AMT '62 Buick vs AMT/ERTL '62 Chevy

[Joe Handley]

How accurate would the chassis under the newer AMT/ERTL '62 Chevy kits if placed under the AMT '62 Buick Electra body and tub?

Also what would be a good Nailhead source without ruining the Revell '29 Roadster kit I had stashed away in my Jeep?

[Chuck Most]

Not very, at least until you stretched the Bel Air's wheelbase to match the Buick at least. As far as a good Nailhead, the '66 Riv has one, albeit with a dual quad intake. . 

[SfanGoch]

The Electra 225 used the C-body platform which had a 126" wheelbase. The Impala/Biscayne/Bel Air used the B-body platform which had a 119" wheelbase.

 

Edited March 2, 2020 by SfanGoch

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

The Electra 225 used the C-body platform which had a 126" wheelbase. The Impala/Biscayne/Bel Air used the B-body platform which had a 119" wheelbase.

 

That's a lot of stretchin' !

 

Your best bet for something close to the correct wheel base for a '62 Electra is probably going to be the Trumpeter '60 Bonneville kit.

It at least had a 124" wheel base.

 

 

 

Steve

[Mark]

Buicks and Chevies both used the "X" (cruciform) frame, but different suspension parts, exhaust systems, and floor pans.  The "closest" chassis would probably be the '66 Riviera piece, but you'd have to stretch it big time, and that's not getting into the floor pan, fuel tank, or exhaust system.  The Riviera engine should work but the automatic transmission is too new and the external accessories on the engine are mostly wrong.

IMO, best to just appreciate the Buick as it is, unless you have a bunch of time to spend on the chassis and interior...

[Joe Handley]

Thanks guys, I was just curious since I recently bought the Buick kit at HL and have an Impala Convertible kit with no engine and cracked windshield frame.  I had forgotten about the Impala kit until I started pulling the kits out of my Cherokee......turns out had five and a half 27 gallon totes full of styrene between the XJ and 200, one of 1/18 diecasts, and one with a bunch of random R/C parts and bodies that came out of the Jeep

[SfanGoch]

The 225 front suspension is also similar to '61-68 Cadillacs

'62 Electra

'68 Deville

[bisc63]

The Monogram '59 Cadillac will get you closer to the right pan/x-frame/wheelbase, and it's nicely detailed.

[Joe Handley]

Thanks for the info guys, I’ll probably stick with the standard chassis and/or buy a second Buick to use for that Caddy Chassis Swap........wonder if I still have any of the ‘66 Riv Lowrider kits I bought in the late 90’s or early 00’s still.........

[SfanGoch]

5 hours ago, bisc63 said:

The Monogram '59 Cadillac will get you closer to the right pan/x-frame/wheelbase, and it's nicely detailed.

Not really. It wouldn't have the correct front and rear suspension and fuel tank.

Revellogram '59 Caddy

'62 Electra rear suspension

 

'62 Electra fuel tank

 

The fairly recent AMT/ERTL '66 Riviera (30083 or 31849) would be a better starting point since the front suspension is identical to the Electra's. The section within the red box couldn't be used because the fuel tank is incorrect for a '62 and the rear frame rails on the '62 Electra are parallel, not angled outward.

The AMT/ERTL '62 Impala/Bel Air kit chassis are pretty close to the configuration of the Electra, with the exception of the front suspension and wheelbase.

The '66 Riviera front suspension can be grafted onto the Impala/Bel Air chassis plate with adjustments made to increase the wheelbase to a scale 126". If you are really serious about creating an accurate and correctly detailed representation of the '62 Electra chassis, this would entail a lot of reconstructive surgery on your part; but, the result would be worth the effort.

[bisc63]

I thought the front suspension was much more similar than that; my bad! I was referring mostly to pan/chassis, and wheelbase with regards to the Caddy unit. Looks easier to cut  out the area between the rear rails and drop in the same from the Impala, scratch up new mounts for the impala control arms and use that rear end; then graft the Buick front suspension as suggested above. I still believe this would net a better appearnce than trying to stretch the Chevy X by 7 scale inches. The shortened (as needed) Caddy X would remain more proportionally correct.

[SfanGoch]

The '59 Caddy would still have the incorrect rear suspension configuration. The trailing arms need to be oriented toward the center of the chassis with the mounts attached to the frame rails, like the ones on the '66 Riviera. It won't be a walk through the park to slice and dice your way to an accurate chassis using parts and sections from multiple vict...donor kits. .