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I did an El Camino conversion last year using all AMT parts. It was to make a "67 out of their '66 El Camino. What I ran into was that in the 1:1 world what would have been a simple sheet metal swap turned into a night mirror . Just because you can do something in 1:1 don't assume that it will work in 1/25 scale. I would think that the kits you mentioned would be the perfect starting point, but as the old saying goes "measure twice and cut once" . You may be surprised by the differences in the firewall and even the hoods , inner fenders and chassis. Just know going in that it may be harder than you first thought and just take your time and don't let it intimidate you. Look forward to seeing your build on this.

This goes beyond "modeling skills". this is problem solving and it is a real gift to have such skills. This ability should serve you well in life.

Very nice. I like the Camaro style Rally Sport headlamp doors.

Beautifully built. Great interior and chassis detailing. Paint doesn't get any shinier than that.

Not sure about the blower thru the hood, but it looks Bad to the Bone. What color paint did you use ? I would like to use that on an upcoming project soon.

Great color, fit and finish looks perfect.

I like the extra detailing under the hood. At least you can build a model of what might of been. I think it's great your daughter is showing an interested in modeling. I think it is a great seeing more and more young ladies showing an interest.

Very nice redo. I like the Pontiac Rally wheels.

Compared to most metal kits I've seen this one looks like the proportions are very good. At least you shouldn't have any hot paint to plastic issues.

Those are really neat. Think of how that could compliment a model or diorama. If you just want to sell then EBay or a swap meet might be the best. As to what they are worth, that depends on what someone is willing to pay I guess.

I couldn't have said it better. Every time I hear on the news that "the car went off the road" I just grit my teeth. The car didn't go off the road, it was pilot error and nothing more. If you're behind the wheel it's your responsibility for where the car goes. While there has been many advancements in safety technology it seems that it has only made drivers less likely to pay attention to their surroundings since they know that a chime will tell them when they have crossed the centerline, tell them when someone is in their "blind spot" or even put on the brakes before they run into the car in front of them. This isn't a video game this is real. Just how many drivers on the road today do you think could actually SAFELY operate a vehicle without Traction Control , Stability Control, or ABS Brakes in say rain let alone snow. It takes just about all of my personal defensive driving skills just to get anywhere I go today. I am proud to say my wife has the same sense of responsibility when behind the wheel. With over four decades of driving experience she just had her first accident and it was not her fault. She was leaving an intersection, moving with traffic, and the guy behind her just drives right into the rear of our car. In that time she has only had one ticket, "Speed excess of plain speed" while trying to get me up while water skies. She drifted into the 5MPH buoys. I got a 45 in a 35 ticket last year in a poorly marked area with the KCPD hiding in a church parking lot. Prior was 16 years ago, 70 in a 55 in the middle of nowhere Missouri on a 2 lane. I drove over 50 miles and didn't see another car until the MHP made a U-turn to write the ticket. Prior was over 20 years before that.

That looks like a Mercury, then a Dodge, and finally an Edsel. Can you imagine being in an accident with no Air Bags and you're sitting on you Seat Belt if the vehicle even had seat belts ?

Great looking build. That would have been a real sleeper.

Beautiful convertible. That color is very fitting for that car.

Years ago I joined the AMT Club or what ever they were calling it. They used to offer model reissues that you couldn't get in the store. I remember buying a couple of '64 Ford Galaxy hardtops and they had a very nice trailer/car hauler.

I agree on the New and improved foil. I tried the Ultra Bright once and never finished the sheet. It seems somewhat thicker and on long pieces such as body side moldings it wanted to curl up. The jagged edge can sometimes come from not using a new blade or cutting at a steep angle rather than laying the blade at a low angle.

The paint looks amazing. I like the body color/interior color combination.

As MikeModler mentioned, in show contests it is not uncommon to lose out to another model that has something like the firing order wrong on the distributer. Depending on the "rivet counter" mentality of others including judging, a note on color finishes. These three photos show very well how these cars are "over restored" today. I don't want to bore you with this, but depending on just how many rivets you want to count, the #1 photo shows two deviations, the transmission dip stick would have been either natural unfinished metal or maybe black and the master brake reservoir would have been an unpainted natural finish. That is why when you look at most older cars the reservoir always looks rusty. The hood hinges are painted black and they should be a silver/gray phosphate finish. this wouldn't stop rust but slowed it down for many years. #2 You can see the correct finish on the hood hinges but the brake reservoir is again painted. #3 This is what you see most often at car shows, but there are some areas that are done wrong if you're really going for the concours competition. The Holly carb. and the brake booster are just to gold and should be slightly lighter color. Tamiya X-31 Titan gold instead of X-12 Gold Leaf. If it should matter, the Thermostat housing is the correct aluminum housing where the standard passenger cars had a pot metal type housing. Besides being obsessive about such things (my bad) I realize just how hard you are trying to do everything right, but some of the reference materials are just a little wrong. I'll be quiet now and enjoy following your build.

With the front bumper it may make the grill opening look smaller.

I like the side moldings, that cleans up the side a lot. The Edsel tail light where a very popular. The grill seems a little over done, but it may look a little smaller when you're done. What kit did it come from ? Does the paint have ghost flames? What are you thinking for the roof color ?

That is a vast improvement and would have made more economic sense for the manufacture, but I still wouldn't want one. .

The placement of the Alternator in the first photo would be for a '68 or earlier model engine without the AIR system. I believe that it is a '67 model based on the duel master brake cylinder, it is odd because of the automatic transmission dip stick. The Turbo 400 was available but not common on the high horsepower engines. The second photo would be a '69 or later based on Alternator being on the passenger side , this engine also has the AIR (Smog Pump) which would have been mandatory for California and any other states with the smog requirements. The third photo gives you a good view of the Holly Carb. used on the high performance versions of the big blocks. The base 325/396 and 385/427 would have a Carter Quadrajet carb.

I had several big block Chevrolets from this era that I bought new. They were not COPO's but the '66 Impala SS was a 325/396 4 speed, the '68 was a Bel Air 385/427 4 speed and my work truck was a '67 El Camino 350/396 4 speed. In each case the fuel lines were very close to how you have presented on your build. The only way that it could be any closer is if you left off the kink in the line going towards the water pump. The line traveled at an angle in front of the block and pass. side head and then made a sharp turn to run along the tlop of the intake until it turned up to the carb. Your angles coming from the fuel pump and going to the carb. are as I remember. The only fuel filter was where the fuel line went into the carb. They had a gold colored stone of some sort that was all. But remember these were RPO engines and that is not to say a COPO could be different.

I'm not familiar with this kit but it looks interesting. I like how you built up the back of the cab, I'll have to remember that, it looks great.

Plug wires look great, you even went so far as to include the valve cover breathers, something usually left off by most.