CorvairJim

While I'm not really into lowriders (especially the modern ones!), I'm a big fan of '58 Chevys. This one's a real beauty. The colors are perfect on it, and the flipper caps and lakes pipes really make the look!

Well, you got the one for your CBP finished before I got the one I'm doing for MY CBP done, and mine started first! Great job, Eelco. It looks like it might have been what Mattel based their car on!

No sooner said than done, David. I played with my computer some and managed to get it to load my photos. So here it is, the model I've wanted to build ever since I bought the 1:1 car back in November of 1980, my first Corvair: I found the correct wheel covers on eBay a few years ago. They were brand new, still on the sprue. These wheel covers were a one-year-only 1965 style, never reissued. The tires were from the Glue Bomb. The kid that built it originally had glued them together with white glue to make wider tires for the rear. The whitewalls came out of their 45 year misadventure looking brand new! Notice the 1965 front plate, showing that this is an actual annual kit. I painted the headlight trim semi-gloss balck on my car, leaving the rim natural, so I replicated that on the model. The color is Dupli-Color spray touch-up paint from the can. As I recall, it's a late 1980's Toyota truck color, but it's real close to what was on my car. I had to remove the original Corsa badges and replicate the Monza "Crosses" on the feders. There's no practical way to build a 1965 Corvair model out of a later reissue because the front trim bar and the location of the front Corvair nameplate are both different. I also added a piano wire radio antenna. The gold pinstripe replicates (as closely as I can do it in scale) the one I had on the 1:1 car. I worked as a pinstriper at the time, so my car had to have a pinstripe on it! This angle shows how I had to convert the engine from a different Glue Bomb model (I could have used one from the donor kit that gave up it's chassis, rear body clip, windows, and bumpers, but I wanted to keep as close to the theme of the CBP as possible) from the 140 h.p., 4-carb version to the 2-carb, 110 h.p engine that was in the 1:1 car. That chromed air cleaner lid was a 140-only piece, but it's a popular swap on lower output engines and my car had it already when I bought it. The 1980 Pennsylvania tag, 2Z2-728, was the actual number that I had on the car. If you check back to some of my earlier posts, I think I detailed how and why I had to replace the rear bodywork. The gold-painted rear "Cove" area is the way I had modified the actual car. The Corsa model had this area painted silver from the factory, but I thought gold would compliment the dark green paint better. I had to modify the air exhaust grille (under the rear bumper) from a single, full-width outlet to the two smaller ones seen here to replicate the one-year-only 1965 style after I clipped in the rear bodywork from the 1969 reissue donor kit. A detail shot of the interior. I really had to work to match the interior color as closely as I did, and it's still not 100% accurate. I was working from a photo of a friend's car, so I did get it close. I used the Monza dashboard from the donor kit instead of the multi-gauge Corsa unit, but it's painted aluminum as Chevy did it in '65, not the matte black thay used on the Monza dashes from 1966-69. Also, the 1:1 car had a black carpet from a junkyard car in it, but I decided to use the tan the car came from the factory with in the model. (So sue me!) Other interior additions are the sun visors, dome light, dimmer switch, and turn signal lever. I made a more realistic shifter from a ball-headed straight pin. I had to piece together the steering wheel because the one from the Glue Bomb had a badly broken rim. I cut the rim from the donor kit's wheel and joined it to the spokes of the 1965 unit. The chassis, as I mentioned, came from a donor kit. The kid who built the model the first time around had crammed a hot rodded V-8 in back, so he had to butcher the chassis and rear of the body to make it fit. I modified the chassis from the donor kit to replicate the one from the original annual kit as closely as possible, including the rectangular slot for the pipes for the optional turbocharger setup and the holes for the screws up front. As you can see, I went so far as to polish up the screws and use them in the restoration. The second generation AMT Corvair model was never available with a single muffler option, so I had to make my own, replicating as closely as possible the factory setup using styrene rod bent over a flame. Only the 140 h.p.engine option had dual exhausts from the factory, while the base 95 h.p. engine and my 110 h.p. version had this single exhaust setup. Well, that's my model... Let me know what you think, guys!

This message to you didn't count? Sent 01 December 2011 - 02:38 AM Right you are. The Graham badge says "Hollywood Supercharged". I stand corrected. Can I get a "Close Enough" on this one since I hit on the correct car, just the wrong variant? After all, these two are about as close as a mid-60's Chevy Bel Air and an Impala are... Well, humpf!

The '65 Corvair I was (re)building for the "Glue Bomb" CBP is now finished and so the "Little Old Lady's" '64 Dodge 330 is back on the table. I shot the paint a couple of weeks ago and polished it out this evening. The interior has been done for a while now, so it's time to get cracking on the chassis and drivetrain. It's been about 5 years since I've done a Mopar, so I hope I remember the details...

First, the good news: I finally got my '65 Corvair Monza coupe finished. It came out better than I thought it would, considering the amount of bodywork it needed and the time spent mixing the color for the interior to get it exactly right (The model is a replica of my first Corvair, so it HAD TO be right! ). Now, the bad news: For some reason, I can't get my computer to upload my pictures from my camera's memory card. (I'll work on the problem and try to get the pictures posted A.S.A.P.)

I've never had too much sccess with Easy Off myself except for stripping chrome. For me, it's brake fluid for the hard stuff that Simple Green doesn't touch. You don't need to toss the brake fluid after just one use. Seal it up in a Tupperware container (As was already commented on above, get your own - Do NOT, under and circumstances, use your wife's/girlfrie\nd's/ signifigant other's!) and you can use the same stuff for years! (BTW: I can tell you one thing... I'M not "that Jimmy kid"! )

I had the same guesses as everyone else, having said Graham Hollywood at first too, but noting that it was nearly identical to the Hupp Skylark in my original message. I guess there were too many others for me to make the cut!

Think about it... Hell isn't COOL, it's pretty doggone HOT!!!

Just to play "Devil's Advocate" for a second, what about U.S.-badged cars from elsewhere? Say, a Ford Cortina from England or a 2000's Pontiac GTO from Australia? After all, Ford and Pontiac ARE U.S. nameplates. I would assume these would be acceptable, which brings up the next question: American cars built for the Canadian market like the Pontiac Acadian (Nova) and Beaumont (Chevelle)? Chevy Impalas are now being built in Canada, making them technically foreign cars, while Toyota Camrys and BMW Z4's are built right here in the good ol' U.S.of A., making them technically domestics. For antique car buffs, Monogram had a very nice Springfield, Massachusetts-built 1920's Rolls-Royce in it's lineup for many years, so the vague dividing line has been there for a very long time now. I'm not trying to be a "Smart A**" here, just trying to stimulate some conversation.

Nope, but it would have been a race. I never had the 'Vair down a strip, but official Casio wristwatch timing done by a 250 lb. passenger while I (275 lbs.) was driving put the car in the high 13's. Take away that weight penalty and it definite would have been close!

I got it and a bit of history on the brand besides. Drop by on Friday for more...

That's because Ford engines are basically boat anchors compared to righteous CHEVY mills! That's why you see so many rods with Chevy power between the rails. Hey, if Matt wants a Ford slug in his Chevy, I guess that just makes it safer to haul the trailer - He doesn't have to worry about it going fast enough to lose control of the rig! (It IS a great looking model!)

I started one of these a while back but other projects got in the way and I completely forgot about it until just now! I'll have to dig it up and get back to work on it.

Thanks for the offer - P.M on it's way!

I finally managed to get back into my workroom for a few hours this evening and do something on my '65 Corvair. The body is finished and chromed, the glass is in, the interior is ready to go in (complete with the usual additions like a dome light, turn signal stalk, dimmer switch, carpet flocking, etc). I dug up some original '65 Corvair wheel covers still on the tree (!), so I got them paint detailed and fitted to the whitewalls that came on the bastardized model I started off with. Once the paint on the rear suspension is dry, I'll be able to put that in and do the final assembly. I've only been planning to build this model for about 31 years since it's a replica of my first Corvair - Now it's almost on my shelf!

There you have it! I hear you about many of the models from 1958, but I personally like the '58 Impala better than the iconic '57 Bel Air. As for that '56 Bel Air 4-door hardtop ("Sport Sedan"), it was the first 4-door hardtop in the low-price field, and it's sweeping roofline is strikingly graceful to my eyes. Yellow and green wouldn't look very good to me on any car (although a friend of mine once had a yellow '61 Buick Invicta with a green interior from the fatory), but put the same red and white two-tone as the convertible on the Sport Sedan and it comes alive. An acquaintance of mine once had one in black and white and I thought it was pretty sharp. It all comes down to "Different strokes for different folks"!

"Ugly" is open to interpretation. For instance, I used to own a Pacer and I never thought it was ugly, exactly, just "Different". And different for good reasons. It had great interior room (with the exception of rear seat legroom) and it's wide stance made a decent handler out of it. But the Pacer is often included in lists of ugly cars. Meanwhile, I've never liked the looks of the first two styles of Mustang (1965-66, 1967-68). Yet there are plenty of people who consider them to be great looking cars. All I can say to that is, park one next to a 1965 Corvair coupe and tell me with a straight face that the Mustang is a better looking car! Then there's the first-series Corvair. I've heard it all too often that it's a bad looking car, but it's still one of the most imitated designs ever! Again, park any comparable early 60's compact next to a Corvair coupe of the era and, at least to my eye, the Corvair comes out on top. Falcon? Comet? Rambler? Downfight baroque. Valaint/Lancer? What's up with all the body lines to nowhere? I hope I haven't stirred up too much animosity among my friends on here with my little rant. All I'm trying to point out is that styling is purely subjective. If the CBP were for models of cars that the builder considers to be ugly, I guess I could dig up one of the '66 Mustang kits that I decapitated to use the roof for a Sport Sedan conversion on a Corvair model...

Hey Chuck, isn't that car more of a "Yellowjacket" than a Hornet now with that paint job???

Craig proposed a build for your First or Favorite car. My first car would be difficult but not impossible - an 'el strippo' 1965 Chevy II 4-door sedan. I suppose I could modify the "Rat Packer" body and use a Trumpeter Nova chassis, engine, and modified interior. I could do my first Corvair, but I'm already replicating that car for the "Glue Bomb" CBP. As far as my favorite car goes, I had a fantastic (albeit slightly scruffy) Lemonwood Yellow '66 Corvair Monza coupe that I had to sell for financial purposes a couple of years ago. That car was great at traffic lights, especially when some punk kid pulled up beside me in a 5.0 Mustang! My vanity plate said "CORVA1R" to let people know what it was that had just blown their doors off! I've already planned to build a replica of that car, since I think I've FINALLY found paint close enough to look right. Ok, I know, I know, this is a MODEL website, but I just have to show off a little: I know she had a few body issues, but the model won't!

What appears in the video doesn't matter. This CBP is about the way YOU see the car in your mind's eye when you hear the song. For instance, check out Jantrix's fine "Flatbed Ford" ("Take It Easy", by The Eagles). He built a chopped '34 parts store delivery truck while I had always envisioned it as a faded white late-60's F-200 with minor body damage and maybe a hay bale on the flatbed. Two entirely different concepts, and they're both right. It all comes down to the builder's imagination.

Jeff, I'm not a Ford guy by any means, but I have done a few of these kits just so I didn't let the rest of a kit go to waste after amputating their roofs as donors for 4-door hardtop conversions on Corvair coupe models. So if you still have the roof from this one, could you send it my way? Here is an example of what I'm talking about: (Your Mustang convertible came out better than the ones I've done, clearly because you're into the subject matter. Nice job!)

A classic from Bruce! This should definitely be a good one! (I'm listening to "I'm On Fire" on Pandora as I type this... )

I knew right away that it was real - I remembered seeing the photo in an advertisement for RM Auctions not too long ago.

(*"Jalousie" )