'55 Chevy - Finished!

[Xingu]

I have been doing a little work on the '55 Chevy while I wait for paint to come in. To be honest, I have never done more than spray an undercarriage black, so I am looking for some detail advice. I know the gas tank should be a silver color. Does the spare wheel well stay in primer? What about where the floor plan turns up at the front of the car? A quick Google search didn't turn up very many factory stock photos of the undercarriage, which is what I am shooting for (or at least as close as my skills will get me). This is what I have so far. I tried masking the frame and had a lot of difficulty with the tape, so I just free handed it with a brush. Any tips or advice will be much appreciated.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Xingu

[BigTallDad]

I owned a '55 over 50 years ago, so forgive me if my memory isn't up to snuff.

You're correct about the fuel tank being metal in color, but everything else under the car was black. Even the inside of the front fender wells, radiator saddle, etc was black. In the engine compartment, only the firewall and bottom of the hood was body color.

There was a dealer option called undercoating (rust proofing) that was a sprayed on black sealant.

Are there brake lines on the bottom of the body pan? If so, use a PRISMACOLOR pencil PC949 (Metallic Silver) to highlight them. If you make a mistake, a small paintbrush and Windex will wash away the errant pencil mark.

[Xingu]

I thought the bodies were painted off the frame. That would mean they were primed and then hand sprayed before they got joined to the frame or was this practice replaced before 1955.

No brake or fuel lines on this chassis, but thanks for the pencil tip.

[Rotorbolt73]

From the factory the bottoms were red oxied  primer with body color overspray on them. Frames were black separate from the body. Some of the suspension/ steering components were bare metal with a "protective" coat of oil on them.  Black undercoat was applied at the dealer as an extra cost "option".

 

[mod3l Lover]

    I have a few '57 Chevy pics for you. They were

done pretty much the same way. I think!?!

 

      David S.

[Xingu]

Thanks!

[Roadrunner]

I like the '55. Considering one for purchase right now in fact.

[James2]

I was once told I was indifferent! I said I don't care...

[slusher]

Nice start Michael....

[Shardik]

Looking good. Before buttoning things up, try a black or sepia wash on the undercarriage; This will help conceal any minor imperfections in the delineation between the frame and floor pan. 

[Roadrunner]

I can't really help with chassis detailing, as I haven't done any, and may not even ever bother.

[Xingu]

I am extremely happy with my color choices.

[Dogfish_7]

I'm happy, you're happy.

[espo]

Very nice color combo. Look forward to how you do the interior.

[Chris Evans]

Looks awesome dude I had a 55 in 1978 first car wish I still had it.

Chris,

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Oh baby, finally a full stock '55 Chev. 

Never built one, but built a '56, and several Monogram '57s in 1:12 scale. 

This is the underside of the latest '57 I built:

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air by Túlio Lazzaroni, on Flickr

This page can help you on details:

http://www.trifive.com/forums/55-56-57/judging.htm

 

[Xingu]

Thanks for the link, it will come in handy for this and future builds.

[Harry P.]

Here is a restored '55...

[Xingu]

Chassis is nearly complete. I have to fiddle with one of the exhaust pipes to get it to line up with the manifold. I may try my hand at weathering, to break up the undercarriage flaws, as mentioned previously. I also undertook the daunting task of applying decals to the body. I found that chore to be a bit nerve wracking, but in the end I am happy with the result. Just waiting on another shade of paint so I can do the two-tone interior. BTW - OptiVisor is the greatest invention ever.

[bisc63]

Looking good so far! Just a heads-up on a couple of issues: I did a quick-n-dirty photoshop of your pic to point out some detailing errors you might still be able to address. I just "corrected" (poorly, but it gets the idea across) the driver's side, so you can compare. The orange arrows point out areas that should not be black, but are in fact stiffening ribs that are part of the floopan, not the frame, as painted. They provide a sturdier mounting point for the frame-to-floor attachment. The mounts are part of the frame, and would be black as shown. The photos posted above are very good references for this as well. Another often overlooked detail on this chassis is the fuel filler tube pointed out in green. Dull aluminum or flat steel looks good for this. While I'm picking nits, the shocks should be either satin black or medium gray. I say all that to say this: this is a VERY good start to a factory stock model, and you seem to want to get it right! Kudos, and good luck! Keep up the good work.

[dragcarz]

Love the colors, great paint detail. Looks great! 

[DumpyDan]

This was very informative, thanks guys.  and well done

[Xingu]

Thanks Rusty. I will see about fixing the frame color issues. I did the tops of the shocks blue only to provide a little more contrast, hoping they could be seen a bit easier when the body is on.

[espo]

Really great looking "show room" type build. You mentioned a problem with the exhaust attachment to the manifolds. This is a normal issue with the tri five Revell kits, not serious but just the way it is. What I have done in the past is to drill the manifold outlet and the exhaust pipes so that I can slip a small length of wire in to help hold them in place for the glue to dry. Being the cheep guy that I am I just use staples from my stapler. Try a #75 or .021 drill bit and you should be close. The pin doesn't have to be very long, just enough to get the parts to stay in place. I have used this method to mount almost every small part. I haven't lost a starter, exhaust manifold or any other fiddly part since I started doing it this way.    

[Xingu]

Part of my New Year resolution is to finish what I started. So I got back to working on this model. Painted the 2-tone interior (still need to work on my masking skills) and shot clear on the body.

The darker green is Neptune Green and the lighter shade is Sea Mist Green. I think the Sea Mist is too light, but it will do.