66 Impala SS (Promo kit) (...and first BMF attempt)

[bh1701]

This is an AMT 1966 Impala SS promo kit that I had worked on as a kid. I had painted the interior completely black, and did my best as a kid to paint the chrome and logos. I  have included 2 "before" photos to show what it originally looked like.

I stripped the paint  repainted the bumpers using AK Interactive Extreme Metal Chrome, and applied BMF for the first time. I left the body in the original molded plastic color. I also had to create a new rear window due to some cracks in the original window. The fender emblems and script on the trunk and sides were hand-painted.

Thanks for looking!

Bart

 

BEFORE PHOTOS

 

AFTER photos

[fivesuns]

Good lookin 66.  Your first BMF attempt apparently went much better than mine.  I still struggle with it.  Congrats on a fine model.

[peekay]

That looks great!

[Classicgas]

Well done.

[Snake45]

Very, VERY nice! Impressive work! I'm working on one of these myself at the moment, maybe even in the same color, and I hope mine comes out as well as yours. Well done and model on! 

[Tom99]

Very nice.

[PappyD340]

Very nice indeed, well done!

[RAMBENNA]

very nice Impala, great job

[espo]

Beautiful looking redo on this. You were very fortunate to even find a "66 Impala SS Promo. That was a very popular shade of Yellow at that time. You mentioned polishing the original surface of the body and it looks almost better than paint. 

[bh1701]

3 minutes ago, espo said:

Beautiful looking redo on this. You were very fortunate to even find a "66 Impala SS Promo. That was a very popular shade of Yellow at that time. You mentioned polishing the original surface of the body and it looks almost better than paint. 

Finding it wasn't too hard - it was already part of my collection of some of the kits I had accumulated in the 60's when I was much younger and saved. Some of the other promo kits I have that will get the same treatment are 66 and 67 Ford Galaxie 500's, a 66 Fairlane 500, a 70 Ford Maverick, and a 67 Impala SS. 

[Snake45]

I already expressed my admiration for your work, but may I offer a suggestion that would improve it even more? You can remove those molding lines at the front ends of the front fenders. They'll sand and polish right out. I know, because I've done it on the one I'm working on, molded in the same color as yours. Really improved the appearance. You've evidently mastered plastic polishing, as you've achieved one of THE BEST polished plastic jobs I've ever seen, and I can do a pretty darn good one myself. 

Oh, also REALLY nice work on the interior! Respect! 

9 minutes ago, espo said:

Beautiful looking redo on this. You were very fortunate to even find a "66 Impala SS Promo. That was a very popular shade of Yellow at that time. You mentioned polishing the original surface of the body and it looks almost better than paint. 

I'm working on one I'm pretty sure is the same color, and mine isn't really yellow, it's sort of a golden beige that doesn't really match any factory '66 Chevy color. I call it "brown mustard," but it's a little lighter than that. Whatever--I'm rolling with it, and am gonna polish it out, and I hope mine comes out NEARLY as well as 1701's. 

[Snake45]

6 minutes ago, bh1701 said:

Finding it wasn't too hard - it was already part of my collection of some of the kits I had accumulated in the 60's when I was much younger and saved. Some of the other promo kits I have that will get the same treatment are 66 and 67 Ford Galaxie 500's, a 66 Fairlane 500, a 70 Ford Maverick, and a 67 Impala SS. 

Fabulous! I can't wait to see more of your work. 

I'm currently finishing up a '67 Impala promo, and coming up soon will be a '69 or '70 Maverick in Original Cinnamon, but I envy your '67 Galaxie and '66 Fairlane! DO keep us posted on these! 

[espo]

9 minutes ago, bh1701 said:

Finding it wasn't too hard - it was already part of my collection of some of the kits I had accumulated in the 60's when I was much younger and saved. Some of the other promo kits I have that will get the same treatment are 66 and 67 Ford Galaxie 500's, a 66 Fairlane 500, a 70 Ford Maverick, and a 67 Impala SS. 

I will look forward to seeing the "67 Impala. The '66 Impala body style, also shared with the '65, in my eyes has always been very desirable.  I had a friend who bought a new '65 Impala SS in that color. I liked the car so well I went down and bought a new '66 Impala SS in Danube Blue with Black Interior. It was a 325/396 car with a 4-speed and was equipped with the F41 Suspension and the Posi.rear end. Great handling car but I lived in the mountains and the brakes would fade quickly if you were really driving it hard. Again please post the "67 IMpala as that was also a great looking Chevy. 

[espo]

12 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I already expressed my admiration for your work, but may I offer a suggestion that would improve it even more? You can remove those molding lines at the front ends of the front fenders. They'll sand and polish right out. I know, because I've done it on the one I'm working on, molded in the same color as yours. Really improved the appearance. You've evidently mastered plastic polishing, as you've achieved one of THE BEST polished plastic jobs I've ever seen, and I can do a pretty darn good one myself. 

Oh, also REALLY nice work on the interior! Respect! 

I'm working on one I'm pretty sure is the same color, and mine isn't really yellow, it's sort of a golden beige that doesn't really match any factory '66 Chevy color. I call it "brown mustard," but it's a little lighter than that. Whatever--I'm rolling with it, and am gonna polish it out, and I hope mine comes out NEARLY as well as 1701's. 

In '66 Chevrolet also offered a pale Beige color that was pretty popular then. 

[Snake45]

8 minutes ago, espo said:

In '66 Chevrolet also offered a pale Beige color that was pretty popular then. 

I know, but my promo doesn't really match anything on the '66 Chevy color chart--it's not yellow, it's not beige, it's not gold, but somewhere in between all of them. 

But I don't really care. 

[espo]

1 minute ago, Snake45 said:

I know, but my promo doesn't really match anything on the '66 Chevy color chart--it's not yellow, it's not beige, it's not gold, but somewhere in between all of them. 

But I don't really care. 

I'd look on line for any color charts for the '66 model year. They also offered two different shades of Gold, one was a light gold with very little metallic in it and a darker but brighter shade of gold. Look at my avatar of my '67 El Camino as that is the color and it was also available for a couple of model years at that time. Also please post your redo on that as I would enjoy seeing it also. 

[bh1701]

24 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I already expressed my admiration for your work, but may I offer a suggestion that would improve it even more? You can remove those molding lines at the front ends of the front fenders. They'll sand and polish right out. I know, because I've done it on the one I'm working on, molded in the same color as yours. Really improved the appearance. You've evidently mastered plastic polishing, as you've achieved one of THE BEST polished plastic jobs I've ever seen, and I can do a pretty darn good one myself. 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I often do remove the molding lines on kits that I will be painting. However, I didn't do it on this one since I was leaving it the original molded color. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the shine back after doing it.

What process do you use to do this? What grit sandpapers do you use, and what polish do you use?  

Several people have commented about the polishing I did - but, I actually did NOT polish the kit. I pretty much just stripped the paint with Oven Cleaner and then washed in dish soap and water. As I recall, those old promos had a pretty good finish on them to start with and I was glad that this one still did after it was stripped and washed.

Bart

[Snake45]

40 minutes ago, bh1701 said:

Thanks for the suggestion. I often do remove the molding lines on kits that I will be painting. However, I didn't do it on this one since I was leaving it the original molded color. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the shine back after doing it.

What process do you use to do this? What grit sandpapers do you use, and what polish do you use?  

Several people have commented about the polishing I did - but, I actually did NOT polish the kit. I pretty much just stripped the paint with Oven Cleaner and then washed in dish soap and water. As I recall, those old promos had a pretty good finish on them to start with and I was glad that this one still did after it was stripped and washed.

Bart

That's amazing! Mine also has a fabulous shine but had quite a few scratches and scuffs I had to attend to. When it's finished, it won't be perfect, but you will almost have to go looking for the flaws under magnification. 

IIRC, I took off the molding lines with about #1000 sandpaper, and then polished the area with either nail polishing sticks or Wrights Silver Cream silver polish (been a couple months so I don't remember which I used--I use both all the time). When I got done you couldn't even tell they were ever there. 

What color is your '67 Impala promo? Mine's a bright blue, but it's actually a "friction" car which I believe is different from a true promo. The body on mine was a bit scratched and scuffed and "foggy," but I got a very nice shine on it with the nail sticks and Wrights. I hope to finish it today and should have pics up soon. 

[carrucha]

Looks good.  

[bh1701]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

What color is your '67 Impala promo? Mine's a bright blue, but it's actually a "friction" car which I believe is different from a true promo. 

We may have the same model - here are some photos of what mine looks like at the moment before any restoration work. I'll be waiting to see what your 67 Impala looks like when it is done!

This also has a friction motor in it. My 66 Impala also had a friction motor, too. So, neither one is a true promo. These were built-up kits AMT made that I purchased at my local hobby shop when I was a kid.

Bart

[Snake45]

Now that you mention it, I think my '66 Impala might also be a friction car. Been a number of months since I've seen its chassis and had forgotten that. 

As to the '67, here's what I started with. No wheels or tires; I ended up having to put some '67 Rally Wheels on it, which look pretty good on it. At about the same time, I also got another one that, when I opened it, I thought it was molded in white and someone had painted the interior blue. But it turns out to have been painted white, and pretty cleanly, too. I'm restoring that one as well (decided to leave it white) at the same time and should have it finished very soon too. (I could have and should have gotten them both finished this weekend, but just got lazy.)

If you object to me posting these pics in your thread, just let me know and I'll delete this post. 

[slusher]

Nicely Done!

[ewetwo]

Very nice. BMF is difficult to do and you did a nice job.

[mustang1989]

Cleanly built Impala. Very good work.

[Roadrunner]

Nice job. Foil, I'm afraid to say, is something that I really try to avoid.