Guldstrand Grand Sport 90 (GS90)

[ismaelg]

Hello,

   While working on the C7R and planning on another C6R and another C5R, somehow, this random thing came up and sneaked into my workbench.

Let me explain:

Dick Guldstrand was called "Mr. Corvette".  The accomplished and very successful multiple championships winner race car driver was also a gifted engineer with a deep understanding of how cars work.  A friend to Zora Arkus Duntov, he was a big contributor to the early Corvette racing success.  He drove the original Grand Sport for Roger Penske as well as many other winning cars of his own creation throughout several decades .  His company, Guldstrand Engineering Inc. built racing Lolas, Corvettes and many other competition vehicles to be raced worldwide.  He also helped in the development of early racing C4s.   He was a chassis/suspension genius.  In 1986 he made his first special edition car, the GS80 Corvette. Then in 1995, he unveiled his Grand Sport 90 or GS90. 

Using the ZR1 as a starting point, it had a carbon fiber body designed by Steve Winter, a Doug Rippie tuned LT-5 producing 475 HP, and of course Guldstrand worked his magic on the suspension with special coilovers, special anti-roll bars, Brembo brakes and many other goodies.  Dick Guldstrand himself drove it to over 190 MPH while retaining everyday driveability.   GM supported  him at first, with the idea of offering the GS90 as a dealer option, but backed out soon after since the C5 project was well  underway.  The pricey endeavor costed him a lot of money.  At the end only 6 cars were made. There was also a convertible version named Nassau Roadster based on the C4 convertible with a supercharged LT-1.  I have always liked the car, ever since seeing it on my May-1995 copy of Corvette Fever magazine.  It still looks great even after almost 25 years.  Unfortunately, Dick Guldstrand passed away in 2015.

Here is a video of the car:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPswPoQ9IsA

Fortunately, there is a scale model of this car. However, it is from AMT.  I don't like AMT at all, but this is the only game in town for this car.  The model was released in the late 90's  and has never been reissued as far as I know.  My plan is to build it as a curbside since I suspect fit will be a problem.  Dry fitting the body immediately showed fitting issues and very thick molded body parts, making the curbside idea more appealing.  So this has become an exercise in body fitment.
My goal: Proper fit of all body panels to pay homage to the original masterpiece.

Here are some pictures of the progress so far:

 

 

Heavy mold lines were addressed 

 

Yikes! This will take some serious fitting.

 

Out comes the lumber to stretch the body slightly so the rear bumper can fit a bit better while the glue dries.

 

Much better. Still more work is needed but going in the right direction.

 

Hood fit is lousy to say the least 

 

The worst fit is the nose

 

My "body/chassis jig" showed a slight warp in the nose.  
After careful studying, a precise cut was made so I could wedge some styrene to correct the warp.

 

Disregard the brass tubes in the firewall.  It was an unsuccessful attempt to pin the hood down.

 

And nothing happened here!

 

Lots of filler...

...and slowly getting there

 

The model calls for installation of the nose and rear bumper after the chassis is installed. Yeah right. That ain't gonna happen! 
I modified the chassis for easier installation and made some templates for covering the reworked areas.

 

That is where we are now.  Still working on the C7R and starting another C6R (its own thread coming soon)  but I suppose this will take center stage after the C7R is done. Of course that is if nothing else randomly lands on the workbench

What do you think?

Thanks,

[NOBLNG]

That is probably one of the nicest looking corvettes since the early '60's stingrays. Good job on correcting the factory flaws. I wish the makers would design all kits to have the chassis installed last, or even removable so you can take it apart to view the interior. Carry On!

[Mr. Metallic]

Nice work Ismael. When this kit came out, my girlfriend at the time tried building it. Now I kinda remember why she never finished it, haha.

[Spex84]

Excited to watch this thread! 

The Gulstrand Grand Sport has a special place in my heart...because I built it as a kid in the 90s. It was my first attempt at sanding a paintjob to try and get a smoother finish. Of course, I used woodworking sandpaper so it didn't turn out very well. It was, however, the most consistent coverage of all my brush-painted jobs, so I was happy with it. It was also my first attempt at using tape to mask off racing stripes. The surviving model is still sitting on my shelf.

The tires are clunky, and stick out from the fenders. The car also rides way too high.

I see you're already tackling the assembly problem--even with extensive test-fitting, it's practically impossible to get the nose and tail to fit after painting, as I discovered back in the 90s.

Thanks for the video link; it's interesting to learn a bit more about the car and Gulstrand's history as a hot rodder. 

 

 

[Ron Hamilton]

Ismael,

you are doing an admirable job of turning a Sow's ear into a silk purse.

[NYLIBUD]

Wow,great looking car.I have never seen this kit before.

[aurfalien]

Hi,

Awesome, this is a great project!

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  Do you notice any improvement? 

 

 

 

Thanks,

[ismaelg]

Hello,

     Some little progress on this project.

Filling up the molded turn signals.  The model is based on the first prototype which had the turn signal lights in the front, but the rest of the cars including the one I'm replicating,  had them on the sides.

Now you see them,

Now you don't.

Thanks,

[DiscoRover007]

Was never aware of this car. Shame it didn’t hit production. Very cool. Reminds me a bit of the Maserati mc12

[ismaelg]

Hello,

    First full coat of primer.  Panel lines addressed all around.

 

Still some tweaking needed, but this sucker is getting closer to color!

Thanks,

[ismaelg]

Hello,

    Primer was sanded down and the first coat of Corvette Arctic White was applied down the center. Hard to photograph on a hurry but the white is only down the center, not the whole car.

After careful inspection I noticed a hint of body work in a corner was showing thru the paint, so it was sanded down and primed.  Once the primer is dry it will be sanded smooth and repainted.  After the white is done I'll have some real fun masking that unique stripe....

Thanks,

[Justin Porter]

Good lord is this like working on some form of horribly misshapen resin rather than a professionally engineered kit. Looking forward to seeing the finished body when it's all wrapped up. What's the plan for abandoning the completely incorrect wheels and tires?

[ismaelg]

Thanks Justin!

   I'm looking for a set of Lotus Esprit 300 wheels.  If I can't find them, my plan B is a set of Fujimi TW42.

  The kit's wheels are correct for the first prototype only.

Thanks,

[Dann Tier]

NICE!!…...you are making it WAAAAAAY better!!   -seeing this, i'm going to get this kit as well!!    -I hope you're ditching those SUV tyres…….thanks for sharing!!

[Justin Porter]

On 8/20/2018 at 9:06 PM, ismaelg said:

Thanks Justin!

   I'm looking for a set of Lotus Esprit 300 wheels.  If I can't find them, my plan B is a set of Fujimi TW42.

  The kit's wheels are correct for the first prototype only.

Thanks,

From the lead photo, as I'm looking at it, maybe the Revell Shelby Series 1 could be a wheel donor as well?

[ismaelg]

Thanks! I'll check on that.

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  Now that the Ron Fellows C6-R is done,  we are back on this project.   Embossing powder was used for the interior carpeting.  The kit has late model ZR-1 seats but the car I'm replicating has earlier style seats.  I replaced them with those from the ASC Spyder.  Minor modifications were required to make them fit this tub and I also reworked the seat backs a bit for a more accurate look.  Believe it or not, the color I used is the leftover mix I did for the '33 Chrysler Pace car seats, and that was done 10 years ago!   I have lost the formula since then but I recall using at least 4 different Testors MM enamels for that.  Will start detailing the interior once dry.

 

Thanks,

[Dann Tier]

Looking terrific!!…..cant wait!!

[Nacho Z]

Awesome body work!  You know you've done a great job when, on the finished model, no one know what you did or that you did anything to it.  I think that can be said for this model.  I like that builders like you take the time to explain what they are doing and how they are doing it.  Pictures showing the work just make it that much better.  I'm looking forward to seeing more progress!

[Italianhorses]

Nice! I wasn't even aware they made this kit.

[Art Laski]

Very cool, Ismael!

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  In this hobby, few things irritate me more than super glossy seats.  I call it the "Candy Seat Effect" 

The seats in this car are leather, but the back of the seat is a composite similar to fiberglass.  The backs were molded in and rescribed.  I spent time giving  the leather part a slight sheen while keeping the back flat, as per the 1:1.  A dark brown wash gave it some depth.   Don't worry about the mold line and void in the second pic. That goes against the center console. Still pending painting the black power seat switches.

Close your eyes: Can you smell the leather?

Thanks,

[James2]

Great looking adjustments...

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  And I thought body mods were the most difficult part of this build...  Having nightmares on this masking job.  The super thin pinstripe is driving me crazy. 
Why I have to be a replica modeler?

Still have to finish the nose masking.

 

 

Going for this:

Yes, the original prototype and some of the other cars have a much easier stripes to mask, but what fun would that be? 

Thanks,