finished model. Did a little more work with the engine. Built collectors for the headers from a correct size plastic rod. A little putty was needed to smooth out the seams between collectors and primary tubes. I noticed that Nicholson's car had oval-shaped breathers on front ends of both valve covers. I haven't seen similar ones in any kit, so I had to scratchbuild them. Breathers are mold sprue, filed to an oval shape, cut to length and on top of that I added pieces of sheet styrene as covers. After gluing the stryene on, I just filed that to a correct shape as well. And now that the sheet styrene has those grooves on bottom side, I was able to get finned covers for my breathers. They were painted chrome silver and glued to place. Engine kind of has a molded in fuel pump. The frame of the pump that attaches the engine block is there, but lower part of the fuel pump where the diaphragm is, was completely missing. That was easily built out of styrene rod as well, glued to place and painted silver.

Thanks Joe for the kind words! I agree completely, a good kit of a '78-82 Malibu would be a must have, and probably a great seller too, if you look at how popular they've become in the 1:1 world. I know at least I would need a couple of them to start with.