'64 Cadillac from the movie Cooley High

[ChrisBcritter]

I finally finished this one in time for NNL Milwaukee:

Before I say anything else, I have to thank master modeler Tom Piagari for his help and inspiration. He laid down the paint (Krylon Pewter Gray) and the two-part urethane clear that ended up needing very little buffing, plus demonstrated his technique for the vinyl top (a combination of gloss and flat black sprayed from a distance to give a great textured finish). The Coupe deVille emblems were cast from a '70 Caddy - the only time Jo-Han used the correct scripts.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by ChrisBcritter

[ChrisBcritter]

It started out as a kit I built in the '70s out of the box with a candy blue paint job. I carefully dismantled it and rebuilt it to match the movie car, converting the convertible interior to the coupe version by removing the top bolsters, filling in the rear seat speaker and adding a front bench seat I cast from a '64 convertible promo. I added the pedals, gearshift and turn signal levers, dome lights and door lock buttons, and used some vintage '60s AMT carpeting.

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by ChrisBcritter

[ChrisBcritter]

(Sorry to break this up but I get 404 errors if I don't do it fast enough)

I kept the Jo-Han engine but reshaped the valve covers, added plug wires, water pump crossover pipe, upper radiator hose and an alternator bracket, and moved the battery to the correct position. I also corrected the hood opening to match the real thing by cutting it down the middle of the front edge (used a junk hood to make the bottom part).

 

[ChrisBcritter]

The chassis got some simple improvements; I opened up the molded-in trailing arms, added exhaust pipes from the manifolds to the chassis and tips to the tailpipes, and extended the A-arms to add ball joints and cover the front axle  (Note the A-arms aren't correct for a Caddy; wish I had an original issue chassis with the correct setup and steerable wheels, but...). Track was widened 5/16"; I used blackwall tires from the Revell '65 Impala.

Finally I added 1964 Illinois plates with the correct number, a Chicago Motor Club sticker to the rear bumper, and the American flag to the back window (thanks again Tom!)

Hope you guys like it. Now on to the next one... 

Edited April 12, 2019 by ChrisBcritter

[thatz4u]

nice one Chris, keep up the good work

[ChrisBcritter]

A few stills from the movie:

[Scalper]

nice and clean.. sweet build.. love these old Cadillac's 

[Classicgas]

Nice.

[donb]

Very sharp. Nicely done

[Ron Hamilton]

Excellent work!!!

[ChrisBcritter]

Thank you guys so much! 

 

 

 

 

[SfanGoch]

Great job, man. I scratchbuilt a complete chassis and had to do the same with the lower suspension arms and rear suspension. Here's the Chassis Suspension details for the '63. It's applicable to the '64 as well.

04 -Chassis Suspension.pdf

[Jeffcad]

Wow ! Excellent built , sharp and amazing  details !. I love it !. Hope you'll share some pics of her from the show too, as well as other Cadillacs, if you find some.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Jeffcad

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[PappyD340]

Real nice

[carrucha]

Cool build.

[ChrisBcritter]

On 4/13/2019 at 12:16 AM, Jeffcad said:

Hope you'll share some pics of her from the show too, as well as other Cadillacs, if you find some.

Thanks again guys - Jeff, check out the thread under Shows; Tom P. and I had the only Caddies in the Factory Stock section - pretty much the only Caddies period.

[BeakDoc]

Beautifully done.

[Jeffcad]

On 15 avril 2019 at 2:10 PM, ChrisBcritter said:

Thanks again guys - Jeff, check out the thread under Shows; Tom P. and I had the only Caddies in the Factory Stock section - pretty much the only Caddies period.

Thanks Chris !. Tom's 1970 coupe Deville's also very nice !. It's a pity than no manufacturer offers '50's to '80s "regular stock" Cadillac model kits anymore. The vast majority of Cadillac in shows now are Lowriders or customs....

Edited April 17, 2019 by Jeffcad