1951 Chevy De Luxe Convertible, A Cuban Classic

[David G.]

This one is done. I based my color selection on having some old enamel paint (Testors turquoise 2965) that I wanted to use up. Enamels give great results but can be finicky to work with and take up to a week to cure, even in Phoenix.

 

The color I chose for this one is not one that was offered by GM in 1951. The factory colors were all rather drab and I wanted bright and happy. This is a convertible after all.

 

I also selected a bright blue plaid for the seats. Again, not an option offered in 51. There was also no left-side mirror included in the kit. As I could not locate a suitable substitute, I did without.

 

So, to explain these nonstandard features, I decided that this car needed a back-story. I think the one I came up with is pretty clever.

This car is one of the vintage American cars sold in Cuba prior to the revolution. These American classics are lovingly kept in operating condition by the Cuban people.

 

Though not frequently customized, they generally restored reupholstered and repainted as needed. If replacement parts (like a left-side mirror) can't be found, Cubans will make do, or do without. It is not unusual to find one of these Cuban American autos powered by a Russian diesel engine.

 

 

Here is a top-up photo. The up-top isn't the greatest fit, but it does well enough

 

 

I'm pretty happy with the way this one came out.

 

 

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

Edited July 27, 2019 by David G.
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[slusher]

A real sharp beauty!! That's  great about model building color and style is up to the builder!!

[Rider]

Great looking classic. Nice work on the interior, I like the little "I love Cuba" bumper decal. I really like that colour. 

[cobraman]

Looks great ! I too live in the Phoenix area and the last model I painted with enamel too 5 weeks to dry.

[Goose1957]

Great looking Chevy. Only thing it needs is a box of Partagas series D no. 4 robustos on the seat. Mmmm, yummy.

Jeff 

[ATHU]

Very very nice, love the colour!!

[PappyD340]

Very nice!

[Cpt Tuttle]

Nice, I have had some ideas about making a cuban car myself for a while now.

[peekay]

Looks great!

[ChrisBcritter]

Nice job! A little inspiration from revolico.com (Cuba's Craigslist):

It's one of the few that hasn't had an engine transplant to some 5-cyl. diesel, and I wouldn't worry too much about how the top fits .

[oldnslow]

beautiful car

[oldscool]

I really like this one and don't worry about the missing mirror as a lot of vehicles came without them back then. makes me want to build the hard top kit that is in my stash.

[Tom99]

Nice.

[BeakDoc]

Factory shmactory.... That’s a beautiful build!

[David G.]

11 hours ago, slusher said:

A real sharp beauty!! That's  great about model building color and style is up to the builder!!

Thank you Carl. I know that all those choices are up to me, I just like when when I can come up with a story to make those choices plausible in "the real world". Rather like building a model car engine with spark plug wires that are in the proper firing order. It's completely unnecessary but it make some of us happy to do it that way.

David G. 

10 hours ago, Rider said:

Great looking classic. Nice work on the interior, I like the little "I love Cuba" bumper decal. I really like that colour. 

Thanks Curtis. I'm very pleased with the overall feel of the car. If you didn't notice, there's also a Cuban flag decal on the lower right corner of the windshield.

David G.

10 hours ago, cobraman said:

Looks great ! I too live in the Phoenix area and the last model I painted with enamel too 5 weeks to dry.

Thanks Ray. I don't like working with enamel paint and in many ways, Testors is the worst to work with. The paint comes out of the spray can like a stream from a garden hose... Two-plus coats in one shot! And the little jars are not much better. I almost always end up thinning them for brush painting and they still take much longer to cure than does lacquer.

David G.

[David G.]

11 hours ago, Goose1957 said:

Great looking Chevy. Only thing it needs is a box of Partagas series D no. 4 robustos on the seat. Mmmm, yummy.

Jeff 

Thank you Jeff. I was trying to think of things to firmly establish the car as Cuban and I never even thought of cigars. Which is weird because I used to smoke cigars and always wanted to try a Cuban. I may still make a little box to throw on the seat.

Thanks for the idea.

David G.

6 hours ago, ATHU said:

Very very nice, love the colour!!

Thank you Anders. I noticed that the color of the model is much like the color of the Chevy pictured in your avatar! 

David G.

5 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Very nice!

Thanks Larry.

David G.

[David G.]

5 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

Nice, I have had some ideas about making a cuban car myself for a while now.

Thanks Mattias . You should build one.

3 hours ago, peekay said:

Looks great!

Thanks Peter, glad you like it.

2 hours ago, ChrisBcritter said:

Nice job! A little inspiration from revolico.com (Cuba's Craigslist):

It's one of the few that hasn't had an engine transplant to some 5-cyl. diesel, and I wouldn't worry too much about how the top fits .

Thank you Christopher. I like those photos. I guess the only rule in Cuba is "Any Colour You Like", to quote an old song.

David G.

[David G.]

2 hours ago, oldnslow said:

beautiful car

Thanks Robert.

2 hours ago, oldscool said:

I really like this one and don't worry about the missing mirror as a lot of vehicles came without them back then. makes me want to build the hard top kit that is in my stash.

Thank you Gerald. I had a similar thought about the mirror too. I don't know if they were required in 1951. They may have even been a dealer option but I came up with the Cuban story so I didn't bother to research it.

1 hour ago, Tom99 said:

Nice.

Thanks Tom.

1 hour ago, BeakDoc said:

Factory shmactory.... That’s a beautiful build!

Thanks Chris. I do try for accuracy... or at least a good story.

David G.

[ewetwo]

beautiful!

 

[Tom Geiger]

5 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

Nice, I have had some ideas about making a cuban car myself for a while now.

Nice job on the Cuban Chevy-   Note a few things, very few of these cars have original paint. Most are painted poorly in what ever colors were available locally in that year.  Your bright Caribbean Blue is perfect!   Same with interiors.  Most are locally stitched, so again Score! Perfect!  Mirrors- fine without, but a lot of the cars have big modern aftermarket mirrors on them.  The only extra I could suggest is to add a small "Taxi" sign on the windshield.  Many if not most of these cars are pressed into tourist taxi service because it's one of the biggest money making opportunities on the island!

Here's an example of the windshield  "Taxi" sign.  This one shows every bit of 60 years of hard service on an island. It probably is running a Russian diesel engine too. 

[Classicgas]

Nice work.

[stavanzer]

Beautiful Colour, Beautiful Car. The whole Cuban Car backstory works well. I like the Build.

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[espo]

Turned out perfect , and I also like the Cuban back story. There used to be a TV show on the Car Culture in Cuba and this would be one of the best ones out there. What the Cuban people have done to keep these older cars on the road is beyond amazing. While the color was not a stock color for the era a couple of years done the road It would be a perfect way to update the look. At that time side view mirrors were an option anyway. I think it looks great.   

[Eric Macleod]

I like it, and the story. I don't share the dislike for Testors paint but then again my model building skills are not as good as yours! Nice model overall.