bisc63

Poorly pictured above also is some reshaping on the ends of the front lower valance panel. I added some styrene to the ends, then began filing to a more accurate contour. ( Still roughed in as shown) I had to think on this for a while. That seam between the fender and valance should be visible when using plain-style bumpers (which I will be), but the kit sets the bumper too high. First I added .020" shims to the top ens of the valance to drop everything a scale half inch down from the grill. Next I slotted the bumper mounting holes gently to drop it a tad more, but ran into interference from the filler panel forward extensions. Next step, superglue some .020" to the bottom of those extended areas, giving me enough "meat" to file them down from the top, thinning and sloping down at the same time so they tuck under/behind the bumper as they should.

Another sore spot for me is the front view of the hood. It's much too flat across the front, rolling like a later model hood might. It should have a bit of bullnose. If you have a '59 Imperial kit in your stash, look at the hood on that. That's the look. Bondo to the rescue, and a relatively simple improvement.

...and then I decided to lose the trim altogether, after seeing another build that did that!

I started this one way back, then got distracted by other matters. Recently, Smitty's excellent build of this kit inspired me to make an effort to get back on this and finish it! It will be slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Instead of box stock, I'll be doing a sort of home-built hot rod with a 70's vibe kinda thing. We all know this kit has its issues, and there are many ways to approach improvements. It'll never be perfect, but it can be much better than it comes out of the box. First and biggest improvement is to get that drooping rear quarter panel up at the tail. I sliced down the door line, then rearward just under the lower trim. I stuck a small section of square styrene bar in as a spacer, and that gave the lift I was looking for. This solves raising not only the trim, but the top of the quarter panel as well, as it should. On the real car, the quarter begins sloping upward to the back as soon as it leaves the door line. A few pics to show where I am and how I got there:

Good info. I was under the impression the base coupe had no back seat, radio, nor heater. I once owned a 47 Plymouth Coupe that was plain like that.

Really fun build going on here! I like what you're doing, and I LOVE the idea of the Akroyd concept. I had never heard of that, but I can see that looking all kinds of cool!

Nice work. This kit can look good with a bit of work. You are on the right track. The body is looking very good in that metallic gray color. I've been working on one (stalled project) and I'm doing away with the T-tops as well. Will be watching; I always enjoy your builds!

That's a good looking funny car, and a great looking model! Color came out nice. You say it's Testors metallic red, did you spray it over a dark primer? It has a dark appearance. ( on my monitor anyway ) I love how it looks, and would like to try to get that look myself on an upcoming build.

Good muscle-car color!

Fun project, will be watching this one! Love those big Chevies!

Welcome Stefano! We'll be watching for your builds.

Thanks for the response!

A business coupe, if Chevy made one in '51. Did you leave out the back seat like a proper business coupe? Cool build, and the color is nice. Well done.

Don't recall the last time I saw one of these actually built, and it didn't look nearly this nice! Great job!

That is a striking red. LOVE IT!

Deepest, heartfelt sympathies for you and your dad. Lost my mom in 2015 unexpectedly and suddenly. It's a shock, and hits hard, no matter your age. It has a way of making you feel like a little kid. I had to make the call for unplugging life support, dad and sister couldn't bring themselves to it, even knowing it was exactly as mom wanted should she ever come to that state.

I love this sort of thing. Thanks for sharing. One of my older aunts knew I was into model building, and one day she showed me some miniatures her uncle had made for her. It was a miniature tea serving, consisting of a teacup, saucer, and a small teapot. Each was made by him from a half of a black walnut, using his pocket knife, and rubbing them on a sandstone step on his front porch to smooth them. They were so carefully crafted, and when I think of the care and time that went into them, it makes me appreciate when people speak of "simpler times. I don't know who ended up with them, but I hope someone in the family somewhere cherishes them.

That's really creative for someone her age! She has a good eye for composition, color, and details. The objects she used show careful consideration of placement and purpose. These are exactly the qualities you'd see in a good still-life painting. When I studied painting in college, we learned that a good still life painting could tell a story with simple inanimate objects. You can convey life without having a single living thing in the picture, and in fact, SHOULD appear that everyone has just stepped out of the picture's view. This captures that feeling, which is what makes it so impressive to me. Bravo! You have to be a proud dad! Now, just don't let these comments go to her head, and make every one better in some way from this one on!

Good looking 'vette, but a shame about the hood. We've all been there.

Oh yeah, big difference seeing them side-by-side. Never can be sure of computer monitor colors! Either way, it's a heck of a nice color, and is completely believable as an OEM color choice for the time.

Nice build, as always! White can be tricky, and this one looks just right. Well done.

Yeah, on the one I've got going, I cut mine vertically at the door line, angled down and back, then rotated the whole tail end upward to get rid of the rainbowed beltline. When I get more done, I may do a WIP thread, more after-the-fact, if I get time to shoot enough pics.

More of an annoyance than a problem, I suppose, but when I click "next page" on a thread having more than one page, it has begun recently to open that page at the bottom instead of the top of the page. Anyone else seeing that?

Had a very nice, painless experience trading with Hedotwo. Quick and simple trade; as it should be!

I may have an extra. If you have something to trade you can PM me.