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The Snakepit Sting Ray Rescue & Resto Shop


Snake45

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Thought some of y’all might enjoy seeing some of my C2 resto projects. All of these are original annuals, no reissues.

AMT ’63 Coupe #1: Got this one in the early 2000s from a model airplane friend who was helping a neighbor clean out an attic.  It came with the original instructions and many extra parts, and the outside side exhaust was originally on it, which I removed long ago (notice the glue boogers on the rockers). I originally planned to strip and rebuild it as stock, but then decided to restore it as the survivor that it is. The ancient paint polished out nicely, except of course for the runs and bubbles (which I tried to at least level out with careful color-sanding), but it is what it is.  Since the color is nonstock, and the interior has a definite custom vibe, and the rockers are glue-roached, I stuck with the builder’s original intent of a mild street & show custom. The vinyl tires toasted the stock ’63 wheel covers, a pity, so I sustituted some wheels and tires appropriate to a 1963-64 era custom. Recently finished the restoration, and hope to have finished pics posted “Under Glass” soon.

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Snake45/media/Model%20Cars/Corvettes/63VetteAMTOrig01_zpsxmej6ja5.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Snake45/media/Model%20Cars/Corvettes/63VetteAMTOrig06_zpsy1nphgd9.jpg.html][/URL]

 

AMT ’63 Coupe #2: Bought this one off eBay recently mainly because it seemed to have most of the original custom parts in the box. Body didn’t look like much in the pics but I was pleasantly surprised to find a near-perfect black paint job on it. Even the chrome trim the guy did on it isn’t bad at all. Hadn’t planned to do a black coupe, but I’m just gonna finish this one up as a survivor—for now, at least. Original builder painted the interior in some kind of metallic dark green, which isn’t authentic, but I’m not a huge fan of any of the factory ’63 interior colors for a black exterior (white wasn’t offered), so I think I’ll just go ahead and go with the green. Although the box had most or all of the cool custom parts, and all the stock body parts (including the taillights still on the trees) it had no tires, no stock wheels, no wheel backs, and no glass. I can source all that stuff from common ’63 reissues.

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Snake45/media/Model%20Cars/Corvette%20Restos/AMT63VetteHTB02_zpsxq6poyo1.jpg.html][/URL]

 

AMT '67 Coupe #1: Bought this one recently at the local Toy & Train show for $8. I think the vendor thought it was either a common MPC reissue, or maybe a common AMT '63, but either way, I recognized it as an original annual AMT '67 and almost sprained my wrist reaching for my wallet. Upon closer examination at home, I discovered it's not quite as cherry as I first thought. Turns out the Original Builder had cleanly sanded off the rear deck Corvette emblem, and the crossed flags on the nose. And filled in the rotating headlight panel lines. So it can't be restored “stock” as-is. And of course the paint (some kind of very dark plum/purple) is a nonstandard color. And the wheels aren't AMT '67s, they seem to be '68+ MPCs. Ah shucks oh well. Still worth way more than eight bucks.

It's in such clean shape, it's gone to the head of the line here at the Snakepit Sting Ray Rescue & Resto shop. Only thing I've done to it in these pics is, I've polished off part of the badly-done silver paint on the windshield frame, along the top. It's still on the A-post to give you some idea of why it had to come off. Rubbing alcohol wouldn't take it off, as it sometimes will, so I had to polish it off with Wrights.

Fortunately, the paint, whatever it is, seems VERY tough and durable. Judging from overspray on the inside of the body, it's some kind of candy purple or candy red over black primer. The color looks quite “plum” in these pics, which I lightened a little for better netposting. In real life, it looks black—unless you set it next to something that's really black, or look at it in strong light, and then purple/plum-ish tone comes through.

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Snake45/media/Model%20Cars/Corvette%20Restos/AMT67VetteHTB02_zpsd0vt6cni.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Snake45/media/Model%20Cars/Corvette%20Restos/AMT67VetteHTB04_zpscvyrenyp.jpg.html][/URL]

More to come, if anyone's interested....

 

 

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fix em, preserve them!

did the original AMT release 67 convert have the "wagon" roof with it, or was that a later issue?

Yes, and that was the ONLY issue I know of that ever had it. It also had an all-clear top. Neither has to the best of my knowledge ever been reissued, though it's possible the molds still exist.

I have one of the wagons in the Snakepit, but it hasn't risen far enough up to To-Do list to warrant an appearance here quite yet. But keep watching--who knows when the mood will strike me to drag that thing out and kick it across the finish line!

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Nice projects Richard! I got one that will get you going. Several years ago, I came across an original built up '63 Roadster that was unpainted, but had the custom geegaws  glued to it, and a busted windshield frame. I did an admirable job cleaning it up, and I am still working on it. I have decided to make a '64 out of it, as I have some wheelcovers, a hood, and a Hardtop for it. I love those mid '60's Corvettes, having quite a few AMT, MPC, and Revell kits, and car parts to do several.

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Nice projects Richard! I got one that will get you going. Several years ago, I came across an original built up '63 Roadster that was unpainted, but had the custom geegaws  glued to it, and a busted windshield frame. I did an admirable job cleaning it up, and I am still working on it. I have decided to make a '64 out of it, as I have some wheelcovers, a hood, and a Hardtop for it. I love those mid '60's Corvettes, having quite a few AMT, MPC, and Revell kits, and car parts to do several.

Very cool! The original '63 roadster was the only version of this family (except for the rare THE Cat '67 TV car) that had working rotating headlights. I've only turned up one of these. I managed to get the glued-in headlights worked loose, and the windshield frame is in great shape, but much of the rest of the body, not so much. Not sure how I'm gonna proceed with that one yet. I only have one of the chrome headlight inserts--forgot to order some from Modelhaus--but I think I can either foil-clone or sili-clone it for the other side.

'63 to '64 roadster conversion isn't bad. The differences are in the rocker panels, the gas cap emblem, and the upholstery, but those problems are all solvable if you want--or just ignored and most people won't know the difference if you've got '64 hood and wheel covers on it. .

Here's a '64 roadster in the Snakepit. The body's real nice except for the excessively glued-in windshield--that and all the surrounding styrene will probably have to be replaced. This one's pretty far down my To-Do list; I have at least four or five '65-'66 roadsters and a couple of '66 coupes in line ahead of it.

AMT64VetteRoadA01_zpsceehsnqc.jpg

 

Edited by Snake45
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